Chapter 62: The Undercurrent

Bao Ning stepped out from the bathing room behind the screen, drying her hair with a towel.

She had changed into a light blue silk nightgown and walked out barefoot. The floor was made of smooth tiles, and her wet footprints trailed behind her. Ah Huang trotted over, wagging its tail and stepping in the water.

“Why aren’t you wearing shoes?” Pei Yuan walked over to her, face calm. Smiling, he scooped her up and set her down on the bed.

“They’re wet. It’s uncomfortable,” Bao Ning replied.

“Don’t do that next time. The floor is cold, it’s bad for your body.” Pei Yuan was almost undressed himself, only a loose pair of white underpants clung to his waist, revealing a lean and toned figure.

Bao Ning’s eyes followed the line of his spine, a dip that trailed downward and disappeared beneath the waistband. Pei Yuan was slim but strong—his muscles were firm, the lines smooth and beautiful.

As she stared, her mind suddenly recalled what she had seen earlier between Gongsun Zhu and Luyun—their moans and tangled bodies. Bao Ning shivered, her eyes and ears seeming to burn with discomfort.

But when she looked at Pei Yuan again, her face slowly reddened.

“Did you dry your hair?” Pei Yuan glanced at her and took the towel from her hand, wiping her feet before tucking her legs under the blanket.

He smiled and flicked her forehead with his finger. “What are you thinking about? So lost in thought.”

“Nothing,” Bao Ning certainly couldn’t tell him what had just crossed her mind. She pointed toward the bathing room. “There’s still hot water. You should go wash up—you’re all sweaty and dusty.”

“No rush,” Pei Yuan replied.

It was then that Bao Ning sensed something was off. She had only taken a bath, but Pei Yuan seemed like a different person. Though he still smiled, Bao Ning could feel a heaviness in him—he no longer seemed joyful. There was a cold, brooding energy about him, like smoldering coal about to reignite with the slightest breeze.

“Did something happen?” she asked tentatively, thinking it might be related to their operation that evening.

Pei Yuan shook his head.

“Oh,” Bao Ning said, then asked, “Gongsun Zhu—was he caught? Should you go check on him?”

“Wei Meng is interrogating him. No need for me to go,” Pei Yuan replied.

He answered each question plainly, his usual glibness gone.

Bao Ning’s heart slowly sank. She could sense he was hiding something from her—but he was like a dead duck. If he didn’t want to talk, nothing could force it out of him.

Sighing, she slipped on her shoes. “Go take your bath. I’ll find you something to wear.”

Then, from behind her, came Pei Yuan’s voice, sounding casual: “Did you meet anyone else tonight?”

“I met a lot of people.” Bao Ning turned to look at him, holding a fresh nightgown in her hands and shaking it out. “I saw my aunt, the madam, Miss Qiu Liu…”

She suddenly remembered what Qiu Lingjun had done to her. Pei Yuan already knew, and he was probably handling it. Bao Ning wasn’t worried—she trusted Pei Yuan wouldn’t be soft-hearted. Still, Qiu Lingjun was General Qiu’s daughter and soon to be the consort of the second prince. Making too big a fuss might not be wise.

After some thought, Bao Ning decided to leave it alone. She wasn’t the type to stress over things—whatever Pei Yuan wanted to do, she’d support him. She trusted he’d handle it well.

Carrying the clothes over, she began hanging them one by one behind the screen. “Why are you suddenly asking about that?”

“Just curious.” Pei Yuan walked over in slippers and embraced her from behind, resting his chin on her head. His voice was low and slow. “Ningning, I’m a petty man. Please don’t ever hide anything from me.”

“You’re acting really strange tonight.” Bao Ning looked at him in confusion. Seeing the dark, unreadable look in his eyes, she tiptoed up to rub his face with a smile. “Go bathe already. I bought you a new pine-scented soap—you’ll definitely like it.”

Pei Yuan kissed the corner of her lips lightly and replied with a soft “Mhm.”

Bao Ning left the bath area.

She didn’t think too much about Pei Yuan’s odd behavior. He was always so deep in thought—who knew what memory might bring him joy or sadness? His moods were like that.

Bao Ning figured Pei Yuan just needed time and space to sort himself out. As long as he didn’t hurt her, it was fine. She trusted him. He would never harm her.

Ah Huang and Ah Mian were ready to sleep. They liked curling up on the bed or daybed but always had to be clean. Bao Ning wiped their faces, paws, and little bottoms with wet towels before brushing their fur and tucking them in. Then she washed her hands and lay down on the bed to tinker with her bamboo dragonfly project.

…

Pei Yuan stood naked behind the screen, scooping water and pouring it over himself with closed eyes.

Outside, Bao Ning was laughing and playing with Ah Huang—her laughter sweet and bright. But Pei Yuan’s mind kept returning to that hairpin and the note hidden inside it.

Meng Fan. Pei Yuan silently repeated the name.

Half a month ago, this man named Meng Fan had sent a box—a set of hair ornaments—as an apology gift for Bao Ning. Pei Yuan remembered her reaction clearly: she hadn’t seemed particularly surprised or happy, as if she had just received any other ordinary gift. Later, he had hidden the box, and Bao Ning had never mentioned it again, as if it had never existed.

But… were they still secretly in contact?

Pei Yuan’s fingers around the ladle turned white as he fought back the wave of jealousy and anger surging in his chest.

He told himself Bao Ning wouldn’t do something like that. Absolutely not.

But that hairpin was so finely made. Meng Fan had been trained in carving since childhood—he was capable of such work. And that note—it mentioned the box. Pei Yuan had never told anyone about that box, and Bao Ning hadn’t either. She was quiet and stayed in the courtyard all day, barely speaking to anyone. The only people who knew about that box were himself, Bao Ning, and Meng Fan.

Even if someone had tried to stir up trouble—how would they know such precise details?

Had Bao Ning really betrayed him? Was she secretly meeting another man? Had she been pretending all this time—lying to him?

Pei Yuan’s breathing grew heavier. The thought was driving him mad.

He wanted to believe her—but when it came to Bao Ning, he couldn’t stay rational.

He was sensitive, suspicious, obsessive—and he knew it. Bao Ning meant too much to him. He wanted to lock her away, hide her forever. If anyone else so much as looked at her, he felt a jealous rage.

The warm water pouring over his skin only stoked the fire in his chest.

Bao Ning’s smile… the hairpin… the note… kept flashing through his mind. Clenching his jaw, Pei Yuan finally lost control and slammed the ladle down.

The solid wood hit the floor with a loud clang!

Sitting on the bed, Bao Ning was focused on her project when she jumped at the loud crash behind the screen.

Thinking Pei Yuan’s leg had acted up and he had fallen, she hurried toward him. “What happened? Are you alright?”

“I dropped something. Don’t worry,” came his voice after a brief silence—steady, calm.

Bao Ning paused, then turned back. But the unease in her heart grew. Something was very wrong.

Rustling sounds came from behind her. She turned to see Pei Yuan emerge, water dripping from his arms and legs. He hadn’t dried off, and only wore white underpants, the fabric clinging to his skin.

He walked straight to the table, blew out the lamp, and returned to take Bao Ning’s hand and lead her to bed. “Stop playing. Time to sleep.”

“You’re all wet—you’ll soak the blankets,” Bao Ning followed his steps, forcing a smile. “You were full of energy before your bath. Now you’re suddenly so tired? I’ve still got a bunch of stuff on the bed I haven’t cleaned up…”

She kept talking, trying to ease the sudden awkwardness in the room. Pei Yuan listened for a bit, then suddenly stopped, yanking her by the arm and pulling her in front of him.

The two stared at each other for a moment before Pei Yuan suddenly bent down and seized her lips.

Bao Ning’s eyes widened in shock.

Pei Yuan had kissed her before, but they were always light, fleeting kisses—never like this. This time, it was almost as if he were biting her. He caught her lower lip between his teeth and sucked hard, forcefully adjusting her head, trying to capture her tongue. His strength was frightening. Bao Ning felt soreness deep in the root of her tongue, but he still wasn’t satisfied. His lips trailed down to her collarbone.

Bao Ning was terrified. It started to hurt, and she struggled, twisting to break free. Pei Yuan refused to let go. He pressed her down onto the bed, holding her shoulders, his burning breath hot against her ear.

He found the small pink mole on her collarbone and bit down hard. Bao Ning cried out, and he immediately regretted it—kissing, licking, and coaxing her softly.

“Pei Yuan… what are you doing…?” Bao Ning was shaken by his sudden madness. Pain and panic filled her, tears welling in her eyes.

“To love you,” Pei Yuan whispered.

He stopped himself, no longer moving—just held her tightly, his head buried in the crook of her neck.

Bao Ning was still shaken.

She sensed Pei Yuan’s fragile emotions in that moment. Though she didn’t know why, after a brief hesitation, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gently comforted him: “Pei Yuan… what’s wrong? What happened? Please… talk to me.”

Pei Yuan sighed her name almost like a lament: “Bao’er…”

Her heart trembled, and she responded softly.

Pei Yuan said, “I give you everything. Just… don’t ever lie to me.”

Bao Ning froze.

…

The next morning, everything seemed completely normal.

Pei Yuan’s strange behavior from the night before was gone. He was back to joking and teasing, playing with the dog using meat buns, acting like his usual unserious self.

Bao Ning asked what he meant by that thing he said last night—about not lying. Pei Yuan wouldn’t say another word. So Bao Ning had to drop it.

Around midday, Wei Meng came by. Pei Yuan stepped out, and they spoke at the courtyard gate for quite a while. Bao Ning overheard bits and pieces—it seemed to be about Gongsun Zhu. That stubborn old man refused to say anything. Wei Meng said he was like a stone—you couldn’t even beat a fart out of him. In the end, Wei Meng had to use force; after a few lashes, Gongsun Zhu was half-dead before he finally confessed.

But his confession was simply: he would rather die than say anything.

Because his only grandson was in Pei Xiao’s hands. If he said the wrong thing, it wouldn’t be him who suffered—it would be his grandson.

As for the antidote to the Chidan poison in Pei Yuan’s body—he truly didn’t have it. Even if they beat him to death, it wouldn’t magically appear.

Not exactly good news.

Pei Yuan didn’t seem surprised, as if he had already expected this. He didn’t comment, only asked a few questions about Bao Ning’s family.

Wei Meng replied that Aunt Xu was doing fine and hadn’t been affected by yesterday’s chaos. Ji Jiaying’s leg had been burned and she was in pain, but with proper care, she’d recover. Tao-shi had given birth at the crown prince’s residence the previous day—a little girl, healthy and lively. But the outcome was not what she had long hoped for. Tao-shi broke down on the spot, made a scene, and was eventually sent back to the Duke’s residence by Pei Xiao.

Finally, Wei Meng asked what to do with Qiu Lingjun.

Pei Yuan said coldly: “Lock her up. Starve her for three days—no food, no water, no sleep. Don’t listen to General Qiu if he comes pleading. Interrogate her. Find out exactly what she’s done. Make her spill every filthy thought in her head. I want to know what kind of game she’s trying to play.”

Wei Meng took the order and left.

Bao Ning continued living her routine life. Tinkering with her little crafts, tending to the two little “ancestors” at home. She had just planted two flower bushes by the window—she watered them, and when she got bored, she’d go talk to Pei Yuan.

Everything seemed normal.

That hairpin was still sitting at the bedside—in a very obvious spot. Pei Yuan glanced at it now and then. Seeing that Bao Ning didn’t seem to care about it at all, the weight in his heart slowly eased.

The note had said: “Meet at the south corner gate of the general’s manor tomorrow.”

Would she go?

Pei Yuan thought, Bao Ning won’t go.

She truly looked like she had no idea. Not even the slightest sign of nervousness.

And besides—how could his Bao Ning possibly do something like that behind his back?

Pei Yuan was grateful that he hadn’t lashed out at her. He realized he was being overly suspicious. He should’ve chosen to trust Bao Ning more. She was such a good girl. So obedient.

So, when Wei Meng came again at noon the next day, saying there was an urgent matter that required Pei Yuan’s attention, he went with him.

Bao Ning sat at the doorway brushing Ah Mian’s fur. As soon as Pei Yuan left, Madam Liu came to report:

“Seventh Miss has arrived.”

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