Seeing that Ning Yan remained silent for too long, Bai Qingqing’s patience began to wear thin. “If you’re unwilling, that’s fine. Just leave quickly—I need to rest.”
“In such a hurry to drive me away? My favor is quite precious, you know. Are you sure you don’t want to fight for it a little more?”
Bai Qingqing pursed her lips and glared at him. Ning Yan chuckled. “Fine. Come to think of it, I’ve never owed anyone a favor before. How novel. Alright, I agree.”
A flicker of joy crossed Bai Qingqing’s heart. She stepped forward half a pace, then stopped. “Could you perhaps give me a token? It’s not that I doubt your integrity, but I’m the type to fret over gains and losses, you see… rather petty, really. Having a token would put my mind at ease. But truly, I’m not questioning your promise—please don’t take it the wrong way.”
Ning Yan: … She might as well have not explained.
He casually pulled a jade token, about half the size of a palm, from his waist and tossed it over. Bai Qingqing startled, scrambling to catch it. Upon realizing it was jade, her voice unconsciously rose. “What if it had shattered on the ground?”
Ning Yan, all devilish charm, pressed a finger to his lips. “Shh. If someone hears and discovers me, that wouldn’t be ideal.”
Bai Qingqing couldn’t help but glare at him, her black-and-white eyes brimming with indignation. She wasn’t the least bit intimidating—but oddly captivating.
But Ning Yan didn’t tease her further. He only spoke lazily after she had carefully stowed the token away. “Now you’ll help, won’t you?”
Having secured the favor, Bai Qingqing’s attitude improved considerably. “Where’s the incense?”
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She barely finished speaking before Ning Yan tugged at his own collar, utterly nonchalant. “On me. A good amount of it. You should still be able to smell it.”
She stared at him in stunned silence, her expression shifting through several shades. Her fingers itched to reach for the candlestick again.
“I’m serious,” Ning Yan said. “By the time I arrived, the incense had already burned out, leaving only some ash. But I stayed in that room for quite a while. The scent was strong—it may have left traces.”
“Lord Ning, you wouldn’t be toying with me, would you?”
Ning Yan shook his head solemnly. “Not at all.”
It was rare to see him so serious. The contrast from his usual playful demeanor was striking. Bai Qingqing was momentarily thrown off. Was this what her brother meant by Ning Yan’s true nature?
She had taken the token—she wasn’t about to let this favor go to waste. After a brief moment of deliberation, she moved closer and sat down beside him. With delicate, pale fingers, she lightly pinched the edge of his sleeve and lifted it to take a sniff.
Ning Yan turned his head to watch her. After a pause, he turned away and brought “Stay Calm” to his nose, inhaling sharply.
Just as he steadied himself, Bai Qingqing’s voice of complaint reached his ears. “Move that incense farther away—it’s interfering with me.”
The moment she engaged with something in her domain of expertise, Bai Qingqing’s demeanor became much more natural, and with it, her speech more uninhibited. Her tone was soft and sweet—almost like she was pouting.
A muscle in Ning Yan’s cheek twitched ever so slightly. Without a word, he really did move the incense aside.
Sure enough, Bai Qingqing detected a faint lingering scent on his sleeve. But it was too subtle to identify immediately. As she traced the scent upward along the fabric, it gradually intensified.
Her mind was wholly occupied with incense, focused entirely on discerning its composition. She didn’t realize that she had sniffed her way up to Ning Yan’s shoulder.
Bai Qingqing mentally sifted through various incense formulas, contemplating which ingredients could create such an aroma. At the same time, a sense of familiarity arose.
Somewhere—she had smelled this before.
Ning Yan closed his eyes briefly. The veins at his neck threatened to surface once more.