"I'm sorry, it was my fault."
She apologized briskly. "Or, or maybe I can send someone to the shops to buy you a set of clothes for now? I didn’t mean to..."
Bai Qingqing instinctively moved to bite her lip, but Ning Yan caught her chin in one swift motion and lifted her face. "Already torn, and you’re still biting?"
Her tongue brushed lightly over her lips, and she really did taste a faint trace of blood. Torn? When did that happen?
Bai Qingqing was still puzzling over it, not noticing the way Ning Yan’s gaze darkened when she licked her lips. His fingers tightened slightly on her chin before letting go.
"No need for clothes," he said. "But you—what happened that made you cry ?"
Bai Qingqing didn't want to answer. She would rather compensate him with ten sets of clothes!
But under Ning Yan’s steady gaze, there was no way she could bluff her way out. Whether truth or lie, he would see right through her.
Bai Qingqing thought for a moment, and her mood sank again. "I just feel... completely useless."
Whatever she tried, she failed. Stupidity seemed to be her only talent. When her family was in trouble, she couldn’t lift a finger to help—and through a terrible mistake, had even caused her parents' deaths in prison...
The more she thought, the more she wanted to cry again.
Seeing her eyes turn red, Ning Yan's head started to ache. "Who said you're useless? How many people in Xuancheng can manage to do business with Suiyun Pavilion? How many can earn the favor of the Princess Royal? Qiyue said your sachets are quite popular; perhaps it won't be long before you quietly become a wealthy figure and dazzle the world."
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Bai Qingqing blinked, her tears retreating at his words, though disbelief still lingered in her eyes. Ning Yan... was actually praising her?
Ning Yan himself looked uncomfortable, his brows furrowing instinctively as his voice turned stiff. "What are you staring at? It's not a compliment, just stating facts."
"No, it’s just..." She hesitated. "Are you... very close with Miss Qiyue? She even tells you things like that?"
Ning Yan’s mood brightened slightly. Was she... jealous?
He spoke teasingly, "She really has no secrets from me..."
Seeing Bai Qingqing's expression subtly fall, Ning Yan couldn't help but sigh. Tsk, she really didn't know how to hide her emotions at all.
Bai Qingqing was indeed a little upset. She had visited Yanlai Building so many times. While Miss Qiyue treated her well, it wasn’t to the point of sharing everything. Hmm... she had lost to Ning Yan.
"Why would the gentleman come to Qingxin Pavilion? It's not just to buy incense, is it?"
Bai Qingqing looked at him suspiciously. Ning Yan chuckled, "This time, it’s really just passing by. I happened to hear about something interesting and thought you might be interested. Who would have thought... I miscalculated the timing and ended up witnessing the 'water flooding the Golden Mountain' cry firsthand. Guess I learned something new."
Seeing that teasing her would only upset her more, Ning Yan casually said, "This has to do with that young man from the Ping Wang family who’s been pestering you."
"I don’t want to hear it."
Bai Qingqing immediately interrupted, childishly covering her ears. With her slightly swollen eyes and red nose, she looked rather childish, making it hard for anyone to resist teasing her.
Ning Yan’s hands itched, and he playfully tried to pull her hand away from her ears. "Don’t want to hear it? Then I want to say it even more."
Bai Qingqing: ...Is there something wrong with him?
"Don't worry, it's something fun. It’s his little secret, listening to it won't hurt."
Ning Yan held her delicate wrist, his thumb sliding across it without leaving a trace. It was so slender, as if it could snap with just a squeeze—such a fragile little thing.
Bai Qingqing didn’t notice his movements. Her attention was completely on what Ning Yan had said. A little secret of Fu Yi's? What could that be?