"Yeah, I got it!" Ling Chunxi mumbled impatiently. Mornings were meant for lazing about, no? For real though. She was already somewhat awake, so this was fine. If she had been awakened from a deep slumber, her grumpiness would have exploded. Ling Chunxi did not take kindly to any disruptions to her eating and sleeping activities. Her reaction would have shattered earth.
"Master Yichen has bought Miss some meat buns, steamed dumplings and Siu Mai[1]!" yelled Aunt Wang from outside her door. Obviously, Aunt Wang had grabbed onto a fail-safe lifeline here.
Ling Chunxi immediately perked up. She hurriedly got dressed, put on her shoes and grabbed Little White before dashing out the door. Now, this was speed! This was as swift as anything could be! Little White turned to look at Ling Chunxi in silent judgement. It was a legitimate worry that Ling Chunxi might be tricked or cheated due to a generous serving of delicious food one day!
Once she was done with breakfast, Ling Chunxi entered into the carriage prepared by the Ling family to send her and Ling Yichen off to White Stone City. Little White was carried onboard safely in Ling Chunxi's arms and Ling Yichen entered the carriage after her. Ling Chunxi was glad she didn't have to bring anything along with her as the Ling clan had already prepared everything for her over there. From food to clothing and daily necessities, everything had been completely set up for her. This was the difference between the those who passed the assessment and those who did not. Reality was indeed cruel.
The sun had risen, radiant and warm. Its rays were accompanied by a deep autumn chill. The carriage started its slow journey with a lurch, leaving Shi Qu Town behind little by little. Excitement rose in Ling Chunxi as she pulled back the curtains to look at the changing scenery. Little White was falling asleep in her lap. The fox's ears drooped against its tiny head which bobbed up and down as it nodded off.
Ling Yichen remained silent. His handsome face never betrayed any expression of emotion. After a period of time passed, Ling Yichen opened his mouth to speak.
"Chuxi, do you know what happened last night?" he asked simply.
"Yesterday night? No, I don't. What happened?" Ling Chuxi asked distractedly. She was still engrossed with the scenery outside the window.
"There was an incident at the Qin Manor last night. Qin Xiruo seems to have been traumatized by it. She keeps saying there was a ghost. They discovered her this morning with her face all disfigured because she had scratched her own face up with her nails." Ling Yichen presented the facts succinctly and gently. He knew very well about the matter of Qin Xiruo causing Ling Chunxi much suffering. However, despite this knowledge, Ling Yichen did not think Ling Chunxi had harmed Qin Xiruo in such a manner. Furthermore, since his gut feeling told him that Ling Chunxi might not even have knowledge on the matter, he thought to run the facts by her before he drew any conclusions.
"What?!" Ling Chuxi turned to look at Ling Yichen in surprise. "She disfigured her own face? Scratched it up?"
"Yes." Ling Yichen nodded calmly, then slowly said without expression, "I think she deserved it."
"What's that?" A corner of Ling Chuxi's lips twitched. She never thought the expressionless Ling Yichen would say something like that. In fact, she thought he might have asked if she had anything to do with it. But in the end, he said something so unlike himself instead. "Why is it that your blank face somehow seems to be connoting a sense of you being happy over someone else's misery? How it is that the cool, proud and dignified Ling Yichen would harbour such an emotion?"
"She tormented you for many years, did she not? Therefore, her circumstances now are well deserved." Ling Yichen communicated his thoughts while looking directly at Ling Chunxi.
Ling Chuxi was stunned. She looked at Ling Yichen and held his gaze, then she beamed a big, sincere smile at him and made sure to speak clearly. "Thank you, Ling Yichen. Truly, thank you." From this moment on, Ling Chunxi considered Ling Yichen a friend. Her first in this unfamiliar world.
Ling Yichen was startled. As he was looking into Ling Chunxi's clear, bright eyes, Ling Yichen suddenly turned away without a word. Ling Chunxi found this amusing. Why, he was a shy guy after all!
Still, the matter of Qin Xiruo's trauma lingered on her mind. Why did she scratch up her own face to the point of disfigurement? What was going on? The Phantom Mushroom powder would not have had such a lasting effect on her. Somebody else did this to Qin Xiruo for sure. The question is, who?
[1] Siu Mai is a type of Chinese dumpling usually eaten during a dimsum meal. It is usually filled with minced pork meat