Chapter 115: Those Remnants Should Not Have Been Spared

After a while of feeling aggrieved, I wiped away my tears and sat on the bed, sobbing intermittently. One must commit fully to an act; it wouldn't do to stop too abruptly.

Seeing Wangchuan staring at me intently, I quickly lowered my head, not daring to make a sound. To be honest, he probably knew I was faking it, didn't he? But even if it was a fake cry, so what? My acting was top-tier—I had managed to shed real tears, after all! I sniffled, feeling a bit amused. I wondered if the big cat would grow to dislike me if I kept being this shameless.

Just as I was thinking this, I looked down and noticed the bead Han Mingxuan had given me. After I picked it up from the floor earlier, he had tied it to my hand. It looked like I was wearing a little agate bean. But now, it was no longer on my hand; it was hanging from a small decorative rod protruding from the foot of the bed.

This... had I been found out? I glanced at him, but he remained expressionless. I let out a long sigh and decided to change the subject.

"...And the firecrackers?" I asked weakly.

"Those weren't firecrackers; they were flying insects."

"Flying insects?" My brow twitched. What were those?

"My fault." Wangchuan suddenly reached out, covered my hand, and sighed softly. "I shouldn't have spared those remnants."

I was stunned. Who was speaking to me right now? Was it really Wangchuan? Someone as lofty and arrogant as he was, admitting he was wrong?! I remained dazed for a long time before recovering from the shock.

However... "Remnants?"

Wangchuan looked at me, and I understood! That look told me he had no intention of explaining further.

"Don't be like that!" I shook my hands, frustrated. I hated it when people spoke in half-truths. How did I end up with a husband like this?!

As it turned out, the road to wisdom is long, and while I had triumphed in the "crying" department, I ultimately failed to extract any information about these "remnants." After all, I was still technically in the doghouse, so it wasn't the best time to press for details. Since Wangchuan said it like that, it meant he was taking action and simply keeping me in the dark. Fine! I would just go ask Xiaoyun and Yubao later!

Before I could finish my train of thought, Wangchuan raised an eyebrow, gesturing toward the glass bead hanging at the foot of the bed. "Now, tell me. What is this?"

"Hehe..." I gave an awkward laugh. "Hehehe..."

My face was promptly pinched, the threat clear in his expression. Trembling, I explained, "Would you believe me if I said Han Mingxuan gave it to us as a congratulatory gift for having kittens?"

To be honest, my heart was pounding. I didn't actually know what the thing was for. What if that thieving wolf had tricked me and it was some kind of token of affection? Wouldn't I just be waiting for Wangchuan to punish me? I blamed myself for being too careless; I had intended to take it off before returning and give it directly to Wangchuan, but then that incident happened, and I ended up wearing it back! This guy Wangchuan, as good as he was, had a possessiveness that was terrifying. I had come home wearing someone else's item! Oh my, my heart was racing!

I glanced at him several more times. He seemed silent, which I took to mean he believed me. After a while, Wangchuan still didn't react, seemingly lost in thought. I let out a long sigh of relief. This was terrifying; they used to say serving a monarch was like serving a tiger, but serving a husband was just as dangerous. No... even a tiger couldn't compare!

I lay under the covers, sighing and lamenting to myself, until Wangchuan pulled me into his arms. My injuries were healed, so moving from the bed was fine. I settled into his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Master... give me a kiss." I smiled with squinted eyes. Better to offer a sweet treat first to keep him from scolding me!

Wangchuan let me kiss him, but he seemed immune to my flattery.

"You've got me figured out, haven't you?" He narrowed his eyes slightly, smiled, and glanced at the bead again. "Given to you by that thieving wolf?"

"Mm-hmm..." I nodded obediently. "I won't wear it anymore, I promise."

"Look at how scared you are." Wangchuan laughed unexpectedly and patted my forehead.

"Hehehehe..." I laughed awkwardly again, looking at the object. "So, what is it?"

After thinking for a long time, Wangchuan finally concluded, "It's a... good thing. Something that will be able to help us."

"Oh? Is it really a treasure?" I looked at the beautiful red bead, thinking Han Mingxuan was truly generous. If even Wangchuan called it a good thing, it must be quite rare, right?

"It's not exactly a treasure, but it is a coincidence," Wangchuan explained.

"A coincidence?"

At the time, I didn't understand what he meant by "coincidence"—it clearly didn't mean by chance. I lingered with Wangchuan for a while before handing the bead over to him. I didn't know what it was for anyway, and keeping it wasn't necessarily safe, so it was better to give it to him.

As for me, I dashed off to find Yubao and Xiaoyun. I told myself it was just to play, but I was determined to get to the bottom of things. I also wanted to know if Xiaoyi was alright.

Running until my claws felt like they were sparking, I finally burst into Xiaoyun's room.

"Oh? Qianqian?" Xiaoyun hurried over. "You're better already?"

"Of course!" I held my tail up proudly. "My Wangchuan is a skilled healer, after all. Otherwise, I would have been left with a face full of scars!"

"I'm envious." Xiaoyun flicked her claws, looking quite idle.

"Hey, don't just talk about that. I came here to ask, is Xiaoyi doing alright?"

"She's recovering in a small hut not far away. That's her home." She pointed with a claw; I could see the small house from the windowsill.

"Is the injury serious?" I pressed against the window to look, but it was too far to see anything, even with my sharp eyes.

"She's fine, I hear she was just beaten up by a few cats." Xiaoyun sighed and tidied up her little nest.

"Oh, Wangchuan told me about that," I nodded, pretending as if Wangchuan had already filled me in so I wouldn't seem concerned.

Xiaoyun looked back, surprised. "The Master told you?"

"Yes, of course. Those cats are truly wicked." I went along with it, trying to fish for more information.

Xiaoyun nodded. "They really are! Those cats saw that you had a little run-in with Youyan a few days ago, and they wanted to use the opportunity to frame her!"

I was startled. So this had something to do with Youyan too? But I kept my face neutral and continued, "Exactly! Too wicked! How is Youyan doing now?"

My technique for asking questions was getting good! I felt a bit smug. I didn't know why, but ever since I got pregnant, my head had become much sharper. Like Xiaomi, who became dim-witted during pregnancy, while I had become as crafty as a fox. Wangchuan was proud of that, and every time he spoke of it, he would tease me, saying: "Don't forget whose seed you're carrying."

Hmph—it would be even better if it were someone else's! Then I wouldn't have to act pitiful and fake tears with him every day! Like Xiaomi, just opening her mouth to be fed—how nice that would be.

While I was thinking this, I listened to Xiaoyun.

"The Master went to see Youyan last time. Youyan has a little secret, and the Master seems to know why, so he understood. It probably had something to do with you, which is why Youyan took her anger out on you. Youyan said she understands now that her impulse was wrong, and she promises not to even touch you in the future."

"Oh." I nodded, not daring to interrupt.

"Youyan is pitiable, truly. Lonely people always have secrets. Once the Master spoke to her, she promised not to bother you again. Everyone knows Youyan keeps her word, right? Those cats were fools; they tried to frame you! No... maybe they weren't just framing you, they wanted to use Youyan as a scapegoat!"

"Wow." I raised an eyebrow, pretending to be gossipy and shocked. "And those cats, do they have any backing? You know what I mean."

Xiaoyun leaned in and whispered into my ear, "Let me tell you, those cats were actually Rebecca's people. Because a few of them usually behaved well enough, I guess the Master is fair with rewards and punishments and thought the last incident had nothing to do with them, but I never expected they would leave such trouble behind."

"Oh, I see. Wangchuan called them 'remnants'." I finally caught on.

"That's right," Xiaoyun held up a claw and continued, "They were so stupid, trying to frame others. Did they really think no one was watching the Rift..."

She went on rambling about things that weren't very important. I followed along, nodding and agreeing, laughing inwardly. Xiaoyun, oh Xiaoyun... who knew you would one day become my secret informant!

However, it was only then that I realized something, and I suddenly interrupted her.

"By the way, do you know what Youyan's secret is?"