Pink bonus chapter update... Greeting the returning roommate was the bare minimum of courtesy; whether the other person responded was their own affair.

Qi Yue didn't take it to heart, stretching her arms to loosen her neck. "It really won't work.

Forget it, forget it. Rubber, it’s not like you can just conjure it up," she said, dropping her pen with a hint of frustration.

The ink carried up by the quill splattered across the densely written page, blooming like a flower. "Young Madam, would you like some tea?" Qiuxiang returned just as she was about to leave, asking solicitously.

"I would love some," Qi Yue agreed with a smile. Sometimes, accepting is more polite than refusing courteously.

Qiuxiang bustled back with the tea, happily setting it down. "Young Madam, you've been writing and reading for so long.

Let this servant rub your shoulders for you," she offered again. Inside, Chang Yuncheng heard this and twitched the corner of his mouth.

As the head maid, she usually considered even pouring tea beneath her station, yet now she volunteered for the work of the junior maids. Truly...

He directly stripped off his outer garment, revealing his sturdy physique, and stepped into the washing room. When he emerged after cleaning up, the scent of cooked food drifted in.

"Young Madam, please tell me if what I made tastes right?" A strange maid's voice drifted over, low and soft. "There is no 'right' or 'wrong' to it.

As long as it’s made with heart, it is all delicious," Qi Yue laughed. Ah Hao grinned, her eyes narrowing to slits.

"Ah Hao could open a small restaurant," Qi Yue praised, taking a large gulp of soup. "I told you so.

You cook this well." Ah Hao smiled shyly. "I would be content if I could learn even a tiny bit of Young Madam's skill," she murmured.

"You can learn, little by little," Qi Yue chuckled. She paused here, hearing movement from the other side, and rose to walk over.

She knocked on the bedroom door. "My Lord?" she called out.

There was no answer from within. "Are you asleep?" she asked again.

"What is it?" Chang Yuncheng's low voice came from inside. "Want a late-night snack?" Qi Yue asked playfully.

"We have figs stewed with pear—good for moistening the lungs and cooling the fire." No response came from within. Qi Yue turned back to Ah Hao, pouting her lips in an expression of helplessness, just as she was about to turn away, the door opened.

Qi Yue flashed him a bright smile. "Come, it’s very good," she said, walking over first.

Chang Yuncheng followed slowly. He saw a young maid wearing a short jacket standing in the room, shrinking away to the side with her head bowed, as if ashamed.

Oh, it’s that girl… "You can go down and rest now. The night watch will clean up," Qi Yue instructed.

Ever since someone had seen the scar on her stomach, Ah Hao had been ashamed to show her face, especially to the masters and mistresses. Ah Hao understood that Qi Yue was being considerate of her feelings, hesitated for a moment, and then withdrew.

Qi Yue personally scooped a small bowl and handed it to him. "It’s a little sweet.

If you don't like sweet things, you might find it a bit unusual," she remarked with a smile. Chang Yuncheng didn't speak, just took it and downed the contents.

"Hey, it's hot, slow down," Qi Yue quickly cautioned, finding it somewhat amusing. Chang Yuncheng had already finished the bowl.

"You can't do that. It's bad for your stomach," Qi Yue said, shaking her head.

The corner of Chang Yuncheng's mouth curved upward, as if he were smiling faintly. "Good or bad, we are still alive," he stated, setting the bowl down and standing up.

Qi Yue looked at him, scrutinizing him carefully. It seemed his mood was normal right now.

"Why did you join the army?" she suddenly asked. Chang Yuncheng stopped turning away.

"Logically, with your background, there was no need to struggle so hard," Qi Yue continued. "Because I didn't want to stay in this household," Chang Yuncheng turned to look at her and smiled.

"I didn't want to see people like you." Qi Yue merely acknowledged this with an "Oh." His mood was indeed normal; even when saying something hateful, he was smiling... "Lonely..." she murmured, seemingly to herself, her gaze shifting to the window lattice.

A silence settled in the room, and the wind picked up again, seeming to carry fine grains of snow that hissed against the glass. Chang Yuncheng stopped walking.

This softly spoken word, which sounded like a sigh, struck his heart like a physical blow, the echo resounding in his chest. Yes, lonely...

In such a large house, with so many people, he felt utterly isolated, watching everyone’s joy, sorrow, anger, bitter smiles, and chatter. "Hey, sit down and have another bowl," Qi Yue called out to him.

Chang Yuncheng glanced sideways at her. How fickle this woman’s expression was...

"Eat something sweet, it improves the mood," Qi Yue said with a smile, pushing the bowl forward again. "If I'm in a bad mood, doesn't that make you happy?" Chang Yuncheng replied, reaching out to take the bowl.

Qi Yue laughed out loud. "You actually remember that," she said, serving herself a bowl too.

"Mainly because you went too far back then." Chang Yuncheng tilted his head back, about to drink it down again. "Hold on, don't gulp it like that," Qi Yue quickly raised her hand and grabbed his arm.

"Everything else may belong to others, but your body is your own. No matter how others treat us, we must cherish ourselves, or we are truly foolish." Saying this, she pursed her lips into a smile, her eyes twinkling with a hint of slyness.

"My Lord is a clever man." Looking at the woman before him, dressed only in a light padded jacket because the room was warm, he could feel the softness of the hand gripping his arm. "During the march, meals were irregular.

When food was available, we ate quickly; we weren't used to spoons or anything," he explained, his voice sounding slightly awkward. Qi Yue let go of his arm and sat down.

"The body is the capital for revolution," she remarked, smiling at her own comment. "It’s the same for me.

When I’m busy, I just grab any bite, even though I know instant noodles..." She bit her tongue mid-sentence, clamping her hand over her mouth and sucking in a sharp breath. "What's wrong?" Chang Yuncheng put down his bowl and looked over, reaching out to grip her wrist where she held her mouth.

Biting your tongue nearly off—this was the consequence of saying something one shouldn't have. Qi Yue only sucked air through her hand without speaking, her face contorted in pain.

"You're so clumsy, even talking you manage to bite yourself," Chang Yuncheng frowned, reaching out to pull her hand away and gently pressing her lips apart. "Let me see..." Qi Yue made muffled sounds.

Unable to match his strength, her mouth was opened. "It's broken," Chang Yuncheng stated, frowning.

Qi Yue finally regained her composure. "So pretty, so pretty," she mumbled around her tongue, trying to close her mouth, only to find Chang Yuncheng’s hand still holding her cheek.

Because he was examining her tongue, Chang Yuncheng stood very close, almost touching her, looking down from above. Warm breath ghosted across her face, and the fingers holding her cheek conveyed an unfamiliar sensation.

This woman is actually quite beautiful... That thought flashed through Chang Yuncheng’s mind.

His gaze lingered on her face. The room fell silent, save for the sound of wind and snow beating against the window, and the flickering candlelight.

The night was dim, and the atmosphere grew subtly charged. Qi Yue shivered once.

"Drink some cold water to stop the bleeding," she said, her tongue instantly returning to normal, as she stepped backward, moving away from Chang Yuncheng’s grip. "Then you drink the cold water," Chang Yuncheng replied, shaking his hand free, turning to leave.

"I'm going to sleep. Don't disturb me again." Thank heavens, thank heavens.

Because he disliked Qi Yueniang so intensely, mere beauty wasn't enough to push the man into doing anything inappropriate... Qi Yue let out a breath of relief.

What was he shaking his hand for? I haven't even complained about you yet.

Qi Yue rubbed her face twice, then hissed in pain as she touched her tongue, quickly reaching for cold water. Nothing else happened that night.

When dawn broke, Qi Yue was still curled up in her quilt. She heard the movement of maids and low conversations outside, signaling that snow had begun to fall.

A heavy snow day. A day for sleeping in.

Although there was no central heating, the charcoal brazier in the room burned brightly, making the cold bearable. Chang Yuncheng opened his door and paced in his room, eventually moving into the main hall.

This woman was still asleep? Had she not slept well last night either...

Chang Yuncheng muttered, and inexplicably, his heartbeat quickened twice. Then he saw the head peeking out from under the quilt move, and he hastily averted his gaze, pretending to admire the snow outside the window.

But there was no sound of the woman speaking or getting up. He couldn't resist a glance from the corner of his eye and saw the woman leaning out, reaching an arm from under the luohan couch to grab something on the table...

Chang Yuncheng stood dumbfounded. "You, you..." He didn't know what to say.

Qi Yue, having successfully obtained the book she wanted, grinned at the stunned Chang Yuncheng and retreated back into the covers. This woman really is...

Indeed, due to her background, she was far too coarse... Chang Yuncheng stopped avoiding her gaze and walked straight over.

"Excuse me, could you pour me a cup of water?" Qi Yue said from beneath the quilt as she flipped through her book. Chang Yuncheng suppressed the urge to throw the covers off her.

"What state are you in? Get up," he ordered sharply, frowning.

Qi Yue burrowed deeper into the quilt. "Are you not going out today?" Chang Yuncheng asked.

"I don't feel like going out today. If you don't want to see me, feel free to endure the inconvenience and go somewhere else.

This is your domain, you can go anywhere, but I can't. I'm stuck here," Qi Yue replied, showing half her face as she looked at Chang Yuncheng.

Was she staying inside because of what he said earlier about being disgusted just seeing her? Chang Yuncheng froze, a strange feeling stirring in his heart.

So it wasn't because she didn't want to see him... The corners of Chang Yuncheng's mouth lifted slightly, yet his heart felt a little sour...

It was a strange sensation, whatever it was. "My Lord, Young Madam, this servant has come in to serve you," Ah Ru’s inquiring voice called from the doorway.

Chang Yuncheng composed his features and stepped aside as the two maids pushed the door open. After finishing her daily lessons, Madam Xie rose, supported by Nanny Su.

"It's the first snow today," Nanny Su said with a smile, placing the hand warmers and foot warmers by Madam Xie, who was now seated. Madam Xie glanced toward the window.

The snow in the courtyard had already been swept clean, and occasionally birds fluttered down to search for food. She drew her gaze back and noticed the newly arranged plum blossoms on the table, their buds about to burst open.

Truly a refreshing day. "The Marquis stayed with Concubine Yi Zhu last night," Nanny Su reported.

"Concubine Yi Liu came by just now with the Fourth Miss; I sent her away." A trace of a mocking smile touched Madam Xie's lips as she chose not to dwell on these other women. "What is the Young Lord doing today?

Out again? Poor child, having no place to stay in his own home," she sighed, her brow heavy with dissatisfaction and resentment.

Nanny Su dispatched a maid, who soon returned. "The Young Lord and Young Madam are inside their room reading and writing," the maid reported.

Madam Xie, who was taking tea, choked, unable to draw a breath.