Fu Yanqing’s expression changed.

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing serious—just—” Before she could finish, the cup on the coffee table suddenly tipped over, spilling half its contents onto her pants.

“See?” She looked down at the soaking wet trousers and said with a wry smile, “That’s what I’m talking about.”

Fu Yanqing reached for a tissue, but her elbow brushed against the vase beside her. The vase wobbled and then crashed to the floor, shattering into pieces.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Su Xingyu glanced at the shards on the floor, then at Fu Yanqing’s frozen expression, and burst out laughing.

“See? Your bad luck is contagious!”

Fu Yanqing’s face darkened. “I’m sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for? I was just kidding,” she said, standing up and patting the water stains off her pants with a cheerful grin. “I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I?”

She turned to grab the broom, muttering as she went, “Still, your bad luck is really strong—you’ve even dragged me into it. I’ll have to take a closer look later and figure out exactly what’s going on…”

Fu Yanqing sat on the sofa, watching Su Xingyu bustling around the living room—sweeping up the shards one minute, wiping the table the next, then dashing into the kitchen to brew some calming / sedative herbal tea.

Even though her pants were soaked through, her feet were still damp, and her hair was a bit tousled, she didn’t complain at all; in fact, she was humming under her breath.

He suddenly remembered what she’d said earlier: “I seem to be pretty unlucky today too—maybe I’m just taking some of it for you.”

“What are you taking for me?” His voice was low.

Su Xingyu returned with the calming tea and froze when she heard him. “Huh?”

“You said you were taking some of it for me,” he said, looking up at her. “You knew you’d be unlucky, yet you still volunteered to take some of it for me?”

Su Xingyu felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze. She thrust the cup into his hands and mumbled, “Oh, it was just something I happened to do. You’re my husband—if I don’t help you, who will?”

“Su Xingyu.”

“Mm?”

“Don’t do that anymore.”

She looked up and saw an intensity in his eyes she’d never seen before.

“My bad luck doesn’t need you to shield me from it,” he said.

Su Xingyu stared at him for a moment, then smiled.

“Fu Yanqing, are you worried about me?”

He didn’t answer, but his ears flushed slightly.

Su Xingyu had sharp eyes and spotted it right away. Her eyes crinkled into crescents as she laughed and leaned in closer. “Wow, your ears are red!”

“No, they’re not.”

“Yes, they are! Look, they’re even redder now!”

“You’re imagining things.”

“I’m not! Fu Yanqing, you’re actually blushing—”

“Su Xingyu.” He cut her off, his tone a bit annoyed, but his ears grew even redder. “If you keep this up, I won’t drink your tea anymore.”

“Okay, okay, I won’t say anything more.” She stepped back with a grin, raising both hands in surrender. “Go ahead and drink your tea—drink away!”

Fu Yanqing picked up the cup and took a sip.

The calming tea was warm and fragrant, with a subtle herbal sweetness.

After two sips, he suddenly said, “Next time, I’ll listen to you.”

Su Xingyu was taken aback. “What?”

“When you say there’s a dire omen, I’ll listen next time,” he said in a low voice, as if he were about to reveal something hard to talk about. “But you have to be clear—do you mean ‘like a weather forecast’ or ‘like when a crow caws’?”

Su Xingyu froze for a second, then burst into laughter and sank to the floor.

“Fu Yanqing, you’re actually telling a dry joke!”

“This isn’t a joke.”

“Right, right—it’s not a joke, it’s science!” She laughed so hard tears streamed down her face. She wiped the corners of her eyes and looked up at him. “Then remember this: from now on, before you go out, ask me first. Only if I say it’s safe can you leave.”

“But it depends on what it is.”

“Nothing is safe! Your life comes first!”

She spoke with absolute certainty, leaving no room for negotiation.

Fu Yanqing stared at her in silence for a long while.

Then he softly murmured, “Mm.”

Su Xingyu thought he hadn’t heard her clearly. “What does ‘mm’ mean—do you agree or disagree?”

“Agree.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Su Xingyu was stunned for a moment, then a huge smile spread across her face, as bright as the sunlight streaming in through the window.

End of Chapter 16: The Darkening of the Yintang