“Fengze! Did you bring this outfit yourself? I didn’t see you with it on the way here!” On their way back to the inn, the four of them didn’t hail a carriage as they had on the way out; instead, they walked all the way. Miss Duan was clearly still buzzing with excitement from tonight and kept tugging at Qiu Huan, chattering away about everything under the sun.

“It’s not mine,” Qiu Huan shook her head. “I’m not really into silk clothes—just borrowing it for now.”

“Oh…” Miss Duan nodded knowingly and didn’t press further. Instead, she turned mysterious and said, “By the way, haven’t you noticed that Dong Qing…?” She wore an expression that seemed to say, “You know what I mean.”

“So what? You don’t like him either?” Qiu Huan raised an eyebrow at her.

“Of course not! And why ‘either’?” Duan Yunhe shot back, looking indignant. Then she stole a glance at Yuan Mo, who was walking behind them, making sure he hadn’t seen her, before quietly asking Qiu Huan, “Could it be that she likes Yuan Mo?”

Duan Yunhe looked as if she were checking where the proctor was before cheating—she’d meant to make sure Yuan Mo didn’t notice her, but her sudden glance only made him perk up and listen more intently. After all, turning around so abruptly while walking along was bound to raise eyebrows, and Duan Yunhe’s gaze was rather guilty. How could she possibly ignore it? As soon as she focused, she heard Qiu Huan asking whether Dong Qing liked her—and accidentally choked, coughing uncontrollably.

At the slightest sound, Duan Yunhe, who’d been tense the whole time, knew Yuan Mo had overheard their conversation, and her heart sank. Qiu Huan couldn’t help but chuckle at her reaction, feigning ignorance as she cast a concerned look toward Yuan Mo. Then, ignoring her own guard, who was still coughing, she leaned in closer to Duan Yunhe and whispered, “How do you know? It’s just because Dong Qing keeps staring at him!”

Miss Duan, delighted that Qiu Huan had agreed with her, promptly forgot all about Yuan Mo and tilted her head back triumphantly. “Looking isn’t the point—what matters is that look, full of tender affection. I know that look all too well; there’s no mistaking it. Back when those girls ran into so-and-so, they always had the same expression.”

“Those girls? So-and-so?” Qiu Huan narrowed her eyes, listening absently without saying a word. Duan Yunhe had always been tight-lipped about her past, so Qiu Huan never dared to pry into that forbidden territory—she’d speak up when she felt like it, naturally.

But the right moment soon arrived—unfortunately, one that no one wanted to face.

Let’s start with the present. Qiu Huan knew Duan Yunhe was fiercely possessive and hated anyone competing with her for anything, even getting too cozy with other women sometimes made her jealous. Yet previously, her relationship with both Yuan Mo and Yuan Qian had been rather lukewarm; today, suddenly caring so much about Yuan Mo was quite unusual—especially since her attitude toward him was also a bit… ambiguous. Was it resentment?

Qiu Huan thought this through and asked her directly. To her surprise, Miss Duan stammered in an unusually rare display of hesitation: “Well, um… I just happened to notice, that’s all. It’s not like I’m deliberately staring—after all, Dong Qing wears white just like you. Fengze, please don’t read too much into it! I have absolutely no feelings for Yuan Mo!” She cautiously glanced at Qiu Huan, seeing that she didn’t seem upset, and couldn’t resist her curiosity any longer: “But what about you, Fengze? Don’t you feel anything at all? Someone’s got a crush on Yuan Mo, you know.”

She glanced back at Yuan Mo, then at Duan Yunhe, pondering doubtfully. Even if that girl did fancy Yuan Mo, what did it have to do with her?

“What would I feel? Should I even feel anything?” Qiu Huan wondered.

Hearing this, Duan Yunhe glared at her in exasperation, ready to say something. But Cai Tan Lou wasn’t far from the inn where they were staying; after a short walk, they’d already arrived. Yuan Qian, clearly anxious, pulled Qiu Huan straight into the room, leaving Duan Yunhe with no choice but to drop the subject.

Still, with two main players involved, there was another person to ask, so Duan Yunhe called out to Yuan Mo.

Earlier, thanks to Duan Yunhe’s insistence, Qiu Huan had finally secured a suite. This inn’s suite featured a living room, a master bedroom, and three guest bedrooms. Right now, Qiu Huan and Yuan Qian were in the master bedroom, while Duan Yunhe and Yuan Mo were in the living room.

In fact, Duan Yunhe was still a bit wary of Yuan Mo. The first time they met, she was still adjusting to the journey and hadn’t fully processed Yuan Mo’s icy demeanor, so she hadn’t reacted much to his cold aura. Later meetings were mostly one-sided—Yuan Mo would simply tell her things like, “Qiu Huan’s sleeping; don’t go into the bedroom.” The only real exchange they’d had was a few days ago, when he’d actually choked her… Ever since then, someone who’d once been fearless had suddenly become afraid.

End of Chapter 11: What Explains the Doubt?