After that, Duan Yunhe, through Qiu Huan’s subordinates, contacted Gaoyang, and sure enough, word came back that someone would be delivering medicine very soon.

So for a few days they enjoyed a leisurely pace, during which various things happened one after another. For instance, Duan Yunhe was absolutely smitten with that little tiger and even gave it a name—“Bai Pao”—which turned out to be quite a match for her “Chixiu” horse.

Then the next day, Ming Zhen returned without the slightest hint of anything amiss. Still, even if Qiu Huan wasn’t the one who had orchestrated the attack, as the vulture—the head of the Tonglou intelligence division—he surely couldn’t have been unaware of what had transpired that night; she just didn’t know what he was really thinking.

And then there was Qin Yaoyue, who, upon seeing Duan Yunhe, was struck dumb with admiration. Fortunately, he didn’t realize she was the very person who had lain on his bed that day, though he did find her oddly familiar and kept mistaking her for the mythical Luo Goddess he’d once dreamed of meeting as King Xiang. Now, whenever he saw Duan Yunhe, his face would flush, his heart would race, and he could hardly string two words together.

As for Shang Rong, at first he kept casting suspicious glances at Qiu Huan, Yuan Mo, and Duan Yunhe. Cheng Jingtian was busy brewing medicines, and since the two weren’t acquainted, there wasn’t much interaction between them yet. Later, however, he grew rather jealous of Qin Yaoyue’s obvious infatuation with Duan Yunhe—his pouty, embarrassed expression made him look like a little frog, which had everyone chuckling behind their hands.

One afternoon, Duan Yunhe and Qiu Huan were passing the time in the main hall of the Shuanglin Garden.

Cheng Jingtian was, as usual, busy brewing medicines, while Ming Zhen and Yuan Mo had gone off to practice swordplay. Taking advantage of this lull, Duan Yunhe asked Qiu Huan in a mysterious tone: “What kind of man does Fengze prefer?”

Qiu Huan was reading a book when she was suddenly caught off guard by this question, her mind going blank for a moment. She thought to herself: “You grew up in the palace—how can you be so oblivious to matters of the heart and casually blurt out something like this?”

After all, Gaoyang wasn’t like Liangqiu, where women held such a high social status.

Still, she was by nature extremely easygoing and paid no heed to these conventional notions. Since Duan Yunhe had already asked, and Qiu Huan was no longer a naive young girl, she wasn’t about to be flustered or embarrassed by such a question. So after a brief pause, she replied, “Someone gentle and refined.”

In fact, Miss Duan had always been quite well-behaved when she was in the palace; but around Qiu Huan, she seemed strangely cheerful, as if she could finally let loose as she had with her parents. As for the issue of propriety between men and women… well, she’d simply dreamed too much, sometimes confusing reality with dreams. Back then she’d constantly reminded herself to be careful, but now she just let it all go and went along with it wholeheartedly.

Duan Yunhe had no idea that Qiu Huan was already muttering to herself under her breath, but she was nonetheless surprised by Qiu Huan’s answer—it was so different from what she’d been expecting! What on earth was she supposed to do?

Seeing Miss Duan’s astonished expression, Qiu Huan, who had been half-asleep just moments before, perked up and looked up at her, asking, “What’s wrong? Something unbelievable?”

“A bit,” Duan Yunhe admitted, clearly torn. “Fengze wouldn’t possibly think someone gentle and refined is… well, I just can’t figure out what such people are really thinking. It’s so painful having to keep guessing, and it feels awful being kept in the dark. I’m not some little girl who can’t handle the truth—you may think you’re protecting me, but I don’t feel that way at all!” As she spoke, Duan Yunhe lost track of where she was going and switched to a complaining tone.

She didn’t realize it, and Qiu Huan didn’t point it out either; instead, she nonchalantly changed the subject: “Then what kind of person does Yunhe like?”

“This—|||” Duan Yunhe hadn’t expected the question to come right back at her, and her face turned pale. She’d planned so carefully: she’d list a few traits of the person Fengze admired, then smoothly pick up the thread and hear some juicy gossip—but how could it end up like this? Had she misjudged? Was it possible that Qiu Huan didn’t mean what she thought at all?

Besides, “gentle and refined”… Miss Duan couldn’t shake off a bad feeling about it.

“Are you embarrassed to say it yourself?” Qiu Huan chuckled. “When you asked me, I didn’t see you shy away at all.”

Duan Yunhe: “No, really—I didn’t even have time to feel embarrassed.”

So, with a little scheme brewing in her mind, Miss Duan reluctantly began to think seriously about her “ideal partner.” Suddenly, a figure she’d deliberately forgotten popped into her mind. She cursed herself under her breath, pushed down the faint sadness, and said with a slightly narrow-minded grin: “Well, I like someone who doesn’t talk much in everyday life but is incredibly reliable when it really counts.”

Hearing this, Qiu Huan couldn’t help but realize what Duan Yunhe was getting at. She smirked, deliberately feigning sudden enlightenment, and clapped her hands: “I get it—Yunhe must be talking about Qin Yaoyue, right? But we’ve only known him for a short time. Yunhe, please don’t judge a book by its cover or fall for someone just because he looks good. He may seem great now, but that might not last. We need to take our time getting to know him and truly understand his true nature!” She spoke with great conviction, as if she were dead serious.

Miss Duan was still reeling from Qiu Huan’s words, trying to process them, when—just as she was about to speak—Qin Yaoyue strode in, full of joyous excitement.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Duan Yunhe awkwardly turned her head away. Qiu Huan chuckled inwardly, then noticed that only she was there—Shang Rong hadn’t followed. Her brow shot up.

It was plain to see that Qin Yaoyue had a special fondness for Duan Yunhe, and since Duan Yunhe showed no sign of rejection or aversion, everyone else was just watching the interaction as a bit of entertainment. Only Shang Rong was an exception.

If Duan Yunhe had a bit of a “young bird” crush on Qiu Huan, then Shang Rong probably felt the same way about Qin Yaoyue—at least that’s how it appeared to outsiders. Whenever Qin Yaoyue exchanged a few more words with Duan Yunhe or seemed a bit more attentive, Shang Rong would immediately step in and pull him away. The two had never even been alone together; he was always there as the “third wheel.” That’s why Qiu Huan was curious as to why Shang Rong had let Qin Yaoyue come to Shuanglin Garden by himself today.

And then Qin Yaoyue’s very first sentence cleared up Qiu Huan’s confusion.

End of Chapter 21: Breaking the Barrier of Mystery