Number

At the door, the Old Butler watched as Miss Wei Wei, whom he had raised with his own hands, went from surprise to anger to disappointment to feigned composure within seconds, as if she had seen a ghost.

Fortunately, he was an old hand himself. After ushering several maids out of the room, he merely muttered to himself:

"Girls always have to grow up!"

That remark had actually been meant for Ronan, who brushed past him.

Yet although Ronan was sharp-eyed and keen-eared, he failed to catch the implication. He only gave the Old Butler a strange look, as if to say: Only girls grow up? Boys do not?

Seeing that bewildered expression, the Old Butler nearly spat blood.

Unfortunately, he had no chance to say anything to Ronan, because the latter had already walked inside on his own.

The Old Butler sighed sadly and slowly closed the door.

Young Master Ronan was quite a piece of work too!

Unlike Ronan, Wei Wei had remained feverish after fainting that night.

She had always been an ordinary, rather frail girl. After being drenched in a torrential downpour and suffering such a fright, it was only natural that she fell ill. She had been bedridden for three full days, and only today had she regained some strength.

"You look pretty well." Wei Wei's gaze was strange. "I thought you were dead."

Ronan scratched his head. "I was very lucky. And I was smart too, right? When the mountainside collapsed, I quickly hid behind a huge rock. I could not avoid it completely, but at least I was not buried whole."

Wei Wei nodded, a glimmer appearing in her eyes.

"It is good that you are all right. When I briefly woke up yesterday, Uncle Chi Feng told me about how they rescued you."

"They said that if they had been one minute later, you would have died."

Ronan put on the look of someone who had narrowly escaped death. "Looks like I really was lucky!"

Wei Wei neither agreed nor disagreed. "I did not know you could drive."

Ronan's heart tightened.

This girl really was not as simple as she looked, was she? That remark was already subtly questioning his background.

Ronan immediately cocked his head with an honest look. "I drove harvesters on the farm before. It felt about the same."

Comparing a crude harvester to the Exile, a machine that could be called a work of art, was probably unheard of not only in the Emerald Star Region, but throughout the entire Bo Ning District.

Hearing such a clumsy excuse, Wei Wei merely smiled faintly and said nothing more.

The two of them sat quietly in the room.

Gradually, only the breathing of the two young people remained in the room—along with their heartbeats.

Ronan's awkwardness was acting up again.

He had just been about to say that perhaps she should sleep a little longer and that he would not disturb her, when the girl suddenly asked:

"That night... when you left me alone in the dense forest, did you really do it willingly?"

Her eyes were complicated.

She could not be certain of Ronan's origins either. Even her closest relative, her father, had only told her that Ronan was reliable. As for the details, he had been vague.

In Wei Wei's eyes, Ronan was very likely a secret weapon Yi Lin Manor had prepared for the Li Family—and at the same time, a death warrior. For example, to protect her, he could walk down a road that meant certain death.

If he was a death warrior, then Wei Wei would treat him a little better.

If he was not a death warrior, if he was not being forced by orders or a contract, but was willingly going to his death for her... the girl's heart suddenly beat faster!

Seeing an inexplicable flush rise on Wei Wei's cheeks, Ronan could not help but stare in surprise. She actually still cared that he had left her alone in the dense forest.

But there was nothing else he could have done. Was he supposed to take her into the valley? He had been trying to protect her!

These noble girls were far too unreasonable. Did she really have to nitpick with him over something like this?

Clearly, although Ronan had made great progress in handling emotional matters since coming to this world, he was still a long way from being normal...

So he answered stiffly, "What does it have to do with being willing? There was no other way."

The light in Wei Wei's eyes abruptly vanished.

Bitterness filled her mouth. So he really was a death warrior?

Yes, dying for her was simply something he had no choice but to do.

He was probably part of her father's plan against the Li Family. If he truly was a death warrior, her father probably would not let him marry her either. It had all been a smokescreen. Her earlier tantrum had truly been unnecessary.

At that thought, Wei Wei suddenly felt sleepy and exhausted.

Wearily, she said to Ronan, "Thank you."

"I am tired. I want to rest for a while."

The moment Ronan heard the words "thank you," he was startled. Then he heard the unmistakable dismissal and felt as if he had been pardoned. He nodded politely and quickly left Wei Wei's room.

He had moved so quickly because he wanted Wei Wei to get some rest sooner, but in her eyes, it became ironclad proof that Ronan did not want to stay with her.

The warmth and gratitude that had rarely kindled in the girl's heart slowly faded away.

Meanwhile, the person involved remained utterly unaware.

By the time Ronan left Wei Wei's room, it was already afternoon. Since he had come deep into the manor anyway, he might as well visit the Earl's study. His current status gave him considerable freedom, and he could move about the manor as he pleased.

He wanted to find Earl Will because he wanted to know when the restrictions on him would be lifted, and what arrangements would be made for him afterward.

But before he had gone very far, he saw a beautiful woman approaching under the Old Butler's guidance.

"Miss Christine."

Ronan still understood basic manners.

A trace of surprise flashed through Christine's eyes, but she returned Ronan's greeting appropriately. As the Governor's daughter, she knew more than most about the assassination attempt a few days earlier.

She knew full well what the boy before her had gone through, and so she was astonished by how quickly he had recovered.

Anyone would have been mentally affected after experiencing something so terrifying, would they not? But Ronan looked as though nothing had happened.

What a strong-nerved fellow.

Christine recalled Ronan's clash with Xiang Feihu at the banquet that night, and the corners of her lips curled into a smile.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two took their leave. Christine was clearly in a hurry, having evidently learned that Wei Wei was awake and come to visit her close friend.

Ronan, meanwhile, took a side path toward the Earl's study.

Inside the cozy room, the soft, pleasant voices of two beautiful young women could occasionally be heard confiding in each other.

"Thank you, Christine," Wei Wei said softly. "It must have been difficult for your father to let you come see me at a time like this."

Christine smiled sweetly. "The struggle between families is a matter for the men. Why should we women concern ourselves with it? Besides, my father is only the Governor and does not have much power. As long as the secret conflict between the Li Family and your Yi Lin Manor does not become public, my father only needs to turn a blind eye. It has even less to do with me!"

"I only came to visit my best friend!"

Wei Wei's eyes reddened slightly. "Where are Xiaoman and the others?"

Christine shook her head. "After the last assassination attempt, the entire Bo Ning District went under martial law. Until the matter is cleared up, those families have forbidden them from leaving home. Xiaoman originally wanted to sneak out with me in disguise, but her father caught her and locked her right back up."

Thinking of clumsy Wang Xiaoman trying to disguise herself just to visit her, Wei Wei could not help finding it funny, while feeling even more touched.

Sure enough, when it mattered most, these good sisters were the ones she could count on.

Unlike that guy. Whenever he saw her, he looked reluctant, and when he left, he acted like he was fleeing for his life. Was she really that unpleasant?

The more Wei Wei thought about it, the angrier she became.

A little shyly, she asked Christine, "Am I not pretty?"

Christine's eyes widened in disbelief.

"It seems this incident hit you hard enough to make you lose even your normal confidence."

"Among the noble young men of the Bo Ning District, the people pursuing you could line up from the upper three levels all the way to the lower three!"

"It is just that you have always looked down on them. Do not tell me you have forgotten even that?"

Wei Wei blushed and said nothing more.

Christine was perceptive and seemed to have noticed something. She suddenly smiled and said:

"When I came here just now, I ran into Ronan."

Wei Wei frowned. "What did you say to each other?"

Christine smiled. "Just ordinary pleasantries. He seems to have recovered much faster than you. He looked as if nothing had happened."

"Oh, and speaking of Ronan, there is something I need to ask you."

Wei Wei asked curiously, "What is it?"

Christine smiled. "Could you tell me Ronan's phone number? I would feel embarrassed asking him directly."

Wei Wei's expression froze.