Qin Li and Tan Ting got along so well that it was surprising.
So well, in fact, that Qi Shan, the host of the house, was left "out in the cold."
Deeply dissatisfied, he scooped up a cat passing by. Hmph, if they weren't going to pay attention to him, that was fine. He still had a cat for company. Ignoring its meows, he set it on his lap and teased it. At first, the cat wasn't pleased and gently nibbled his fingers with its teeth.
That little bit of force didn't even count as tickling.
Under Qi Shan's expert petting, the cat quickly forgot its earlier displeasure. It stretched lazily on his lap, then flopped over and exposed its belly. When Qi Shan's touch wasn't quite right, the cat would wrap both paws around the back of his hand, curl into a fluffy ball, and let out intermittent purrs. At first, Qi Shan had been interested in listening to the two of them talk, but before long he grew bored. He propped his free hand on the low table beside him, the back of it resting against his temple. As the candle flame swayed slowly, sleepiness crept over him.
His head bobbed lower and lower.
When he came to, only Tan Ting remained in the study.
The moonlight beyond the window had shifted. Qi Shan yawned and asked, "When did Gongsu leave?"
"Not long ago," Tan Ting replied.
Qi Shan frowned. "It's already the middle of the night. The capital has a curfew. What was he doing going home? If the patrol catches him, the Censorate's impeachment memorial will be on His Majesty's desk tomorrow..."
You couldn't judge someone's friendships by appearances. Even someone like him occasionally had friends over as guests. If they stayed too late to travel