Time passed bit by bit.
It was not until the sun was high in the sky that Bibi Dong finally pretended to be waking up and slowly opened her eyes.
Just then, An Yi finished cultivating. The golden glow flowing around him slowly faded, and he lowered his head, meeting Bibi Dong's gaze.
Their eyes met.
For some reason, Bibi Dong's heart skipped a beat.
She suddenly realized she had many questions she wanted to ask him.
Had he deliberately arranged everything that happened last night? Had he known all along that Qian Renxue was hiding outside, and was that why he had deliberately held her and refused to let go?
Why had he treated her that way?
Was it because of the brief time they had spent together back then, or because of Qian Renxue?
Bibi Dong opened her mouth, only to find that she couldn't bring herself to ask.
She was afraid, afraid that the answer would be the one she least wanted to face.
An Yi looked at the panic in her eyes and her fear of losing what she had gained, and suddenly smiled.
The next moment, he lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead.
Bibi Dong: "?!"
Her entire body went rigid. By the time she came to her senses, she had already sat up on instinct and shoved An Yi away.
"What are you doing?!"
Her voice held a trace of anger, but none of the uncontrolled killing intent from last night.
She was simply flustered.
An Yi rubbed the shoulder she had pushed, his expression unchanged.
"Did you sleep well?"
Bibi Dong: "..."
Who asked you that?!
She turned her back to him and tried to steady her voice.
"Well enough."
An Yi nodded. "Want something to eat?"
"No need."
An Yi stood up and brushed off the hem of his robe. "I'll go ask the kitchen what there is to eat. You're a little weak and need to build up your strength."
With that, he walked straight out without waiting for Bibi Dong to reply.
Bibi Dong remained seated, watching him leave, unable to collect herself for a long time.
After quite a while, she raised a hand and touched her forehead.
A trace of warmth seemed to linger there.
What... does this guy mean by all this?
Before long, Bibi Dong finished washing up and left the room.
As soon as she entered the sitting room beside the small garden, she smelled the aroma of food.
Lunch had already been laid out on the table: a steamed fish, a plate of fresh shrimp, and several dishes she usually enjoyed.
An Yi sat at the table. Seeing her enter, he smiled and beckoned to her.
"There you are. Have a taste."
Bibi Dong paused. She had thought An Yi was just going to fetch something from the kitchen, but he had actually prepared so much.
After hesitating for a moment, she walked over and sat down, picked up her chopsticks, and took a small piece of fish.
It tasted quite good.
An Yi propped up his chin and watched her. "Is it good?"
Bibi Dong's expression was a little awkward. "It's all right."
An Yi raised an eyebrow. "All right? Looks like there's still room for my cooking to improve."
Bibi Dong paused. "You made it?"
"Who else? You think the fish made itself this delicious?"
An Yi picked up a shrimp and leisurely peeled it.
"I cooked it myself, and all I get is 'all right'?"
Bibi Dong ignored him, lowering her head and continuing to eat.
Soon, An Yi placed two peeled shrimp on the small plate in front of her.
"Try these."
Bibi Dong glanced at them. "I can peel them myself."
An Yi immediately put on a wounded expression.
"What, do you find me distasteful?"
"You didn't find me distasteful when you were holding me and crying last night."
Bibi Dong's chopsticks froze. She turned, about to argue, only to meet An Yi's eyes, which were full of grievance.
He looked as though she had committed some unforgivable crime.
Bibi Dong: "..."
She took a deep breath, picked up a shrimp, and put it in her mouth.
"Are you satisfied now?"
An Yi looked even more aggrieved. "Is eating a couple of bites of my cooking really such a hardship?"
"Or is my cooking that hard to swallow?"
Bibi Dong finally lost her patience and turned her head away.
"I have no appetite!"
An Yi looked at her and suddenly sighed.
"All right, then."
He moved his chair right next to Bibi Dong, picked up a small piece of fish, and held it to her lips.
Bibi Dong was stunned. "What are you doing?"
"Feeding you, of course," An Yi said confidently.
"Even if you have no appetite, you still need to eat something. Look how weak you are. You nearly ran out of strength from crying last night."
Bibi Dong's expression stiffened.
"An Yi!"
"Right here."
"Forget about last night!"
An Yi blinked. "My memory isn't very good, but when it comes to you, I remember every minute and every second."
"I don't just remember you crying last night. I remember every move you made, too."
"Want me to help you remember?"
Bibi Dong: "!!!"
"You!"
Her chest heaved with anger, and she wanted nothing more than to slap this guy away.
Yet An Yi pushed the fish a little closer.
"All right, eat properly, and I'll forget."
Bibi Dong gritted her teeth.
This guy is definitely doing it on purpose!
But seeing how An Yi clearly wouldn't give up until he got his way, she finally opened her mouth and ate the fish.
Only then did An Yi nod in satisfaction. "That's more like it."
Bibi Dong silently lowered her head and ate, but before long, she noticed a gaze fixed on her.
She put up with it for as long as she could, then finally put down her chopsticks.
"Can you stop staring at me like that?"
An Yi looked innocent. "It's been twelve years. What's wrong with letting me look at you?"
Bibi Dong was speechless. "I can't eat at all with you acting like this."
An Yi sighed. "Fine, fine, fine. I'll stop looking, all right?"
With that, he actually closed his eyes.
Bibi Dong was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when she saw An Yi straighten up in his seat, his face still turned toward her.
"If I don't look at you, then you can look at me, can't you?"
Bibi Dong: "..."
How did this guy become so shameless?!
Twelve years ago, even if she merely hugged him, he would blush and be too embarrassed to look at anyone.
Now, not only did he dare get handsy, he even dared use last night to threaten her.
He was a complete rogue!
Yet for some reason, as she looked at the carefree smile on the face of the guy beside her, some of the heaviness that had weighed on Bibi Dong's heart for years quietly lifted.
She lowered her head, picked up a piece of fish, and quietly put it in her mouth.
This time, she didn't say it tasted bad.
After lunch, An Yi didn't continue hanging around Bibi Dong.
Too much was as bad as too little; even playing the rogue required a sense of proportion.
He had already taken plenty of liberties today. If he stayed any longer and truly angered Bibi Dong, it would probably take some effort just to see her again.
An Yi left the Saintess Hall and had barely returned to his courtyard when, before he could sit down, a golden figure darted out from the side.
"Teacher!"
Qian Renxue tilted up her little face and looked at him expectantly.
"Why are you only coming back now?"
An Yi glanced at her and said casually, "Your mother didn't wake up until noon. I came back after having lunch with her."
Qian Renxue's eyes widened at once.
"You had lunch with Mom?"
"What, is there a problem?"
"No, no..."
Qian Renxue hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't hold back and asked in a low voice, "Teacher, what exactly did you do last night? How did Mom end up... like that?"
An Yi paused and turned to look at her.
"Why are you asking?"
"I'm just curious!"
Qian Renxue's eyes darted away, and she hurriedly added, "Really, I'm just curious!"
An Yi couldn't help laughing at how guilty she looked.
"I know what you're thinking."
Qian Renxue went stiff.
"You just want your father to learn from me and approach your mother the same way, so he can ease the tension between them."
Qian Renxue: "!"
"H-how did you know?"