Turns Out I Was the Fish on the Hook

The prizes made the onlookers green with envy. Every one was extraordinary, a treasure worth cities.

Bai Mo looked at the luminous pearl in her hand, then at the one in Shen Qing's, and her heart filled with joy.

A matching couple's set? Not bad.

Shen Qing sensed how delighted the woman beside him was and couldn't help smiling too.

That smile stole the souls of Princess Ping'an, the Third Princess, Bai Yuanshuang, and the others watching him.

"Now that the poetry gathering has concluded, please enjoy the flowers in my garden. A banquet has been prepared, and there will be dances and zither music to enjoy today. I hope you will all feel at home."

Everyone thanked Princess Ping'an with bows, then went off with their acquaintances to stroll through the garden and admire the flowers, or to drink tea and chat.

Several young masters had wanted to approach Bai Mo and strike up a conversation, but she hadn't stepped outside the pavilion once. They couldn't very well venture into a crowd of women, so they could only give up, secretly lamenting the missed chance.

"Eldest Miss Bai, I am Xiao Yiliu. Would you care to share a cup of tea?"

Bai Mo looked at the woman before her. She wore a gown of soft, misty gauze and carried herself with an extraordinary grace. Her skin was fairer than snow, her figure rather slender, and her voice as refreshing to the heart as spring water.

The eyes that met hers were clear and pleasant to look at. The woman had a strongly scholarly air; she was presumably a scholar too. Bai Mo agreed and walked over politely. Xiao Yiliu was seated quite close to the end, near the young masters.

Bai Mo paid no mind to the looks the young masters cast her and sat down directly across from Xiao Yiliu.

"Great Master Xiao is my maternal grandmother."

"Little Sister Bai, you will be a student of the Xiao family as well, so we can count ourselves as one of our own."

The woman was refined and graceful in her every movement.

Bai Mo was quite pleased to hear it. She had no friends to begin with, and here was a young woman taking the initiative to befriend her, and her teacher's junior at that.

"I see. Then let me pay my respects to Elder Sister Xiao. I'm a rather uncultured person, but if you don't mind, I hope we can spend more time together from now on."

Xiao Yiliu was very fond of Bai Mo's bright, lively nature. She was like a wild horse freed from its reins, full of energy.

"You're too polite, Little Sister Bai. I'm thoroughly convinced of your literary talent and admire it greatly. We can study together when we have free time. I'm at Xiaoshan Academy too."

Bai Mo hastily waved her hands. Was this the gap between a top student and a poor student? Did she really love studying that much? "Spare me, Sister. I'm terrified of studying. It's good enough if I can make it to class on time. Let's forget about studying outside class."

"I heard you took the academy examination?"

"Mm. To prepare for it, I crammed for a whole month. I was even reading in my dreams. I really am terrified of it now."

Xiao Yiliu asked in confusion, "Do you mean you studied for a month and then took the exam for the xiucai degree?"

Bai Mo nodded sheepishly.

Xiao Yiliu: "..."

Xiao Yiliu was utterly shocked...

She thought this might truly be the extraordinary natural talent her grandmother had spoken of. A month or so of cramming was enough to take the xiucai exam? A little casual reading was enough to produce fine works?

Comparing yourself to others could make you die of envy!!

"Elder Sister."

Xiao Muzhi walked slowly to the table, bowed to the two of them, and sat down on the other side.

Xiao Yiliu was slightly taken aback. There was a woman he didn't know here, so why had her little brother come over? He wasn't usually the rash sort...

"Little Sister Bai, this is my little brother, Xiao Muzhi."

"My respects, Eldest Miss Bai."

"It's you."

Bai Mo looked at Xiao Muzhi for a while and found him familiar. Then she suddenly remembered: he was the young master who had staged an accident with Bai Yuanshuang's carriage last time...

"Little Sister Bai, do you know my brother?"

"Do we count as acquainted?" Bai Mo looked at Xiao Muzhi with a light laugh.

Xiao Yiliu glanced between the two of them.

How did these two know each other?

Seeing his sister's scrutinizing gaze, Xiao Muzhi's ears reddened slightly. He feigned composure and said, "I ran into a small problem last time. Fortunately, Eldest Miss Bai stepped in and helped me out..."

"So you've met before! Thank you for helping him, Little Sister Bai. My little brother has only recently come to the Capital. I hope you'll look after him in the future."

Xiao Yiliu felt as though she had discovered something, but couldn't quite grasp it...

"It was no trouble at all, Young Master Xiao. There's no need to be so polite."

Bai Mo turned back to Xiao Yiliu and resumed chatting with her, exchanging few words with Xiao Muzhi.

Xiao Muzhi had wanted to talk a little more, but seeing how happily Bai Mo and his elder sister were chatting, and knowing it would be inconvenient for a man like him to remain there long, he took the hint and left first.

Bai Mo kept an eye on Shen Qing at all times. Her young husband was so handsome and graceful that she felt happy whenever she glanced at him.

The next time she looked over, she saw a maid leading Shen Qing away from his seat. Princess Ping'an left shortly afterward.

Bai Mo grew anxious. She quickly made an excuse, left Xiao Yiliu's table, and hurried after Shen Qing in the direction he had gone.

She still failed to catch up...

Bai Mo searched the area, avoiding the maids and servants as she checked room after room.

After making a circuit, she saw no sign of Shen Qing or Princess Ping'an.

Suddenly, she saw Princess Ping'an's personal maid come around a corner ahead and hurry toward the garden. Bai Mo had a bad feeling and ran the way the maid had come.

She saw a man whose build and clothes were identical to Shen Qing's heading into a room. Frantic with worry, Bai Mo hurried after him.

Why had they brought Shen Qing into a room? Surely it wasn't going to be like last time again...

Alert, Bai Mo nevertheless slipped into the room after him and darted behind the door.

With a bang, the door closed behind her. Someone outside seemed to have locked it.

Bai Mo's lips curled into a slight smile. She had thought Princess Ping'an meant to do something to Shen Qing, but it turned out she herself was the fish they had been angling for~

This little matter was nothing to her. She still had to find him as soon as possible...

The moment the door closed, Bai Mo was exposed to the person before her. The man was not Shen Qing at all; he merely had a very similar build and had copied Shen Qing's attire.

Waves of cloyingly sweet fragrance drifted through the room.

Bai Mo sighed, feeling that the ancients' methods of harming people really were lacking.

Not bothering with such nonsense as asking who the man was, she held her breath, darted forward, and struck him with the edge of her hand. The man's hands, which had been removing his clothes, froze in front of him, and he slowly collapsed.

The door was locked, so she couldn't get out. The windows were locked too, and wouldn't budge.

If she wasn't mistaken, a crowd would soon come to catch them in the act again, right?

Bai Mo felt her body grow slightly hot. Oh, what a potent drug~~ She set her Wood-Element Ability in motion.

This Princess Ping'an seemed very rich, huh? The drug must have been expensive too...

She examined the doors and windows. They were all secured with special locks.

Bai Mo looked up at the roof and used her ability to extend vines, lifting herself to the top of the room and removing the roof tiles.

"Oh, life isn't easy!"

The roof really was the best supporting player for escapes and thefts.

She gently put the tiles back in place.

Mm!! You couldn't tell anymore.

With the help of the vines, Bai Mo took two quick steps, flipped over, and landed in the courtyard.

Just then, a clamor of voices and a patter of footsteps came from afar.

With no time to think, Bai Mo darted into the rockery in the courtyard.