Chapter 3: What Does She Call Ninth Master

Yun Yiyi’s eyes flickered.

Unlike her foolish younger sister, she was not completely ignorant when it came to Ninth Master Bai. She had gathered quite a bit of information from Bai Chengxuan.

She glanced at the bathrobe on Yun Manxia, then at the expressions on the servants’ faces, and instantly understood what had happened.

So she deliberately asked, “Manxia, whose clothes are you wearing?”

Yun Manxia paused.

Seeing everyone’s reaction, realization suddenly hit her.

In her previous life, Bai Hedu had indulged her too much. In all of Yujing Garden, there had been no place she was forbidden to enter. His room had never felt like some restricted area to her.

So when the servant led her there earlier, she had walked in without thinking.

But she had forgotten.

This was not her previous life.

Right now, she had only just arrived at Yujing Garden. She and that man were not even familiar with each other yet.

And he was extremely territorial. Normally, even when his room needed cleaning, only Aunt Wu was allowed inside.

At that thought, uneasiness stirred in her heart.

Still, she forced herself to remain calm and walked down the stairs, stopping in front of the man.

“Honey, I forgot to bring my clothes when I took a shower, so I wore yours. Is that okay?”

Lin Shen: “...”

What did she just call Ninth Master?

Were his ears broken?

Dead silence filled the room.

The girl’s soft, sweet voice sounded almost like she was acting spoiled. It brushed against the heart like a feather.

Bai Hedu’s long fingers, which had been tapping against the armrest, suddenly stopped.

His eyes darkened as he looked at the girl in front of him.

He said nothing.

Yun Yiyi sneered inwardly.

How overconfident.

What kind of woman had Ninth Master Bai not seen before?

As if he would fall for this kind of trick—

“That’s fine.”

The man’s deep, magnetic voice rang out in the silence.

Everyone looked over in shock.

Yun Manxia’s heart loosened. Her eyes curved softly.

“Thank you, honey!”

While joy rose in her chest, guilt surged up once again.

It was only the first day, yet he was already this tolerant of her.

Did that mean that to him, she truly was different?

But in her previous life, he had treated her so well, and she had believed those rumors, feared him like a monster, and wounded him more deeply than anyone.

Suddenly, she sensed Yun Yiyi’s jealous stare.

Her gaze turned cold at once.

She turned her head. “Second Sister, why are you here?”

Yun Yiyi hurriedly hid the expression on her face and forced a smile.

“I was worried about you, so I came to check on you...”

“Really?” Yun Manxia tilted her head. “Then why did I seem to hear you say something about replacing me?”

Yun Yiyi’s face stiffened.

She glanced at the powerful man in the wheelchair, then suddenly pulled Yun Manxia aside. Putting on the look of a caring sister, she lowered her voice and said anxiously,

“Manxia, what is wrong with you? Didn’t I tell you I would handle the rest for you? Why did you come back?”

“Young Master Bai is still waiting for you. Are you really going to let him down? Let’s beg Ninth Master Bai later and ask him to let you leave. Don’t worry, I’m willing to stay in your place. We’re sisters, after all. How could I just stand by and watch you jump into a fire pit?”

Listening to those words, Yun Manxia nearly laughed out loud.

Back then, she had been deceived by exactly this kind of act. Like a fool, she believed Yun Yiyi and had even been deeply moved.

In the end, she had not even managed to elope for a full day before her family caught her, tied her up, and threw her in front of Bai Hedu.

As for Yun Yiyi, she had run to Bai Hedu and offered herself as a replacement.

Although she had failed to become Madam Bai, she had won Old Madam Bai’s favor and gained enormous benefits.

“Manxia, why aren’t you saying anything?”

After talking for so long and seeing no reaction from Yun Manxia, Yun Yiyi could not help growing anxious.

Yun Manxia hid the darkness in her eyes, tugged lightly at her lips, and said flatly, “No need. You can go back.”

“What?”

Yun Yiyi froze, then said urgently, “Are you really going to let Young Master Bai down? You—”

“He and I were never together. How is that letting him down?” Yun Manxia interrupted her. “On the contrary, Ninth Master and I have had a marriage agreement since we were young. Isn’t it only natural for me to marry him?”

In her previous life, she had been raised into a fool by her stepmother.

Bai Chengxuan had approached her with ulterior motives from the very beginning, and she had not seen through it at all.

He had always refused to officially confirm their relationship, yet she had never realized he was deliberately stringing her along. Instead, she had believed that rotten man must have had some kind of difficulty.

Hearing her answer, Yun Yiyi was completely stunned.

Wasn’t Yun Manxia supposed to be madly in love with Bai Chengxuan?

What was going on?

Yun Yiyi was about to persuade her again when she saw Yun Manxia looking at her with suspicion.

“Second Sister, didn’t you say my happiness matters most? Right now, I want to marry Ninth Master. Why are you so determined to persuade me to elope with someone else?”

Yun Yiyi choked. “I just thought you liked Young Master Bai...”

“Who said I liked him? In what way is he better than Ninth Master? He was the one who kept pursuing me. I was just too embarrassed to reject him.”

Yun Manxia curled her lips in irritation.

Yun Yiyi: “...Are you saying Young Master Bai isn’t good enough for you?”

Yun Manxia gave a cold laugh.

The title “Young Master Bai” sounded impressive.

Because people heard he was a member of the Bai family, and because he called Bai Hedu “Ninth Uncle,” countless people tried to curry favor with him.

But in truth, Bai Chengxuan’s father was nothing more than an illegitimate son the Bai family had never acknowledged.

A background like that could only be admired in a place like Yangcheng, far away from the Imperial Capital.

“He’s good enough for me?” she asked in return.

Although the Yun family had started to decline after her mother passed away, she had not fallen so low that she needed to marry the son of an illegitimate child.

Yun Yiyi: “...”

When Yun Yiyi walked out of Yujing Garden, she was still shaken and suspicious.

That idiot Yun Manxia...

Why had she suddenly become so difficult to deal with?

After sending Yun Yiyi away, Yun Manxia still had to get through Bai Hedu.

She was afraid he would believe Yun Yiyi’s words and develop a grudge against her.

Just as she was about to explain, Aunt Wu spoke first, her tone sharp with accusation.

“Madam, did you enter Ninth Master’s room?”

Yun Manxia paused.

Bai Hedu had not held the bathrobe against her earlier, but entering his room without permission was still a major taboo.

She blinked and looked at him with an obedient expression.

“I only went in to take a shower...”

“What kind of shower requires you to run into Ninth Master’s bedroom?” Aunt Wu said, her harsh brows twisting.

Yun Manxia glanced at her.

“Because there was no hot water in my room. I don’t know what went wrong.”

“Aunt Wu?”

Bai Hedu lifted his eyes.

He did not look angry, yet his authority was unmistakable.

He was asking Aunt Wu for an explanation.

Why had the room she personally arranged for Yun Manxia had no hot water?

Aunt Wu’s expression changed slightly.

The previous madams had also experienced these little targeted tricks, but Ninth Master had never bothered to interfere.

She had not expected him to speak up for this Third Miss Yun.

“I’ll have someone check it later. It may have been my oversight.”

Aunt Wu quickly admitted her mistake, but she still did not want to let Yun Manxia off so easily.

“Even if that room had no hot water, there were so many other rooms. Why did Madam have to go specifically to Ninth Master’s bedroom?”

“Someone took me there,” Yun Manxia said.

Her gaze swept toward the servant beside them.

She had only just been reborn, so she had not reacted in time.

But Xiaomei worked in Yujing Garden. How could she not know Bai Hedu’s taboo?

Especially afterward, no one had brought over the clothes Yun Manxia asked for, forcing her to open Bai Hedu’s wardrobe.

No matter how she looked at it, this had been intentional.

Xiaomei’s face turned pale. Tears nearly fell from her eyes as she suddenly dropped to her knees with a thud.

“Ninth Master, I didn’t! I pointed Madam to the guest bedroom next door. I don’t know why Madam entered your room!”

Aunt Wu said, “Ninth Master, Xiaomei has always been the most honest child. She wouldn’t lie.”

Hearing Aunt Wu defend Xiaomei, Yun Manxia knew it would be nearly impossible to punish Xiaomei today.

After all, Aunt Wu held a special position in Bai Hedu’s household.

So she gave up arguing and looked directly at the devastatingly handsome man.

With a hint of grievance in her voice, she said,

“I’m already your wife. Am I not even allowed to enter your room?”