Hearing this, Ye Jinxiu couldn’t help but narrow her eyes, a strange look flickering across her features.
‘Why is Dong Yun’er looking for me?’
Looking at the girl who had once ambushed and kidnapped her, she felt a faint sense of foreboding.
She didn’t actually harbor much resentment toward Dong Yun’er. After all, the girl was just following orders, and she hadn’t tortured or humiliated her during the process. In short, while the journey had been bumpy, the outcome had been positive.
Ye Jinxiu asked with some curiosity, “What do you want with me? Is this Lin Huanhuan’s instruction?”
After all, aside from Lin Huanhuan’s request, she really couldn’t think of any reason why Lin Huanhuan’s personal maid would specifically come looking for her.
Dong Yun’er’s face was calm, revealing not a single trace of emotion. “No. Just follow me. I simply have something I want to discuss with you in private.”
With that, she turned and walked toward one of the rooms. Her pace was quick, as if she were certain the other party would follow.
Ye Jinxiu’s brows twitched as a strange thought suddenly occurred to her. ‘Could Dong Yun’er be planning to ambush me and knock me out again? After all, I just offended Lin Huanhuan.’
But in the next moment, she was amused by her own thought. ‘How is that possible? I’ve already confirmed Lin Huanhuan isn’t that kind of person. I shouldn’t guess in that direction. And even if it were the case, there were clearly better opportunities just now; she wouldn’t need to do it now.’
At this thought, Ye Jinxiu no longer hesitated and followed Dong Yun’er into the room.
It was a square room, and the decorations weren’t as luxurious as those in Lin Huanhuan’s quarters. It looked quite ordinary, only slightly better than her own room.
Dong Yun’er had already sat down. Seeing her enter, she gave a lukewarm smile and gestured toward a cup of tea she had just poured. “Please.”
Ye Jinxiu didn’t overthink it and sat down directly. She took a small sip of the tea and then said with a smile, “Now, can you tell me exactly why you’re looking for me?”
Dong Yun’er nodded and said, “What I want to say is very simple. Ye Jinxiu, please stay away from my lady in the future. Do not approach her again.”
Pffft—
Ye Jinxiu, who was savoring the tea, was so shocked by these words that she immediately sprayed out the tea she hadn’t yet swallowed. After hurriedly wiping her lips with the back of her hand, she said in shock, “Did I hear you correctly?”
Dong Yun’er repeated her words once more. “Please stay away from my lady in the future. Do not approach her again.”
Once she was sure she hadn’t misheard, Ye Jinxiu held out her right hand and made a pressing motion in the air. “Wait, let me talk first. Let’s straighten this out. Let me think.”
“First of all, it was your lady who said she liked me and pursued me. Then, when she wasn’t successful, she sent you to kidnap me, right? I’m not misremembering, am I?”
Dong Yun’er nodded. Ye Jinxiu let out a long breath and continued, “So, under these circumstances, you’ve come to me privately to tell me not to get close to your lady? Don’t you think that’s a bit unreasonable?”
Dong Yun’er did not quite agree with her words. “Ye Jinxiu, I need to correct some errors. First, the lady has not taken the initiative to look for you recently. It was you who approached her.”
Ye Jinxiu’s lips twitched. She thought to herself, ‘Do you like nitpicking small details that much? Why don’t you go count how many seeds are in a bag of sesame?’
Ye Jinxiu said with a smile, “While that’s a fact, the things that happened before are also facts. You can’t just ignore them.”
“Besides, I want to ask you, why are you saying this? What benefit is there for you?”
“There is no benefit. It is simply because you have already affected the lady, so I want you to leave. It’s that simple.”
“I’ve affected your lady?!”
Ye Jinxiu’s voice suddenly rose. She gripped the armrests and stood up directly. “When have I ever affected Lin Huanhuan? If anything, you guys have been affecting me all this time, and I haven’t said a word!”
Dong Yun’er’s expression remained unchanged as she said calmly, “The past is the past, but right now, you are indeed affecting the lady. She needs peace and quiet, yet you come to find her frequently. The lady is actually very unhappy.”
“If this continues and the lady remains unhappy, it will inevitably have a huge impact on both her daily life and her cultivation. Everyone here is a cultivator of the Lingyun Sect; you should know how serious it is to have one’s cultivation affected.”
“So, for the lady’s sake, I think it’s best if you don’t take the initiative to approach her. Staying away from her is the only thing you should do.”
“As for the impact caused to you previously.”
Dong Yun’er directly took out most of her savings. “Here are 1,000 spirit stones. This should be more than enough compensation. As long as you promise never to approach the lady again, these are yours.”
The words Ye Jinxiu wanted to use to curse her out got stuck in her throat. Even for her, seeing so many spirit stones was still incredibly dazzling.
But following closely behind was a surge of anger from her heart. She slammed the table hard, the “bang” making the teacups rattle. “What do you mean? Do you intend to use these things to buy me off? In your eyes, am I someone who can be measured with spirit stones?”
Dong Yun’er gave a soft click of her tongue and shook her head slightly. “You’ve misunderstood. I don’t mean to insult you. This is simply compensation for fulfilling the request.”
Ye Jinxiu frowned. She really was airtight in her logic.
She asked, “If that’s the case, why don’t you let your lady do this? She could also take the initiative to stay away from me. Is she unable to do it, or what?”
Dong Yun’er gave a slight smile. “The lady is busy with a myriad of affairs every day. How could she have the heart to care about such trivial matters? That’s why I can just discuss this with you privately. There’s no need to disturb the lady.”
“Well? This should be your best choice.”
‘I think you just find me easy to bully!’ Ye Jinxiu snorted in her heart, finding that smile particularly annoying.
She tapped the table lightly and focused her gaze, only then noticing something.
The other party was taking small sips of tea, but the pads of her fingers gripping the cup were slightly white. Clearly, she was using force. Her eyes would also glance at her from time to time, quickly darting away when discovered. She wasn’t as calm as she appeared on the surface.
‘She seems very nervous, worried that I won’t agree.’
Ye Jinxiu couldn’t help but start thinking. Under what circumstances would a personal maid take the initiative to warn others not to get close to the lady she cares for, and even appear very nervous while doing so?
First of all, the two must have grown up together, and their relationship could be described as practically inseparable. Their feelings for each other must be very deep—
‘Deep feelings?!’
Wisdom collided in Ye Jinxiu’s mind, suddenly sparking a massive explosion. She thought of a possibility that was both shocking and extremely logical.