The night breeze drifted softly through the window, carrying a faint, cooling touch.
After her bath, Zheng Qian sat on the kang by the window, letting the maids gently wring the moisture from her long hair. Her damp strands clung to her shoulders, dark and glossy under the dim lamplight.
Once the maids withdrew, the room fell quiet.
Zheng Qian glanced to the side—her cat had curled into a small ball, dozing peacefully. Only then did she slip into her space.
The moment she entered, her figure vanished from the room entirely. Yet whenever she returned, she would always reappear in the same place.
Inside the space, Zheng Qian sorted through her banknotes, then carefully tucked away the written agreement to break off the engagement that Zheng Chi had prepared for her. She began calculating the best time to visit the Wen family.
"The Wen family's betrothal gifts included eight golden goblets and one hundred taels of gold. That alone amounts to nine hundred taels," she murmured. "And one tael of gold is worth far more than ten taels of silver… If I return forty thousand taels of silver, I'm already getting the better end of the deal."
But when she counted everything she had, it still fell short of fifty thousand taels.
If she handed it all over to the Wen family… how was she supposed to live a life of luxury in the Marquis of Jing'an's residence?
Zheng Qian was still scheming about ways to make money when a sharp, piercing cry suddenly rang out.
She froze.
Ah Chou must have woken up and found her missing.
For a moment, Zheng Qian hesitated. She wanted to go back immediately, but she feared frightening the cat. After all, animals had a certain sensitivity.
So instead, she shifted her position within the space—moving directly onto her bed.
When she reappeared, she was already inside the bed curtains.
Ah Chou's cries were almost heart-wrenching.
Zheng Qian hurried out. "What's wrong? What happened?"
The cat's cries stopped abruptly.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Miss, what's wrong with the cat? Why is it suddenly crying in the middle of the night?" came the maid Caiyuan's voice.
Zheng Qian opened the door.
"It's probably hungry," she said calmly. "Go check if there's anything to feed it. Steamed fish would be best."
Caiyuan looked surprised.
She had never heard Ah Chou cry like that before.
Still, she went to the small kitchen in the courtyard to look for food.
Meanwhile, Zheng Qian scooped up the cat and gently soothed it.
Xiao Zhan narrowed his eyes.
A cat's vision was sharp—even in the pitch-black night, he knew with absolute certainty that there had been no one in the room just moments ago.
He had been asleep. Then suddenly he woke, only to find Zheng Qian gone. Panic had seized him, and he tried to call out to her—
Only to remember too late that he was just a cat now. The sound that came out was shrill and piercing, enough to startle anyone.
And yet…
Zheng Qian had appeared from the bed.
Cats could detect human scent.
Her presence had not gradually returned—it had appeared in an instant. Ah Chou knew it clearly.
Where had she gone?
If there were no hidden compartments in the room… then she had vanished into thin air.
How could a person simply disappear?
Was she a ghost?
But ghosts carried a chilling aura. Even if they disguised themselves, cats and dogs could always tell.
Yet Zheng Qian…
She was warm. Fragrant. Comforting. There was nothing sinister about her at all.
If she possessed such abilities, then she could only be—
A celestial being.
The mortal world was vast and strange. The existence of a fairy was not impossible.
Xiao Zhan stared at her intently. No wonder he had felt a sense of familiarity the first time he saw her—like a maiden attending the Bodhisattva. The mole between her brows was so vividly red, unlike anyone else's.
Perhaps… she truly was an immortal.
She could even conjure things out of thin air.
Xiao Zhan suddenly felt the urge to cling tightly to her.
Back in the palace, he had often listened to operas with the imperial consorts. He remembered the tale of Dong Yong and the Seventh Fairy.
Then… his Mei'er must also be a fairy who descended to the mortal world.
With that thought, Xiao Zhan felt a strange sense of relief.
The maid searched the kitchen and only found a piece of raw beef.
"Don't feed it raw," Zheng Qian said. "Forget it—it's not making a fuss anymore. It's probably not truly hungry. You can go rest."
Caiyuan acknowledged and left.
Once she was gone, Zheng Qian let out a quiet breath and lightly patted Ah Chou's head.
Next time, I need to be more careful… I shouldn't enter the space while it's asleep.
By the time her hair had dried, Zheng Qian lay down to sleep.
Xiao Zhan curled up beside her pillow, listening to her steady breathing.
It was normal—completely normal.
And yet… he still felt uneasy.
That night, he stayed awake, guarding her until dawn.
——
The next morning, Zheng Qian noticed Ah Chou swaying drowsily, too tired even to eat breakfast. She set him down in his woven cat bed and let him sleep.
"Miss," said the maid Hongluan as she brought in breakfast. She hesitated, clearly wanting to say something.
Zheng Qian thought she was still troubled by last night's matter and was about to reassure her—
But Hongluan lowered her voice and muttered,
"Miss… Third Young Master has returned. You… you mustn't go near him again. He's always been toying with you."
Zheng Qian: "…"
There was indeed a Third Young Master in the household—Zheng Hao, the eldest son of the Third Madam.
He had recently traveled to Kunzhou to celebrate his grandmother's birthday.
The original Zheng Qian had admired this third brother greatly. He was both talented and handsome. Unfortunately, her affection had been completely one-sided. Zheng Hao looked down on her and even teamed up with Zheng Yutan to mock and humiliate her.
The maids had been furious on her behalf—yet their mistress had persisted regardless.
Now that their young lady had both money and wit, surely she wouldn't make a fool of herself again… right?
Hongluan had only recently begun to feel proud again. She feared that with the Third Young Master's return, everything would revert to how it used to be.
"Why would I go near him?" Zheng Qian said with a faint smile. "What's the point?"
But even if she didn't want to—
Circumstances would force her to.
In the Zheng household, meals were usually taken separately. Only on special occasions would the entire family gather, often at the Old Madam's courtyard.
Such gatherings happened once or twice a month.
Recently, the Old Madam had been angered by Zheng Qian and had lost interest in hosting banquets, so it had been a while since the last one.
But Zheng Hao's return from Kunzhou was no small matter.
His maternal family was the wealthiest in Kunzhou. Every time he visited, he returned with carts upon carts of gifts—fabrics, spices, even fresh produce sent by his grandmother.
Naturally, his return called for a grand family dinner.
"Miss, there's no need for us to go out of our way," the maids urged repeatedly before the banquet.
"I know," Zheng Qian replied lightly.
Cradling her cat, she set out for Yutang Courtyard at just the right time.
By the time she arrived, the place was already lively and bustling.
At the entrance, she happened to run into a slightly plump young man of average height. She gave a polite greeting.
"Second Brother."
Zheng Qing froze for a moment.
He was from the second branch of the family—his father, Zheng Jingsheng, was a concubine-born son, which made their entire branch somewhat awkward within the marquis residence.
This cousin of his had always been busy currying favor with the Old Madam, the Marquis, and the Third Young Master. She had never paid him much attention before.
Her greeting caught him off guard.
"Cousin," he replied.
"Second Sister-in-law didn't come?"
"She's not feeling well—slight heatstroke," Zheng Qing said, wiping sweat from his round face. He was prone to heat, and the walk had already left him flushed.
Zheng Qian nodded. "I'll visit her another day."
The two entered together.
"Zheng Qian! Why aren't you coming over?"
A clear, resonant male voice called out without the slightest politeness. Laughter followed from those nearby.
Zheng Qian frowned slightly.
Calling her by her full name in her own home—how rude.
She turned toward the voice—
And there he was.
Zheng Hao.
The very "Third Brother" the original owner had once adored.
Not bad-looking, Zheng Qian thought coldly. But that's about it.
Then she stepped forward.