’Something happened to Baili Jing?’

Jiang Qingli frowned with worry and asked, "When did this happen?"

"According to the servants, about half an hour ago," Yi Nuo said.

’It happened that long ago? Why wait until now to tell me instead of half an hour ago?’

Qin Muye nearly sneered.

It was obvious Yi Nuo was just jealous of how close he and Jiang Qingli were and was using Baili Jing as a pawn.

’That damn dog!’

The girl on his lap was clearly worried. She got up and was about to head out.

Qin Muye grabbed her hand and pressed it against himself.

"I’m already like this!" Qin Muye mumbled, his face red. "You can’t just leave me!"

"Saving someone is more important right now." Jiang Qingli pulled her hand back and patted Qin Muye’s cheek. "Be good. If it’s really unbearable, just take care of it yourself."

Qin Muye: "..."

’Is she even human?’

’What does she mean... me... myself... take care of it...’

’She makes me sound so cheap!’

Qin Muye’s expression twisted.

Just as he was about to demand some justice for himself, a soft touch suddenly met his lips.

Jiang Qingli pinched his chin, forcing his head up, and held his lips in a deep, lingering kiss for a moment.

While Qin Muye was still stunned, she straightened up, her breathing slightly uneven. "Alright now, don’t look so grumpy."

Qin Muye remained in position with his lips slightly parted, not making a sound. He seemed completely dazed.

The hand that had been gripping hers went limp.

"Now you’re being good." Jiang Qingli kissed his cheek again. "Next time for sure."

She hurried away.

The door closed. Qin Muye stayed dazed for another moment, then suddenly collapsed back into his seat.

His fingers brushed against his lips, then retracted as if zapped by electricity.

Qin Muye buried his face in the crook of his arm. He wanted to calm down, but his blood was boiling, threatening to consume him.

He squeezed his eyes shut. Even though he wasn’t moving at all, his breathing grew more and more rapid.

’I miss her so much.’

’I want her to... do indecent things to me.’

"Miss, have some water."

As she walked out of the garage, Yi Nuo handed her a bottle of water.

Jiang Qingli took it and drank a mouthful, her pace quick. "What’s his pollution level?"

"Mr. Baili has set permissions for us. You should be the only one who can see it," Yi Nuo said.

The terminal system hadn’t sent an alert. Jiang Qingli entered several layers of passwords to open the data interface and discovered that Baili Jing’s levels had fluctuated wildly today.

Normally, whenever she checked, he was around 30%. But starting this afternoon, it had suddenly jumped to 40%, then soared, at one point nearly hitting 80%!

It was still holding at a high 72%.

’Baili Jing wasn’t home today; he must have been out for work. Was it an external factor?’

’He doesn’t seem like the type to be so easily affected...’

Jiang Qingli’s brow furrowed. "Where did he go this afternoon?"

"Mr. Baili was brought back by people from the Baili family. I didn’t get a clear look at their faces," Yi Nuo said. "According to them, he was just feeling unwell."

Seeing his hesitation, Jiang Qingli asked, "What else did they say?"

"They also said..." Yi Nuo frowned slightly, repeating their exact words, "’Our young master is always like this. Just leave him be, he’ll get better on his own.’"

As they spoke, they arrived at the door to Baili Jing’s room.

Yi Nuo, afraid that Baili Jing might lose control, wanted to go in with her, but Jiang Qingli shook her head.

Baili Jing was usually very conscious of his image. She figured the vain fox wouldn’t want anyone to see him in an imperfect state.

But she was an exception.

For some reason, Jiang Qingli was absolutely certain of this.

Pushing the door open, Jiang Qingli walked toward the young man lying on the bed.

Her breath hitched when she saw him clearly.

Baili Jing lay on the bed, his handsome face so pale it was almost translucent. His beautifully shaped, thin lips were colorless and chapped with fine lines, which only made him look more haggard.

Jiang Qingli had assumed that with his pollution level rising, he would become frenzied like Ye Linyuan, or lose control of his human form like Qin Muye had before.

But she never expected to see Baili Jing in this state.

She had only been away for half a day, yet he looked like a completely different person.

Her heart felt as if it had been squeezed tightly, aching with a sour pang.

As if sensing her approach, his light-colored eyelashes trembled, and Baili Jing opened his eyes.

"Xiao Li," Baili Jing called out to her softly. "You’re back."

He tried to prop himself up, but his arm slipped, and he fell heavily back onto the bed.

Jiang Qingli quickly reached out to help him up, grabbing a pillow for him to lean against.

Feeling a tightness in her chest, she couldn’t help but complain, "I was just at class. How did you end up like this? Who bullied you?"

"Are you worried about me?" Baili Jing took her hand and pressed it to his cheek, smiling faintly with his eyes closed. "Such a kind Xiao Li. Aren’t you afraid this is just an act to get your sympathy?"

"My sympathy isn’t worth much," Jiang Qingli said unhappily. "Be serious."

Baili Jing’s lips curved as he gently kissed her palm. "Baby, don’t worry. It’ll be over soon."

He said it so casually, as if he had been through this many times before.

Jiang Qingli squeezed his hand. "Lie down properly. I’m going to perform Spiritual Healing on you."

Baili Jing’s movements stiffened slightly, as if he was resistant.

"You don’t want me to?" Jiang Qingli frowned. "You were like this before, too, not letting me help you."

She leaned closer, her eyes narrowing. "You’re not hiding some secret in your Spiritual Domain that you’re afraid I’ll discover, are you?"

"And if I am?" Baili Jing stared straight at her. "Would you hate me?"

"Are you thinking about other females in your Spiritual Domain?" Jiang Qingli asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Xiao Li should know best who my first time was with." A smile touched the corners of Baili Jing’s eyes.

’This guy... still flirting even at a time like this...’

"Shut up, you. Just lie down and be quiet. We can talk after I’m done."

Jiang Qingli’s cheeks grew warm as she pushed him back onto the bed and moved to press against him.

Just as their foreheads were about to touch, Baili Jing suddenly spoke.

"With my spiritual power as it is, I can’t control the contents of my Spiritual Domain. I don’t know what you’ll see..." The young man pressed his lips together. "Xiao Li, please don’t hate me."

Before Jiang Qingli could reply, the scene before her abruptly changed.

A bright scene unfolded before her eyes.

She found herself in a long, carpeted corridor. Looking out the window to her side, she saw ornate, complex European-style architecture, like a palace.

At the end of the hallway hung a massive portrait.

The woman in the painting had white hair and golden eyes. She gazed into the distance with a faint, majestic air.

The woman’s features strongly resembled Baili Jing’s; it was easy to see they were related by blood.

Jiang Qingli guessed that this must be Baili Jing’s home.

Baili Jing was a nobleman. It was said that the Baili family and the Jiang Family had deep ties; they were a scholarly and distinguished clan.

’How old is Baili Jing at this time?’ Jiang Qingli found herself wanting to see what he looked like as a child.

Just as she was thinking this, she heard two voices talking behind her.

"How many times is this?"

"The sixth, I think..."

"Even if he is a half-breed, being treated like this is just bad luck..."

"SHH! This isn’t something we servants should be meddling in. Just take him back!"

Jiang Qingli followed the voices and saw two servants at the foot of the stairs, carrying a stretcher up toward her.

Their bodies blocked her view, so Jiang Qingli couldn’t see the face of the person on the stretcher, but she could tell from their hands and feet that it was a child.

Someone suddenly shouted from downstairs, causing the servant in front to slip and stumble sideways.

The child on the stretcher was thrown off unexpectedly, tumbling down the stairs before coming to rest crookedly at the side.

Jiang Qingli finally got a clear look at the boy’s face.

It was Baili Jing.