"Your Highness, is something the matter?" Zhao Xue lowered her hand from the door, her eyes fixed on Yun Shu Nian, her posture completely unguarded.
Yun Shu Nian's lips twitched awkwardly. She had understood what Feng Huo had said earlier, but at this moment, she had no idea what to say.
After a moment, seeing that Yun Shu Nian remained silent, Zhao Xue's expression turned slightly serious.
"Did the Emperor discover something?" Zhao Xue asked.
Yun Shu Nian shook her head and glanced instinctively towards where Feng Huo and Yu Ji were hiding.
Feng Huo quickly covered his face with a sleeve and waved his other hand vigorously at Yun Shu Nian, signaling her to turn her head away quickly.
"Yes... it's like this. I'm thirsty, and there's no kettle in my room. You know phoenixes breathe fire, so without water, it's easy to get overheated. So, so I came to ask you for a cup of water."
Yun Shu Nian was bewildered and had no time to think. After she finished speaking, she slowly recalled what she had just said and immediately felt regret.
"I'll go get it," Mu Qi said, immediately bypassing Yun Shu Nian and heading downstairs.
She had just said there was no kettle in her room, so how did she know Zhao Xue's room had one?
Yun Shu Nian rubbed her forehead awkwardly and looked at Feng Huo and Yu Ji, who were hiding behind a pillar not far away.
"Where are the tears?" Feng Huo saw Zhao Xue heading downstairs and immediately rushed out from behind the pillar, looking into Yun Shu Nian's eyes.
Seeing no trace of tears, only a dazed look, Feng Huo's honest mouth blurted out.
"Little Phoenix, have you become an idiot?"
Yun Shu Nian: "..."
Yun Shu Nian wanted to roll her eyes at this moment; it would have been unseemly but fitting.
Seeing Yun Shu Nian say nothing, Feng Huo stopped bothering and offered a serious suggestion.
"You should cry a little," Feng Huo urged, his tone earnest and his expression sincere. Su Dan Novels.
Seeing Yun Shu Nian's lack of reaction, Feng Huo anxiously pushed her forward, wanting to give Yun Shu Nian more opportunity to interact with Zhao Xue.
When it came to matters concerning Zhao Xue, Yun Shu Nian seemed to lose her mind and was easily manipulated. Since Feng Huo told her to go down, Yun Shu Nian followed.
Zhao Xue, having just gotten the teapot, turned around and bumped into Yun Shu Nian. After a brief moment of surprise, Zhao Xue immediately took a teacup from a table just tidied by the attendant, poured some water, and handed it to Yun Shu Nian.
"Your Highness, the water." Zhao Xue's tone was unhurried, but his movements were quick and steady, as if he truly believed Yun Shu Nian's theory about phoenixes needing water.
"Thank you." Yun Shu Nian took the teacup and thanked him before drinking the water in one gulp.
After Yun Shu Nian finished drinking, she looked up and saw Mu Qi holding another cup of tea towards her. Yun Shu Nian paused for a brief second before accepting it again.
Mu Qi and Yun Shu Nian continued this way, with one pouring and the other drinking, until Mu Qi had poured three entire pots of tea, and Yun Shu Nian had drunk several cups. Only then did they stop.
"I'm not thirsty anymore, really."
After three pots of tea, Yun Shu Nian slightly bowed, supporting her stomach with one hand and holding the other in front of Mu Qi, her refusal clear.
Zhao Xue looked at Yun Shu Nian intently for a few moments, resembling a cute, head-tilted large dog trying to understand its owner.
Then, Zhao Xue nodded: "Alright."
Yun Shu Nian and Zhao Xue looked at each other, and the atmosphere became momentarily awkward.
"Thank you, fellow immortal." Yun Shu Nian cupped her hands in thanks and then turned to flee.
Before Zhao Xue could say anything, Feng Huo blocked Yun Shu Nian's path.
Yun Shu Nian looked up and was about to bypass Zhao Xue when Zhao Xue caught the collar of her back and lightly lifted her, bringing her back in front of him.
Yun Shu Nian lowered her head slightly, feeling like she was sitting on pins and needles facing the one she secretly cherished.
Where her heart yearned, she found it difficult to control herself.
This was why she would be impulsive and then retreat, becoming a little phoenix who was often flustered and emotionally unstable.
She might be overjoyed for a long time by a single word from Zhao Xue, or she might feel like she had fallen into an ice cellar from a mere glance from him.
Yun Shu Nian wanted to be with Mu Qi, and she naturally wanted to pursue Zhao Xue, but if she did so, she would undoubtedly swing between being a brave and fearless phoenix one moment and a timid quail the next.
"Your Reverence, treating the Imperial Daughter like this is not right."
Feng Huo looked at Zhao Xue's suddenly cold phoenix eyes, raised his eyebrows, and the light in his eyes held complex emotions.
"Little Phoenix is my sister. Do we need your instruction regarding our affairs?" Feng Huo straightened his chest slightly.
Zhao Xue paused for a long time, his obscure eyes flickering slightly, and finally spoke: "Naturally, we do not."
"What are you doing?" Yun Shu Nian forcefully broke free from Feng Huo, her crescent-shaped eyes darting between Feng Huo and Zhao Xue.
"Little Phoenix, why are you being so fierce? Brother just sees that you haven't played or interacted with people your own age for many years. Isn't this just to help you make more friends?"
Feng Huo's tone suddenly softened like a ball of cotton, giving Yun Shu Nian goosebumps.
However, Yun Shu Nian ultimately did not go upstairs. After all, having Feng Huo, that dog-headed strategist, by her side was better than having no one.
"Fellow immortal, please sit." Feng Huo saw Yun Shu Nian settle down and immediately gestured for Zhao Xue to sit.
As Yun Shu Nian's brother, Feng Huo's status was naturally not low. Zhao Xue glanced at Yun Shu Nian unobtrusively, not wanting to offend Feng Huo, nor wanting to leave.
Thus, Zhao Xue sat down, and Yun Shu Nian was pulled by Feng Huo to sit opposite Zhao Xue.
For a moment, the table between them fell silent.
Feng Huo, the most talkative of the three, frowned slightly, his lips moving, hesitating to speak before swallowing his words.
In less than a moment, Feng Huo's brows relaxed slightly, and he finally spoke with conviction.
"Does fellow immortal know that Little Phoenix's feathers are rare and colorful?"
Yun Shu Nian: "..."
What a childish display of pride.
Zhao Xue's hand holding the teacup paused, the base of his nails turning white from the pressure.
"Naturally, I do not."
Yun Shu Nian lowered her gaze, contemplating whether she should reveal her true form and show off.
As soon as Yun Shu Nian had this thought, she immediately dismissed it.
Zhao Xue always wore plain clothes; he probably didn't like colors.
What if he didn't like it?
Could the color of her feathers be changed?
Before Yun Shu Nian could ponder further, Feng Huo raised his head and chest again, speaking: "Then do you know that Little Phoenix owns hundreds of properties in the Three Realms?"