Wan Xia repeatedly uttered these words to Xiao Yue without making a sound as she begged for her not to go out.

Wan Xia held onto Xiao Yue’s hands tightly as she trembled. She had bitten her lips badly yesterday, and they had just healed a little today. Now, they were bleeding again.

However, she kept biting down hard and was completely oblivious of her actions as she trembled increasingly hard.

Her eyes were listless as she kept staring at the ground.

There were clearly tears in her eyes, but Wan Xia stubbornly refused to blink and let them fall. Xiao Yue didn’t know who Wan Xia was fighting.

Xiao Yue saw blood oozing from the corner of Wan Xia’s lips with her face looking so ghastly pale that it was impossible to hide it even with makeup.

“Miss Wan Xia, stop biting…”

Wan Xia dug her nails into Xiao Yue’s flesh, but Xiao Yue failed to notice it.

Xiao Yue spoke with a crying voice as she watched the bleeding on Wan Xia’s lips worsen. Xiao Yue couldn’t help trembling from Wan Xia’s shivering.

“Miss Wan Xia, you are scaring me. Stop hurting yourself. It isn’t worth it…”

Wan Xia’s hands felt icy cold and were covered in cold sweat, but Xiao Yue didn’t mind. Xiao Yue even voluntarily held Wan Xia’s slender hands.

However, Wan Xia remained in the same position. For some reason, the tears in Wan Xia’s eyes refused to trickle down and it seemed as though they were trying to suppress themselves.

The more Wan Xia refused to speak, the more worried Xiao Yue became.

When nothing worked, Xiao Yue looked around anxiously, but she was unable the help. Just when all hope was lost, a thought suddenly crossed her mind and she placed her hand close to Wan Xia’s lips.

“If you really have to bite something, then bite me! Don’t hurt yourself…”

Xiao Yue’s warm hands were a stark contrast to Wan Xia’s icy cold hands.

The moment Wan Xia sensed something warm on her mouth, she eventually stopped biting her lips.

“Xiao Yue…”

Wan Xia screamed in agony before squatting on the ground to cry miserably.

Ever since Xiao Qin committed suicide, Xiao Yue kept her eyes on Wan Xia and didn’t even dare to sleep at night. She was terribly worried that Wan Xia might do something foolish.

Wan Xia wanted to jump into the lake with Xiao Qin and fainted yesterday, but she seemed completely nonchalant after regaining consciousness.

After she regained consciousness, she took out Xiao Qin’s belongings, including her clothing and makeup, and packed everything into a box.

Xiao Yue stayed with Wan Xia while she busied herself packing. Every now and then, Wan Xia would stop and go into a daze. Sometimes, she would quietly cry. However, she would quickly compose herself, wipe her tears, and continue packing.

Wan Xia also cried a few times last night in her sleep. It was so brief that Xiao Yue thought she was imagining things for a moment.

The calmer Wan Xia was, the more worried Xiao Yue became.

The moment those women spoke ill of Wan Xia and even gossiped about Xiao Qin’s death, Xiao Yue could no longer take it. Xiao Yue wanted to charge out and give them a piece of her mind. If she had to, she would rip those gossip mongers’ faces to shreds.

She didn’t expect Wan Xia to hold her back tightly as Wan Xia softly begged for her not to go with powerlessness and desperation in her eyes.

Xiao Yue didn’t expect those women to be so vile that they were capable of saying anything. How could they say such things about Wan Xia right in front of her quarters?

Wan Xia didn’t leave and held onto Xiao Yue as she stood at the corner of the wall and waited for them to finish gossiping before ending up in this state.

Wan Xia finally cried.

Xiao Yue squatted down with Wan Xia and cautiously embraced her and did her utmost to encircle Wan Xia with her arms.

“Miss Wan Xia, everything will be fine… Just cry as hard as you want. Just let it all out.”

Xiao Yue kept patting Wan Xia on her back gently as she comforted Wan Xia.

Although she knew it was useless, she wanted to help Wan Xia as best as she could.

“Miss Wan Xia, don’t be afraid. Don’t be sad. I will always be here for you…”

Wan Xia was so skinny that Xiao Yue felt sorry for her.

Wan Xia was also very cold and she was much colder than Xiao Yue. Xiao Yue couldn’t help trembling when she first embraced her, but she continued to hug Wan Xia.

“Xiao Yue, I want to put away Xiao Qin’s belongings as soon as possible. I keep getting reminded of her looking at her things. It is simply too painful..” Xiao Yue’s robes were damp from Wan Xia’s tears before long. Her voice sounded absolutely sad and resembled fallen leaves in the autumn scattering onto the ground in the wind.

“Yes, Miss Wan Xia. I will get it done.”

Xiao Yue hurriedly nodded. Even if Wan Xia wanted the stars now, Xiao Yue wanted to get one for her.

“Xiao Yue, I don’t want them to continue looking for Xiao Qin’s body in the lake either. I want Xiao Qin to have some peace.” Wan Xia choked in Xiao Yue’s arms. “I don’t know how to face Xiao Qin anymore. Why didn’t I die with her?”

Wan Xia hammered her chest a few times as she spoke. She only ceased when Xiao Yue made her stop.

“It was all my fault! I didn’t take good care of her! I hope Xiao Qin can rest well in the lake and have good dreams from now on… I won’t let anyone disturb her.”

Xiao Yue did not notice anything amiss with what Wan Xia said. She simply felt Wan Xia was very pitiful for having to suffer this.

Xiao Yue didn’t care about burying Xiao Qin’s belongings or searching for her corpse.

As Xiao Yue’s shoulder became increasingly damp, Wan Xia’s crying gradually softened.

Eventually, Wan Xia simply choked a little. However, Xiao Yue refused to let go of Wan Xia.

Her arms were already aching badly. The moment she saw Wan Xia calm down a little, Xiao Yue felt relieved.

“Did I scare you?”

Wan Xia let go of Xiao Yue awkwardly. Tears hung from her long and dense eyelashes and it seemed as though they were on the brink of falling.

“Miss Wan Xia, I am so glad you are okay. I just want you to be happy.”

Xiao Yue gradually let go of Wan Xia. She automatically rubbed her aching shoulder a little when she suddenly sensed a pair of hands massaging her on her other shoulder. Xiao Yue was so startled that she promptly turned around.

It was Wan Xia.

“Miss Wan Xia…” Xiao Yue felt startled by Wan Xia’s gestures. After all, Wan Xia was her master and she was just a maid…

“Xiao Yue, thank you…” Wan Xia seemed embarrassed. She removed her hands nervously without looking at Xiao Yue.

“I treat you as a friend, so I wanted to give you a massage. After all, this happened to you because of me…”

“Miss Wan Xia, I appreciate it, but I am a lowly maid…” Xiao Yue didn’t dare to let Wan Xia rub her shoulders. She lowered her head and didn’t dare to look Wan Xia in the eyes. She was dreadfully worried that Wan Xia might get upset by her refusal. “Miss Wan Xia, I know you treat me as a friend, but I am not fit to be friends with you!”

After Xiao Yue anxiously explained herself, she stopped squatting beside Wan Xia. Instead, she knelt in front of Wan Xia.

“Silly lass, what are you doing?”

Wan Xia hurriedly pulled Xiao Yue up, but Xiao Yue avoided her hands.

“Miss Wan Xia, I am too lowly to be friends with you, but I will do anything for you and stay with you no matter what!”

Wan Xia smiled when she heard this. The bloodstains on her lips made them look vivid and her eyes were incredibly bright making her even more mesmerizing.

She stopped trying to pull Xiao Yue up. Instead, she sat down right beside Xiao Yue and refused to get up no matter how Xiao Yue protested.

“How could your status be considered low? I am just a cat’s maid, so it must be hard on you to work for me.”

Wan Xia smiled in self-ridicule. As she smiled, the wounds on her lips cracked once more, and blood trickle down her lips.

“Miss Wan Xia, you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself! I think you are wonderful. You are heaps better than any other woman.”

Wan Xia smiled even more happily when she saw the serious look on Xiao Yue’s face. She reached her hand out and touched Xiao Yue’s bangs before she said, “What’s the point? His Highness likes the lion cat more than he likes me…”

Xiao Yue felt resentful hearing this. Wan Xia had a gorgeous face and a fine body and she was well versed in all the arts. She was a very brilliant dancer. Also, her needlework was outstanding.

Was Chu Yunshen blind? All he cared about was the lion cat.

“I think His Highness must be blind for failing to appreciate you.”

Xiao Yue defended Wan Xia huffily. She was very annoyed by Chu Yunshen’s actions.

“It doesn’t matter if you say this to me, but if someone else hears you…” Wan Xia pondered before she reminded Xiao Yue worriedly, “Stop saying such things, okay? Even when there is only the two of us, the lion cat might still around…”

Xiao Yue nodded even though she only half understood what Wan Xia was saying. She finally stopped to ask, “Miss Wan Xia, do you mean that the lion cat understands what we are saying?”

Wan Xia nodded as she smiled bitterly.

“His Highness… is quite good to me. It is just that the lion cat keeps harassing him, especially when I am with him…” stammered Wan Xia.

Even though she did not make herself clear, Xiao Yue surprisingly knew what she was talking about.

Xiao Yue stood up promptly and scolded with her hands on her hips, “Miss Wan Xia, I keep wondering why you were never made concubine. Was it because of that stupid lion cat?”

Wan Xia continued sitting on the ground sideways with her hands on her ivory-colored skirt.

She lowered her head without looking at Xiao Yue. A sinister smile had unknowingly bloomed on her face with a vindictive look in her eyes.

Xiao Yue watched as Wan Xia quietly looked downwards and knew her words had hurt Wan Xia.

She scolded herself inside for stupidly saying the wrong things!

She knew Wan Xia loved His Highness, but Wan Xia could only get close to him by lowering herself and taking care of the lion cat. She did everything she could for His Highness, but he didn’t make Wan Xia his concubine. Wan Xia even ended up ostracized and insulted by those other women.

She was simply scattering salt on an open wound by talking about this now.

“Miss Wan Xia…”