Cui Lingyao rubbed her temples and walked around the screen into the inner room.
It was empty.
She froze, her eyes scanning the space.
The inner chamber wasn't large; she could take it all in at a glance.
Besides a canopy bed, there was only a dressing table and a small round table for tea.
There wasn't even a large trunk. Nowhere for someone to hide.
'Did I get back too late? Did he leave already?'
Just as the thought crossed her mind, she heard a faint sound from above.
Cui Lingyao looked up and met a pair of familiar eyes.
"Looking for me?"
Xie Jinbai, dressed in simple black robes, was lounging languidly on a ceiling beam. He propped his chin on his hand, and ripples of emotion stirred in the depths of his eyes as he looked at her.
The sheer tenderness in his gaze made him seem less severe.
He didn't look at all like a general whose hands were stained with the blood of countless men.
