Cui Lingyao: "..."
Her face suddenly flushed hot. It all clicked into place.
She finally understood why he had been acting so strangely all evening.
Xie Jinbai had arrived long ago.
He must have changed his personal scent sachet since leaving the capital.
That was why she hadn't detected his familiar scent.
Shen Tingyu, on the other hand, had.
'Good grief...'
Xie Jinbai had arrived without her knowledge.
And Shen Tingyu had discovered him.
That was why he hadn't left immediately after dinner.
He had proposed a game of chess to stall for time.
But after the game, he realized Xie Jinbai still hadn't left, so he decided to give her a direct warning.
Her cheeks burned as she stammered, "I understand."
Shen Tingyu glanced at her, said nothing more, and walked away.
Cui Lingyao stood frozen at the courtyard gate for a while, waiting for the wave of mortification to pass before turning back inside.
