Qing Nianyi moved toward the mirror with unsteady steps, her pretty face etched with pain. The ache in her chest was gradually becoming unbearable…

Qing Nianyi raised a delicate hand and gently slipped the gown off her right shoulder, exposing her snow-white skin to the air. Along her elegant collarbone, the golden dragon scales began to tremble violently, their sound like the mournful cry of a deep-dwelling dragon.

As Qing Nianyi endured the pain and pulled off her clothes, she was horrified to discover that the blood-red scales on her chest had turned a deep, murky black!

A moment later came a pain so intense it felt as if flesh and bone were being torn apart.

The three blood-red scales on her chest weren’t ordinary armor. They were the dragon clan’s lifeline—the Dragon Heartguard Scales.

But now, the three blood-red scales on Qing Nianyi’s chest were showing signs of falling off. That could only mean one thing: her life was about to fade away…

Qing Nianyi’s strength gave out, and she sank to her knees before the mirror. The heart-wrenching pain made her mind swim again, leaving her without even the strength to speak.

She lowered her eyes, gazing through blurred vision at her disheveled reflection. Yet there was no struggle against the pain in her gaze—only the same quiet calm as always…

There was no fear of death in her eyes, nor any yearning for life. The only thing mixed into them was a faint trace of unwillingness…

…I want to see him again… even if… just once…

Perhaps that faint, stubborn desire made her slowly lift a hand and brace it against the mirror. She used every last bit of strength she had to try to stand.

But with a sharp, hollow crack, the fragile mirror before her could no longer withstand the pressure. It shattered, scattering like glass shards toward Qing Nianyi.

With nothing left to lean on, Qing Nianyi fell to the floor again. A shard sliced past the corner of her eye.

In an instant, her reflection disappeared from her sight. In its place was a brilliant galaxy, flecked with rainbow light…

Her blurred vision slowly faded to black. The last thing she saw was an exquisite folding fan…

…I’m sorry, Mother. Father.

I—

As Qing Nianyi’s consciousness faded, the scattered shards settled around her. Silence once again descended upon the room. Only a folding fan hovered beside her, giving off wisps of brilliant blue light. All that light converged on one place: Qing Nianyi’s chest…

Before long, a drop of blood-red liquid slowly formed from a piece of white jade carved into the folding fan. At last, it fell onto Qing Nianyi’s lips…

After an unknown amount of time, Qing Nianyi slowly regained consciousness, and her vision began to clear. She rubbed her forehead and shook her heavy head. Her mind still hadn’t fully woken up; everything remained hazy.

“…What… happened to me…?”

When Qing Nianyi saw the shards scattered across the floor and the folding fan lying among them, she immediately snapped fully awake, panic filling her eyes.

Ignoring the broken glass on the floor, she hurriedly picked up the fan and held it against her chest.

It wasn’t just an exquisite folding fan. To Qing Nianyi, it was worth more than her own life.

Before she was born, Qing Nianyi’s parents had asked their clan for this spirit artifact to accompany her through life.

After she had bound the spirit fan to herself with a drop of blood, it had stayed by Qing Nianyi’s side ever since, accompanying her as she grew.

After Qing Nianyi’s parents left, the fan became more than just her treasured possession. It became a way for her to cling to their memory and mourn their loss…

Qing Nianyi inspected the folding fan in her hands again and again. Only after confirming that it wasn’t damaged did she slowly let out a breath.

Still dazed, she shook her head and was about to get up when she spotted three blood-red scales among the broken mirror shards.

Qing Nianyi’s Mu Zi eyes suddenly narrowed. She stared at the scales on the floor in disbelief, then hurriedly looked at her chest.

The three blood-red Dragon Heartguard Scales that had been there were all gone. In their place were three translucent silver scales, radiating a powerful vitality beneath the light…

Feeling an inexplicable warmth inside, Qing Nianyi reached out with a delicate hand and gently touched the silver scales on her chest.

Their cold touch brushed against her fingertips, but Qing Nianyi felt no discomfort. Instead, she felt light and at ease.

This strange warmth seemed to fill the emptiness that had long hollowed out Qing Nianyi’s heart, calling to the “love” she had locked away behind chains deep inside…

—[…Young master… you must take good care of this…]

Before Qing Nianyi could recover from that brief warmth, the gentle male voice rang through her mind again—only this time, it came in broken echoes.

Qing Nianyi hurriedly looked around, but the luxurious, empty room still held no one but her. That same sense of loss washed over her again, stronger than before…

Qing Nianyi clutched the exquisite folding fan tightly. A golden gleam appeared once again in her Mu Zi eyes.

…I want to… see him.

It had only been a single glimpse, but the thought had stayed etched in Qing Nianyi’s mind. As time passed, this longing she couldn’t explain began to grow wildly inside her, until she could hardly bear it…

…Maybe I can go find him!

The thought came to Qing Nianyi.

But then she thought again. Nearly a thousand people had attended the banquet, and the grounds were enormous. Finding one “stranger” would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Besides, she didn’t even know his name.

And worst of all, the banquet was already over. She had no idea whether he’d already left…

At the thought of that,

Qing Nianyi’s spirits began to sink again. Her delicate brows furrowed with an unshakable sadness, and bitterness filled her beautiful face.

…But I really want to see him… even just once, even just to hear him say a single word…

Qing Nianyi slowly drew up her long, delicate legs. Her hair fell loose as she buried her face in her knees.

She was truly happy and felt so lucky that fate had given her the chance to see him. But now, she also felt terribly aggrieved.

She was the one who’d lost him…

“Knock, knock.”

A steady knock came from outside the door, followed by Steward Ling’s voice.

“Miss, how are you feeling now?”

Qing Nianyi had been sitting with her head buried, quietly mourning her sadness. Slowly, she raised it, gathered herself, and answered softly.

“I’m all right now, Steward Ling. Please, go ahead.”

Hearing his young lady’s bright, full voice, Steward Ling finally felt the weight lift from his heart.

But he didn’t hear the faint sadness mixed into her gentle voice…

The furrow in Steward Ling’s brow eased, and he spoke again.

“Well, Miss, I’ve already let the guests know the time. The banquet afterward will be held at—”

A banquet!!!!

The moment Qing Nianyi heard the word “banquet,” a glimmer of hope returned to her eyes, and a smile appeared on her face once more.

—A genuine smile.

That’s right!!! There’s another banquet afterward, even if only a few people have been invited.

But!

If it’s him, then he—he’ll definitely come!!! He must be on the guest list too!!!

This wasn’t just a guess!

It was the bond between them, that seventh sense, giving her the courage to believe.

Qing Nianyi clung fiercely to the thought. The more she imagined seeing him again, the warmer she felt inside.

He had to be an exceptional person, someone even more dazzling than she was. So he had to be on the banquet guest list!!!!!!!

“What!?”

Qin Heng: “Huh? Young Master Feng, you’re going to some banquet? And I’m not even allowed to come along?”

“Then what am I supposed to do in this private room by myself???”

When Qin Heng heard Feng Xun say he was going to some banquet and planned to leave him here to be bored until nightfall, Big Couch-Potato Qin completely lost it.

Colonel Zuo and Su Chen were drinking with their friends again. Going over there as a lightweight who was done after half a glass would only make him miserable.

Even Feng Xun, who never touched alcohol, was going to some banquet—and Qin Heng wasn’t even allowed to tag along!?

And what was with needing an invitation…

Worst of all, his phone was almost out of battery, and he hadn’t brought a charger. This place looked so grand, yet it didn’t even have a power bank!!!

Feng Xun had to keep his phone on him at all times. Important messages and calls came in now and then, so there was no way he could lend it to Qin Heng.

So he was just going to be left alone in the private room to fend for himself!?

Feng Xun looked at Qin Heng, who was starting to fall apart beside him. There wasn’t much he could do, so he patted him on the shoulder.

“I can’t help it. I’ll try to come back and keep you company as soon as I can.”

“Wait, Young Master Feng! Don’t abandon me, Brother Feng!”

“Hey, hey! Don’t go! Aaaah! My lord!?”