The sound of footsteps was extremely light, like cat paws treading on a plush carpet, yet they struck the nerves of Bai Li and Ziya with surgical precision.
The two of them froze instantly.
Ziya’s hand, which was covering Bai Li’s mouth, hadn’t quite let go yet, and now she instinctively tightened her grip.
Bai Li’s eyes widened as his back pressed against the low cabinet behind him.
His heart was beating so fast it felt like it would shatter his ribs.
The footsteps stopped outside the door for two breaths.
They didn’t knock, nor did they leave.
The Little Meow Maid shrank behind Ziya’s skirt.
Her pointed ears drooped, and her tail coiled into a tight ball of fluff.
Her small “meow” was stifled into a faint breath in her throat.
A soft sound of someone clearing their throat came from outside, followed by a somewhat intentionally lazy yawn.
“Sister Ziya, Daughter, are you two done talking?”
It was Longjiu’s voice.
Her tone was light, as if she hadn’t heard anything at all, devoid of even a hint of anger.
Ziya and Bai Li exchanged a glance, both seeing a dazed sense of survival in the other’s eyes.
Ziya finally let go of his mouth and rubbed her slightly numb cheeks.
She cleared her throat and replied in as natural a tone as possible.
“W-We’re almost done! Sister Longjiu, we’ll be there in a moment!”
“Mhm. I’ll wait for you in The Corridor.”
The footsteps sounded again.
This time, they weren’t intentionally lightened but moved with a steady, composed rhythm, gradually fading away.
Only when the sound completely vanished around the corner did Bai Li exhale a long, heavy breath.
He slid down the cabinet and sat on the floor, clutching his chest and gasping for air.
“That scared me to death… I thought she was going to burst in and demand an explanation.”
Ziya shook her head.
“Father, you underestimate Sister Longjiu. If she wanted to get angry, she wouldn’t give us any face at all. The way she’s acting now shows she’s playing dumb and giving us a way out.”
Bai Li pushed himself up from the ground and smoothed out his rumpled skirt.
His brow furrowed deeply.
“Playing dumb? That girl’s mind is becoming harder and harder to read.”
“She is the Dragon Queen, after all. She’s quite calculating.”
Ziya picked up the curled-up Xiaomiao and reached out to tidy the stray hairs on Bai Li’s forehead.
“Don’t worry, Father. I spent the whole morning talking to her and have a handle on her temperament. Right now, she wants to keep you tied to her but is afraid you’ll actually leave. That’s why she’s using this method to remind us not to get any ideas about running away.”
Bai Li pursed his lips, his heart a mess of complicated emotions.
“Let’s go. It’s time to eat.”
He took a deep breath and straightened his small frame.
‘Come what may. Even if it is a Hongmen Banquet, I have to face it. I have to find a way to get her to let me see Baining.’
Ziya nodded and followed behind him, holding Xiaomiao.
Hearing the footsteps, Longjiu turned around.
Her gaze fell on Bai Li with unconcealed tenderness, yet a hint of mischief appeared when she noticed his tense little face.
“It seems my daughter has thought things through? No longer hiding in the room sulking?”
Bai Li’s cheeks flushed slightly. He stiffened his neck and said, “I wasn’t sulking. I was organizing my thoughts.”
“Oh? And what conclusions did you reach?”
Longjiu stepped forward and naturally took hold of Bai Li’s wrist.
Her palm was broad and warm; her grip wasn’t heavy, yet it carried an inescapable sense of control.
Bai Li instinctively tried to pull his hand away, but she squeezed a bit tighter.
“Don’t fidget. The floor in The Corridor is slippery. With your fragile frame, it would break my heart if you fell.”
These words gave Bai Li goosebumps, but he was helpless and could only let her lead him.
Ziya followed behind them with Xiaomiao, watching this bizarre scene of motherly love and daughterly piety.
The dining hall of the Dragon Palace was even more luxurious than Bai Li remembered.
A long Sandalwood Dining Table was covered with a dazzling array of dishes: exquisite pastries, various delicacies, and even the Soufflé that Ziya loved.
What surprised Bai Li the most was the fragrant Roasted Suckling Pig sitting right in the center of the table — it was the dish he had been best at making back then, and it was Longjiu’s favorite when she was little.
“You still remember this?”
Bai Li looked at it, his tone carrying a hint of surprise.
Longjiu pulled him over to a chair beside the head of the table and sat him down.
She then took the head seat herself, looking every bit like the head of the household.
“How could I forget?”
She smiled, a trace of nostalgia flashing in her eyes.
“When I was little and threw tantrums or refused to eat, you would make Roasted Suckling Pig to coax me.”
Those were the days he had been most proud of as a Father, and the time when Longjiu relied on him the most.
Now, things had changed.
Even the identities used to say those words had been flipped upside down.
“Now it’s my turn to make it for you.”
Longjiu’s voice pulled his thoughts back to reality.
“The chefs in the kitchen practiced for one month just to get this flavor right. Try it. Is it to your taste?”
Bai Li picked up a fork and poked a piece of the suckling pig into his mouth.
It was crispy, delicious, and melted in his mouth.
It tasted almost exactly like what he used to make.
But this familiar flavor only made his heart feel more bitter.
He lowered his head and whispered, “It’s good.”
“If it’s good, then eat more.”
Longjiu looked as if she had been rewarded.
The smile in her eyes deepened as she served a piece each to Ziya and Xiaomiao.
“Sister Ziya, Xiaomiao, you two eat as well.”
“Thank you, Sister Longjiu!”
Ziya’s eyes lit up, and she began to eat.
Xiaomiao also held her pudding bowl, letting out a happy “meow” as she ate.
The atmosphere in the dining hall became warm for a moment, as if a real family were enjoying breakfast together.
Bai Li originally wanted to take this chance to bring up going to the Blood Tribe Camp, but seeing Longjiu’s gentle expression, the words reached his lips and he swallowed them back down.
He knew it wasn’t the right time yet.
The meal proceeded without any major incidents, yet it was eerie in every detail.
Throughout the meal, Longjiu kept putting food onto Bai Li’s plate: from the belly meat of the Roasted Spirit Fish to the marrow from the Stewed Dragon Marrow Soup, and all sorts of exquisite desserts.
His porcelain plate was piled high.
She didn’t stop nagging either.
“Daughter is still growing; you need to eat more.”
“Your frame is too weak. You must nourish yourself properly.”
It made Bai Li’s scalp tingle, yet he didn’t dare refuse.
He could only force himself to keep eating.
By the end, he was so stuffed he couldn’t even sit up straight.
He clutched his stomach, frowning.
“Stuffed?”
Longjiu immediately put down her chopsticks.
She reached out and gently rubbed his abdomen, her movements incredibly tender.
“D-Don’t touch me!”
Bai Li flinched away, his cheeks turning bright red.
“I… I can do it myself!”
Longjiu’s hand froze in midair.
A flash of hurt appeared in her eyes, but she quickly returned to her playful demeanor.
“What are you shy for? When you had a stomachache as a child, wasn’t it me who rubbed it for you?”
“T-That was different!”
Bai Li was so flustered he started to stutter.
“Back then, I was your father… now…”
“And now you are my daughter.”
Longjiu took it as a matter of course.
She reached out again, pressing her hand against his abdomen and rubbing with a gentle force.
“A daughter is uncomfortable, so Mother helps rub her belly. It’s only natural.”
Ziya and Xiaomiao looked at each other and simultaneously lowered their heads, pretending to focus on their desserts.
In reality, their ears were perked up, eavesdropping on the conversation.
Under her massage, Bai Li’s body grew limp.
He was both ashamed and embarrassed, left with no choice but to let her have her way.
After a while, the bloated pain in his stomach gradually eased.
He gently pushed Longjiu’s hand away and whispered, “Okay, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Longjiu withdrew her hand.
She took a handkerchief and gently wiped the crumbs of pastry from the corner of his mouth.
Her tone suddenly became serious.
“Bai Li, we need to talk about business.”