The Qin mansion was in chaos.
Servants rushed up and down the hallways with pale faces, whispering anxiously. Doors banged open, lights blazed in every corner, and the air was thick with unease.
"Still no news?"
"Nothing, Madam."
"She left before sunset… how could she just disappear?"
Qin Yuxi had only scoffed at the commotion. She tossed her silk robe over her shoulders, muttering coldly, "Why bother? She's not a child. She'll come back if she wants to." With that, she shut her bedroom door, locking out the noise.
Qin Haoyu was buried in paperwork. He didn't even know she was gone—and even if he did, he'd only send someone out of obligation. Qin Yichen? He'd celebrate, make certain she never came back.
Meanwhile, Qin Jiahao leaned lazily against the balcony railing, smirking as the servants panicked. "Missing?" he muttered to himself, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Good. Maybe she won't come back."
Only Song Huifei remained in the great hall.
She sat rigidly on the sofa, hands clenched around a porcelain teacup, her expression a storm ready to break. Her sharp voice lashed at the servants. "Search again! Check the streets, the hospital—everywhere! If anything happens to that girl, do you know what people will say? Go and find her this instance!"
The servants flinched, scattering again under her fury.
Just as the hall threatened to collapse under the weight of tension—
The main doors creaked open.
Xi Jiayi stepped inside.
The entire hall froze.
Her figure was thin, her clothes still dusted with the night air. White gauze wrapped her head, faint traces of blood seeping through. The smell of disinfectant clung faintly to her. She stood at the threshold, quiet and calm, as if the chaos swirling around her had nothing to do with her at all.
For one second, the silence was deafening. Then—
"You!" Song Huifei's voice cracked through the air like a whip. She shot to her feet, eyes blazing. "Do you know what time it is? Do you know this entire house has been searching for you like fools? Where have you been?!"
Her voice grew harsher with every word, her anger spilling out with the weight of hours of waiting.
Butler Wen rushed forward, his usually composed face pale with relief. "Second Miss—what happened? Your head—!"
Xi Jiayi stopped in the center of the hall. Her eyes were calm, her tone light. "I got into a small accident and fainted on the road. Someone took me to the hospital. It's nothing."
"Nothing?!" Song Huifei's voice shot higher, trembling with rage. "Do you think this house is your playground? Do you know how many people were sent to find you? And you stroll in here past midnight, with your head wrapped like that, saying it's 'nothing'?"
Her eyes narrowed into sharp slits. "Why didn't you call?"
Xi Jiayi's answer was quiet, almost indifferent. "I don't know the number."
Butler Wen tried to soothe the moment. "It's fine, Miss Jiayi. Give me your phone. I'll store the house number so this won't happen again."
But Xi Jiayi shook her head once. "I don't have a phone."
The words hung heavy in the hall.
For a moment, everyone froze.
Then Song Huifei exploded. "You—don't—have—a phone?!" Her voice was sharp enough to cut glass. "In this age, even beggars have phones, and you—living under this roof—you don't have one? Do you realize what trouble you've caused tonight?!"
She whirled on Butler Wen, fury spilling over. "And you! You've been running this house for years—how could you not know she didn't own a phone?!"
Butler Wen bowed slightly, voice steady. "Madam, Second Miss never asked. But I will arrange it tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow?" Song Huifei's voice rose to a shriek. "No! She gets one immediately. Do you understand? Immediately!"
Her chest heaved with anger as she turned back to Jiayi, her words cold and sharp. "Xi Jiayi, hear me well. I don't care if you faint in the street. But don't you ever drag this house into chaos again. Next time, don't expect me to care."
Without waiting for an answer, she stormed upstairs, heels stabbing the marble with each furious step.
The hall fell silent.
Butler Wen looked at Jiayi with pained eyes. " Second Miss… you must be hungry. Let me bring you food."
Xi Jiayi's voice was calm, distant. "No. I've eaten."
She turned without another word and walked toward the staircase. Her figure was thin, fragile, but her steps were steady, unshaken by the storm left behind her.
Butler Wen stood still, sighing softly. To the others, she looked cold, indifferent. But to him, her silence was louder than any cry.