Shi Su, groggy with sleep wrapped in a bath towel, felt her awkwardly tilted head being gently adjusted by a man. His arm, originally propped against her waist, slid through and supported her neck. The night outside was as serene as flowing water as the man, carrying a cold air, held her in his embrace, adjusting her to the most comfortable position. His other hand stroked her hair, now damp again, and somewhere in the air, a faint sigh could be heard before the warm breeze of the blow dryer gently blew over her head again— The next morning, the sun hung bright outside the window, its rays filtering through the lush greenery of the Jing Family’s garden and seeped through the curtain’s gap, casting a bright line in the quiet bedroom. When Shi Su opened her eyes, she felt her mind spinning with waves. Indeed, the dizziness and headache following a hangover are things that no matter how effective the sobering tea, only ease but cannot avoid. The fundamental way to avoid this pain is simply not to drink so much. She struggled to crawl out of bed, initially unable to recognize the room she was in. Glancing around, there was a faintly fresh wood scent in the air, seeming to carry the morning’s cold mist. This scent was familiar to her, after all, it belonged uniquely to an individual. Did she not return to Kaixing Mansion last night? Is this Jing Jihan’s room? Did she end up staying at the Jing Family’s place directly after drinking too much? Just as Shi Su was about to get up to explore, the door was suddenly knocked, and a woman, probably in her fifties, entered. Hui, thinking Shi Su wasn’t awake yet, was about to come in to deliver the dry-cleaned clothes. Seeing Shi Su awake, she smiled and said, "Miss Shi Su, how did you sleep?" Seeing Shi Su sitting there in a daze as if her consciousness hadn’t returned yet, or maybe unsure of how to greet her without being abrupt due to uncertain identity, Hui smiled again and said, "I’m Hui, the Jing Family’s housekeeper. I watched Mr. Jing and Mr. Jing grow up. Miss Shi Su, you don’t need to be cautious in the Jing Family. Here, no one would dare to do anything against you; they’ll be careful in taking care of you instead." With that, Hui placed the clothes by the bed, neatly folded, "Your clothes from last night were stained with alcohol. I had them dry-cleaned; they are clean now. You can wear them directly whenever you get out of bed." "Thank you, Hui," Shi Su’s awareness gradually returned, promptly thanked her, and again looked around, asking, "Whose room is this?" Observing the room, it didn’t seem like a long-unused guest room; rather, it appeared to be a refined, clean master bedroom. "This is Mr. Jing’s bedroom," Hui replied with a smile. Shi Su raised her hand to press on her temples, wondering how she just kept drinking last night, usually not drinking that much outside. The last time she drank too much was due to the incident on Weibo, mixed emotions led her to drink several cans, barely past long ago, and yet she was drunk again? Although her tolerance wasn’t great, she generally avoided too many drinking occasions; she could count the times she drank too much from childhood using three fingers, two of which were in front of Jing Jihan. "Is it a headache? Let me massage it for you." Hui stepped forward; as she spoke, her hand naturally fell onto Shi Su’s head, helping to massage her pressure points. Shi Su initially objected to the trouble, but as Hui’s hand pressed onto her pressure points, she instantly felt a wave of relief, with her headache alleviated significantly. Unexpectedly, the Jing Family’s staff were so versatile, even skilled in massage techniques that soothe meridians; this comfort was worth saving money on hiring a professional masseur outside. Finally feeling a bit relieved, Shi Su obtained some spare toiletries from Hui and as she went toward the bathroom, her gaze swept across the direction of the bathtub. Her mind, for some reason, flashed an image briefly, but she couldn’t capture that fleeting picture. She also stared at the bathtub for quite some time until Hui reminded her that Mr. Jing was taking a stroll in the garden and suggested she could go down to chat with him. Shi Su quickly proceeded to freshen up and brush her teeth. As she brushed her teeth, the toothpaste just touched the corner of her lips, and she instinctively let out a "hiss—". Shi Su was surprised, standing in front of the mirror, seeing her reflection; her lips had inexplicably become much redder than usual and seemed slightly... not too severely swollen. Did she accidentally drink some scalding soup after too much alcohol last night? Why were they so red and swollen? Shi Su endured the pain of the toothpaste touching her mouth; brushing her teeth similarly pained her, making her grimace, and only after she finished did Hui bring her a cup of tea meant to relieve hangover headaches. Even then, touching the water seemed to induce subtle pain. Raising her hand to touch her mouth, she puzzled over whether something indescribable happened after drinking too much last night, when suddenly she heard a resonant Chinese opera singing outside— "I am a wandering soul of Wolong Ridge, reckoning yin and yang, like flipping a palm, I stabilize the universe. The late emperor descended to Nanyang thrice, to ally with Dong Wu, vanquish Cao Wei, and settle three parts. Appointed to Wuxiang Marquis overseeing military commands, campaigning east and west, north and south..." Following Hui’s lead, Shi Su walked out to see Mr. Jing sitting on a recliner in the Jing Family’s garden, dramatically humming opera lyrics. "East and west... East and west campaigns north and south siege..." Mr. Jing suddenly cleared his throat as he quenched his thirst with tea, preparing to continue singing when he glanced over to see Hui leading Shi Su over and instantly turned his gaze to them, interrupting his humming. Shi Su, observing the recliner behind Mr. Jing and the tea set by his side, seeing no one else around, suddenly recalled a Chinese opera step she coincidentally learned during her teenage years. Raising her hand simultaneously, she gestured toward the left, singing the remaining opera lyrics herself: "East and west campaigns north and south mastery of ancient history ~ Zhou Wen Wang consulted Jiang Shang, Zhou Dynasty flourished ~ How can Zhuge Liang of Han compare to previous sages ~ Leisurely atop enemy fortification, I showcase my musical talent ~ I am a person in search of a kindred spirit ~" Mr. Jing, still swallowing his second sip of tea, abruptly raised his head toward Shi Su, instantly laughing heartily: "Oh, you little girl, you know quite a bit?" "I only know a little bit," Shi Su lowered her hand, smiling with raised eyes toward Mr. Jing. Mr. Jing beckoned her over to drink tea, casually making three sentences later, Shi Su and Mr. Jing had already hit off well with their conversation. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾·𝗇𝖾𝗍 Mr. Jing even asked Shi Su if she’d like to try his tea, though she very much wanted to, her lips indeed felt somewhat swollen and painful, particularly fearing they’d become redder and swollen with hot tea, hesitating lest she show excessively painful expression afterward, she didn’t dare to drink. When Jing Jihan walked by, hearing Mr. Jing and Shi Su chatting and laughing happily, he walked over and observed this harmonious scene. Not yet approaching, Mr. Jing noticed him and immediately changed his expression, boisterously shouting: "Whenever you have time, tell Shi Su to come over to accompany me at home, don’t hide her next to you without letting me see! My granddaughter-in-law, you dare to hide for so long!"