The Lord Ning that her brother spoke of was supposed to be passionate and righteous, so she based the incense she made on frankincense, which smelled upright and warm. But clearly, it didn’t match the temperament of this Lord Ning at all. Damn passionate and righteous, Bai Qingqing only felt that the man before her was dangerous and sinister. She didn’t even dare to make eye contact with him for too long. Was her brother’s judgment always this off?

  “Incense? Let me see it.” Bai Qingqing took it from Zidai and handed it over. Ning Yan opened it, and quickly frowned, tossing it back into her hands. “It’s really not suitable. I don’t like the scent.” She had suspected as much.

  Ning Yan had already lost interest. He never needed any gratitude. Turning to leave, he was surprised when Bai Qingqing grabbed his sleeve. The people behind Ning Yan were shocked, their mouths opening soundlessly. Who was this little girl? Didn’t she value her life, to be so disrespectful to the lord?

  A faint danger appeared in Ning Yan’s eyes. He looked down, his gaze falling on the hand Bai Qingqing was holding onto his sleeve. Her hand looked especially pale against the bright red fabric of his sleeve. Her fingers were rounded and delicate, and perhaps due to nervousness, the tips of her fingers showed a pale white tint, trembling lightly.

  Bai Qingqing didn’t notice anything else. She just felt that she couldn’t leave empty-handed, so when she saw him about to walk away, her instinct made her reach out her hand. “Lord Ning, I don’t know your name. Since you don’t like this scent, I’ll make a new batch and bring it to you. Is that alright?” Her big eyes stared at Ning Yan, and when she said “is that alright,” her tone was soft, like cotton candy mixed with sugar, both gentle and sweet.

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  Ning Yan suddenly bent down, almost whispering into Bai Qingqing’s ear. She instinctively wanted to step back, but she heard him say, “My name is not one to be said out loud.” Bai Qingqing held back the impulse to flee and stood still obediently, though her ears couldn’t help but heat up.

  “My name is Ning Yan, remember it.” After saying that, Ning Yan didn’t immediately straighten up. Instead, his head lowered slightly, taking a deep breath, his voice husky as he said, “You really do smell nice. This scent, I like it.”

  Bai Qingqing’s mind went completely blank. Her hand instinctively loosened, and she stood there dumbfounded, watching as Ning Yan walked into the Jinyiwei headquarters. She blankly spoke, asking Zidai to support her. As soon as Zidai helped her, Bai Qingqing’s legs gave out, and if not for Zidai, she might have lost all composure and collapsed onto the ground. How could there be such a person!

  Inside the Jinyiwei headquarters, Ning Yan walked in, saying, “Call Ning Zhao here.” A little while later, Ning Zhao came running over happily. “Uncle, you called for me?” Ning Yan tossed him a roll of documents. “Sort this out, and set out immediately. This case is yours to handle, make sure everything is clear. If you can deal with the Cheng family, I’ll remember this as a merit.”

  Ning Zhao tucked the documents away. “Uncle, you’ve just returned to Xuancheng, and the emperor already sent you a mission? How long will you stay this time?”

  “I’ll stay in Xuancheng for a while, also to tidy things up.” Ning Yan smiled, and Ning Zhao immediately tensed up. He had to tell the others to behave during this time. If they fell into his uncle’s hands, they’d be lucky to escape with their skin intact! But…

  “Uncle, why do I feel like you’ve become even more sinister today? Did something good happen?” Ning Yan turned his head to look at him. Ning Zhao shivered all over, immediately turning and running out, “I’d better go sort things out, I’m leaving right now!”

  Ning Yan returned his gaze to the desk and casually picked up a paperweight, running his fingers over it. The cold touch reminded him of the fragrance he’d caught from Bai Qingqing, sweet but not cloying, soft and elegant, making him want to savor it even more…