After lying down on his mattress last night, Bai Ruyi had stayed awake for hours, listening for Qing Xue’s return. Before he knew it, however, without ever hearing him come in, he had fallen asleep.
The next morning, when the brightness from outside streamed in through the window, he awoke naturally and proceeded to groom himself for the day.
He had arranged beforehand for breakfast to be brought to their residence. Upon leaving his chamber and heading to the cooking area, he saw that food had already been delivered, thoughtfully left to keep warm by the stove.
He added firewood to the stove’s banked flames and put on a kettle of water for tea. Then, he headed back to the corridor before stopping right outside Qing Xue’s door.
Bai Ruyi did not yet know the younger man’s schedule. Perha
