Reborn and Pampered Chapter 31: I'm really not feeling well at the moment

She steadied herself, opened her mouth, and bit down hard on the flesh between the thumb and forefinger of his hand. Taking advantage of his montary loosened grip, she quickly slipped away. “Lord Ning?”

In the darkness, a low chuckle sounded twice. Ning Yan’s voice carried a hint of amusent. “How did you know it was ? Have you already beco so familiar with ?”

“Lord Ning must be joking. I simply recognized the scent of the incense I made myself.”

Bai Qingqing cald herself, groped around in the dark to relight the lamp, and kept a cautious distance from him. Her delicate brows knitted tightly, and her eyes were filled with wariness.

“What is the aning of this, Lord Ning? Breaking into my room in the dead of night—regardless of your esteed position in the Embroidered Guards, I can still have my father report this misconduct.”

Ning Yan took a step forward. Bai Qingqing imdiately retreated, snatching up an unlit candlestick as a weapon. “Don’t co any closer! I’ll call for help!”

In truth, she was terrified. Her mind raced, trying to decide what to do. She didn’t want the Bai family to offend the Embroidered Guards, but this man was being utterly improper. If—if he had any ill intentions toward her, she wouldn’t care about the consequences…

As she was thinking, she suddenly noticed Ning Yan’s body sway. He staggered and fell onto the couch, gripping the edge for support.

“?”

Bai Qingqing stood frozen for a mont before realizing sothing was off. In the flickering candlelight, Ning Yan’s face was unnaturally flushed. The veins at his temples and neck bulged grotesquely, and despite the cold night air, sweat was beading at his temples.

She cautiously inched closer, still holding the candlestick. “What’s wrong with you?”

Ning Yan lifted his head slightly and glanced at her. The mont their eyes t, Bai Qingqing gasped and instinctively shrank back. His eyes were bloodshot, filled with a terrifying intensity, like a vengeful ghost seeking retribution.

But then she noticed his hand braced against the couch, the veins on its back standing out in sharp relief—he was clearly fighting against sothing.

“I—I’ll go find soone. Get you a physician.”

“Stop!”

His voice was hoarse and strained. Bai Qingqing hesitated, standing in place. “Then… go find one yourself?”

Ning Yan let out a low, breathless laugh. So, she truly wanted nothing more to do with him.

But that wouldn’t do. The bite she had just inflicted had triggered the very force he had been suppressing. The lingering warmth and dampness of that touch had been magnified infinitely, sending waves of restless heat through his blood.

“It’s the incense. I inhaled sothing. Now I feel… unwell.”

Leaning his head against the window fra, he let the cold night air from the cracks soothe him.

Bai Qingqing was stunned for a mont. “Incense?”

She took two quiet steps closer, studying Ning Yan’s condition—his blood surging, his mind clouded. It seed she had inadvertently created sothing similar before.

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“Calm down. Do you have any with you?”

“Hmm?”

It took Ning Yan a mont to realize she was referring to the incense he had first received from her. He shook his head. Of course, he wouldn’t carry it with him.

“Then wait a mont. I happen to have so.”

Bai Qingqing hurried to her chest, rummaging through it for a long while before finally pulling out a simple incense box. She quickly returned, opened it, and shoved it into Ning Yan’s hand. “Sll it.”

He didn’t even need to deliberately inhale—the sharp, penetrating scent of the oddly nad incense had already invaded his nose.

It was almost instantaneous. His mind cleared, as if a veil of haze had been torn away, and the unsettling heat and restlessness within him swiftly subsided.

Ning Yan instinctively looked up at Bai Qingqing. Her incense had such an effect?

Bai Qingqing had been watching him closely. Seeing him lift his head, she quickly asked, “Do you feel better? When I made this incense, I wondered if it could help in ergencies, but I wasn’t certain. You should still see a physician.”

The unnatural flush on Ning Yan’s face gradually faded, and his breathing steadied. Bai Qingqing let out a quiet sigh of relief. It seed… he was fine?

No—there was still a problem!

Her expression grew serious again. “Lord Ning, please leave my room imdiately. If you think I’ll stay quiet out of concern for my reputation, you’re mistaken. I dare speak out.”

The bloodshot look in Ning Yan’s eyes had faded significantly. He raised his gaze, observing her. The timid, delicate girl from his mory seed to have transford. He could see it in her eyes—she ant every word.

Ning Yan had never been t with such cold dismissal. Others only ever sought his favor. As for those who didn’t know their place, he never even spared them a glance. Yet, strangely, he found himself unmoving.

“If you’re so knowledgeable about incense, could you do a favor?”

Bai Qingqing’s practiced indifference faltered for a mont, a flicker of confusion appearing in her bright eyes. “A favor?”

“What? Am I that untrustworthy?”

She hesitated briefly, then nodded honestly.

Ning Yan nearly laughed in disbelief.

The corner of his lips twitched as he said, “The incense that affected today was strange—so potent it nearly clouded even my mind. If it had been soone else, they would have been utterly powerless. If such a dangerous thing isn’t investigated, it will only bring trouble in the future.”

Ning Yan’s eyes curved slightly as he looked at Bai Qingqing, a rare smile appearing in his phoenix-like gaze—one that even those closest to him seldom saw. “They say the noble daughter of the Duke’s manor is both beautiful and kind. How could she stand by and watch sothing like this happen?”

Bai Qingqing didn’t answer but frowned slightly. “Has anyone ever told you that when you smile, you look like a fox? They say one’s face reflects one’s heart—I never quite believed it before, but now, I think I do.”

Ning Yan: “…” Was she insulting him?

Had this been before—no, not even long before, just a few days ago before he went to Yanlai Pavilion—Bai Qingqing would have readily agreed to help, perhaps even with unrestrained enthusiasm. She would have given it her all.

But not now.

Now, she kept her distance from him, standing far away, her guarded gaze never once wavering.

“Lord Ning holds a high post in the Embroidered Guards and will surely protect the people of Xuan Dynasty, ensuring such things do not happen. As for , I only have a modest understanding of incense. I doubt I can be of much help.”

Then, she changed tack. “But if Lord Ning thinks capable, I suppose I could give it a try.”

Ning Yan’s smile deepened as he waited silently for her to continue.

Bai Qingqing t his gaze head-on. “Since you’re asking for my help, you’ll owe a favor, won’t you?”

“So, what do you want in return?”

“If the day cos when I need your assistance, it won’t be too late to repay then.”

Bai Qingqing spoke with practiced composure, negotiating terms as if completely at ease. But beneath her sleeves, her hands were slick with sweat. Still, she refused to let it show—she needed this favor.

Thinking that currying favor or pleasing the right people would shield the Bai family from future disaster was nonsense. Sentint was fickle, the most unreliable thing of all. She needed tangible connections. That was why she had co here, why she sought to get close to the Grand Princess. If she could make Ning Yan owe her, then she would have the leverage to call on him when the ti ca.

She waited for his response, uncertain whether he would agree. But it didn’t matter. Even if he refused, Bai Qingqing no longer relied on anyone. Favors could be collected in other ways.

Ning Yan found it fascinating. In just a few short days, Bai Qingqing seed like a completely different person—as if the shy, blushing girl who once shrank at the sight of him had never existed at all.