Xia Miaomiao took a long pause before slowly returning to normal.
She breathed lightly, closed her eyes, and made an effort to adjust herself.
"How are you feeling? Are you better now?"
Hua Wuyou's voice suddenly awakened Xia Miaomiao, and when she opened her eyes, she saw Hua Wuyou sitting by the bedside.
"Hua Wuyou?"
Seeing Xia Miaomiao's puzzled expression, Hua Wuyou couldn't help but laugh. "What? Did you forget as soon as it happened?"
Only then did Xia Miaomiao remember that someone had just arrived, and she had thrown herself into that person's arms.
Blushing slightly, Xia Miaomiao lowered her gaze and noticed that she was still tightly holding Hua Wuyou's hand against her chest.
Startled, she quickly let go of Hua Wuyou's hand and sat up from the bed.
But a wave of pain came from her ankle, and she instinctively hissed in pain, causing her delicate face to scrunch up.
"What's wrong? Where does it hurt?" Hua Wuyou quickly asked.
"My left foot hurts..."
Hua Wuyou moved closer and immediately grabbed her foot, taking off her shoe.
"You've sprained it again. Let me get some medicine to apply on it."
Hua Wuyou stood up and went to a drawer, where he found a bottle of medicine. He poured some liquid onto his hand, rubbed it together, and then applied it to Xia Miaomiao's ankle.
Xia Miaomiao looked down at Hua Wuyou's earnest expression, and suddenly, a warm feeling surged in her heart.
This was the second time Hua Wuyou had touched her foot.
Xia Miaomiao's gaze fell on Hua Wuyou's fair hand.
There were faint bite marks on it, although they had healed, the marks had not completely faded away.
These bite marks... seemed like she had bitten him before...
After applying the medicine, Hua Wuyou looked up at her and smiled. "Are you picking fights with your own ankles? Why do you keep getting injured here?"
"..."
"And how did you get injured on your forehead? Why didn't you tell me that you were being bullied here?" Hua Wuyou asked.
Xia Miaomiao hesitated for a moment and whispered, "I'm fine... I accidentally bumped into something..."
"You..."
At that moment, there was a knock on the door, interrupting Hua Wuyou's words.
Hua Wuyou collected his thoughts and said in a deep voice, "Come in."
Xia Miaomiao looked up and saw Purple Clothed Girl, along with Bi Yue and Auntie Zhang, entering the room.
Bi Yue walked behind Purple Clothed Girl, looking scared.
"Palace Master..." Purple Clothed Girl unconsciously glanced at Xia Miaomiao, who was sitting on the bed.
"Have you found the person?" Hua Wuyou wasted no time with small talk.
Purple Clothed Girl paused for a moment, "Yes, we found them."
"Palace Master, I was wrong!" Bi Yue was so scared that she immediately kneeled on the ground. "I really know I was wrong, I won't dare anymore! I didn't know she was so afraid of snakes..."
Originally, Bi Yue had only wanted to scare Xia Miaomiao, but she didn't expect Xia Miaomiao's reaction to snakes to be so intense.
"How could you do such a thing? How did Miao Miao offend you? Did you also put the bucket on the ceiling this morning?" Auntie Zhang was indignant on Xia Miaomiao's behalf.
"The bucket?" Hua Wuyou's eyes turned cold as he looked over.
Suddenly, he thought of the bruise on Xia Miaomiao's forehead and seemed to understand something.
Hua Wuyou glanced at Purple Clothed Girl and said in a deep voice, "Expel her from the Palace of No Worries. I will not tolerate such a person in my palace!"
Bi Yue panicked when she heard that she was going to be expelled from the Palace of No Worries. "Palace Master, I'm sorry, I really know I was wrong. Please don't kick me out of the Palace of No Worries!"
She never expected that Hua Wuyou would expel her from the palace for such a trivial matter.
Purple Clothed Girl and Zhang Auntie were also taken by surprise. They didn't expect Hua Wuyou to directly kick someone out of the Palace of No Worries.
Almost everyone in the palace was homeless, and if they were expelled, they would have nowhere to go.
"Palace Master..." Purple Clothed Girl hesitated, and finally said, "Is it too severe to expel her from the Palace of No Worries?"
"Yes, Palace Master, expelling her from the Palace of No Worries is indeed a bit too severe..." Zhang Auntie added, "Although Bi Yue did something wrong, as long as she sincerely repents, she can be forgiven..."
"Don't you understand what I'm saying?" Hua Wuyou's voice became even colder.
Zhang Auntie immediately dared not plead anymore.
"No, I don't want to leave the Palace of No Worries. Sister Purple Clothed, please save me!" Bi Yue immediately grabbed the hem of Purple Clothed Girl's dress.
Purple Clothed Girl looked at her helplessly and asked, "Why did you target Xia Miaomiao?"
"I..." Bi Yue hesitated and said, "I think she has ulterior motives. She came to the Palace of No Worries just to seduce the Palace Master. She admitted it herself! I just wanted to teach her a small lesson..."
Both Purple Clothed Girl and Zhang Auntie were stunned.
"Is it because I like Hua Wuyou that it means I have ulterior motives?"
Finally, Xia Miaomiao, who had been silent, spoke up.
"He saved me in Lan City and took care of me attentively. I developed feelings for him and came to the Palace of No Worries. I don't think liking him means I have ulterior motives. Have I done anything to hurt you during my time in the Palace of No Worries? Have I not cooked for you in the kitchen? Was it not good enough?"
Xia Miaomiao's tone was gentle, and it didn't sound like she was questioning.
Everyone present was surprised by Xia Miaomiao's frankness.
She appeared gentle on the surface but was not a timid person.
Hua Wuyou unconsciously curved his lips, and a hint of a smile appeared on his previously serious face.
Purple Clothed Girl noticed the change in Hua Wuyou's expression and looked at Xia Miaomiao. "Miaomiao, Bi Yue truly knows she was wrong. Please plead for her. If she is expelled from the Palace of No Worries, she will be homeless."
"Miaomiao, I was wrong, I really know I was wrong." Bi Yue knelt and moved closer to the edge of the bed, grabbing Xia Miaomiao's dress. "If you don't want to forgive me, then please hit me! Please don't let the Palace Master kick me out!"
Xia Miaomiao bent down and looked at Bi Yue.
She didn't say anything but raised her hand and slapped Bi Yue.
Before Bi Yue could react, Xia Miaomiao's hand came down again.
Bi Yue was stunned after being slapped twice by Xia Miaomiao. Xia Miaomiao had used some force, and half of Bi Yue's face instantly turned red.
Even Purple Clothed Girl and Zhang Auntie were taken aback.
Xia Miaomiao turned to Hua Wuyou and said, "Hua Wuyou, these two slaps should make us even. Please don't expel her from the Palace of No Worries."
Hua Wuyou looked at her with a smile on his face. "Little bunny, why should I listen to you?"
"...I'm not asking you to listen to me, I'm... begging you."
"Are you begging me?" Hua Wuyou raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't seem like a begging attitude."
"..." Xia Miaomiao paused for a moment. "Then how can you keep her from being driven away?"
"Come a little closer!"
Xia Miaomiao moved closer to Hua Wuyou.
Suddenly, Hua Wuyou reached out and pulled Xia Miaomiao into his embrace.
Caught off guard, Xia Miaomiao bumped into his chest.
His fingers intentionally or unintentionally caressed her waist, and he whispered softly in her ear, "Little rabbit, if you sleep with me tonight, I promise not to drive her out of the Palace of No Worries."
Although it was a whisper, everyone present heard it.
Everyone, "..."
Hua Wuyou's lips accidentally brushed against Xia Miaomiao's ear, causing her to tremble. She wanted to push him away but his hand around her waist was too tight, and combined with her injured ankle, she couldn't move at all.
"Little rabbit, I'll give you a chance to seduce me..."