Lei Yirui is peacefully asleep in her bed, having grown exhausted with Jia Zhenzhen’s ruthless correcting of her posture and stabby jabs after they had gone on for at least two hours. The girl had left (through the window??? Jia Zhenzhen, you’re not a boy escaping before Lei Yirui’s father can walk in and catch you with your pants off!! Nobody is even awake!! Is using the door out of fashion or something!?) once Lei Yirui was yawning every other minute, Jia Zhenzhen had left and she had tucked her new dagger into its sheath, dropped onto her bed, and fallen asleep hugging the thing like a child would hug a stuffed toy. 

 

At the moment, her pillow has migrated onto the floor, and her leg is hanging off of the bed and out of the curtains, her long hair mussed and sticking to her mouth as she snores softly. 

 

The door opens with a bang, and Lei Yirui shoots up instantly, a curse escaping her mouth as she tumbles out of the bed and sloppily holds her dagger out threateningly. 

 

Ah?? Oh, fuck! She didn’t remove it from the sheathe! So embarrassing!!!

 

Lei Yirui is about to rush to try and take it off when she actually looks up and meets the baffled eye of Lei Shunyuan as he stands in her doorway, looking artfully frazzled. 

 

Wait - eye??? Singular??

 

“Gege!” she shouts, dropping the dagger and letting it clatter to the floor as she rushes forward, her hands raising to grab Lei Shunyuan by the sides of his face, squishing his cheeks as she pulls him down to look at him. Just one eye is showing, the other hidden behind a black eyepatch!! And it’s not like Lei Yirui can delude herself into thinking he has some dumb shit like pink eye, she can see the jagged cut emerging over the edge of the eyepatch, and it’s fresh!! 

 

“What happened to your pretty face?? Does it hurt?” she asks, eyebrows furrowed as she runs her thumbs soothingly over his cheeks. Lei Shunyuan doesn’t appear to know what to do for a few moments, simply blinking (with just one eye!!!) at Lei Yirui, before his hands come up to take hers off of his face.

 

“You think my face is pretty?” he asks distractedly, and Lei Yirui’s face goes flat.

 

“Is that what you really chose to focus on? Arrogant!!” she chides, and smacks him over the head. Ah, only… Lei Shunyuan winces, and her worry comes back full force. Is his head hurt too??

 

“What happened? Have you been iced? Or at least given frozen beans?” she asks. 

 

“Beans? What would—? Nevermind. In my pursuit of Tang Xiaodan, I followed him to the Sheng Tan kingdom. I wasn’t able to… reach him. I was injured in doing so. Things have gotten complicated, but it’s nothing you need to worry about. Just focus on your studies.” he says, offering her a soft and kind smile. Lei Yirui’s eye twitches. Why is he treating her like she’s a primary school student?? Lei Yirui is 23 years old!! Hell, even the Lei Yirui of this world is probably about 18! Stop doting!! Your big brother instinct is not appreciated at all!

 

Lei Yirui stares at him blankly for a few more seconds, before jabbing him in the ribs with her fingers. Sure enough, he hisses in pain. Lei Yirui clicks her tongue in disapproval. 

 

“Focus on my studies, my ass. My brother looks like he’s been hit by a truck! You need to rest. Come with me.  What kind of scholar tries to fight, honestly… nerd ass…” she mutters, and Lei Shunyuan stares at her unsurely as she grabs his arm, before making an affronted noise when she moves to drag him out of the room. He suddenly looks vaguely horrified, grabbing her by the shoulders and shoving her back inside. 

 

“Meimei, please put on clothes before you walk around the palace!” he shouts, and backs out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Lei Yirui simply stands in front of the door in bafflement for a moment before she rolls her eyes. 

 

“Fucking prudes…” she mumbles, but moves to get dressed. 

 

Eh - wait! She’s always had servants do this for her!! She doesn’t know how to put on all of these layers by herself!!

 

“Gege!! Get your ass back in here and help me!”

…

Lei Yirui is scolding Lei Shunyuan in the kitchen, as he’s settled into a makeshift couch and allowing Lei Yirui to gently treat him. She had gathered some extra underclothes from her wardrobe and brought them along, and wrapped up ice from the bīng jiàn inside of neat little pouches and created some makeshift cold compresses. The cook - who she has since learned is named Hu Peng - seems annoyed with them, but otherwise is perfectly fine with this arrangement as long as they don’t get in his way. 

 

“I know you have some sort of complex, but it’s okay to put yourself before others!! I won’t melt away just because you choose to chill for a few days! Don’t overwork yourself or get yourself hurt like this again, okay? You can’t protect me if you can’t even protect yours—!”

 

The door slams open, and Hu Peng only glances over and groans, before going back to his work of dutifully cutting vegetables and ignoring them. Jia Zhenzhen has charged inside, her shoulders squared and her chest puffed out. But her mouth is skewed just a bit in a tiny frown that’s so uncharacteristic that Lei Yirui can’t help but find it cute. 

 

“Hello there.” Lei Yirui says, and when Jia Zhenzhen looks between Lei Yirui and Lei Shunyuan, her eye twitches slightly. 

 

Oh! Lei Yirui had sort of thought that Jia Zhenzhen wasn’t interested in Lei Shunyuan in this version of things… but if she’s jealous, Lei Yirui will back off. 

 

Only… that doesn’t really look like she’s jealous of Lei Yirui, does it? Actually, she’s just flat-out glaring at Lei Shunyuan like he’s a piece of shit stuck to her shoe. And Lei Shunyuan’s own gaze is carefully polite, but it still looks strained! When did this hostile relationship begin to foster?? This is an even weirder outcome than if Lei Shunyuan had become the first lead!

 

Still, it’s uncomfortable to stand between this glaring back. Lei Yirui retracts her hands from Lei Shunyuan’s little ice bags, rising to her feet and shuffling backwards a bit. There. Now she’s not caught in the crossfire. 

 

“I said hello!” she snaps again, if only to dispel the awkward energy. Jia Zhenzhen snaps out of it, her head turning to Lei Yirui so fast that it’s moderately surprising that it didn’t break off. 

 

“Hi.” Jia Zhenzhen says, and she sounds distinctly like a chastised child, that it makes Lei Yirui struggle not to bark out a laugh. 

 

“Is there something we can help you with?” Lei Shunyuan asks her from his floor-throne of rice sacks. He said it in his typical kind tone, and there’s a smile playing at his lips, but something about the statement clearly says ‘tell us what you want so you can fuck off faster’ and it makes Lei Yirui cough into her fist. Even Hu Peng is side-eying them now, wondering what the hell is going on with this weird aggressive aura. 

 

Jia Zhenzhen turns away from Lei Shunyuan to give the answer to Lei Yirui instead. Lei Yirui’s jaw drops - how rude is that?? Lei Shunyuan is decently ranking in the palace hierarchy, isn’t that too bold for the ‘nobody guard’ role she’s trying to play?? Jia Zhenzhen, please don’t let personal affairs get in the way of your job!

 

“I want to go on a walk with you.” she says. 

 

“What??” Lei Shunyuan and Lei Yirui ask at the same time.

 

“A walk? I mean, that sounds great, but my brother is hurt. I don’t know who bandaged him up, but they clearly did an awful job considering he looks like shit. I have to take care of him.” Lei Yirui says. For some reason, Lei Shunyuan gasps quietly in the background. Jia Zhenzhen sets her jaw in determination. 

 

“I don’t mean to step out of my station,” she begins. Uh, you already have!! Lei Yirui thinks frantically. “But I would like to continue our… lesson.” she says. 

 

“Lesson? What lesson?” Lei Shunyuan demands. Both Jia Zhenzhen and Lei Yirui ignore him. 

 

“I can watch over him,” Hu Peng offers suddenly, and Lei Yirui whips her head around to look at him. 

 

“Really?” she asks hopefully. As worried as she’s become about Lei Shunyuan, the idea of having to listen to him to try and constantly change the subject to dumb shit like her studies makes her want to rip her hair out. Thanks, but no thanks!! 

 

“You don’t have to bother yourself—” Lei Shunyuan tries. 

 

“It’s no bother. He’s a polite one, and I don’t have to do much anyways. You two go have fun.” Hu Peng says, and his tone is full of implications. Jia Zhenzhen stiffens and goes stop sign red, and Lei Yirui just snorts in laughter behind her hand. 

 

“What? No. Meimei, I’m gravely injured. Stay here.” Lei Shunyuan says, staring at her seriously. Lei Yirui rolls her eyes at him, walking over to pat him on the head. 

 

“You’ll be okay. Uncle Hu can give you sweet fruits and refill your ice bags.” she says. There’s no protest from Hu Peng, and Jia Zhenzhen and Lei Shunyuan go back to glaring at each other, though Jia Zhenzhen looks slightly triumphant. Lei Yirui can suddenly imagine them as basketball players on rival teams, with Jia Zhenzhen having pulled something dirty that scored her team a point…

…

Jia Zhenzhen’s ‘walk’ consists of  them walking from the kitchens to the middle of the courtyard together, and once they’re smack dab in the center, Jia Zhenzhen points at the main building. 

 

“I need to speak to the prince. Will you help me?” she asks bluntly. 

 

“I thought you were going to teach me more knife skills?” 

 

“I lied,” Jia Zhenzhen says, and crosses her arms. “I need to talk to him. You have a better chance of being allowed to do so. I can accompany you as a guard.” she explains. Ah, Jia Zhenzhen! You’re just using me! Lei Yirui thinks with a sigh, and rubs her temples. Why can’t Jia Zhenzhen be a little more social, at least?? Not even a please??

 

Ah, but she’s trying… Lei Yirui nods. 

 

“I guess. Is he even available right now? I’d have thought he would be busy.” she says. 

 

“No. He’s having a morning meal at the moment. I checked.” Jia Zhenzhen says. Lei Yirui can imagine the sweatdrop emoticon forming next to her head. If Lei Yirui didn’t already know you were an assassin, you would seriously be making yourself really suspicious right now, Jia Zhenzhen!! Thank god she doesn’t seem to talk to anyone else…

 

“...Alright then. Okay. Okay! I can do that, yeah. Come along!” Lei Yirui announces, before turning on her heel and walking briskly towards the main building. Jia Zhenzhen makes a disgruntled noise, but Lei Yirui can hear the slight shuffling of her scabbard against her uniform fabric as she hurries to Lei Yirui’s side. 

 

Lei Yirui has no idea what she’s doing or where she should properly enter the building, so she just swerves to the side to enter the way Jia Zhenzhen had on Attempted Assassination Day. It must not be that strange, because the other girl doesn’t say anything about it. 

 

Lei Yirui plays with her fingers as she peers into the rooms - ah, she doesn’t remember which one Zheng Xiaosi had been in last time!! It ultimately doesn’t matter, because when Lei Yirui walks right past the closed door, Jia Zhenzhen grabs her arm and pulls her back. Heh, maybe she should have guessed it was the one with six guards standing in front of it. 

 

Lei Yirui pats down her hair a bit - she really isn’t dressed to meet with the prince!! She’d chosen the plainest blue dress she owned because it was simple and the only one she and Lei Shunyuan could figure out on their own…

 

“How do I look?” she asks worriedly, because walking in looking a mess sounds too embarrassing!! Jia Zhenzhen looks at her oddly, her fingers twitching at her side. 

 

“Does it matter?” she asks, and Lei Yirui turns to her with a pout. Jia Zhenzhen immediately snaps her head forward and burns holes into the door with her eyes as her cheeks burn pink. “Nice. You look nice. You always do.” she mutters, and one of the guards at the door clears his throat in a manner that sounds suspiciously like a cough. 

 

“Ah, sorry! I’d like to speak to Prince Zheng. Is that… possible?” she asks a guard, and he looks over Lei Yirui carefully. 

 

“You’re Lord Lei's younger sister?” he asks, and Lei Yirui nods her head. 

 

“Right,” he says, and nods his head to another guard, who grunts in affirmation to seemingly nothing before turning sharply and leaving the hall - likely to inform someone of what Lei Yirui is up to. 

 

“What exactly is it that you’d like to speak to him about?” the guard asks, and Lei Yirui shoots a worried glance towards Jia Zhenzhen, who is still staring at the door. Gee, thanks for your help!!

 

“Um. He… and I… he lost a bet. And he technically owes me… morning… uh, a conversation. So,” Lei Yirui promptly cuts herself off when Jia Zhenzhen kicks her leg, before holding out her hands in an innocent gesture and smiling up at the guard. He doesn’t seem to have been able to keep up with Lei Yirui’s line of reasoning as she came up with her excuse on the spot, and Lei Yirui is about to utilize weaponized poutiness again when an arrogant voice speaks up from inside the room. 

 

“What’s all this talking? Who’s there?” Zheng Xiaosi asks, slightly muffled through the door. 

 

“Lady Lei is requesting to speak with you!” the guard calls, loud and proper. There’s a beat of silence, and then—!

 

“Well? Let her in.” Zheng Xiaosi says. He sounds annoyed that they’ve delayed so long, but Lei Yirui rolls her eyes. She knows the truth!! Zheng Xiaosi dislikes Lei Yirui just as much as he does her brother! Worry not, your highness! You don’t have to pretend to like Lei Yirui, she doesn’t like you at all either! You’re a total douche whenever Jia Zhenzhen isn’t paired with you, after all.

 

The guard reluctantly opens the door for them, and Zheng Xiaosi’s face does something interesting when he notices Jia Zhenzhen. It’s definitely not the thinly veiled attraction he had felt towards her around this time in the Limitless storyline, and even Jia Zhenzhen seems tense and strange as she walks around the table Zheng Xiaosi is seated at. Lei Yirui vaguely remembers this table having been upside down and on the other side of the room the last time she was in here.

 

Oddly enough, Jia Zhenzhen walks around Zheng Xiaosi and sits down. Zheng Xiaosi narrows his eyes at her, and Lei Yirui decides that she will have no part in this nonsense and distracts herself by settling down across from Zheng Xiaosi and placing teacups in front of herself and Jia Zhenzhen. She carefully lifts the teapot, which is sort of alarmingly heavy, and brings it over to fill Zheng Xiaosi’s cup the rest of the way. 

 

“You’re bold to return after yesterday evenings events.” Zheng Xiaosi says, and Jia Zhenzhen sends a quick glance to Lei Yirui before she zeroes back in on Zheng Xiaosi, straightening her back and raising her chin defiantly. 

 

“I have questions that need to be answered.”

 

“And you think I would be willing to humor you?” 

 

“I think that you would be willing to not present your family as cruel and unjust.” Jia Zhenzhen snaps back, her hand curling into a fist at her side. Lei Yirui pointedly stares at the cup as she moves on to Jia Zhenzhen’s, filling it carefully before she moves to her own. So far so good. Her hands are only sort of shaky. 

 

“You don’t think you yourself would be seen as a villain?” Zheng Xiaosi asks, his mouth twitching up in a cruel smile as he rests his head haughtily on his hand. 

 

“You don’t understand your people, if that’s what you think. I am doing this for the safety of my brother.” 

 

“I don’t care how well you think that you know them. The people aren’t going to support treason, no matter how tragic a hero you make yourself out to be.” he hisses. 

 

“What other option do I have? If I fail, Tang Xiaodan kills me and my brother. If I fail by choosing to defect, you don’t even offer me protection but the same exact threat. How are you any better than him?” Jia Zhenzhen snaps. Ahh, Lei Yirui thinks as she slowly sips her tea. This is a conversation word-for-word from Limitless. Best not change the script… hm, does she have lessons today? She doesn’t really remember.

 

“I never claimed to be better than him. It was your choice to take on such a risky task.” 

 

Man, they’re really just talking about Jia Zhenzhen assassinating Zheng Xiaosi right in front of Lei Yirui, aren’t they?

 

Hm. Not her business. Lei Yirui scans over the multitude of dishes strewn across the table. She’s usually just given one meal - it’s always filling… so isn’t this too much?? How does he eat like this?? He’s a skinny ass pretty boy! Lei Yirui had been thin as a stick in her own body, so she’s not judging at all, but really!! He’s eating like royalty, because he is royalty… 

 

“Can you think of nothing but your own amusement? I don’t want to carry this out if I don’t have to, but—” Jia Zhenzhen says. 

 

“And you will not. They were idiots to hire someone so unheard of, and you were an idiot to lie about your experience. As I said… I’d love to see you try.” Zheng Xiaosi says. 

 

… Ah, is that aiwowo? They seem to be untouched, too! Lei Yirui reaches over awkwardly, tapping her nail against the ceramic plate. Zheng Xiaosi doesn’t even glance at her as he waves in dismissive agreement. Lei Yirui looks at the small treats with stars in her eyes, grabbing one and bringing it to her mouth. 

 

“You don’t know anything about me or what I’m capable of.” Jia Zhenzhen says through teeth.

 

“And yet you’ve been here for a month and have yet to do anything. Your actions speak for you…” Zheng Xiaosi says, and takes a long, careful sip of his tea. 

 

Is that dalian huoshao? Lei Yirui wouldn’t mind a bite of that either. 

 

Jia Zhenzhen is about to say something to Zheng Xiaosi’s words, but he swiftly interrupts her. 

 

“I am not being needlessly cruel. If I am not harmed, you nor your family will be.” 

 

“I do not have that choice! If not you, then Tang Xiaodan! You would still—!” Jia Zhenzhen tries, and Lei Yirui winces. Ah, that voice crack sounded painful… poor girl. This really was easier to listen to when it was an episode!! Where’s that one pop singer’s ballad that had been overlaid?? Where’s the misty filter?? 

 

“I would be dead. I will not step in to pardon you from a crime you may or may not even commit. That is not how the law works, and it is not how royalty works. If you were able to get yourself into this mess, you can get yourself out of it.” Zheng Xiaosi says. Jia Zhenzhen stares at him, and Lei Yirui can imagine her lunging across the table to strangle him with how intense her gaze is. Ah, she knows she won't, though!!  Looking extremely frustrated, Jia Zhenzhen grabs her cup of tea and downs it. How does one drink tea aggressively?? What the hell???

 

At this point in the episode, Zheng Xiaosi had heaved a heavy sigh and refilled Jia Zhenzhen’s cup. Then she took a calmer, reluctant sip, and gazed over the rim of the cup into Zheng Xiaosi’s eyes… At that point, subtext told the viewers that she had begun to understand that he was not being so stubborn as a means of threatening her, but because his station as a prince didn’t allow him to offer her the safety blanket she was begging for. This was a turning point in their relationship development…. As they understood each other more, they wished to protect each other more!!

 

But… the teapot was sitting in front of Lei Yirui. Zheng Xiaosi was also still busy sipping his own tea and pointedly not looking at Jia Zhenzhen anymore.

 

Ah, whatever. They’re not her favorite pairing anyways - and missing one event won’t ruin the whole story. Lei Yirui gently lifts the teapot and leans over to Jia Zhenzhen, pouring the tea in carefully for her. Her tongue sticks out of her mouth in concentration - no one ever told her this was so hard!! What was this teapot made out of anyway, lead?? Hah, Lei Yirui bets this pot is what bodybuilders lift with!!

 

When she sets the pot back down with a clink, she huffs and looks up at Jia Zhenzhen, ready to offer an artfully crafted excuse for them to change the subject, but her words die in her mouth at Jia Zhenzhen’s intense expression. Her brows are drawn in with stress, no doubt from the argument she just had (Really!! Right in front of Lei Yirui!! Did she simply become obsolete in that cutscene??) as her gaze moves rapidly across Lei Yirui’s face. 

“Are you okay?” Lei Yirui asks, and passively takes note of Zheng Xiaosi looking between the two of them curiously. 

 

Jia Zhenzhen is quiet for a moment, before nodding sharply. 

 

“Not really. But I think I can be.” she says, and gently raises her cup to her lips, taking a slow sip as she refuses to tear her eyes away from Lei Yirui. 

 

“Good Lord.” Zheng Xiaosi says in annoyance, but Lei Yirui barely notices.

What?? What??

 

Excuse me, did that romantic scene just transfer to Lei Yirui?? Why?? Doesn’t Jia Zhenzhen find Lei Yirui annoying?? Did Lei Yirui just get dropped into the running for romantic interest alongside Zheng Xiaosi and Lei Shunyuan??

 

Lei Yirui whips her head around and stares at the food instead. Think rationally, Lei Yirui!! Surely not. Jia Zhenzhen is straight as a board. In the show, and in the fanbases interpretation! (Even if Lei Yirui still thinks that there was some weird tension with her and that Meng Ai lady that appeared in the middle of season one, but that’s neither here nor there.)

 

Right. Right! Of course. This is just like how in dating games, there’s always that one character who’s route you can go on if you’re just looking for platonic love! Lei Yirui feels the world going back to its natural state. Yes, that’s surely it! she thinks as she sips at her tea.

 

Zheng Xiaosi shoots a look at Jia Zhenzhen, who merely glares at him.