Lei Yirui is childishly offended at how much more severe precautions become compared to when the palace had been on high alert due to the assassination attempt. 

 

Okay, she understands that a war is a much bigger deal than her frankly irrelevant ass, but listen!! What weaksauce security compared to now!!

 

Things truly seemed like a prison all of a sudden, with gates that Lei Yirui hadn’t even known existed being closed, and more guards moving about than she would’ve ever thought possible. Anyone in the palace with even the smallest hint of allegiance to the Shen Tan Kingdom was booted from the palace. No one was in the courtyard other than guards, and it was dreary like she’d never imagined it could be. 

 

She’d always considered the palace kind of… boring. But compared to this, she really understood how much life had been bustling about before. Women chatting in the courtyard, the clinks of recreational tea throughout, giggling as you passed certain rooms, a friendly atmosphere, even with the palace staff… gah, shit has really gone downhill!!

 

Lei Yirui is losing her mind, and it’s only been a few days. Jia Zhenzhen has been posted to guard the prince’s private chambers— something that had happened in Limitless because he wanted her nearby to make sure she was okay, but Lei Yiuri thinks that in this run, it’s purely because he wants to fuck with her— so she hasn’t seen her in that time. 

 

She and Ren Wenqian can see each other, at least, and Meng Ai has been confined to the palace as well since she was present when the lockdown began. Since Lei Yirui has the nicer room between them both, they like slip in to visit at all times. Meng Ai isn’t authorized to see the prince anymore, after all, and no one else tolerates Ren Wenqian. 

 

The two get along well - and Lei Yirui supposes that she’s happy to gossip with them. It’s not fun to do it with Lei Shunyuan, since he’s switched to Serious Mode and is too severe to be entertaining to fuck with. Now it just makes her unnerved. Gah, she says anything to him and it’s “I’ll keep you safe, Meimei. I promise,” and “Don’t worry about anything. I’ll handle it,” like she’s going to start crying at any mention of combat! Bro, your sister isn’t a whiny 1 dimensional weakling anymore!! She can’t just check the news, you have to be her reliable and unbiased source!! Stop being unreliable and biased!!

 

Lei Yiuri would maybe find things a little better if she could harass Hu Peng for treats. But she’s not allowed!! 

 

“This sucks. And it sucks majorly. Like, it sucks big, hard—” Lei Yirui gripes, and Meng Ai smacks her over the head with her flowy sleeve before she can finish. 

 

“Enough of that. We’re ladies.” she admonishes. Ren Wenqian is not so concerned, wheezing like a kettle and smacking the table with her fist and making all of their dishes clink around. Lei Yirui watches miserably as the movement causes one of her custard buns to topple off of the pile and roll around on the table. 

 

“I think she’s dying.” Meng Ai adds, raising a perfect brow at Ren Wenqian, who holds up her index finger for them to wait as she pounds on her chest to stop the laughing. Lei Yirui watches her in amusement. 

 

“I’m okay! And definitely not dying!” she finally announces, nodding resolutely as she sits back up. 

 

“You’re so cute. Do you want your pork?” asks Lei Yirui, and Ren Wenqian shakes her head, tilting her bowl of shāo ròu towards Lei Yirui, who scoops some onto her own dishes. Meng Ai gestures with her in a question of if she can take some as well, and Lei Yirui makes way for her to grab some. 

 

“It’s all necessary, anyways,” begins Ren Wenqian, picking their previous conversation back up. “We should be wary. Who knows what those Shen Tan scum are capable of.” she says. Lei Yirui rolls her eyes. 

 

“Don’t call them scum. It’s not the people’s fault that Tang Xiaodan is so dickish. And he’s technically one of us.” she points out, before shoving a piece of pork in her mouth.

 

“But we’ve had conflict with them since before I was even born. Clearly it’s a lasting problem.” Ren Wenqian says, shrugging her shoulders. 

“Lei Yirui is right. It’s not all their fault. And your everyday Shen Tan farm worker isn’t at fault for territorial skirmishes.” Meng Ai says. Ren Wenqian doesn’t seem to care much ultimately, and just shrugs her shoulders in assent. 

 

“I just wish we weren’t all cooped up. The war started like, last week. They’re not going to attack the palace immediately. What kind of dumb bullshit is that? I’d like to go back to having tea outside.” Lei Yirui says. The slightly agitated look that Meng Ai offers her makes Lei Yirui realize that she really is getting too used to the rich girl life. Ahh, she never would’ve sounded so spoiled before!! No wonder wealthy people were always such unaware dickheads, it really sneaks up on you!

 

She clears her throat and lifts her tea to her lips in embarrassment.

 

“Has your brother said anything?” Meng Ai asks, and Lei Yirui groans. 

 

“Of course not. He thinks I’m still a baby, so he acts like I’ll explode if I learn anything negative. I’m going to rip my hair out if I have to hear him try and give me reassurance on something I’m not worried about again.” she mutters. Ren Wenqian pats her shoulder. 

 

“Please don’t. You have very pretty hair!” she says earnestly. 

 

“Thanks!” Lei Yirui chirps with renewed life, and Meng Ai just huffs in good natured amusement as she goes back to her food. 

…

The letter is troubling. 

 

The news isn’t the worst she could’ve received about her brother, but it isn’t comforting at all. Unease settles into her stomach as she rereads the words over and over again. Time to herself this past week has been scarce, and she wishes she could reprimand herself for not trying to slip away from her duties to read it sooner. 

 

She had told Jia Yuxing to be careful and do what he needed to keep himself safe. No matter how central keeping him safe was to her, Jia Zhenzhen wasn’t foolish enough to think that this entire thing wasn’t much bigger than herself. She knew Jia Yuxing was smart. Even if he couldn’t fight, he could always outwit other people. 

 

But… this plan of his… 

 

The letter had come from a boy Jia Zhenzhen had grown up working with, informing her that Jia Yuxing’s idea of “keeping himself safe” was to randomly pledge himself as loyal to the Shen Tan kingdom when a patrol troop went through the town, before leaving with them with the declaration that he’d like to serve as some sort of humble servant. 

 

Jia Zhenzhen… doesn’t want to doubt his intelligence, but perhaps she had overestimated it’s presence.

 

She understands where he’s coming from. Lurking among the enemy to keep oneself safe isn’t a terrible plan, but the Shen Tan Kingdom isn’t the only player in the game. He’s at risk of capture by their own forces, and he’s also under risk of discovery as Jia Zhenzhen’s brother. 

 

His only saving grace is that anyone who was Shen Tan who had seen him was killed when they dared to attack their village, and even Tang Xiaodan doesn’t know what Jia Yuxing looks like. Her brother doesn’t look much like her, either, so it’s not like he can be picked out that way. 

 

She knows he has the sense to lie about his name and where he’s from. But he’s not a very strong willed boy. With enough pressure, he’ll spill. And she isn’t sure if his acting abilities are good enough to keep him free from suspicion. 

 

“Jia Zhenzhen.” a voice says, muffled through the door, and she looks up sharply from where she sits hunched on her cot over the letter. It’s her superior - and she understands where she has to be. 

 

Her position guarding the entrance to the main residential hall where the prince resides grates on her nerves. She’s sure that Zheng Xiaosi is aware of this and had placed her there with exactly that feeling in mind. Killing him quietly with her hands has been out of the question ever since he discovered her, and every other option that she’s considered has fallen flat upon closer thinking. 

 

It isn’t going to happen. She understands this, and she thinks Zheng Xiaosi and Tang Xiaodan understand this, too. Jia Zhenzhen will write a letter back to her childhood acquaintance with a demand to have their town evacuate and go elsewhere where they won’t be targeted in a cruel attempt for Tang Xiaodan to punish Jia Zhenzhen for her failure. She believes that he will be too preoccupied with the blossoming war to worry about her for a bit - and she squashes any notion that such an idea is hope. Worrying herself won’t do her any good. 

 

If she had the foresight to realize that a war was coming - if she had been born into a slightly higher station and had the resources to know the political landscape of her own kingdom, and had the chance to have an education to tell her that such a conflict has been a long time coming - she never would’ve accepted such a risky job. 

 

The money offered had not been something she could turn down. Jia Yuxing and herself were one bad day away from living on the street. It had been okay when their parents were alive. With both of them and Jia Zhenzhen working, they could afford to live pleasantly enough, if only without any extra luxuries.

 

Once they were gone, only Jia Zhenzhen could provide. Jia Yuxing’s illness meant he couldn’t do physical labor, and finding him a calm job was rather difficult as well, since his persisting and debilitating pain had been seen by others as some sort of curse. Hire a boy with a curse, and it’ll be passed on to you, apparently. 

 

She had, eventually, been able to find work as a maid at the estate of the wealthy family that lived in their town. It was convenient enough that she could swipe some small, valuable trinkets every now and then, and she supposes that’s how they scouted her. 

 

A girl with not much to her name, no parents to restrict her, no pending marriage, and a desperation to provide for her only remaining family. She was tough enough to defend herself, skilled in fighting like anyone living in poverty had to be, and she had a quick mind. She would never turn down an offer with the promise of so much money, and they knew that. 

 

She had been hopeful, and so had Jia Yuxing. But with this war, it was never going to happen. She knew that - and she doubted she ever would’ve been compensated had she succeeded in her mission anyways.

 

Now her brother, and the entire town, remains at risk, and she’s in no higher a standing than she had been before. 

 

Though… it’s hard for her to say that she regrets it. 

 

She doesn’t think she does.

 

In spite of all of this, Lei Yirui has made her inordinately happy. 

 

She had been rather annoyed with her the first few times that they had met. She reminded her of the spoiled youngest daughter of the family that she used to serve, and her arrogance had gotten on her nerves. She only tolerated her because of a desire to please Lei Shunyuan, who had been surprisingly kind to her. Oddly enough, things seem to have switched around. She finds that Lei Shunyuan is typically the one who irks her, and Lei Yirui is the one who she desperately seeks the approval and attention of. 

 

Jia Zhenzhen isn’t an idiot— she knows that she’s in love with Lei Yirui. The girl is refreshing in her oddity and charming in her genuine kindness. She’s a little spoiled, definitely, but Jia Zhenzhen now sees that it’s often harmless little bits of whining. She’s given to Jia Zhenzhen, without expecting anything back other than her company, and she’s never had anyone do that for her. 

 

There have been moments where she wondered if Lei Yirui felt the same way. Where she looked at her a little too long, or touched her without thinking twice about her position as a noble lady and Jia Zhenzhen’s position as a simple guard. Times when she showed more care for Jia Zhenzhen than she had thought possible, and times when she looked at Jia Zhenzhen with a flushed face and shy demeanor.

 

But then Jia Zhenzhen is reminded that Lei Yirui is just like that. 

 

She watches her dote on Lei Shunyuan and playfully tease him until he gets embarrassed, and watches her say outlandish things far below her station just to make immature Ren Wenqian laugh. Has seen her tease even the prince himself with apparently no regard for his position above her. Has seen her cling to Meng Ai and eye the other woman’s appearance with appreciation. 

 

Even that last one - Jia Zhenzhen understands that Lei Yirui doesn’t desire Meng Ai. If she did, perhaps Jia Zhenzhen would be envious, but it would’ve been a cool relief that filled her with the thought that Lei Yirui could admire another woman that way. Even if Jia Zhenzhen was special, and Lei Yirui truly cared for her in a way beyond friendship, she wouldn’t continue to think so if she knew Jia Zhenzhen wasn’t a man. 

 

Even so. The friendship of this strange but kind girl has made the entire thing feel… somewhat worth it. 

 

Underneath all of her worry, Jia Zhenzhen really is happy. 

…

“What the fuck!?” Lei Yirui squeaks, because she’s mid experimental test of every mysterious skin balm in her room when the door slams open, and both Lei Shunyuan and Zheng Xiaosi squeeze inside, pushing past each other like bickering children. She barely catches sight of the gaggle of guards that are trailing behind them, most likely because of Zheng Xiaosi, before her brother shuts the door.

 

“Every time! Does anyone knock anymore?? Is it just out of fashion, then? Just come on in! I don’t value occasional privacy, or anything!” she rants, scooping her current bowl back into the drawer and standing up, crossing her arms. 

 

“Do not listen to anything he says.” Lei Shunyuan orders, and Lei Yirui glances at Zheng Xiaosi. She doesn’t know that she’s ever listened to anything he’s said, but now she kind of wants to out of the sheer virtue of being an annoying younger sibling. Lei Shunyuan clearly realizes his error, because he sighs and raises a hand to rub his temple. 

 

“I wish to host a party.” Zheng Xiaosi says, and any intention Lei Yirui had to hear him out vanishes into thin air. She gives him a flat look. 

“What. A party? In the middle of a war? Don’t you have a job to do, or is it just in your best interest to be a sleazy asshole at all times?” she asks. 

 

“It’s not the middle of a war. It’s merely the beginning of a war,” Zheng Xiaosi says, and Lei Shunyuan looks at him like he’s going to punch him in the face. Lei Yirui would, frankly, find a little enjoyment out of Zheng Xiaosi’s perfect face getting all fucked up from a crooked broken nose and some nasty bruising and swelling under his eyes.

 

“I am going to throw you out of the window.” says Lei Shunyuan. 

 

“Try it,” replies Zheng Xiaosi in a pleasant tone, before his attention turns back to Lei Yirui. “Anyways. You are one of the most lively people I’ve met. I believe you would be the best candidate to help me plan.”

“Why do you even want to throw one??” Lei Yirui asks, brows furrowed. 

 

“Morale. Haven’t things in the palace gotten so dreary? All of the fickle ladies are miserable, and everyone is so bored. I say it’s a good way to get everyone to relax, as well as show Tang Xiaodan that we aren’t perturbed by his measly threats.” he says. Lei Yirui looks over him carefully, before pointing an accusing finger his way. 

 

“You just want an excuse to get drunk!” she shouts. 

 

“Something like that,” admits Zheng Xiaosi, offering Lei Shunyuan a meaningful look. Lei Shunyuan doesn’t appear to notice, but Lei Yirui most definitely does. She cringes. Please just drag him behind a building and deal with this on your own!! Lei Yirui really doesn’t want to have anything to do with this!

 

“Hu Peng will provide meal services for the party, of course.” adds Zheng Xiaosi, and Lei Yirui suddenly whips her head up to look at him with stars in her eyes. 

 

“Meimei, stop.” Lei Shunyuan says suddenly, moving to grab her by the shoulder. Lei Yirui ignores him, wiggling past him to grab Zheng Xiaosi by the hands. 

 

“This is going to be the best party you’ve ever been to. Oh, there have to be fireworks. Is there a fireworks budget?? Fireworks exist, don’t they?? I’m sure there was a romantic scene with fireworks!” she says. Zheng Xiaosi grins down at her. Gosh, he really looks like such a villain!! How was he ever intended to be the main love interest?

“We can have fireworks.” says Zheng Xiaosi, and in her excitement Lei Yirui rises to her toes to kiss him on the cheek. She hears Lei Shunyuan crash into something behind her, but she ignores him.

 

“Perfect!! I’ll get to work immediately. When does this party even need to happen?? Oh, I was never in charge of hosting parties! That was always Dai Rong’s job, but she isn’t here to consult right now!! What was the first thing she did… assess the guest list? Yes! Perfect place to start…”

 

Lei Yirui continues to mutter to herself as she moves past Zheng Xiaosi and opens her door, squirming past the guards that still remain outside, ignoring the questioning shouts of a few of them, even after the two that have been stationed outside of her room come following after her. 

 

Inside of her room, Lei Shunyuan glowers at Zheng Xiaosi. 

 

“If you are so incapable of focusing on something as important as the war we are at, I worry about what kind of emperor you will be when your father dies.” he hisses. Zheng Xiaosi hums, reaching over to adjust the collar of Lei Shunyuan’s robes. His hand is smacked away, and Zheng Xiaosi grins at Lei Shunyuan. 

“You worry too much. Is a party not the perfect chance to loosen up?” he questions, his voice silky and low. Lei Shunyuan turns slightly red, before he huffs indignantly and looks away. 

 

“I have never met someone so irresponsible.” he snaps, before shoving past Zheng Xiaosi and leaving the room. 

…

 Lei Yirui went into planning with absolutely no clue what she was doing.

 

Zheng Xiaosi had given express permission for her to do as she wished in the three days before the party, which meant she did a lot of milling about and introducing herself to people she had never met before. She discussed options for the food and alcohol with Hu Peng, who seemed slightly agitated but was willing to work with her, announced a dress code of everyone’s best clothes, recruited all of the music teachers she could find, and found every artistically inclined soul she could to help prepare decorations. 

 

Meng Ai had said that she thought this was an incredibly stupid idea, and Lei Yirui agreed before batting her eyelashes, pouting, and asking her to make some decorative banners. 

 

When Lei Yirui had asked for a demonstration of the fireworks, a gruff looking guard showed her to the palace armory, dragged out a long bamboo contraption thing, and she was instructed to stand away while he lowered a burning stick to it. There was an upward blast of fire and a loud cracking sound that made her jump, and it definitely didn’t look like any fireworks that she was used to, but she could make do. 

 

Lei Shunyuan had said he wouldn’t be at the party because he had actual work to do, but she sensed that Zheng Xiaosi wasn’t going to allow that to happen. With her renewed freedom around the palace, she had stopped by Jia Zhenzhen’s quarters each night to say hi. Jia Zhenzhen didn’t have much to tell her, since not much had been going on, but she seemed content to listen to Lei Yirui ramble on about the planning. 

 

Lei Yirui also suspected that the party was a bit of a way to soften the blow of the fact that, like, half of the palace guards were definitely going to get conscripted soon, if things would play out as they had in Limitless, but she didn’t say anything about it. She was pretty sure she wasn’t supposed to know that, but she did wonder if Jia Zhenzhen was aware of it. 

 

When the actual party rolls around, the courtyard is filled with pleasant music and decorations, and Lei Yirui is thrilled. She’s been buzzing around and asking everyone what they think, and she feels like each bit of praise she receives energizes her a little bit. Other than that, she’s been hovering by the food and making up for all of the snacking she’s missed out on recently. 

 

“Are you married, Uncle Hu?” she asks while she takes a drink of baijiu she had been offered, before cringing and spitting it back into the cup. She definitely prefers those girlish fruity modern drinks!!

 

“I am.” he says, offering her a curious look from where he’s plating and replacing empty dishes. Lei Yirui squeals, placing her cup down.

 

“Cute!! Your wife is lucky. I think being able to cook is a necessary trait in a husband.” she says, grinning at him playfully. Uncle Hu gives her an amused look, and she tilts her head in curiosity. 

 

“Is it?” a familiar voice asks from behind her, and Lei Yirui whips around to see Jia Zhenzhen offering her a small, barely there smile, with her hands folded properly behind her back. 

 

“Oh! Hello! I wondered what schedule they gave you.” she says, grinning. She’d made it so that all of the staff would be able to participate in at least half of the party. There were two shifts, one for the first two and a half hours, and one for the latter two and a half hours. Apparently, Jia Zhenzhen had the second shift. 

 

“Hm. You look good.” she says, and Lei Yirui beams. She’s wearing a summer style hanfu, decked out in soft colors. It has a white top with embroidered flowers, and a soft cream colored skirt, while the sheer outer layer fades from a light green to a gentle peach, covered in wispy floral designs. She’d never worn it because of how expensive it had looked, but this felt like a good excuse. 

 

“Thank you! So do you.” she says. Jia Zhenzhen actually looks a little bit like the northern prince from a cultivation drama she once watched, and Lei Yirui wonders about that as she looks it over. Her outfit is mostly white and black, with sheer, icy blue fabric casually spun around her arms. Jia Zhenzhen flushes at the compliment and adjusts one of her black armguards self-consciously. Cute!!

 

“Thanks.” she mutters, and Lei Yirui has half a mind to offer her the gross baijiu she had tried earlier before remembering that she spit right back into the cup. Cringing at the memory, she scoops up the cup and dumps it on the ground, before offering it to Hu Peng to clean. 

 

“You hungry?” she asks, and Jia Zhenzhen shakes her head. 

 

“No. I just figured you’d be by the food.” she says. Hu Peng snorts, and when Lei Yirui whips around to glare at him he’s conveniently busy. Traitor!!

 

“Well,” Lei Yirui huffs, linking her arm around Jia Zhenzhen’s. “Let’s walk. I should burn some calories after all of that.” she says.

 

“Calories?” asks Jia Zhenzhen, and Lei Yirui shakes her head, tugging her along.

“Don’t worry about it. How do you like the party? Aren’t the banners pretty? Meng Ai made them.”

 

“The party is nice. I’ve never been to one before. And I could tell, I recognize her writing.” she says, looking up at them.

 

The two of them continue to chatter about aimless things, only pausing to chat briefly with Meng Ai, who Jia Zhenzhen appears to have an aneurysm over when she sees the sheer amount of cleavage she’s showing. 

 

There’s a moment when the two of them duck behind a couple to watch Zheng Xiaosi attempt to talk to Lei Shunyuan, who is about 5 seconds away from bursting a blood vessel. Lei Yirui was right about him being dragged out to participate, and he’s gripping a cup of baijiu so tightly in his hand that she’s worried the clay is going to crack in his grip. The “conversation” quickly derails into an argument, and when he notices that they’re sort of making a scene, Lei Shunyuan drags a very pleased looking Zheng Xiaosi off somewhere else. 

 

Jia Zhenzhen and Lei Yirui had both turned to look at eachother, before Jia Zhenzhen turned very red and Lei Yirui burst out laughing. 

 

It was fun, but their conversation was cut short some time later when the guards were called to switch out positions. She waved Jia Zhenzhen off and went to go bother Ren Wenqian, who was apparently trying to flirt with one of the palace’s financial advisors who seemed very uninterested. When Lei Yirui had shown up, he’d actually turned to her and eagerly began trying to discuss the lighting with her. Come on, Ren Wenqian can’t be that bad!! 

 

It’s not like there’s a clock, but it eventually gets around to the time when things are dying down and she assumes the fireworks are about to begin. They’re placed a little beyond the gate so they’re not so overwhelming for everyone, and also so they can be seen from the city. Lei Yirui is a gracious host, alright??

 

Lei Yirui tells Ren Wenqian that she’ll be back, before jogging across the courtyard and moving through the passageways between the buildings to the gate. She tells the guards that she’s just going to check on the fireworks, and she’s easily let through.

 

Ah, but… she begins to realize that things are definitely slightly suspicious when there’s nobody out near the fireworks. They’re not even set up, which should’ve happened much earlier in the party, and are instead sort of just strewn about on top of eachother in the grass. Lei Yirui eyes them for a moment. 

 

Hm. Fuck no!! She’ll return to the safety of the party, thank you! No investigation into this will happen! She doesn’t care that much about fireworks, actually, thank you again.

 

Lei Yirui turns around to walk back when she smacks directly into someone’s chest. She blinks, stumbling back a few steps, and looks up at a man around her age that she’s never seen in her life. 

 

“Uh,” she says intelligently. He suddenly does some bullshit with his hand, but Lei Yirui sees the glint of something sharp, so she takes a few careful bounds back, her hand slipping into the sash around her waist and pulling out her dagger. She holds it out warningly. 

 

“I can scream. Really loudly. It’ll alert the guards, but it’ll also be like, super fucking annoying. You’re gonna wish you were born deaf!” she says. The man raises an eyebrow, before his other hand moves from behind his back and shows Lei Yirui a lighting stick. 

 

“Oh.” she says. The man doesn’t even light the firework properly, for god's sake!! Instead dropping the stick into the dry grass, which lights them on fire. Lei Yirui makes an odd noise as the man suddenly charges towards her. 

 

The fireworks start acting a little more like firecrackers, loud, earsplitting popping noises taking over.

 

Lei Yirui ducks under his arm when he swings at her, stepping around behind him and attempting to slash at his back. Jia Zhenzhen’s instructions of ‘disarming is good, incapacitating is better’ are suddenly playing on loop in her head, but this guy is kind of muscular and Lei Yirui sort of expects her own muscle mass to be pretty miniscule, so she isn’t sure that’ll work. 

 

He turns on the ball of his foot before her cut can land, blocking her forearm with his. 

 

Bad news; the blade is facing her and is about three inches from her face. Worse news, she was right, and he’s definitely a lot stronger than her. 

 

Lei Yirui isn’t able to duck before the blade quickly swipes across her cheek, and it stings like a motherfucker. She thinks the worst injury she’s ever gotten is accidentally stapling her thumb in the third grade, and this definitely hurts a lot more!!

 

The thing is, it’s not exactly immobilizing her, so she has the sense to get out of the way.

 

“This isn’t really worth it!!” she tries, even though she’s not sure the dude can hear her.“Like, seriously! My family is rich, but they probably think I’m sort of annoying and they definitely won't pay the ransom!! Seriously, my brother can’t stand me! I think he’s trying to kill me— ah, shit!”

 

She sort of pathetically covers her head with her arms when her face is swiped at again, which has the unfortunate side effect of knocking the dagger out of her hand. Lei Yirui stumbles back upright, and is sort of just hoping she can book it back to the palace, but a leg swings out and knocks her flat onto her ass. 

 

Ah, so sorry Jia Zhenzhen!! You wasted all of that time trying to teach Lei Yirui how to fight, and she only lasted about a pathetic 20 seconds!!

 

Lei Yirui starts scrambling backwards, kicking outwards lameley when the man approaches her, but he’s fast enough to grab her by the collar and yank her back up. She’s half ready to just let herself get stabbed - and hey, maybe she’ll wake up in her apartment back at home!! Maybe Dai Rong will have made her those bomb ass hangover sandwiches of hers! 

 

Er, maybe not. To her surprise, the man flips the knife around in his hand so the blade isn’t facing her, and slams it roughly into her forehead. 

 

As her vision goes black, Lei Yirui forlornly remembers that she didn’t get to try any of the desserts Hu Peng made.