The two women, Ping'an and Lim Yuehai, walked back to the table and sat in their seats. Li Luli then walked to the friends' table and greeted everyone warmly. She put a small box on the table next to Lim Yuehai.
"Sister-in-law, I made these this morning," Li Luli smiled. "I remember you once told me that you love desserts."
"Did I?" Lim Yuehai asked, surprised but pleased.
"You told me that when we were chatting that day," Li Luli confirmed.
"Thank you," Lim Yuehai said, smiling at Li Luli.
Li Luli smiled and said, "I'm going back to my table now." She walked over to the Li family table, leaving the friends to their conversation.
Ping'an sneezed.
"Baiyu, she must have a cold," Zhao Renshu said, taking another bowl of wine. "You need to give her some cold medicine."
Ping'an ignored Zhao Renshu's comment, then shifted her body to face Guo Baiyu and hugged him, seeking comfort. After a while, she kissed his left cheek and smiled at Guo Baiyu. Zhao Renshu was annoyed by Ping'an's action, feeling ignored. He poured another bowl of wine, defiantly.
Ping'an stopped his hand, her gaze firm. "Stop drinking," she commanded. She grabbed the bowl from his right hand and set it aside.
"It's not like you don't know me," Zhao Renshu complained. "I love to drink!"
The group of friends at the table realized that the disagreement between the two was rapidly heating up.
"Renshu," Guo Longtong interjected, trying to mediate, "Ping'an said this because she is considerate towards your health."
"If she is considerate to me, why ignore me?" Zhao Renshu grumbled, feeling slighted.
"Between me and the wine," Ping'an murmured, her voice low but clear. "Which one would you choose?"
Zhao Renshu thought he heard it wrong. "What?" He turned to face Ping'an, surprised by the direct question.
Ping'an looked directly into Zhao Renshu's eyes and asked again, her voice unwavering. "Between me and wine, which one would you choose?"
Zhao Renshu frowned. "Do you really want me to choose between you and my wine?"
"Choose only one!" Ping'an said madly, her voice rising. "Which is more important to you?"
Zhao Renshu shook his head, a playful smile on his face, though he seemed genuinely conflicted. "I knew wine first, and then I knew you." He sighed, his eyes twinkling. "Between you and wine... I choose wine."
The group of friends were shocked into silence. They knew how loving Zhao Renshu and Ping'an's relationship was, and it was shocking to hear his answer. They knew that Zhao Renshu had been drinking for a while, so it might be the alcohol that was talking, but still.
Ping'an stood up abruptly. "Zhao Renshu, you bastard! Here, drink your wine!" She grabbed Zhao Renshu's bowl of wine and, with a swift motion, threw it on Zhao Renshu's face, splashing him. Then she went out frantically, tears stinging her eyes, and Guozhao Zhiqiang quickly chased after her, concerned.
Zhao Renshu looked at Guo Baiyu, wiping wine from his face. "She really threw the wine on my face!"
"What did you expect when you decided to choose wine over her?" Guo Baiyu replied, a hint of amusement in his tone.
Zhao Renshu wiped the wine off his face with his sleeve. "She should give me some face and not do it in front of all these people!"
"Peizhi and Yueliang," Guo Baiyu instructed. "Go talk to her, she might calm down."
"Okay," Lim Peizhi replied, rising quickly.
"Ge, talk calmly with her," Lim Yuehai cleared her throat, advising her brother.
Lim Peizhi and Huang Yueliang left the table, following Ping'an.
"Hunter Guozhao," Du Aiguo said to Zhao Renshu, advising him. "You should apologize. As men, we sometimes have to let go of our pride and make the lady smile."
Guo Baiyu looked at Huang Hongse and said, "Hongse, drag him to apologize."
"I'm not going!" Zhao Renshu protested, digging in his heels.
Huang Hongse stood up, a determined look on her face, grabbed his left arm, and dragged him out of the banquet hall.
Madam Li and Li Luli walked to the friends' table, after seeing the commotion.
"How are you feeling, Yuehai?" Madam Li asked, a kind smile on her face.
"Good," Lim Yuehai replied.
"Any day now, you are going to be a mother," Madam Li said. "If it is a girl, I pray that she will be as beautiful as you. If it is a boy, then I pray that he will be as brave as his uncle." She smiled. "Speaking of which, where is Young Master Lim?"
"There was a little disagreement between the two lovers," Lim Yuehai explained, gesturing vaguely. "Peizhi and the others are trying to calm them down."
"Aiguo, please take good care of your wife," Madam Li said to Du Aiguo. She smiled at Lim Yuehai. "We are going back to our table now." The mother and daughter left the table and walked back to their own seats.
Lim Peizhi and Huang Yueliang chased after Ping'an into the three Guozhao Hunters' room. When they got there, Ping'an stood in front of the window, still upset, and Guozhao Zhiqiang sat at the table, quietly observing.
"Ping'an, don't be mad," Lim Peizhi said, approaching her gently. "Renshu probably didn't mean what he said." He tried to reason with her. "He might have drunk too much."
Zhao Renshu stormed inside, pulled by Huang Hongse, and shouted, "Yes, I drank too much!"
"Do you want the world to hear you?" Huang Hongse snapped, exasperated. She turned around and closed the door behind her, muffling his shouts.
Ping'an handed Zhao Renshu a towel, her face still grim. "Wipe your face," she instructed. She looked at Zhao Renshu, her expression softening slightly.
"You should wipe my face for me since you threw the wine," Zhao Renshu grumbled playfully.
Ping'an shook her head, but a small smile touched her lips. She gently wiped his face, a gesture of forgiveness.
"You two are good now?" Lim Peizhi asked, relieved.
"Do you really think I will choose wine instead of her?" Zhao Renshu said, his voice more serious now, looking at Ping'an.
"I will make this as quick as possible," Ping'an said, getting to the point. "I believe Yuehai's life is in danger. When I was washing my hands, I saw someone aiming at Yuehai from behind. Her two maids were dead."
Lim Peizhi's face dropped, his earlier relief vanishing. "What? How dare?!" He clenched both of his fists, enraged.
"Yuehai confirmed that she did not have any enemies," Ping'an continued.
"Yuehai is really a lovely girl," Zhao Renshu said. "I don't think she will have any enemies."
Lim Peizhi madly gritted his teeth. "If anyone dares to hurt her, I will kill them!"
"Did you fight the assassin?" Zhao Renshu asked Ping'an.
"Yes. The assassin had two shadows," Ping'an replied, the detail chilling.
"Damn it," Zhao Renshu swore, understanding the implication.
"What? I am all confused now," Huang Hongse said, bewildered.
"This means that what happened in Peace Town and Waterfall City will happen here," Zhao Renshu explained, his face grim.
The Huang sisters sighed, realizing the truth. "Then it means Qingyu is here," they concluded.
"The question is," Zhao Renshu pondered, "whose body is possessed by the spirit, and why does the assassin want to hurt Yuehai?"
"I don't care who the spirit possessed," Lim Peizhi declared, his voice filled with fury. "If it dares to hurt Yuehai, I will kill it!"
"Yuehai shouldn't be alone at all," Ping'an insisted, concerned.
"After she gives birth, if we can't find the spirit, I will take her back to Waterfall City," Lim Peizhi resolved.
Zhao Renshu looked at Lim Peizhi. He said, "I have always been curious, how did you get possessed by that spirit anyway?"
Lim Peizhi cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed. "If I tell you, no one is allowed to laugh at me."
Everyone nodded, curious.
"Well, we were preparing for the fighting competition," Lim Peizhi began. "I suddenly felt tired from the whole thing. I was hungry, but I didn't want to peel the pear, so I sighed and said that I wish someone would peel the pear and feed it to me. Then a servant stepped forward and told me that if I agreed, he would do everything for me."
Zhao Renshu held back his laughter, but his eyes twinkled. "You said yes."
"Yes, I did," Lim Peizhi admitted sheepishly.
Everyone burst out laughing, unable to contain themselves. After everyone had a good laugh, Zhao Renshu said, "Let's go back to the banquet." Everyone nodded. "Zhiqiang, not many people have noticed you. You follow Lady Lim and guard her."
Guozhao Zhiqiang nodded, "I understand," his face serious, accepting his new, crucial mission.