Lei Xing stood there processing the information and then sighed in annoyance and pulled Tung Mei a bit further and told Xiao Ting to stay where she was. "Say the truth, no lies."

Tung Mei blinked, "She just said it, I copied yours."

Lei Xing narrowed her eyes and flatly said, "There's a bloody voice in this stupid bracelet."

Tung Mei went wide-eyed and blinked, "A voice? Is it possessed? Ahh, that would explain a lot."

"Don't pretend, it apparently also kidnapped you as a baby."

Tung Mei knit her brows and then covered her mouth, seemingly in shock, "Oh my, that is scary. I don't want it anymore, Xing jie you can have it." She said and started to back away.

Lei Xing tightly gripped her arm then she let out a breath then said, "I can tell you're lying...and you know what? I don't care...Just get this shit off me. Now." She ordered and stuck out her wrist.

Tung Mei looked down at Lei Xing's wrist then glanced up at her angry face. Then she pouted and looked down and touched the bracelet to take it off.

{...*Xiao Ying! You better not give me a reason to come find you -_-)...I'm leaving you alone because I'm busy so you better not get in the way of my good things OR else I'll lock you up for a thousand, no, a HUNDRED THOUSAND YEARS!...Not only that, I'll make sure to find someone a THOUSAND times nicer for your precious Yong!...

...Although, It'll be hard since my Xiao Ying is definitely the most adorable EVER and frankly he's a blind idiot with crap taste!!... Even if you have picked up some bad habits from some people, you're still my adorable baby hehe~ Wait, what was I saying? Oh yes, It'll be hard but I'll find someone for Yong and get him in love and married... Don't test me -_-)...}

Tung Mei frowned.

{...Why are you trying to force Xing jie into this? It's unfair!...}

{...*Oh? But aren't you doing the same thing? Are you feeling guilty?! How about you forget him and come back home? You must have missed me, right? I'm definitely much, much, MUCH better than some brat!...}

{...*scoff* It's hard to miss you when you keep nagging at me -_-)...I never knew life could be as peaceful as it's been the last few days ...}

Lei Xing looked at Tung Mei frozen holding the bracelet and frowned, "What is it? You can't take it off?" Tung Mei looked up at the oblivious Lei Xing who was unaware of the conversation going on on her wrist.

{...*Fine go happily play with your Yong and I'll just stay with myself! All these brats grow up and become wretched brats! They all used to be so adorable too...Now you don't even want to talk to me because of some stupid brat! This is what is unfair wuwwuwuwuwu...}

Tung Mei rolled her eyes and released the bracelet then looked at Lei Xing and said, "Xing jie, I can't."

Lei Xing frowned, "Can't? Why not? It's yours...I saw you take it off, talk to the freaking whatever inside and tell it you want it home!" Lei Xing said through gritted teeth.

Tung Mei knit her brows, "Well, now I can't...it won't budge. I don't know how...It doesn't listen."

Lei Xing took a deep breath, highly irritated.

{...Hey, why won't you freaking leave?!...}

{...*Hmph! I told you I'm not going anywhere until you keep up your end of the deal! You can't rip me off!...}

{...Oh, you're talking now, are you?... Your Xiao Ying is here. I'll make sure to invite her to the wedding so just leave...}

{...*Why though?! I'm not disturbing you, I've left you alone for weeks now...Not to mention I helped you with the antidote, now you want to get rid of me, aren't you being too mean? You cold-hearted brat!...}

Lei Xing turned to Tung Mei and asked, "What is this?"

"What?"

"What is this bracelet?" Lei Xing irritatedly responded.

Tung Mei knit her brows, "Um, I don't really know...I stumbled on it when I was a child."

Lei Xing narrowed her eyes and pointed out, "You just said you copied mine..."

Tung Mei blinked, "No, Xiao Ting said that."

"But you agreed to it." Lei Xing annoyingly reminded.

"Ahh..." Tung Mei offhandedly responded then shrugged, "It seems like you have been making progress with that annoy- The Emperor."

Lei Xing narrowed her eyes, "Don't change the topic!" Lei Xing bit out, then raised an eyebrow, "Why do you care about that?"

"Care? I don't." Tung Mei said with a scoff, "It was just an observation. You seem to be getting along."

Lei Xing scrutinized her for a bit, then she sighed and then asked, "Did mine do it too?"

"Do what?"

Lei Xing frowned, she could not decide who was more annoying right now, Tung Mei or the bracelet, "I meant did mine have a voice or whatever that thing is?"

"Don't know." Tung Mei said with a shrug.

Lei Xing's frown deepened, "So you can't take it off, you can't explain anything in a way that makes sense either...Fine." Lei Xing released her arm and turned to go back to the Emperor.

Tung Mei immediately grabbed her arm, "Xing jie don't be angry. It's not that I don't want to help you it's just...that I can't...You can just ignore it, that's what I do...Or maybe not...But it's really not bad, technically." She finished with a deep frown and stared at Lei Xing with an aggrieved expression as if she was being wrongly blamed.

Her expression further irritated Lei Xing and she brushed her off and walked back. Tung Mei lowered her head and followed her with a pout.

When she got back to the Emperor, Lei Xing noticed Lei Yong narrowing his eyes at her and wondered what his problem was. The Emperor saw Lei Xing looking upset and wanted to ask what was wrong but before he could speak, an excited shout suddenly came their way, "Ah, found you!"

They all turned to see An Hao excitedly jump off his horse holding a box and hop straight to Xiao Ting, who was pouting on the edge of the group because Lei Xing and Tung Mei left her out. An Hao had gone to the Lei manor and was informed she went shopping, so he made his way here. It was a situation of utmost importance and urgency, it could not wait.

He got to her front and opened the box and showed its contents to her, "It took a while but I finally made it, I had to go all the way to Zheyi city to get the ingredients, but it's definitely worth it. Try it."

Xiao Ting smiled happy someone was finally talking to her and curiously looked at the box filled with little fried cakes, at An Hao's urging she picked one and took a bite and her eyes went wide, "Mm, it's good."

"Right? It tastes just like the real thing, doesn't it?" An Hao smugly asked.

Xiao Ting smiled and responded, "Well, I don't know what the real thing tastes like...But you should have properly cleaned up yourself up before coming. You have flour on your face."? She said pointing to his cheek.

"Oh." An Hao dusted his cheek as he said, "Hehe~ I was in a bit of hurry. This has to be eaten when it's hot or it's not good." He was missing the flour, so Xiao Ting reached out and helped him, while An Hao just stared at her. Xiao Ting then asked, "Aren't you going to eat any?"

"Oh, oh yes." An Hao looked down at the box and then glanced back at her to see her happily eating and smiled, he had spent a lot of work on this particular recipe.

Other than eating, An Hao collected snack recipes so he could always enjoy them whenever he wanted. It's been a habit of his since he was little. If he asked the sellers and they refused to tell him, he would shadow them and hide on the roof or somewhere near to watch them cook the snacks.

Of course, he asked her about the snacks he ate at the Lei manor and she happily took him to the kitchen, he learned a lot from the cooks and thought she was really a good one.

He also wished the cooks in his manor were as skilled.?He actually kicked the cooks out of the kitchen after they annoyed him with the rubbish they kept making. An Hao gave them the recipes, told them exactly how to make them and yet they still messed it up.

After a few chances, An Hao got angry and took on the task himself. He could not present sloppy goods and since he was on vacation he had time. In the end, since they were eager to learn he let took them under his wings, and told them to be sure to take notes or he'll really kick them out.

An Hao thought Xiao Ting had good taste and felt bad that there was so much she had not tried beyond the capital. So he took it upon himself to recreate the snacks here and put it in a lot of effort to make them as authentic as possible for her to try.

"Ah, I knew that smelled familair, duli cakes! I can tell if the taste authentic, let me-" Princess Nalan said poking her head between the two, duli cake was a Zou kingdom delicacy.

An Hao immediately snapped the box shut, almost locking her finger in and frowned at her and spat out, "There's only enough for two."

Princess Nalan knit her brows and opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Lei Yong who had been frozen watching the scene with a frown finally woke up and exclaimed, "An Hao!"

{...When did these two -?! o_O)...}