What Now?

Xu Feng leaned back slightly, his fingers idly tapping against the wooden table as he let his thoughts drift. His mind wasn't on the woman's frantic ramblings anymore, nor on the weight of the information she had just spilled.

There had to be more to the story.

'Sun Ming Hua.'

The name had been spoken with a mix of scorn and annoyance, as if just mentioning him was enough to invite bad luck. But was that truly the case? Or was he simply a boy who had been given too much favor by the wrong person and hated for it?

Xu Feng let the thought settle in his mind as his brother, Xu Zeng, continued his line of questioning.

"What's your name?"

The woman jolted as if she had forgotten her own existence for a moment. "Chun Tao," she answered quickly, voice small.

Xu Zeng's eyes narrowed. "And you are really a servant of the Sun household?"

"Yes," she nodded fervently. "I—I've served in the young mistress' courtyard for years! I swear it!"