Cold fingers clamped onto her shoulder.
Jinhsi trembled slightly and looked up.
It was the Chief Attendant.
Her hand gripped Jinhsi’s shoulder like an iron vise, her wrinkled face devoid of emotion.
“Young Lady, let us return to the mansion.” Her voice was calm, yet carried an indisputable authority.
Jinhsi was led away.
She didn’t resist, but at the very last moment before turning around, she cast one more glance at the mess on the ground.
The once-glistening red fruit was now mashed into the dirt—a blurry, filthy stain resting like a glaring scar in her memory.
She really had made a mistake…
If she had chosen not to go out with Mo Hai, if she had chosen to ask him to stay and keep her company inside, would none of this have happened?
Would Mo Hai remain unpunished, and would the people in the mansion have been spared this chaos?
Back in the familiar, resplendent Magistrate Mansion, Jinhsi spent the whole way trying to speak up for Mo Hai, but the Chief Attendant ignored her entirely.
The surrounding guards kept their eyes fixed straight ahead, acting as if they heard nothing.
She was brought back to her room.
The doors closed behind her, shutting out the outside world.
Everything in the room remained exactly as she had left it.
The classics were neatly stacked on the desk, calming incense wafted gently from the burner, and her bed was soft and pristine.
This was the safest, most comfortable place in all of Jinzhou.
Yet at this moment, it felt like a magnificent cage.
Jinhsi walked to the window, staring up at the cold moon outside.
On the tip of her tongue, a faint trace of sweetness seemed to linger.
But her chest felt stuffed with cotton, leaving her suffocated.
It was an emotion she had never experienced before.
Not the grievance of being scolded by her teacher, nor the fatigue of heavy studies.
It was a complex blend of worry, guilt, and a sliver of sadness.
*”Without my order, no one is to give him a single drop of water or scrap of food.”* Thinking of those words, Jinhsi knew Matron-Teacher was truly furious—otherwise, why would she take out her anger on a boy her age?
Yet those cold words kept echoing in her head.
*Where will he be locked up?* *What is that place called the Reflection Chamber like?* *Will he be scared?
Will he be cold and hungry?* The moment she pictured Mo Hai’s mischievously smiling face and his overly bright eyes, Jinhsi’s heart squeezed tightly.
It was all because of her.
If she hadn’t gone out with him, he wouldn’t have been caught.
*Don’t worry.* That silent mouth-shape surfaced before her eyes once more.
Jinhsi’s small fists clenched involuntarily.
Dinner was served right on time.
The dishes were exquisite and perfectly balanced in nutrition, meticulously prepared by the Culinary Steward based on her physical needs.
Every dish was beyond reproach.
Yet Jinhsi had no appetite at all.
Looking at the table full of food, a single thought consumed her mind.
*He has nothing to eat right now.* After another failed attempt to plead with Matron-Teacher to forgive Mo Hai, a bold idea began to sprout wildly in her mind like a weed breaking through soil.
Her heart thut-thumped wildly out of control.
She knew it was wrong and broke the rules.
Teacher would surely be furious.
“But…” She looked down at her tender palms.
They still seemed to hold the lingering warmth of being tightly held by another hand.
Jinhsi took a deep breath and made up her mind.
She picked up her chopsticks and began to eat casually, as if nothing were amiss.
Only, when no one was looking, she quietly slipped several beautifully crafted osmanthus cakes into her wide sleeves.
…
Meanwhile, back to our boy in custody, Mo Hai.
Although he desperately wanted to fight off those guards, the massive gap in strength forced him to submit for now.
Besides, they weren’t wrong to grab him.
He really had been a bit of a bastard, snatching away the future Magistrate without a word.
Though now I don’t get any dinner…
Q_Q The Reflection Chamber.
It had an elegant name, but in reality, it was just a solitary confinement cell.
Cold stone walls enclosed all four sides, with only a small, high window letting in a faint shaft of moonlight.
Mo Hai sat in the corner hugging his knees, his stomach rumbling loudly.
“System, get out here,” he called out in his mind.
“Tell me, I’m not going to be the first host to starve to death in the tutorial chapter, am I?” [Ding!
Host’s vital signs are steadily declining.
This experience is a normal part of life simulation.
Host, please do not attempt to skip life.] The mechanical voice was as cold as ever.
“You really are a thoughtful system,” Mo Hai snorted weakly.
He quickly turned his mind to strategies.
Right now, the best path forward was likely farming affection points aggressively or doing something major to boost his evaluation score.
While his mind was wandering…
*Creak…* A faint sound of wood scraping against wood came from outside the door.
Immediately after, a voice as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz drifted through the gap beneath the door.
“Mo Hai?” Mo Hai froze.
*Auditory hallucinations?
Am I starving so badly that I’m hearing things?* He shook his head and pressed closer to the door.
“Who’s there?
Did Bishop Phoebe send someone to reap my soul?” The person outside was clearly startled, falling silent for several seconds.
Then, that tense, shy voice spoke again.
“It’s me…
Jinhsi.” It was her!
Mo Hai’s heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly pressed his eye against the crack in the door.
He saw those familiar, clear eyes looking inside with nervousness and anxiety.
“My dear future Magistrate, in the middle of the night, are you here to break me out of jail?” Mo Hai lowered his voice, unable to resist teasing her.
“Shh!
Don’t talk so loud!” Jinhsi’s cheeks flushed red in the moonlight.
“I…
I brought you food.” Saying that, a few wrapped pieces of food inside a handkerchief were pushed through the gap beneath the door frame bit by bit.
It was those osmanthus cakes.
Though slightly squashed from being pushed under, the sweet scent was, to the current Mo Hai, the most irresistible delicacy in the world.
He picked up a piece, sniffed it, and said in an exaggerated tone, “This food is poisoned!” “Ah?” Jinhsi almost gasped aloud.
“It’s…
it’s not poisoned!
I saved these from my dinner, they’re clean!” She was on the verge of tears.
Seeing how startled she was, Mo Hai let out a low chuckle.
“I know.
I’m just teasing you.” Through the door panel, his voice sounded exceptionally gentle.
“Thank you, Jinhsi.” He popped the slightly deformed osmanthus cake into his mouth.
It melted on his tongue, sweet without being cloying.
It was the best thing he had ever eaten in his entire life.
Silence fell outside the door for a long moment.
After a while, Jinhsi asked in a tiny voice, “Is it tasty?” “Mm.” Mo Hai nodded vigorously, his mouth full as he mumbled, “The absolute best in the whole world.” She seemed to smile, too.
Another stretch of silence followed—not awkward, but filled with a strange, soothing peace.
“What…
what will they do to you?” Jinhsi’s voice was laced with worry.
“Don’t worry, I’m tough.
They’ll let me out after a couple of days,” Mo Hai said casually.
“As for you, don’t come here again.
It’ll be bad if someone catches you.” “…Okay.” She gave a soft response.
“You…
take good care of yourself.” Faint footsteps sounded, quickly fading into the distance.
Mo Hai leaned back against the cold wooden door, still holding the warm osmanthus cake in his hand.
That warmth seemed to spread from his fingertips all the way into his heart.
[Ding!
Shift detected in target’s emotional bond…] A satisfied smile curved Mo Hai’s lips.
Looking at the thought of cute little Jinhsi, he felt that transmigrating here wasn’t such a bad thing after all.