165: Chapter 165: Snow Empress: I just didn't sleep well last night!

Early the next morning, the sun was bright, casting warm patches of light onto the dining table through the window lattice of the dining room.

A sumptuous breakfast was spread across the table, steaming hot and smelling delicious.

Lu Jing, Wang Donger, Snow Empress, Qian Renxue, and Xiao Wu took their seats in turn and began to eat.

Wang Donger sat beside Lu Jing, her complexion having fully recovered.

Even after the shy denial triggered by the "Kun" code last night, she now carried a hint of the sweetness and coyness of a couple reunited after a brief separation.

She would steal a glance at Lu Jing from time to time, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Xiao Wu, as always, ate happily, though her large eyes darted back and forth across everyone's faces, seemingly sensing an unusual atmosphere.

Lu Jing did not pay much attention at first.

He was in a good mood; while eating breakfast, he chatted in low tones with Wang Donger and occasionally picked up a pastry that Xiao Wu liked for her.

However, as he ate, he keenly sensed that the atmosphere at the dining table seemed subtly stagnant.

This sense of stagnation did not come from Wang Donger or Xiao Wu, but from the two across the table.

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Qian Renxue and Snow Empress.

Qian Renxue maintained her elegant dining posture, a flawless, gentle smile on her stunning face.

But deep within her brilliant golden eyes, Lu Jing caught a trace of an extremely subtle, fleeting complex emotion.

It was like ripples hidden beneath a calm lake surface.

Although she concealed it well, based on his understanding of Qian Renxue, this was definitely not normal.

Moreover, her smile seemed to have an extra layer of deliberate perfection compared to usual.

It even carried a hint of an imperceptible, indescribable sense of fortitude?

What concerned Lu Jing even more was Snow Empress.

This Ruler of the Far North, who was usually as cold as ice and remained unflappable even if Mount Tai collapsed before her, appeared somewhat distracted at this moment!

The hand holding her chopsticks seemed to grip them tighter than usual, her knuckles slightly white.

Her movements while eating had also become somewhat stiff, even mechanical.

Those ice-blue eyes, though still clear, had clearly lost focus, staring at the dishes in front of her as if daydreaming or lost in thought.

Most obviously, when Lu Jing's gaze inadvertently swept over her, she seemed to sense it; her delicate body trembled almost imperceptibly, her long eyelashes fluttered, and she immediately lowered her head, as if avoiding his gaze or hiding something.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Lu Jing frowned slightly.

Snow Empress's appearance was just like... she was hiding some huge matter in her heart, yet didn't know what to do, even carrying a hint of panic?

"Ahem!"

Lu Jing cleared his throat, put down his chopsticks, and scanned his gaze back and forth between Qian Renxue and Snow Empress. With a tentative tone, he broke the silence at the dining table and asked, "I say... you two, what is going on this morning? Why do I feel... the atmosphere is a bit strange? Did something happen?"

Just as his words fell—

"Clatter!"

A slight, crisp sound of chopsticks hitting the edge of a bowl.

Because of Lu Jing's sudden question, Snow Empress's hand seemed to shake in surprise, and she actually didn't hold them steady.

One chopstick fell onto the table, making a crisp sound.

She seemed startled, jerking her head up. A clear flash of panic instantly crossed her ice-blue eyes, and two extremely faint yet unusually obvious blushes appeared on her fair, stunning cheeks at a visible speed!

"N-nothing!" Snow Empress's voice carried a hint of imperceptible urgency, even stuttering slightly.

She quickly lowered her head, avoiding everyone's gaze, and reached out to pick up the fallen chopstick, her movements appearing clumsy due to her panic. She replied, "There's... nothing wrong. I... I just... didn't rest well last night, and was just a bit distracted."

This explanation was incredibly weak.

With Snow Empress's 700,000 years of cultivation and temperament, would she lose her composure like this, or even fail to hold her chopsticks steady, just because she didn't rest well?

This was even rarer than the sun rising from the west.

Lu Jing's frown deepened.

He turned his gaze to Xiao Wu, asking with his eyes.

Xiao Wu was chewing on a pastry; seeing this, she hurriedly shook her head and said vaguely, "Mmm... I don't know. I slept very soundly last night and don't know anything."

She was indeed looking clueless.

Lu Jing looked at Qian Renxue again.

Facing Lu Jing's probing gaze, the smile on Qian Renxue's face seemed even more perfect.

She shrugged lightly, her movements elegant and her tone relaxed. But beneath that relaxation, Lu Jing detected a hint of deliberate, almost "the thief calling himself innocent" flavor: "Me? What could I have going on? Perhaps Senior Snow Empress really didn't rest well. But you, Xiao Jing, are so concerned about us?"

Her answer dodged the serious issues and even counter-attacked.

Lu Jing's gaze lingered for a moment between Snow Empress's lowered, suspiciously blushing profile and Qian Renxue's flawless yet strange smile.

His heart was full of doubts, but seeing their demeanor, it was clear they didn't intend to say more at the dining table, especially in front of Wang Donger and Xiao Wu.

Although Lu Jing could feel something was wrong, since they didn't want to say, he couldn't keep pressing, lest he make the atmosphere even more awkward.

He nodded, picked up his chopsticks again, and his tone returned to normal: "As long as it's nothing. Let's eat; the food is getting cold."

However, he had already made up his mind.

After finishing the meal, he must figure out what exactly happened.

And the breakthrough point was clearly Snow Empress.

Although Snow Empress was powerful, in some aspects, especially in the complexity of her thoughts and the ability to hide emotions, she was far inferior to Qian Renxue.

Moreover, based on his understanding of Snow Empress, she was a being with relatively simple thoughts who was not good at pretense.

Once she had something on her mind, it was easy to see the clues.

Starting with her was undoubtedly the best choice.

Thus, breakfast ended in an atmosphere that was calm on the surface but had undercurrents flowing.

Although Wang Donger also sensed Snow Empress's abnormality, seeing that Lu Jing didn't ask again, she obediently didn't pry, though she felt a bit more curious.

Xiao Wu was completely carefree; after eating and drinking her fill, she patted her belly with satisfaction.

After the meal, everyone dispersed.

Wang Donger chatted with Lu Jing for a while before returning to her own room.

Xiao Wu skipped off to find a place to bask in the sun.

Qian Renxue glanced at Lu Jing, her eyes seemingly containing many unspoken words, and then she also turned and left elegantly.

Snow Empress, almost as if fleeing, was the first to walk quickly back to her room, slamming the door shut with a bang, as if trying to shut something out.

Lu Jing waited in the living room for a while, estimating that Snow Empress should have calmed down a bit, before getting up and walking to the door of Snow Empress's room.

"Knock, knock, knock."

He raised his hand and knocked gently on the door.

...

PS: Sorry, I went out to have fun these past two days; I will update normally later!