The Three Kingdoms: The entire Cao Cao camp thought I was weak and frail.

Tang felt as if she had been granted a pardon and quickly signaled to the wet nurse to take the baby away.

The onlookers at the scene—Xi Zhicai, Chen Qun, and Zhao Yan—all watched the small figure leave, their faces showing a hint of lingering satisfaction.

Even without witnesses, there is still physical evidence, so Guo Jia's pressure has not lessened at all.

"My jade pendant is still here! This one isn't mine at all!" Guo Jia stamped his foot. "You just wait!"

Xun Yu's face darkened; he couldn't control either of them.

Xun Hao lowered his eyes, staring at his pale fingers, without saying a word.

Not long after, Guo Jia rushed back like a gust of wind, clutching something tightly in his hand.

He rushed up to Xun Hao and opened his palm.

In the palm of his hand lay another jade pendant, lying quietly.

The style, size, and carving are almost identical to the one that Tang brought out, except that the jade is more lustrous.

Two jade pendants are placed side by side.

Everyone was taken aback.

Xun Hao's gaze shifted from the "token" jade pendant to the one in Guo Jia's palm.

Of course he recognizes it.

From their first meeting in Yingchuan to their subsequent journey together, Guo Jia always wore this jade pendant close to his body. However, it is unknown when he stopped wearing it.

He thought he had lost it or given it to one of his female confidantes.

When Tang took out the almost identical jade pendant, all his chaotic thoughts pointed to the possibility that was most difficult for him to accept.

So... there were two pieces.

His tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

Seeing that his expression had softened, Guo Jia felt a great weight lifted from his heart and quickly explained, "This is mine! As for the other one... my Guo family has many branches, so it's not surprising that we might have a couple of identical tokens. Yanruo, believe me, that child has absolutely nothing to do with me!"

As he spoke, he slipped his jade pendant into Xun Hao's hand, his tone carrying a hint of flattery.

"Originally, I intended to give it to you as a congratulatory gift when you came of age. But I was afraid you would find it presumptuous and refuse to accept it, so I haven't taken it out yet."

"Since we've come this far..." Guo Jia looked at Xun Hao, his peach blossom eyes now full of seriousness, "It's yours."

Xun Hao held the jade pendant, which still retained the warmth of the other person's body, and was momentarily at a loss for how to react.

"It's neither a festival nor a holiday, what's the point of giving me a jade pendant?" he asked in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of awkwardness that he himself didn't realize.

Guo Jia smiled, a smile of relief that came from surviving a calamity.

"Consider it... a return gift for the Pisces jade pendant you gave me."

Pisces jade pendant?

In the living room, several gazes instantly sharpened.

Xi Zhicai's ears stood up like a rabbit's.

Chen Qun and Zhao Yan exchanged a knowing look that suggested there was more to the story.

Xun Hao's cheeks flushed uncontrollably.

"What do you mean 'I gave it to you'? You tricked me into giving it to you, and that was seven or eight years ago! And now you're only thinking of returning the favor?"

Xun Yu suddenly stood up, staring intently at Guo Jia, his eyes seeming as if he wanted to devour him alive.

"Seven or eight years ago?!"

His voice was trembling.

"How old was Yanruo back then?! Guo Fengxiao, you...you're worse than a beast!"

Guo Jia was stunned by this sudden outburst of anger.

He stared blankly at Xun Yu, who was furious, and then at Xun You, who had a "you're dead" expression on his face. He had no idea what he had said that had offended his brother-in-law.

"I...I only asked for a jade pendant, how is that being a beast?" he innocently protested. "Brother Wenruo, please be reasonable, I was just a kid back then!"

"You still dare to argue!" Xun Yu trembled with rage, his finger shaking as he pointed at Guo Jia. "You shameless scoundrel! How could I not have seen through your wolfish ambitions back in Yingchuan!"

Faced with this accusation, Guo Jia showed no remorse whatsoever. Instead, he retorted confidently, "Brother Wenruo, I don't like hearing that. Back in Yingchuan, didn't you yourself personally ask me to keep a close eye on Yanruo?"

Xun Yu's anger seemed to freeze on his face instantly, as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over his head.

Chen Qun and Zhao Yan, the two new guests, who had been trying to maintain proper posture, both turned their gazes to Xun Yu in the main seat at the same time.

That look in his eyes was complex and difficult to understand, yet it clearly conveyed the same message.

So, it was you who let the wolf into the house?

Xun You's hand, holding the teacup, froze in mid-air. He closed his eyes, looking as if he couldn't bear to watch.

It's over, what a misfortune for our family.

Xun Yu's face went from black to red, then from red to purple—a truly fascinating display. He wanted to refute, but found that every word Guo Jia said was true.

Initially, it was indeed because he saw that Guo Jia, though unconventional in his behavior, was exceptionally talented and got along well with Yan Ruo, that he asked him to take good care of him. Who could have imagined that this wolf wasn't there to protect the sheep, but to snatch them back to his own den!

"I told you to look after him," Xun Yu spat out the words through gritted teeth, his voice distorted, "I didn't tell you to look after him like this!"

Xun Hao knew his own situation best. Guo Jia originally only regarded him as a younger brother of a friend. In the end, if it weren't for Xun Hao's constant attempts to survive by getting close to Guo Jia every few days, sometimes under the pretense of reading books, sometimes under the pretense of seeking advice, creating countless "chance encounters" and "coincidences," Guo Jia's affections would never have lingered for him.

We were never meant to be, but I've managed to recharge myself.

In order to create opportunities for physical contact, he pretended to fall, pretended to be cold, and even tricked Guo Jia into coming to his bed when he chased him to his house.

At first, Guo Jia did indeed only regard him as an interesting but physically weak younger brother.

It was he who probed step by step, lured little by little, and did the boldest things with the most innocent expression.

Only then did the wild horse, which had run free, gradually calm down and turn its attention to itself.

Brother, you've insulted the wrong person.

Seeing that Xun Yu was about to faint from anger, Xun Hao could no longer pretend to be dead. He walked to Xun Yu's side and reached out to support his arm.

"Brother, this matter... is my fault."

Looking at his younger brother, who had been frail since childhood and had no playmates, Xun Yu's anger subsided considerably, leaving only heartache and helplessness.

"You!" He sighed, ultimately unable to bring himself to say a harsh word.

Upon seeing this, Guo Jia immediately stepped forward, his attitude extremely sincere: "Brother Wenruo, Yanruo is weak, please don't upset him. All the blame is mine, if you must punish someone, punish me."

Xun Yu glanced at him coldly and snorted through his nose.

Punish you? I'd probably banish you from the manor, but you'd be back climbing over the wall in less than half an hour.

This farce finally came to a temporary end after Xun Hao took the initiative to admit his mistake.

Xun Yu waved wearily, instructing Tang to take Chen Qun and Zhao Yan to their guest rooms. The two guests, as if granted a pardon, fled this troublesome place as if escaping. Before leaving, they gave Guo Jia a look that seemed to say, "Take care, brother."