Oops! My Inner Thoughts Are Ruining The Plot

Chapter 21: Chapter

Xi Lanyin walked toward her mother with an awkward smile on her face. She leaned closer and whispered into her ear, but her voice was still loud enough for the Duke to hear as well.

"Mother, you said it yourself that you don’t want anyone getting on Su Yueqing’s nerves. Even if she really burned down the residence... we can’t really do anything to her."

Hearing her daughter’s words, Lin Meiyun let out a helpless sigh as her husband calmly placed his hand on her shoulder.

Su Yueqing saw them talking, but she simply scoffed and looked away.

[My legs hurt.]

[When are they going to start with the punishment?]

[I’m sleepy.]

Lin Meiyun let out a long, tired sigh as she slowly loosened her tense expression, as though the weight of the entire night was finally pressing her down more than she could continue carrying, and after a brief silence she gently patted Xi Lanyin’s hand in a way that showed she understood her daughter’s meaning.

"Enough," she said at last, her voice calm but firm, while her eyes moved across the courtyard where servants still stood nervously and ashes still drifted faintly in the air, "this matter ends here."

The words landed heavily.

Not because they were harsh, but because they were unexpectedly final.

Several servants lifted their heads in confusion, as though they had not properly heard her.

Xi Ronghua even frowned slightly.

"Sister in law?" she asked, unable to hide her disbelief.

But Lin Meiyun only closed her eyes for a moment before speaking again, this time even more calmly, as though she had made a decision she would not revisit.

"There is no need to continue questioning or accusing anyone tonight. Everyone is safe, the danger has passed, and whatever truly happened in the kitchen will be investigated properly later. For now, everyone will rest."

A quiet shock moved through the courtyard.

Even Xi Yunhao straightened slightly, clearly not expecting her to simply end the matter like that.

Su Yueqing, who had been standing slightly apart, finally lifted her head.

Inside her mind, a sharp wave of disbelief cut through her usual laziness.

[What.]

[That’s it?]

[No interrogation? No dramatic kneeling? No punishment arc?]

[You’re just... ending it?]

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she stared at the Duchess.

[How can you just let it go like that?]

[This is not how this story is supposed to work.]

Xi Wenzhe’s expression darkened instantly.

He stepped forward, his voice sharper than before.

"Mother, this is not something that can be dismissed so easily. The kitchen burned down, lives were put at risk, and the circumstances are far too suspicious."

But before he could continue further, Xi Jianyu raised his hand slightly, cutting him off with a single calm gesture.

His voice was steady, but it carried absolute authority.

"That is enough."

Xi Wenzhe paused.

For a brief moment, father and son simply looked at each other, neither backing down, neither speaking, the tension between them silent but heavy.

Xi Wenzhe’s jaw tightened.

"Father..."

But Xi Jianyu did not raise his voice.

He simply looked at him and said, "Your mother has already spoken. This matter will not continue tonight."

The words were not loud, but they left no space for argument.

Xi Wenzhe’s expression darkened further, clearly unwilling, yet after a long pause he finally exhaled slowly as though forcing himself to step back.

"...Understood."

He turned his gaze slightly, and it landed briefly on Su Yueqing.

It was not warm.

It was not kind.

It was a look filled with restrained frustration, as though he wanted answers but had been forced to postpone them.

Su Yueqing met that gaze without blinking.

Inside her mind—

[Oh.]

[So now you’re mad at me.]

[Interesting.]

[But I didn’t even do anything today... technically.]

Xi Wenzhe spoke again, his voice lower now but still sharp enough to cut through the silence.

"Do not leave the manor without reporting again. And be more careful next time."

It sounded like a warning.

It also sounded like restraint.

Su Yueqing blinked slowly.

Inside her mind—

[Careful?]

[In this house?]

[I almost died, lost my room, lost my bed, and now I’m being told to be careful?]

[Sure.]

[Very logical.]

She looked away immediately after, clearly uninterested in continuing the conversation.

But the moment she did, something shifted again in the courtyard.

Because a thought, calm and sharp as ever, slipped through her mind without warning.

[Still...]

[If they really want to find the truth, it’s not that hard.]

[Just check her hand.]

[That little maid.]

[She definitely has burn marks on her palm from the oil.]

[And if they search her belongings properly, the things she used should still be hidden somewhere in her room in the servants’ quarters.] freewebnøvel.com

[Honestly... it’s obvious.]

The entire courtyard froze.

Xi Wenzhe’s eyes narrowed sharply.

Xi Jianyu’s gaze shifted immediately.

Xi Yunhao turned his head slowly.

Even Xi Lanyin stiffened.

And Li Mei, who had been standing quietly with lowered eyes, suddenly felt the atmosphere around her change.

She slowly raised her head, her expression still soft and innocent, but her fingers unconsciously tightened inside her sleeves.

"...Why," she asked softly, forcing a confused look, "why is everyone suddenly looking at me?"

Su Yueqing suddenly yawned, as if the entire discussion had nothing to do with her at all, and she stretched her arms slightly with a tired expression before speaking in a calm, almost lazy tone.

"I’m going to bed," she said simply, even though she had no idea where exactly she was supposed to sleep in this huge manor.

The Duchess turned immediately and called for a maid in a low voice, instructing her to personally take Su Yueqing to the Young Master’s residence so she could rest there for the night, and the maid quickly stepped forward and bowed before guiding her away.

Xi Wenzhe did not even seem to register what had just been arranged, as his attention was still fixed on Li Mei with a deep, unreadable expression, as though he was still trying to process everything that had happened within such a short span of time.

Su Yueqing followed the maid without resistance, her steps slow and unbothered, while behind her the atmosphere of the courtyard remained tense and unsettled, like a storm that had not yet fully passed.

Almost at the same time, the Duchess quietly instructed another servant to take Li Mei away as well, so that her injuries and possible burns could be properly treated, and Li Mei was gently escorted out of the courtyard under the careful supervision of the servants.

With both women leaving the scene, the heavy silence that had been forced earlier by Su Yueqing’s presence finally broke apart, and the family members immediately began speaking more freely, as though they had been holding back everything for too long.

Xi Yunhao frowned deeply as he looked toward Xi Wenzhe, his voice lower but firm.

"Do you actually believe Li Mei could do something like this?"

Xi Yunchen let out a short breath and added in a more thoughtful tone, "Everything tonight is already strange enough, but if we are being honest, she doesn’t seem like the type to do something so reckless."

Xi Qianqian shook her head, speaking with certainty as though she wanted to defend what she believed in.

"Li Mei has always been gentle and kind, she even takes care of the other servants without being asked, so why would she ever burn down Su Yueqing’s residence?"

But Xi Ronghua immediately clicked her tongue and crossed her arms, her expression sharp and unconvinced.

"Why can’t she?" she said bluntly, her voice cutting through the disagreement. "Jealousy can make anyone do anything, and people are not always what they appear to be when they feel threatened."

The moment those words fell, the entire group went quiet again, as the weight of suspicion slowly settled back into the air, leaving Xi Wenzhe standing there in silence, still staring in the direction Li Mei had been taken, as though even he did not yet know what answer he was supposed to believe.