When Li Meirong gave no further response, Bao Li began to sob loudly. Her glossy eyes filled with tears, which lingered and remained unshed.

"It seems that for this disciple, our friendship no longer matters! I am merely a servant in the sect, so making a promise to me is of no consequence to an inner sect disciple such as yourself!"

"Such nonsense!" Li Meirong rose from her seat and went to kneel by Bao Li's side. She tenderly cupped her friend's cheeks, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes with her thumbs. "I truly have no idea what you're talking about," she admitted, "but if I upset you in any way, then I apologize deeply. How about you tell me the full story first, so we can solve this issue together, hm?"

Witnessing all this from the outside, Xiao An Fei's mouth hung open slightly. Her Ladyship, Li Meirong, was being far too softhearted!

This Bao Li was obviously shedding crocodile tears; how could Her Ladyship fall for such a simple trick?

'Worse yet is her kneeling; for the Sovereign Lord's wife to kneel before others is most inappropriate!' Xiao An Fei thought in disapproval as she rounded the table, following Li Meirong's steps.

"My Lady, please, it is beneath your station to kneel," she stated, reaching towards Li Meirong's elbow. "Please conduct yourself accordingly."

"All this talk of position and station…" Li Meirong threw Xiao An Fei a pointed look. "We will be discussing it later."

"But, My Lady, this—"

"Later." Li Meirong's tone was firm, her decision final as she shook Xiao An Fei off. She immediately turned back to Bao Li, locking eyes with the other girl and grasping her hands gently. "Please don't cry. Tell me what's wrong. How can I make it better?"

Bao Li, who had been making a huge fuss all this while, suddenly stopped crying. She lifted her teary eyes to give Li Meirong a pitiful look. In her heart, however, she was only joyful at the worry her friend was showing for her sake.

It was obvious to all of them that Li Meirong planned on doing whatever she could to please Bao Li, so the odds of Bao Li's request being approved were very high.

Bao Li let none of her inner joy show on her face. Instead, she huffed. "You know I would have liked to adopt Snowball, but you are my friend and I would never steal him from you. I was fine with waiting for a future litter, waiting for the chance to raise one cub. But then today! Today I saw it with my own eyes! Not one, but a twin pair of fox spirits roaming your garden! How many fox spirits do you actually own, and why can you not share a single one with me?"

Xiao An Fei took a stumbling step back, feeling as if she had just been stung. Her hands clenched into small fists, hiding the claws which extended from her fingers like tiny, pale knives.

This damned Bao Li had indeed seen her and her sister!