Chapter 23: The Thorny Rose

Bang.

The door closed before Lu Yunze could escape from this room.

“Hm? Why did the door close by itself?”

Lu Yunze turned around, his face full of disbelief.

He clearly hadn’t done anything, so why did the door close on its own?

Suddenly, he remembered the conversation he overheard among the servants in the Dining Hall earlier. Could it really be haunted?

Could it be that Butler I killed, not willing to accept his fate, turned into a vengeful ghost to seek revenge? No, please, if it’s a ghost, a female ghost would be better than an old man ghost.

Lu Yunze looked at Jiang Sui again, just about to explain, but realized she had somehow moved right in front of him.

Jiang Sui was only draped in a loose white nightgown, a few buttons barely hanging on, exposing a large expanse of snow-white skin to the air.

She didn’t seem to care at all, her hands clasped behind her back, body leaning forward slightly, those pale purple eyes sparkling with a seductive light.

Lu Yunze immediately turned his head away, even closing his eyes.

“Young Master, what are you hiding from? Are you afraid I’ll eat you?” Jiang Sui asked in a coquettish voice.

“No, not at all.”

“Then why won’t you look at me?” Jiang Sui pouted, her shoulders drooping. “I get it, Young Master must be tired of me, otherwise you wouldn’t be so perfunctory.”

“No, how could I possibly get tired of you for no reason?”

Lu Yunze opened his eyes, and every now and then their gazes would meet, as if one more second of eye contact would make him explode. No, it really would explode—if he lost control, the lower house would drag the upper house to blow up together.

Seeing him like this, Jiang Sui let out a few clear laughs, and as she turned around, she asked:

“Did Young Master come specially to see me, because I didn’t report for duty on time?”

“Mm, I’m here to supervise, you know, supervise.” Because the blush on his face hadn’t faded, Lu Yunze’s words carried no authority at all.

“Is that so? Then how is Young Master going to punish this disobedient Maid?”

“Uh… tell me why you were late, and don’t do it again next time.”

That’s it?

Jiang Sui glanced at him with disinterest, and said flatly:

“Because I overslept.”

“That simple?” Lu Yunze thought she still needed to recuperate from her injuries. “Then the noise I heard outside just now…” he said, looking at the broken vase on the floor.

Was it the wind?

“If I said it was a cat, would you believe me, Young Master?”

So it really was the wind.

Lu Yunze didn’t believe her nonsense. There wasn’t even a mouse in this Manor, how could there be a cat?

Since she was fine, Lu Yunze wanted to turn and leave, but was called back by Jiang Sui:

“Since Young Master is here, why rush to leave?”

“Then what should I stay here for?”

“If even Young Master leaves, my life will lose all meaning~”

Lu Yunze stared at her face, thinking only she could say such things without blushing or skipping a beat—her skin was really thick.

Considering how much she had helped him, Lu Yunze felt embarrassed to refuse. As for the meaning of life, he just took it as her joking to make him stay.

If he left, was there anyone else in this Manor worth her asking to stay?

Even after deciding to stay, Lu Yunze sat upright on the bed, not letting his gaze wander.

Jiang Sui really didn’t treat him as an outsider, even starting to change clothes right in front of him, forcing Lu Yunze to shut his eyes tight.

The sound of fabric rubbing kept ringing in his ears, and those unseen images kept surfacing in his mind, even forming a complete picture.

She took off her nightgown, her whole body bare, her smooth back defenseless. If he took the chance to press her down now, she probably wouldn’t resist either.

Damn it, Lu Yunze, why do you have such a vivid imagination?

He slapped himself hard, drawing a glance from Jiang Sui, but she just let out a soft laugh at the corner of her mouth and continued changing.

After a while, Lu Yunze heard her voice:

“All right, Young Master, you can open your eyes now.”

When he opened his eyes, Lu Yunze saw Jiang Sui dressed neatly in her Maid Uniform, a gentle smile on her face, her hands folded in front of her, ready to await his instructions at any time.

Seeing her familiar posture again after so many days, Lu Yunze couldn’t help but feel a wave of warmth in his heart.

“Sorry for making Young Master worry, and even come to my room personally.”

“I told you, I’m just here to supervise, supervise, you get it?” Lu Yunze coughed twice, pretending to be stern. “If I can’t count on you, as your superior, I’ll really have a headache.”

“Is that so? Young Master thinks he can manage without me?” Jiang Sui touched her chin, tilting her head.

“Of course. I, Lu Yunze, am a real man. How could I always rely on others when I run into trouble?”

“Really?”

Lu Yunze’s pride surged, and he puffed out his chest, saying loudly: “Of course. The past is the past, now is now. I’m not the weakling I used to be.”

Just then, there was a knock at the door, followed by an ominous voice:

“Jiang Sui, are you in there?”

It was Luo Yao!

Lu Yunze sucked in a breath.

Though it wasn’t at the same time, it was still the same person, in the same place.

“I’m coming in.”

Luo Yao pushed the door open. After seeing the scene in the room, she frowned.

“Why are you still in bed?”

As she spoke, she walked closer to the bed, making Jiang Sui, who was sitting there, force a stiff smile.

“You’re wearing a Maid Uniform under the covers—aren’t you hot?”

“To be honest, Miss, my injury isn’t fully healed yet. The doctor said I should keep warm.”

“Why isn’t the Wardrobe closed?”

“I forgot.”

“Why is the vase broken?”

“The wind blew it over.”

Jiang Sui’s expression didn’t change the whole time, her acting flawless, not revealing a single flaw.

Luo Yao believed it all, even going over to help her close the Wardrobe, then returning to sit by the bed.

“I heard you’re coming back to work today, so I came to check. If you’re not up to it, don’t force yourself.”

“It’s all right, Miss, I can work now. Only by working hard can I pay off my debts as soon as possible, right?”

“That’s true.”

Luo Yao nodded slightly.

“Have you seen Brother Lu?”

“No, Miss, aren’t you the person closest to the Young Master? How could you not find him?”

At this, Luo Yao’s face became troubled again. “Ever since the Police Station Incident, I’ve barely seen Brother Lu. First, I’ve been busy lately, and second, he seems to be in a bad mood.”

“Is the Young Master in a bad mood?”

Jiang Sui thought, how come I didn’t know?

“It’s also because of that incident at the Police Station. Brother Lu is always too sympathetic and kind, thinking he didn’t protect everyone, blaming himself.”

“I see, that’s just like the Young Master.”

“To be honest, at first I thought it was because of you that he became like that.”

Luo Yao smiled warmly, but to Jiang Sui, that smile didn’t have a hint of warmth.

Back then, Lu Yunze’s behavior was very strange. Even when she tried to comfort him, he was extremely cold. Because of this, Luo Yao grew suspicious.

A cold sweat broke out on Jiang Sui’s back, but her expression and tone remained unchanged: “How could it be? The Young Master wouldn’t care about a mere Maid like me for no reason.”

At this, she deliberately paused, as if suddenly realizing something.

“I think he actually blames himself because of you.”

“Why?” Luo Yao was stunned.

“The Young Master always cares so much about Miss. He must feel he didn’t do his best in front of you, and is worried you’ll be disappointed in him, so he acts like this.”

“This… would Brother Lu really be like that?”

“Of course. Miss, think about it: in this Manor, besides you, who else is worth the Young Master’s concern? You and the Young Master are a perfect match—everyone knows it. Otherwise, why would there be rumors about you two dating? You’re the second most important person to the Young Master.”

“Good point.” After such flattery, Luo Yao’s cheeks flushed a little, and she stammered, “Then who’s the most important?”

An innocent light flashed in Jiang Sui’s eyes. “Of course, it’s the Young Master himself. Who else could it be, me?”

“You’re quite funny.”

Luo Yao was amused by her joke. She had come to check on Jiang Sui, but ended up being comforted by her instead.

After they finished talking about Lu Yunze, the two chatted a bit more before Luo Yao got up and left the bedroom.

Bang.

The moment the door closed, Jiang Sui’s covers were suddenly thrown aside.

Lu Yunze was still shaken, breathing heavily.

“So this is what Young Master calls being a man who doesn’t rely on others?”

Jiang Sui sat cross-legged, propping up her chin, her expression playful.

“Young Master dove into my covers so decisively just now, you almost stuck to me and didn’t run.”

Lu Yunze was too embarrassed to speak, only able to avoid her gaze as he slunk out of bed.

So humiliating.

He’d just put on airs, and then immediately slapped himself in the face.

He almost regretted coming here—every time he did, he got unlucky. There was never anything good.

Come to think of it, why did I come here in the first place?

With that thought, Lu Yunze stopped in his tracks, took a deep breath, and turned to face Jiang Sui, who was putting black stockings on her long legs.

“Thank you. And, seeing you’re all right really puts my mind at ease.”

“Oh my, Young Master admits to caring about me and needing to rely on me?”

“So what, laugh if you want.”

Lu Yunze braced himself, but instead of the expected ridicule, what greeted him was the girl’s silver-bell-like laughter.

Her black-stockinged feet touched the floor, and Jiang Sui walked lightly over to him, tapping his forehead.

“As long as Young Master wants, you can care about me and rely on me anytime. Aren’t I thoughtful?”

“Ah, mm.” Lu Yunze scratched his head, feeling moved, but also that something was off.

“Because, diving under the covers is something even Miss doesn’t know about—it’s a secret just between you and me.”

Before he could finish feeling touched, Jiang Sui had already turned back into that mischievous little imp.

Fine, a rose with thorns really is too prickly.