February 9th, the snow had just cleared.
When the morning light pierced through the clouds, I was stepping on fresh snow, heading toward that high-rise building in the city center.
The cheap Jasmine Scent grew thinner in the cold wind.
The shop windows on the street reflected a slender girl’s figure, deep gray suit under a cotton jacket barely wrapping curves she still hadn’t fully grown used to.
The Jasmine Hair Tie at the tip of her hair swayed lightly with each step, its long red ribbon trailing down like it might scorch the sea of white.
The snow, not yet melted, let out faint groans beneath my boots.
Instinctively, I pulled my thin Blanket tighter, but the biting chill of early spring still made me shiver.
The temperature had already warmed up, but a sudden cold snap had reset everything. At least the bruises on my neck had faded, so there was no need to hide behind a scarf anymore.
“Miss Lin, good morning. It’s now 7:53:46. Check-in successful. Wishing you a pleasant day at work.”
With the broadcast from the Fingerprint Lock, the security door let out a soft “click.”
The moment I opened the door, warmth from the Yew Wood Floor swept over me, mingled with Snow Pine Scent, clashing visibly with the chill from the corridor.
Not far away, in the spacious Living Room, Yan Dong sat curled on the Leather Sofa, legs crossed, making a phone call.
The hoodie’s shadow covered his eyes, only his Adam’s apple moving up and down as he responded perfunctorily.
Seeing me come in, he merely glanced over coldly, then continued into his phone, “I know. Anything else? Mm… okay… Got it. Coming home at the end of the month, right?”
The voice on the other end sounded like Yan Qiuzhi.
If I remembered right, Yan Miss was a freshman living on campus.
So, coming home at the end of the month?
“You’re five minutes later than usual clock-in today, Miss Lin.”
After hanging up, he deliberately emphasized the three syllables of “Miss Lin.” His long-fingered hand propped against the sofa back, he stretched out lazily like a snow leopard.
I lowered my eyes, avoiding his teasing gaze, and placed the still-warm Soy Milk on the edge of the coffee table.
“The melting snow made the roads slippery.”
Game Controllers scattered across the Cashmere Carpet like an asteroid belt.
I bent down to tidy up the mess.
Just as I picked up a still-warm controller, there was a sudden rustle of clothing behind me.
“Hey, gloomy girl, do you know how to play Go?”
The sharp edge of the Game Controller pressed into my palm.
Half-squatting, I looked up at Yan Dong, who had spoken. From this angle, I could clearly see the veins pulsing on his neck.
Morning light streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, highlighting every fuzz on his hoodie, but it couldn’t pierce the shadow of his lowered lashes.
Yan Dong’s sudden question caught me off guard.
Arms full of Game Controllers, I tilted my head in confusion before answering in my usual calm tone, “No. Why?”
“No reason. Forget it, then. I thought you knew everything and was hoping you could teach me.”
He hooked his foot on the edge of the coffee table, sinking deeper into the sofa.
“There’s no need to learn Go for the college entrance exam.”
“Exam Machine.”
He flopped back onto the Leather Sofa, tossing his phone and catching it.
“Last year around this time, you were just as stiff-faced, cramming, weren’t you? No wonder you scored 145 in math on the exam.”
“Young Master didn’t cram, so you failed.”
I turned and put the controllers into the drawer of the Television Cabinet.
On the TV screen, his back suddenly tensed.
The boy in the reflection looked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, veins bulging on his hand under the blue glow of the LCD.
“Nothing good comes from a dog’s mouth. I can’t be bothered with your nonsense. Go do your job.”
I nodded and started working as usual.
Yan Dong, as always, curled up on the sofa playing his mobile games.
The reason things had gotten tense again between Yan Dong and me was mainly because of what happened yesterday afternoon.
The weather forecast said it would snow today, so while the weather was still good yesterday, I wanted to move the Cashmere Carpet from the Study out to the Terrace to air it out. That led to us bickering again.
The Cashmere Carpet, which I used to be able to move easily, took me ages to drag to the Living Room this time.
Yan Dong, who had been playing games nearby, finally couldn’t stand it. He stood up, stepped on the other end of the carpet, and mocked me, “Lin Yunxia, when you can’t do something, you never think to ask for help?”
I knew asking him would be easier, but if I couldn’t even do my own work, what did I have left?
So, staring at the carpet in my hands, I hesitated only a moment before refusing, “No need, Young Master. I’ve gotten by on my own all these years.”
I dug my nails into the carpet and yanked again, refusing to back down.
“A Slum Child has their own way of surviving.”
Yan Dong looked annoyed, his voice as irritable as when he lost at games.
“Can’t you see how skinny your arms and legs are? Or is your way of surviving just stubbornly showing off like this?”
I could tell he cared in his own way, but I didn’t want him treating me like some delicate girl.
“Yes.” Gritting my teeth, I gave a hard pull, making the carpet scrape dully across the Yew Wood Floor. “Besides, I’m a Debt Repaying Servant, not a spoiled college girl.”
I put extra force into those last words.
As expected, Yan Dong’s face darkened. He suddenly let go, and I stumbled back, landing on the floor.
He looked down at me from above, Adam’s apple bobbing as he let out a cold, deeply displeased laugh.
“Lin Yunxia, slaving away here for twenty years, you damn well deserve it.”
“Young Master too.” I didn’t back down, coldly meeting the brooding gaze of Master Yan, adjusting my Jasmine Hair Tie. “Rotting at home is really something to be proud of.”
After that fight, we’d basically stopped talking.
But honestly, even before, we barely had anything to say to each other, so it didn’t make much difference to me.
With the noisy mobile game blaring, I finished tidying the Living Room and moved on to Yan Dong’s bedroom.
That’s when I noticed he’d forgotten to pull the key from his desk drawer.
I remembered once seeing his Tennis Match Award Photo in there by accident.
Another time, it was that Notebook about his brother’s death.
Everyone has secrets they don’t want others to know.
Curiosity is human nature, but I value my life more. So after a quick glance, I kept cleaning.
The rag drew neat arcs on the Yew Wood Floor.
Just as my forehead was about to brush the underside of the desk, hurried footsteps sounded behind me.
Looking up, I saw Yan Dong standing there, face cold, staring at me darkly.
“You didn’t touch the desk, did you?”
His shadow enveloped me, the sharp Snow Pine Scent and his knife-like gaze pressing down together.
Still kneeling, I looked up at his stormy eyes.
My wrist seemed to recall the phantom pain from when he’d once gripped it after I accidentally saw that Notebook.
“Does Young Master want to check my fingerprints?”
“Lin Yunxia, I’ve had enough of you. Don’t think I won’t hit you just because you turned into a girl.”
He leaned down, the Snow Pine Scent becoming a tangible weight, his hair almost brushing my trembling lashes.
The red ribbon of my Jasmine Hair Tie, with the tilt of my head, trailed on the Yew Wood Floor like two drops of blood.
“Thank you, Young Master.”
I stared at the veins bulging on his hand, my voice calm as ever.
“After all, you’re the only person in the world still willing to treat me as a boy.”
He pulled his hand back with a cold laugh, yanking the key from the drawer so hard the metal screeched.
Then he strode out of the room.
After that, we barely spoke.
I wasn’t eager to understand Yan Dong, but I had to admit, this Master Yan was certainly strange.
When he tied the Jasmine Hair Tie in my hair that day, he was careful as if handling something fragile.
Most of the time, he acted carefree, almost silly.
But the moment anyone touched his secrets, he became that sullen, irritable Master Yan again.
Maybe that’s why they say it’s best not to try to figure out what’s on a rich guy’s mind.
By nearly noon, I’d finished cleaning the whole apartment.
Standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows, clutching a damp rag, I watched the sunlight on the Financial Building in the distance split into shards of gold.
Suddenly, I remembered the Steamed Bun and pickles I’d brought that morning were still in my Canvas Bag.
“Hey, Lin, what are you daydreaming for? Come out with me in ten minutes. We’ll go Photographing at the Abandoned Amusement Park while the snow’s still here.”
Yan Dong, in crocodile-logo slippers, stepped across the floor I’d just cleaned.
The Game Controller was already tossed carelessly on the sofa, and the Exam Papers I’d painstakingly sorted were stacked neatly on the coffee table, a sharp contrast to the mess of his jacket thrown over the chair.
“Stop working and wash your hands. Don’t smudge the lens.”
He tossed the Single-lens Reflex Camera into my arms, its metal edge stinging my knuckles.
I stared at my blurred reflection in the camera lens.
The white petals of my Jasmine Hair Tie swayed as I shook my head.
“Young Master, there are still three windows left in the north room.”
“Housekeeper Lin, did you really think I was asking?”
He came up close, tugging at the crisp sleeve of my suit.
The Snow Pine Scent mingled with his breath.
Ever since I inexplicably turned into a girl a few days ago, this faint scent had become especially annoying.
Yan Dong didn’t wait for me to decide.
He grabbed two scarves from the bedroom.
“No driving today. We’ll take the subway. Wrap up before you go out.”
When the Cedar Scented Scarf, still warm from his neck, was tossed to me, I nearly dropped this piece of fabric worth a year’s worth of delivery work.
Staring at the expensive scarf in my hands, I couldn’t help but want to laugh.
Was this a bribe to keep me from tattling to Uncle Yan?
……