Chapter 66: Ah, it smells so good

Ye Lan’s fingers paused and the vibration from the remote stopped abruptly.

Mu Xi, as if stripped of all her layers, instantly shed every pretense. 

Her back straightened and she returned to that exquisite porcelain doll-like appearance as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened just moments before.

She kept her gaze lowered, striving for a serenity as calm as still water, pretending that the one who had just struggled to endure discomfort was not her at all.

A meaningful smile played at the corner of Ye Lan’s lips. 

Her gaze swept over to Li Xin, and her tone left no room for argument. 

“Li Xin, from today onward, you’ll be Mu Xi’s personal bodyguard. You are not to leave her side for even a step.”

Li Xin trembled at those words. 

The coldness on her face was instantly replaced by a radiant look of delight, as if she had received a tremendous blessing. 

She immediately dropped to one knee, her voice excited yet resolute:

“Yes, Master! Li Xin swears to protect Miss Mu Xi with her life!”

This sudden arrangement felt like a gift from the heavens. 

To be able to accompany Mu Xi day and night was something she had dreamed of for so long.

But Mu Xi’s heart was filled with alarm. 

Ye Lan’s decision to assign Li Xin as her personal bodyguard couldn’t be as simple as it seemed.

Protection? 

It was more like surveillance.

She stole a glance at Li Xin, only to find the other woman staring at her with a fervent, focused gaze—so intense it felt as if she might be devoured whole.

A chill ran through Mu Xi’s heart. 

Was Ye Lan trying to test Li Xin’s loyalty?

Or was there some other secret motive behind all this?

The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

“All right, you may get up,” Ye Lan said lazily, waving her hand as if she’d done nothing of consequence. 

She stretched languidly, her graceful curves on full display. 

“Hmm, I’m a little hungry. Let’s go to the dining hall.”

***

The three of them made their way to the manor’s dining hall. 

The luxurious decor, illuminated by the crystal lamp, gleamed with dazzling brilliance.

Exquisite tableware was arranged neatly atop a snow-white tablecloth on the long table, each piece shining with a tempting luster.

The aroma of steak wafted through the air, making mouths water.

Ye Lan elegantly sliced her steak, red wine swirling gracefully in her crystal goblet.

Mu Xi and Li Xin, however, were both rather silent. 

The atmosphere between them was tinged with a subtle and awkward tension.

Halfway through the meal, Ye Lan suddenly put down her knife and fork. 

She looked at the other two with an amused spark in her eyes, lips curling with a hint of mischief. 

“Drinking wine from a glass is just too dull.”

Mu Xi’s heart skipped a beat. 

She could sense something ominous—was Ye Lan about to start teasing her again?

Sure enough, Ye Lan’s next move left Mu Xi completely speechless.

Without hurry, Ye Lan bent down and actually took off Mu Xi’s delicate white leather shoe.

Mu Xi cried out in surprise, trying to stop her, but it was already too late.

Ye Lan was now holding the little shoe, which carried a faint scent of cream, and had brought it to the table.

“Li Xin, look—this is what I call a unique wine glass.”

Ye Lan gave the shoe a little shake, then, without hesitation, poured the crimson red wine right into Mu Xi’s shoe.

The wine flowed in, quickly submerging the sole, forming a strange red whirlpool inside.

The air became thick with the aroma of red wine, mingling with the subtle scent of leather and cream—a combination so odd it was hard to describe.

Li Xin was stunned. 

She never expected Ye Lan to do something so outrageous.

‘Drinking wine from Miss Mu Xi’s shoe?’

If it had been anyone else’s shoe, she would have been utterly disgusted. 

But this was Miss Mu Xi’s—soft leather that seemed to still carry her warmth and scent.

Just imagining that this shoe had just been wrapped around Miss Mu Xi’s delicate little foot made Li Xin feel a sudden, inexplicable rush of excitement and heat.

Ye Lan lifted the shoe, now filled with red wine, and held it out to Li Xin. 

Her eyes shone with playful expectation. 

“Come, Li Xin. Cheers.”

Li Xin stared at the “wine glass” before her, her throat working as she struggled internally.

On one hand, drinking from a shoe was utterly improper—almost unthinkable. 

But on the other hand, this was Miss Mu Xi’s shoe. 

Drinking from it felt as if she could somehow taste a part of Mu Xi herself… 

The thought made her pulse quicken, an indescribable longing rising within.

In the end, her obsession with Mu Xi overwhelmed her reason.

Li Xin drew a deep breath, suppressing her excitement, and feigned reluctance as she accepted the shoe. 

Tilting her head back, she drained all the red wine from within.

The wine slid down from the rim, its rich flavor now tinged with the faint taste of leather, gliding down her throat, as if carrying a trace of Mu Xi’s presence, making her entire body tingle.

Li Xin set the shoe down, a suspicious blush creeping onto her cheeks. 

Yet her gaze had only grown more fervent.

Ye Lan smiled with satisfaction, picked up the other shoe, and filled it with red wine as well. 

“Mu Xi, why don’t you try it too?”

Mu Xi looked at the absurd scene before her, then down at her bare feet. 

With a helpless sigh, she couldn’t help but let a bitter smile curve her lips.

What else could she do?

This was her fate, wasn’t it?

She shook her head and refused Ye Lan’s “invitation.”

Ye Lan and Li Xin didn’t mind at all. 

The two of them enthusiastically used Mu Xi’s shoes as wine glasses, clinking and exchanging drinks, as if participating in some grand ritual.

Red wine swirled within the shoes, casting strange reflections that lit up the three’s varied expressions, creating a twisted yet tension-filled tableau.

Watching it all, Mu Xi felt a storm of emotions. 

In the end, she could only shake her head and look down at her own feet, letting out a soft laugh.

‘What kind of situation was this, really?’

After the meal, Ye Lan watched with great interest as Mu Xi put her shoes back on. 

Her fingers brushed lightly over Mu Xi’s smooth ankle, as if caressing a piece of fine art.

Mu Xi forced herself to endure the discomfort and cooperated in putting on her shoes, all the while wishing this farce would end as soon as possible.

Back in her room, the air was still tinged with that strange blend of red wine and leather. 

Exhausted, Mu Xi collapsed onto the soft bed, the pink lace canopy swaying before her eyes.

Ye Lan, still in high spirits, pulled Mu Xi into yet another round of playful torment, only letting her go deep into the night when Ye Lan finally drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, sunlight slipped through the heavy curtains, casting beams of light across the carpet.

Mu Xi opened her eyes to find herself alone; only the lingering scent of Ye Lan remained on the sheets.

She got up, washed, and changed into her practice outfit. 

Facing the mirror, she tidied her long silver hair, her delicate features touched by a trace of fatigue.

Breakfast was a carefully balanced, nutritious meal—light and pleasant.

Mu Xi ate mechanically, her thoughts already drifting toward the practice room that awaited her.

Singing was the only thing she could hold onto now. 

Maybe, if she gave it her all, she could still find a sliver of hope for escape.