Lu Yunze looked at Jiang Sui, and Jiang Sui looked at Lu Yunze. Time seemed to come to a halt.
Not long after, Jiang Sui snapped out of her daze and stuck out her tongue to continue licking.
“Shouldn’t you stop at a time like this?!”
Lu Yunze forcefully pulled his hand back. The tug on his wound made him suck in a sharp breath from the pain.
“Young Master, you really don’t know how to appreciate the mood. Don’t you know what the first thing you should do after waking up from a coma is?”
“Open my eyes?”
“You should say: ‘So this is an unfamiliar ceiling.'”
“…Why do so many people care about ceilings, anyway?”
Lu Yunze wiped the saliva off his hand on the bedsheet, and his emotions quickly calmed down.
“How long did I sleep?”
“Just one night.” Jiang Sui sat obediently to the side. “The doctor said your injuries looked severe, but the main concern was massive blood loss. Since you woke up so early, it seems they’re not quacks after all.”
“Is that so? You’re really thoughtful, actually remembering what the doctor said.”
Jiang Sui smiled without a word, neither admitting nor denying it.
The one who actually heard the doctor say that was Luo Yao. Jiang Sui had only heard it from the Black Cat and borrowed it for use. Anyway, Luo Yao wasn’t here, so she probably wouldn’t mind.
A sudden silence enveloped the hospital room. Lu Yunze gazed out the window, his expression suggesting he was deep in thought. Jiang Sui said nothing either, just staring at his tightly clenched fist.
No one knew how much time passed before Lu Yunze finally broke the silence:
“Are you a Secret Arts Practitioner?”
“No.”
“Are you involved in the disappearance case?”
“No.”
Lu Yunze turned his head and met her gaze directly, his tone suddenly turning cold:
“Then how did you know danger was coming, and even prepared that Lucky Seed in advance? And that Black Mist, I remember it clearly—it was the Butler’s ability. Did you steal the corpse?”
His icy gaze was like a blade pressed to Jiang Sui’s neck. If she showed even a hint of panic or intent to flee, Lu Yunze would grab her even in his wounded state.
“Are you my enemy, Jiang Sui?” Lu Yunze’s voice trembled slightly.
But those pale violet eyes of Jiang Sui remained calm, not a ripple of emotion showing, as if Lu Yunze’s questions weren’t directed at her at all.
“The one who foresaw the danger and made the Lucky Seed wasn’t me.”
“What?”
“Young Master, I may not be a Secret Arts Practitioner, but I have a friend who is.” Jiang Sui continued.
“If it’s just a friend, why would she help you?”
“Because she’s also investigating the disappearance case. She gave me that seed, but I didn’t want to get involved in her affairs, so I gave it to you, thinking you needed it more.”
At this, Jiang Sui smiled faintly, looking rather proud.
“Who would’ve thought that a casual gesture would end up saving Young Master’s life? That’s wonderful.”
“So the Butler’s corpse was stolen by your friend too?”
“That, I don’t know.” Jiang Sui shrugged. “We’re not that close—definitely not confidants. How could she possibly share her plans with an ordinary person like me who can’t even truss a chicken?”
Lu Yunze fell silent again, as if hesitating whether to trust the girl before him.
Seeing this, Jiang Sui grabbed his wrist, and right in front of him, placed his hand on her slender neck.
“Young Master, everyone has their little secrets. But there is one thing you can rest assured of: I’m not your enemy.”
Her small hand covered Lu Yunze’s palm, and she tilted her head slightly, strands of gray-brown hair falling onto his wrist.
“If you really don’t trust me, Young Master, then just deal with this threat right here. This life was saved by you in the first place—giving it back wouldn’t be hard.”
Jiang Sui’s neck was fair and soft. If Lu Yunze set his anchor point and applied a bit of force, he could easily break it, ending her life for good.
Lu Yunze pressed his lips together, his breathing growing heavier.
Perhaps sensing the fleeting murderous intent in his eyes, Jiang Sui closed her eyes, an expression of acceptance on her face.
The clock on the wall kept ticking second by second, but the two people in the room were like statues, motionless.
She was involved with a Secret Arts Practitioner, and that person might even be someone important in an organization.
That could bring danger to the Luo Family, and harm those who still cared about him.
The Luo Family had taken him in. As long as he was still human, he should do what he could.
But what surfaced in Lu Yunze’s mind wasn’t those possible disasters, but the little maid’s dazzling smile again and again.
She always liked to stick close to him, her personality mischievous and playful, fond of pranks. Yet, at crucial moments, she would step up and risk her life to protect him, even giving him a life-saving item someone else had given her.
When Lu Yunze was trapped in darkness and despair, it was that smile that brought the sunlight back into his world.
If he really used force, he would never see it again.
Lu Yunze let out a deep breath, his voice a little hoarse:
“Do you also pursue the ultimate in Secret Arts, the pursuit of power?”
“No, reaching the pinnacle of power isn’t my goal.” Jiang Sui answered almost without hesitation. “I’m just acquainted with that friend—I have no intention of joining her. I just want to live a good life.”
As long as Lu Yunze was there, that was enough for Jiang Sui. The thing she most needed to perfect was Lu Yunze’s feelings for her.
Only if he was hopelessly infatuated with her, loving her to the point of losing himself, could she survive after the Luo Family’s downfall.
Surviving had always been her goal.
“Really?”
“Sigh, Young Master, why don’t you just do it? Why keep torturing me like this?”
Jiang Sui tightened her grip, frightening Lu Yunze so much that he quickly let go.
“Young Master?”
“I won’t kill you.” Lu Yunze sighed again, but his tone was much lighter. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even be alive now. If I really did it, I’d be less than human.”
“So Young Master means… you’re going to let me off?”
“Mm… For now, even if there’s a threat, it’s not from you, but your friend.” Lu Yunze scratched his nose. “As long as you remain a loyal servant, I have no reason to pursue it.”
“Of course.” A smile returned to Jiang Sui’s face. “I’ve always been Young Master’s most loyal maid. Who else would care about you like I do?”
Lu Yunze wanted to retort, but couldn’t find any words, so he just looked away.
He had to admit, having someone who genuinely cared for him by his side was a wonderful feeling.
If Luo Yao was a gentle stream, then Jiang Sui was a blazing fire—always giving him warmth at the crucial moment, but never burning him.
And to think the first person he saw upon waking wasn’t Luo Yao, but Jiang Sui—that really caught Lu Yunze off guard.
“I wonder what Luo Yao is doing now…”
“Young Master, are you hungry?” Jiang Sui’s eyes curved into crescents, cutting him off. “Would you like some buns?”
“Uh, yeah, a little.”
Jiang Sui leaned forward slightly, making Lu Yunze’s heart skip a beat.
The buns she mentioned couldn’t be…!
His gaze subconsciously drifted downward. After one look, he couldn’t help but wonder: No matter how you looked at it, those didn’t seem like buns?!
No, wait, that’s not the point!
“Jiang Sui, wait!”
Jiang Sui tilted her head in confusion. “Does Young Master not like my buns?” she said, even putting on a pitiful, about-to-cry look.
“Jiang Sui, this is a hospital.”
“The hospital never said you can’t bring buns in, did they?”
“Huh?”
Lu Yunze looked over again and saw that at some point, she was holding a bag of buns in her hand, a sly, victorious smile on her face.
“Young Master, you weren’t thinking I was talking about something else, were you?”
“No, absolutely not.”
“If Young Master wants to eat other buns, I’m willing too. After all, serving is what a maid does best.”
“Alright, alright, just give them to me.”
If this went on, little Lu Yunze would start to rise. He hurriedly took the bag of buns and started wolfing them down.
They were a little cold, but they were Char Siu Filling, just the way he liked.
After finishing the buns, Jiang Sui got up to take her leave in a hurry, and Lu Yunze lay down again. Only now did the relaxation after surviving a disaster finally wash over him.
“Come to think of it, why did she insist I eat all the buns?”
He was stuffed.
Bang!
The hospital door was suddenly pushed open hard, and Luo Yao rushed in excitedly.
“Brother Lu, I heard you woke up! I brought you lunch!”
“Ahaha, thank you.” Looking at what Luo Yao was carrying, Lu Yunze’s mouth twitched.
Now he finally understood why Jiang Sui insisted on stuffing him with buns.
Outside the hospital, Jiang Sui walked with a light step, like a butterfly.
“If you want to capture a man’s heart, you have to capture his stomach first. How could I let the man I fancy have his stomach filled by another woman?”
Lu Yunze, whether it’s your heart or your stomach, you can only hold me alone.
I love her! She is so crafty.
Einstein
She has so much personality, FLs of other novels are lucky Jiang Sui isn’t in their works or heavens knows if their man wouldn’t be stolen by now.(Though Lu Yunzhi isn’t Luo Yao’s man at all.)