Chapter 107: Viscount Willy

Xu Yinsheng had no idea how long she had been asleep.

When she finally opened her eyes again, those ice-blue eyes suddenly came into her sight—those deep blue eyes reflecting her own figure.

He wore a grayish-white mask and stood by the bedside, towering above her, looking down at the red-haired maid still drowsy in bed.

“Get up.”

The clumsy Hua Yuan Federation language came from behind the mask, sounding awkward and strange, but Xu Yinsheng knew exactly who he was.

Viscount Willy.

The master of this island, this manor.

Xu Yinsheng nodded.

A maid’s life required a maid’s resolve.

Although she often boasted that she could just stand and demand food, she understood that this past month, she had been living under someone else’s roof, and when it was time to kneel, she had to kneel.

She got out of bed, but as if sensing something, she sniffed the air a few times with her delicate nose, then froze on the bed, her brows furrowing slightly.

Seeing that Xu Yinsheng remained motionless for a long time, the ice-blue eyes behind the mask narrowed slightly, showing a hint of displeasure.

“Mary.”

A soft call came from the man’s mouth.

The door silently opened, and the Head Maid walked in, bowing respectfully: “Your Lordship, Viscount.”

“Take her downstairs.”

“Yes.”

Mary nodded and quickly stepped forward, skillfully pulling Xu Yinsheng out from under the covers, then stuffing the blue-and-white maid uniform from the corner of the bed into Xu Yinsheng’s arms.

Xu Yinsheng was thus dragged away by Mary in a daze, but even after leaving the room, her gaze remained fixed on Viscount Willy standing by the bed.

Such a familiar aura…

During the days she was imprisoned by Zhao Yicheng, Xu Yinsheng had been in close, even intimate contact with him more than once.

Everything a normal couple could do, they did; even things they shouldn’t, they did.

In short, during her captivity, Zhao Yicheng’s scent and taste had deeply ingrained themselves into her bones.

Even now, lying on the bed in the maid dormitory, Xu Yinsheng was still immersed in that familiar yet strange scent, unable to shake off her daze.

Similar, yet different.

Could it be him?

If it were, she would have been locked away in that cat cage by now.

But if not, then what was that strange yet familiar scent…?

“Yinsheng, Yinsheng.”

Only when a few soft calls came to her ears, breaking through her tangled thoughts, did she come back to her senses.

Xu Yinsheng turned over and looked toward the pair of bright eyes in the nearby darkness: “What is it?”

The maid dormitory was similar to a student dormitory with bunk beds; Xu Yinsheng’s bed was by the window, while Qin Yumo’s bed was just to her left.

“Yinsheng, why are you so distracted?”

Qin Yumo asked.

Xu Yinsheng sighed softly: “Thinking about a man.”

“A man?”

Qin Yumo’s curious eyes sparkled with gossip.

“Is it your boyfriend?”

Xu Yinsheng shook her head, about to deny it, when a woman’s voice abruptly cut into their conversation, teasingly: “I don’t think Yinsheng’s thinking about a boyfriend.”

“Just came back from warming the bed, yet you’re spaced out. Maybe your soul’s been stolen by some man~”

Though vague, the words left a lot to the imagination.

“Xue’er.”

A slightly scolding voice came from the upper bed.

Shangguan Xue stuck out her tongue at Shangguan Fei playfully: “Got it, sister.”

At this moment, the usually quiet Xu Yinsheng spoke up: “Do you know why Viscount Willy always wears that grayish-white mask?”

Shangguan Fei shook her head, and Shangguan Xue asked curiously, “Could it be because he’s ugly?”

As soon as Shangguan Xue finished speaking, Qin Yumo burst out laughing, covering her mouth: “Sister Xue’er, that kind of joke is not allowed!”

She flipped over, her little eyes full of knowledge, almost ready to push up imaginary glasses on the bridge of her nose.

“I heard from the Head Maid that the Viscount’s face was badly burned by fire when he was a child. Even after surgery, it’s still pretty scary, so he always wears a mask.”

“By the way, Yinsheng, you’re so interested in the Viscount, is it because you’re thinking about the Viscount’s wife?”

Qin Yumo grinned mischievously.

“I think so too.”

Shangguan Xue’s eyes twinkled with mischief.

“When Yinsheng becomes the Viscount’s wife, she can send us all to the Viscount’s bed. Then, we’ll all be Viscount’s wives and good sisters together, hehehe. We’ll milk the Viscount dry together.”

“Xue’er!”

“Okay, okay, sister…”

Shangguan Xue puffed out her cheeks, grumbling in dissatisfaction.

“Can’t even say that, it’s so boring.”

Shangguan Fei saw this and apologized with a smile toward Xu Yinsheng, who shook her head to show it was fine.

“Sisters, which brand of cosmetics do you like?”

Qin Yumo changed the topic.

“Tian Can, their products work the best. A few uses and you see results immediately.”

“De Que, theirs too.”

Everyone got excited talking about their favorite topics, chattering nonstop.

Xu Yinsheng listened with a faint smile but didn’t reply.

When the conversation had shifted from cosmetics to favorite celebrities, Xu Yinsheng turned over, thinking silently: It must be her imagination.

If it really was Zhao Yicheng, she wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully here right now.

But… just to be safe, maybe she could find a chance to carefully sniff that scent again…

With this thought in mind, Xu Yinsheng slowly drifted back to sleep amid the three’s chatter.

***

The next day.

At six-thirty, the Head Maid came with a group of people to wake them up.

Still half-asleep, a few maids dragged Xu Yinsheng into the bathroom to wash up, then dry their hair and change into their maid uniforms.

The sleeves of the maid uniform were rolled up to the elbows, revealing slender, fair arms, while the delicate little hands wore a pair of white lace gloves, giving an overall refined impression.

After changing, Xu Yinsheng queued up to receive breakfast, which consisted of bread, milk, fried eggs, and toast—one portion per person, and the servings were generous.

Perhaps because Xu Yinsheng had left a deep impression on Mary the night before, during breakfast Mary explained maid etiquette to them, but her gaze kept drifting and lingering on Xu Yinsheng.

Xu Yinsheng felt uncomfortable under that stare.

She knew that when Mary said “rude,” she was talking about her.

She knew, but refused to change.

After breakfast, the group returned to the maid dormitory, where Mary spent ten minutes lining them up, instructing them that Viscount Willy would come for an inspection, and they must show their best.

Before the inspection, the maids were called to a room to put on makeup.

As the saying goes, a person’s appearance is their armor.

Perhaps because Xu Yinsheng had left a deep impression on Mary, Mary gave her special treatment.

Mary had her sit before a mirror and picked up a foundation pen to apply eyeliner for her.

Xu Yinsheng closed her eyes, letting Mary work.

Her lashes were long and thick, casting two faint shadows on her cheeks.

Mary only nodded with satisfaction after several layers of base makeup.

“Mm, now you look proper!”

Then, Mary went to the dressing table and took out a scented lip balm from the drawer, gently applying it to Xu Yinsheng’s lips with delicate, careful movements.

Xu Yinsheng could feel that Mary harbored no ill will.

Putting the lip balm back, Mary said to Xu Yinsheng: “Perform well. I don’t want you to become a stain on my teaching career.”

“Mm.”

Xu Yinsheng nodded, her cold face hiding a warm heart toward the stern woman in her thirties or forties.

Under Mary’s supervision, each maid finished their makeup and sprayed perfume.

A group of them then stood in the hall, waiting for Viscount Willy’s inspection.