As twilight settled over the estate, lamps flickered to life, casting a warm, golden glow across the sprawling grounds.
Mu Xi sat at the dining table, her fork idly prodding a familiar spread of cream cake and delicate pastries.
Her heart wasn’t in it, her thoughts drifting far from the saccharine sweetness before her.
“Will the master be back tonight?” she asked, her voice laced with feigned innocence.
The maid standing nearby dipped into a slight bow.
“Miss, the master is attending to matters at the mine. It may be a few days before he returns.”
Mu Xi nodded, her face a mask of disappointment, though inside, a quiet relief unfurled.
A life had been lost at the mine, and even someone as formidable as Ye Lan had to handle it personally.
For Mu Xi, this meant a rare moment to breathe, a fleeting reprieve from his looming presence.
After dinner, as was her routine, Mu Xi sank into a medicinal bath.
The warm water enveloped her, coaxing a languid ease into her limbs.
She closed her eyes, letting her thoughts scatter like leaves on the wind.
Without Ye Lan’s shadow hanging over her, she might finally steal a night of true, untroubled sleep.
The next morning, a sharp knock on the door pierced the quiet.
“Miss, it’s time to rise.”
Mu Xi stirred, sunlight slipping through the curtains’ gaps, painting the floor with delicate flecks of gold.
She stretched lazily, easing herself upright with a slow, deliberate grace.
As the maids bustled about, preparing her toiletries, the door swung open.
Lin Ke’er strode in, her presence commanding the room.
“I’ll take care of Mu Xi,” she said with a wave, dismissing the maids.
Mu Xi’s heart tightened, but she nodded obediently.
“Thank you, sister ke’er.”
“Go take a bath. I’ll get your clothes ready,” Lin Ke’er said, her smile warm but edged with something unreadable.
Mu Xi stepped into the bathroom, the warm water cascading over her skin, yet it did nothing to soothe the unease coiling within her.
Lin Ke’er’s arrival set her nerves on edge.
This woman, with her prim facade and twisted inclinations, was always scheming somethingāwhat was it this time?
Emerging from the bath, Mu Xi wrapped herself in a towel, only to freeze at the sight before her.
Lin Ke’er sat on the edge of the bed, holding Mu Xi’s discarded undergarments to her nose, inhaling deeply with an expression of utter rapture, as if savoring the finest delicacy.
“Sister ke’er?” Mu Xi’s voice trembled, betraying her shock.
Startled, Lin Ke’er shot to her feet, the undergarments slipping from her grasp to land with a soft thud on the floor.
Her face flushed crimson, words stumbling over themselves in a flustered rush.
Mu Xi swallowed her revulsion, forcing a puzzled look.
“What were you doing?”
Lin Ke’er took a steadying breath, managing a strained smile.
“N-nothing. Just checking if your clothes need washing.”
“Oh, I see,” Mu Xi replied, feigning sudden understanding.
“Sister ke’er, you’re so thoughtful.”
Relief flickered across Lin Ke’er’s face as she hastily scooped up the undergarments, tucking them into the laundry basket.
“Come, let’s get you dressed before you catch a chill,” she said, swiftly changing the subject.
Mu Xi nodded, letting Lin Ke’er help her dress and brush her hair.
She could feel the woman’s hands lingering, trembling ever so slightly as they brushed against her skin.
“Little Xi,” Lin Ke’er murmured, combing through her hair with deliberate care, “for today’s lesson, I’d like to teach you a new song.”
“Really? What song is it?” Mu Xi asked, injecting a spark of excitement into her voice.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Lin Ke’er replied with a secretive smile.
“Trust me, you’ll love it.”
Mu Xi’s lips curved into a sweet smile, but inside, she scoffed.
This perverse woman was undoubtedly plotting something unsavory.
Yet she played along, nodding eagerly.
“I trust you, sister ke’er.”
Once dressed, Lin Ke’er took her hand, leading her toward the bathroom.
Mu Xi’s stomach churned, but she maintained her composure.
“Little Xi, you brush first,” Lin Ke’er said, handing her a toothbrush, her gaze lingering unsettlingly on Mu Xi’s feet.
As Mu Xi squeezed toothpaste onto the brush, Lin Ke’er crouched down.
“Last time I massaged your feet, you seemed so sensitive. Are they still ticklish?”
“What?” Mu Xi nearly bit her tongue.
“They’reā¦ fine, I guess.”
“Let me check,” Lin Ke’er said, patting Mu Xi’s calf.
“Take off your slippers.”
Mu Xi hesitated, toothbrush clenched between her teeth, but Lin Ke’er’s expectant gaze left her little choice.
Reluctantly, she lifted her foot.
“Good girl,” Lin Ke’er purred, her fingers grazing Mu Xi’s sole.
“See, isn’t this spot especially sensitive?”
She picked up her own toothbrush, lightly scraping it along Mu Xi’s foot.
Mu Xi flinched, but Lin Ke’er’s grip held her steady.
“Don’t move. Let me feel it properly,” Lin Ke’er said, her voice quivering, her eyes glazing with a strange fervor.
Mu Xi gritted her teeth, watching as Lin Ke’er rubbed the toothbrush back and forth across her sole.
Then, to her horror, Lin Ke’er brought the sweat-dampened toothbrush to her mouth, brushing her teeth with it in a state of blissful indulgence.
“Mmm, better than any toothpaste,” she sighed, eyes closed in ecstasy.
“Little Xi, your scent is divine.”
Mu Xi nearly choked on her toothpaste foam.
This woman’s depravity was beyond anything she could have imagined.
But she forced a naive tone.
“Sister ke’er, isn’t thatā¦ unhygienic?”
“Unhygienic?” Lin Ke’er’s eyes snapped open, her expression earnest.
“How could it be? You’re so lovely, even your feet smell sweet.”
Mu Xi silently added this to her mental ledger of grievances.
One day, when she escaped, she’d make these deviants pay.
“Time for breakfast,” Lin Ke’er said, rising with a lingering air of satisfaction.
“The kitchen made your favorite strawberry cake.”
“I want meat,” Mu Xi said, pouting at the dainty cake before her.
“I’m sick of sweets every day.”
Lin Ke’er wiped her mouth, her gaze turning suggestive.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get your fill of something hearty soon enough.”
Her fingers grazed Mu Xi’s chin.
“But for now, it’s time for your lesson.”
Suppressing the urge to recoil, Mu Xi followed Lin Ke’er to the fifth-floor music room.
Sunlight streamed through stained-glass windows, casting kaleidoscopic patterns across the piano.
Mu Xi approached the recording booth, catching her reflection in the glass.
“Sister ke’er, you said you’d teach me a new song.”
“Yes, a very special one,” Lin Ke’er said, settling at the piano.
“Come here.”
Mu Xi sat beside her, and Lin Ke’er leaned close, her breath warm against Mu Xi’s ear.
“It’s called ‘The Offering of Love.'”
“Sounds sappy,” Mu Xi muttered under her breath.
Lin Ke’er chuckled.
“You won’t think so once you hear it.”
Her fingers danced across the keys, coaxing out a hauntingly beautiful melody.
“I give all my love, devoted entirely to youā¦” Lin Ke’er sang softly, her gaze fixed on Mu Xi with unsettling intensity.
“Aren’t the lyrics just exquisite?”
Mu Xi’s skin prickled with goosebumps.
This was nothing short of a love confession in song form.
What was this woman playing at?
“Come, sing with me,” Lin Ke’er said, taking Mu Xi’s hand.
“I’ll teach you.”
Reluctantly, Mu Xi joined in, her mind racing to anticipate Lin Ke’er’s next move.
She had no intention of letting this music room become the stage for some unspeakable scene.
“Little Xi,” Lin Ke’er said, pausing her playing, “you’re captivating when you sing.”
“T-thank you,” Mu Xi stammered, edging away.
But Lin Ke’er leaned closer.
“Especially when you hit those high notes, your cheeks flush so adorably, likeā”
“My throat’s a bit sore!” Mu Xi interjected, desperate to derail her.
“Can we take a break?”
“Alright,” Lin Ke’er said, her eyes lingering reluctantly.
“But next time, I’ll teach you even more beautiful songs.”
Mu Xi rolled her eyes inwardly.
‘Beautiful songs?’
More like another round of this woman’s perverse games.
Beneath her polished exterior, Lin Ke’er’s depravity ran deeper than anyone’s.