Chapter 37: Judgment

Yan Dong’s exasperated outburst left me frozen on the spot.

Seeing me suddenly realize, Yan Dong, both embarrassed and annoyed, held back his anger since there was a baby nearby, and instead grabbed my wrist tightly.

“Lin, you’re really something! Come outside and explain yourself.” He lowered his voice in a reprimand that still quivered with lingering emotion, his sharply defined fingers digging almost into my wrist bone.

I quietly pulled the door almost closed, and seeing the baby was still sound asleep, I tiptoed after Yan Dong to the sofa in the living room.

He plopped down heavily on the couch, his expression looking utterly speechless. The way he was slumped into the cushions right now looked exactly like that tabby cat Mao Mao when its fur bristled.

Meanwhile, I stood awkwardly at the side, staring at a Game Cartridge stuck between the sofa cushions, hesitating, not knowing where to start.

“Lin, aren’t you going to explain anything to me?” As the atmosphere dragged on in a deadlock, Yan Dong simply straightened his back and stared directly at me. The fine hair at the nape of his neck brushed against the leather backrest, making a faint rustling sound.

Unable to answer, I turned my face away, my fingers unconsciously smoothing the wrinkles at my suit cuff. The rough polyester fabric made a soft rustling under my fingertips, and the tear-shaped mole at the corner of my right eye suddenly itched—a strange physical reaction this new body seemed to have at times like this.

“It’s not my fault, Young Master, you didn’t make things clear yourself.” As soon as I finished, the strong scent of Snow Pine Scent mixed with a faint milky fragrance drew an arc through the air, heading straight for me.

Of course, used to this routine, I just shifted slightly to the side and easily dodged the pillow he threw. Seeing I wasn’t hit, Yan Dong seemed even angrier.

“Lin Yunxia!” He pushed off the armrest and shot to his feet, so furious he nearly laughed out loud. “What the hell, just how much of a monster am I in your mind? You could even make up some cliché plot about an illegitimate daughter?”

Silence slowly fermented in the white mist sprayed by the Cedar Aroma Diffuser. Seeing I still kept my mouth shut, Yan Dong’s expression seemed to turn even worse.

“Speak.”

Fine, I’ll admit I did jump to conclusions. But you can’t blame me for everything, can you? He never explained anything clearly from the start, and the impression he’s always given me is so bad that misunderstanding was almost inevitable.

“Sorry, I misunderstood you, Young Master. If you don’t have any other instructions, I’ll go clean the windows.”

“Quit acting like some model employee!” He yanked open the collar of his hoodie with a rough motion, the faint red scratch marks on his collarbone half visible. “Aren’t you usually pretty talkative? Now you’ve learned to use honorifics?”

“I’ve always respected the Young Master in my heart…”

“Save it, I can’t take that.” He hugged his arms and sneered, his bent forefinger tapping his arm impatiently in time with his words. “Miss Lin, do you realize your earlier statement already counts as slander? I have the right to sue you for damages. If you don’t explain yourself today, I won’t let this go.”

“Young Master, the truth hurts. I suggest you don’t go looking for trouble for yourself.”

“Oh, who’s afraid of who? Little Master just has to get to the bottom of this today. Come on, tell me what kind of person you think I am.”

Who knows what’s gotten into Yan Dong, insisting I comment on his character. Haven’t I made my dislike for him obvious enough?

Looking at the person in front of me, clearly unwilling to let this go without a clear answer, I felt a bit troubled.

Compared to the employer, a servant is always in the weaker position. So in any conflict, the wisest and safest thing is to endure and obey.

But in this situation, clearly I couldn’t just keep enduring. And if I tried to lie or brush things off, Yan Dong would probably really blow his top.

Fine, I’ll say it then.

“I’m going to say it.”

“Say it.”

“To be honest, Young Master, in my eyes you’re an ignorant, shameless, rude, and completely useless good-for-nothing.”

I blurted out the verdict that had long been engraved in my heart. As my words fell, the room descended into dead silence. It was a long time before Yan Dong pressed his fingers to his temple, rubbing gloomily.

“Seriously, gloomy girl, when I tell you to speak, can’t you at least throw in a few nice words?”

“You insisted on the truth, Young Master.” I lowered my eyes, gently tugging my cuff smooth. Though my tone stayed calm, my voice somehow dropped a few notches. “And I already warned you in advance.”

“You—damn it…”

“I think it was the day before yesterday, right? When you failed your third game level, the property manager came to collect the overdue elevator maintenance fee.” I calmly kept smoothing my sleeve, my voice as steady as if reading out an expense report. “You said, ‘Not my problem, go ask Mr. Lin.’”

His face went from red to white, fingers nervously tugging at the sofa seams. He used to hide fever medicine for me in there. I remember the box had a scrawled warning on it: “If you dare infect me, I’ll kill you.”

“This Monday, you locked the Homeroom Teacher who came for a home visit outside for an hour, and flatly refused to let me open the door.”

His ears flushed red in an instant, and his fingers anxiously twisted the pillow’s tassels. “He was dressed like an insurance salesman! Anyway, I let him in later, didn’t I?”

“On Tuesday, you insisted your stomach hurt and demanded Nan Ji Shrimp Dumplings for your digestion, making me wait in line for two hours in the rain.”

“In the end, didn’t I give you half? You usually just gnaw on cold steamed buns anyway.”

I bent down and fished out an unopened bag of Potato Chips from under the sofa, waving it in front of him. “Yesterday you threw this at me because I said I’d mop the floor before making you Jasmine Tea. Your exact words were, ‘What’s more important, the floor or Little Master?’ Right?”

“Shut up!” Yan Dong’s face was ashen as he covered his face with both hands, his muffled mumbling leaking through his fingers. “Lin Yunxia, is your brain a surveillance camera?” As he spoke, he slowly parted his fingers, his wide-eyed glare between them suddenly reminding me of that tabby cat begging for food. “Can’t you just remember something nice about me?”

“Of course I remember. I see everything the Young Master does.” My fingertips brushed my cheek as I thought about it; this too was a lingering habit from this body’s past. “Young Master remembers Xiao Bai’s foot injury, remembers to hand me a scarf before going out, remembers to cheer me up when I’m down, remembers my business with Qinghe, so maybe… you’re an occasionally passable… good person?”

“Good person? Occasionally passable? I can’t tell if you’re complimenting me or insulting me.” Yan Dong suddenly grabbed the Remote Control and turned on the TV, randomly flipping through channels. “Must’ve lost my mind to be talking to you about this. Hurry up and go mop your floor.”