Mu Xi’s heart gave a sudden jump. She instinctively wanted to cover herself with her arms, but then felt that would be too deliberate.
Ling Yue’s gaze did not linger long. It quickly moved away, as if it had merely been a casual glance.
But Mu Xi clearly caught the subtle change that flashed through her eyes.
‘Teacher? What is she looking at?’
Mu Xi could not help but look down at herself.
Soaked in the warm spring water, the softness of her chest seemed even fuller, swaying slightly with the ripples.
She remembered the butler’s surprised look when he had taken her measurements and tailored clothes, and remembered the heat every time Ye Lan touched her…
‘Could it be…’
A thought flashed through her mind, and Mu Xi’s cheeks instantly burned again.
Ling Yue was indeed observing Mu Xi.
She remembered clearly that when she had taught Mu Xi at the manor before, the girl already had the youthful, budding beauty of a young maiden, but her figure was far from as curvy as it was now.
Especially her chest. Back then, it could only be called small and delicate.
But now, though she was still petite, the curves of her chest were much fuller, and set off by the water, they looked even more alluring.
That woman Ye Lan really has some tricks.
This thought flashed through Ling Yue’s mind. She did not reveal it, much less dwell on it.
She was merely a little curious about this change, or rather, she felt a trace of investigative interest in the marks Ye Lan had left on Mu Xi.
She closed her eyes again and leaned against the pool wall, as if the observation just now had never happened.
For a moment, silence fell, leaving only the faint sound of water.
But Mu Xi could not be as calm as Ling Yue.
She always felt that beneath Teacher Ling Yue’s cold exterior, something unknown seemed to be hidden. Teacher’s gaze just now, though brief, left her uneasy.
She secretly raised her eyes to look at Ling Yue.
With her eyes closed, Ling Yue’s profile was flawlessly perfect, with less of the sharpness she had when awake and a bit more softness.
Water droplets slid down her smooth neck, disappeared into the water, and rippled out in circles.
Just as Mu Xi was staring somewhat dazedly, Ling Yue suddenly opened her eyes, catching the gaze she had no time to withdraw.
Their eyes met.
Mu Xi, as if scalded, suddenly lowered her head, her heart pounding.
Ling Yue watched her flustered appearance, the corner of her lips curving up almost imperceptibly, her voice carrying a trace of lazy magnetism: “What? Did you stare at me until you were dazed?”
Mu Xi’s heart felt like it would jump out of her throat, her cheeks instantly burning hot, even the roots of her ears turning red.
She suddenly lowered her head, her panicked gaze falling on the rippling water, not daring to look again into Ling Yue’s eyes that seemed able to see through everything.
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito, carrying obvious panic: “Teacher… I… I didn’t… You… are too beautiful, I was just… casually looking, nothing else…”
This explanation was feeble and powerless; even she felt guilty.
In that instant just now, she really had been a little dazed by the sight.
Teacher Ling Yue’s beauty was different from Ye Lan’s aggressively vivid allure; it was a coldness taken to the extreme, a nobility like ice carving and snow sculpting, utterly captivating. Especially in this steaming mist, it added a touch of hazy temptation.
Ling Yue watched her look like a startled little rabbit, and the almost imperceptible curve at the corner of her lips seemed to deepen a little.
Her voice still carried the lazy magnetism of soaking in the hot spring, mixed with steam, yet it clearly reached Mu Xi’s ears: “I know.”
Mu Xi was slightly startled, raised her head, and looked at Ling Yue with some confusion.
Ling Yue leaned against the smooth pool wall, her posture relaxed and elegant, water droplets slowly sliding down her graceful neck line, disappearing into the clear spring water and rippling out in fine circles.
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze falling on the distant mist, her tone calm and rippleless: “Everyone has a love for beauty. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
She paused, as if stating a fact that could not be simpler:
“Someone like me, whether here or outside, whether before or now, has no shortage of people staring. I’m used to it.”
These words carried a matter-of-course confidence, even a faint trace of detachment.
As if those gazes were, to her, merely a clear breeze brushing the water’s surface, unable to stir the slightest ripple.
As Mu Xi listened, the embarrassment of being seen through faded a little, but what followed was a deeper sense of distance.
Teacher Ling Yue was like the moon at the edge of the sky, cold and noble, far out of reach.
Even though at this moment the two were in the same hot spring pool, close enough for their skin to touch, Mu Xi still felt there was an insurmountable gulf between them.
A brief silence fell again, with only the faint sound of water echoing in her ears.
Mu Xi had just let out a slight breath, thinking this awkward topic would be dropped, but Ling Yue once again broke the calm.
This time, her voice held less laziness and a bit more barely noticeable probing: “I heard from Ye Lan that you… plan to live properly with her?”
Mu Xi’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
Those fragmented memories of being imprisoned and tortured flashed uncontrollably through her mind, bringing a familiar feeling of suffocation.
But she quickly suppressed that stir, raised her head, met Ling Yue’s calm gaze, and nodded lightly. “Mm.”
Her voice was a little rough; she took a deep breath and tried to make her voice sound steadier: “Yes… yes, Teacher.”
Mu Xi’s voice lowered, carrying a barely noticeable tremble, but it quickly steadied again. “Although… although she treated me that way before, now… these times are too chaotic. Whoever treats me well, I’ll follow. I don’t want to… think about so much anymore.”
These were her true feelings, and also her decision after deep consideration.
After experiencing so much pain and despair, she only wanted to grasp the warmth and support she could reach before her.
Although Ye Lan was domineering, obsessive, and had even once made her wish for death, now Ye Lan was indeed good to her, giving her a relatively stable place to stay, and even promising to help her take back Wu City.
For her, this was already enough.
As for the entanglements of love and not love, hate and not hate, before survival, they all seemed a bit luxurious.
Ling Yue listened quietly, her face showing little expression, but her eyes were like undercurrents surging beneath a calm lake surface.
She looked at Mu Xi’s face, which seemed even more delicate and fragile from the rising steam, watched her trying hard to maintain composure, and suddenly gave a light laugh.
The laugh was very soft, yet it tickled Mu Xi’s heart like a feather.
“Heh,” Ling Yue raised an eyebrow slightly, her tone carrying an indescribable playfulness, “It seems Ye Lan has raised you into a qualified little wife.”
The words “little wife” were like an ice-quenched needle, and also like poison wrapped in honey, stabbing fiercely into Mu Xi’s heart.
Her face turned white in an instant, then a flush of humiliation rushed up.
‘What is this?’
‘Mockery?’
‘Or… pity?’
She unconsciously tightened her hand under the water.
This word carried a thick implication of dependence, as if reminding her that no matter how hard she tried, she was nothing but a pet kept by Ye Lan, a weakling who needed to cling to the strong to survive.
It made her feel a sharp pain and humiliation.