By common sense, although the relationship between master and servant is deeply bound, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is that close.
Who would willingly submit to another forever, without even a trace of resistance?
Ye Jinxi knew she certainly couldn’t. And judging others by herself, it should be the same.
But just now, she had thought of another possibility.
That possibility was love.
Only love—completely irrational, unreasonable love—could make someone want to treat another person unconditionally well, and stay by their side forever.
It seemed difficult for such a thing to arise between master and servant, but it wasn’t entirely impossible. Both of them were girls, after all, and there was nothing strange about that. Lin Huanhuan liked women to begin with, and after spending so much time by her side, it was perfectly normal for Dong Yuner to like women as well.
As for why Dong Yuner would develop feelings for Lin Huanhuan, Ye Jinxi thought of a story she had once read in a talebook:
‘A person is bullied by a tyrant for a long time. Over time, they grow accustomed to it and become numb. But at that point, if the tyrant shows even a hint of kindness, it is very likely to generate enormous goodwill—perhaps even causing the victim to become dependent on, or fall in love with, the tyrant.’
‘I don’t know if that’s exactly the case here, but the difference shouldn’t be too great.’
Thinking this way, everything finally connected. Everything finally made sense.
‘Dong Yuner risked being punished by her young miss just to come see me alone and tell me to leave her young miss completely… all of this is because she harbors improper intentions toward her young miss.’
‘Dong Yuner, Dong Yuner… who would have thought that behind that obedient, well-behaved appearance, you’re actually someone like this. How interesting.’
After figuring it out, the corners of Ye Jinxi’s lips lifted unconsciously. A trace of pleasure appeared in her eyes, and even the air around her seemed to grow sweet.
‘The feeling of understanding everything… is really nice.’
Seeing her like this, Dong Yuner felt an inexplicable panic rise in her chest. Her grip on the teacup tightened.
“How have you decided?” Dong Yuner urged. “If you miss this chance, I won’t offer this many spirit stones as compensation next time. You’d better think carefully.”
She didn’t want to give the other party any more time to think. Afraid that things might change if delayed, she hurried to press the issue.
“No rush, no rush.”
Ye Jinxi shook her head leisurely, her face practically saying I already know everything—you don’t need to scare me anymore.
Dong Yuner frowned, biting her lower lip. The unease in her heart grew stronger, and she even had the urge to speak frankly and lay everything out.
But she rejected that thought almost instantly.
‘No, no. Ye Jinxi must be bluffing. If I get scared now, I’ll fall right into her trap. I can’t panic. I have to stay calm.’
Thinking this, her expression returned to composure—though the hand holding the teacup tightened even further.
The pleasure on Ye Jinxi’s face deepened, like a cat playing with a mouse—cornering it again and again, only to “accidentally” let it escape, until losing interest and delivering the final blow.
She smiled faintly.
“You’re in such a hurry to make me agree… could it be that you’re hiding some unspeakable secret?”
Dong Yuner’s pupils shrank abruptly. Her teeth clenched so hard she could taste blood.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said hoarsely. “I’ll ask one last time—will you agree or not?”
“Heh, you really are in a rush.”
Ye Jinxi chuckled softly and, under Dong Yuner’s calm gaze, rejected her without hesitation.
“Sorry. No matter what, I can’t agree to this. Please forgive me.”
‘So it failed… but that was within expectations.’
Dong Yuner sighed inwardly and said aloud, “Then you may leave. I hope you won’t regret it in the future.”
“That does seem appropriate.”
Ye Jinxi nodded, stood up from her chair, and stretched lazily, subtly revealing the graceful curves of a youthful少女.
Just before turning away, she suddenly smiled.
“Senior Sister Dong, does your young miss know that you like her… and that you secretly help her with things like this?”
Bang—
The teacup in Dong Yuner’s hand shattered instantly. Shards flew everywhere, and crimson liquid dripped from her palm onto the tabletop.
She snapped her head up, staring straight at Ye Jinxi. Terrifying killing intent brewed in her eyes like gathering thunder, ready to erupt and annihilate an enemy at any moment.
“What nonsense are you spouting? Say something like that again without evidence, and don’t blame me for being rude!”
Her voice was extremely hoarse, her eyes bloodshot—like a desert traveler driven to desperation.
Ye Jinxi merely smiled.
“It’s fine if you don’t admit it, Senior Sister Dong. I was just saying it casually. I won’t tell anyone—rest assured. I just wanted to let you know that I know.”
“Goodbye, then. I’ll be leaving.”
She waved her hand, having come with a heavy heart and leaving in high spirits.
‘This level is about right. If I push any further, there’s no guarantee Dong Yuner won’t act like a cornered dog and jump the wall.’
Dong Yuner stared fixedly at her retreating figure, watching her step by step as she left.
The moment Ye Jinxi disappeared completely, all the momentum around Dong Yuner vanished without a trace. It was as if her bones had been pulled out—she collapsed weakly into the chair, gasping softly for breath.
After a long while, she finally recovered, and more or less figured out how she had been exposed.
“So it was because I showed too much concern… My intentions were indeed obvious. Anyone who thought about it carefully could reach that conclusion.”
“I originally thought Ye Jinxi still harbored some fear toward me, and planned to use that to quickly pressure and lure her into leaving. Who would’ve thought it would backfire instead, letting her seize a weakness of mine. Truly ill-fated.”
Dong Yuner sighed.
She wasn’t particularly afraid that Ye Jinxi would go complain to her young miss—after all, her young miss already knew. What worried her was that if her young miss found out she had secretly done this, she might become unhappy again. If that truly caused a rift between them, it would be terrible.
“She’s got hold of my weakness, but it isn’t fatal. And she doesn’t fully understand that point either. That’s the only comfort, I suppose.”
“It’s a pity I already promised young miss that I wouldn’t do that kind of thing again… No, I shouldn’t think that way. Eliminating others really is wrong.”
Dong Yuner sighed again, recalling the conversation she had with her young miss a few days ago.
*****
Lin Huanhuan had spoken to her seriously:
“Yuner, I hope you can promise me that from now on, you won’t use methods like eliminating others to deal with the people around us. That’s not something you should do.”
Dong Yuner was silent for a moment, then nodded.
“I didn’t plan to use them anyway. But since it’s your request, young miss, I will of course obey unconditionally.”
“That’s wonderful. Yuner, you really are the person I trust the most.”