Chapter 21
Xie Wen hooked Chu Xianyue's chin, his hand resting on Chu Xianyue's chest, and looked at him with a smile. Chu Xianyue did as he was told and fed Xie Wen grapes, but when they reached his lips, Xie Wen turned his head away and raised his fingertips to cover Chu Xianyue's rosy lips, gently caressing them. He opened his mouth slightly, his eyes curving upwards, indicating that he should continue to feed him grapes.
It was no surprise that the Third Miss flirted intimately with her male lover every day; the servants in the east wing were used to it and usually kept their heads down, not daring to glance at them. The servants who dared to look too far into the Third Miss's scandalous affair with her lover had their eyes gouged out.
The servants carefully went about their tasks.
Over the past few days, Chu Xianyue had come to understand Xie Wen's unpredictable temperament. When she asked him to feed her, he would bring the food to her mouth and then turn his head away. The next moment, he would give her a look that indicated that he should feed her. When Chu Xianyue brought the food to Xie Wen's mouth, Xie Wen would turn her head to pick it up, but Chu Xianyue would turn his hand away and refuse to give it to her.
Xie Wen was amused.
She pretended to be angry, grabbed his collar, pulled him in front of her, quickly kissed him, and then pushed him away.
Xie Wen suddenly stood up, intending to go forward to do something, but unexpectedly bumped into a servant who had just brought up some snacks. The snacks got all over her.
Ying Yue immediately knelt down. Xie Wen glanced back at her, her eyes chillingly cold. After this commotion, all her good mood and interest had vanished.
Xie Wen yelled, "What are you doing, you ignorant servant? Can you afford to pay for the dirt you've soiled my clothes?"
Ying Yue knelt on the ground, head down, but her body was ramrod straight. She didn't utter a sound, but Xie Wen grabbed her chin, forcing her to raise her head. He squinted at her and asked, "Can't you speak? Are you mute?"
Ying Yue kept her mouth tightly shut, her eyes full of stubbornness.
Xie Wen snorted and casually tossed him aside, finding it pointless. She then punished him by making him kneel at the main gate of the mansion, forbidding him from getting up or eating without her permission.
In this freezing weather, with Yingyue's constitution, she collapsed within a few hours.
The sky was chilly, and candlelight flickered outside the street. A carriage stopped in front of the Mei residence, and a handsome young man in a cloak stepped out of the simple carriage, escorted by several servants. He looked rather thin. The servants helped him out of the carriage, saying, "Young master, please be careful."
Mei Shanting had just returned from the temple in the south of the city today. He had been frail and sickly since childhood, and had sought medical help everywhere and prayed to gods and Buddhas, but his health had not improved. Recently, he had heard that the temple in the south of the city was very efficacious, so he went there to burn incense every day.
Mei Shanting had given up hope for his health; going to temples to pray was merely a way to find peace and quiet. His two older sisters, on the other hand, were a constant source of headaches for him.
As he stepped through the gate, he could see a person lying under the cold lamp in the distance. The others walked by as if they hadn't seen him. Mei Shanting knew then that it was his sister's "good deed" again.
Mei Shanting sighed, squatted down and helped the woman who had fallen to the ground up. The woman's face was pale and her body was cold. She was limp and light as if she were just a skeleton. This maid was so thin that she had hardly any flesh on her bones, as if she would fall apart if the wind blew her away.
This is the first time I've seen someone even weaker than him.
Mei Shanting summoned someone to bring Yingyue back to the house and also called a doctor.
The steward looked troubled and hesitated before saying, "Young master, but the third young lady instructed that no one can discipline this maid without her permission."
Mei Shanting rarely showed impatience. "You're not listening to me anymore?"
The butler remained unmoved. Compared to Mei Shanting's reprimand, Mei San's fury terrified him even more. Angry this young master would at most result in a pay cut, but if he angered the third young lady, that would be truly terrifying.
Finally, it was a servant who had served Mei Shanting for a long time who picked up Yingyue and carried her to the west wing without saying a word.
When Ying Yue woke up again, she saw Mei Shanting walking towards her. He was thin and dressed in plain white clothes. He was cleaner and simpler than all the masters Ying Yue had seen in the mansion. However, he coughed every two steps, and he seemed to be very weak.
When Mei Shanting saw that Ying Yue had woken up, a slight smile appeared on his pale face. "You're awake."
Yingyue was a little stunned. After a few seconds of reaction, she was startled by the sudden hospitality. She had never been treated like this before. Why was she lying on such a beautiful and soft bed? She subconsciously threw off the covers and knelt straight down on the ground. She didn't say anything and just knelt there.
Mei Shanting chuckled as he helped Ying Yue up, saying with a half-smile, "Look carefully, I'm not the Third Miss."
Ying Yue had only been at the manor for a short time and had not yet had the opportunity to meet Mei Shanting, the young master of the Mei family.
Mei Shanting looked into Ying Yue's clear and bright eyes and thought she was quite interesting, innocent and naive, like a cat that didn't know the ways of the world.
Mei Shanting helped Yingyue back to bed so she could rest for a while. He then brought her her medicine and asked if she could drink it herself. If not, he would have to feed her.
After this series of actions, Ying Yue was flattered and overwhelmed. All of this was beyond her imagination. She sat on the soft bed, feeling uncomfortable all over. She gulped down the medicine in two gulps, got out of bed in a panic, and still didn't say anything, only indicating that she had to go back to work.
Mei Shanting helped her up, saying, "There's no need to rush. You don't have to work until you're fully recovered. I'll just let the stewards know."
Just then, a shrill female voice came from outside the door, its harshness echoing throughout the room, "Young master, did you even consult me before acting like this? Don't forget, this person is a maid in my courtyard. Why is the young master meddling in my affairs?"
The villainous female supporting character, Xie Wen, makes a dazzling entrance, followed closely by that seductive and shameless woman who joins forces with her.
Xie Wen barged into the room as if no one else was there. Behind him, Chu Xianyue's face was partially visible, and his cold gaze pierced through the two people in the room.
Mei Shanting had been bullied by his older sisters since childhood; they never took him seriously. Now, Mei Shanting had saved someone from Mei San's courtyard, making her lose face. At the same time, she had found an excuse to cause trouble for her younger brother.
Mei Shanting was unsurprised. "What is your sister trying to do?"
Xie Wen sat down and drank his tea, then casually pulled Chu Xianyue to sit down as well, and said leisurely, "You stole my people and now you want to ask me what I want to do?"
Mei Shanting's attitude was more forceful than usual: "I want her."
Xie Wen scoffed, his tone flippant, "Oh ho, you've got your eye on someone?"
"I didn't expect you to find someone you like? Your taste is truly unique. You favor a lowly servant girl." Xie Wen said sneer.
Mei Shanting was speechless for a moment. His cheeks seemed to flush slightly, but it was quickly covered by his paleness. He said, "Indeed, you don't have the same good taste as my elder sister. You prefer male concubines."
Mei Shanting rarely spoke so bluntly and harshly, but he forgot how shameless Xie Wen was. She didn't care at all, and instead reached out to hook her arm around Chu Xianyue's neck, touching him without any regard for others, showing no shame whatsoever.
Instead, Mei Shanting, unable to bear the humiliation, turned his face away, thus blocking Ying Yue's view.
Chu Xianyue: Endure. Endure. Endure again and again.
Fine, let her do whatever she wants until she leaves this illusion, as long as it doesn't involve matters of principle. These days, Chu Xianyue is almost driven to despair by Xie Wen's antics.
They still couldn't get the person back, and Xie Wen returned home seething with anger.
That night, back in the house, Xie Wen skillfully took out a whip and ordered Chu Xianyue to kneel down. His naked figure cast a faint shadow in the moonlight.
Xie Wen paced back and forth in the room with a whip in his hand. He walked up to Chu Xianyue, grabbed his chin, and forced him to raise his head, taking Chu Xianyue's aloof demeanor as mere pretense of virtuousness. Xie Wen sneered inwardly. What hadn't they done? Why was he pretending to be a chaste and virtuous man?
Xie Wen raised his hand and stroked his handsome face, coldly mocking, "What are you pretending for? What kind of face are you putting on? Didn't you enjoy it too?"
Immediately afterward, Xie Wen looked at Chu Xianyue's seductive and shameless face under the moonlight and suddenly felt sorry for her. He sighed helplessly at Chu Xianyue, his red lips gleaming in the moonlight, and said condescendingly, "Come here and kiss me."
This man, whom she had raised for many years, had always been submissive to her and knew exactly how to please her. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed by her side for so long.
Chu Xianyue was no match for her. Since they were in an illusion, he had no choice but to submit. Otherwise, it would only provoke an even fiercer storm.
He kissed Xie Wen's cheek expressionlessly.
Xie Wen was quite pleased. He had a smug look on his face, like a villainous supporting character who had succeeded.
Chu Xianyue sighed softly.
The moonlight shifted outside the window, the sun and moon changed, the morning light was faint, and the roosters crowed and the birds called.
Yingyue has now moved to Meishanting's courtyard and become one of his personal maids. Meishanting is a well-known kind-hearted and good-tempered gentleman who treats everyone around him equally and with kindness. Being able to work in his household is quite lucky.
Some servants who entered the household with Yingyue were envious of her sudden gaining the attention of the young master of the Mei family. Their jealousy grew, and they spread rumors that Yingyue had seduced the young master to achieve her current status. Shameless indeed, they couldn't shake their seductive nature.
Ying Yue remained obediently by Mei Shanting's side throughout, doing what she was supposed to do without ever overstepping her bounds. She also ignored the rumors and gossip, watching them flow past her like water from a position of superiority, as if they had nothing to do with her.
Mei Shanting became increasingly reliant on Yingyue, and her presence was always felt by his side.
When he was sixteen, the servants in the mansion called him "Young Master," which sounded nice, but he knew that deep down they looked down on him, this sickly man.
He was the young master of the household, yet also the least noticeable person there. He even wondered if his father was unaware of his existence, unaware that he even had a son.
He endured more than a decade of cold indifference, but he never cared. He was still willing to reserve his limited warmth for others.
Over the years, Meishan Ting has gotten used to being alone.
Looking back now, Mei Shanting seems to have another Ying Yue behind him.
She was different from everyone else in the manor. She never spoke, and her gaze was gentle yet firm. For some reason, she always brought Mei Shanting a sense of inner peace.
It's already early summer in May, and they've already gone through a season. The sun is shining brightly, the sky is clear and the air is crisp. The trumpet vines in the yard are in bloom, climbing all the way up the eaves, their dazzling blossoms holding their heads high on the branches.
Mei Shanting said that people despise the trumpet creeper for its opportunism, but he admires it for its tenacity and resilience, which allows it to survive wherever it goes.
Mei Shanting coughed softly as he spoke, and Ying Yue immediately supported him and gently patted his back.
Mei Shanting glanced at Ying Yue.
Even after following him for so long, she has never spoken a single word to him. She only knows how to use sign language.
Sometimes Meishan Ting even thought she was mute.
But actually, Yingyue is not.
He knew she simply didn't want to talk for some reason, and he respected that. He wouldn't force her if she didn't want to.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
