Chapter 123.1
Editor: Sahloknir
Shi Qing was flirting with Jiang Bieyu at a furious rate.
He knew very well what he was doing, but the man wasn’t sure.
Jiang Bieyu was provoked, but there was no way the ‘spoiled and treasured young master from the Shi family who saw him as a servant’ was flirting with him, right?
Since his childhood, Jiang Bieyu had been alternating between two states:
- Being humiliated and taken lightly.
- Secretly giving his tormentors what they deserved after the fact.
He was eighteen this year, an age where it was common to have kids already. However, due to Jiang Bieyu’s circ.u.mstances, he had practically no opportunity to interact with girls his age.
He did have plenty of interactions with many kinds of young masters, but it always involved him being humiliated like a dog by them.
And now, the young master of the Shi family, who could afford to not give face to Jiang Liye even in front of the Jiang family, was acting this way, behaving this way in front of him.
The young master born with a golden spoon in his mouth was also blessed with good looks. Every part of his body was tender and soft. And yet, such a delicate person could somehow treat a person like him with such affection.
If Jiang Bieyu didn’t waver because of this, he would really be as detached as an immortal.
His face was expressionless, but his body felt like it was boiling with heat.
The young master was reluctantly smacking his red lips. His pretty eyes swept around the bed like he was trying to find some more crumbs or bits of cake.
Unfortunately, Jiang Bieyu had caught them all before. There was truly nothing left this time.
The fat cat was still shivering from Jiang Bieyu’s presence. Its usual haughty demeanour was nowhere to be found. Alas, its master was not as discerning as it was. Shi Qing continued to be petulant and contemptuous of the man in front of him, who was even more terrifying than any wild beast.
Shi Qing kicked Jiang Bieyu again. His beautiful and delicate eyebrows were full of open disdain.
“Why are you still on my bed after I’ve finished eating? Those clothes of yours are going to get it dirty.”
It was a cla.s.sic case of throwing things out after using them once.
Jiang Bieyu’s feelings slightly darkened due to his att.i.tude.
If it was before, he might have considered Shi Qing’s actions to be utterly repulsive.
But now, a certain emotion he really shouldn’t feel had blossomed in his heart.
The young master’s petulant, disdainful and arrogant look usually turned away everyone who laid eyes on it.
But if it were a man who felt something for Shi Qing, the little master’s condescending arrogance would only pique his interest further.
Images like the always haughty little master crying out for mercy with pitiful tears in his eyes would flash by in the man’s mind.
And yes, this image did flash through the expressionless Jiang Bieyu’s mind.
As a concubine-born son of the Jiang family, the man had always had impeccable self control. Thus, he showed not even a hint of those thoughts and emotions that shouldn’t exist in front of Shi Qing.
Under the little master’s disdainful gaze, he got up very naturally.
His movements were a little slow, but they remained acceptable. Most importantly, Shi Qing couldn’t see the bulge that shouldn’t be there from where he was sitting.
“Taking so long…are you a woman?” The little master leaned lazily against the wall and picked up the fat cat again, stroking it as it lay in his arms.
The white, long-haired Persian cat was held in the arms of the exquisitely dressed young master, whose long, thin and white fingers carefully ran through its fur.
Those soft, tender fingers made people unable to help wondering if they were softer than the cat’s fur or not.
But whatever the answer may be, Jiang Bieyu was just a lowly servant at the moment. He did not have the status to touch the cat or the person.
The man got off the bed and quietly retreated to one side.
Since there wasn’t anything worth hiding anymore, the little master pushed the curtains aside. He leaned back casually before calling to the maidservants outside.
“How are the clothes I asked you to make going?”
One of the maids hurriedly came in and replied, “They’re already being made. Wait just a little longer, Qing-er.”
“Mother won’t let me go out, and you guys haven’t finished the clothes. What’s the point of waiting in this prison of a room?”
The spoilt and petulant young master grabbed a brocade bag on the bed and threw it. When he saw that it rolled to a stop at Jiang Bieyu’s feet, he threw another one to vent his frustrations.
The second one hit the man right in the chest.
“I told you to serve me. Are you blind? Can’t you see that there are things on the floor?”
Jiang Bieyu obediently bent down and picked up the two brocade bags with one of his large, slender hands. Walking over to Shi Qing’s bedside, he presented them to the little master.
He did not resist or complain whether he was being beaten or scolded, like he was resigned to his fate. In other words, he was no fun as a punching bag.
A hint of displeasure appeared on Shi Qing’s fair and tender face, but he did not make trouble for Jiang Bieyu again. He just waved his hand like he was chasing away flies. “I don’t want them anymore. Throw them out.”
The man immediately went out the door to carry out his latest command.
As soon as he left, the maidservant who had just run in to answer Shi Qing hurriedly gathered her skirts and approached Shi Qing. “Qing-er, why on earth are you keeping him around? He has such scary features! If you want a male servant, just ask the madam to buy you a good one.”
“You don’t understand.”
The little young master’s face showed a bit of smugness as his smile turned nasty. “Don’t you think that he looks a bit like Jiang Liye?”
The maidservant blinked. “Qing-er must be joking. This servant has never met your brother-in-law.”
“You haven’t seen him, but I have. He and Jiang Liye really are brothers, they share an undeniable resemblance. But he’s much better looking than Jiang Liye, and his body looks stronger too.”
“This servant still doesn’t understand. What does his resemblance to your brother-in-law have to do with you keeping him at the manor? Isn’t it natural for him to resemble his older brother?”
Shi Qing waved his hand. That lazy look was still on his face. “Why don’t you get it yet? Jiang Liye is a legitimate son of Jiang family, so there’s little chance I’ll get to vent on him for what he did to me. But Jiang Bieyu is Jiang Liye’s younger brother, and someone he personally gave to me at that. If I do something to Jiang Bieyu in front of Jiang Liye…”
The maidservant’s expression gradually turned into a dawning realization.
“Qing-er, are you trying to use this Jiang Bieyu to slap your brother-in-law in the face?”
“That’s right.”
The young master admitted it without any pretences, still looking smug. He raised an eyebrow, “And now Jiang Bieyu is one of my Shi family’s servants. Even if I do something to him, Jiang Liye, who gave him to me himself, can’t say a thing about it. What I do to my own servant is none of his business.”
His smile was quite wicked, like a little kid whose evil scheme had succeeded. “What’s more, a genuine young master of the esteemed Jiang family is now a servant of my Shi family! The Jiang family is bound to lose face once word gets out, but there’s nothing they can do about it. After all, Jiang Liye gave him to me myself. It’s too late for him to regret that now.”
Actually, the maidservant only understood up to the part where the little master said he wanted to take out his anger on Jiang Bieyu. But that didn’t stop her from laughing with Shi Qing.
As she laughed, Shi Qing heard the System’s tired voice: [Ding! Jiang Bieyu’s animosity value: 100/100]
[Host, what did you do? Why did the animosity value jump back up?]
A smile remained on the young master’s fair face. His eyebrows rose slightly. [What can’t I do? I am the young master of the Shi family. Is he not someone I can speak of as I wish?]
The System: […Host, did you get too into your role?]
Shi Qing: [Nevermind, nevermind. You’re just no fun. Can’t you play along and say something like, ‘Little Master Shi, you are skilled in both the pen and the sword. You can even conquer the world’?]
The System: [Little Master Shi, you are skilled in both the pen and the sword. You can even conquer the world!]
Tickled by this, Shi Qing started laughing even harder.
The young master’s voice had always been soft and sticky. Even his laughter was pleasantly coquettish.
But these alluring sounds only made Jiang Bieyu grip the brocade bag in his hand tighter. From outside the window, he heard every word of the conversation between master and servant.
It happened again.
This was again all because of Jiang Liye.
Even the reason he was beaten and taken back to the Shi family was just to p.i.s.s off Jiang Liye.
After being crushed, the osmanthus flowers inside the brocade bag became even more fragrant. Their scent faintly drifted to surround the man.
It was very nice.
It smelled just like the little master’s body.
Earlier, Jiang Bieyu was wondering why a man like Shi Qing would have the scent of osmanthus on him. Especially since there were no osmanthus trees planted in the courtyard.
Soon afterwards, he understood.
The hand cream the little master used was scented with osmanthus.
The brocade bag placed in his pillow was scented with osmanthus.
Even the clothes that he changed out of were dried on a hot wall sprinkled with osmanthus powder.
Shi Qing seemed to be fond of the scent of osmanthus flowers.
Otherwise he wouldn’t have it surrounding him at all times.
Even this perfumed brocade bag contained dried osmanthus flowers.
Holding it in his hand made Jiang Bieyu feel like he was holding the little master’s soft wrist.
Jiang Bieyu stood very still outside. He almost appeared to be one of the trees as he minimized his presence and quietly listened in.
The maidservant grew up with Shi Qing, so he was quite lenient with her. Therefore, she spoke rather casually.
“But do you really want us to make him clothes? If Qing-er’s intention is to use him to taunt your brother-in-law, why do you treat him so well? If he wears good clothes, how can he be taken outside to anger that person?”
“Provoking Jiang Liye is one thing.”
The young master’s voice was soft and gentle, but it gave off the feeling that he took things for granted. It made people think he was about to jump into someone’s arms and act spoiled.
“But Jiang Bieyu does look very valiant and handsome. I want to dress him up properly. Think about it, if someone as handsome as him keeps wearing those country b.u.mpkin clothes around me, how can it not affect my mood? On the other hand, if he wears vibrant and suitable clothes, I’ll definitely feel happier whenever I look at him.”
He teased, “It’s the same with you. I love to see you all in pretty clothes. Don’t I share the new fabric from Jiangnan with you guys every time it arrives?”
The man outside loosened his grip on the perfumed bag a little.
If he found out that Shi Qing’s compliments on his good looks before were all lies, his animosity level might very well have shot up to 500.
Jiang Bieyu remained expressionless, but his hand relaxed. He looked down slightly and carefully tidied up the place where he had wrinkled the perfumed bag. Then he securely tucked it into his shirt.
The people in the room were still talking. It sounded as if the young master was complimenting the beauty of the maidservant with him.
“Qing-er, oh you. You’ve always loved to look at beautiful people since you were little.”
The maidservant in the room covered her face and smiled. She was quite happy to be complimented. When she saw Shi Qing lying down with a bored look again, she curtsied with a smile and went off to do her other tasks again.