Handsome?
Idol?
More words he couldn't understand, yet he vaguely sensed they weren't entirely proper terms.
Xiao Jingheng furrowed his brows slightly, focused his mind, and prepared to continue writing.
[But what's the use of being handsome? His personality is so cold, and he's such a workaholic… Look what time it is—he just returned from the Court of Judicial Review and isn't resting, going straight to handling official business. He's even more driven than we were rushing to finish homework back in school! No wonder he became Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. With this level of effort, if it were me, I'd have given up long ago!]
[Can Marquis of Yongning's Mansion not function without him? Ah, being a Young Marquis isn't easy—the pressure must be immense. I wonder if his hair is falling out faster because of it…]
Xiao Jingheng: "…"
He felt a throbbing sensation at his temples.
Workaholic? Overtime? Hair loss?
He tried to ignore those chaotic thoughts and pulled his attention back to the official documents. Just as his brush tip was about to touch the paper—
[Come to think of it, is he working so hard because the Marquis is away from home all year round, and he has to support the entire Hou Manor alone? That seems… kind of pitiable? No, no, why should I pity him? He's an iceberg who's always ready to punish people!]
[But… he did give me a promotion and raise today. It seems… he's not entirely unreasonable?]
Beside him, the little maid's inner monologue bubbled like boiling water, incessant and unrestrained.
One moment she was swooning over his appearance, the next criticizing his personality, then inexplicably starting to 'pity' him, and finally jumping back and forth between labeling him an iceberg and a decent person…
These disordered, illogical thoughts were like countless little claws scratching at Xiao Jingheng's nerves, shattering his usually proud concentration into pieces.
He took a deep breath and set down his brush.
Su Xiaoyu was lost in her thoughts when she suddenly felt an intensely present gaze resting on her, startling her into alertness.
Looking up, she met Xiao Jingheng's profound, unfathomable eyes.
[Oh no! Why is he looking at me? Is my standing position wrong? Or is my breathing too loud?]
Xiao Jingheng watched her instantly tense body and panic-filled eyes, suddenly finding it somewhat amusing.
He curled his fingers and tapped lightly but firmly on the desk.
"Grind the ink."
"Ah? Yes! This servant will do it right away."
Su Xiaoyu felt as if granted amnesty, quickly stepping forward. While grinding the ink, her inner monologue went into overdrive:
[Su Xiaoyu, control yourself! Don't swoon over him again. If the Young Marquis finds out, you'll be thrown out!]
Xiao Jingheng picked up his brush again, only to find that although the chattering thoughts in his ears persisted, they seemed… compared to the pure silence before, to carry a different kind of liveliness?
He shook his head slightly, trying to cast aside these distractions and focus on the documents before him.
Half an hour later, Jingheng finally set down his brush, placing the last reviewed document on the right side, his fingertips gently massaging the space between his eyebrows.
Seeing this, Su Xiaoyu immediately stepped forward cleverly, deftly organizing the reviewed documents according to his usual habits.
Her movements were swift and systematically clear.
Xiao Jingheng watched her nimble hands for a moment before suddenly asking:
"You know how to read?"
Su Xiaoyu's organizing hands paused, her heart sinking. Finally, she replied in a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum: "Young Marquis, this servant… recognizes a few characters."
"Oh?"
Xiao Jingheng's tone gave no indication whether he believed her or not.
He casually pulled out a clean sheet of xuan paper and spread it on the table.
"Write a few characters for me to see."
Su Xiaoyu immediately went on high alert!
[What! Is this the ultimate test? If my writing is too poor, will I be driven out? Will I lose the huge salary of two taels of silver?]
But she had never practiced calligraphy in the modern era!
Trembling with fear, she took the brush, desperately recalling the meager calligraphy skills of the original body, then crookedly wrote the four characters for "Marquis of Yongning's Mansion."
The handwriting was childish, the structure loose, and the strokes seemed pieced together without any elegance—clearly at a beginner's level.
"Young Marquis, please forgive this servant's foolishness. My writing is unsightly and has offended your eyes…"
Xiao Jingheng lowered his gaze, a faint trace of amusement flashing in his eyes.
He offered no comment, instead turning to take a copybook from the shelf and casually tossing it onto her desk.
"Starting tomorrow, practice copying this book—three pages daily."
His voice betrayed neither joy nor anger, only a businesslike coolness.
"Since you're serving in the study, having handwriting like this would bring shame to Moyun Residence if word got out."
He provided an impeccably proper reason.
Su Xiaoyu: "!!!"
[Calligraphy practice!! And three pages every day! As expected! The overachieving Young Marquis had no intention of going easy on her—he was waiting for this all along.]
Seeing her utterly dejected expression, Xiao Jingheng, worried she might refuse to continue, added:
"If you can submit three neat practice sheets on time every day and show improvement, the kitchen will save two pieces of osmanthus cake for you daily. If you meet the standard for seven consecutive days, on the weekend, the kitchen will prepare your favorite braised pork knuckle—as much as you want!"
"!!!" Su Xiaoyu's head snapped up, her eyes instantly shining like two little lanterns.
"R-really? Young Marquis! If I practice well, I get osmanthus cake, and if I meet the standard for a week, I get braised pork knuckle?"
What had felt like a torturous punishment moments ago now seemed in her eyes like a challenge leading straight to a gourmet paradise!
A faint curve touched Xiao Jingheng's lips. "Naturally, it's true. But if your writing is sloppy and careless, not only will there be no reward, but you'll have to rewrite double the amount."
"Don't worry, Young Marquis! This servant will write properly! I promise it'll be neat and tidy, with no carelessness!" Su Xiaoyu hurriedly patted her chest in assurance, picking up the copybook as if it were a treasure.
However, Su Xiaoyu had been overly optimistic.
The original body had no foundation in calligraphy, and her modern self only knew how to write with a pen—barely passable. But as she grew older, most of her work involved computers, with paperless offices becoming the norm. She hadn't written by hand in a long time. When she started practicing, she realized it wasn't as simple as she had imagined.
Gripping the heavy wolf-hair brush, her strokes were either too light at the start and too heavy at the end, or crooked in the middle, resembling a feeble little snake.
For three days in a row, she failed the inspection.
Su Xiaoyu's morale began to crumble.
Just as she despairingly thought her career was about to end, on the fourth day, a cool voice sounded behind her:
"Keep your wrist steady, and your mind calm."
Su Xiaoyu whirled around to see Xiao Jingheng standing behind her, his gaze calm as he observed the mess, his expression showing no anger.
What shocked Su Xiaoyu even more was that Xiao Jingheng ignored the disarray, instead spreading a fresh sheet of xuan paper, dipping a new brush in ink, and then, naturally, taking hold of her hand!
Su Xiaoyu froze completely. Her mind went blank!
"Observe the brush strokes!" His voice was close to her ear, carrying a strange, soothing power.
"Starting the stroke, concealing the tip; moving the brush, maintaining even pressure with the central tip; ending the stroke, returning the tip."
Guiding her hand with steady strength, he led her to write stroke by stroke on the paper, forming an upright, balanced, and perfectly proportioned character for "fish."
Su Xiaoyu was stunned!
Looking at this unprecedentedly neat and beautiful character—could she really have written this?
She had been practicing daily for the past few days, to the point where her wrist felt nearly useless, and even she despised what she produced.
So why did the brush come alive the moment it was in Xiao Jingheng's hands?
Su Xiaoyu stared at the character "fish" for a long while, a surge of wild joy welling up inside her. So much so that she temporarily forgot the two of them were still maintaining a nearly embracing distance.
"Young Marquis, this servant…"
She turned her head, just about to share this joy. But the moment her lips parted slightly—
Her lips, warm and soft, brushed precisely and lightly against Xiao Jingheng's slightly lowered chin!