Sometimes Xiaobai truly couldn’t tell whether Shang Yu was clever or foolish. But now, she had no time to lecture him, because Old Master Shang had taken those books with highly suspicious titles and was flipping through them.
As the saying goes, better to sacrifice a friend than oneself. Xiaobai immediately shifted the blame to Shang Yu: “The tutor always makes me copy strange books. I found them interesting, so I asked Xiao Yu to take a look too. This is what Xiao Yu specially wrote for me.”
She didn’t hesitate to affectionately call him “Xiao Yu”—Shang Yu had never been addressed this way by the young lady before. The original host and Xiaobai had always called him by his full name. But now, to emphasize that she and Shang Yu were as close as siblings and that she had been led astray entirely because of him, Xiaobai deliberately changed her form of address.
The young man was taken aback, his face flushing as he lowered his head to stare at his toes. Shang Ruling flipped through the pages and chuckled wryly: “Did you write this for the young lady?”
Shang Yu, bold and unapologetic, showed no humility and even argued confidently: “If the young lady’s future husband can’t even manage these things, what right does he have to be with her?”
Old Master Shang’s expression grew intriguing. He studied Shang Yu for a while, making Xiaobai’s scalp tingle with unease, before speaking unhurriedly: “You’re mistaken about that. From now on, you should address Xiaobai as ‘Young Master.’ And in the future, she won’t take another man’s surname—she will always be surnamed Shang.”
Tucking the books into his sleeve, he patted Xiaobai’s head: “But this does remind me—you’re eight years old now. Although it’s a bit early for an engagement, we can start considering it. However, as a man, I’m not the most suitable for this task. Later, I’ll discuss it with your grandmother and leave it to her.”
Xiaobai’s mouth hung open, her expression exceptionally aggrieved. She shot Shang Yu a fierce glare and repeated her old trick, wrapping her arms around Shang Ruling’s waist and swaying back and forth as she cooed: “Father, Xiaobai doesn’t want to get married! Xiaobai doesn’t want to share her bed with anyone else!”
When it came to hugging waists and acting cute, Xiaobai was exceptionally skilled. She even knew which angle to tilt her head to appear the most adorable. Moreover, having just eaten the snow-white pill her father fed her, she felt light and refreshed, her voice crisp and clear—she privately believed the effect would be even better.
But Old Master Shang was, after all, a man who dared to declare his inadequacies in front of a crowd. Smiling gently, he pinched her cheek: “Xiaobai, what books have you been reading while I was away? You even know that married couples share a bed. And earlier, you asked if I was capable—it seems I should tidy up your study.”
Xiaobai froze. Was this guy even a man? Such an adorable little girl acting cute couldn’t even fool him! She couldn’t stand it herself when she pouted at the mirror!
Fortunately, Old Master Shang didn’t actually go to inspect her study. Under Xiaobai’s sullen gaze, he instructed Shang Yu to serve the young lady well before heading off to visit the old madam.
The moment Shang Ruling left, Xiaobai dragged Shang Yu into the room, dismissed the other servants and maids, and gritted her teeth: “Shang Yu, you’ve really outdone yourself.”
Whether Shang Yu realized his mistake was no longer important. Xiaobai first made him gather all the things that absolutely must not be seen by Old Master Shang, then proceeded to carry out her punishment—
“You like writing so much, go back and copy that nonsense ‘Male Precepts and Male Virtues’ a hundred times. You can’t leave your room until you finish, and don’t come bother me before then.” She kicked Shang Yu out of the Haitang Courtyard.
Pretending to be angry, she buried herself under the covers. Only then did Xiaobai let out a sigh of relief. Frowning, lost in thought, she finally sighed and silently mouthed a sentence.
…
Shang Yu was placed under house arrest by the young master, but life had to go on.
Having slept her first good night’s rest since becoming Shang Tianhuan, Xiaobai woke up refreshed and energized, only to immediately face inconveniences everywhere.
Usually, whether it was tidying her clothes or styling her hair, Shang Yu handled everything, even her outfit coordination. Now that she had confined him to his room, she was at a loss facing several large chests of clothes and the boxes of jewelry Old Master Shang had just sent over.
She beckoned a hidden guard down and asked, “Can you do hair?”
The other stared at her wordlessly, his eyes clearly expressing helplessness. Xiaobai told him to get lost and decided to try it herself.
An hour later, she walked out of the Haitang Courtyard, quite pleased with her efforts. Perhaps even heaven couldn’t bear to watch her struggle, for on her way to see her grandmother, she spotted a young man squatting by the courtyard gate, counting ants.
“What are you doing here?” She thought for a moment, recalling his name: “Guo Tongxia?”
The young man quickly stood up, scratching the back of his head as he gave her a simple, honest smile. “Greetings, Young Master. My mother told me to come play with you.”
Xiaobai’s expression instantly turned subtle. She glanced at him and said disdainfully, “What could I possibly have to play with you about?”
Facing peers like Shang Yu and Guo Tongxia, Xiaobai couldn’t be bothered to put on a smiling, ingratiating face. Not to mention, she had just been appointed young master yesterday, and today Miao Sanxiao sent her own son to “play” with her. What else could it mean? Keep the benefits within the family.
The young man thought for a moment and said seriously, “How about I spar with you?”
Clearly, he had come prepared, even stuffing a few books into his clothes in case Xiaobai went too hard.
Guo Tongxia was actually a little afraid of Xiaobai. The first time his mother brought him to the Shang family as a child, he witnessed Miss Xiaobai beating someone up.
The second time, Miss Xiaobai was still beating someone up.
The third time, Miss Xiaobai started whipping someone.
…
And the most recent time, Miss Xiaobai looked at him with utter disdain and said she didn’t want to fight him.
Guo Tongxia was at a loss. He had grown up in a security escort agency surrounded by grown men. The only woman was his mother, Miao Sanxiao, who was fiercer and more formidable than any of the men. So, he was actually quite accepting of Xiaobai’s style—just a little scared… really, just a little.
But he was even more afraid of her being unhappy. His mother had said that from now on, the young master was his master. Even if it cost him his life, he had to protect her and ensure she came to no harm. Beyond that, as long as the young master was happy, she could do anything to him.
But now the young master didn’t want him by her side. Ah, she turned and walked away… Guo Tongxia hurried to catch up. He truly didn’t know how to interact with girls. His father said the most important thing with girls was to be shamelessly persistent. His mother said… what did she say again?
Right, his mother said a man must have a sweet tongue. Compliment girls more, and they’ll like you.
“Young Master, your hairstyle is so unique. Did you purposely style it so… lopsided?”
Xiaobai stopped and suddenly waved her hand.
Immediately, a hidden guard flashed out. His face was covered, revealing only a pair of calm eyes that looked very serious—until Xiaobai swiftly tore off his mask.
He was laughing, the kind of laugh where he bit his lips hard to keep the laughter from spilling out, commonly known as stifling laughter.
After kicking the stifling-laughing hidden guard a few times, she turned to look at Guo Tongxia, who still wore an honest and straightforward expression. Grabbing his collar, she asked, “Do you think this outfit of mine is unique?”
“Ah, ah, it’s… not quite like the girls I usually see…” He instinctively bent down to make it easier for her to hold onto him.
“So you know what normal girls look like. Can you do hair?”
…
Guo Tongxia’s hair-styling skills were no match for Shang Yu’s. His technique was clumsy, and he didn’t know any intricate tricks. After all, he was only two years older than Shang Yu, and most of his time was spent practicing martial arts with his father, learning to handle the affairs of the escort agency, and even accompanying Miao Sanxiao to visit other factions.
But he was unexpectedly patient, slowly recalling the hairstyles he had seen on girls and imitating how his father used to style his mother’s hair. Surprisingly, he managed to give her a proper double bun, with two small braids hanging down on either side. He then pulled two strings of small silver bells from his pocket and tied them to the braids.
“I went to Tongshui Stronghold with my mother earlier—it’s over in Nanmang—and I saw these two strings of bells. For some reason, they reminded me of you, Young Master, but I didn’t dare bring them out before…” When he smiled, he revealed a mouthful of white teeth, looking genuinely—very foolish.
Strictly speaking, Guo Tongxia wasn’t ugly. After all, his mother was the famous “Iron Lady” of Tongshui Stronghold, and Guo Ding’an’s looks weren’t bad enough to drag down the next generation.
Guo Tongxia had the classic appearance of a young hero—thick eyebrows, big eyes, and handsome features. Upon closer inspection, his eyes were even a golden-brown color. However, years of traveling had tanned his skin to a wheatish hue, and his honest personality often gave him a somewhat foolish air.
But honestly, Xiaobai didn’t care whether he was good-looking or not. With a personality like his, he’d likely end up being treated as a brother by female heroes in the martial world—a “lover-brother” when needed, and a “real brother” when not.
“I’ve always wanted a little sister, a cute one like you, Young Master.”
See, this was exactly the kind of foolish deer that willingly walked into the trap. Xiaobai patted his shoulder earnestly and said, “You can say things like that to me, but don’t say them to other girls in the future. Actually, it’s best if you talk less to other girls altogether.”
Guo Tongxia didn’t quite understand what she meant. He planned to ask his mother about it later, but the Young Master’s words were absolute, so he nodded seriously.
Xiaobai was self-aware. Although Guo Tongxia seemed a bit foolish and his aesthetic sense was rather ordinary, it was precisely because it was ordinary that it worked. After all, the original host’s face carried the look—as long as she didn’t pair it with any eye-searing color combinations, she’d look good enough for people to overlook her personality.
Most importantly, he was honest and said whatever was on his mind, unlike certain people who clearly wanted to laugh but kept stifling it, making her mistakenly think she was doing great. Such people deserved to die a thousand deaths.
Changing into a lively peach-pink outfit, Xiaobai felt exhausted. Why did a tough, iron-willed man like her have to figure out how to dress cuter? If it weren’t for the sake of making her acting spoiled more effective… She gritted her teeth. One day, she’d make Shang Ruling, that clueless blockhead, find her utterly adorable!
“Young Master, where are the maidservants attending to you?” After everything was done, Guo Tongxia belatedly realized something was off. Usually, weren’t it the maidservants who helped the young lady with her hair?
“They all saw me trembling like a little chick, so I sent them away,” she said nonchalantly, stretching before pulling Guo Tongxia out the door. “Come on, since you performed quite well, I’ll allow you to be my follower.”
“Alright, thank you, Young Master!” He grinned foolishly, not caring where she was taking him.
As long as the Young Master was willing to let him follow, that was enough.
Author’s Note: Honestly, with the aesthetic sense of two straight guys… really, it’s fortunate that Xiaobai’s face is pretty enough, and Young Hero Guo, being simple and honest, only hung two strings of bells on her.
【Mini Theater】Don’t Talk to Other Girls
Guo Tongxia: Mom, today the Young Master told me to talk less to other girls from now on.
Miao Sanxiao: !!
Guo Ding’an: …
Miao Sanxiao: Well done! As expected of my son, Miao Sanxiao, winning the Young Master’s heart so quickly!
Guo Ding’an: No, I don’t think it’s what you imagine…
Miao Sanxiao: Since the Young Master said so, you must do it properly. In our Nanmang, if a lover gets entangled with other girls, they’re beaten to death directly. Son, you must remember, never betray the Young Master.
Guo Tongxia: Oh, oh, I understand, Mom.
Guo Ding’an: They’re just two kids, where’s the lover… Alright, alright, I won’t say anymore. Wife, don’t glare at me. Son, your father really tried his best. Don’t blame me when you grow up.