“Wu Shen, take Madam upstairs.”
Yun Manxia’s uneasy heart suddenly settled.
Overcome with emotion, she rushed forward and quickly hugged the man, saying as if making a promise, “I’ll treat you well!”
It was only a hug, yet it was the closest she had ever been to him in both her past and present life.
She hadn’t thought much when she acted, but once she actually embraced him and felt his presence, her face flushed uncontrollably. She quickly let go and hurried away.
By the time she reached upstairs, her cheeks were still faintly burning, and she felt a little annoyed at her impulsiveness.
He had a cleanliness obsession and disliked being touched by others—would he end up hating her because of that?
Downstairs.
Only after the girl’s graceful figure disappeared from his sight did Bai Hedu come back to his senses.
Protect him…?
The soft sensation of her body seemed to linger. Bai Hedu carefully felt it again, his expression turning slightly strange, as if intrigued.
This was the first time anyone had said something like that to him.
Lin Shen, standing nearby, was astonished when he saw his master’s expression.
Ninth Master wasn’t angry or disgusted?
The last time Miss Liu threw herself at him, his face had darkened, and he had almost kicked her away!
Upstairs.
Wu Shen was the housekeeper here, and Yun Manxia could sense that she didn’t like her much.
When they reached the door, Yun Manxia paused. “I’ll be staying here?”
She had lived here for years in her previous life and was very familiar with Yujing Garden. She knew this was just an ordinary guest room—and far from Bai Hedu’s room.
And now, no matter what, she was the lady of Yujing Garden.
Wu Shen’s face was stern and sharp. She said coldly, “You arrived suddenly. The rooms haven’t been prepared, so you’ll have to make do here for now.”
There was nothing technically wrong with those words. Wu Shen was also an old servant of the Bai family and held a special status in front of Bai Hedu, so Yun Manxia didn’t argue and dragged her suitcase inside.
After tidying up a bit, she wanted to take a bath. But when she entered the bathroom, she found the hot water system was broken.
As the housekeeper, Wu Shen controlled everything here. There was no way she didn’t know about this, yet she still brought her to this room.
Was it intentional?
Yun Manxia’s eyes darkened. She went out and asked a servant which room she could use to bathe.
“A bath?”
The maid Xiao Mei’s gaze flickered. “Come with me.”
Soon, Yun Manxia was brought to a room.
“This is it. Go in yourself.”
It was a large room, finely and luxuriously decorated, though the tone was somewhat cold.
Yun Manxia’s eyes showed a hint of nostalgia. She recognized it—it was Bai Hedu’s room.
“Alright, you can go.” Without thinking much, she stepped inside and casually added, “Bring me a clean set of clothes.”
She didn’t have spare clothes in her suitcase. She had originally planned to elope with Bai Chengxuan, so she hadn’t brought much.
But she knew Yujing Garden always had spare clothes for guests.
Meanwhile, downstairs.
From the moment Yun Yiyi entered, she could barely contain her excitement.
Countless women avoided Ninth Master Bai like the plague—but she wasn’t one of them!
Who was Ninth Master Bai? Even if he was ill and might not live long, becoming his woman came with endless benefits!
What she resented was that she was also a daughter of the Yun family—so why didn’t she have the right to marry into the Bai family?
Yun Manxia’s mother had long passed away. Now her own mother was the mistress of the Yun household. What was wrong with transferring the marriage agreement to her?
Fortunately, her foolish sister had been easily provoked into eloping. In the end, the position of Ninth Madam of the Bai family would still be hers!
At the thought, Yun Yiyi almost couldn’t suppress her smile.
“Ninth Master, this is the second young lady of the Yun family.”
Yun Yiyi quickly looked up. The moment she saw the man in the wheelchair being pushed over, she froze.
Her heart pounded wildly.
She had never seen a man with such outstanding appearance and temperament…
“Hello, I’m Yun Yiyi!” She hurriedly stood up, greeting him with a mix of nervousness and shyness. Thinking about becoming his wife, a trace of anticipation appeared in her eyes.
Taking in all her subtle reactions, Bai Hedu remained indifferent. His deep voice asked, “The Yun family? What are you here for?”
“I came to apologize on behalf of my younger sister!” Yun Yiyi said with a guilty expression. “Ninth Master, my sister is young and ignorant. After hearing some rumors, she became afraid and didn’t dare marry you, so she eloped with someone…”
Upstairs.
After finishing her bath, Yun Manxia found that no clothes had been prepared for her.
Frowning slightly, she eventually took one of Bai Hedu’s robes from the closet and put it on.
The man’s figure was tall, and the robe dragged on the floor. She had to lift the fabric and tie the belt, leaving it loose around her waist.
She stepped out, intending to ask for clothes, when she suddenly heard a very familiar voice from downstairs—
“…I am willing to marry in my sister’s place. I hope Ninth Master can be magnanimous and not blame the Yun family!”
The righteous tone painted her as a good sister willing to sacrifice herself.
Yun Manxia’s beautiful face suddenly darkened.
Downstairs.
Yun Yiyi stood like a pure and stubborn white flower, chin raised, eyes slightly red, waiting for the man’s decision.
She was full of confidence.
She was no worse than Yun Manxia. If Ninth Master Bai could accept Yun Manxia, why not her?
Besides, Yun Manxia had already eloped—
“Second Sister, why are you here?”
A gentle and pleasant voice suddenly came from the staircase.
Yun Yiyi’s pupils shrank as she looked up sharply.
The moment she saw the girl walking down the stairs, her expression changed drastically, almost crying out in shock.
—How was Yun Manxia here?!
Hearing the commotion, Bai Hedu, whose emotions had been unreadable after hearing Yun Yiyi, also looked up—and suddenly paused.
The girl had just bathed. Her long hair was slightly damp, loosely tied up. Her fair face carried a faint blush, making her look lively and charming. Her already beautiful eyes now had a watery softness, captivating with just a glance.
She had always been exceptionally beautiful, but now it was impossible to look away.
Yet what caught the most attention was the ill-fitting, loose robe she wore.
Bai Hedu recognized at a glance that it was his. His deep eyes narrowed immediately.
Lin Shen and the servants’ hearts all skipped a beat.
This was bad!
Ninth Master had a strong sense of territory and a cleanliness obsession. He hated it when others entered his room or touched his things without permission—and this new Madam had caused a huge disaster the moment she arrived!