The moment the maid outside the courtyard finished announcing Zhou Jin’s arrival, the sound of his footsteps reached the room.
Li Qu had just finished composing her appearance when Zhou Jin entered. She lifted a faint smile and stepped forward to give him a perfectly proper salute. “This concubine greets Master.”
Zhou Jin looked at Li Qu and stopped.
Nanny Xu signaled to Hongguo and Cuiguo. One went to prepare the ice basin, while the other prepared water for washing his hands. There was no reason for them to stand around like posts.
Li Qu rose and stepped forward to fan Zhou Jin. “The weather is hot. Master, have you come in from outside? Shall I have water prepared for your bath?”
Zhou Jin withdrew his gaze, sparing his words as usual. “Very well.” With that, he walked toward the seat of honor.
Li Qu ordered Nanny Xu to arrange for the water, then followed Zhou Jin step for step and sat in the seat beside him.
A maid from the tea room brought in tea.
She asked Zhou Jin, “Will you dine here tonight?”
Holding his cup, Zhou Jin did not even look up. He merely gave a hum of acknowledgment.
Li Qu rose again to order the evening meal. She did not notice that as she walked outside, Zhou Jin lifted his eyes, his gaze lingering on her waist and hips.
Summer clothing was thin, and her clothes emphasized her curves particularly well. With every step, her swaying skirt revealed an air of frivolity.
When she turned around, he calmly withdrew his gaze and took a light sip of tea.
Li Qu returned to her seat, and fresh, crisp fruits and pastries were brought to her side.
She picked up a silver fork and offered Zhou Jin a piece of melon. Zhou Jin refused and set down his cup. “I caused you to be separated from your lover like a pair of mandarin ducks torn apart. I have yet to apologize to you.”
Li Qu had long since experienced the possessiveness of men, so she handled Zhou Jin without the slightest hesitation.
She put a piece of melon into her mouth. Its cool, refreshing sweetness eased the tension and restlessness in her heart. “This concubine is only sixteen. If I truly had someone in my heart, why would I have traveled south with my parents to seek refuge with my sister and brother-in-law?
“That day, I merely wanted Master to be magnanimous and not hold my words against me. It was simply a reason I came up with off the cuff.”
“Besides, when the three of us—myself, Second Sister, and Mother—first entered the residence, we were separated and questioned. Old Madam had already investigated our family backgrounds thoroughly.
“If our family backgrounds had not been clean, how could Old Madam have given me the opportunity to come near Master?”
She speared another piece of fruit but did not hurry to eat it. Instead, she turned to Zhou Jin with a smile. “Master is so concerned about whether this concubine has someone in her heart. Could it be that you fell in love with me at first sight? So you’ve been taking hearsay for truth and getting jealous?”
Zhou Jin’s gaze slowly settled on Li Qu’s face.
He clearly had not expected her to be so shameless as to flatter herself to his face.
Li Qu appeared bashful. She twirled the little fork in her hand and avoided Zhou Jin’s gaze. “I can understand Master’s feelings. If you didn’t have even the slightest affection for me, why else would you have taken me by forced possession?”
Zhou Jin: “…”
“But I’ve thought it through now. Master comes from a noble family and is as handsome as an immortal. To have the chance to serve you is my good fortune. From now on, I will devote myself wholeheartedly to serving you.” She seemed shy, stealing a glance in Zhou Jin’s direction from the corner of her eye before putting on the appearance of a young maiden who did not dare look at him directly.
Just then, Nanny Xu arrived to announce that the water was ready. Zhou Jin, rendered speechless, withdrew his gaze and rose to wash.
Li Qu put the melon into her mouth and followed behind him without hesitation.
As a proper concubine, attending to her master while he washed was simply part of her duties.
And this sort of service included—but was not limited to—that kind of service.
Li Qu followed Zhou Jin in small steps, hoping he would tell her to get lost. But even after Huaiqiu smilingly placed a tray holding Zhou Jin’s clothes into her hands, she still did not receive the gentlemanly restraint she had been waiting for.
Once they entered the bathing room and she set down the clothes, Li Qu saw Zhou Jin standing with both arms raised, waiting for her to undress him.
She had heard the servants mention before that Zhou Jin was a sleeve-cutter. She had even wondered about it herself. But now…
She undid Zhou Jin’s clothes one piece at a time and placed them on the clothes rack. When she reached the last inner garment, she pulled open the ties and slowly closed her eyes.
Her fingertips accidentally brushed against his hot skin, and her scalp went numb.
All the mental preparation she had done was utterly useless when the crucial moment actually arrived.
“Must you force yourself to endure it when you’re unwilling, all while pretending to be perfectly willing?”
Li Qu raised her eyes, feigning anger. “What are you saying, Master? Being able to serve you fills me with joy. I’m only shy and need a little time to adjust. Why don’t you let Huaiqiu attend to you for the rest?”
As she spoke, she turned and tried to escape the situation, but Zhou Jin grabbed her by the arm. “What’s there to be shy about? It’s not your first time.”
Then Zhou Jin pushed her against the edge of the tub.
“Wash yourself clean.”
Li Qu clenched her back teeth. Whatever she truly felt inside, this time she no longer resisted, allowing him to take whatever he wanted.
By the time they finished their exertions in the bathing room, night had fallen.
Li Qu finally obtained the result she had been waiting for.
Nanny Xu saw that the undergarments Li Qu had just put on had quickly turned red in one area and hurriedly sent someone for a physician.
Zhou Jin had left the bathing room earlier. The dishes had just been set out in the main room when he heard that a physician had been summoned for Li Qu.
He had shown Li Qu no tenderness at all, doing everything as he pleased.
He had not thought anything would happen to her.
It was only when Nanny Xu helped Li Qu return that he remembered. Her face was pale, her brows were clouded with pain, and her entire expression was desolate. Nanny Xu, too, wore a deeply worried look.
At the end, Li Qu had been sobbing and pleading with him…
He had simply assumed that she was unwilling to serve him and had not taken it seriously.
Seeing Zhou Jin eating as though no one else were present, Li Qu took out a handkerchief and began to sob softly.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Zhou Jin impatiently set down his chopsticks. She dabbed at the corner of her eye with the handkerchief and murmured piteously, “I originally thought that even if Master had not fallen in love with me at first sight, you at least had some small measure of affection for me. But now it seems that I was only flattering myself.”
“If you had even the slightest feelings for me, you would not have ignored my bitter pleas and done whatever you pleased.”
“Poor me. My abdomen is twisting with pain, and the bleeding won’t stop. I’m afraid something is terribly wrong. Sob, sob…”
“I’ve spent the past few days reflecting deeply on my previous actions and developed such sincere admiration for Master. I never imagined that everything had been nothing more than wishful thinking on my part.”
“Master has not shown me the slightest kindness. Perhaps you still hold a grudge over the reckless things I said before.”
“Just what will it take for Master to let this go? Sob, sob, sob. Do you really have to drive me to my death before you’ll be satisfied?”
Nanny Xu could not read Zhou Jin’s mood, but she immediately covered Li Qu’s mouth. “Concubine, don’t speak nonsense.”
Li Qu pulled Nanny Xu’s hand away. She appeared deeply wounded by love, resentful yet pitiful. “How is it nonsense? Everything I said is the truth. Your Third Master Zhou never had any feelings for me.”
What could Nanny Xu say to that?
Li Qu sat up and looked toward Zhou Jin, tears glistening in her eyes but refusing to fall, making her unbearably pitiful. “Now that Master turns a blind eye to all my feelings for you, why should I sign that concubinage contract and give you something else to be annoyed about?”
“From now on, why don’t we simply live like this?”
A crystalline tear slid down her cheek.
“When Master holds his grand wedding, I will ask to leave the residence of my own accord. After that, I won’t remain in front of you and offend your eyes.”
Li Qu turned her head away. One hand covered her lower abdomen while the other wiped away her tears with the handkerchief.
The room fell utterly silent. Hongguo and Cuiguo had already turned to stone, while Nanny Xu nervously wiped sweat from her brow with her sleeve.
Heavens above, did the concubine know what she was saying?
Zhou Jin tossed the handkerchief he had used to wipe his mouth onto the table, accepted the tea offered by a maid, and took a light sip.
This was the first time anyone had acted so refined and graceful while performing not wanting to become his concubine.
He set down the cup and rose to leave.
For a moment, Li Qu could not tell whether she had passed the hurdle of refusing to sign the concubinage contract. Her heart was uneasy, and with the pain in her abdomen becoming unbearable, she weakly collapsed against the bolster. “Nanny, why is my life so miserable?”
“Oh, Concubine, you really have been granted the courage of a bear and leopard today. In this entire residence, you’re probably the only one who would dare throw a fit at Third Master.”
At least he had not lost his temper.
That meant such behavior was still within the limits of what he would tolerate.
Or perhaps he simply did not care what she said or did, so long as she continued to serve him in bed.
Li Qu knew that if she wanted to deceive Zhou Jin, she first had to deceive everyone in the residence.
If she could retreat from Yan territory unscathed, how could she possibly fail to make a safe escape from Zhou Residence?
She absolutely could not sign the concubinage contract.