The bathroom door was a traditional Chinese sliding door. Xu Tao pursed her lips when she realized she had no idea how to lock it. There was no handle or lock on the door.
But surely no one would come in.
Reassured, Xu Tao took off her blouse and passed it to the maid waiting outside. It was early autumn, so she had only a bra on underneath.
Her chest felt a little sticky, so she dampened a face towel beside her and wiped it down.
The water was warm, but before long it had cooled against her skin, raising tiny goosebumps all over her.
The places she wiped turned red. Her skin had always been like that—so fair and delicate that even the slightest touch left a mark.
She had bought the blouse and trousers especially for this job. She hadn’t expected to ruin them after wearing them for just one day. She didn’t even know if the stains would come out when she got home.
Xu Tao was a little cold, but she didn’t want to rush anyone. She waited patiently for someone to bring her a change of clothes.
The mirror reflected a face as lovely as a hibiscus. Her almond-shaped eyes were the very picture of innocence, yet their slightly upturned corners lent them a hint of allure.
Her sweet, gentle air also carried a touch of brightness and liveliness. Xu Tao was a girl who smiled often, and overall she seemed warm and animated.
Her hair was a little messy from taking off her clothes.
Xu Tao was as fresh and dewy as a peach, just like her name. No one had ever failed to call her pretty, from childhood to the present.
But now, alone in someone else’s house wearing nothing but a bra, she couldn’t help feeling awkward. Instinctively, she covered her chest with one small hand.
Then she remembered no one was likely to come in and lowered it again.
Just then, the sliding door suddenly opened. Xu Tao spun around in alarm—and found herself face-to-face with a pair of startling phoenix eyes.
It was the man she’d met earlier.
She jumped, eyes wide like a frightened little animal, unsure where to hide.
Her back pressed against the sink, her posture unmistakably defensive.
He was intensely imposing, a head taller than Xu Tao. Even at the sight of her like this, he merely raised an eyebrow, looking down at the world from on high.
His gaze swept over the places she was desperately trying to cover, then settled on Xu Tao’s tense, flushed face.
Qin An raised an eyebrow. He was surprised, too. He’d only come in to wash his hands and hadn’t expected anyone to be inside.
“Why don’t you hurry up and get out?” Xu Tao cried, flustered. But it was simply her nature: even in a panic, her voice remained soft, hardly intimidating.
She hurriedly covered her chest with her arm, but it did little to conceal her. A glimpse of skin showed, along with a red mark left by the rubbing.
Xu Tao turned her back to him, biting her lip as she grabbed the light-colored towel beside her and held it against her chest. But her jade-white back was exposed to his gaze, her shoulder blades like two butterflies in flight.
Her figure was perfectly proportioned, neither too slender nor too full. In the mirror, one corner of the towel covered her narrow waist, leaving a small patch of smooth, pale skin exposed.
She had a truly stunning figure, yet a face so pure and gentle that she looked like a startled fawn, bewildered to find herself in a mortal’s hands.
She looked on the verge of tears.
Qin An thought she might as well not bother covering herself.
He had no intention of staying. He shut the door and stepped back out. Xu Tao stood there, her face burning, completely at a loss.
She clutched the towel in her hands.
A little while later, she heard the maid’s hurried footsteps outside, followed by an apologetic voice.
“I’m sorry, Teacher Xu. The Young Master just knocked over his teacup, so I had to step away for a moment. I’m terribly sorry. But why didn’t you lock the door?”
Xu Tao’s face was hot. “I didn’t see where the lock was.”
The maid chuckled. “It’s on the wall. You just press it. That’s my fault—I should have told you beforehand.”
Xu Tao felt even more embarrassed. How was she supposed to know about things like that? She glanced at the wall and, sure enough, saw a switch. She pressed it and heard a click. When she tried the door again, it wouldn’t slide open.
So the lock was at the bottom, built into the track.
Xu Tao sighed. It wasn’t really anyone’s fault. She reached up and unlocked it again. “Do you have something I could change into? Just a top will do.”
“I found something for you. It’s mine, so I hope you don’t mind.” The maid, who looked to be in her early forties, passed in an orange long-sleeved top.
Xu Tao thanked her quickly, took it, and put it on.
She smoothed her hair and tied it back into a ponytail again. At last, her reflection showed a face that wasn’t quite so red.
Xu Tao came back down the corridor and saw the man sitting on the living-room sofa, playing with Corey.
When she came out, he merely gave her a casual glance without saying a word. Corey wriggled free of the man’s arm and hurried over on his short little legs to apologize to Xu Tao.
Xu Tao would never hold a child’s innocent mistake against him. She simply ignored the man and led Corey to the desk to continue the lesson.
She forced herself to stay calm and act as if nothing had happened.
Qin An smiled, finding the girl rather interesting.
He had always done whatever he pleased, and now he felt a flicker of interest. His gaze fell shamelessly on Xu Tao. Even in the maid’s clothes, her beauty remained undimmed, and the blush on her face lent her a lingering, rosy charm.
She was a strikingly beautiful girl.
He’d realized that earlier, in the corridor outside the reception room.
Qin An’s circle was full of beautiful women, but it was rare to find someone with such an unspoiled air. And those who did have it had long since become birds in someone else’s cage.
Qin An leaned back against the sofa and motioned for the butler to come over.
“Is she the new tutor?”
The butler didn’t dare take liberties with this young master. “Second Young Master, Miss Xu Tao is a student of Professor Chen at Wancheng Normal University. The madam arranged it. Today is her first lesson, and she’s only just started her freshman year.”
So that was why, Qin An thought. She hadn’t yet left the ivory tower; she was a spotless, innocent girl.
She seemed quite well-behaved, too.
“She gets along well with the Young Master,” the butler added, afraid Qin An might misunderstand the young tutor. He briefly explained what had just happened.
Women used every means they could to get close to the Qin family. He hoped the Second Young Master wouldn’t get the wrong idea.
Who could have expected the Second Young Master to come to the front hall just then, or to decide to use the bathroom—and run into Xu Tao inside? He wondered what the man had seen.
“Where are the Old Master and the others?” Qin An asked, sounding uninterested as he changed the subject.
“Sir and Madam are at a meeting in the neighboring city. The First Young Master is still in the back courtyard, reflecting on his actions.”
Qin An gave a soft laugh. It was hard to tell whether he’d even heard. He nodded lazily, got up, went around the screen, and followed the corridor to the back courtyard.
.
Xu Tao’s lesson ended at five that afternoon. Her stained clothes had been washed and dried, and not a trace remained.
The butler had the driver take her to the nearest subway station.
The Qin family’s estate occupied a vast stretch of land, surrounded by mountains and water. If Xu Tao had tried to walk out on her own, it would probably have taken her an hour just to reach the outer edge of the grounds.
Even with a car taking her part of the way, she didn’t get back to campus until after seven.
Wancheng Normal University was a long-established, prestigious school. Xu Tao was a freshman in the Chinese department.
She had earned the highest entrance score, and the teachers in her department had also been impressed by her essay on the national college entrance exam. Less than a month into the term, she had already become Professor Chen’s “favorite student.”
Otherwise, a job like this wouldn’t have gone to a first-year student.
She also had a boyfriend who studied computer science at Wancheng University of Technology. Xu Tao had just gotten off the bus when she saw her boyfriend, Shi Jin, waiting by the bus stop.
The tall, slender young man wore black-rimmed glasses. He had delicate features and the unmistakable look of youth and inexperience.
Shi Jin was the same age as her. They had been classmates since kindergarten, and they had officially started dating after beginning their freshman year.
Xu Tao smiled at him.
“Peach!” Shi Jin had been waiting for more than twenty minutes. He hurried over at once and put an arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders.
Smiling, he asked how her first day of work had gone.
Xu Tao wasn’t used to this kind of closeness yet, and her body stiffened a little. But she quickly told herself to relax.
She and Shi Jin had known each other for a long time, but they’d never crossed the line into physical intimacy. They had been together for just over a month, and so far they’d only held hands and put their arms around each other’s shoulders.
Now that they were a couple, she would have to get used to it gradually.
Shi Jin knew she was easily embarrassed, so he didn’t push it. He asked gently, “How was your first lesson? What kind of family does the kid come from, living so far away? Are his parents easy to get along with? Especially his father—he didn’t…”
Xu Tao knew Shi Jin was worried about her.
After graduating from high school, she’d taken a part-time tutoring job, and the child’s father had made several inappropriate remarks to her. Ever since that incident, Shi Jin had been on edge about her safety.
“Professor Chen recommended me. How could there be a problem? The butler was there the whole time.” Xu Tao briefly described the Qin family’s situation.
She left out the little mishap in the bathroom.
Since they’d started dating, Shi Jin had become more possessive than he’d been when they were just friends.
Shi Jin looked at Xu Tao in surprise, then smiled. “What kind of family has a butler and lives somewhere like that?”
Coming to Wancheng had opened his eyes. There was always someone better off, and somewhere beyond the mountains. Compared with their hometown of Tongcheng, Wancheng was far more prosperous, with many more opportunities.
“How’s the pay?” Shi Jin asked, concerned about her wages, too.
Xu Tao pressed her lips together. “Four hundred an hour. I go there every Saturday and Sunday afternoon and teach for two hours each time. It won’t be for long, though—they just need help getting their child through a transition.”
Shi Jin quickly did the math. “That’s 6,400 a month? That’s a lot. Professor Chen is really good to you.”
At least Professor Chen was a woman. Otherwise, Shi Jin wouldn’t have felt comfortable with it.
Xu Tao smiled gently. Professor Chen thought highly of her. After learning that Xu Tao’s family was struggling financially and that her grandmother had been sick and taking medicine for years, she had used her connections to find Xu Tao the job.
Shi Jin had come over at this hour because he had something to ask.
“Peach, can I tell you something?”
“Do you remember that party I mentioned last time?”
Xu Tao frowned slightly. “Is it your roommate’s birthday?”
“Yeah. Next Saturday night, Hu Hang booked a room, and everyone’s getting together. It’ll be our first gathering since the semester started.”
“Come with me? They’re all bringing their girlfriends.”