Luo Ran’s face flushed crimson. She opened her mouth but couldn’t utter a word.
She had previously heard the kitchen maids mention that Chu Chengfeng from the second branch was a flirtatious man who loved to joke and tease the young maids in the mansion.
But she never expected that even she, a married woman, could catch his eye.
She shrank back, still keeping her head lowered and saying nothing.
She only hoped he was just acting on a whim and would lose interest and leave when he saw how dull and wooden she was.
Seeing her only retreat and not answer, looking timid and shy, Chu Chengfeng felt even more itching in his heart. Unable to resist, he reached out a hand, wanting to tug at her sleeve.
But before that hand could touch the hem of Luo Ran’s clothes, another hand suddenly stretched out from the side.
It firmly grasped her wrist.
With a pull to the side, that astonishingly strong force dragged her away from Chu Chengfeng’s presence.
Caught off guard, Luo Ran stumbled forward.
The next moment, she collided with a solid chest.
A clear, cold fragrance, mixed with a faint hint of alcohol, brushed past the tip of her nose.
The chest her shoulder pressed against felt like an iron plate; through the thin fabric of her clothes, she could clearly sense the firm outline of the muscles beneath.
Luo Ran froze completely.
The large hand gripping her wrist was broad, warm, and steady in its strength.
The fingertips bore thin calluses, and with a light clasp, they firmly held her slender wrist in his palm.
Perhaps Luo Ran was overthinking it, but she felt as if his fingertips gently brushed against the softest part of the inside of her wrist.
It seemed like an accidental touch, yet also deliberate.
Chu Jin lifted his eyes and looked at Chu Chengfeng, who was taken aback by his sudden action. His voice was low,
“She is Concubine Xu’s cousin, who came to Chu Fu seeking refuge with her child. She is now Yan Ge’er’s wet nurse. Do not be disrespectful.”
A simple sentence, not particularly stern in tone, yet carrying an innate sense of authority.
Chu Chengfeng was taken aback for a moment. Glancing at Chu Jin’s cold and intimidating expression, he dared not act recklessly again and forced an awkward smile,
“So she’s Concubine Xu’s relative. I was too forward.”
After saying this, he laughed it off and turned to head toward his own courtyard.
The sound of his footsteps gradually faded away.
For a moment, the atmosphere grew tense and still.
Luo Ran stood in place, her wrist still held in Chu Jin’s palm.
The warmth of his palm seeped through that thin layer of skin, slowly burning its way in, traveling upward along her veins, all the way to her heart.
Her entire body was rigid, and she didn’t even dare to breathe too heavily.
Her heart pounded wildly, and her mind went completely blank.
He still hadn’t let go…
That hand continued to hold her wrist, not with excessive force, yet not allowing her to break free either.
She could feel the man’s fingertips pressed against her pulse…
Once, twice, three times.
Her heartbeat was so fast—he must have felt it.
Finally, that hand released its grip.
Luo Ran stood stiffly beside him. The skin on her wrist still seemed to retain the warmth of that person’s fingertips.
It lingered, refusing to fade.
“Still not leaving?”
Chu Jin slightly lowered his head, looking at the small face that appeared even paler under the moonlight. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly as he remarked, intentionally or not,
“Could it be you want to come to my courtyard, enjoy the moonlight, have a little wine, and chat?”
That tone, that manner of speaking, was a perfect imitation of Chu Chengfeng’s flirtatious demeanor.
Hearing this, Luo Ran’s face flushed instantly.
How could she dare to stay any longer? Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s hum,
“Th-thank you, Master.”
As soon as the words were spoken, she practically fled in panic, turning and sprinting toward her room without even daring to look back.
Only after running back to her room and closing the door did she dare to slowly lower her head and look at her wrist.
Moonlight filtered through the window crack, falling upon her wrist.
The skin there remained fair and unblemished, with no trace of anything.
Yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that something lingered there…
Taking a deep breath, Luo Ran forced herself to calm down.
She tiptoed to the bedside and looked at Xiao Yue, fast asleep. The small figure nestled under the covers softened Luo Ran’s heart completely.
With Xiao Yue here, she had to live steadily and cautiously, without making the slightest mistake.
Indeed, from now on, she must avoid Chu Jin as much as possible, dutifully take care of Yan Ge’er, and strive to save enough money as soon as possible to leave this place with Xiao Yue.
After seeing her that night, Chu Chengfeng had taken an interest in Luo Ran.
He sent someone to inquire and learned that although Luo Ran had a child, she was a widow.
His thoughts grew increasingly restless.
From then on, he began visiting Chu Jin’s courtyard frequently under the pretext of seeing Yan Ge’er.
But though he claimed to be there for Yan Ge’er, his eyes always drifted toward Luo Ran.
At first, Luo Ran didn’t notice, but by the time she realized Second Master’s gaze was growing increasingly undisguised, it was already too late.
The trouble was, he was the master, and she was a servant. She couldn’t avoid him too obviously and could only try to keep her distance as much as possible.
Fortunately, she spent most of her time taking care of Yan Ge’er, and Chu Jin’s courtyard had strict rules. No matter how unrestrained Chu Chengfeng was, he had to rein himself in on his elder brother’s turf.
Luo Ran endured it this way.
She thought that someone like Second Master, who had seen much of the world, was merely intrigued for a moment.
Once he grew bored, he would naturally lose interest and forget about her.
But what she didn’t know was that Chu Chengfeng’s frequent visits these days, and the glances he cast at Luo Ran—both overt and covert—had been noticed by those with ulterior motives.
One day, just as Luo Ran had brought Xiao Yue to Yange’eryuan, a maidservant from Second Master’s wife’s side suddenly came looking for her, summoning her for questioning.
Though Luo Ran didn’t understand why, she had no choice but to temporarily entrust Yan Ge’er and Xiao Yue to the other maidservant caring for them in the courtyard and follow along.
The maidservant led her to the front hall of the second household. As soon as Luo Ran entered, she was intimidated by the imposing presence of Lady Cui, seated upright and dignified.
Lady Cui was dressed in fine brocade, elegant and noble, with an air of authority in her eyes and brows.
Standing beside her was Chu Chengfeng’s concubine, Xu Yan, whose gaze fell upon Luo Ran, filled with jealousy and ill intent.
It turned out that Xu Yan had heard about the recent events and had gone to Lady Cui, embellishing the story with malicious gossip.
Lady Cui spoke calmly, instructing Luo Ran, who was kneeling on the floor, to raise her head.
She examined Luo Ran’s face carefully, her tone cool and detached.
“You are quite pretty, no wonder you’ve managed to captivate Feng’er these past few days, leaving him distracted.”
Luo Ran instantly understood why Lady Cui had summoned her and hurriedly kowtowed.
“Madam, please be discerning. This servant has no thoughts toward Second Master beyond the proper master-servant relationship…”
“No thoughts?”
Xu Yan interrupted her sharply, her gaze contemptuous and disdainful.
“If you had no thoughts, how could you lure Second Master to visit you day after day? What kind of place do you think the Chu family is, allowing a widow like you to flaunt herself here?”
Luo Ran’s face grew paler with each word.
Xu Yan gave her no chance to defend herself, turning back to Lady Cui and adding a few deliberately provocative remarks.
“You may not know, but this Luo Ran was once left with a child under a year old. After her husband died, she was driven out by her in-laws, though the exact reason remains unclear…”
Between the lines, the implication was that Luo Ran must have been improper to have ended up in such a state.
Lady Cui’s expression darkened instantly, and she said coldly,
“As a widow with a child, life is not easy, and I can understand wanting to find someone to rely on. But our Chu family is not a place where just anyone can enter.”
“I know my son is currently infatuated with you, and he doesn’t even mind that you’re a widow…”
“If it were just a matter of taking you as a concubine, since my son likes you, it could be arranged. After all, the Chu family is wealthy enough to feed one more mouth.”
Lady Cui slowly stirred her teacup, lifted her eyelids, and fixed her gaze on Luo Ran as if appraising a piece of merchandise.
“But you’ve been married before. Some matters must be clarified before anything can be decided.”