“Miss, the Third Master is here. Please get ready quickly.”
Tang Lichu slowly set down the yellowed book in her hand, smoothed the faint creases out of her clothes, and stood up.
“Aunt Cheng, I’ll go brew the tea.”
Her soft, delicate voice reached Aunt Cheng’s ears, making the fifty-something woman’s heart melt. Looking at her with affection, Aunt Cheng said, “Miss, hands like yours shouldn’t be doing such rough work. Let me go instead.”
Tang Lichu shook her head gently. “It’s fine. Serving the Third Master is part of my duty.”
,The spacious, bright main hall was as luminous as daylight. A man sat on the leather sofa with his back turned to her, his shoulders broad and imposing.
Even before she drew near, she could feel a powerful aura and a heavy, suffocating pressure radiating from him. Tang Lichu composed her breathing, walked obediently to his side, bit her pink lips slightly, and whispered, “Third Master, please have some tea.”
Li Juechen frowned slightly and looked up at her. The young woman wore a light-blue qipao embroidered with pear blossoms. Her figure was slender and exquisitely curved.
Tang Lichu didn’t dare move an inch, her slender arms steadily holding the teacup. Looking at the submissive little girl before him, Li Juechen softened after all, taking the cup and setting it on the table.
He didn’t drink it.
The next second, a large, calloused hand pulled her with force. In the blink of an eye, the cat-like young woman was dragged directly into his lap. Bending down close to her velvet-soft ear, he whispered, “I keep you by my side to feast my eyes, not to have you do the work of servants.”
Tang Lichu’s eyelashes fluttered. Sitting on his lap in front of so many people made her blush so deeply she couldn’t even raise her head. Seeing this, Li Juechen subtly cast a glance at his subordinate.
Understanding the signal immediately, Feng An waved his hand. All the servants lowered their heads and swiftly withdrew from the room.
Once the intruding eyes were gone, Li Juechen’s warm, large hand pinched her chin, forcing her to look up. His cold, deep eyes meticulously took in the breathtaking face that thoroughly pleased him.
The girl’s fair skin was as translucent and flawless as mutton-fat jade, smooth to the touch without a single defect. Her exquisite features were as vivid as if painted by a master artist.
Set upon her palm-sized oval face were a pair of captivating phoenix eyes that tilted slightly upward at the corners. Her long, thick eyelashes curled gently over large, dark, and sparkling pupils—a single look from those eyes alone was enough to enchant anyone.
Paired with a delicate, straight nose and luscious, crimson lips, purity and seduction blended seamlessly within her.
Li Juechen’s gaze darkened further. Narrowing his eyes slightly, a faint, lingering smirk touched his lips as he sighed, “Tsk… How on earth were you made? You truly have my heart!”
Feeling his intensely overbearing gaze, Tang Lichu hurriedly spoke up, “Third Master, I am… indisposed these few days. I cannot…” She trailed off, at a loss for how to continue.
“Cannot what?” Li Juechen raised an eyebrow, a teasing expression crossing his face as he pressed on with great interest.
Faced with his question, Tang Lichu suddenly stammered, “C-Cannot serve you!”
Her voice was extraordinarily soft and sweet. In her nervousness, she looked like a startled rabbit. To Li Juechen, it felt as though a feather were gently tickling his ear and teasing his heart.
His eyes grew darker as he stared at her. A trace of displeasure flickered in his mind—is this how the little girl saw him?
“I have never stooped to forcing anyone,” he said. “Since you aren’t ready yet, I naturally won’t touch you. However, don’t use these lame excuses to fool me again!”
Tang Lichu met his gaze with stubborn defiance. “I never lie. I haven’t lied to anyone my entire life. I really am on my period—it genuinely isn’t convenient.”
Li Juechen gave a low grunt, taking her word for it. “If you’re not feeling well, rest more. Leave the serving and tea-brewing to the servants. Did I assign so many people to you just for them to sit idle?”
“Third Master, I was brought here to serve you in the first place. When you tire of me in the future, I might not even be as well-off as them. At least they have a place to stay.”
Hearing her words, Li Juechen glanced sideways at her, his dark eyes terrifyingly deep. “Say that again!”
Tang Lichu froze. It had been nearly ten days since her adoptive parents sent her here. Ostensibly, they said she was coming to be a maid, but deep down, everyone knew the real reason.
When Tang Lichu was ten years old, shortly after her biological mother passed away, she was “picked up” and brought home by her adoptive parents. At first, young as she was, she secretly felt fortunate. Though she had lost her father at an early age and suffered frequent ridicule and bullying, she believed Heaven had favored her after all, allowing her to meet such a kind couple who gave her a home to shelter her from the storm.
Back then, Tang Lichu was exceptionally sensible and obedient, complying with every instruction her adoptive parents gave. She always kept her mother’s advice close to her heart: One must always know how to return a favor.
Since her adoptive family ran a business, Tang Lichu wanted nothing more than to learn every skill imaginable, wishing she could master them all. Whether it was tedious tasks like bookkeeping and accounting, or delicate work like calligraphy and embroidery—as long as it could help the household, she threw herself into learning it.
However, all of these illusions shattered when she turned twelve.
She happened to pass by her adoptive parents’ room one day. The door wasn’t fully closed, and the conversation inside struck like a sudden bolt of thunder, instantly tearing her world apart.
Her adoptive father said, “You need to look at the bigger picture. We must hire someone to teach this child proper etiquette and manners. In the future, she’s going to be sent to a wealthy family as a concubine. She has the looks—if her manners are top-tier too, she can be sent into an influential house.
The higher her standing there, the more benefits we’ll get. That way, our son will have a reliable backing in the future. We had him late in life, and Song’s been spoiled into a willful boy who isn’t cut out for business. Even if we leave him plenty of silver dollars, it’ll run out eventually. So she is our son’s best cash cow.”
Her adoptive mother scoffed with disdain. “I think the dead girl’s doing quite well learning the business. Why not let her marry Song so she can earn money for him instead? Keep the good fortune within the family!”
Her adoptive father replied in frustration, “Your son might have the mind for it, but with a face like Lichu’s, is that something Song could ever protect? We’re getting older by the day. If a woman shows her face outside every day and catches someone’s eye, she’ll just be snatched away—and we’ll end up with nothing! Sending her out so she stays grateful for our upbringing—that is the best arrangement for Song!”
Her adoptive mother seemed persuaded. “I suppose that’s the only way.”