NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3: This Maid Is A Bit Odd
Yan Rouwan had been locked up for three days.
Aside from seeing Young Master Sang on the first day, the rest of the time the prison was completely empty.
The torture and harsh interrogations she had imagined never came.
It was as if she had been forgotten.
In fact, at the moment she was captured by the Demon Cultivators, she had already mentally prepared herself.
She knew she was awaiting the darkest hell.
Over the past few days, she had thought through the most brutal punishments imaginable.
Beaten, drugged, tortured with instruments, and even insulted in her purity by that lecherous Young Master Sang…
But Yan Rouwan was a direct disciple of the Water Moon Sect’s Sect Leader. She had a pure character from a young age and hated the Demon Cultivators to the core.
She could never accept a compromise with the Demon Cult.
So, all her hopes rested on seeking death.
That Young Master Sang was just an ordinary disciple of the Demon Cult, who was merely an insignificant figure before he betrayed the sect. Maybe with a few insulting words, she could anger him enough to make him strike her down.
As long as she could find the slightest opportunity to end her life, it would not be dishonorable to her sect.
Yan Rouwan thought to herself.
At that moment, the dim prison suddenly lit up.
She heard a familiar and cheerful humming from a man, and she immediately yelled angrily:
“Sang Zhe! You might as well just kill me! Otherwise, don’t think you’ll get a single word out of me!”
But Sang Zhe ignored her.
“I’ll tell you this: even if you catch me, it won’t be of any use! Sooner or later, the Sect Leader and the Senior Sisters will personally tear you into pieces and avenge me!”
Still, Sang Zhe didn’t respond.
Just as Yan Rouwan was pondering more offensive words to throw at him, a soft meow echoed throughout the prison.
“Meow~~~”
She froze.
Only then did Yan Rouwan see why Sang Zhe was ignoring her.
In the flickering candlelight, Sang Zhe was cradling a snow-white ragdoll cat in his arms, looking utterly endearing as he teased it:
“Squee squee squee, little darling~ Be good, come let me kiss you.”
The cat was as white as snow, spotless and fluffy, with bright eyes focused intently on Sang Zhe’s fingers, lightly licking them.
Upon seeing that cat, Yan Rouwan’s body trembled violently, and her emotions surged.
“Jiao Jiao!”
That was her cat.
“Impossible! Sang Zhe!”
“Jiao Jiao is clearly in the sect; how could you have caught her?” She struggled desperately.
“Senior Sister Yan, don’t rush,” Sang Zhe said leisurely, “Isn’t it a coincidence?”
“Yesterday, halfway through my sleep, a maid at home said a stray cat was meowing non-stop at the door and wouldn’t leave.”
“I’m soft-hearted, can’t stand seeing a cute cat in distress, so I generously adopted it.”
“Oh~” Sang Zhe suddenly pretended to come to a realization, “So this is Senior Sister Yan’s cat.”
“I guess when Senior Sister was caught, she worried for her owner, and that’s why she came all the way here to find you.”
“What a sensitive little darling~” He teased, scratching the cat’s chin.
The cat purred contentedly, its soft little tongue persisting in licking Sang Zhe’s fingers.
For a hardcore cat person like Yan Rouwan, that action felt all too familiar.
…He smeared catnip on his fingers!
“Are you messing with me?”
Yan Rouwan’s voice was filled with venom: “Sang Zhe, don’t think you can threaten me with Jiao Jiao and make me yield!”
“I… will absolutely never fall into the Demon Cult!”
“Ah, Senior Sister Yan is really wronging me.”
Sang Zhe feigned innocence: “I’m not threatening you at all.”
“It’s just that lately the Demon Cult has been raising raccoon slaves; I thought this little darling and I were fated, so I decided to adopt her.”
“Senior Sister Yan… shouldn’t blame me, right?”
His innocent big eyes blinked at Yan Rouwan.
At that moment, Yan Rouwan wished she could eat Sang Zhe whole.
But with her cultivation wasted and her meridians sealed, she could only watch her beloved cat meow sweetly in Sang Zhe’s arms.
Each gentle meow felt like a needle piercing her heart.
“Jiao Jiao…”
Her face turned pale, her beautiful eyes filled with tears of grief and regret.
“I’m sorry, my baby… I didn’t protect you well… letting you fall into the hands of a villain like him and suffer such humiliation…”
“It’s my fault… I’m so sorry…”
Seeing Yan Rouwan’s pale face and her sobs that rendered her speechless, Sang Zhe silently summoned the system in his mind.
“System, what’s the situation?”
【Yan Rouwan: Progress of Strategy, ten percent.】
“Only ten percent?”
Sang Zhe frowned fiercely.
As expected of the Water Moon Sect’s direct disciple, her resolve was strong.
He originally thought that once he got her beloved cat, he would have made good progress, only to find it was only ten percent.
No way.
Time to up the ante.
After a bit of thought, Sang Zhe came up with another plan.
“I intended to let you reunite with your beloved cat once you confessed, but since you’re so determined… it seems your feelings for your beloved cat aren’t that deep after all,” he said lightly.
Though Yan Rouwan’s beautiful eyes were reddening, her expression still held firm amidst tears:
“I’ve already wronged Jiao Jiao; I can’t wrong my sect any further. Don’t harbor any delusions!”
“Ah, what a pity.”
Sang Zhe sighed regretfully and then got up, holding the cat as he turned to leave.
“Just endure for a few more days, Senior Sister Yan. I’ll come see you again in a couple of days.”
“Jiao Jiao… Jiao Jiao! How can I live without you, Jiao Jiao, woo woo woo!”
From behind, Yan Rouwan’s pitiful cries echoed.
——
——
After holding the cat, he returned home.
Once back, Sang Zhe casually tossed the cat into the room to play by itself, then sat at the table, pondering how to further his strategy with Yan Rouwan.
Before he knew it, a cup of cool, refreshing sour plum soup appeared before him.
“Master looks so troubled; is work not going well?” Zhang Xiaoying casually asked while dropping ice cubes into his cup.
“A bit of a setback.”
Sang Zhe wasn’t too downcast, just a bit annoyed: “Looks like I need to prepare some other tools.”
“I’ll need you to run to town again tonight.”
“Leave it to the maid,” Zhang Xiaoying replied softly.
After sipping sour plum soup, the refreshing taste made Sang Zhe feel completely at ease. He stretched and found himself growing a little tired.
“Xiao Ying, I’m a bit sleepy.”
“Allow me to serve Master as you undress and sleep.”
“No need, it’s midday; I’ll just take a short nap here.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaoying’s fingers trembled slightly.
After a long while, just when Sang Zhe was yawning and about to lean against his chair, a weak voice suddenly came from beside him:
“Um… Master.”
“What’s wrong?”
“The backrest is hard and uncomfortable; it’s not good for sleeping.”
She slightly lowered her head so Sang Zhe couldn’t see her expression: “If Master doesn’t mind… my lap is still soft.”
…A lap pillow, huh? Sang Zhe smacked his lips.
In his previous life, this was a perk only existing in manga.
In reality, not only did he never have a lap pillow, but he hadn’t even touched a woman’s hand.
“Well… if you don’t mind, I guess it’ll do.”
Sang Zhe didn’t hold back and turned to lay down on Zhang Xiaoying’s lap.
Zhang Xiaoying was wearing a pink embroidered maid dress. The fabric was not very good, and he could distinctly feel her soft, plump thigh through the skirt.
And the fragrance… Zhang Xiaoying was very fragrant.
It was a scent that couldn’t be described, gentle and elegant; just the aroma made him want to dive in and greedily inhale her.
Sang Zhe comfortably enjoyed the lap pillow of his maid, planning to doze off.
But after a moment, he frowned.
…What’s that noise?
Thump thump thump?
Why does it sound so much like a heartbeat?
Whose heart is beating so fast? It sounds like they’re about to pass out.
Sang Zhe opened his eyes to look up; at first, he didn’t see Zhang Xiaoying’s face.
Her proud, perky chest obstructed his view.
“Uh, Xiao Ying?”
“What’s wrong?” Zhang Xiaoying slowly leaned down.
Her expression seemed as calm as usual, without any ripples.
As if facing a sea of corpses and mountains of blades wouldn’t stir her emotions.
He remembered she had been like this since she was taken in.
Even he had never seen her smile.
…Was he hearing things?
Such a cold-faced maid shouldn’t have her heart racing just because she’s giving him a lap pillow, right?
“No worries.”
Sang Zhe shifted positions and casually said, “By the way, I haven’t seen you smile much.”
“Smile more; you should look pretty when you smile.”
Zhang Xiaoying’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. Then they gently lowered.
“…Mm.” Her voice was soft.
As Zhang Xiaoying leaned slightly closer, her soft, plump chest rested against Sang Zhe’s head, like a blanket covering him.
The fragrance became even more intoxicating.
At the same time, her thin, white fingers gently brushed his brow, softly massaging away the frowns.
In this comprehensive physical and mental enjoyment, Sang Zhe gradually began to breathe evenly.
Zhang Xiaoying tirelessly continued the gentle massage, her beautiful eyes earnestly and attentively observing Sang Zhe’s peaceful sleeping face.
Observing his brows, his high nose, his gentle lips, the strands of hair falling by his ear.
Each detail of his face seemed mesmerizing to her.
She didn’t realize when, but even she noticed her breath had quickened a bit.
Her fingertips faintly flushed and trembled.
It was as though she was desperately trying to restrain herself from caressing his face and lips.
“Master… Sang Zhe…”
Her eyes were hazy and deep with affection.
“You mustn’t kiss… you must hold back…”
“It’s okay, Zhang Xiaoying, it’s okay… you won’t be abandoned again.”
“He promised you, to be with you for a lifetime… there will be plenty of opportunities… hold back…”
Zhang Xiaoying murmured to herself for a while before slowly managing to suppress the impulse in her eyes, her fingertips continuing to gently massage the beloved man on her lap.