NOVEL NEXT chapter 31
31: The Shaken Poem of Yao
Sitting quietly on the bench, waiting, every minute spent here felt like an hour to He Xue, especially long.
She was very clear about her grandfather’s condition, late-stage cancer, now quickly spreading throughout his body.
It was a disease that could put one to death, one of the highest mortality rates in the world today.
Many famous doctors were helpless against it, and even if there were a dozen successful cases, they could only alleviate the pain temporarily.
Because there was no way to completely remove the cancer cells from the patient’s body, even a successful surgery could only prolong life for a year or two.
Mr. Kenji Chicken had done his best, but she knew her grandfather’s condition better than Mr. Kenji Chicken.
Her grandfather’s flame of life was now so weak that it could hardly burn…
“Please believe in the adult… believe in the gentleman,” she was urged.
The words paused for a moment, blowing through like a cold wind.
He Xue looked up at the sound, the ice beauty she had encountered earlier in the hall was standing in front of her.
The oppressive aura emanating from the other party made He Xue feel somewhat stifled, their emotionless eyes resembling a stagnant pool.
“You were the one earlier…”
Recalling the recent events, He Xue wondered why the other party appeared here.
Especially why her father knew her, and the ‘adult’ the woman mentioned—could it be referring to Mr. Kendrick?
“We meet again, Miss He Xue. It seems your father has not explained my identity to you.”
“It was Mr. Wu… Mr. Kendrick who entrusted me with arranging the surgery, you can think of me as his subordinate.”
Yao Shi covered her mouth and coughed twice, almost letting slip the name of Mr. Wu Liang.
However, after being accustomed to calling him Mr. Wu Liang, suddenly asking her to speak was indeed difficult; it seems she needs to be more careful in the future.
“Miss Shi, that’s how you’re addressed, isn’t it? Can you tell me who Mr. Kendrick really is?”
“Why is he so composed? It always feels like arranging this surgery for my grandfather is nothing to him.”
He Xue bit her lip, looking at Kendrick in the distance, who was discussing something with her father.
Just because of her casual remark, he went to such lengths; what exactly is he after?
To win her favor? But she doesn’t even know Mr. Kendrick’s name or face.
Mr. Kendrick never intended to reveal his identity from the start, so why go to such lengths?
“I’m sorry, I cannot disclose the identity of that adult to you, but rest assured, he will not harm you.”
“As for the surgery, it may indeed be nothing to us, but it’s a small token from the adult, and we hope you will accept it.”
Yao Shi spoke indifferently, the young master had no intention of letting He Xue know his identity, so naturally, she needn’t say more.
But the young master did save He Jingao for He Xue’s sake, and indeed, it was a display of the young master’s affection for He Xue.
“Then, Miss Shi, may I ask you a somewhat presumptuous question?”
After a moment of silence, He Xue took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling.
Her delicate fingers stirred uneasily, a hint of nervousness appearing on her pretty little face.
“Please ask.”
Maintaining a shoulder distance of ten centimeters, Yao Shi sat down beside He Xue, legs crossed.
She could probably guess what He Xue wanted to inquire about—it was nothing more than questions about the young master and the surgery.
Questions about Mr. Wu Liang, she simply needed to avoid them all.
As the young master’s exclusive maid, she naturally knew what she should and shouldn’t say.
“Miss Shi, are you really just Mr. Kendrick’s subordinate?”
After hesitating for quite a while, He Xue suddenly looked up at Yao Shi beside her.
The emotions reflected in her eyes when she looked at Mr. Kendi were not those between a subordinate and a boss.
“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”
Clearly, she hadn’t anticipated such an unconventional question from He Xue.
Yao Shi even felt a bit dazed, her usually cold expression rippling slightly.
She wasn’t quite sure why He Xue would ask such a question, but her instincts reminded her that it wasn’t something she could simply brush off.
“Miss Shi, you’re not Mr. Kendi’s subordinate, am I right?”
“After all, considering the intimate way you two interacted earlier, it couldn’t possibly be that stiff kind of relationship.”
He Xue spoke gently, having previously seen them sitting close together, although she hadn’t been able to make out Mr. Kendi’s face at the time.
But the atmosphere that surrounded them then was undoubtedly beyond that of a boss and a subordinate…
“No… I… I indeed am…”
“Miss Shi, you must be Mr. Kendi’s girlfriend, right? I think a perfect woman like you and Mr. Kendi make a great match.”
He Xue shifted closer to Yao Shi, showing a keen interest.
Seeing the panic flash in Yao Shi’s eyes, He Xue became even more convinced of her thoughts.
Although she had only met Miss Shi twice, and both times she was cold as ice, showing no extra emotion.
Whether dealing with herself or her father, Miss Shi always seemed as solitary and cold as a millennium-old snow mountain.
But only in front of Mr. Kendi did Miss Shi show a hint of tenderness.
“No! Such a thing you mentioned will never happen.”
“Whether now or in the future, I will only be a mere subordinate by that person’s side! Please stop making such jokes.”
Yao Shi stood up abruptly, her icy words cutting like a chilling wind from the depths of a frozen hell.
Clutching her fists tightly, she struggled to control her emotions, feeling a great turmoil within.
“Miss… Miss Shi…”
He Xue watched, stunned, as Yao Shi rose suddenly, feeling the chill emanating from her.
Miss Shi was angry, and one could tell by her cheeks, strained with suppressed rage, but why…
She had said the wrong thing; she shouldn’t have joked like that; she hadn’t expected it to provoke such a strong reaction from Miss Shi.
“Ah… I’m sorry… Miss He Xue… I just lost my composure…”
“Please forget my rude behavior, I need a moment alone to calm down.”
Yao Shi held her forehead, frowning slightly, wondering what she had just done, why she had shown such a face in front of He Xue.
It was utterly impolite, a disgrace to her profession as a maid.
“No, it was wrong of me to make such a joke.”
He Xue tugged at the corner of her mouth, forcing a stiff smile.
Yet she had to admit, the icy aura that Yao Shi previously exuded was chilling to the bone, as if a steel blade was placed upon her neck…