"A-Qi..."
Cui Wan's soft, slightly tentative call came from outside, accompanied by a gentle knock.
Inside, Chu Moqi had already put down his book and sat perfectly upright. The corners of his mouth curved almost imperceptibly before he quickly flattened them again. He cleared his throat and answered in his usual even tone, "Come in."
Only then did Cui Wan carefully push open the door. She poked half her head inside first, then stepped in once she saw that his expression seemed all right. She carried a small white porcelain bowl of freshly stewed soup, wisps of steam still rising from it.
"A-Qi, have some soup to warm yourself." She gently set the bowl on the desk.
Chu Moqi murmured assent, naturally picked up the spoon, and brought a spoonful to his mouth. The warm broth slipped down his throat, savory and sweet in just the right measure. He raised his eyelids and remarked with seeming nonchalance, "Has your cooking improved again lately?"
Was A-Qi... praising her?
Cui Wan's eyes instantly brightened, and she could not stop her lips from lifting into a small, satisfied smile. It looked like A-Qi was in a good mood! But... but she still had to bring up Changfeng, and her heart began beating like a drum again.
She stood beside the desk, unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes between her hands. Her lips moved without making a sound as she watched Chu Moqi drink his soup with pleading eyes.
Catching her hesitant, restless manner out of the corner of his eye, Chu Moqi found it amusing, but deliberately feigned impatience. He set down his spoon and looked up at her. "If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, leave."
His sudden coldness made Cui Wan start. She hurriedly explained in a quiet, halting voice how she had just "rescued" Changfeng outside the side gate, how pitiful Changfeng's circumstances were, and how she had begged to be taken in. By the end, her voice had grown even quieter, almost caught in her throat, full of apprehension and pleading:
"A-Qi... could we... let her stay? She... she really is so pitiful..."
Inwardly, Chu Moqi was already nodding like a pestle pounding garlic, but none of it showed on his face. He even deliberately darkened his expression and dropped his spoon back into the bowl with a clang, neither particularly loud nor quiet. His tone carried unmistakable displeasure and reproach:
"Cui Wan, what do you take our Marquis of Ningyang's Residence for? A shelter? You dare bring just anyone of unknown origins into the residence? Rescue one today and another tomorrow-what sort of behavior is that! Do the household rules mean nothing anymore?"
The scolding that rained down on her made Cui Wan shrink back, and her eyes immediately reddened a little.
A-Qi wouldn't agree... just as she'd feared... but... but she'd already promised Changfeng... was she really supposed to stand by and watch that poor girl be driven out to freeze or starve to death?
Distressed and anxious, she looked at Chu Moqi's cold, hard profile and bit her lip. Somehow, she plucked up her courage and crouched beside his wheelchair, tipping up her little face to look at him with large, damp eyes brimming with entreaty.
"But A-Qi... she really is so pitiful... she isn't a bad person... her parents are both gone, and her relatives don't want her either... if we drive her out in such cold weather, she... she'll die..."
Looking at the little face so close to him, written all over with worry and pleading, Chu Moqi felt an inexplicable sourness rise within him.
"There are countless pitiful people in this world!" His tone remained unpleasant, tinged with irritation. "Are you going to bring every one of them into the residence?"
Even as he spoke, he felt rather disgruntled. Why had Wanwan never shown this much concern for him?
Hearing that he no longer sounded quite as furious, Cui Wan grew a little bolder. She reached out, gently caught the sleeve hanging at Chu Moqi's side, and gave it a cautious little shake, her voice so sweet it could have dripped honey:
"A-Qi... just this one, all right? I promise I'll never do this again! She... she's very obedient. Just let her stay with me and serve me. I promise she won't get in your way or cause the household any trouble... please?"
Was Wanwan... coaxing him?
It felt as though something soft and furry had brushed against Chu Moqi's heart, leaving it ticklish and tingling with a strange sensation he had never experienced before. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly. Still silent, he merely gazed at her with deep, dark eyes.
When he still refused to relent, Cui Wan thought he remained opposed and grew even more anxious. She shook his sleeve a little harder, her voice softening further, carrying an almost instinctive dependence and supplication that she herself failed to notice:
"A-Qi... you have the kindest heart. Just say yes this once, all right? Please, I'm begging you..."
Despite her words, her eyes remained timid, afraid he would truly lose his temper.
Her tugging left Chu Moqi flustered-no, sent flowers blooming in his heart. That soft "I'm begging you" scratched at his heart until it grew hot. He abruptly pulled his sleeve from her grasp, frowned, and clicked his tongue. Then he leaned back against his wheelchair and closed his eyes, his tone impatient:
"Enough... your noise is giving me a headache."
Yet he no longer sounded as fierce as before. There was even something... blustering about it.
Cui Wan hesitated, then stood and walked behind Chu Moqi. Tentatively and carefully, she placed her small hands against his temples and began massaging them in slow, gentle strokes.
"I'm sorry, A-Qi... I won't bother you anymore... I'll massage it, and it won't hurt..."
Cui Wan's fingertips were soft and warm, the pressure just right, carrying a clumsy yet exceptionally earnest tenderness. As her fingertips moved over his skin, they brought waves of soothing warmth.
Chu Moqi's body stiffened almost imperceptibly before slowly relaxing again. He kept his eyes closed and did not stop her.
Wanwan's massage... felt so good.
So much better than those two ham-fisted fellows, Yan Qin and Yan Huai. He could almost hear the satisfied sigh within his heart, and the corners of his mouth secretly curled upward despite himself.
Cui Wan diligently massaged him for quite a while. Only when Chu Moqi remained silent and his breathing seemed much steadier did she ask quietly, "A-Qi... does it still hurt?"
Keeping his eyes closed, Chu Moqi gave a muffled snort, his voice carrying a sulky awkwardness. "Now you've made my chest hurt!"
His chest hurt?
Cui Wan froze. Hesitantly, she looked at his tightly pressed lips, then at his chest. Had she... really upset A-Qi that much?
She hesitated, but finally moved her small hands away from his temples and gently, tentatively placed them against Chu Moqi's chest. Through his clothes, she began massaging in slow circles.
Her movements were light and gentle, full of apology and a desire to please.
Chu Moqi felt a warm, soft touch through the fabric, kneading away that inexplicable irritation and jealousy little by little, replacing them with an indescribable ease and... enjoyment.
Just as Cui Wan was concentrating on her massage, Chu Moqi's hand suddenly rose unconsciously and gently covered the small hand massaging him.
Cui Wan's movements abruptly stopped, and her body instantly went taut. Somewhat frightened, she lifted her head to look at Chu Moqi.
Chu Moqi also realized his lapse. As though scalded, he immediately released her hand. A trace of awkwardness flashed across his face before his customary indifference returned, though the roots of his ears reddened slightly.
He cleared his throat and looked elsewhere, asking in a somewhat unnatural tone, "What... what were you saying earlier?"
Still caught in the nervousness of having her hand held, Cui Wan blanked for a moment before realizing what he meant. Her eyes suddenly lit up, as though she had glimpsed hope again, and she hurriedly said, "I... I want Changfeng to stay! May she?"
Looking at her eyes, suddenly sparkling and filled with anticipation, Chu Moqi felt the last trace of his desire to "make things difficult" for her vanish like smoke. He turned his head aside and, seemingly with great reluctance, quickly uttered a few words:
"Do as you please."
He paused, then added, as though to preserve his authority, "Just this once."
Do as you please... just this once...
A-Qi had agreed?! He had really agreed!
An enormous rush of delighted surprise instantly swept away all Cui Wan's apprehension and unease. She was so happy she nearly jumped, a dazzling smile blooming across her face as her eyes curved into crescents.
"Thank you, A-Qi! A-Qi, you're the best!"
She was so overjoyed that she forgot herself, actually spreading her arms and throwing herself forward to hug Chu Moqi in his wheelchair!
Chu Moqi went rigid, his mind utterly blank. All he could feel was Cui Wan's faint, sweet fragrance suddenly surrounding him, while that bright "A-Qi, you're the best" echoed endlessly in his ears.
"You!" he exclaimed in a short, startled undertone.
Only then did Cui Wan realize what she had done. Frightened, she immediately let go and sprang a step back, her little face flushing scarlet, even the tips of her ears turning red. She stood there at a loss, darted a panicked glance at him, then quickly lowered her head, overcome with embarrassment:
"I... I... I'll go now... the soup... drink it while it's hot..."
With that, she dared not spare Chu Moqi another glance. She turned and fled the study, nearly tripping on her way out.
Even after the door closed, Chu Moqi remained rigid in his wheelchair, still holding the posture in which she had "pounced" on him, motionless for a long time.
Her warmth and scent seemed to linger in his arms.
Had Wanwan... just... hugged him?
And said... he was the best?
Was he the best?
He... was clearly a horrible villain who always snapped at her, made her cry, and had an awful temper...
But...
Chu Moqi slowly lowered his head to look at the chest Cui Wan had just massaged, then raised a hand and unconsciously touched his temples.
When Wanwan massaged him... it really felt wonderful. A hundred times, a thousand times better than those two clumsy fellows, Yan Qin and Yan Huai.
Could he... find opportunities to have her massage him more often?
The moment that thought arose, even he found it a little... shameless. Yet the corners of his mouth climbed higher and higher beyond his control.
Silly girl...
He chuckled softly. In the silent study, his laughter sounded particularly clear, carrying a heartfelt pleasure and tenderness it had never held before.
She still didn't know... that Changfeng, the girl she worried about so much and pleaded so hard for, had been deliberately sent to her by him.
And besides...
Wanwan had hugged him.
Wanwan had hugged him!
Night hung low over the main room of Orchid Courtyard.
Pouting, Qiaoju stood with her hands on her hips like a little hen protecting her chicks, looking Changfeng up and down now that she had changed into an ordinary maid's clothes.
Changfeng was already tall and well proportioned, and years of martial training had given her a straighter, sharper bearing than most women. Though she now wore a plain outfit, her stern, capable air still clashed with the gentle atmosphere of the bedchamber.
To Qiaoju, this new maid was too tall, her hands and feet insufficiently delicate. She looked nothing like someone capable of attending to others with care.
"You," Qiaoju lifted her chin and instructed with an assessing air, "help Madam change and prepare for bed."
"Yes," Changfeng answered in a flat, even voice.
She walked over to Cui Wan, who was sitting at the dressing table while Qiaoju took down her hair. Changfeng reached out to undo the knotted buttons of Cui Wan's outer garment. Her movements were indeed far from gentle or meticulous, and could even be called stiff. Her fingers bore thin calluses from years of holding a sword, and she failed to control her strength, pulling Cui Wan's neckline slightly askew.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Qiaoju immediately grew agitated at the sight and stamped her foot. "Who serves someone like that? Those are Madam's clothes! Not a coarse burlap sack! Be light! Be gentle! Do you understand?"
Pushed like this, Changfeng stopped, her brows creasing almost imperceptibly. She raised her eyes and swept her gaze toward Qiaoju. Her eyes were calm and unruffled, yet held a cold sharpness and pressure honed by years of training, as though some instinct had been triggered.
That look sent a chill through Qiaoju's heart. She instinctively retreated half a step, even her voice trembling a little. "You... y-you... what are you going to do?"
The sudden tension left Cui Wan somewhat at a loss as well. She hurriedly caught Qiaoju's arm, then looked at Changfeng and quietly tried to smooth things over. "It's... it's all right. Qiaoju is impatient... you... you can learn slowly. There's no rush."
She turned to Qiaoju, her voice gentler still. "Qiaoju, don't be like that. Changfeng only just arrived. She isn't familiar with things yet."
Since Cui Wan had spoken, Qiaoju could hardly say anything more. She merely glared at Changfeng indignantly.
Receiving Cui Wan's reassuring look, Changfeng swiftly let the chill fade from her eyes. She lowered her lashes again, resuming her meek appearance, and answered, "Yes, Madam."
She reached out again, her movements noticeably slower and much gentler this time. Though still far from practiced or graceful, at least they were no longer rough. She carefully helped Cui Wan remove her outer garment, then worked with Qiaoju to dress her in soft nightclothes.
Cui Wan slipped under the covers. Qiaoju tucked them in carefully and gave Changfeng another fierce glare before blowing out most of the candles, leaving only a night lamp in the corner. Then she pulled the still somewhat dazed Changfeng outside.
The room fell quiet.
Lying beneath her warm covers, Cui Wan felt her cheeks secretly grow hot. Earlier in the study, she had actually thrown herself at A-Qi and hugged him in her excitement...
A-Qi's embrace... seemed... very solid? Even through their clothes, she seemed to have felt the contours of his chest, and that... reassuring scent that belonged to him.
So embarrassed that she buried her face in the quilt, Cui Wan blinked her sparkling eyes in the darkness, her heart thumping without pause.
Would A-Qi... think she was too forward? But back then... he didn't seem to have pushed her away immediately...
In the side room, however, the atmosphere was entirely different.
Chu Moqi had just completed a difficult round of practicing turning over unaided. Ever since sitting in his wheelchair all night had left his body in extreme discomfort, he had paid even more attention to his daily exercises and care.
Tonight, perhaps because he was in an especially good mood, his arms felt particularly strong. He turned over much more deftly than usual. Though it remained difficult, he finished faster than he normally did.
After the intense activity, however, his already fragile legs suffered somewhat worse spasms than usual, twitching uncontrollably.
Half kneeling beside the bed, Yan Huai massaged Chu Moqi to ease them as usual while cautiously watching his expression.
Seeing the corners of his young master's mouth, which he could not suppress no matter how he tried, and the almost foolish smile that occasionally flashed through his eyes, Yan Huai understood everything as clearly as a mirror.
"Young Master, you're... especially energetic today, aren't you?" Yan Huai teased with a grin as he massaged. "Those legs kicked so hard you nearly sent me flying!"
Chu Moqi had his eyes closed, letting him massage him, while his mind uncontrollably replayed the scene from the study that day-the warm, soft sensation of Cui Wan throwing herself into his arms, her faint, sweet fragrance, and that clear, lovely "A-Qi, you're the best"...
The corners of his mouth had hardly dropped since Cui Wan fled, and now they could not help curving upward again.
Yan Huai's voice dragged him out of his lovely memories. Chu Moqi opened his eyes with some displeasure. "What?"
"I mean your legs!" Yan Huai pointed at Chu Moqi's still faintly twitching legs. "So much strength! And..."
Yan Huai paused, lowered his voice a little, and continued, holding back laughter, "And... just now, I noticed... your... diaper seemed to be bulging... rather quickly?"
!!!
The smile on Chu Moqi's face instantly froze. Then heat surged from his neck to the roots of his ears with a roar, his entire face flushing red! Mortified and furious, he wanted nothing more than to kick this loose-tongued fellow straight out!
"I should have kicked you to death!" he forced out through gritted teeth.
Yan Huai made a face. Knowing Chu Moqi could no longer kick now that his spasms had stopped, he deftly changed him into a clean diaper.
Once he finished, Yan Huai remembered his major discovery last time. Unable to resist, he stifled a laugh, lowered his voice, and leaned closer with a mysterious air. "Young Master... just a reminder. Tomorrow morning... well... don't let your diaper get... dirty again..."
He deliberately pronounced "dirty" indistinctly.
Chu Moqi frowned, failing to understand. "What? What do you mean, dirty? If I'm not supposed to get it dirty, why am I wearing it?"
Yan Huai froze, only then realizing he had let something slip! It seemed the young master... still didn't know about that subtle change in his body last time? Of course, he hadn't felt anything himself, and they'd kept it from him...
He hurriedly laughed it off and stood, tucking the covers around Chu Moqi while attempting to recover with a grin. "Nothing, nothing! I'm talking nonsense! You're the cleanest, Young Master! Rest early. I'll take my leave!"
With that, he slipped out as swiftly as a loach, thoughtfully closing the door behind him and leaving Chu Moqi alone in the room, frowning in utter bewilderment.
"What madness is that brat up to now?" Chu Moqi muttered, without pursuing it further.
He closed his eyes again, and involuntarily, Cui Wan's little face reappeared in his mind, smiling brightly as she threw herself into his arms, along with that clear voice, full of dependence and joy-
"A-Qi, you're the best~"
In the darkness, the corners of Chu Moqi's mouth once again lifted high beyond his control.
He even unconsciously imitated Cui Wan's tone, softly repeating the words into the air in the quietest of voices:
"A-Qi... you're the best..."
His voice overflowed with tenderness and satisfaction that even he had not noticed.