Chapter 8: I Only Ask That You Stop Trying So Hard to Help Me!

"I, I truly didn't mean to, I just accidentally..." A tear hanging on her eyelashes trembled slightly, rolling down her thin, delicate cheek.

Xiao Ming thought to herself: If he were a normal man, seeing her cry so bewitchingly, he would surely have softened his heart.

"So, you're saying I should apologize to you?" Ling Zhao let out a cold snort.

He was indeed not a normal man.

Xiao Ming lowered her head, her eyes red: "It is all my fault. Could Young Master Ling forgive Ming'er for her unintentional mistake?"

"I think you are just taking this opportunity to retaliate against me."

Xiao Ming looked at his damp robes, her gaze lingering momentarily before dimming. No matter what, he had been a benefactor to her; she should restrain herself, be more obedient, and certainly not provoke his anger so often.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

Seeing the guilt revealed in her eyes, he felt much more at ease. "So you do know you owe me an apology?"

Xiao Ming clutched her handkerchief, lowering her head even further, like a child who had done something wrong.

"Then how do you intend to compensate me?"

Full of guilt, Xiao Ming raised her eyes to look at him. "I can pay you for the cost of the lip balm, but as for your clothes..."

He dismissed Sui Feng, then looked back at Xiao Ming, his tone languid: "Come here."

Xiao Ming hurried a few steps toward him.

His gaze swept over her small face before locking onto her eyes: "Kiss me."

Xiao Ming's brain buzzed; her expression shifted instantly, and she spoke through gritted teeth: "Ling Zhao!"

How could he be in heat at any time and in any place?

"Hmm?" His tone was as gentle as if she were whispering sweet nothings to him.

"Have you no shame!" She could barely contain herself, lowering her voice. "Didn't we just kiss in the study today?"

He eyed her coldly: "Is this your attitude toward admitting a mistake? Can you not kiss again just because we did once? In that case, don't come begging me when you have trouble in the future."

Xiao Ming's face turned from pale to green. "Fine, I only ask that you stop forcing your help on me!"

Once the words were out, Xiao Ming herself was startled. What had come over her today? She seemed increasingly daring in her resistance, less and less afraid of him.

Ling Zhao was also frozen in place. When had he ever forced his help on her?

***

"Give it to me!"

Xiao Ming stepped forward and retrieved the water-logged lip balm from Ling Zhao's hand. Calming herself slightly, she softened her voice: "Eldest Young Master, it is getting late; I shall return now."

***

The sky was clear and the wind gentle; the moon was pale and the stars bright. It was a very pleasant spring night.

Before the bronze mirror, Xiao Ming gently wiped her damp hair. Her cheeks were flushed pink from the heat of the bathhouse, and combined with her thin gauze nightgown, she looked exceptionally beautiful.

A casual glance at the pile of small brocade boxes on the vanity made her frown: Why did he buy so many?

Suddenly, her eyes sparkled. She turned and called Qingzhu and Chun'er inside: "You two come in and take a look; if you see anything you like, take it."

Qingzhu and Chun'er entered from outside, twisting their handkerchiefs. They hesitated for a long time, wanting to take them but not daring to.

"Miss, these were specifically given to you by Eldest Young Master Ling. If we take them, I fear it would be improper..." Qingzhu and Chun'er exchanged glances.

Xiao Ming grabbed a handful of brocade boxes and stuffed them into the girls' hands: "I only have one mouth, after all. Who knows how long it would take me to finish all this lip balm? You two are helping me; how could it be improper?"

She picked through the remaining ones and set them aside. "These few boxes have deep, vibrant colors. Keep them with you and find an opportunity to use them to curry favor with the senior maids and matrons."

"These few that are left have gentle colors, perfect for spring; I saved these specifically for you two."

With that said, Qingzhu and Chun'er could no longer refuse. They happily accepted the lip balm. Chun'er sniffed them with excitement and couldn't help but ask: "If you give these all to us, what about your own, Miss?"

Xiao Ming smiled slightly: "Don't worry, I've kept some."

Qingzhu and Chun'er smiled at each other and bowed to her together: "Thank you, Miss!"

At this moment, the man in black hanging from the eaves was gnashing his teeth in frustration—the lip balm he had specially bought for her had been casually given away to maids and matrons?

There was no such logic in the world; he had to ask her about it personally!

Just as Ling Zhao was about to leap down, he was grabbed by someone. He turned back and scolded angrily: "Are you tired of living? How dare you grab me?!"

Jinsheng gave a sheepish smile. "Master, this is a young lady's bedchamber. It was already inappropriate for two grown men to be crouching here..."

Besides, he had already given them away, so why care how she used them? He was being so petty.

Seeing that Ling Zhao's anger did not dissipate, Jinsheng urged: "My master, didn't you hear just now? Miss Ming said she kept the ones she liked..."

Glancing at the figure wavering by the window, Ling Zhao let out a cold snort.

"Master, Miss Ming is truly pitiful. You know that ever since she came to our residence, she has been cautious and timid. At such a beautiful, flower-like age, she doesn't even dare to use vibrant lip balm. You should feel more pity for her in the future; how can you justify questioning her?"

***

"What a joke!"

Ling Zhao glared at Jinsheng again. What free time did he have to pity her?!

Her pitifulness was all an act, just to get him to help her.

This kind of affected, pretentious woman, crying at the drop of a hat, smiling just as easily, putting on a delicate act to seduce him.

She used these same tricks over and over; he had seen through her long ago!

Heaven only knew how many men she had seduced before meeting him.

He had only kissed her on impulse today, and buying these lip balms was merely a form of compensation, a way to settle the matter.

From now on, he and she would go their separate ways.

He took her in only to repay the kindness of the Xiao family from years ago, and he investigated the case only so the innocent souls who died unjustly could find peace.

He was not doing this for her!

What she ate, what she drank, what she wore, what she used, whether she cried or laughed—what did any of that have to do with him?

He told himself this, yet the vague, restless irritation suppressed deep in his heart did not subside.

"Let's go!"

Ling Zhao stood up abruptly and soared upward, catching a thick branch of the tallest camphor tree in the courtyard. Just as he was about to leap over the wall, a sudden "creak" sounded behind him—the bedchamber window had been pushed open.

If not for his superior lightness skills, which allowed him to hook his hand and use the momentum to flip back onto the branch, he would have been so startled by the sound of the window opening that he would have lost his grip and fallen to his death.

Why was she opening the window to scare people instead of sleeping in the middle of the night!

He cast a glance into the room and found himself unable to move.

She must have just bathed; her hair was not yet dry, tied loosely with a bright red silk ribbon that trailed over her shoulder, giving her a charm that was indescribable compared to her daytime appearance. She was wearing a light, gauze-like camisole dress.

Her slender frame, bathed in the glow of the night candles, outlined an enchanting silhouette, so beautiful.

His Adam's apple bobbed imperceptibly.