He Changdi was a good man who listened to his wife, so he endured his urge to laugh and wiped any semblance of a smile off his face. He reinstated his usual cold, indifferent expression. Coupled with the depths of his eyes, he looked rather fearsome now.
Chu Lian felt dejected upon seeing how ‘dignified’ he looked. His current demeanour made her even more nervous and embarrassed.
Her face was stiff as the corner of her mouth tugged downwards. “It’s better if you laugh instead.”
The hapless He Sanlang let her go and pulled her to the table by the hand. He checked the teapot there only to find out that the water inside had already turned cold.
Thus, he sat Chu Lian down by the table before walking off to the outer room, where he ordered Wenqing to bring in her usual honey water.
By the time He Changdi returned to the bedroom, Chu Lian was already gone…
He Changdi’s cold countenance cracked and he snorted. He shook his head with affection and helplessness.
She was usually so capable, yet when push came to shove, she was actually a scaredy cat.
However, what he had tonight was time.
With this mindset, He Changdi walked out of the bedroom and ‘kindly’ instructed Wenqing and Xiyan to wait upon Chu Lian.
Chu Lian had been hiding in the bathroom. When she heard the footsteps of He Changdi leaving, she patted her chest in relief.
Although this was the outcome she wanted, when He Changdi had actually left, there was an inexplicable feeling of disappointment in her heart.
Before Chu Lian could return to her senses, Wenqing and Xiyan had already entered with something in their hands for her.
“Third Young Madam, this is honey water at the perfect temperature for drinking right now.”
With a smile, Xiyan placed the cup in Chu Lian’s hands.
The blush that had just receded on Chu Lian’s face resurfaced once again.
She slowly took a sip from the cup before probing them. “Where’s Third Young Master?”
Wenqing was already preparing hot water for Chu Lian’s bath, so Xiyan was the one who answered. “I think he went to the study. Before Third Young Master left, he instructed us to take care of you, Third Young Madam.”
Chu Lian’s mind was in a state of utter disarray now. When she saw that Wenqing was done with preparing the bath, she gestured for them to leave. She stepped right into the bathtub after disrobing.
As per usual, her nightclothes were placed on the table behind the screen.
Wenqing waited outside the bathroom. Afraid that soaking in the bath for too long might be bad for Third Young Madam, the maidservant called out to her once fifteen minutes had passed.
Chu Lian was startled back to her senses by the call, so she got out of the bathtub, wiped herself dry, and reached out for her nightclothes.
It was only after putting on the pale pink nightgown embroidered with a pair of mandarin ducks that Chu Lian realised how sexy it was.
The colour of the robes was already light in the first place, but the sheerness of it meant that it was as good as wearing nothing. Even the light green inner robe was completely visible.
Seething with anger, she was about to call for Xiyan to bring in a different set of robes. However, once she recalled that it was Senior Servant Gui who was in charge of her clothes, she put that thought to rest.
If she didn’t wear this now, Senior Servant Gui would definitely torture her with a round of nagging the next day.
Senior Servant Gui genuinely wished the best for her, so she couldn’t let her down.
Chu Lian sighed. Looking at it from another perspective, since He Sanlang had already left, it wouldn’t matter what she wore since she was alone in the bedroom.
She took down the large cape hanging on the screen and wrapped it around herself before she left the bathroom.
The fact that Third Young Madam hadn’t requested for a change of clothes made Xiyan very happy. She had still been in the middle of thinking up ways to make Third Young Madam give up on changing into another set of clothes!
