A sudden knock on the door broke the tension. Yuhe’s cautious voice came from outside, “Young Mistress, the tea Master requested is ready.”
Mudan glanced at Liu Chang before rushing to open the door. As it swung open, the night breeze rushed in, making the candles flicker and the crystal curtains chime.
Without the screen’s protection, Liu Chang and the bathtub were exposed. The women standing guard outside gasped softly, quickly lowering their heads. Liu Chang immediately crouched down, rubbing the goosebumps on his skin caused by the cold wind. He glared at Mudan with red eyes, certain she had done this deliberately.
Ignoring him, Mudan took the tea tray and placed it on a nearby table. She slowly closed the door, leaving it slightly ajar, and asked, “Does my husband wish to drink now or later?”
Liu Chang’s temples throbbed with anger. He initially planned to ignore her but changed his mind. “Now, of course! Bring it here!”
Mudan replied lazily, “There’s no place to set the tray over there. Perhaps you should come out to drink.”
Liu Chang was furious. Wasn’t she deliberately opposing him? She asked if he wanted tea, and when he said yes, she refused to bring it. It was clear she was intentionally provoking him. He enjoyed women with a bit of flair who could flirt, but that didn’t mean he liked being toyed with, especially by a woman he had always looked down upon. He glared at Mudan, gritting his teeth, “He Mudan, you’ll regret this!”
Mudan glanced outside, feigning fear, “Husband, why are you upset again? Have I failed to serve you properly? Tell me, and I’ll certainly improve! Please don’t raise your hand! My parents and brother might visit soon. If they see anything, it would be embarrassing for me, but my brother might not let you off easily.”
This time, her expression was too fake. Liu Chang was certain he hadn’t misread her – she was indeed mocking him, deliberately provoking him rather than playing hard to get. Considering her recent behavior, he suddenly realized she had changed, becoming unfamiliar. This unfamiliarity wasn’t apparent until crucial moments, but compared to before, it was worlds apart. She looked down on him, despised him, detested him, yet she was still unmistakably Mudan. Had she truly changed? Liu Chang was suddenly confused, sitting in the bathtub, staring at Mudan.
Mudan waited for Liu Chang’s next outburst, hoping he would either thoughtlessly strike her once or twice, or storm out in a rage. But he didn’t. Instead, he sat there, scrutinizing her, making her uncomfortable. Mudan felt insecure, only able to calm herself by repeatedly gripping the scissors hidden in her sleeve. She wasn’t a skilled martial artist – how could she not fear a violent lecher?
After about fifteen minutes of standoff, Liu Chang turned his back to Mudan and stood up. He casually grabbed a towel from the clothes rack to dry himself, then put on his discarded undergarments. He slowly walked to the door, closed it firmly, then turned and approached Mudan just as slowly.
With each step he took towards her, Mudan felt as if he was stepping on her heart, heavy and suffocating.
“Are you afraid of me?” Liu Chang easily caught the fear in Mudan’s eyes. This realization instantly gave him a psychological advantage. He even smiled, reaching out to lift Mudan’s chin.
Forcefully tilting her chin up, her exquisite face was exposed to him at the perfect angle. As the saying goes, “Beauty is best viewed by candlelight.” Liu Chang had to admit that Mudan truly lived up to her name. She didn’t need to pretend to be different or deliberately draw attention like Princess Qinghua. She only needed to stand quietly to attract everyone’s gaze, naturally impossible to ignore.
His gaze traveled from Mudan’s delicate jawline down to her snow-white neck. The edge of a spring-green camisole peeked out from her red silk jacket, enticing like fresh spring buds, making one want to peel away the layers to see what lay beneath.
Liu Chang swallowed hard, focusing on that glimpse of green. His hand followed his heart’s desire, caressing downward from Mudan’s face and neck. Where his hand passed, Mudan’s skin quickly prickled with goosebumps. She couldn’t control her slight trembling, and her breathing became rapid.
Is this not the epitome of beauty like a flower? Liu Chang was quite satisfied with Mudan’s reaction. She was still unable to resist him after all. With just a bit of kindness from him, she would be as devoted as before… Thinking this, he smiled smugly and said, “Don’t be afraid, I’ll be very gentle.”
Before he could finish the word “gentle,” a pot of hot tea was poured over his head. The tea blurred his vision and flowed into his mouth, washing away his smugness and self-assurance. He hastily withdrew his hand and used his sleeve to wipe his face, only to see Mudan standing there with wide eyes, the teapot still raised in her hands.
She dared to pour tea on him! She dared to pour tea on him! This woman who didn’t know her place needed to be taught a lesson, to learn what she could and couldn’t do! Liu Chang took a deep breath, his face turning ashen as he reached out to grab Mudan. Before his hand could touch her, a cold glint flashed in the candlelight, quickly stabbing towards his hand. Simultaneously, Mudan swiftly retreated, not forgetting to hurl the teapot at his head in her haste.
Caught off guard, Liu Chang felt a sharp pain in his arm, followed by the teapot smashing against his head. The impact on his already dazed head was no less than the earlier punch to his eye from Li Xing – painful and disorienting. Worst of all, his pride suffered a severe blow. He roared, “He Mudan! You’re courting death!” He violently smashed the teacups and tray on the table to the ground, lunging to grab Mudan.
“Young Mistress! Master! Please, let’s talk this through!” The door was frantically pounded, and Yuhe and Mama Lin burst in desperately, followed by Mama Li and Lanchi, who feared they couldn’t escape blame if something truly terrible happened.
Mudan seized the opportunity to fall to the ground, throwing the scissors as far away as possible. Pale-faced and panicked, she cried out, “Mama, save me! The young master wants to kill me!” Before Liu Chang could react, she grabbed his legs and pleaded, “I didn’t say anything about the Princess, truly! Ask them, I never said a word. It was her maid who called me over, I knew nothing beforehand!” Meanwhile, her hand firmly pinched and twisted a bit of tender skin behind his knee.
Liu Chang hissed in pain, grimacing. He was about to kick out when he suddenly stopped himself, instead bending down to grip Mudan’s shoulders and shake her violently. “You treacherous, despicable—!”
Seeing him hold back his kick, Mudan was disappointed. She let her head shake with his force, her hair disheveled, face pale, and cheeks tear-stained. She didn’t forget to cry out loudly, “Help! Help!” Her eyes rolled back, and she conveniently fainted.
Mama Lin and Yuhe each grabbed one of Liu Chang’s legs, shouting, “Please spare the young mistress, Master! She truly hasn’t spoken a word of complaint!”
Mama Li and Lanchi exchanged glances before kneeling to plead, “Young Master, Young Master, let’s talk this through. The Young Mistress has fainted! She’s such a delicate thing, how could she withstand a man’s strength?”
It seemed everyone believed he had struck her, not knowing that he had been the one played from start to finish. How could he admit that his wife had hit him with a teapot and stabbed him with scissors? Liu Chang was at a loss for words, only grinding his teeth as he looked at Mudan. He stomped his foot in frustration and said, “Why haven’t you carried her to bed yet?”
Mama Lin and Yuhe quickly let go of him and supported Mudan on either side. Mama Lin felt Mudan’s ice-cold hands and feet and burst into heart-wrenching sobs, “Oh, my poor Dian’er! What sin have you committed? To suffer silently and still be persecuted! Heavens above, open your eyes!”
“What is going on here?” Madam Qi stood at the doorway, her voice stern and authoritative. “What is all this chaos about?”
Mama Lin paid no heed, continuing to wail as she held Mudan. Seeing her cry so bitterly, Mudan felt guilty but had to remain still and unresponsive.
“Silence! Anyone who keeps wailing will be thrown out!” Madam Qi glared disapprovingly at Liu Chang before directing the others to clean up the mess. She first went to check on Mudan, ordering someone to brew ginseng tea immediately. Then she harshly scolded the servants, “Was the young master drunk? Were you all drunk too? How could you let him cause such a scene? You useless lot! What are you good for? If the young mistress is unharmed, we’ll let it pass. But if anything happens to her, see if I don’t deal with you all!”
Mudan thought to herself, “You old witch, your son commits violence, and in the blink of an eye, you claim he was drunk and shift all the blame onto the servants. You’re saying it’s the servants’ incompetence. Such a skilled manipulation!”
Everyone responded meekly, but Madam Qi went on to praise Kuan’er and Shu’er, who were standing nervously at the door, “Thanks to these two clever girls who knew to call me, or who knows how this situation might have escalated!”
Soon, the ginseng tea was brought. Mama Lin helped Mudan sit up and fed her half a cup. Mudan then sighed softly and “awoke,” staring at the canopy and silently shedding tears without a word.
Seeing her regain consciousness, Madam Qi breathed a sigh of relief. With a stern face, she said, “Zishu, come with me.”
Without calling for anyone to follow, she dragged Liu Chang outside. Once they were alone, she slapped him hard across the face and said in a low voice, “You muddle-headed fool! You’re getting more and more out of control! Have you been treating my words as mere background noise?”