Chapter 7: First Encounter with the Lord.

She could feel the other girl’s slightly calloused palms, mixed with foam, rubbing and scrubbing her back. The breathing beside her ear gradually grew heavier. She could sense her own heartbeat speeding up, and her cheeks growing hotter and hotter.

“Huff~ Huff~”

(Thump thump~ Thump thump…)

“Mmm~ Little Mo… that spot is a bit itchy…”

……

“Splish— splash—”

Hot water poured down from above once more, continuously rinsing away the dense foam from Lin Yuxi’s hair and body along with the remaining black dirt, revealing her long silver-white hair.

Having lived with Lin Yuxi for a long time and even shared intimate moments, Lan Mo wasn’t surprised by her silver-white hair or her bright, fair skin.

“Little Mo, turn around. It’s… it’s my turn to help you,” Lin Yuxi’s voice trembled slightly from embarrassment.

“Ah… you’ll help me?” Lan Mo’s words carried a trace of hesitation. Immediately after, her already faintly red cheeks grew even redder, the burning heat spreading all the way to her earlobes.

Lin Yuxi’s own slightly calmed emotions surged again because of what she had just said. After all, even though her outer appearance was that of a girl, her inner self was still male. Showering together with a girl and even scrubbing her back…

“But little Xi, isn’t your hand injured…”

“It’s… it’s fine. I won’t use my palm. There’s a towel here. I’ll use this to wash you…” Her voice sounded a little hurried, growing softer toward the end.

“Mmm.” Lan Mo let out a soft hum, then turned around, showing her back to Lin Yuxi.

Hearing the reply, Lin Yuxi picked up the towel and rubbed it a few times. She then turned to grab the soap nearby and lathered the towel with dense foam.

She swallowed hard. Raising her eyes, she swept her gaze from bottom to top across a tempting spring scenery before looking at Lan Mo’s back. She was also very thin; the bones on her back were clearly visible. Her skin was pale but dull and lacked luster, with not much dirt on it. Lin Yuxi knew Lan Mo was very clean and would use most of the hard-collected dirty water to bathe.

She pressed the white towel against Lan Mo’s back, gripped it with both hands, and began scrubbing, gently rubbing away the dull, dead skin. Her own skin felt a little hot. When she looked up, she saw Lan Mo’s reddened earlobes.

“Little Mo, your ears are so red. Did I rub too hard?”

“It’s fine. This is just right. Little Xi is such an idiot.” Her voice grew smaller toward the end. Lin Yuxi didn’t clearly hear the second half of the sentence.

?

The two fell into silence, with only the sound of each other’s breathing audible. After Lin Yuxi finished washing Lan Mo’s entire back, revealing clean, fair skin, she picked up the soap again and carefully washed Lan Mo’s hair.

“Little Xi.”

“Mmm?”

“What do you think the lord wants us to do? What will happen to us afterward?”

This sudden topic made Lin Yuxi pause for a moment. After thinking, she comforted her:

“It should be literally what it means. Didn’t Captain Qin say we need to serve the lord? Maybe it’s just asking us to be her maids and take care of her daily life.”

“But I still feel heavy and uneasy inside. I’m afraid something unexpected will happen and we’ll be forced to separate.” Lan Mo’s voice was low, carrying a trace of anxiety.

“Don’t overthink it. We’ll stay together from now on. We won’t be separated.”

Unable to hold back, Lin Yuxi wrapped her arms around the other girl’s slender waist and buried her face into her neck.

“This might actually be a good thing. The fact that we were chosen out of so many people proves we have something worth noticing. If we follow the lord from now on, we probably won’t have to worry about our future livelihood anymore.”

“No more struggling to collect dirty water in exchange for hard steamed buns, no more worrying about getting injured while fighting for food, and no more fear of being hurt because of our appearance. We can eat until we’re full every day. We might even have white rice as a staple instead of gnawing on dry steamed buns. If we’re lucky, we might even get to eat meat every two or three days.”

“So think positively. As long as we can live a better life, even if something unpleasant happens, it should be bearable.”

“Just like right now—we not only get to shower with clean hot water, but we’ll soon have clean clothes to wear. So don’t worry. Since we were chosen together, we definitely won’t be separated.” Lin Yuxi’s voice sounded a little stiff and muffled.

Even though she said this, she didn’t believe a single word of it. She didn’t believe that the so-called “service” was simply taking care of the lord and being her maid.

If it really was just that, why would they pick dirty, useless refugees from outside? And why specifically choose pretty ones? Just so they would look pleasant to the eye?

If she really were a little girl, she might have believed it. After the shower, she would probably be sent straight to serve.

But it didn’t matter. As long as she could live on with little Mo and have a better life, without constant fear and worry, she was willing—even if it meant not following the lord directly, as long as she could get some supplies.

She had heard the lord was a woman, so she could accept it. She wouldn’t feel any resistance at all. This deal was the most worthwhile for her. As long as she could obtain enough supplies, even if the lord had some special interests, she could grit her teeth and endure it.

Suddenly, Lin Yuxi felt the person in her arms growing hotter. She turned her head and saw that Lan Mo’s entire body had turned red, her ears completely flushed crimson.

Realizing she was hugging the other girl while completely naked, she quickly let go, her own face turning red.

“Th-that… little Mo, sorry, I…”

“It’s… it’s fine. I don’t mind…”

The two fell into another awkward silence for five or six seconds to calm their emotions. Only then did Lin Yuxi step forward again to continue washing Lan Mo’s hair.

Hot water poured down once more, rinsing away the foam from Lan Mo’s hair and revealing her pure black shoulder-length hair. The only flaw was that some strands were still slightly stuck together with minor split ends.

Lin Yuxi washed it once more. After her hair became clean, the two turned their backs to each other and began washing the rest of their bodies.

Footsteps sounded, followed by a knock on the door. Then Qin Yi’s voice came through.

“You have ten minutes left. The clothes and towels are hanging on the door. Come out and assemble in ten minutes.”

After speaking, Qin Yi’s footsteps faded away.

The two had just finished washing their entire bodies. Hearing Qin Yi’s words, they exchanged a glance, picked up the towels and clothes hanging on the door, dried themselves, and quickly got dressed.

The clothes were simple and identical for both: white underwear, white T-shirts, black outer coats, and black trousers.

They were the last to come out. The other six girls were already in the vehicle. They boarded the rear vehicle, and it began moving again.

Before long, just as she had expected, they arrived at the hospital and underwent various examinations. The fear that her identity as a mutated person might be exposed made her heart tighten once more.

Fortunately, nothing of the sort happened. After completing all the checks, the two got back into the vehicle. This time, however, the original six had become four.

The vehicle drove on again. By now the sky had turned completely dark. After some time, it finally stopped outside a large, brightly lit villa.

After parking, Qin Yi got out first, opened the car door for them, and gestured for them to exit.

Once they had all gotten out, Qin Yi led them toward the villa entrance. The door was not closed, allowing threads of light to spill out.

“Knock knock knock.”

“Enter.”

A low, husky voice with a cold, icy quality came from inside. It was piercing and carried a chilling edge.

Qin Yi pushed the door open. Light from within shone on them. She tilted her head slightly, signaling Lin Yuxi and the others to go in.

The moment they stepped into the villa, the sound of the door closing came from behind, as if cutting off their only escape route.

They subconsciously searched for the person inside and immediately spotted the figure on the sofa.

She was leaning against the sofa with her legs crossed, reading a book in her hands. Even as they approached, the lord did not put down the book or look at them.

The person before them had an overwhelmingly powerful presence. The few girls carefully held their breath, lowered their heads, and didn’t dare make any loud sounds as they waited quietly.

After more than ten seconds, the lord finally put down the book and looked at them. Seeing that they all had their heads lowered, she spoke softly.

“Raise your heads.”

Lin Yuxi had been keeping her head down, lost in thought. The sudden cold voice from above startled her into a small shiver. She hurriedly looked up.

The lord before her had long golden hair. Her features blended androgynous handsomeness with goddess-like perfection. She had long, phoenix-shaped eyes, sharp, knife-like brow bones, and highly arched brows. Her nose bridge was tall and straight. Her lips were thin with clear lip lines, and her jawline was sharp and defined.

Lin Yuxi was momentarily stunned.

So this is the lord. If she could gain food by following her, or rather, if she could cling to her…

This thought made Lin Yuxi’s heartbeat quicken slightly and her breathing slow down.

The lord looked at Lin Yuxi. Seemingly because she was very attractive, the lord also stared for a moment. She reached out, gently touched her face, pinched it, then lifted a strand of her silver-white hair and rubbed it between her fingers.

After letting go of Lin Yuxi’s hair, she turned to look at the other three. Their expressions were unreadable. Although none could compare to Lin Yuxi, all three were undeniably good-looking.

“What are your names, and what can you do?”

After speaking, the lord first looked at Lin Yuxi, waiting quietly with interest for her answer.

So direct right from the start? What should I do? How should I answer? Should I say I can do anything? That my fingers are very flexible, my tongue is flexible too, and my voice sounds nice? Would the lord like that?

But looking at the lord’s demeanor, she probably prefers to be in the dominant, aggressive position. So she should like the pure, innocent type who doesn’t understand anything—like a blank sheet of paper, the kind who would cry and whimper the moment she’s touched.

Thinking this, Lin Yuxi put on a timid, inexperienced expression with a slightly tearful voice and flushed cheeks as she said,

“I… I’m Lin Yuxi. I don’t know how to do anything~”

The lord frowned slightly. She saw through Lin Yuxi’s deliberate act at a glance, and her favorable impression vanished instantly. She hated this kind of scheming, pretentious person.

In her eyes, Lin Yuxi was the type who would casually sell her body using her looks to achieve her goals or gain benefits. Right now, she was undoubtedly pretending to be delicate and selling her flesh just to get more advantages from her position. It made her feel disgusted…

The other three didn’t notice anything. They simply thought Lin Yuxi was acting this way out of nervousness and fear. Lan Mo, however, felt that the Lin Yuxi beside her seemed a little strange—not like her usual self.

Although the lord felt disgusted and repulsed, her expression didn’t change in the slightest. Only a trace of coldness flashed in her eyes. She ignored Lin Yuxi and looked at Lan Mo beside her.

If the rest are all like this, then just drag them all out…

“I… I’m Lan Mo. My family used to run a restaurant. I can cook all kinds of cuisines and make pastries.” Lan Mo’s voice was soft, carrying a trace of unease.

Lin Yuxi secretly raised her head to observe the lord’s reaction. Jun Linqiu’s expression remained unchanged, but the anger and disgust that had just emanated from her clearly faded.

So I was wrong. The lord doesn’t need any special services at all. Everything was just my own wild imagination, and my behavior just now…

Thinking of this, she felt a buzzing in her head, her face turned slightly pale, and cold sweat broke out on her body.

“My name is Chen Ya. I can do all kinds of housework, cleaning, laundry, and such.”

“My name is Yuan Sisi. I can also clean and do housework.”

Even someone as slow as Lin Yuxi finally realized it. From the lord’s revealed disgust, her ignoring her, and the reactions to the other three’s self-introductions, she understood that she had been mistaken from the very beginning. The so-called service was proper, legitimate service.

Just as Lin Yuxi came to this realization, the lord’s distinctive voice sounded again.

“I am Jun Linqiu, the lord of this territory. You may address me as Lord or Lordship. From today onward, you will be the maids of this villa.”

“From now on, you will serve as the cook here, and you two will be responsible for the hygiene and cleaning. As for you? Since you don’t know how to do anything, then you will…”