In his wardrobe, crisp white shirts hung neatly in a straight line, like an army of troops—all identical.
Shen Qianshu picked a midnight blue suit for him that complemented the white shirt easily. Shen Qianshu flushed a deep red, looking away hurriedly when Ye Ling unashamedly changed in front of her eyes. Although he normally looked pale, he had a great build. Having honey-colored skin, and a firm strong chest, he was the greatest example of a 'clothes-hanger'—one who looked good in anything and everything. Clothed, he looked slim. Unclothed, he was muscular. His legs were long and slim, a definite positive. Just as Shen Qianshu was about to leave the room, Ye Ling commanded, "Come here!"
He retrieved a tie from the wardrobe and handed it to Shen Qianshu. Other than the lower three buttons, the rest of the white shirt hung loosely, exposing his firm torso. Shen Qianshu immediately understood his intentions. With her delicate hands, she took the tie and carefully buttoned the rest of the shirt up for him.
Ye Ling lowered his head slightly and looked at her long, delicate fingers moving around on his shirt. She had beautiful hands that moved around like dancing notes and her nails were trimmed round and clean. Her fingertips accidentally brushed across his chest.
Shen Qianshu seemed to be frightened and immediately lowered her head. He could only see her red ears.
"Are you afraid of me?" Ye Ling asked.
Shen Qianshu shook her head, but the redness in her ears intensified.
Ye Ling's gaze was so cold it could freeze up the entire room.
Liar!
A neutral fragrance lingered all around her, subtle, yet very appealing. He recalled resting on her lap. Whenever his headache became overbearing, the smell of that fragrance would give him a deep sense of comfort and soothe his pain away.
Ye Ling was too tall.
Shen Qianshu could not reach, yet he stood bolt upright with no inclination of bending down. The only thing left that she could do was to stand on her toes, reaching up around his neck. This close to him, she could feel his light breath on her and her hormones surged, sweeping through her body and overpowering her senses. Shen Qianshu felt her cheeks burning.
In a fumble, she painstakingly put his tie on for him.
With his shirt on and tie done, Ye Ling put on the midnight blue vest and suit. He looked like he could defeat anything and everything. Energetic and charismatic, he was like a high-born aristocrat, distinguished and indifferent.
After Ye Ling left the castle, Shen Qianshu went back to the living room downstairs to begin on her revision.
She was an exchange student who had applied to study jewelry design in Paris College of Arts. Before school started, she had half a year of language class. She had come over two months earlier to settle in and adjust to the culture, surroundings and the language, as well as to try and earn some money.
As Shen Qianshu listened to her French classes online, she drew sketches of jewelry designs.
Unknowingly, she fell asleep on the table.
Lately, she had been both physically and mentally drained by Ye Ling.
Almost everyday, she massaged him for four hours. Her two arms were constantly sore, aching so much that they were stiff and felt like she had artificial limbs.
When Ye Ling returned, he saw her looking unglamorous as she slept on a pile of sketch papers.
The sun shone brightly, yet he appeared as if he was covered in a layer of frost. He walked over and stared down at Shen Qianshu in a condescending manner. She lay, head tilted sideways, with her black, silky hair hanging down and obscuring half of her face, whilst also revealing her fair, milky skin. It was pleasantly fair with a hint of peach across her delicate cheeks.
Ye Ling stared at her intently. Not knowing what he was thinking about, he squinted at her closely. The sketches around her caught his attention. He raised his eyebrow and picked them up.
They were all sketches of jewelry designs.
When Shen Qianshu woke up, she rubbed her eyes in a daze.
"Master, you're back?"
"Yes," Ye Ling replied coldly. As Shen Qianshu realized that he was looking at her sketches, she blushed and snatched them back. Ye Ling stared at her coldly. He was dissatisfied with her aggressiveness, so he attacked her works viciously.
"A pile of trash. What's the snatching for?"
"Who are you to say that my designs are trash!" Shen Qianshu's cheeks flushed, her eyes sparking angrily as she raised her head and retaliated, forgetting Butler Luther's warning. This was the first time she reacted against Ye Ling's viciousness and arrogance.
Ye Ling narrowed his eyes at her dangerously. The well-behaved little kitty had suddenly decided to raise its sharp claws, and give him a taste of its razor-edge teeth. How refreshing. Her face became vividly clear in his mind. He no longer had to rely on her scent to remember her.
"Trash, it's just trash." Ye Ling repeated coldly. He took one of the sketches and a pen beside him. On her original work, he made some rough lines, altering it within minutes. An eye-catching design appeared on the paper, completely transformed from its previous form.
Although it was just a quick sketch, it was outstanding.
The simple blood-drop necklace she had designed now seemed voluptuous and full of life after Ye Ling's casual editing. He had used a crescent moon to hold the drop of blood. The simple lines he drew were more skillful, sophisticated, and of an exceptionally higher level than those drawn by Shen Qianshu.
"You…" Shen Qianshu marvelled at her ordinary design which had been casually brought to life by a few strokes of talent. She wouldn't have believed he was actually so gifted! Completely disregarding any personal integrity and forgetting her earlier outrage, Shen Qianshu clasped her hands together and said brightly, "Senpai, teach me please!"
"No, you're ugly!" Ye Ling rejected Shen Qianshu heartlessly, cutting her off without a thought.
Shen Qianshu stared at his back and stuck up her middle finger.
You just look good. What's the big deal!
Since Shen Qianshu discovered that Ye Ling was so talented at jewelry design, she intentionally revealed some of her sketches around him, hoping to receive some constructive feedback. Most of the sketches consisted of rough lines and concepts.
Whenever Ye Ling was in a good mood, he would provide some guidance with a word or two. Whenever he was in a bad mood, he would instantly tear her drafts apart without mercy. Shen Qianshu would immediately drag him to lie down and give him a massage to alleviate him. Once when she was massaging him, Ye Ling seemed to be overcome by the pain and his body stiffened up like a piece of brittle rock. Seeing that his rigid body refused to loosen up, Shen Qianshu racked her brain, then softly hummed a gentle melody. The tune was soft and light, and miraculously, Ye Ling relaxed.
Since then, whenever Shen Qianshu massaged him, she was made to sing. Massaging all day long like this, her mouth was dry and her arms were stiff and sore. It was simply agonizing.
I strongly demand for a pay raise!
Nights in Paris always came slowly.
Shen Qianshu experienced her first gloomy day in Paris.
According to the weather forecast, a storm would approach at night.
The moment the clock turned to six in the evening, the sky started to darken to a threatening pitch black—ominous and heavy. Shen Qianshu prepared the meal and brought it upstairs. Ye Ling sat by the window as always, looking like a statue as he stared into the dark sky. These days, conversations between the pair had increased. Although they were sometimes awkward small talk initiated forcefully by Shen Qianshu, the words exchanged were no longer as few and sparse as that of a month ago.
"Master, there will be a thunderstorm tonight. I'm afraid of potential delays, may I leave earlier today?"
Ye Ling gave no response or any indication that he had heard her at all. He continued to stare outside through the window. Shen Qianshu put down the plates gently and sensed that Ye Ling was in a terrible mood and had been holding it in. There was a surge of violence in the air, Shen Qianshu could feel a thick, tangible tension all around that she couldn't explain, and this made her somewhat fearful.
He was like a great devil that floated in the darkness.
"Master, I'll take my leave now."
Shen Qianshu left the castle hurriedly. It had been almost two months since she had started working here, and she had never spent a night in the castle, always leaving before the day broke. She still remembered Butler Luther's warning clearly: At night, there seems to be a devil in the castle… Recalling those words, Shen Qianshu walked faster towards the public bus stop.
The atmosphere was stiff and cold. Her heart palpitated wildly.
The castle was located was on the far outskirts of the town. Every day, she had to walk a distance of two kilometers by foot before she could reach the bus stop. Usually, she came early and left early. She treated it as a form of exercise.
However, today, when she was halfway to the bus stop, there was a sudden streak of lightning and intense rumblings of thunder. The sky darkened threateningly, as though signalling an unrelenting downpour of heavy rain. Shen Qianshu turned around and took a quick look towards the castle. The lone castle that stood in the middle of the woods was the only house around.
"I'll just stay for a little longer… What can go wrong?"
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