The Maid’s Hasty Retreat and a Peculiar Demand

Xiang Qing’s mind instantly exploded into a spectacular fireworks display.

‘She touched my leg!’

‘That perverted woman actually dared to touch my leg!’

A tingling, itchy sensation, originating from her pinched calf, instantly spread through her entire body.

Xiang Qing froze completely, feeling as though she were a wooden puppet whose pressure points had been struck.

She could even feel Gu Wei’s warm fingers still tracing light circles on her leg.

‘Damn it!’

In that moment, Xiang Qing’s will to survive overcame all shame and fear.

She struggled fiercely, disregarding her precarious balance, and immediately jumped down!

“I—I’m not wiping anymore!”

Upon landing, Xiang Qing stumbled back three large steps, establishing a safe distance of what felt like a hundred thousand miles from Gu Wei.

Her face was so flushed it seemed on the verge of dripping blood.

‘If she stayed any longer, she suspected her innocence would be compromised!’

“I’m not feeling well today! I need to take leave!”

Having said that, she turned to bolt towards the entrance.

However, halfway there, she screeched to a halt.

‘She was still wearing that utterly humiliating maid outfit!’

If she stepped out in these clothes, let alone hailing a taxi, she’d likely be escorted straight to the police station by well-meaning citizens!

Xiang Qing spun around anxiously, like a cat whose tail had been trodden upon.

Her peripheral vision caught sight of a long black overcoat hanging on the coat rack by the entrance.

Without a second thought as to its owner, she snatched it and slipped it on.

The coat was long, reaching her calves, perfectly concealing the absurdly short skirt hem and her bare thighs.

‘A wave of security instantly washed over her!’

Xiang Qing clutched the overcoat tightly, then bolted out of Gu Wei’s front door without a backward glance.

Too impatient to wait for the elevator, she plunged directly into the emergency stairwell.

****

“Quite a temper, isn’t she?”

Gu Wei remained rooted to the spot, watching Xiang Qing’s frantic retreat, but made no move to follow.

She lowered her gaze to her hand, the slick sensation from moments ago seemingly still lingering in her palm.

She licked her lips, the curve of her mouth growing increasingly playful.

“Run.”

“After all, you can’t escape the palm of my hand.”

****

Xiang Qing ran wildly, and when she burst out of the resplendent lobby of Star Convergence International, even the security guard at the entrance gave her a second look.

She no longer cared, flagged down a taxi, and dove inside.

“Driver, Donghua Residential Complex, quickly!”

Returning from the luxurious residential area to her own dilapidated old apartment, Xiang Qing felt as though she had traversed two different worlds.

At dusk, the setting sun cast a dim, jaundiced hue upon the worn stairwell.

Xiang Qing had just reached her doorstep, before she could even retrieve her keys, when the adjacent door clicked open.

Shen Lanzhi, clad in an off-white loungewear set, stood at her doorway, her hair slightly dishevelled, clearly having just woken up.

Her gentle, beautiful face was etched with worry.

“Xiao Qing? Where did you go? I woke up and didn’t see you, I thought something had happened.”

Xiang Qing’s heart sank.

‘Why did she have to run into Sister Lanzhi at this exact moment!’

Shen Lanzhi’s gaze fell upon her, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

“You’re… why are you wearing such an oversized coat?”

Xiang Qing glanced down, only then realizing that the sleeves of the coat she wore nearly brushed the floor.

She looked like a child who had secretly donned an adult’s clothes, both comical and dishevelled.

“Ah, Sister Lanzhi!”

Xiang Qing’s mind raced, and she began to spout nonsense.

“I—I suddenly remembered I left something very important at a friend’s house! Yes, it was super urgent! So I rushed over to get it! It was windy outside, so I just borrowed a coat to wear!”

As she spoke, she self-consciously pulled the coat tighter around herself, terrified of revealing even a hint of black and white lace.

“Oh… I see.”

Shen Lanzhi nodded, and though she found it a little strange, she still offered a gentle smile.

“It’s good you’re back. You look a bit pale; are you tired? Go back and rest quickly.”

“Mhm! Okay, Sister Lanzhi! I’ll go in first!”

As if granted a great pardon, Xiang Qing swiftly opened her door, slipped inside, and slammed it shut with a bang.

Leaning against the door, she gasped for air.

‘That was close!’

Finally back in her own little nest, Xiang Qing felt all the strength drain from her body.

She ripped off the overcoat, then swiftly stripped herself of the maid outfit that made her want to die, wadding it into a ball and tossing it into the corner trash can.

‘Good riddance!’

She rushed into the bathroom, scrubbed herself from head to toe three times, and finally felt alive again.

Donning her own faded old T-shirt and shorts, Xiang Qing collapsed onto her bed.

‘Ah, there’s no comfort like one’s own humble abode!’

Just then, her phone buzzed.

An unfamiliar number.

She didn’t need to think to know who it was.

‘That crazy woman! That persistent, haunting capitalist!’

‘She’s calling again? Does having money make her so great? If she’s so capable, why doesn’t she just dock my pay!’

‘Wait… what if she really does shut down my live stream channel!’

Xiang Qing jolted upright from the bed, alarm bells ringing in her mind.

After an internal struggle, she ultimately caved, sliding to answer the call.

“Hello?”

Her voice was parched.

“My little nanny, you ran quite fast, didn’t you?”

From the other end of the line, Gu Wei’s languid, amused voice drifted through.

Xiang Qing’s temper immediately flared.

“CEO Gu, I’m not feeling well today, so I left work early! This is a legitimate right for all workers!”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Gu Wei let out a soft chuckle on the other end.

“When I saw you run downstairs, you didn’t look unwell at all.”

“…”

Xiang Qing choked on her words.

“But never mind.”

Gu Wei’s tone suddenly became magnanimous.

“Considering it’s your first day, your inexperience, and your timid nature, I won’t hold this absence against you.”

‘Huh? Had this crazy woman suddenly changed her ways?’

Just as Xiang Qing let out a sigh of relief, she heard Gu Wei continue.

“However, you owe me compensation.”

‘Here it comes, here it comes, the ugly face of capitalism is about to be exposed!’

Xiang Qing cautiously asked, “How do I compensate you?”

“Simple.” Gu Wei’s voice dropped slightly, carrying an indescribable hint of ambiguity. “Send me a few photos of yourself.”

“Photos?”

‘Xiang Qing was baffled; what new ‘play’ was this?’

“Mhm.” Gu Wei’s voice lowered further, almost as if she were whispering into Xiang Qing’s ear. “I need them tonight, you understand.”

‘What do I understand? I don’t understand anything!’

“Tonight? For what?” She feigned ignorance, though she understood perfectly well.

On the other end of the line, Gu Wei chuckled softly, her laughter both innocent and seductive.

“The kind of use you’re thinking of, my little dummy. So, make them a bit revealing, understand?”

‘Holy hell! Unbelievable!’

Xiang Qing’s mind was instantly flooded with a barrage of thoughts.

‘What kind of twisted logic did this woman possess?’

‘She wants my photos… for what?’

“No! Absolutely not!” Xiang Qing’s survival instinct made her refuse outright. “That costs extra!”

The words were barely out of her mouth before she herself froze in surprise.

‘How could I have said such a thing? I’m not that kind of person!’

“Oh? Extra?”

Gu Wei seemed amused by her.

“Alright, how much?”

Xiang Qing was stumped; she had just blurted it out, never having considered a price!

“In any case, absolutely not!”

“Xiang Qing.”

Gu Wei’s voice instantly turned cold.

“Don’t forget, your little, shabby live stream channel is still active.”

With a single sentence, she precisely seized Xiang Qing’s lifeline.

Xiang Qing instantly deflated.

‘My money! My live streaming career! My future little toilet!’

“I… I’ll take them…”

She practically squeezed the words through clenched teeth.

“But!” She tried to put up a fight, to hold onto her last shred of dignity. “No faces! And not too revealing!”

“Alright.” Gu Wei agreed with unusual readiness. “Then take photos of your legs. Your legs are very pretty.”

She paused, then added.

“And your feet.”

Xiang Qing: “…”

‘Fine, legs and feet were still better than having her photograph anything else.’

After hanging up, Xiang Qing stared at her phone with utter despair.

She, a former staunch straight man, now had to take photos of her own legs and feet for a female pervert.

‘This world truly was insane.’

Resigned, she opened her camera, snapped a picture of her legs, then changed the angle to include her fair, tender feet.

After taking the photos, she closed her eyes, haphazardly selected a few, and hit send.

As soon as she sent them, regret washed over her.

‘What if they weren’t good enough, and that crazy woman wasn’t satisfied, finding another reason to pick a fight?’

Ding.

Her phone chimed.

It was Gu Wei’s reply.

Xiang Qing nervously opened it, revealing only one emoji on the screen—

A smirk.

A wicked grin, brimming with triumph and satisfaction.

Xiang Qing stared at the emoji, her cheeks inexplicably beginning to burn again.

It was as if she were seeing Gu Wei herself make that very expression.