A Steward’s Dilemma and a Concubine’s Plans

“Ah~”

“Open your mouth, it’s hot.”

In the end, Bai Lingyi remained. With a spoon in her right hand, she carefully fed Yu Lian the bowl of vegetable porridge.

She stayed not because of Yu Lian’s playful pouting and adorable antics, but because Yu Lian was now a concubine. As the Second Miss’s steward, it was only right to fulfill the concubine’s requests.

There was nothing amiss about them eating breakfast together.

As for feeding Yu Lian, it was even less unusual.

After all, she had always fed the Second Miss in the same manner.

Yu Lian’s small face was now brimming with happiness. A beautiful day began with being fed. After several spoonfuls, she stopped, shaking her head vigorously.

“Lingyi, it’s your turn to eat.”

“I’ll finish feeding you first. Afterwards, I’ll have a maid bring another bowl and spoon for me…”

“Are you disgusted by what I’ve eaten?” Yu Lian’s small mouth drooped pitifully.

“This isn’t about being disgusted or not, Miss Yu Lian. You are, after all, a concubine wedded by the Second Miss. I cannot eat anything you’ve touched. You must maintain proper decorum, or else the Second Miss will personally discipline you again.”

What kind of steward would eat from a young lady’s concubine’s plate?

This was clearly a major issue.

As a steward, Bai Lingyi would never make such a mistake.

Seeing the stubbornness in Lingyi’s eyes, Yu Lian inwardly admitted her plan had failed. She had no choice but to give up for now. The days were long, and there was no need to rush; she would conquer Lingyi’s heart little by little.

After eating much more, Yu Lian declared, “I’m full,” then clutched her rounded belly and refused to eat another bite.

“Are you truly full?”

Looking at the mostly untouched vegetarian dishes on the table, Bai Lingyi highly doubted Yu Lian’s intentions. Could it be that Miss Yu Lian was deliberately saying she was full so that Bai Lingyi could eat more?

Yu Lian took Bai Lingyi’s hand and pressed it against her own stomach: “Feel it yourself, why would I lie to you?”

Indeed, she wasn’t lying.

Bai Lingyi finally felt relieved. She called a maid from outside the door to fetch new cutlery, and only then did she begin to eat in small bites. Perhaps it was because Yu Lian was watching, or perhaps it was because they were Yu Lian’s leftovers, but she found the vegetarian dishes on the plate particularly flavorful, unlike any she had tasted before.

Perhaps it was just her imagination?

Yu Lian rested her chin on her clasped hands, smiling as she watched Lingyi. If only such days could continue indefinitely, how wonderful would that be?

She believed that without any external interference, it wouldn’t take long for her to completely capture Lingyi’s heart.

Alas, reality was unwilling to unfold as she wished.

****

In the late afternoon, approaching evening.

Bai Muya brought Yu Lian a piece of news: “Tomorrow, Lingyi and I will be going out to find you a few good sisters.”

These so-called ‘sisters’ were either wives or concubines.

Yu Lian naturally understood.

She nodded silently, powerless to object.

She desperately wanted to say, ‘Go out if you must, but can’t you leave Lingyi behind?’

However, after a moment’s thought, she realized saying so would be meaningless. The Second Miss had been punished for going out alone last time, and this time, she certainly wouldn’t repeat the same mistake.

“You must be well-behaved here, understand?”

“Oh.”

“If you’re truly bored…”

Bai Muya pondered for a long time, yet couldn’t come up with a good solution. Letting Yu Lian go out? That was absolutely impossible at this stage. If she ran off, Bai Muya would have to go through the trouble of finding her again.

Despite Yu Lian’s apparent obedience, Bai Muya knew very well that it was merely an act; her heart was rebellious.

“Just entertain yourself.”

With that, she left.

Yu Lian: “?”

‘How am I supposed to entertain myself?’

She truly didn’t understand.

****

Night fell.

She tossed and turned in bed.

The door creaked open.

She turned over to see that the visitor was none other than Lingyi.

Bai Lingyi held a towel, wiping her damp, long hair. The steam on her body hadn’t dried, causing a semi-transparent nightgown to cling tightly to her skin, clearly revealing the graceful contours of her figure.

‘No underwear?’

Yu Lian inhaled, her nose feeling hot.

“Lingyi, did you just finish bathing?”

“Mm.”

“You didn’t even tell me.”

Yu Lian pouted.

Bai Lingyi walked over and sat on the edge of the bed: “I’m telling you now, aren’t I? Come on, I’ll take you to the bathroom to wash up. You didn’t seem to have bathed last night.”

“I don’t want to wash anymore.”

“Eh, why?”

“Without Lingyi’s service, it has no soul.”

“…”

Bai Lingyi didn’t know what to say, only sighing, “I have to serve the Second Miss’s bath. I can’t help it. I can’t split myself into two, one to serve you and one to serve the Second Miss; that’s not realistic.”

‘Has Miss Yu Lian changed?’

Bai Lingyi felt her thoughts were correct. Compared to the Second Miss, Yu Lian was truly clingier to her. She wanted Bai Lingyi to feed her and serve her bath. This had already exceeded a certain boundary, hadn’t it?

Though, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

However, Lingyi sensed something was amiss, feeling that if this continued, it would lead to an abyss. Perhaps it would be better to maintain some distance from Miss Yu Lian?

“Next time, perhaps. This time, there’s truly nothing I can do. I can’t bathe again after already doing so. Come on, even if I can’t serve you, aren’t there other maids who can?”

Bai Lingyi pulled Yu Lian up and led her out the door. Yu Lian turned her head and said, “I don’t want them to help. I’ll wash myself.”

“Alright, alright, whatever you wish.”

****

After washing.

For the first time in two days, Yu Lian finally changed back into her own silver-white long dress. Indeed, this dress was more comfortable and made her feel more secure, she couldn’t help but lament.

Returning to her room.

Yu Lian looked at Lingyi, who had one foot already out the door, and asked, “How long will you and the Second Miss be away this time? The Second Miss didn’t tell me.”

Bai Lingyi paused.

“How long?”

“At most, two or three days. Don’t worry, we’ll be back soon.”

‘Two or three days?’

Yu Lian silently wiped her long hair behind her.

Bai Lingyi closed the door and left.

****

The night deepened.

Yu Lian lay in bed, feeling a warmth in her body.

‘Strange, I didn’t cover myself with a blanket, did I?’

‘Why is there a stove behind me?’

She opened her eyes and turned around, nearly scared to death. In the dim light, a pair of 碧蓝 eyes glowed. No, it must have been the reflection of the distant night lamp that created this effect.

“Second Miss, why are you here?”

Indeed, Yu Lian couldn’t think of anyone else whose eyes these could be but the Second Miss’s.

“Not welcome?”

“Well… it’s not that I’m not welcome.”

‘At least don’t sneak in like that; you’ll scare me to death.’ Yu Lian’s heart was still pounding wildly, only slowly calming down after a long while.

“I want to hug you to sleep tonight~”

The sticky voice utterly contradicted Yu Lian’s impression of Bai Muya. Could this person truly be the domineering Second Miss?

“Okay, let’s just hug and sleep.”

‘It’s better not to resist unnecessarily. It’s not like she’s doing anything bad anyway.’ Yu Lian let her be, quietly allowing herself to be embraced.

In the silence, Bai Muya’s voice broke through: “Your dress is scratchy. You should take it off.”

‘So many demands…’

Yu Lian reluctantly removed her dress.

“That’s much more comfortable now. Let’s sleep quietly.”

Steady breathing came from in front of her.

‘She fell asleep so quickly.’

Yu Lian shook her head. She returned the embrace and soon drifted off to sleep herself.

She didn’t know, however, that after she fell asleep, Bai Muya quietly licked her lips and opened her eyes.