Listening to radio dramas with Lu Tu lacked the full experience, so Jiang Yan quickly abandoned him for that activity.
However, Lu Tu still had a challenging task ahead—encouraging the young mistress to exercise. He had assumed it would be as difficult as getting her out of bed, but to his surprise, the young mistress agreed readily.
It was so easy that Butler Lu began to question reality. Even without her sight, the young mistress's sharp perception remained undiminished. She tilted her head slightly, her unseeing eyes seeming to pierce through the butler's astonished gaze. "Do you have a problem with that?" she asked bluntly.
Butler Lu humbly replied, "Not at all," and then led the young mistress to the indoor sports facility within the estate.
The entire estate had been custom-built for the young mistress, and the sports facility was naturally designed to cater to her specific needs. There were no large pieces of equipment; instead, the space was kept open and level throughout.
Jiang Yan had agreed to come here because she could roller skate.
She donned all the necessary protective gear—helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, and gloves—before skating under the watchful eye of professional instructors.
Lu Tu sat on a nearby bench, his mind wandering as he watched the young mistress. He continued to ponder the weighty question that had been troubling him—what exactly were his feelings towards the young mistress?
Affection? Desire? Mere physical attraction?
Once emotions surface, they make one hesitant to act rashly. Lu Tu himself couldn't be certain.
He observed as the young mistress glided across the floor on her roller skates, her arms gracefully extended. Her raven-black hair flowed behind her as she executed fluid turns. Her smooth, elegant movements resembled those of a graceful swan in flight.
Lu Tu's thoughts drifted. The young mistress was haughty and quick-tempered, impatient, living alone in this rose-filled estate.
Tan Sheng had said it was because she disliked contact with others. But Lu Tu felt that while the rose garden shut out external disturbances, it also walled off the young mistress's own heart.
He found himself imagining: what if the young mistress were an ordinary girl with bright, seeing eyes? Perhaps her temper wouldn't be quite so volatile.
She might still be reluctant to get out of bed, but when called to wake up, maybe instead of angrily sending people away, she would sweetly plead for a few more minutes of sleep...
As Lu Tu indulged in his daydream, the young mistress skated over in response to her instructor's directions. Perspiration dotted her forehead as she unceremoniously tossed her towel at Lu Tu. "I want water," she demanded.
The butler's fantasy shattered in an instant, yet oddly enough, he found this imperious and willful young mistress even more captivating than his meager imagination.
Butler Lu obediently rose, took the towel, and offered the prepared fruit tea he had ready, holding it out for the young mistress to take.
Jiang Yan drank with one hand while extending the other, tilting her chin to indicate that Lu Tu should remove her elbow pads.
This innate air of superiority, the expectation of being waited upon, didn't bother Lu Tu in the least. In fact, he realized he rather liked it—liked the way the young mistress waited for him to act.
Jiang Yan remained oblivious to the shift in his feelings. She was still fretting over her own allure, wondering when she would be able to win over the butler with just a wave of her hand.
On the way back, the young mistress once again indulged her lazy, temperamental side. She stood at the entrance to the sports facility, refusing to walk, and ordered Lu Tu to carry her back.
Lu Tu tried to reason with her: "I'm carrying quite a few things. It's just one hallway; I can guide you without risk of falling..."
Jiang Yan might not excel at much, but she had mastered the art of unreasonable demands: "Butler Lu! I order you to carry me! Hurry up, or I'll fire you!"
At times like these, Lu Tu couldn't help but laugh, both exasperated and charmed by the young mistress's temperament.
As Jiang Yan waited for Lu Tu's response, she suddenly found her hands full of various items—a water bottle, towel, and a couple of containers that were probably her sunscreen and such.
Then, without warning, her legs were swept up, and she found herself on Lu Tu's back.
Lu Tu's tone carried just a hint of playful revenge as he said with a smirk, "Young mistress, hold on tight. Don't fall off."
With her hands full, Jiang Yan couldn't wrap her arms around his neck, so she had to lean forward. Of course, Lu Tu's grip on her was firm, so there was no real danger of falling.
Even while being carried, Jiang Yan couldn't stay still. She began to feel around Lu Tu's body, stuffing the items she held into his pockets one by one.
Lu Tu's mouth twitched slightly as he felt his expensive, neatly pressed jacket pockets bulging awkwardly, their original value now completely obscured.
But the young mistress, draped lazily across his back, reached out to touch the tall potted plants lining the corridor. As the leaves brushed past her palm repeatedly, a sudden whim struck her. She plucked a couple and slipped them down the back of Lu Tu's neck.
The unexposed skin was warmer than the ambient air, making the leaves feel particularly cool in contrast.
Lu Tu pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek, but ultimately endured it without comment.
The estate was home to an astonishing number and variety of roses, blooming in every season.
In the early evening at the Rose Estate, the butler carried the young mistress through the corridor. The pre-sunset light was at its most gentle, casting a warm filter over everything, stretching their moving shadows to extraordinary lengths.
