Jiang Yan imagined the scene her uncle described and felt a shameful flutter in her heart.
But she was just teasing Lu Tu for fun; she couldn't really bully him like that. Jiang Yan said she was still young and didn't need it yet, brushing off the matter.
Tan Sheng seemed somewhat disappointed, as if lamenting a missed opportunity. He truly doted on his little niece to his very core.
Even though Lu Tu appeared to be in the weaker position, Tan Sheng still felt his niece was getting the short end of the stick.
Before leaving, he loudly announced to Jiang Yan in front of Lu Tu: "Next time, uncle will bring a few men over for you. If you don't like them, we can always switch!"
This was an indirect way of putting pressure on Butler Lu.
One had to admit, the older generation was more cunning. Tan Sheng had successfully made Lu Tu feel dejected.
Lu Tu's plan had failed completely.
......
Jiang Yan noticed that Lu Tu had been acting strange lately.
The person who used to be so demanding and always found excuses to talk to her had become less talkative, only speaking when necessary.
When Jiang Yan tried to kiss him, his reaction was extremely calm, as if he had resigned himself to his fate and no longer cared about anything.
It seemed as though he had suffered a major blow; Lu Tu had become a silent, melancholy puppy.
Jiang Yan, being oblivious, hadn't realized that Lu Tu had previously set a trap for her. She chalked up the incident of being seen to her own lustfulness. After much thought, she could only conclude that perhaps her uncle's parting words had affected Lu Tu.
Surely it couldn't be that bad? Wasn't Butler Lu supposed to be excellent at handling business matters? How could a few words affect him so much?
Jiang Yan didn't know that he had completely let his guard down. But she couldn't let him continue like this, so she decided to comfort him.
Sunlight poured through the glass windows, half-obscured by the lace curtains, leaving only a gentle glow.
Lu Tu was reading a book when he saw the young mistress walk over, steadying herself on the edge of the table. He first glanced at her feet to check for obstacles, then pushed his chair back slightly before sitting down again, continuing his melancholy.
The radiant fairy in front of him took a rose from her hand. After touching his arm, she threw herself at him, encircling his neck and pressing the rose against his face.
Her voice was sweet as she said, "I'm giving you a flower, okay?"
The young mistress's delicate white hand held a red rose with compact petals adorned with wavy patterns, the outer edges so red they were almost black. Having stayed here for so long, Lu Tu recognized it as the "Bride" variety grown at the end of the corridor.
The young mistress had gone all the way to the end of the corridor to pick this rose for him. This thought made Lu Tu's heart burn. No one else would understand what this meant coming from the young mistress, who rarely went out and was incredibly lazy.
Lu Tu forced himself to stay clearheaded. The young mistress possibly only liked him, and Tan Sheng had mentioned finding men for her...
But he still felt a bit smug, especially since after Tan Sheng had said those things, the young mistress had become even kinder to him. He was about to respond graciously: "I've received your kind gesture, young mistress..."
Suddenly, a maid entered carrying a bunch of red roses with blackened outer petals, asking, "Young mistress, we're going to change the flowers in the vase. Do you still want these roses?"
"No, I don't," Jiang Yan replied, then said to Lu Tu, "You see these roses? I just asked them for these earlier."
Lu Tu, for some reason, seemed to be in even more pain.
Jiang Yan was puzzled and asked him, "Don't you like these flowers? I remember they have others. But I've already said I don't want them..."
Unknowingly, every word stabbed at Lu Tu's heart. He rested his forehead on Jiang Yan's arm, silently nursing his wounds.
Suddenly, he heard Jiang Yan sigh and say, "Alright then. I'll go steal some from them for you."
I'll go steal some from them for you...
This sentence played on repeat in Lu Tu's mind, reviving him once again. The melancholy butler, resting his head on the young mistress's arm, nuzzled against her through his bangs.
Perhaps this is what it means to love someone. Countless times, your heart skips a beat because of a single sentence they say.
