The campus belle who’d mysteriously appeared in my house seemed to be steeling herself for something.

Still, the few steps she’d backed away gave me room to catch my breath. I took a closer look at Liu Su. I had no idea why she was in my house wearing a maid outfit, or why she was acting like she’d lost her mind—trying to wake me up and help me wash up.

But as I studied Liu Su’s smile, I could see it was a little stiff. I remembered the faintly angry look she’d given me yesterday, and something seemed to click in my head. I just couldn’t quite figure out what.

Liu Su bowed deeply to me. “Hello, Master. I’m here to serve you.”

“...What kind of answer is that? It has nothing to do with what I asked.” I was screaming internally.

“So, please allow me to help you get dressed.” As Liu Su spoke, she walked toward me again and raised her hands.

Honestly, if a gorgeous campus belle offered to help you get dressed, you probably wouldn’t mind. But if she’d been glaring at you angrily just yesterday morning, then suddenly showed up in a maid outfit, your whole body would probably go numb on instinct. You’d start wondering if this was some kind of honey trap. But who runs a honey trap in someone else’s house?

“Could you at least tell me what’s going on first?” I said with a helpless sigh and a shake of my head.

“Do you want to take a bath first?” Liu Su looked at me, a trace of inexplicable distaste in her eyes.

“I took a bath last night. Why would I need one now? Unless you’re planning to join me?” I caught that look of distaste and immediately felt a little annoyed, so I shot back sarcastically.

“I, I, I...” Liu Su’s face suddenly flushed red. It started at the tips of her ears, spread down her neck, then rushed up across her face. The look of distaste in her eyes only grew stronger.

“What do you mean, ‘I, I, I’? What’s going on? Why are you blushing? And why are you in my house?” I stared at the situation in front of me, completely baffled. What on earth was happening?

“I, I understand.” Liu Su bit her lip, as if she’d made up her mind about something.

“You understand? What do you understand? I don’t understand a thing. Forget it, forget it. If you’re fine, go outside for a bit. I’ll get changed, then we can talk.” I helplessly waved Liu Su away, hoping to get her out of the room so I could change out of my pajamas.

“I really do understand.” As Liu Su said this, her maid outfit suddenly fell to the floor.

I stared at what was in front of me, stunned. Heaven knows, at a moment like this, the first thing I, Chu Turan, did was try to figure out how she’d undone her maid outfit in a single second—not study the other things that really deserved a closer look.

“You! You! You! What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?” After spending a full ten seconds figuring out how the clothes had come off in one second, I finally snapped out of it and turned away at once. At a time like this, I absolutely had to see no evil!

“I know you’re into this sort of thing, but you don’t have to humiliate me like this. You paid me, and I’m supposed to fulfill all your requests, but you don’t have to insult me like this, do you?” A faintly sobbing voice came from behind me.

I didn’t dare turn around, but her words finally helped me piece together a little of what was going on.

Still, I really couldn’t be sure if that was true.

I cautiously asked, “Did Ji Ruoyan send you to my house?”

“Didn’t you tell her to bring me here? Why are you pretending you don’t know?” Liu Su sounded miserable.

“I really don’t know anything. Put your clothes back on, then wait outside. We can talk this through, okay?” I helplessly tried to explain.

“...” The only reply I got was silence. Then someone wrapped their arms around me from behind.

My mind went completely blank. I had no idea how to respond. I’d never been this close to a girl my own age who was a stranger to me, and I just stood there, frozen.

Keep in mind, I was bare-chested right now. How could anyone not be overwhelmed by that?

My mouth was dry, my tongue tied. I couldn’t think of a thing to say. All kinds of awkward thoughts flashed through my mind. Heaven knows, at that moment, I wasn’t thinking anything dirty. I was thinking this might be some kind of honey trap.

Her arms tightened around me, finally bringing me back from my thoughts. Damn it, I’d actually started wondering if this was a honey trap. This was my house—where was she supposed to spring the trap? Was she going to run to the fourth floor and jump out the window?

“This is my first time. Please respect me.” Liu Su’s voice came from behind me, choked with sobs.

Liu Su was in despair. Her family desperately needed that money. Otherwise, her father would be driven to his death, and her mother wouldn’t fare any better. Tears fell from her eyes, but Liu Su knew she had no choice now.

“I won’t fight back,” Liu Su said, summoning all her courage.

“Then get your hands off me, damn it! And what does your first time have to do with me?!” I was screaming inside, but my mouth felt like someone had stuffed a coconut into it. I couldn’t get a word out.

My heart was pounding so fast it felt ready to give out. I even wondered if my artery might burst, sending blood spurting three feet into the air and killing me on the spot. Would that count as murder?

I even started wildly imagining that this was Ji Ruoyan’s latest plan to kill me.

As much as I was enjoying this, it couldn’t go on. With my eyes shut, I pried Liu Su’s hands off me and made my way to the door. As I felt my way along, I seemed to accidentally brush against something soft and squishy.

But this wasn’t the time to worry about the details. Luckily, it was my own house, so I knew my way around. I soon found the doorknob. Without looking back, I told Liu Su, “I don’t know what’s going on, but get dressed first, then come out. We’ll talk it through.” Then I reached for the door.

But for some damn reason, the door was impossible to open. My hand was shaking like I had Parkinson’s, and I couldn’t get a proper grip. It took me a full minute to turn the simple doorknob.

A kitten-like sob came from behind me. Any normal guy would probably feel sorry for her, maybe even turn around to comfort her.

But I wasn’t about to get caught up in that. I’d been taught since childhood that when something seemed off, there was bound to be something going on. Liu Su was the campus belle—there was no way she’d come to my place and pull something like this for no reason. I absolutely couldn’t get involved before I understood the situation. A mature person doesn’t think with his little brother.

Once I was out of the bedroom, I finally calmed down a little. I sat quietly on the sofa and straightened my pajamas, which Liu Su had tugged a bit out of place. I was really hungry, so I thought I’d make something to eat and fill my stomach.

I went to the fridge, took out an egg, and cracked it one-handed, planning to fry it for myself. Then, looking very cool, I tossed the egg into the kitchen trash and left the shell in the bowl. If I ate eggshells, I could’ve put it straight in the pan.

“Fuck,” I cursed under my breath. How was I supposed to calm down so quickly after going through something that could make my blood vessels burst?

There’d be no fried egg for me. In my current state, I’d probably mistake sugar for salt. Luckily, it was Saturday, so I didn’t have to go to school.

“Sigh.” I let out a quiet breath, dumped the eggshells from the bowl, and gave it a quick rinse. Then I took some yogurt from the fridge, poured it into the bowl, and sprinkled in a big handful of oats and whatever else. I stirred it together and made do.

I stayed on the living room sofa, eating the stuff in my bowl without tasting it. My eyes kept drifting toward the bedroom, where faint sobs still came from behind the half-open door.

“What is this even about?” Then I remembered what Ji Ruoyan had said last night: the things she’d bought would arrive tomorrow. Suddenly, it felt like a connection had clicked into place. My hand kept stirring the yogurt without me realizing it, while my mind chased after the flash of insight that had just passed.

In the bedroom, after watching Chu Turan leave, Liu Su could no longer hold back the shame and humiliation she’d been suppressing. Tears streamed down her face.

At first, they fell one or two drops at a time. Then she burst into tears. Even women’s tears depended on their looks. When someone as beautiful as Liu Su cried, her tears fell like pearls onto a jade plate. It was pretty, really. If someone ugly enough to scare people cried, it’d probably just look like a public-service announcement against ugly crying.

After crying for a while, Liu Su managed to stop. After all, when she’d signed the contract with that woman, she’d already steeled herself. Better for her to cry alone now than for her whole family to cry together, right?

She quietly put on the maid outfit “she” had given her and wiped her face with her sleeve. Luckily, she’d prepared ahead of time and worn waterproof makeup, so the crying hadn’t messed it up much. She didn’t need to touch it up, though the skin around her eyes was a little swollen.

Liu Su opened the door and walked out. She glanced around and saw me staring at her with a lecherous look on my face, still stirring something in my hands.