She pushed open the bathroom door and walked out, along the corridor, to the small living room on the second floor.
The maid who had just delivered clothes to her was waiting there, attentively helping her to sit down, and then serving a bowl of ginger soup. "I saw that the master and your clothes were wet, you must have been caught in the rain, so I prepared some ginger soup. Young Mistress, please see if it suits your taste. If there's anything wrong, I'll make it again."
Su Xingyu felt somewhat overwhelmed by the attention. Since her mother's death, the servants at home have never treated her nicely.
Actually, what flavor could ginger soup have? It's just the difference in the intensity of the cooking, yet even this subtle difference, the maid carefully catered to her needs. She lowered her head and took a sip; a rush of warmth spread from the tip of her tongue, flowing into her stomach, comfortably soothing. She raised her eyes and smiled, "It's great, thank you for your effort."
The maid also smiled, "It's good the Young Mistress likes it. If there's anything you need in future, just let me know."
Su Xingyu nodded, then asked her, "Where's your master now?" Her throat felt slightly dry, that man always made her nervous.
The maid was momentarily stunned by her wording, "your" master? This Young Mistress really seemed to be distancing herself. But she wasn't familiar enough with the Young Mistress to comment, so she just replied, "The master went out, he's always very busy every day."
Su Xingyu finally relaxed a little, it was really good he wasn't here.
After finishing the ginger soup, the butler led the family doctor in, to treat her injuries. Her calf wasn't a major issue; though the bleeding looked scary, there wasn't damage to the muscles or bones. The family doctor applied fresh bandages and that was it. However, her body temperature was a bit high, caused by the storm and existing inflammation, stimulated consecutively. The doctor prescribed anti-inflammatory medicine, carefully cautioning her about what to avoid, then said, "Young Mistress, you need to have good rest. Don't go anywhere these few days, please stay home and recuperate until the fever subsides."
Su Xingyu felt weak, understanding she truly couldn't act recklessly, and obediently complied.
Once the doctor left, the maid prepared the bed for her and asked, "Young Mistress, the master is accustomed to sleeping on the right side of the bed, is it alright for you to sleep on the left side?"
She jumped a little, again remembering she was married, realizing these two words were not just a phrase or a certificate's concept — they permeated every aspect of life, constantly reminding her she was someone's wife now, sharing closeness with another man was normal. Even though he was almost a stranger, and she feared him.
"Young Mistress?" The maid asked again, seeing she hadn't replied.
She came back to her senses, "Is there a guest room? I'd like to sleep in the guest room."
The maid was taken aback, "But... you and the master are already married?"
Su Xingyu shook her head slightly, "Your master... he... our marriage has its reasons," not sure how to explain to the maid, "We've agreed he will temporarily not... will not..."
Her face flushed with heat, unable to utter those shy words, but the maid already understood her meaning. "Alright, Young Mistress," the maid kept a friendly smile, suppressing her curiosity, "How about the guest room next to the master's bedroom? It faces south, with a large terrace, both sunshine and moonlight are beautiful this season."
"Can I have one further away from him?"
"The master likes quiet, and there are seldom guests at home throughout the year, so there aren't many guest rooms left. Other than this one, there's another at the other end of the corridor, but that one is reserved for Madam — the master's mother, who occasionally stays over."
Su Xingyu sighed, "Alright then."
She was already anxious about moving into this villa, she couldn't possibly encroach on someone's mother's space.
She threw herself into the maid-prepared guest room, the bedding soft, with indeed gentle moonlight outside the slightly open window.
Soon, she drifted into sleep.
Dreaming again of that chaotic night two years ago, a man in suit and tie pressed down on her, roughly lifting her chin, "Su Xingyu, this is karma, marrying me, you can't escape."
She screamed awake, realizing her previous nightmare had blended with a new one — this marriage. Curled up on the bed, she huddled into a small ball, pondering, when would these days end? Perhaps, there would never be an end.
The man was right, she must adapt quickly.
"In a month's time..." she murmured.
In a month, she must surrender her body. She tried not to think about it, yet couldn't help but dwell on it.
"Then, start by being a tenant," she said to herself, "Su Xingyu, the path is your own choice, it's because you're married to him that you can sleep in such a spacious, luxurious room, and that people take care of you. Although he's a demon, but..."
She bit her lip firmly, almost making it bleed, but... what?
She couldn't find any words to comfort herself.
In the following days, she hadn't faced Lu Shifeng at all. The maid said he was busy, not usually home for ten days or half a month, which actually made Su Xingyu relieved, as she didn't want to face that terrifying, overbearing man.
The injuries healed day by day.
The maid came to consult her, "Young Mistress, the dress you wore back that day was torn in several places, I've cleaned it. Are you planning to mend it or just throw it away?" The servants in this villa were well-mannered. Even if something was damaged like that, unless the owner gave the word to dispose of it, they wouldn't touch it. Though this kind of consultation was just a formality, for a wealthy family, a dress in such a state is usually thrown out.
Unexpectedly, Su Xingyu said, "Bring it here, let me see."
The maid brought the dress, indeed it had been washed spotlessly clean, but the hem was badly damaged, the knee-length dress now torn up to the mid-thigh. Obviously, it was no longer wearable. Su Xingyu frowned, this dress was lent to her by her stepmother, Liu Meizhi, promised to return it, now how could she return it in such condition?
"To what extent can it be repaired?" she asked.
The maid hadn't expected her to actually repair it, but still responsibly said, "The lower part of the hem can't be salvaged, the best option is for a tailor to shorten it, making it a short cocktail dress."
Short cocktail?
Liu Meizhi would kill her.
Seeing her frowning, the maid suggested, "How about buying a new one that's identical?"
This was indeed a good idea, but she had no money. She certainly couldn't use Lu Shifeng's money, living expenses were reliant on him now, if she took money too, she would truly feel as if she sold herself.
She sighed, "Better to have it patched up."
No matter what extent the repair could achieve, she had tried her best, Liu Meizhi's daughter had snatched her fiancé, she merely ruined one of their dresses, it was nothing in comparison.