Wanqing’s pov.

All my life, I had never been this privileged. Years back, I was known as the first daughter of the Gu residence. Nothing more, nothing less.

But then, I did something horrible. I committed murder. Well, not technically but you get the point.

It was at that moment they started expecting things from me. I was molded to be the perfect daughter, a perfect ruler, a perfect master but never a lover.

I never knew what distractions meant until I met her. Lin Anning.

My slave. The one who makes me feel things I wasn’t supposed to feel.

Seeing those mossy green eyes fixed on me stirred emotions I neither understood nor welcomed. Emotions I had never anticipated and never wished to entertain.

Yet no matter how much I tried to suppress them, they persisted.

When I left months ago without informing anyone, thoughts of the residence rarely crossed my mind. Yet, on occasion, I found myself wondering whether she had adapted to life here.

Whether she had gotten herself into trouble.

Whether Lanzhin had finally managed to tame that terrible attitude of hers.

Back then, I had convinced myself that distance was necessary. Seeing her learn to survive without relying on me should have reassured me.

Instead, it left me increasingly unsettled.

She sat beside me, her silver hair clinging to her wet face as she stared into the distance. She was yet to respond to my words but that wasn’t what irritated me.

It was the fact that she had changed.

She had no business behaving so politely, speaking like some proper noblewoman.

She was nothing like them.

She was mine in body and soul.

She simply had yet to realize it.

"What I do doesn’t concern you, Young Miss. We both know that," she said after a while, not turning her head in my direction.

Sure, it doesn’t concern me.

But that doesn’t matter, especially not now.

I huffed inwardly before reaching out to take a strand of her silver hair between my fingers.

"You’re weird," I muttered, twirling the soft strand absentmindedly.

She smelled faintly of flowers.

Normally, such sweetness would have irritated me.

Instead, I found it strangely calming.

"I’m not the only one being weird right now," she snapped, yanking her hair out of my grasp. "Don’t fucking touch me."

I stared into her green eyes, my gaze lingering on how blank they looked.

Before I had the chance to say another word, she pushed herself off the floor and took several steps away from me.

"Tiger, come here," I said coldly, tilting my head so I could continue watching her.

Her eyes narrowed immediately at the nickname.

I never truly understood why I called her that.

Perhaps it was because she hissed and clawed at anyone who got too close. Perhaps it was because she refused to lower her head even when she should have.

Whatever the reason, I had long since grown accustomed to it.

As long as she wasn’t complaining.

No.

Even if she complained, it made little difference.

"I have to get back to work, Young Miss," she said, wiping at her eyes once more. "You should head back inside."

"Are you ordering your young miss around?" I asked.

To my surprise, she let out a small giggle.

The sound eased the tension in my chest before I could stop it.

Perhaps she wasn’t as upset as she appeared.

Then again...

Why should her mood concern me at all?

Whether she was angry or pleased had nothing to do with me.

It shouldn’t affect me to this extent.

I reached up and ran a hand down my face before turning to look at her again.

Fuck.

I hurriedly pushed myself off the floor, wondering when exactly she had managed to walk away.

Distraction number one.

I had spent all those months training alongside Xiao Qingyue, sharpening my focus and discipline.

Yet this was the outcome?

One silver-haired slave, and all my efforts amounted to nothing.

A few minutes later, I returned back to my chambers and immediately called for Lanzhin. The older woman arrived not long after, bowing her head and remaining in that position until I finally spoke.

"Tell me everything that happened in my absence." I said.

Lanzhin straightened and then glanced at me before asking, "Is young miss speaking about the residence or..."

"Everything." I muttered, staring at her.

"Very well." She responded. "The residence remained peaceful, except for a few disagreements here and there. No major events took place."

She remained silent for a few seconds before speaking again. "As for Anning—"

My hands curled into fists as I blurted out without thinking, "What about her?"

Lanzhin looked at me with a weird gaze but eventually continued, "She adjusted well."

The word sounded strange.

"She did her work efficiently. Most guests who visited the residence often requested that she serve them."

I frowned, "Why?"

"They said she had a sweet mouth, knew how to serve them and accompanied them well." Lanzhin answered calmly. "They also call her the ’white haired beauty’,"

I almost gagged at her words. Anning having a sweet mouth?

Sure, she was pleasant to look at.

But having a sweet mouth was impossible.

The same Anning who could or would insult anyone to their faces and would face the consequences when needed?

I almost questioned whether Lanzhin had mistaken her for someone else.

"There was one occasion when one of the general’s acquaintances joked about taking Anning as his bride." Lanzhin said soon after.

"What?" I snapped, staring at Lanzhin.

"He praised her repeatedly throughout her visit. He said she was beautiful, hardworking and had an interesting personality." Lanzhin explained.

Interesting personality? As if.

That was certainly one way to describe her.

"He told General Gu that if she wasn’t promised to someone else, he would gladly take her back with him."

Something unpleasant settled right in my chest. Bride?

She couldn’t be someone else’s bride. I wouldn’t allow it.

The image appeared in my mind before I could stop myself.

Anning standing beside another person, smiling and kissing whoever the fuck that way.

And maybe even getting pregnant for them.

No.

"What did father say?" I asked, making sure to carefully choose my words.

"The General laughed it off." Lanzhin replied. "He reminded the guest that Anning belonged to the Gu residence and his daughter. But that didn’t stop the said guest, he said if he gets the chance. He’d propose to her officially."

At least, that old man still had a working brain.

Still it didn’t stop my fingers from tightening around the tea cup I had in hand.

A sharp crack followed right after that and I felt hot tea run down my fingers.

Lanzhin took a step forward. "Young miss, are you okay?"

I placed the broken cup back into the table. The thought of Lin Anning belonging to someone else left a bitter taste in my mouth.

How troublesome.

"Tiger," I muttered under my breath. "Did she accept it?"