"No need."
When Young Master Alion's cool voice reached his ears, Elder Lin looked up in disbelief.
He hesitated and said, "Young master, you can't seriously be…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear.
Young Master Alion's eyes turned cold, and he said sharply, "I'm only planning to keep him by my side, not in my bed, to avoid giving the impression that I'm unhappy and having someone else try to force someone into my service again."
Young Master Alion finished this long sentence in one breath, paused, and added firmly, "My young master has no such preferences."
He wanted to see what that little thing had done to make others think he could be manipulated.
Zinara never expected that just by sleeping at someone else's gate, she would cause such a huge misunderstanding.
But these issues had nothing to do with her, and she didn't know what had happened.
So she stayed peacefully in the guest room she woke up in and spent the day there.
The next day, a servant brought her a set of clothes. It looked similar to what the attendants in the household wore, but not exactly the same. This outfit was more dazzling and elegant compared to the plain white uniforms of the attendants. It had fine embroidery with detailed patterns and was a wide-sleeved robe suitable for both men and women. It looked stunning.
They were being way too hospitable.
When Zinara received the beautiful clothes, her eyes lit up, and her joy was obvious.
She liked Han-style clothing, though she had never worn such complex traditional robes before. It took her a while to study it before she managed to put the whole outfit on properly.
She stood in front of the bronze mirror and examined herself carefully.
The person in the mirror was dressed in gorgeous white robes, her black hair loose down to her waist, her eyes bright and clear, like a spirit from the mountains. Even with a down jacket, she had already looked attractive. Now, dressed like this, her graceful aura was even more striking.
She looked down at her chest. Thankfully, it was winter and the clothes were thick. She also wore an extra inner layer. This way, there was no noticeable curve.
But the hair…
Zinara reached out, gathered her hair strand by strand, and twisted it up into a bun. Holding her hands over her head, she really did look like an innocent young man.
But she had nothing to fasten the bun, so she couldn't put her hands down.
"Young Master Zinara."
Elder Lin knocked on the door and called from outside.
Zinara's eyes lit up.
"Elder Lin, please come in."
As soon as he opened the door, Elder Lin met her pleading eyes like she had just seen her savior.
In the end, it was the experienced Elder Lin who fixed her hair properly.
After dressing up, she followed behind him through winding paths. Beautiful pavilions, artificial mountains, and blooming red plum trees filled the scenery. The beauty was beyond words.
While admiring the view in secret, she also listened to Elder Lin ramble on ahead.
In short, she could stay, but she would have to work in the residence.
Zinara thought that was no problem at all. She had nowhere to go now anyway, and she had even used one of their candles. Thinking of that made her feel guilty. Instead of living here for free, doing some work to pay it back was much better. It felt like a real chance to survive in this world.
She made up her mind. No matter what job they gave her next, whether it was sweeping, washing clothes, making fires, or cooking, as long as she could do it, she would give it her best. She couldn't let them find out she was actually a useless person who could only do homework and study.
With his hands behind his back, Elder Lin turned his head and asked, "Did you understand?"
Zinara nodded confidently and said, "I understand."
Listen, work, obey.
She was determined to secure this job.
Elder Lin looked at her determined attitude and immediately felt something was wrong.
He really is here for my young master.
After all, they had once done the formal master-disciple ceremony. Elder Lin felt it was necessary to give him a warning. He said, "My young master may be beautiful and graceful, but he has no interest in men."
Zinara nodded.
Elder Lin spoke again, "Although my young master is kind and gentle to others, that doesn't mean he treats everyone the same. More importantly, my young master does not have any interest in men."
Zinara nodded.
Elder Lin continued, "Even though my young master isn't married yet, I can assure you he has no such interest in men."
Zinara nodded again.
Elder Lin kept repeating things like "my young master is not into men," leaving Zinara completely confused, with no choice but to keep nodding.
She didn't understand why Elder Lin needed to bring that up in every sentence. What did that have to do with her?
Whether his young master liked men or not was his own business. He didn't like men, but she did, and her orientation was towards men.
They walked along the path.
"We're here," Elder Lin said.
They stopped in front of a courtyard.
The small courtyard was a traditional wooden building with an old-style charm. Through the carved wooden door, she could see proud, blooming red plum blossoms inside and smooth, polished stone paving in the yard.
Zinara was stunned by the refined elegance of the place. Then she looked up and saw the sign hanging above the entrance, with the words "Falling Snow Residence" written on it.
The name matched the uniqueness of the courtyard.
Was this where she would be working from now on?
Zinara turned to Elder Lin and asked softly, "Elder Lin, what is this place?"
Elder Lin replied, "This is where my young master lives. He enjoys peace and quiet, so the courtyard was built far from the main hall."
As soon as she heard "where my young master lives," Zinara's whole body tensed up.
So this was when the story started?
She would fall in love with the graceful young master at first sight, then wait for him without regret, growing old alone in the end.
Zinara wanted to cry. She felt she still had a chance to resist.
But before she could say anything, Elder Lin made the decision and said, "From now on, you'll take care of my young master's daily needs here."
Zinara: "…"
Here it was, the cliché drama was starting.
It even brought background music with it.
Zinara could already see her future.
Like those novels where the young master and the maid spend their days together. He reads in the study, the maid makes tea at his side, they fall in love slowly over time.
But there was just one problem. Right now, she was dressed as a man.
That's right.
She was a man now.
As long as she kept her identity hidden, no one would fall in love with her.
Elder Lin saw that Zinara was still staring blankly at the "Falling Snow Residence" sign, looking like she was thrilled to be serving the young master. He got annoyed and shouted, "Hurry up and follow me."
At the moment Zinara stepped over the threshold like someone going to their death, she felt like today had brought her one step closer to dying alone.
But now that she was here, she was curious about the young master's appearance.
In the story, she fell in love with him at first sight.
Zinara admitted she wasn't noble. She could even be a bit shallow. She was just an ordinary person, completely smitten by a beautiful face.
But still.
If she were to fall in love at first sight.
She wanted to see what made this person so special.
She had her own beliefs about love, and she never thought she was someone who would fall for someone just by looking at them.