Su Liwan dragged Yunxiu here to wait every day, from the height of the sun until dusk. Yet the spot that had always held his book stall remained completely empty, with not a soul in sight.
"How strange…" Su Liwan muttered softly as she stared at the vacant space. "Young Master Qin was here every single day before. Why has he suddenly disappeared? I even made pastries for him…"
Yunxiu felt a faint unease in her heart, but she still tried to comfort her. "Perhaps something urgent came up at his home, and he has been delayed for a few days."
"But it has already been several days…" Su Liwan clutched at the hem of her robe tightly, her face filled with worry. "He is all alone here, with no family or friends. Could something have happened to him? Or has he fallen ill with no one to care for him?"
The more she thought, the more flustered she became, her eyes growing slightly red. She actually began to consider going to look for him herself.
Yunxiu knew her thoughts at a single glance and immediately stepped in to stop her.
"Young Miss, you must not. You are a noble young lady. To rashly go to a strange man's residence would be improper. If word got out, it would ruin your reputation. You absolutely cannot do this."
Su Liwan's eyes stung with anxiety, her heart racing but with no way to resolve it.
"Then what should I do… I really cannot stop worrying about him."
Yunxiu watched her miss's distraught appearance, her heart aching and anxious. In the end, her heart softened.
"If you are truly worried, Young Miss, why not write a letter with your own hand and let this servant deliver it? I will go to his residence to inquire for you, so you do not have to risk yourself."
Su Liwan nodded at once, light returning to her eyes.
"Very well. I leave this to you, Yunxiu."
Yunxiu looked into her miss's hopeful, worried gaze and nodded quietly.
She loathed the idea of approaching Qin Ruhai at all, but for her miss's sake, she had no choice.
None of this was outside Qin Ruhai's calculations.
With this ploy of playing hard to get, he had won completely without lifting a finger.
The Shen Cloth Shop was an unremarkable store in Qingxi Town.
There were no silks or brocades. Only common folk came and went — peasant women with baskets, laborers with tools, and elderly women mending clothes. It was a business for the lowest classes.
The shop was crowded and noisy in the afternoon.
A man slammed his palm on the counter in a gruff voice. "Shopkeeper, how much for your cheapest black cloth? For my mother's funeral shroud."
Shen Wansan sat behind the counter, dark-skinned with rough hands, clicking his abacus without looking up. "Two coins a foot. No bargaining."
The whole town knew that he and his wife never got along. Most of the work in the shop was done by their daughter, Shen Ruowei. The girl was gentle and soft-spoken, busy greeting customers and folding fabrics, timidly moving through the crowd with obvious unease.
"Auntie, this blue cloth is durable. Perfect for an apron."
"Granny, the scrap cloth is over here. Take your time choosing."
Women chatted in low voices as they picked out fabrics. Workers carried cloth in and out, the sounds chaotic. Haggling, rustling cloth, and Shen Wansan's impatient scolding blended together into a scene of noisy mortal life.
Just then, Yunxiu walked in.
The bustle in the room seemed to pause for a moment.
She was the personal maid of Su Liwan, the eldest young lady of Qingxi's richest family, and her most trusted confidante. She did not perform menial labor or greet strangers. Dressed in a moon-white linen blouse with a pale green outer vest, her clothes were clean and crisp, showing the dignity of a wealthy household — nothing like an ordinary maid.
But what truly caught people's eyes was her bone-deep cold beauty.
Her brows were like distant mountains, her eyes like clear, cold springs. Her skin was fair, her figure tall and straight.
She did not smile, did not flinch, and held herself with quiet pride. A cold, clean, unapproachable aura surrounded her.
Though only a maid, her beauty rivaled that of the Su family's young lady, even possessing a striking charm all her own.
People whispered privately that if she were not so cold and distant, her looks would astonish all of Qingxi.
One woman stared, tugging her companion quietly. "That girl is… incredibly beautiful."
"Truly. She could stand next to the Su young lady and not be outshone. She is just a bit too cold."
"Even the maids from wealthy families are this lovely."
Shen Wansan glanced up, his abacus pausing for a beat.
Shen Ruowei unconsciously clutched the hem of her clothes, feeling ashamed. Though they were around the same age, Yunxiu's grace and looks outshone her completely.
Yunxiu paid no attention to the stares around her.
She had not come to buy anything or draw attention, only to deliver a letter for her young lady.
Her miss was the noble daughter of a prestigious family, pure and kind. Ever since meeting Qin Ruhai, who rented a room behind the cloth shop, her heart had belonged to him. A young lady in her chambers could not meet him privately, so such tasks naturally fell to her most loyal and trusted maid.
If her miss told her to come, she would come.
If told to step into this man's dwelling, she would enter.
She nodded slightly, eyes straight ahead, and walked through the noisy front shop straight to the small, remote rented room in the backyard.
Her posture was straight, her steps calm. Cold and elegant, untouched by the dust of the mortal world.
The backyard was cramped, with dirt ground, piles of discarded cloth and broken bamboo baskets, and weeds growing in the corners. Qin Ruhai's room stood against the cloth shop, its wooden door worn, its window paper yellowed. Clearly the dwelling of a man fallen on hard times.
The noise from the front shop carried clearly.
"Shopkeeper, knock off two coins, please!"
"No, no! I'll lose money at that price!"
"Miss Ruowei, hand me that cloth, please…"
The louder the voices outside, the more eerily quiet the backyard felt.
Yunxiu took a deep breath and knocked gently on the door.
"Young Master Qin, this servant is Yunxiu. I have brought a letter from Young Miss Su."
The room fell silent for a moment, then a low, gentle, warm male voice spoke.
"Come in."
She pushed the door open and closed it softly behind her.
The room was tiny: one table, one bed, one stool. Daylight filtered weakly through the small window, leaving the space dim and oppressive. The air smelled of old wood, ink, faint mildew, and hints of dye and coarse cloth from the front shop.
Qin Ruhai sat at the table in an old, faded linen robe, yet his tall frame and striking features remained undeniable. He was exceedingly handsome, with gentle eyes, the very picture of a kind, impoverished scholar — the kind who easily captured young ladies' hearts.
And the kind who could drag people to eternal ruin.
He had already seen straight through her.
Cold and proud, yet her only weakness was Su Liwan.
She would give up dignity, innocence, even her life — but never leave her miss.
Yunxiu stepped forward and placed the letter gently on the table, bowing her head softly, respectful but not servile. "Young Master, the young lady's letter has been delivered. This servant shall take her leave now, so as not to keep her waiting."
Qin Ruhai lifted his eyes to her, his expression gentle and polite, his tone soft.
"Wait a moment, there is no need to leave so soon."
Yunxiu paused slightly. "Does Young Master have further instructions?"
"This is the first letter the young lady has sent me. There must be important words within." He picked up the envelope, his fingers brushing the seal slowly, a faint smile on his lips. "I must read it carefully. If there is a reply or message for the young lady, I can trouble you to take it back at once, saving you another trip."
His words were thoughtful and reasonable. Yunxiu's guard relaxed considerably, and she stood quietly to the side, waiting.
Qin Ruhai then slowly opened the letter and read it carefully, his expression calm and gentle, unchanged. The silence in the room made it easier for her to let her guard down.
After a moment, he folded the letter and placed it back on the table, lifting his eyes to her with the same gentle smile.
"Thank you for waiting."
Yunxiu bowed slightly. "If Young Master has a message for the young lady, this servant will deliver it faithfully."
"There is indeed something to relay."
Before the words faded, he suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
The gentle smile from a moment ago turned cold in an instant. His grip was firm and cruel, yanking her close and trapping her firmly.
"Except these words are not meant for any third person to hear."
Yunxiu's face paled. A flicker of disturbance crossed her usually cold gaze, but she held fast to her composure, refusing to show any distress. She tried to pull away, her lips parting to speak, but as soon as she moved, Qin Ruhai whispered in a low, cold voice.
"Listen carefully."
Outside, voices from the front yard — talking, abacus clicks, women haggling — came through clearly, as if just outside the door.
The room was small and enclosed, with terrible sound insulation. If she spoke even a little louder, everyone would rush in.
Yunxiu froze stiff. Her struggle stopped at once, the sound in her throat swallowed back. Her fingers clenched tightly, nails digging into her palms. Her shoulders trembled uncontrollably, yet she dared not even breathe heavily.
She still held her cold composure, her eyes slightly reddened but refusing to shed a single tear. Only those cold spring-like eyes were growing colder by the second.
Qin Ruhai watched her, trapped by her surroundings yet still proudly cold. He leaned slowly closer, his voice so low only they could hear it.
"You see? You dare not cry. You dare not even make a sound.
You fear even this little commotion being heard, yet you never thought about what could truly make you wish you were dead."
Yunxiu's lashes trembled violently, her heart stinging as if pricked by needles.
"The young lady has always relied on you. I know that better than anyone.
But she is the eldest young lady of the Su family, with such status and looks. She will eventually marry and leave the Su mansion for another household.
Once she becomes a mistress elsewhere, with her own home, her dependence on you will fade little by little."
His voice pressed against her ear, cold and clear, each word piercing her heart.
"Only when she has nothing left, when her reputation is ruined, when she has nowhere to turn —
only then will she place all her dependence on you alone.
Only then will she truly, completely belong to you, and never leave again."
Yunxiu turned ice-cold. Her earlier embarrassment and panic were slowly swallowed by a deeper, heavier fear.
She was not unafraid of the present, but something far more terrifying had overwhelmed everything.
Those usually cold eyes grew more lifeless, as if covered in a thin layer of ice.
"The shame and discomfort you feel now may seem like the end of the world to others.
But think carefully —
is this truly suffering?
It is nothing more than a small physical experience. Once it passes, nothing remains."
He paused, his voice dropping even lower, like a devil whispering.
"But if one day she truly marries another, and you are separated, never to meet again…
If one day she no longer sees you, and you are nothing but an old servant to her…
That is the pain that rips out your heart and bones. The pain that makes life not worth living.
Compared to that, what you are enduring now is less than dust."
"Besides, I originally planned to marry into the Su family as a live-in son-in-law.
If I become part of the Su family, the young lady will not have to marry far away, and you can stay by her side every day.
But if she marries outside, you will be lucky to even see her once."
"Help me. Let her fall from grace, together.
The more helpless and fragile she becomes, the more she will need you."
Yunxiu stood frozen, her breath shallow and trembling, her chest rising and falling unevenly, yet she still held fast to her cold composure, refusing to lose dignity.
The enclosed room, the faint daylight, the noisy voices outside, and his heart-destroying words crushed her last bit of resistance.
After a long while, she finally spoke softly.
Her voice was weak, yet cold as ice, empty of emotion, only lifeless resolve.
"I understand."
"I will help you."
As long as my miss will always rely on me, and only me.