spoiled brat

Chapter 66, Section 65: Xiu Ning (Part 5)

As if struck by a stick in the dark, Zhao Zhao opened her eyes groggily. The red bed curtains above her head shone like blood, making her head spin even more.

Just as he caught his breath and couldn't catch his breath, the sound of a teacup being set down echoed from the bedside table. The man who spoke was You Ming: "You're awake."

Zhao Zhao sat up in bed, her eyes glazed over, but she stared intently at him: "Lord You."

You Ming ignored her, stroking the teacup lid with his fingers, and said indifferently, "Why don't you call me godfather anymore?"

Zhao Zhao gripped the red brocade quilt beneath her and sneered, "If I call you godfather now, then when Lord Xu gets on this bed later, won't I have to call him godfather?"

With a bang, You Ming slammed the teacup to the ground, scattering tea leaves and broken porcelain everywhere.

His ability to flatter others doesn't mean he can be ridiculed by prostitutes. He glared at Zhao Zhao and said angrily, "It's your good fortune to be able to get close to Lord Xu!"

As he spoke, You Ming called out to the outside, and immediately someone came in to clean up the floor. Looking at Zhao Zhao, who was no longer making futile struggles, You Ming smiled as if his expression had changed: "Good girl, don't blame your godfather for knocking you unconscious and tying you up. Even if that princess takes you back, you'll only be a maid in the Prince's mansion. How can that be as comfortable as being with Lord Xu?"

At this point, Zhao Zhao was too lazy to continue the act. She slapped You Ming hard across the face with her clenched hand, which was almost bleeding. The sharp, clear sound startled the two maids behind her.

You Ming was incredulous. He touched the burning numbness on his face with his hand, and his expression instantly turned sinister: "You dare to hit me?"

He angrily raised his hand, but Zhao Zhao pressed her face against it, betting that he wouldn't dare to hit her.

"Lord You, I'm going to sleep with your godfather soon, so can't I slap you?"

You Ming's face turned red with anger, and the handprint wasn't as obvious anymore. He wanted to hit Zhao Zhao, but Zhao Zhao was going to Xu Feng's bed later, so he had to consider the owner before hitting the dog.

"If," Zhao Zhao looked at his exasperated expression, she asked with a cold smile, "if I were your own daughter, would you treat me like this?"

"Of course not!"

You Ming frowned in disgust, as if Zhao Zhao's question was an insult to all his daughters who had died young: "Stop putting on that aggrieved look! I sent you to Lord Xu's bed, which was clearly a great opportunity for you, and you're still not satisfied?"

"Lord You." Someone knocked on the door. "The master requests that you come to the study to have a private talk."

Private words? You Ming felt half of his body burning and half ice cold. Xu Feng was planning to use him again. He hadn't become a pawn, but he would most likely be assigned to do something even more difficult.

He forced a smile and replied, "Coming right away, coming right away." Then, he gritted his teeth and looked at Zhao Zhao, "It's fine if you treat me like this, but remember to serve Lord Xu well. I don't need to teach you how to be a prostitute."

Zhao Zhao doesn't cause trouble.

The two maids didn't make a fuss when they took off her clothes, nor when they washed her body. She was like a bowl of water that wouldn't budge no matter how much they shook her. The fat maid laughed and said that she was so happy that she went crazy, while the thin maid whispered to her if she was a little scared.

Zhao Zhao shook her head, saying nothing, as silent as a condemned prisoner awaiting the guillotine, staring at the layers of red candles and curtains before her.

If she had dodged that blow, she would be looking into Xiu Ning's eyes right now.

Unfortunately, she was caught up in the Xu family's troubles and didn't know when she would be able to get out. The day she had been so determined to escape finally arrived. She had no idea how to deal with it and forgot to be afraid. All she could think about was how to deal with Lord Xu. The names of Yao Niang and A Heng were still on the household register. How could she dare to offend them? How could she dare not do her best?
"Miss." The plump maid went to fetch the new clothes, while the thin maid combed Zhao Zhao's hair, timidly reminding her, "Don't keep a sullen face, you have to smile happily. My master didn't have a good time at this birthday banquet, and he's prone to taking his anger out on people... If another girl outshines you, you'll probably suffer." "Another girl?"

The thin maid's voice trailed off: "It could be several. The officials below have been sending women to our mansion. I wonder how many the master will choose."

Zhao Zhao felt disgusted. She looked at the thin maid's attire in the mirror. It was very plain, unlike the one she had served in the small flower hall tonight: "I heard that there was a pipa player who was chosen by the princess to play the zither in the small flower hall. What happened to her after that?"

The thin maidservant pouted enviously: "They are so lucky to be able to go back to the Prince's mansion with the Princess."

Someone took her place.

Zhao Zhao's hand trembled as she drew her eyebrows, causing them to sag. The thin maidservant helped her wipe them away: "Miss, what's wrong?"

Just then, the plump maid came in carrying the new clothes. Zhao Zhao lowered her eyes to hide her joy: "It's alright, I can put on the clothes myself. You can all go out first."

The two were stunned for a moment, and although they were a little embarrassed, they still went out.

The door closed, and Zhao Zhao took off her inner garment and removed the hairpin from her hair.

Perhaps because a girl had once tried to assassinate Xu Feng, he learned his lesson. Not only did he have his servants examine the newly arrived girl from head to toe before going to bed, but he also replaced this small hairpin with a wooden one.

The wooden hairpin was blunt, like a thicker chopstick. Zhao Zhao scratched her inner thigh hard, but the skin turned red without drawing any blood. She then scratched it with her fingernails, but the little blood that came out was not enough. Finally, in a moment of inspiration, she broke the hairpin in two and used the sharp ends to cut her inner thigh.

The flesh there was tender, and the injury was extremely painful. Zhao Zhao gasped in pain, but seeing that the bleeding from her groin was just the right amount, she gritted her teeth and smiled.

She believed Xiu Ning would discover that the imposter wasn't her, and she also believed that the suddenly vanished Wang Liuer wouldn't forget her deep-seated hatred and would return sooner or later. She was just a prostitute; her strength was too weak. She had to hold on until dawn.

"Greetings, sir!" A greeting rang out from outside.

It was Xu Feng who arrived.

Just as Zhao Zhao finished dressing, the latticed door creaked open, and Xu Feng's plump body squeezed in. His bald head, without an official hat, gleamed in the candlelight. He was white, red, and oily all over, like a bright red, fat earthworm.

He entered the room and sat down at the tea table. Seeing that Zhao Zhao had already finished washing and dressing in front of the dressing table, he chuckled and said, "That kid You Ming has good taste in taking on a goddaughter."

Zhao Zhao clenched her hands in disgust, her nails digging into her palms.

Xu Feng assumed she was shy and nervous, so he didn't press her. He looked at her with interest and said, "You play the pipa quite well, with some energy, not the weak kind... Did the manager of the music academy teach you to read?"

He had seen Zhaozhao sing chess for Xiuning in the small flower hall. Unable to hide it from her, Zhaozhao replied, "I know a few words."

Xu Feng thought she was being deliberately modest and laughed heartily: "You girls are so knowledgeable, you just like to act all soft and wait for men to teach you."

(End of this chapter)