Chapter 216: Taken Advantage Of (1)

One’s brows drew together and his lips parted in preparation to give voice to an objection. However, when he met with Xiao Bojian’s icy gaze, he lowered his head and kept his thoughts to himself.

It was just past 1pm, so most of the servants in the Jing’an Estate’s inner court had already gone to rest or slack about elsewhere. On their way to the inner court, they didn’t bump into anyone at all.

After walking for a while, Xiao Bojian pulled out a crude map from his sleeve. He looked down at it and checked his bearings before moving directly towards Songtao Court.

One followed close behind Xiao Bojian as he kept an eye on their surroundings.

Chu Lian had finally managed to sneak in a half-day break at the waterside pavilion. She was lying there now, having a nice afternoon nap. As a light breeze passed by, it carried along with it the mild fragrance of the chrysanthemum blossoms.

When Xiyan saw that her master had fallen asleep, she gently placed a thin woven blanket over Chu Lian before carefully retreating to the zither room nearby. She sat herself at a table and worked on some embroidery as she guarded Chu Lian.

Xiao Bojian entered Songtao Court through a small path in the garden. He took his time walking, holding up the corner of his robe so he wouldn’t trip on it.

It was already autumn, so most of the flowers in the courtyard were withering, painting a yellow and bleak scene. Xiao Bojian’s gaze swept over the arrangements of the courtyard as if to memorise them. In his mind, he was already thinking of building an even larger and even more exquisite estate for Chu Lian to live in, once she finally became his.

As wild thoughts ran through his head, a flash of colour in the corner of his vision caught his attention. His leisurely expression disappeared as his pupils contracted. Xiao Bojian could not help but turn his head and focus entirely on that small splash of colour.

Not too far away was a pavilion sitting by the waterside. There, a girl wearing a simple light green dress laid sleeping on a wooden lounge chair. One arm was nested underneath her head, while the other was in the midst of slipping off the armrest. Her wide sleeves had slid down to her elbows, revealing her forearms. The paleness of her tender skin shone stark against the armrest’s dark wood, and her slender little fingers were slightly curled in her relaxed state- just enough to reveal her unpainted fingernails, whose natural state only added to her cute, innocent charm.

Xiao Bojian stood still, frozen to the spot, as his gaze roamed greedily over the girl’s slim body.

One looked at his master’s expression and pressed his lips together. Despite his desire to speak, he suppressed his inner thoughts once again.

Underneath his wide sleeves, Xiao Bojian clenched his fists. He didn’t pause for long, and soon lowered his voice to order, “One, take care of that handmaid over there.”

When he followed Xiao Bojian’s line of sight, One noticed a handmaid working on some embroidery in the open zither room nearby. He cupped his fists in acknowledgement before leaping into the air and disappearing from sight.

In just a few minutes, Xiyan’s body collapsed as she fainted. One then moved Xiyan to lie against one of the wooden supports in the zither room.

When Xiao Bojian saw that One had finished his task, he changed course towards the pavilion.

Despite his calm outer appearance, his heart was beating like a drum.

With every step he took that brought him closer to Chu Lian, his heart seemed to quicken a beat. When he finally entered the pavilion, he stopped by her sandalwood chair and looked upon the girl he had been thinking of day and night. His heart skipped a beat, and then resumed pulsing even faster, almost leaping out of his chest.

He tilted his head downwards and took in the entirety of Chu Lian’s appearance.

She was sound asleep, her hair scattered over the back of the lounge chair. Some loose strands were dancing in time with the passing autumn breeze, inadvertently plucking at the strings of his heart.

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