DLMSWSHH Chapter 12

TL: Hua

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Chapter 12: Personal servant

Zhong Ming walked down the stairs, preparing to return to the basement dormitory to rest, when he ran straight into Matthew, who was waiting at the foot of the stairs.

The young man stood at the entrance to the staircase, the dim yellow light hitting his lowered face and casting shadows over his deep, handsome Western features.

Seeing Zhong Ming, he immediately straightened up, his eyes brightening as he curled his lips into a smile.

Zhong Ming’s footsteps paused. He lowered his eyes and saw the medical kit Matthew was holding in his right hand.

Seeing that he wasn’t moving, Matthew gave a somewhat sheepish smile, raised his hand toward him, and said, “I’ve come to help you bandage your wound.”

With that, Matthew walked a few steps to stand before Zhong Ming and reached out to grab his arm, but Zhong Ming avoided him imperceptibly.

“The Duke has already treated me.”

Matthew froze at the words and looked at Zhong Ming’s right hand. Sure enough, he saw the skin was smooth, without a single trace of injury. The expression on his face turned stiff instantly. Looking at Zhong Ming’s lowered face, he didn’t know what to say. He remained silent in great helplessness for a long while before saying, “I see.”

The tall, blonde youth kept his head down, his shoulders slumping; the usual brashness was completely gone, making him look a bit like a large Golden Retriever that had done something wrong. He paused but still couldn’t help taking a step closer to Zhong Ming, saying in a low voice, “I’m sorry.” He looked at Zhong Ming without blinking, his emerald eyes filled with sincerity: “I was wrong. I should have protected you properly.”

Upon hearing this, Zhong Ming nearly broke out in goosebumps. Fortunately, Matthew was a handsome nineteen-year-old; otherwise, he would have lost his composure.

But Zhong Ming wasn’t in the mood to deal with him right now. He lowered his eyes and said softly, “It’s okay; it wasn’t your fault.”

Hearing him say this, Matthew’s eyes instantly lit up. Zhong Ming was so understanding that the affection in Matthew’s heart poured out uncontrollably like water. Looking at the youth’s lowered face, he raised a hand, wanting to touch his fair cheek.

However, right at that moment, a perfect amount of fatigue appeared on Zhong Ming’s face:

“I’m a bit tired; I’m going back to rest now.”

With that, he bypassed Matthew and headed downstairs, not caring what kind of expression was on the youth’s face behind him. He had just turned the corner when a pair of arms reached out from behind the wall, suddenly hooking around his neck and pulling him backward.

Li Yizhi jumped out, his arms circling him in an interrogative posture: “Speak! When did you hook up with that Duke?”

Seeing it was him, Zhong Ming relaxed and shook his head: “I didn’t.”

Seeing that he hadn’t scared him, Li Yizhi grinned and let go of Zhong Ming’s hand, then, like two buddies, hooked his arm around Zhong Ming’s and led him inside, winking at him as they went.

“Don’t you feel even a little bad for that one at the door? He’s been waiting there all night.”

Zhong Ming’s face was colder than the moonlight outside; he didn’t speak.

Li Yizhi was quick-witted; seeing this, he changed his tune and said with mock anger, “We should just ignore him; who told him to be so useless?” Then he leaned in again, smiling at Zhong Ming: “Next time you get bullied, just call for your big brother. I’ll settle the score for you.”

Zhong Ming looked at him: “What could you do?”

Li Yizhi blinked and said, “I’ll go give Madam Mary three loud kowtows.”

Zhong Ming was amused by his earnest but pathetic appearance, and the corners of his mouth curved into a smile. Seeing this, Li Yizhi pushed open the door, led him to the bed, and picked up his right hand with a look of heartache:

“So pitiful. I heard Madam Mary let that pervert Tao punish you?” He mockingly blew two breaths onto Zhong Ming’s perfectly healed hand: “It must have hurt a lot. Come, let big brother blow on it for you.”

Zhong Ming pulled his hand back with a cold expression. When in need, seek out Zhong Wuyan; when at ease, choose Xia Yingchun[1]. If he were truly worried, he would have asked the moment he walked in. Li Yizhi’s skin was as thick as reinforced steel; he continued to joke with a grin: “Look at that little pout; you could hang a teapot on it.” Then, before Zhong Ming could react, he yanked up his sleeve and thrust his arm in front of Zhong Ming: “Look at my arm; it was much harsher than yours.”

Zhong Ming looked over, and his eyes widened immediately. He saw several hideous, crisscrossing scars running across the youth’s muscular arm. The scars were just like the ones Zhong Ming had seen on Jack’s back that day. They hadn’t fully healed, bulging with a purplish tint, completely ruining the firm, smooth aesthetic of the young man’s forearm, extending all the way from the arm into his clothes. Zhong Ming frowned and wanted to take a closer look, but Li Yizhi had already pulled his sleeve down and flashed him a smile.

Zhong Ming’s throat moved as he asked softly, “…Why were you punished?”

Li Yizhi shrugged, his tone very light: “Just being young and ignorant.” Then, seeing Zhong Ming’s solemn expression, he immediately reached out and wrapped an arm around his shoulder: “What, feeling bad for your big brother?”

He pouted exaggeratedly at Zhong Ming: “Come, give me a kiss, and it won’t hurt anymore.”

Zhong Ming instantly wiped the expression off his face, coldly pushed the man’s face away, turned around, and stood up to leave. Li Yizhi immediately reached out to pull him back: “Hey, hey, don’t be angry.”

He pushed Zhong Ming back down onto the bed and said half-jokingly, “See? None of us got this kind of treatment when we were hurt. Do you feel a lot better now?”

Zhong Ming turned his head to look at him. The youth’s curved, phoenix eyes reflected in his own. He seemed to be trying to discern just how much of the smile on this man’s face was sincere and how much was a facade.

“In all seriousness.” Li Yizhi kept his lips curled, his smile flawless, but a dark glint flashed in his eyes. “I’ll give you a piece of advice.”

“In this place, it’s better to do nothing at all than to do one thing wrong.”

Zhong Ming lifted his eyelids to look at him. “Are you saying I shouldn’t have gone to pick flowers for Albert?”

“Not necessarily.” Li Yizhi thought for a moment, his smile widening. “If you went, you might be punished. If you didn’t go, you might die.”

Zhong Ming froze at this, the image of Albert’s stubborn face flickering through his mind; he was clearly just a child.

Li Yizhi quickly moved past the topic. “But you don’t need to be afraid. He probably won’t kill you.” He added with a laugh, “I can see that the little young master is quite interested in you.”

Zhong Ming remained noncommittal. After today’s events, he had come to understand that Albert was merely using him to challenge his father’s authority, using him as a tool to test his own standing in this mansion.

Li Yizhi was clearly well aware of the hierarchy in the house. He said to Zhong Ming, “Still, between the young master and the Duke, the pair of father and son, you’d better pick a side to stand on.”

Zhong Ming looked up and asked, “Why? Is their relationship bad?”

He recalled the scene in front of the study earlier; hadn’t Albert asked the Duke to read him a storybook?

Hearing this, Li Yizhi winked his phoenix eyes meaningfully. “You’ll find out later.”

When Zhong Ming heard those words, he didn’t expect that “later” to arrive quite so soon.

A few days later, a major event occurred in the mansion.

Madam Sharon, the nanny who took care of young Master Albert since childhood, was resigning and returning home.

Zhong Ming often saw Madam Sharon in the dining room. She was slightly plump and always wore a kind smile, lacking the cold, sharp aura typical of the other servants.

Supposedly, Madam Sharon had cared for Albert for many years. Her sudden departure was because the Duke had spoken, declaring that Albert was grown up and needed to learn to live independently.

When Zhong Ming heard the news, he immediately thought back to the night Albert took a storybook to the Duke for a bedtime story.

Suspicion grew in Zhong Ming’s heart. Could the Duke have decided his son needed independence specifically because of that incident? He frowned, unable to fathom why the Duke wouldn’t even read a story to his own son. It sounded excessively harsh.

Meanwhile, Albert was clearly furious about his father interfering with his personal staff. He threw tantrums for days; Zhong Ming even witnessed several heated arguments between the boy and Madam Mary, as well as with his tutor, Joan. Rumor had it the young master refused to attend lessons, throwing his books and schoolwork from his room into the backyard, leaving the servants to pick them up in a disheveled state every day.

For several days, the mansion was in total chaos. But as it turned out, authority prevailed, and Madam Sharon was set to leave on the scheduled date.

That day, at dusk, the servants led by Madam Mary gathered at the mansion entrance to see Madam Sharon off.

Zhong Ming stood by the door with Li Yizhi and Archie, eyes lowered to his toes.

Madam Sharon held a small travel suitcase, standing opposite Albert. Looking at the boy’s cold, pale, and exquisite face, she dabbed the corner of her eye with a handkerchief, her expression tinged with sadness.

Opposite her, however, Albert’s expression was quite cold. His emerald eyes watched the plump woman, icy and devoid of emotion like gemstones. His brow was shrouded in gloom, and the air around him felt heavy.

Madam Sharon shivered under his gaze and reflexively lowered her hand, forcing a somewhat stiff smile. “Young Master Albert… I—I’m leaving.”

Hearing this, Albert looked up and gave a slight nod. “Mm.”

Zhong Ming silently observed their interaction, realizing that Madam Sharon and Albert didn’t actually seem close. He had thought Albert’s recent outbursts were due to a reluctance to part with his longtime nanny, but it appeared that wasn’t the case.

After a brief farewell, Madam Sharon picked up her luggage and turned onto the dirt path stretching from the mansion into the forest. Her short, stout figure soon vanished into the lush Black Forest along with the last rays of twilight. Albert stood at the door, watching her with a cold gaze, withdrawing his eyes after just a few seconds without having said a word.

Zhong Ming, however, felt a surge of curiosity. He kept his eyes fixed on Madam Sharon’s silhouette, following her into the forest with his gaze, lost in thought. He wanted to see what was behind the forest. Was there a road? A city?

Or did the world outside the forest fall beyond the scope of the game map?

His thoughts swirled as he gently lowered his eyes.

Albert was clearly impatient. Madam Sharon had barely walked a few paces when he turned to head back into the house. But in the next instant, Madam Mary stepped out from the line and blocked his path.

“Young Master Albert.”

Madam Mary lifted her dress and slowly bowed, performing an elegant curtsy for the boy. Albert’s expression soured instantly with disgust. Staring at the woman’s stern face, he snapped irritably, “What do you want?”

Madam Mary rose slowly, hands clasped in front of her dress, eyes averted. “Madam Sharon has left. According to the family’s long-standing tradition, you require a personal servant to attend to you.”

This was clearly a move to plant a set of eyes and ears by Albert’s side.

Albert frowned deeply at the words and immediately refused: “I don’t need one.”

Interrupted, Madam Mary paused, then looked up, her gray-blue eyes solemn. “This was not a request for your opinion.” Her voice wasn’t loud, yet it carried an inexplicable pressure. “This is the Duke’s command. When a suitable candidate is found, we will inform you.”

Hearing this, Albert looked up sharply, his expression cold and brooding. He looked as if he wanted to tear Madam Mary apart.

Seeing that the two were about to clash again, the servants on both sides lowered their heads in unison, not daring to breathe, hoping these two deities wouldn’t involve the innocents.

However, just as Albert was about to explode, he suddenly saw something. He paused, his eyes darted, and then he reached out, pointing to the side: “Then I want him.”

Zhong Ming, who was being pointed at: …???!

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[1] The saying “When in need, seek out Zhong Wuyan; when at ease, choose Xia Yingchun” describes a pragmatic and utilitarian approach to interpersonal relationships: seeking help from capable people when needed and choosing beautiful but incompetent people when seeking pleasure.

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