Ye Mixi

Lu Xing yan sat alone in the empty room, filled with his cold presence. His beard was clean shaved, and his hair was combed back, displaying his broad forehead. He had a pointed nose, heart-shaped lips and a pointed chin that gave his face a triangle shape. His most prominent feature was his eyes, akin to a crouching tiger's.

Wearing pajamas, he leaned back on the chair and stared into the photo frame atop the desk. "Just you wait, I'll soon be back to you," he curved his lips into a faint smile. "After I'm done I'll come and take care of you."

The woman on the photo was laughing without a care in the world. Literally a picture of innocence. She wore a blue T-shirt, black jeans, white shoes and kept her hair tied in a high ponytail. At the bottom of the frame was written the name, "Lu Yan Shu."

Lu Xing yan lost track of time, mesmerized by her smile. He couldn't take his eyes from it.

As such, the first knock on the door passed unnoticed, as did the second one. Only when the knocking turned into banging did he come back to reality. 

"Come in," he spoke.

The door opened and in came a maid carrying a tray with a teapot and teacups. "Your tea, young master," she said.

"Serve it," he ordered coldly, sending a shiver through her spine.

She quietly served the tea, while he observed her every movement, which made her all the more nervous. She wished to be done with her task as soon as possible so that she could leave.

When it was finally done, she bowed and asked, "Does the young master require anything else?"

He took a sip from the blueberry tea before putting the teacup back on the tray. "I've changed my mind. Make me some jasmine tea."

She cursed inside. 'You could at least drink the rest of the tea,' thought the maid. But she still had to do as he ordered, so she took a clean cup, filled it with hot water from the teapot and mixed it with jasmine leaves. When done, she bowed and asked again, "Does the young master require anything else?"

Lu Xingyan started paying attention to this maid from the day she started working for him. Ye Mixi was her name, but he always called her Maid Mixi.

She looked so delicate, but with a noble aura unlike anyone else he knew. In his eyes, she was like a porcelain doll that needed to be preserved. She always amused him, so he called for her whenever he needed something. Maid Mixi understood him better than any of the other servants.

When any annoying guest arrived she would chase them out with her words. She delivered backhanded compliments and outright insults with utmost grace. 

Maid Mixi knew how to change her behavior simply by reading his expression, and was the only one among the servants who dared to question him. Despite working as a servant, he was sure that she didn't come from a poor family.

Ye Mixi hadn't received a reply, so she still had her head bowed. She finally couldn't take it anymore, raised her head and was startled when she made eye contact with him. She immediately lowered her head again. "Young mas-"

He interrupted her. "You may leave, Maid Mixi," he said in his faint, yet alluring voice. "When I'm done drinking I'll send for you again."

Ye Mixi bowed slightly more before leaving the room. Already outside, she patted her chest and tried to calm her ragged breathing.

When her figure had left the room, Lu Xingyan chuckled, which would have left Ye Mixi even more flustered if she saw it.

He sipped on the tea and made a mental note to find out where she had come from.