chapter30

Spencer carefully finished the last stroke of his painting, admiring the artwork in his hands with satisfaction. After looking at it for a while, he gently rolled it up and placed it into a box beside him. Then he glanced over casually.

Just that one glance made the man in black, kneeling on the ground, break into a cold sweat.

"Why are you only reporting now?" Spencer had already sent a secret guard to follow Ran while she was still at the Simeon family. Normally, the report should have come long ago. He hadn't expected such a delay.

Though his tone was calm, the man in black still trembled in fear. He shakily took off his clothes, revealing his upper body, and respectfully said, "Master, I don't know why, but when I followed the Lady out of the city and passed a forest, something strange happened under a tree.

It suddenly went wild and grew countless vines that attacked me. I couldn't resist and was trapped by the vines. I only managed to escape with great difficulty."

He knew his master's personality well. Failing such an important mission could easily mean death for him. That was why he revealed the marks on his body, hoping that at least his master would let him die with a whole body.

"Hah" Spencer elegantly sipped his tea, eyes cold as he looked at the guard kneeling on the floor. With a mocking tone, he said, "So you're telling me you failed your mission because you were tangled up by a tree demon? Is that it?"

"I deserve to die"

The man in black also knew how ridiculous this excuse sounded. No one would believe such a far-fetched explanation. Especially someone as smart as his master, there was no way he'd accept it.

But this was the truth of what had happened. "Aside from that, is there any other information?" Spencer's voice clearly showed his displeasure.

Losing track of someone was already bad enough. If he didn't even find out anything useful, Spencer would consider him worthless.

"Yes" Hearing the killing intent in Spencer's tone, the guard couldn't help but show a terrified expression. He quietly swallowed and spoke with a trembling voice, "While I was at the Simeon residence, I heard that Lady Ran is already twenty-five years old and still hasn't married or taken a companion.

Because she was sick for some time recently, the steward gave her half a year to find a husband she likes. To help her meet more good men, the steward even arranged for her to disguise herself as a man and study at Deer Academy."

"This way, she'll have plenty of time to choose someone she likes. They also said she built a new house and plans to hold a housewarming banquet in a few days."

"Hmm" Spencer set down his cup and tapped his fingers on the table. With each tap, the guard's heart trembled a little more. Just when he thought he was about to die, Spencer suddenly spoke in a light tone.

"I remember Simeon is from Shanghe Village outside Suzhou. I'll give you one chance to redeem yourself. Follow that lead and investigate Lady Ran's true identity."

"Yes Thank you, Master I won't disappoint you this time" Hearing that he still had a chance to redeem himself, the guard finally relaxed. He secretly let out a breath and tried to stay calm.

"Go After the mission is done, report back and receive forty military cane strikes"

He didn't want to punish him immediately because he wanted him to quickly bring back news about Ran. "Yes" The guard respectfully left at once.

Although he would still be punished afterward, that punishment gave him some room to work with. Forty cane strikes would only injure him on the surface.

Spencer glanced in the direction where the shadow guards had left, then clicked his tongue impatiently.

He spoke slowly, "So stupid!" These shadow guards were the best he had trained, spending an enormous amount of money. He would never sacrifice them for just one mission.

But these guards still couldn't see things clearly. Every time they saw him, they acted like mice seeing a cat, trembling in fear. Sometimes, even he couldn't help but wonder, was he really some kind of bloodthirsty villain?

"He's just a guard, how could he possibly understand Young Master's true thoughts?" Servant Zhu, who had been silently standing to the side like air, spoke with a smile. "Young Master is one of the rare brilliant people in this world!"

"Isn't Lady Julie about to come to the Deer Academy? When she sees Young Master, she'll definitely be deeply attracted to him!"

"You really know how to talk!" Spencer tossed a silver ingot into Servant Zhu's arms. In that moment, there was no trace of the cold and aloof appearance he usually had in front of others. His cheeks turned slightly red and his eyes carried a hint of shyness.

"Thank you for the reward, Young Master!" Servant Zhu quickly stuffed the silver into her robe and respectfully thanked him with a bright smile.

"Enough! It's getting late! Help me get ready to wash up!" Spencer stood up, stretched lazily, and walked into the inner room.

Hot water had already been prepared inside. With Servant Zhu's service, Spencer soaked comfortably in the bath barrel.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Deer Academy, Xander tied the letter he had written to a pigeon's leg. He released the pigeon, then returned to his desk. He stared intently at the portrait in front of him with a dazed look.

The next morning, when Ran slowly opened her eyes, the sky was already bright.

The warm sunlight streamed through the window lattice, filling the room with warmth. She sat up in bed and couldn't help but stretch with a big yawn.

Before she even finished, she heard Simeon's voice from outside. "Ran, are you awake?"

Though it sounded like a question, Ran could clearly hear the certainty in his tone. She couldn't help but glance around. If she didn't know there was no surveillance in this world, she would've suspected he had hidden cameras in her room.

His timing was just too perfect, cutting off her yawn before it even finished. "I'm up!" Ran shouted toward the door, then quickly dressed. She didn't even have time to comb her hair before rushing to the door and swinging it open.

If she had been a second later, she was afraid Simeon would have started knocking. Hearing the door open, Simeon immediately turned around. He gave her a bright smile despite the messy state of her hair.

"Ran, good morning!" Then, under her stunned gaze, he naturally stepped into her room. He quickly started tidying up the bed.

"I can do this myself!" Ran snapped out of it, hurried to the bedside, and tried to take the quilt from his hands. But no matter how hard she tried, he wouldn't let go.

In the end, Ran could only let go helplessly.

She sat in front of the dressing table and tied her hair into a high ponytail, making her look fresh and neat. Just as she turned around, she saw Simeon looking at her with a sad expression, as if she had done something terribly wrong.

"What, what's wrong?" Ran checked herself from head to toe, confused, making sure she hadn't done anything wrong, then asked with a puzzled look, "Is something not right?"

"No! Ran, every part of you looks beautiful!" Simeon answered with a tone full of grievance. "It's just, well, doing these things is the husband's responsibility!" After he said it, he seemed to realize what he had just said.

His cheeks turned slightly red, and he lowered his gaze, not daring to look at her. Ran never expected that the reason he was upset so early in the morning was because she didn't let him comb her hair. But seeing how shy he looked now, Ran couldn't hold back.

She walked toward him slowly, and stopped just a step away in front of him. She lifted her finger and gently raised his chin. Under his surprised gaze, she gave him a faint smile.

She looked at him seriously, and seeing his face was so red it looked like it was burning, she let out a soft laugh and said in a teasing tone, "Then, from now on, these things will all be our scholar Simeon's job!" "O-okay!" Simeon, dazed by her gentle teasing, replied without thinking.

"So obedient!" Ran didn't expect him to be so sweet right now that it made her want to bully him a little. She stood on her tiptoes, reached out, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Under his shocked gaze, she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

This time, not only did his cheeks turn red, even his ears were burning. It wasn't that she didn't want to kiss him on the lips, but she hadn't washed up yet. Even if he didn't mind, she herself wasn't willing.

Seeing him looking like a cooked shrimp, Ran couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. Hearing her voice, Simeon finally snapped out of his daze. He looked at her in embarrassment and was just about to reach out to pull her into his arms.

But Ran gave a playful smile, spun around lightly, and slipped right out of his embrace. Simeon looked down at his now empty arms, blinking in disappointment. He looked up and saw Ran standing to the side with a mischievous grin.

He let out a small, helpless smile. "I haven't washed up yet!" Ran said simply, then walked out of the room right away. Hearing her words, Simeon, who had been feeling down, suddenly lit up.

He slowly smiled and left the room in big steps. With Simeon taking care of her, Ran finally finished breakfast. Even though she repeatedly said she could do it herself, Simeon just wouldn't let her.

Any time she refused, he would show her such a pitiful expression. Faced with such a handsome and gentle face, Ran couldn't bear to upset him, so she let him do as he pleased. After breakfast, Ran quietly sat on a chair in the courtyard.

One hand propped up her chin, the other rhythmically tapping the table. Her eyes were fixed on Simeon, who was busy in the kitchen. "Ran brother! Someone's here for you!"

Just then, a loud and rough voice broke the warm scene. Ran looked toward the door and saw Caleb waving at her cheerfully outside the gate.