After My Paranoid Act to Woo My Cold Master Failed - Chapter 41

Fu Xueke’s figure grew more distant as she reached the door. Suddenly, Shen Shuheng called out, “Master!”

Fu Xueke paused, turned around, and looked at her from across the room. Her eyes curved slightly. “What is it?”

Shuheng was wrapped tightly in her quilt like a silkworm cocoon, with only her fluffy head showing. A few stray hairs on top of her head swayed back and forth. “Nothing. I just suddenly wanted to call out to you,” she said, staring at her Master with wide, round eyes.

Fu Xueke stood there, smiling back at her. That smile was like a gentle evening breeze in late spring, blowing away the pain of her illness. “I’m going to make your porridge now,” Fu Xueke said.

“Okay!”

As Fu Xueke prepared to step out, the girl’s soft, sweet voice drifted over again. “Master! You’ll come back, won’t you?”

“I will. When have I ever lied to you? I will definitely come back,” Fu Xueke turned her head. “Don’t move around too much, or the cloth will fall off.”

She walked back to the bedside, leaning over to replace the fallen cooling cloth on her disciple’s forehead. Her icy black hair brushed against Shuheng’s face. As she pulled away, a lingering, rich cold fragrance filled the air. For a moment, Shuheng’s feverish temperature seemed to drop as if she were immersed in a mountain spring. She loved being near her Master.

“Master, A-Heng will be here waiting for you. You must come back!”

“I will,” Fu Xueke looked back one last time and nodded.

The Waiting

Outside, the moon hung high in the sky, casting a silver glow over the distant mountains, the snow, and her robes.

In the kitchen, the dinner from earlier sat untouched and cold. Fu Xueke glanced at it but moved on; re-heating it wouldn’t restore the flavor, and she knew her disciple was a picky eater. She decided to stir-fry some light vegetables and make a fresh pot of porridge, as Shuheng couldn’t handle spicy food right now.

Back in the room, Shuheng lay in bed, bored, counting the shadows flickering on the wall. By the tenth flicker, Master still wasn’t back. Though only a short time had passed, to Shuheng, every second felt like an eternity.

Finally, the door pushed open. Fu Xueke entered carrying a food box. “Let me help you up first.”

“Okay,” Shuheng said weakly. Her sickly appearance made Fu Xueke’s heart ache. She propped the girl up against the headboard, her face flushed with a feverish red.

Before the food box was even fully opened, a fresh, savory aroma filled the room. Shuheng’s appetite was instantly piqued. She stole a glance at her Master and let out a few weak coughs. “My head is so dizzy… it hurts so much. I have no appetite at all.”

“If only…”

“If only what?” Fu Xueke asked, noticing her hesitation.

“If only Master kissed me, I would feel much better. Master is so cool and refreshing; a kiss from you is better than any medicine.”

Fu Xueke froze, staring at her in silence.

Shuheng used her raspy voice to sound even more aggrieved. “Is Master unwilling? You used to be willing to kiss A-Heng. Is it like what they said? Do you not want me anymore?”

“No, don’t listen to their nonsense,” Fu Xueke said, her heart being pricked by that hoarse voice.

“Then why won’t you kiss me? If you kiss me once, I’ll feel better, I’m not lying!” Shuheng’s eyes welled with tears.

Fu Xueke leaned down. A kiss as light as a dragonfly’s touch landed on the girl’s eye.

Shuheng beamed. “Master kissed me! I really do feel better! See, I didn’t lie!” She paused, then asked shyly, “Can Master let me kiss you back?”

Fu Xueke thought of the phrase “give an inch and they take a mile.” Before she could react, Shuheng propped herself up and kissed the corner of Fu Xueke’s mouth.

“Master is so sweet here,” Shuheng blurted out. “Did Master sneak some candy behind my back? I want some too!”

Fu Xueke was helpless. Since the girl’s mental state was currently like a child’s, she could only treat it as innocent prattle. “You are not allowed to be so unruly in the future,” Fu Xueke said sternly.

“What does ‘unruly’ mean?” Shuheng blinked.

“What you just did to your Master is being unruly.”

“But Master kissed me too. Why can’t I kiss you? Are you being unruly to me as well? Besides, didn’t we always do this? Why is it not allowed now? Is it really because you don’t like me anymore?”

Fu Xueke was at a loss for words. “In the future, don’t believe what others say. Only what I say is true, understand?”

As she spoke, another warm kiss landed on the other corner of Fu Xueke’s lips.

“Master, is this being ‘unruly’? A-Heng likes being unruly to you!” Shuheng chirped. She wanted to see if the right side was as sweet as the left.

A rare tint of pink appeared on Fu Xueke’s porcelain earlobes. “Alright, eat your food before it gets cold.”

Feeding the “Child”

“Master, my arms are sore and tired,” Shuheng said suddenly.

“Drinking porridge doesn’t require hands,” Fu Xueke replied.

Shuheng thought her Master was finally going to feed her. Instead, Fu Xueke continued, “You can sit by the edge of the bed and drink directly from the bowl. Your ‘mouth-work’ seems quite formidable today.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Master! It’s all because Master taught me well,” Shuheng chirped, completely missing the dry wit in Fu Xueke’s words.

Fu Xueke felt like her punch had landed on a bale of cotton. “Master’s mouth-work is very formidable too!” Shuheng added, trying to return the compliment. “Can Master feed A-Heng? Master’s ‘hand-work’ is very formidable!”

The smile Shuheng expected did not appear on Fu Xueke’s face.

“Master, I praised you, why aren’t you smiling?”

Fu Xueke gave a helpless laugh. “How could I not like it? Now, eat. You must not speak while eating.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ll choke,” Fu Xueke said, bringing a spoonful of porridge to her lips. “Open up.”

“Master, you made the porridge so thick. Using a spoon is ‘eating’ porridge, not ‘drinking’ it.”

“Fine, eat the porridge,” Fu Xueke surrendered.

Sleeping Together

After the meal, Fu Xueke tidied up. “Master promised to sleep with A-Heng. You can’t break your word.”

“I won’t. I’m just putting these dishes away. I’ll be right back.”

When she returned, Shuheng was waiting. She had even moved to the edge of the bed and pulled off Fu Xueke’s boots herself. “Master, hurry up! A-Heng even took off your shoes for you.”

Fu Xueke had no choice but to climb onto the bed. “Master, sleep on the inside. A-Heng is an adult now.”

Shuheng lay on her side, facing her Master. The orange lamplight turned Fu Xueke’s dark eyes into the color of amber. Shuheng thought of malt candy—the same color, sweet and fragrant.

She couldn’t control herself. She wanted to taste if Master’s eyes were as sweet as malt candy. Before she knew it, her tongue brushed against Fu Xueke’s eyelid.

“What are you doing!” Fu Xueke exclaimed, her voice much louder and less steady than usual.