After flirting with the aloof prince, the concubine ran away pregnant.

Xie Xun gave a cold laugh, a low, hoarse laugh that sent chills down Afu's spine.

"You're quite the listener."

Afu gritted her teeth and moved forward.

step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

She stopped at the edge of the pool, maintaining a safe distance.

"What are your orders, Young Master?"

Xie Xun looked at her, his eyes filled with dark red.

Afu could feel his gaze fall on her face and then slowly move away.

After a moment, he said, "A handkerchief."

Afu immediately picked up the cloth next to her and handed it over.

Xie Xun didn't answer, "Dip it in cold water."

"Yes."

She knelt down, soaked the cloth in cold water, wrung it out until it was half dry, and handed it to him.

Xie Xun still didn't take it; his fingers remained gripping the edge of the pool.

Afu could only whisper, "This servant will apply the compress to your forehead."

Xie Xun closed his eyes and didn't say anything.

This is the default.

Afu knelt by the pool, stretching out her arms as far as possible to gently cover his forehead with a cold handkerchief.

Her fingertips avoided his skin, only pressing the edge of the cloth.

But when you get close, the heat still hits you.

Xie Xun's body temperature was frighteningly high; even soaking half of his body in cold water couldn't quench it.

Sweat also seeped from Afu's forehead.

As she changed the handkerchief, she whispered, "Young Master, if you feel unwell, bite the cloth. Don't hurt yourself."

Xie Xun's voice was low and hoarse: "No need."

"Add some more ice."

After those words were spoken, only the sound of ice cubes hitting water remained in the washroom.

Afu looked at the person in front of her who was trembling all over from enduring the effects of the drug.

Xie Xun has always been difficult to please; he is a clean freak, picky, and has an unpredictable temper.

But at this moment, this person... still had principles, unlike the other young masters in the other rooms, who wished they could shave the faces of all the maids in the courtyard.

Afu pursed her lips, soaked the handkerchief in cold water again, and applied it to his face.

Xie Xun sighed, seemingly feeling much better.

But the next moment, the effects of the drug seemed to surge up again. He suddenly bent over and swept his arm across the low table by the pool, smashing the beans, copper basin, and cloth down.

Afu dodged backward, but her foot slipped on the water, and she fell into the pool. Just as she was about to fall to the bottom, her wrist was grabbed.

His hand was burning hot, his five fingers gripping her slender wrist, pulling her off balance and causing her to stumble into his arms. She instinctively raised her hand to steady herself, resting her palm on his shoulder.

The moment their skin touched, Xie Xun paused slightly.

An extremely refreshing scent of herbs and plants entered his nostrils. This clean scent was like a bucket of ice water poured on his nerves, which were being burned by the effects of the medicine. In that instant, the surging heat within his body was somewhat suppressed.

Her body was cool, a stark contrast to his burning heat; her skin was slightly cool, and when pressed against my palm, it felt like a piece of soft jade soaked in well water.

Afu's wet hair clung to her face, water dripped from her eyelashes, and she looked utterly disheveled. "Young Master, this servant..."

Xie Xun remained pressed against her body without moving, and whispered, "...Don't move, let me rest for a while."

Granny Cui pressed herself against the door and heard the sound of water coming from inside, accompanied by a short, low gasp.

Her previously tense face finally relaxed a little.

It's done.

She didn't listen any longer, as it would be undignified to continue. She turned and quickly went to the main hall.

In the main hall, Lady Hou sat at the head of the table, her teacup already cold.

The doctor stood by with his hands at his sides, even his breathing was slow, for fear that something might have happened to the young master.

Tao Yao had already combed her hair again and changed her wet clothes, but her face was still pale and her eyes were red, as if she had just suffered a great injustice.

As soon as Lady Hou saw Granny Cui enter, she immediately looked up and asked, "How is it?"

Granny Cui took two steps closer and lowered her voice: "Don't worry, Madam, the young master... touched Afu."

After he said that, the main hall fell silent for a moment.

Lady Hou let out a long breath, her shoulders and back feeling a little weak.

Compared to forcing Xie Xun to endure the pain until he was injured, the current outcome is already a stroke of good luck amidst misfortune.

Although Afu came from a humble background, she had served Xun'er for three years.

Her background doesn't matter; the most important thing is that her son doesn't reject her.

Lady Hou closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, her face had regained the composure of a mistress.

"All irrelevant personnel are to serve as servants outside the Shi'an Courtyard," Madam Hou's voice deepened. "Anyone who dares to utter a single word about tonight's events will be silenced."

Everyone in the room knelt down in unison: "Yes."

Lady Hou looked at Doctor Lu and said, "Please stay, sir. If anything goes wrong later, I'll have to trouble you to take care of it."

She then stood up and led Granny Cui and the others out of Shian Courtyard.

Once the master left, the oppressive atmosphere in the courtyard dissipated somewhat.

Changsong wiped the sweat from his forehead and called to Baizhi, "Come on, let's wait outside the side room over there."

Bai Zhi was taken aback: "Isn't it at the entrance of the washroom?"

Changsong lowered his voice, "There's a long corridor separating us, so we can't hear anything coming from inside. But if the young master rings the bell, we'll hear it. Understand?"

Bai Zhi nodded hurriedly, "Okay, okay."

After leading Doctor Lu to the guest room, the two went to the end of the corridor.

At this moment in the clean room, Xie Xun's heavy breathing pressed down on Afu's head, one breath after another, rough and restrained.

The grip on Afu's wrist tightened and loosened slowly, as if he were repeatedly testing whether he could still control the body.

After a while, Xie Xun slowly opened his eyes.

Afu had her head down, her messy hair sticking to the sides of her face, and her wet double buns clung to her ears without any decoration, except for two plain ribbons that were loose and disheveled after being soaked in water.

Xie Xun's gaze settled on the disheveled hair of the maid.

Suddenly, he released Afu.

Afu noticed the pressure on her wrist had eased and looked up at Xie Xun.

He took a step back, his back slamming against the pool wall with a dull thud.

He turned his head away, his jawline taut like a fully drawn bow, his expression one of cold disgust.

Afu was stunned.

She clearly saw the desire in his eyes being completely swallowed up by something else in that instant, as if it were a conditioned reflex of nausea.

The nausea wasn't directed at her, but the cause was her.

In her past life, she had studied cases of clients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) at a housekeeping company. People with OCD to this extent are either naturally sensitive and have a strong sense of order, or they experienced something in their childhood that led them to develop this self-defense mechanism.

She had inquired beforehand and learned that Xie Xun did not have obsessive-compulsive disorder in his childhood. He only became extremely fond of cleanliness from the age of ten and was very averse to being touched by women.

Afu looked down at herself; her soaked clothes clung to her body, her skirt was piled up messily in the water, her hair was askew, and stray hairs clung to the side of her neck.

She vaguely understood.

It must be her appearance that reminded him of something he loathed.

She tentatively asked, "Young Master?"

Xie Xun did not respond.

His eyes were closed, his chest heaving violently, each breath seeming to be forced out from the depths of his throat, and the veins on his forehead throbbing.

Afu opened her mouth, but ultimately kept it closed.

She moved to the side, widening the distance between them, and with one hand supporting herself on the edge of the pool, she struggled to move away.

The most urgent thing is to get ashore and change into dry clothes.

She had just put her knees on the edge of the pool when a muffled groan came from behind her.

Afu turned around.

Xie Xun sat in the cold water, a stream of blood flowing from his nose. The blood trickled down his chin, dripping onto the water's surface and spreading into patches of pale red.

Afu had already climbed halfway up, but suddenly stopped.