Luo Li had no idea what was going through his mind. All he knew was that he had no real chance to refuse.
Still, if he looked at it from another angle, actually managing to infiltrate the Huo Mansion would make his days far more bearable than they were now.
At the very least, he wouldn’t have to gnaw on sorghum cakes and slurp down vegetable porridge every single day.
Hmm…
Besides, Huo Jieqi was dead anyway.
There shouldn’t be any problems.
With those thoughts churning in his head, Luo Li finally caved under Chu Jing’s relentless badgering and nodded.
The next day, Chu Jing took him into the city.
This time, they headed down a dingy alleyway Luo Li didn’t recognize. Red lanterns hung outside, swaying gently as men hurried in with lust in their eyes, only to stumble out later in a dazed stupor.
Chu Jing gripped his hand tightly. “Keep your eyes on the ground. Don’t go staring.”
Luo Li nodded in confusion, utterly clueless about what kind of place this was.
A woman dressed in garish finery greeted them and led the pair into a cramped little room.
“So, this is him?”
She gave Luo Li a thorough once-over. “He’s a bit young, isn’t he?”
Chu Jing shrugged it off. “Age doesn’t matter. Slap on some makeup, and no one will notice. Problem is, the kid doesn’t know the first thing about any of this. You’ll have to teach him the ropes.”
The woman took Luo Li by the hand and guided him to sit on the edge of the low couch.
He looked like such an easy mark—pure as fresh snow.
A delicate little flower like him in a place like the Huo Mansion? He’d be at everyone’s mercy.
“You’re right. You’ve got some learning to do.”
She turned to him. “Have you ever seen how the grand ladies carry themselves?”
Luo Li shook his head honestly. Of course he hadn’t.
“I’ve got some girls here who’ve caught the eye of rich masters,” she explained. “Ended up as concubines or even proper wives. Doesn’t matter the title—you’ve got to understand one thing first: you’re there to serve your man. Nobody else’s opinion matters a damn.”
Her eyes scanned the room, looking for a suitable stand-in. They landed on Chu Jing, and an idea sparked. “Why don’t you treat your Big Brother Chu like one of the mansion servants? Practice with me. Sound good?”
Luo Li panicked. “N-no… we don’t have to do that.”
He couldn’t bear the thought of bossing Chu Jing around like a servant.
Chu Jing, however, stood up without a care. “Sure, why not?”
The man was built like a brute, his short tunic giving him the rough look of a coachman or stable hand.
Even so, Luo Li shrank from playing the haughty madam. He glanced helplessly at the woman, waiting for her next cue.
She smirked. “Say some lowly servant takes a dislike to your background and starts groping you. What do you do?”
Luo Li hesitated. “Endure it… just grit my teeth?”
“Wrong.”
The woman shook her head firmly. “No matter how humble your origins, you’re the one the Master picked. You’re not some toy for him to paw at.”
She jerked her chin toward Chu Jing. “You’ve got to learn to curse him out. Got it? Call him a shameless lowly scum. Tell him to go mate with a pair of wild dogs instead of wasting his time—save the world from that toad lusting after swan’s meat, waving his stick around all day.”
Luo Li’s cheeks burned crimson at the words.
He peeked timidly at Chu Jing’s strong, chiseled profile.
…How was he supposed to say something like that?
Chu Jing froze for a split second but quickly composed himself.
The words were crude, sure, but Luo Li needed to hear them. With a temperament as meek as his, he’d be walked all over in the mansion—might not even get a word in edgewise.
He had to toughen up.
“Curse him like I told you,” Chu Jing said, hands on his hips as he loomed in front of Luo Li. “No dawdling.”
Luo Li peeked up at him, then dropped his gaze just as fast.
The woman repeated the lines. Luo Li’s earlobes flushed blood-red. It took him ages before he mumbled from deep in his throat, barely audible: “You… shameless lowly scum.”
He had a natural lilt to his voice—soft and sticky, trailing up at the ends like a petulant whine.
Even a vicious insult came out sounding like flirtatious banter.
Chu Jing tsked. “I said curse him, not flirt.”
Luo Li blinked innocently. “I wasn’t flirting.”
He shot the woman a puzzled glance. She just gestured for him to keep going, at a loss for how to explain.
“With… with time like that, go mate two… two wild dogs…”
He choked on the word. Chu Jing prompted him, exasperated: “Mate.”
“M-mate.”
Luo Li’s slender throat bobbed. His pale fingers twisted tighter. “Save from all day, waving a…”
He pleaded with the woman. “Can we skip this one? I’m a boy—they wouldn’t…”
Chu Jing muttered under his breath. “Why the hell not? How do you know they won’t? You’re supposed to curse the guy, not make excuses for him.”
The words left his mouth before he realized how off they sounded.
Sure enough, the bullet comments exploded across the screen.
【AUV rushing headfirst into getting roasted—bros, no teasing needed, born masochist】
【Wait, is this you admitting it indirectly? How do you know they’d go after the little femboy like that?】
【Personal experience, huh?】
【Everyone shut up, let me savor this pure clip of the little loli cursing】
【This toad’s gonna eat that fresh juicy little bunny meat for sure. Lili, guess what I’m typing with right now?】
【Holy shit, five letters】
Chu Jing’s irritation spiked.
He couldn’t pinpoint where this nameless fire in his chest came from. Seeing Luo Li flushed and flustered made his heart pound like it was trying to burst free.
He masked it with forced nonchalance.
“Can’t even get this right, Little Waste.”
The woman pounced on the opening. “See? If some servant gets above his station, how do you punish him?”
Freshly stung by the insult, Luo Li was eager to prove himself. He summoned his courage and whispered, “Make him… kneel?”
It wasn’t quite that severe, but the woman relished the spectacle. “Exactly! Smart thinking. Make him kneel—right now.”
Chu Jing’s face darkened. He shot her a glare that screamed: You doing this on purpose to mess with me?
She grinned wickedly. “You asked me to teach him proper. And when he wins you that inheritance someday, what’s this little thing?”
To give him an out, she added, “Fine, whatever. You just give the order, kid. If he doesn’t obey, that’s on him.”
Luo Li let out a relieved breath and craned his neck to look up at Chu Jing.
The burly brute stared down with that innate fierce glare.
No one in Zhaohua Mansion could look more intimidating.
Luo Li psyched himself up a few times before his voice trembled out: “You… you dare offend me. I’m going to punish you…”
“Punish me?” Chu Jing shot back, fully in character. “You think a few romps in bed with Huo Jieqi makes you the lady of the Huo Family? I’ve been slaving in this mansion for years—you? Don’t put on airs in front of me. I let you skip calling me foster father; that’s me giving you face.”
Luo Li’s eyes went wide.
Wait, wasn’t Chu Jing supposed to be helping him practice?
Why was he talking back like this?
He shot a frantic look at the woman, who sipped her tea calmly.
The message was clear: improvise.
Luo Li floundered, at a complete loss.
Chu Jing was his boss, sure, but he’d never spoken to him so harshly before.
Everything he’d just learned flew right out of his head. His plump lips pressed together anxiously, and a thick mist of tears welled in his round almond eyes.
“You… lowly. Shameless…”
Chu Jing snorted. “Even if we’re lowly, at least we earn our keep through honest sweat. Not like some who sell themselves onto the Master’s bed.”
“I didn’t!”
He knew it was all pretend, but the grievance welled up anyway.
Tongue-tied as he was, Luo Li couldn’t find a good comeback. Even so, he’d sparked a spark of temper in him. He barked fiercely, “Kneel right here! No getting up without my permission! No food, no water. Just kneel—and I’m sending someone to slap your mouth!”
Chu Jing froze.
The little thing might be too shy for curses, but he’d roused some spine after all.
Pride swelled in his chest. He tapped his cheek deliberately. “Slap my mouth? You got the guts?”
A roughneck bandit like him could ooze sleaze when he wanted. It was natural-born.
He figured Luo Li wouldn’t dare. The kid was terrified of the dark, ghosts, bugs—a total scaredy-cat.
But he’d probably gone too far this time. Luo Li’s cheeks puffed out in fury.
Damn. Now he’d have to coax him later…
Before he could react, Luo Li scurried over on pattering footsteps, eyes bulging wide. Without warning—slap!
“Crack!”
A sharp, resounding smack echoed through the room.
Silence crashed down like a tomb. Even the woman gaped, speechless.
Chu Jing blinked in a daze. Slowly, he came back to himself and looked down at the fuming boy.
Luo Li rubbed his stinging palm and muttered peevishly, “Cheap dog.”
Just those two soft, fleeting words sent a jolt through Chu Jing’s entire body. His lower back went weak and tingly.
All of a sudden, he felt an urge to drop to his knees right then and there.
He even wanted to turn the other cheek for another go.
The entire room felt as if a layer of frost had settled over it. Only Chu Jing’s face still burned like fire. The pain had faded, but the scorching heat lingered, spreading through his limbs and leaving his whole body restless and uncomfortable.
Luo Li was still dazed. It took quite a while before he slowly extricated himself from the emotions of a moment ago.
We’re doomed…
He had actually—really—hit Chu Jing.
Luo Li wailed inwardly as his small frame began to tremble uncontrollably.
It’s over, over, over…
The atmosphere grew awkward for a moment, but the woman quickly sensed it and smoothed things over. “I think the little brother has learned plenty for now. You can experience the rest at your leisure once you’re in the Huo Mansion.”
Luo Li sneaked a glance at the man beside him. Chu Jing touched his cheek, cleared his throat, and—surprisingly—acted as if nothing had happened. “Then bring out that piece of clothing for him.”
The woman opened another door. “This was the room where that little gigolo used to live. Here you go—his clothes are right there. They’re brand new, never worn, so no need to worry about any bad luck.”
She handed the garment over. Chu Jing took it, gave it a quick look to confirm it was indeed new, and then shoved it into Luo Li’s hands. “Go on, try it on.”
Luo Li unfolded the fabric. It was a peach-pink qipao, adorned with white knotted buttons and tassels.
The moment he flipped it to the front, his fingertips clenched tight.
A daring cut-out opened at the chest, starting between the collarbones and flaring out to both sides of the chest, halting just short of the nipples.
The hem was scandalously short, barely reaching the tops of the thighs, while the tassels at the small of the back dangled precisely at the cleft of the buttocks.
If he wore this, the view of his chest and the space between his legs would be all but completely exposed.
He wanted Luo Li to wear… this?
