"I want to draw another one on you. It will look stunning."
He patted her butt, his expression serious.
Another one? That would kill her!
Ye Jiuting stiffened all over, stammering, "Mr. Chu, I like the one I have now."
Chu Yuan smiled.
"Xiao Jiu, you need to get used to my touch. I have the right to touch any part of your body. You must trust completely that I will not hurt you."
"I will try my best." Ye Jiuting took a deep breath and forced herself to relax.
Chu Yuan was unusually patient with her. He did not scold her harshly; his voice was soft and gentle.
"I'm going to bathe. Run the water for me. I'll be there in a moment."
"Alright."
Ye Jiuting went into the bathroom and turned on the tap to fill the bathtub.
She then stood in front of the mirror and looked at her back.
The pattern looked ordinary in the photos, but now, in person, it seemed to come alive, vivid and striking.
Ye Jiuting forced a bitter smile.
She knew full well that Chu Yuan was invading her heart little by little.
Stealing her soul.
When the tub was full, she turned off the tap and went out to call him.
As she reached the master bedroom door, she heard voices talking outside.
Ye Jiuting recognized the voice at once — it was Wang Zhenghang.
"Enzo sent me to negotiate. He wants you to hand Ye Jiuting over to them. They're willing to offer their full sincerity to cooperate with you. Name your price."
Ye Jiuting froze in place.
She knew that to Chu Yuan, she was nothing more than a one-night stand.
Worthless.
Anyone would choose to hand over a stranger in exchange for massive benefits.
Then Chu Yuan's voice rang out, cold and domineering.
"Ye Jiuting is mine. Even if I were to sell her, Enzo could not afford her."
His words were overbearing, yet they settled her wildly beating heart.
Only then did she realize she had been holding her breath, waiting for his answer.
Wang Zhenghang said, "Fine. The one you've set your eyes on — even if she's leftover — no one else gets to touch her."
The door opened and closed. Wang Zhenghang left.
"Come out." Chu Yuan's voice came from outside the door.
Ye Jiuting wondered if the room was bugged. How had he known she was eavesdropping?
She walked out and stood awkwardly in front of him.
Chu Yuan pointed beside him.
"These are clothes for you. Wear these from now on."
Ye Jiuting glanced down.
A black-and-white maid outfit.
Silk fabric, perfectly ironed.
"Shall I put it on now?"
"Yes."
Ye Jiuting picked it up. Not daring to change elsewhere without his permission, she had to put it on right in front of him.
The maid outfit fit her like it was custom-made. No logos, just top-tier luxury material that felt incredibly soft against her skin.
Chu Yuan stood up and walked toward the bathroom, undressing as he went.
"Can you tell fairy tales?"
"I can."
Ye Jiuting followed, bending down to pick up his clothes one by one.
When she entered the bathroom, he was almost completely undressed.
His muscles were evenly defined, his back straight, his spine line stretching down to his waist.
A perfect blend of sex appeal and strength, like a sculpture.
He pulled off his pants, stepped into the bathtub, and caught the scent of rose essential oil.
His head began to throb faintly.
"Replace everything scented with orchid."
Ye Jiuting finally snapped out of the visual feast she had just witnessed.
"Very well, Mr. Chu."
Chu Yuan patted the edge of the tub.
"Come here. Sit."
Ye Jiuting walked over and sat on the edge.
"I have a headache. Massage it for me."
As a doctor, Ye Jiuting knew human acupoints well. Massaging was her specialty.
He adjusted his position, rested his head on her lap, and closed his eyes.
Ye Jiuting placed her hands on his head and massaged him professionally.
"Mr. Chu, how is the pressure?"
"Tell me a story," Chu Yuan ordered.
Ye Jiuting obeyed and began to speak.
"Once upon a time, a queen gave birth to a little princess. Her skin was as white as snow, so people called her Snow White... She lived happily with the seven dwarves..."
When she finished the story, Chu Yuan opened his eyes and smiled at her.
"Your story is lovely."
Ye Jiuting smiled back. "I'm glad you like it."
"Mm. Go out and cook."
"What would you like to eat?"
"Tomato scrambled eggs — no tomatoes. Roasted yellow croaker. Black truffle chicken soup. Pork with cabbage — no pork."
Ye Jiuting's heart sank into dead silence.
She had lied earlier, saying she could cook. What was she going to do now?
"Alright." Ye Jiuting forced herself to head to the kitchen.
She opened the fridge. It was full of fresh ingredients.
She took tomatoes, small yellow croakers, black truffles, and other items.
The fish was easy — it was already marinated. She just thawed it and put it in the oven.
The rest was much harder, and she had no phone to look up recipes.
Though she had never cooked before, she had eaten enough to know the basics: chop first, then cook.
As a doctor, her knife skills were excellent. She peeled the tomatoes without leaving a scrap of flesh.
An hour later, her dishes were ready.
Nothing burned, and they looked decent on the surface.
Chu Yuan changed into stylish casual wear, walked to the dining table, and sat down.
Ye Jiuting took a bowl, ladled him some chicken soup, arranged the chopsticks, and stood beside him waiting on him.
Chu Yuan took a small sip with a spoon, then set it down.
"Is something wrong? Don't you like it?" Ye Jiuting asked nervously.
Chu Yuan picked up the bowl, scooped up a spoonful, and fed it to Ye Jiuting.
She quickly bent down and drank it — the taste was fishy and unbearably salty.
She spun around, rushed into the kitchen, and spat it out.
She rinsed her mouth several times, but the taste lingered.
Ye Jiuting walked back out, stood in front of Chu Yuan, and hung her head.
"I'm sorry."
"You can't cook?"
"I was afraid you'd send me away, so I lied. I… please punish me."
She held out her palms, facing up, toward him.
Chu Yuan tapped her palms lightly.
"If you can't cook, I'll have someone teach you. But lying requires punishment."
With that, he grabbed her wrist, pulled hard, and sat her on his lap.
Ye Jiuting panicked and struggled, but one hand pressed firmly against her back.
The next second, her butt was spanked hard.
"Ah!" She cried out instinctively.
She had never known a spanking could hurt so much.
No wonder they beat offenders with boards in ancient times.
"Making such tempting sounds to your master — you deserve to be spanked."
Another hard slap.
Ye Jiuting bit her finger to keep from making noise.
Chu Yuan spanked her more than a dozen times before stopping.
Ye Jiuting stood up, not daring to rub her sore bottom, and hung her head obediently beside him as he called someone to teach her to cook.
He put down his phone.
"I'll give you three days to learn how to cook."
"I will learn," Ye Jiuting promised.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Ye Jiuting opened the door — and froze.
Li Yueqian was standing outside.
She had come to snitch!
If Chu Yuan found out she was being nice to his face but planning to run behind his back, what would he do to her?