Chapter 275: Chapter 275: Can’t Retract the Ears
The moment he realized his wolf ears had uncontrollably popped out again, Yi Nuo went rigid.
Washed over by a wave of immense shame, he hurriedly took a step back. "S-Sorry."
He tried to retract his ears.
But maybe the light touch at the bar earlier had been too brief, or maybe the anticipation that had been building for so long had suddenly erupted...
In any case, his ears were out of his control.
He couldn’t retract them.
Instantly, Yi Nuo’s face and ears turned bright red, and his fingertips curled in agitation.
The housekeeper, normally so methodical in his management of the manor, was now stumbling over his words. "Sorry, Miss, I... I might be... Sorry, I’m so sorry, Miss..."
Jiang Qingli had only meant to tease him, but she hadn’t expected him to get this flustered. "Has your pollution value increased?" she ventured.
Compared to going into heat anywhere like an uncivilized beast, this seemed like the most plausible reason.
Yi Nuo kept his head bowed low, not daring to look at her. "...I’m sorry, Miss. I’ll leave at once—"
"It’s fine, don’t go." Jiang Qingli took his hand in hers. "You should have just said something! I can perform a healing for you!"
Yi Nuo glanced up at her for a second before quickly looking down again, but he stopped trying to flee.
Jiang Qingli had experience successfully rescuing an out-of-control individual (Que Feiling), so she patted Yi Nuo’s shoulder and placated him matter-of-factly. "Don’t worry, this kind of partial Beastification that you can’t retract is quick to fix. I just need to enter your Spiritual Domain and soothe your Spiritual Body! It won’t take more than ten minutes!"
With that, she took his hand and started leading him inside.
Jiang Qingli had been raised by Housekeeper Qin since she was a child and didn’t have a strong sense of social hierarchy. Besides, she and Yi Nuo were only a few months apart in age and got along well, so she was more than happy to help him.
Yi Nuo felt like he was about to burst into flames under her concerned gaze.
He was keenly aware of his own base nature, yet he couldn’t bring himself to refuse her, only managing to say in a hoarse voice, "Thank you, Miss."
"It’s no trouble at all!"
Jiang Qingli pulled him along. Before they got into the elevator, she grabbed the hat she’d left on the back seat and put it on Yi Nuo’s head, afraid someone might see.
As they left the garage and entered the first floor, they ran right into Yuan Shimo.
The young man had just showered and carried the faint scent of dampness. He wasn’t wearing his glasses, and without them to hide behind, his stunning face looked somewhat soft, like a little kitten that had been waiting at home for a long time.
He looked exactly like a little kitten whose owner had been gone too long—pacing by the door while pretending not to care.
Jiang Qingli’s heart softened, and her lips curved into a smile. "Why did you come downstairs? Didn’t you say you’d wait for me upstairs?"
Yuan Shimo’s gaze fell on the hand with which Jiang Qingli was holding Yi Nuo’s. His eyes narrowed as he said gently, "Yes. I came down to get a book."
Jiang Qingli almost burst out laughing.
’There aren’t any books on the first floor.’
’He’s such a tsundere cat.’
"You’re back, Sister," a sweet, gentle voice called out from nearby.
Footsteps drew closer, and Gu Nian poked his head through the railing of the second-floor staircase to greet them.
Jiang Qingli saw his hands were busy and asked, "What are you doing?"
"I’m knitting gloves for you, Sister," Gu Nian said, holding up a half-finished glove and a ball of yarn for her to see. "Winter is coming, after all."
Jiang Qingli said, "I seem to recall you already knitted two scarves and a pair of gloves last week."
"Those were in a different color scheme," Gu Nian explained, now in his element. "You have clothes in so many colors, Sister, so I need to knit more to match them. The style of the scarves is important, too, and we need to wear matching sets..."
’Ever since he opened up, he’s been acting more and more like a doting househusband.’
’I remember now,’ Jiang Qingli thought. ’This little rabbit’s bedtime reading is *How to Be a Good Househusband*. You really can’t judge a rabbit by its cover...’
Jiang Qingli waved him off. "Go on to bed now. I have something to take care of."
"What do you have to take care of, Sister?" Gu Nian asked, but his pink, sharp-eyed gaze was fixed on Yi Nuo.
Beside them, Yuan Shimo spoke coolly. "Housekeeper Yin, do you require any assistance?"
Yi Nuo keenly sensed the sharp hostility directed at him from the two Beast Husbands. The corner of his lip twitched as he looked toward Jiang Qingli.
Jiang Qingli knew that males hated showing weakness in front of other males.
Besides, helping Que Feiling had been a mission, and her Beast Husbands at home had still been overcome with jealousy. If they found out she was helping Yi Nuo, things would really get out of hand.
For the sake of domestic harmony, Jiang Qingli cleared her throat and announced righteously, "I’m going to review the recent account ledgers and check our expenses."
Gu Nian was easily convinced. He praised her sweetly, "Sister, you’re so busy with school and work, but you still manage the household. You’re so responsible and amazing! I’m so lucky I get to marry you!"
Yuan Shimo stared at Jiang Qingli for two seconds, his gaze making her feel a little guilty. Only then did he say, "I’ll wait upstairs, then. Please come back soon, female master."
He turned and entered the elevator, his steps impossibly light.
After the two Beast Husbands left, only she and Yi Nuo remained on the first floor.
Yi Nuo hadn’t even had a chance to recover from the joy of being chosen when he felt her fingers release his hand.
The young man’s heart skipped a beat. ’Did she change her mind?’
’It’s okay.’
Yi Nuo stared at the floor, telling himself.
’I should be used to this by now.’
’A proper housekeeper should take the initiative to end this now, to spare his master any awkwardness.’
Yi Nuo opened his mouth, but before he could make a sound, he saw Jiang Qingli touch the tip of her nose in embarrassment. "Um... I forgot to ask where you live..."
The young man suddenly let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and took her wrist in his hand. "This way, Miss."
To be able to serve his master quickly, the housekeeper always resided in a private suite within the manor’s main building, located in the service area on the first floor.
This happened to be an area Jiang Qingli rarely frequented. The last time she’d been over here was when she was a child, secretly tailing Old Qin.
Standing at the door, Yi Nuo took a deep, nervous breath.
Jiang Qingli, in a hurry, pushed the door open forcefully. She was a little surprised by what she saw inside.
Compared to Old Qin’s private suite, Yi Nuo’s room was a converted storage closet and much smaller.
The cramped room contained only the bare essentials: a single bed, a wardrobe, a desk, and a chair. There were very few of Yi Nuo’s personal belongings, and the sheets on the bed were the standard white ones used by the staff.
"Why did they give you a room like this?" Jiang Qingli was completely taken aback.
Even the other servants in the manor lived in suites. His room was far too shabby in comparison.
"Please don’t misunderstand, Miss. I requested it," Yi Nuo explained. "Housekeeper Qin offered to arrange another place for me, but the staff dormitory is some distance from the main building, which would make it hard to be on call."
Besides, when Jiang Qingli had first decided to move in, everyone assumed it was a temporary arrangement and that she wouldn’t stay long before returning to her own residence. So, after hearing Yi Nuo’s reasoning, Housekeeper Qin hadn’t insisted on changing his room.
Later, when Jiang Qingli decided to stay for good, Housekeeper Qin brought it up again, but Yi Nuo declined, saying he was already used to the room.
In truth, he had his own selfish reasons.
This... was the closest he could get to living near Jiang Qingli.
Yi Nuo looked up at the girl who was walking around his room, inspecting it, and his eyes curved into a smile.
After looking around, Jiang Qingli was still determined to get Yi Nuo a new room. After a moment’s thought, she said, "Why don’t you move into one of the guest rooms on the third floor? It’s not like anyone’s using them right now."
Her Beast Husbands came over on a schedule. Except for the overly clingy Gu Nian, the others still lived in their own villas, so the manor had plenty of empty rooms.
Yi Nuo said softly, "That would be against protocol..."
Jiang Qingli put on a stern face. "Am I the master here, or are you? Who’s in charge?"
A warmth spread through Yi Nuo’s chest. "I’ll listen to whatever you say, Miss," he said in a low voice.
Only then was Jiang Qingli satisfied. She sat on the narrow bed and patted the space beside her. "Okay, now come here and open your Spiritual Domain so I can go in and soothe your Spiritual Body."
Before today, Yi Nuo had never once associated Jiang Qingli with his own cramped bedroom.
He stood there in a daze for a few seconds before walking over and kneeling by her side.
He let her draw near, just as she had in countless enchanting dreams.
...
Twenty minutes later, having had her fill of petting the fluffy gray wolf Spiritual Body, Jiang Qingli left, completely satisfied.
Yi Nuo saw her to the door. He watched her until she was out of sight before closing it.
A few seconds later, the sound of a shower running could be heard.
Jiang Qingli bounded lightly up the stairs. The moment she pushed open her bedroom door, the cat-eared young man, who had clearly been waiting for a long time with a book in his hands, slowly walked toward her.
Yuan Shimo took her hand and lowered his head to sniff it.
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