Willful and Foolish

Unexpectedly, Evan Xiao seemed quite familiar with the Prime Minister's Residence. He frowned and asked, "The eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's Residence? You mean Chloe Zhu?"

Hearing her own name suddenly come out of his mouth, Grace's eyes widened. "General, you know her?"

"That's not a good place to go," Evan Xiao said flatly.

Grace felt a little embarrassed inside.

Damn, why isn't it a good place?

She shot him a look and asked, not too happily, "General, do you know her?"

"I don't know her, but I've heard of her," Evan Xiao replied. "Spoiled, foolish. If you really go be her maid, you won't even know how you died."

Spoiled?

Foolish?!

Grace flashed her pearly white teeth and smiled, "Maybe, General, you're just repeating rumors?"

"The salary at the Prime Minister's Residence isn't any higher than what you earn now. As a newcomer, you'd get at most five taels," Evan Xiao added.

Wow, he really knows the market!

Grace ground her teeth and said, "General, the Prime Minister's Residence is different from the General's Manor. I want to sign a servitude contract there, sell myself for several hundred or even a thousand taels in one go, so I can buy dowries for my two younger sisters."

Evan Xiao looked at her with a knowing, slightly mocking gaze. He got up, walked over, and said, "I'm offering you ten thousand taels of gold, and you refuse, but you want to sell yourself as a maid for a few hundred or a thousand taels?"

"You're offering too much; I can't accept it. If I earn the money by selling myself, I can sleep easy at night."

Suddenly, Evan Xiao grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up and meet his gaze.

Grace blinked at him, her eyes wide.

Standing in front of her, he looked like a god—tall and imposing. His gaze was cool and aloof, yet a bit lazy. With his dark hair loose and his collar slightly open, he was... just too tempting!

Grace's heart pounded like a startled deer, and her cheeks flushed red in an instant.

Sensing her mood, Evan Xiao's lips curled into a smile. He asked, "There's a young master at the Prime Minister's Residence named Kevin Zhuo. Are you going there because of him?"

It took Grace a moment to react. "Huh?"

Why would she even bring up that jerk?

Kevin Zhuo was her father's only son, and any pretty maid in his garden—none of them escaped his clutches.

"He's definitely not a good person!" Evan Xiao said, looking down at her.

"He... he has nothing to do with it. I just don't want to stay at the General's Manor anymore." Evan Xiao's breath surrounded her, making Grace's heart race and her words come out in a rush, but she managed to get it all out.

"Why don't you want to stay at the General's Manor?" His tone turned cold.

Is he treating her this way because... maybe he's finally starting to care about her?

Thinking of this, Grace summoned her courage, looked him in the eye with a blush, and said boldly, "Because you don't want me, General. It hurts, so I want to leave. Maybe if I get far enough away, I'll forget you."

Evan Xiao stared at her for a long moment before saying, "No."

"Why not?"

"That's an order."

Grace: "..."

"Go out!" Evan Xiao released her.

Damn!

What does he even mean by that?

He doesn't want her, but he won't let her go either.

Grace felt like she was constipated—uncomfortable and stuck, unable to get relief.

At the door, she turned back to look at Evan Xiao.

He was looking at her too, and for a moment, there seemed to be a flicker of emotion in his eyes.

But when he saw her turn back, that flicker vanished, and his eyes returned to their usual cold indifference.

Does he really not care about her at all?

Is she really just going to go back in defeat and wait to die?

Suddenly, a surge of defiance welled up in her. Grace spun around, rushed up to him, hooked her arms around his neck, and, standing on tiptoe, kissed him right on the lips.