Bai Manruo had no choice but to grab a small water bucket and begin cleaning, starting from the living room.
The living room was enormous; just mopping the floor took her over half an hour. She started from the main entrance. In truth, the floor was already very clean and didn’t really need mopping, but she knew Butler Li just wanted to keep her busy.
She mopped every inch from the inside out. The floor, already clean to begin with, was now so shiny it could serve as a mirror. Now, there wasn’t a single speck of dust in any corner of the room.
Bai Manruo looked at her work with satisfaction, then straightened her back—which felt like it was about to snap—resting for a few minutes before picking up her bucket to continue cleaning the first floor.
Since no one lived on the first floor except herself, it was easy to tidy up. She picked up a rag and wiped the stair railing meticulously from bottom to top. Although she knew Butler Li had selfish motives for assigning this work, it was true that she hadn’t done much labor since arriving.
This work session felt like making up for her previous leisurely days; if Butler Li tried to make sarcastic remarks or pick faults again in the future, she could stand her ground with a clear conscience.
Bai Manruo encouraged herself as she wiped the railings, mopping and scrubbing with full vigor. By the time the first and second floors were completely cleaned, it was already eight or nine in the evening. Her stomach had been growling for ages, but this time she made up her mind: she would not eat until the work was finished.
Only the third floor remained. Acknowledging her aching back and sore limbs, Bai Manruo used the wall for support to stand up, carrying the bucket and clutching the mop as she headed upstairs step by step.
Victory is just ahead; I can eat soon!
She was currently being supported by a burst of adrenaline. Just thinking about Butler Li’s shocked face when she saw the entire castle cleaned made her feel that the exhaustion was worth it.
Bai Manruo went to the study first. She set down the mop and bucket, a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead; because she had just climbed the stairs, her lower back began to throb again. Hours of continuous mopping and scrubbing with only a few minutes of rest meant that even a slight bend of her waist was painfully uncomfortable.
Bai Manruo took a deep breath and rubbed her lower back. Frowning, she thought that since there were only a few rooms left, she would rest for a bit first; otherwise, she really wouldn’t be able to hold on. Now, even the slightest movement would pull at the muscles in her waist. The sensation was agonizingly sore, so she sat directly on the floor, thinking the boss wasn’t back yet anyway.
As it turned out, the moment she sat down, the study door was pushed open.
As soon as Ji Yingqing entered, she saw Bai Manruo sitting on the floor, surrounded by a mop, bucket, and various cleaning supplies. Ji Yingqing froze for a few seconds. Just as she was about to walk forward, Bai Manruo shouted from across the room, “Miss Ji, watch your step!”
But she was a step too late. Ji Yingqing accidentally stepped on some detergent on the floor. Just as she was about to slip, Bai Manruo—reacting with lightning speed—reached out to steady her.
In her haste to worry about someone else, she had stood up too quickly and wrenched her lower back. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead as she let out a pained, muffled groan.
Once she was steady, Ji Yingqing noticed her distress and immediately asked, “What’s wrong?” Her tone was laced with concern.
“Hiss… it’s nothing.” Bai Manruo gritted her teeth, trying to act tough, but her face grew increasingly pale.
Ji Yingqing carefully helped her over to the sofa, then took two quick steps to the desk and pressed a call button. Within moments, a dozen doctors came rushing in.
The lead physician, Dr. Wang, had run so fast she was out of breath. She asked nervously, “Mi… Miss Ji, what happened to you?”
That call button was linked to the security systems of the entire castle and villa; usually, it was only pressed in emergencies, such as when Miss Ji’s condition worsened or she lost consciousness.
Seeing Dr. Wang opening her medical equipment, Ji Yingqing turned her head toward the frowning Bai Manruo on the sofa. “It’s not me, it’s her. Come and check her, quickly.”
“Ah, oh, right, yes.” Dr. Wang hurried over. When she saw Bai Manruo’s face, she paused. Wasn’t this the Alpha from last time?
Bai Manruo lay on the sofa, watching a dozen doctors surround her. Anyone who didn’t know better would think she had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Noticing the way the doctors were staring at her, she gave a proud sigh. Sigh, it’s my own fault for being too charming; even doctors stare in a daze the first time they see me.
Ji Yingqing’s deep grey eyes turned to the doctor, and she asked coldly, “What exactly is the matter?”
Dr. Wang felt a sudden chill down her spine. Wiping the sweat from her face, she said, “Don’t worry, Miss. She usually exercises too little, her muscles are stiff, and because she suddenly started working, she overexerted her waist muscles. A few massages with medicinal liniment and she’ll be fine.”
“That’s the only reason?” Ji Yingqing’s brow furrowed as she continued, “Then why is her face so pale?”
Dr. Wang hesitated for a moment before answering honestly, “She’s probably hungry.”
Just as she said it, Bai Manruo’s stomach let out a perfectly timed growl. At this, the surrounding doctors clearly couldn’t help but stifle their laughter.
Bai Manruo immediately covered her face. So embarrassing!
The corners of Ji Yingqing’s tight lips curled up slightly. She looked up and gave a faint glance, and the doctors instantly stopped laughing, following Dr. Wang out in a hurry.
Before long, the aroma of food wafted through the room. Bai Manruo swallowed, and her head—which had been buried in her arms—slowly lifted. Since she had already suffered social death, she might as well not starve to death. She picked up her chopsticks and took a large bite of tender shrimp.
It wasn’t until she finished that she realized she had eaten her meal in the study. Looking at the oil stains on the table, Bai Manruo began to clean up in a panic while muttering, “I’m dead, I’m dead. The boss is so obsessed with cleanliness; if she finds out I ate directly in the study, she’ll definitely be angry.”
Before she could finish cleaning, Ji Yingqing returned, holding a bottle of white medicinal liniment. She walked over and said, “Someone will clean this up. Go lie on the sofa.”
Bai Manruo repeated in confusion, “The sofa?” But she obediently lay down anyway.
Suddenly, she felt a chill on her sensitive waist, and her eyelashes fluttered. Looking back, she saw Ji Yingqing had lifted the back of her shirt and was holding the bottle.
Bai Manruo remembered then—this was the liniment Dr. Wang prescribed, saying it would be much better if paired with massage. But how could she let the boss personally perform such a minor task as a massage?!
Bai Manruo struggled to sit up, only to wrench her muscles again. Hissing in pain, she didn’t forget to say, “I should apply the medicine myself; I’ve troubled Miss Ji too much already.”
Ji Yingqing opened the liniment calmly, her expression not at all as tense or panicked as Bai Manruo’s. She replied quite steadily, “It’s no trouble. You can’t see back there.”
The thought of the boss massaging her made Bai Manruo’s heart flutter. Not knowing why she was so flustered, she insisted on declining, “It’s fine, I can ask someone else to help.”
Ji Yingqing’s hand pouring the liniment paused, returning to normal a few seconds later. She asked nonchalantly, “Oh? And who do you want to rub it for you?”
“Xiaoyu from the villa, or Huiwen…” Before she could finish, her lower back was suddenly pressed firmly by the fingers of the person behind her. The soreness hit her nerves directly, and her words were swallowed along with a pained groan.
As her delicate waist was gently massaged, Bai Manruo lowered her eyes. Unknown emotions began to gather in her black pupils. Due to the soreness, physiological tears welled up in her eyes, making her look pitiable. The corners of her eyes were slightly red as she bit her lip; waves of tingling sensation from her waist traveled up her spine to her brain.
A mere five minutes felt as long as half an hour.
Behind her, those well-defined fingers rubbed her waist with varying pressure. She could feel the prominent joints of those slender fingers as they massaged her soft skin. Ji Yingqing’s gaze was focused intently on her waist as the liniment gradually warmed under the friction of the massage.
At that moment, a faint scent of cedarwood drifted to her nose. It was her pheromones.
Ji Yingqing’s grey eyes slowly moved toward the girl’s nape. Her movements grew even gentler; her cool hands felt the heat radiating from the skin. Although she could only see the profile of her face obscured by black hair and couldn’t see her expression clearly, the increasingly thick scent of cedarwood made the corners of Ji Yingqing’s mouth curl up slightly.
In this moment, it wasn’t just Bai Manruo’s lower back that was being relieved. Because of Ji Yingqing’s Pheromone Deficiency Syndrome, her glands were prone to chronic swelling and pain; now, the stinging pain in her own nape was also slowly subsiding.
“All done.”
The person on the sofa acted as if she hadn’t heard, remaining completely motionless.
Ji Yingqing calmly closed the liniment bottle. Her slender hands were covered in the pungent white oil, but she didn’t seem to notice her hands were dirty—her previous germaphobia had completely vanished. She curled her lip and said to the person on the sofa, “Once a day, for one week.”
“A week?!” Bai Manruo, who had been “playing dead,” spun around instantly, looking at her with eyes full of disbelief.
Ji Yingqing looked at her face, seeing the lingering flush that hadn’t quite faded, a flash of pleasure crossing her eyes. Seeing that she hadn’t understood, Ji Yingqing repeated herself, slowly uttering two words: “One. Week.”
After speaking, she sat up calmly and walked unhurriedly toward the bathroom,
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