Anning’s pov

"What do you mean you rejected her offer?" A-mei yelled, taking a step closer to me. "It isn’t every day a position like that is offered to a maid, let alone a slave."

I probably should’ve felt offended by her words, but honestly, I had heard far worse from the maids in this residence.

When Wanqing got distracted, I walked away from her.

I couldn’t stand being near her. I just couldn’t.

I didn’t want to think about what she had done in that garden or the way she had acted afterward. Mixed signals. She handed them out as though that was the only thing she knew how to do.

I gathered my silver hair into a ponytail, wondering if I should cut off the overgrown ends. It had gotten longer over the months, and maintaining it was becoming troublesome.

Well, that was something I could worry about another day.

"I rejected her because I had a choice," I explained. "She abandoned me here without even knowing whether I could handle any of this. I don’t want to work for her."

A-mei remained quiet for a moment before finally nodding.

"I understand," she said. "But you shouldn’t let a good position like that slip away."

I didn’t even need the position at this point.

I had turned over a new leaf. I had learned how to control my temper and how to please these self-absorbed nobles whenever the situation called for it.

After leaving Wanqing behind, A-mei had informed me that we were expecting guests. I had been ordered downstairs to help serve them, so I changed into something a little more appropriate.

The robe was of far better quality than what I usually wore. A belt had been wrapped snugly beneath my chest, making my figure appear more defined. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it wasn’t unbearable either.

"Do you still have something to do?" I asked, staring at my reflection.

When I said mirror, I meant the bronze mirror shoved into the corner of our room.

Several cracks ran across its surface, and no matter how many times I wiped away the dust and grime clinging to it, it never became any clearer. It reflected just enough for me to make out my appearance while simultaneously making me wonder if I actually looked as decent as everyone claimed.

"Not really. You should hurry up," A-mei replied.

I turned to look at her, only to find her eyeing me with open disdain.

In all honesty, serving guests wasn’t the worst part of my day.

Most people would probably consider it work, but I actually enjoyed it.

The nobles that visited the residence always had something nice to say. Some praised my manners, others complimented my unique hair color.

A few even insisted I had a pleasant personality, which was honestly ridiculous considering how many times I had threatened to rip someone’s head off their body.

Still, praise was praise.

It was much easier to listen to people tell me I looked beautiful than it was to spend hours scrubbing the floor.

A-mei and I stepped out of our room together, sliding the door shut behind us before making our way through the servants’ quarters and toward the main residence.

The moment we entered the main corridors, I noticed the stairs.

I rolled my eyes, they just couldn’t stop staring.

"Anning looks so pretty!" One of the maids said, slapping a hand over her mouth.

"I see why they call her the white haired beauty." Another chimed in.

"I heard one of the guests asked after her by name."

Oh? One of them knew my name?

That...was definitely a surprise.

I pretended not to hear them, still. Months ago, I probably would’ve glared at them to stop speaking.

But now, I simply continued walking.

A-mei shot them an unimpressed look, before muttering under her breath, "They’ve all gone mad."

I chuckled, "You say that like this isn’t completely understandable."

She glanced at me then asked, "You think you’re that pretty?"

I thought about the question carefully then responded, "I don’t think I’m pretty. I know."

A-mei rolled her eyes so hard I was always worried they would get stuck.

By the time we reached the receiving room, the familiar guards stationed outside immediately straightened.

The moment their eyes fell on me, their lips curled into a smile. "Anning."

"It’s nice to see you again."

I returned their greetings with a smile of my own. "It’s nice to see you both again too."

One of them hurriedly stepped forward before sliding the door open. "You may go in."

"Thank you," I replied politely, touching his arm a bit.

That, had the guard blushing slightly. Well, it wasn’t that interesting.

"I’ll see you later." I whispered to A-mei, who gave me a smile before I finally stepped into the receiving room.

The familiar scent of incense greeted me almost immediately. General Gu was seated at one side of the room with Gu Ruiqing beside him. The two of them looked exactly the same.

General Gu maintained his usual blank expression, while Gu Ruiqing had a polite smile on her face.

My gaze drifted away from them, to the opposite side of the room where two unfamiliar men sat.

The first one had black hair that fell carelessly across a few parts of his face. His dark blue eyes met mine instantly, the amusement dancing in them didn’t go unnoticed.

The quality of his robes alone was enough to tell me he wasn’t someone ordinary. He looked wealthy and probably even dangerous.

But why the fuck does it feel like I’ve seen him before?

I frowned slightly, had I met him before? No.

I would’ve remembered a face like that.

Before I could dwell on it any longer, my attention moved to the person seated beside him and then, I froze.

The man seated beside him had long silver hair that flowed neatly over his elegant robes. The front of his robe had a plunging neck that showcased his fair collarbones.

He had no expression on his face but that made him seem even more regal.

He had long lashes that brushed the top of his cheeks as he slowly turned his head in my direction. That moment alone had me biting on my lower lip.

Then I saw his eyes, those light green orbs of his. Clear and utterly beautiful, although he looked weird.

For a moment, my mind went completely blank. Then, I blurted out the only thing I could.

"Pretty."

The silver haired man raised a brow at me, then asked, "What did you just say?"

The sound of his voice snapped me out of whatever daze I had fallen into. Heat rushed to my face instantly.

Shit, I had actually said that out loud.

I immediately lowered my gaze and bowed.

"My apologies." I said quickly. "Greetings honoured guests. General Gu, Madam Gu."

When I straightened up again, I made sure not to look directly at the silver haired man. If I ignored him long enough, maybe he would forget what I had just said.

Beside him, the black haired man suddenly clapped his hand once.

The sound was not loud enough to startled anyone, but it drew everyone’s attention to him.

"So, you are the popular slave of the Gu residence." He said with a grin. "I’ve heard quite a lot about you these past few days."

I thought the rumors said they had called me by my name, why was he referring to me as the slave of the Gu residence?!

"You have?" I asked, feigning surprise.

The black haired man, Tang Jiangxuan, nodded enthusiastically.

"There were also rumors that the Gu residence was hiding a white haired beauty," he continued. "Since I was already here to visit Wanqing, I thought I could see for myself."

He said, his eyes trailing down my body. "I must say, I am not disappointed."