Chapter 36 Offended You, Milady

Inside the bathroom.

Lin Jiangnian still maintained his previous posture!

Half-bent over, his upper body bare in the air, one hand pressing the little maid against the edge of the tub while the other hand grasped the garment already floating on the water's surface, just about to pull and strip it off.

The little maid, Xiaozhu, pinned against the tub's edge, had a burning, blushing face, her eyes tightly closed in a trembling, resigned manner.

It was precisely at this moment that the bathroom door was pushed open.

A cold and graceful figure appeared at the threshold, shattering the atmosphere of the moment.

A cold yet exquisite face, with features as if naturally carved, possessed an inexpressible temperament.

Cold and alluring!

She stood quietly in place, her calm and cold gaze falling into the bathroom. Her eyes swept past the nearby tub, catching sight of the Heir Apparent stripped to the waist, pressing down upon the pitiful, submissive little maid beneath him.

Those calm eyes fluttered slightly.

Simultaneously, the sound of the door opening drew the attention of the two in the tub.

Lin Jiangnian turned his head to see the tall figure appearing outside the door. However, there was no panic on his face; he merely glanced at her indifferently. "What are you here for?"

Zhiyong said nothing, stepped into the bathroom, and slowly approached the tub.

As she drew closer, passing through the mist filling the room, the scene inside the tub gradually came into view.

The warm pool water concealed the exposure that was about to take place. Zhiyong's gaze landed on Lin Jiangnian, then quickly shifted away to glance at the flushed, pitiful little maid before speaking. "Your Highness, why must you coerce and bully a mere maid?"

Lin Jiangnian glanced at her and sneered. "Since she is this Prince's maid, is this Prince not even allowed to bully her?"

Zhiyong said calmly, "Xiaozhu is still young. I implore Your Highness not to make things difficult for her."

"Young?"

Lin Jiangnian cast a glance at Xiaozhu in the water below him, then turned his head back to look at her with a hint of playful amusement. "In that case, will you take her place?"

Zhiyong seemed completely oblivious to Lin Jiangnian's intense and malicious gaze, replying indifferently, "Before the Prince left the estate, he specifically instructed that Your Highness must exercise restraint until you take the Eldest Princess as your bride..."

Lin Jiangnian sneered. "Are you using my father to pressure me again?"

Zhiyong answered evenly, "These are the Prince's instructions."

"And what if this Prince refuses to listen?"

Lin Jiangnian sneered as he stared at Zhiyong before him.

She stood right at the edge of the tub, quietly watching the two people inside it.

At this moment, Lin Jiangnian was stark naked, yet to her, it seemed as though she saw nothing at all. That detached expression instead gave Lin Jiangnian an inexplicable sense of strangeness.

It was as if she were mocking him—is that all you've got?

Lin Jiangnian forcefully suppressed the trace of anomaly in his heart, sneering as he watched Zhiyong's cold face.

He desperately wanted to see how she would handle this.

Would she fall out with him, the Heir Apparent of Lin? Or would she deal with it through other means?

Zhiyong lowered her gaze slightly and said calmly, "Then this servant has no choice but to offend you."

Lin Jiangnian glared at her coldly. "What do you want?!"

Zhiyong said nothing. Suddenly, she reached out and tapped a specific pressure point on Lin Jiangnian's body. The next second, Lin Jiangnian's body went limp, devoid of strength. He stumbled a step and slumped directly into the tub.

"You—what did you do to me?!"

Lin Jiangnian's eyes widened abruptly as a wave of utter weakness surged through his body.

"Since Your Highness is stubbornly persistent, this servant can only offend you first!"

Zhiyong spoke softly, then glanced at the little maid in the tub who seemed frightened out of her wits and had yet to recover her senses. "Why aren't you getting out yet?"

Only then did Xiaozhu snap out of it like waking from a dream. Her pretty face flushed red, and she hurriedly clutched and wrapped the unfastened clothes around herself, rising from the tub and scrambling out on somewhat weak legs.

At this moment, she was thoroughly drenched, her clothes half-undone, revealing large expanses of snowy white skin. Her garments clung to her flesh, and water droplets slid down her damp hair, making her look like a pitiful, drowned chicken.

Zhiyong gently stepped forward, reaching out to help her tidy her chaotic garments to cover her delicate body, and spoke softly, "Go back first, change your clothes and catch a chill."

"Yes..."

Xiaozhu nodded. Seemingly remembering something, she instinctively glanced at Lin Jiangnian in the tub, looking rather nervous. "Y-Your Highness, he..."

"I am here, you may go back first," Zhiyong said indifferently.

Although Xiaozhu was still somewhat worried, she nodded nonetheless and left the bathroom with her head lowered.

Once Xiaozhu had departed, Zhiyong redirected her gaze to Lin Jiangnian in the tub.

At this moment, Lin Jiangnian wore an expression full of anger, glaring fiercely. "What did you do to this Prince?! Do you have any idea what you are doing?!"

A mere maid dared to bully her way onto the head of the dignified Heir Apparent of Lin.

This maid was truly audacious!

Zhiyong lowered her gaze. "Having offended Your Highness today, this servant will naturally report it to the Prince. If Your Highness is angry, you may explain it to the Prince then. If the Prince issues a punishment, this servant is willing to accept it."

Lin Jiangnian sneered inwardly.

Accept punishment?

Given how much the Prince of Lin doted on her, how could he possibly punish her?

She was clearly acting with absolute impunity.

"This Prince truly underestimated you!"

Lin Jiangnian sneered. "Arranging for Xiaozhu to be a spy by this Prince's side, and now humiliating this Prince without the slightest regard for me... Do you genuinely believe this Prince can do nothing to you?!"

Faced with Lin Jiangnian's angry expression, Zhiyong remained entirely calm. She lifted her gaze to look at him, withdrew it a moment later, and said indifferently, "If Your Highness truly possesses the ability to make this servant submit wholeheartedly, this servant will naturally be willing to accept punishment from Your Highness!"

Lin Jiangnian stared at her intently and sneered. "Is that a promise?"

"This servant never breaks her word."

Zhiyong replied indifferently, then turned to look outside the door. "Someone come!"

Shortly after, two maids walked into the room.

"Help His Highness bathe and change, and escort His Highness back to his chambers."

"Yes."

Afterward, amidst Lin Jiangnian's angry curses and scoldings, Zhiyong departed with complete composure.

...

Inside the bedchamber.

Bathed and changed under the attendance of the maids, Lin Jiangnian was escorted back to his room. All along the way, Lin Jiangnian cursed and ranted, every single sentence containing affectionate greetings directed at Zhiyong.

"Your Highness, rest early. This servant takes her leave."

Once the maids left the chamber, Lin Jiangnian, who had been cursing non-stop, suddenly fell silent. The angry expression on his face vanished completely, replaced by absolute calmness.

Angry?

There was indeed a trace of it, but it was far from enough to make Lin Jiangnian genuinely enraged. His previous reactions were nothing more than an act!

The dignified Heir Apparent of Lin was being played in the palm of a maid's hand. No wonder the original Heir Apparent cursed her as a bitch and lost his composure to the point of a mental breakdown... It turned out this woman was arrogant and proud, never placing him in her eyes for even a second.

Thinking of this, Lin Jiangnian's gaze narrowed slightly.

This Zhiyong was far more difficult to deal with than he had imagined. She held high authority in the estate, constantly restricting the Heir Apparent, yet he could do nothing to counter her.

At this moment, as his strength gradually returned, Lin Jiangnian recalled how Zhiyong had merely given him a light tap earlier, instantly stripping him of all ability to resist.

Was this maid's martial arts proficiency perhaps formidable?

As if thinking of something, Lin Jiangnian lifted his eyes; the room remained empty.

She hadn't come tonight either?

Lin Jiangnian currently harbored a multitude of questions he desperately wanted answered, only...

She still hadn't come!