Chapter 9: A Man at the Waterside Villa

Su Yi could not find her clothes, nor could she find anyone; it seemed the entire house was deserted, utterly quiet. With no other choice, she stepped outside, standing in the corridor where grapevines hung down, and gazed upon the scenery of the backyard.

A pond of lotus flowers—no, more accurately, wherever her eyes landed, the pond, the blue lake, all were covered with lotuses.

Water surrounded on all sides, two spring eyes embedded within, forming two acres of pond. In the pond, in the water, all were pristine blue lotuses rising unsullied from the mud.

“Breakfast is in the microwave, help yourself,”

A sudden voice came from her side, blocked by a cluster of climbing ivy. Su Yi walked a few steps before seeing a man sitting in a chair in the yard, with some food and water placed on the table beside him. Clearly, this was his breakfast.

He seemed to have already eaten, leaning back in the chair, a deep blue loose soft shirt fitting neatly on him, the cuffs exquisitely white, long legs crossed beneath casual trousers, one hand holding a book, fingers slender and joints prominent.

Around him was a scene of breathtaking rivers and mountains, and a pool of indescribably shimmering lotuses.

Su Yi paused, then approached. “Thank you, sir, for saving me last night.”

He marked his place in the book, closed it, and rested it on his crossed legs before raising his gaze to Su Yi.

On his high, straight nose perched a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.

The sharp, noble air beneath his handsome appearance was subdued, leaving only a gentle scholarly elegance.

“No need to thank me. Last night, I was intending to fish, but you bit my hook instead…” His expression was so serious and refined, his tone calm as he lifted his coffee cup…

Bit his hook?

Did he mean Su Yi should apologize rather than thank him?

“Sorry for disrupting your leisure last night,” Su Yi’s voice was cool and faintly hoarse, tinged with weariness, causing the man’s gaze to linger a moment as he scrutinized her.

She was very young, seventeen or eighteen, an introverted girl.

After sizing her up, he lowered his eyes, took a sip of coffee, and said, neither cold nor warm, “Do you want me to serve you breakfast?”

“No need… I don’t eat breakfast,” Su Yi intended to leave as soon as possible, though there was one matter she needed to clarify.

“To let a woman leave on an empty stomach is exceedingly rude. I hope you won’t put me in such a difficult position.”

Su Yi was taken aback, seeing his frowning expression. She couldn’t help but laugh softly, glancing at the food on the table. “Do you mind, sir?”

“Feel free.”

Su Yi?

Su Yi smiled to herself, took a piece of bread with a napkin, ate it, wiped her hands. “Will this suffice?”

The man glanced at her, neither affirming nor denying. “Your clothes will be brought over. You can wait a while longer before leaving.”

So, he was asking her to leave, albeit very politely.

Su Yi had wanted to leave anyway, so she didn’t feel embarrassed. She nodded, “Thank you for the trouble…”

After a moment, she asked, “May I ask you a question, sir?”

“Your clothes were changed by one of the aunties in the manor,” he answered without looking up, absorbed in his book.

“Mm~~” Su Yi nodded, “But that’s not what I meant. I wanted to ask, when you rescued me, was I… already like this?”

Su Yi didn’t want to reveal too many details and could only ask in this vague way.

She wanted to know if she was still wounded when she was rescued. If not, that would be best; if so, it would be problematic.

For example, how could she explain that her injuries had healed overnight?

Would he notice?

“Hm?” He was somewhat surprised by her question, pushed up his glasses, his gaze sharp as he swept over Su Yi for a moment, then replied carelessly, “If you weren’t as you are now, would you have been a fish? Unless you’re a mermaid—come ashore and turn into a human?”

Su Yi immediately understood his meaning. Truth be told, she was at a loss for words, for this seemingly “refined” gentleman’s thoughts were rather unusual, or perhaps… quietly flamboyant.

His tone was gentle, his manners elegant, but his words… could sting without a ripple.

Perhaps he wasn’t even aware of how sharp his words were.

That was the most baffling thing.

Su Yi didn’t respond, or perhaps she simply didn’t care to. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a woman approaching from the corridor and rose to greet her.

“Miss, because you were wearing a school uniform before, I didn’t know what kind of clothes would suit you, so I bought some casual outfits. I hope you’ll find them comfortable,”

The woman’s speech and manners made Su Yi certain this place was far from ordinary. Otherwise, the servants of a typical household wouldn’t be so “cordial,” never imposing their own views. This was a kind of virtue.

Though the gentleman earlier had been a bit sharp-tongued, his demeanor was extremely gentlemanly; just from how the clothes were changed, Su Yi felt more favorable toward him, smiled warmly, and replied, “Thank you, Auntie.”

“You’re too polite, miss…”

The woman watched Su Yi enter the changing room, her eyes sparkling. She had helped this girl change clothes last night. To be honest, the school uniform was soaked and a bit shabby, with several torn slits. She had assumed the girl was rather “rough,” but when she changed her clothes, seeing that jade-like body, she immediately dispelled the notion. Such a physique could not have been cultivated by any ordinary family!

And this morning, seeing the girl in pajamas, she was clean and elegant…

How to put it: her bearing and appearance were truly like a lotus.

She heard the girl had been pulled from the water?

Perhaps she really was a lotus from the depths.

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Su Yi quickly changed her clothes; though the undergarments had been bought by someone else, since it was a woman and she was much older, Su Yi didn’t mind. She smiled at the woman waiting outside, her voice gentle, “The clothes fit perfectly. Thank you, Auntie.”

“I’m glad they fit… Oh, miss, here’s your school uniform. Though it was damaged, I thought you might want to keep it, so I washed it for you. Your money is still in the pocket.”

Washed the torn uniform as well?

Su Yi could no longer describe how noble and proper the woman’s conduct was. She could only offer her sincere thanks.

After the woman left, Su Yi picked up her clothes and slid her hand into the pocket of her uniform, feeling the thickness inside. Thankfully, there was still 1023 yuan…

She breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, she was stunned.

She felt the pocket again.

How did she know there was 1023 yuan inside?

Because she had just “seen” inside the pocket and knew there was 1023 yuan.

But why could she see it?

The problem was, she hadn’t opened the pocket to look—not even glanced at it…

She had only felt it with her hand.

Su Yi immediately opened the pocket and took out the money, counting carefully. 1023 yuan, not a single yuan missing!

Su Yi sat down in the chair. Had she remembered she originally had 1023 yuan?

No, after she returned home, she had 1123 yuan. She remembered this very clearly. So, in her memory, it should have been 1123 yuan, not 1023. After all her frantic running and falling into the water, it was only natural that some money would have fallen out.

She had lost 100 yuan!

But she hadn’t known that; the 1023 yuan now was an amount she shouldn’t have known.

So…