Maid Asashimo

After fooling around with Lilith for a while, Ye Chuan tucked the jade pendant into his clothes and left the room.

The moment he pushed the door open, he froze.

Standing outside was a slender figure—a girl with long, satin-like black hair cascading down to her hips, dressed in a black-and-white lace-trimmed maid outfit, exuding an air of cool elegance. Her gaze met his as she held a cleaning cloth, seemingly in the middle of chores.

"Qianshuang?" Ye Chuan was utterly surprised by Bai Qianshuang's maid attire. Where on earth had she gotten this outfit?

"Good morning," Bai Qianshuang said softly, noticing Ye Chuan's stare. She seemed slightly awkward, her black stockings-clad legs pressing together briefly before she added after a pause, "Lan Xiaoke said... you might like this."

Ye Chuan rubbed his chin. "It does look good."

But it was a little weird.

With that, he raised his voice slightly. "Xiaoke!"

The next second, a head popped out from the nearby wall. "Huh? Ye Chuan, you lookin’ for me?"

Before Lan Xiaoke could fully emerge, Ye Chuan pinched her cheek and yanked her forward. "What’s going on? What nonsense did you teach Qianshuang?"

"I didn’t do anything! I just taught Bai Qianshuang how to do housework!" Lan Xiaoke blinked innocently, her face stretched comically by his grip. When he let go, her cheeks bounced back like jelly.

Rubbing her face, Lan Xiaoke floated over and stood beside Bai Qianshuang—one with snow-white hair, the other with jet-black, like a mismatched pair of guardians.

The apartment wasn’t even that big. Having two girls dressed as maids was just strange.

"You can wear a maid outfit if you want, but why drag Qianshuang into it?" Ye Chuan crossed his arms, stealing another glance at Bai Qianshuang. Not that it didn’t suit her.

She was a sword immortal, for heaven’s sake! What kind of image was this—a sword-wielding maid?!

Wait.

Actually, it was kind of cool.

Maybe because Bai Qianshuang was so effortlessly stunning that she could pull off anything.

Lan Xiaoke’s eyes darted around. Truthfully, she’d just wanted to slack off, so she’d sweet-talked Bai Qianshuang into helping. Who knew Bai Qianshuang would take it so seriously, even ordering a full outfit online?

Just as Ye Chuan was about to lecture Lan Xiaoke, the sound of a door unlocking echoed from down the hall.

"Chuan, are you up?" Light footsteps pattered closer as Luo Xi walked in, carrying breakfast.

Ye Chuan turned his head in surprise.

"I brought the dumplings my mom made—" Luo Xi froze mid-step, spotting Ye Chuan and Bai Qianshuang.

From her angle, Lan Xiaoke was invisible. All she saw was Bai Qianshuang standing there in a maid outfit, looking like she was part of some… unconventional roleplay.

"Miss Bai, what’s with the outfit?" Luo Xi asked.

Bai Qianshuang replied calmly, "I’m repaying Ye Chuan."

Repaying him… in a maid dress?

Luo Xi took a step back, horrified. She immediately turned to Ye Chuan, stomped over, and pinched his waist. Tipping her chin up, she puffed her cheeks in jealous anger.

"Chuan, what dirt do you have on Miss Bai to make her wear something like this?"

[WRONGLY ACCUSED]

Ye Chuan felt a giant red "WRONGED" sign materialize above his head.

He hadn’t asked Bai Qianshuang to do anything! He’d just told her to relax at home. Who knew Lan Xiaoke would trick her into playing maid?

Hell, he hadn’t even asked Lan Xiaoke to dress like this—she’d done it herself!

Ye Chuan shot a glare at Lan Xiaoke, only to find her halfway embedded in the wall like an ostrich hiding its head in the sand, leaving only her butt sticking out.

Ye Chuan: "..."

To Luo Xi, his glance looked like an evasion tactic.

"I’m mad!" Luo Xi declared.

Ye Chuan scratched his cheek, scrambling for a way to placate his girlfriend—until her next words caught him off guard.

"I could’ve worn something like this for you! Why didn’t you ask me?"

Seeing Luo Xi’s adorable pout, Ye Chuan coughed lightly. "It’s all a misunderstanding. She’s just cosplaying."

"Cos-what?" Luo Xi blinked.

"Roleplaying. Right, Qianshuang?" Ye Chuan shot Bai Qianshuang a meaningful look, hoping she’d catch on.

Bai Qianshuang, ever perceptive, picked up on his cue. Though she didn’t understand "cosplay," she nodded at Luo Xi.

"Indeed."

No clue what’s happening, but agreeing seems smart.

Bai Qianshuang sometimes felt like a genius.

"So… Chuan didn’t force you?" Luo Xi pressed.

"No. This was my choice," Bai Qianshuang answered.

"Oh. Okay then." Luo Xi visibly relaxed, accepting the explanation.

With the crisis averted, Ye Chuan turned back to the culprit in the wall. He smacked Lan Xiaoke’s rear, eliciting a yelp, then grinned.

"Luo Xi, let’s eat breakfast first."

"Huh? Did I just hear—" Luo Xi frowned, thinking she’d imagined Lan Xiaoke’s voice, but shook it off. "Chuan, I’m sorry for misunderstanding. Don’t be mad."

"It’s fine. Just wear the outfit for me next time."

"Hmph. Maybe." Luo Xi’s acceptance level was surprisingly high—she’d seen videos where boyfriends bought their girlfriends all sorts of outfits anyway.

Luo Xi had brought a generous portion of dumplings, handmade by Luo's mother.

"What’s the filling?"

"Mushroom and pork."

She motioned for Bai Qianshuang to join them.

"Here." Ye Chuan took a dumpling from Luo Xi’s chopsticks and pulled a small packet from his pocket. "Give this to your mom. It’s an enhanced version of the Ye family’s secret remedy. One dose will cure her illness completely."

Inside was a powdered Rejuvenation Pill. Ye Chuan had crushed it—a glowing green pill would’ve been too suspicious.

"One dose…?" Luo Xi stared, stunned. Even major hospitals wouldn’t guarantee a complete cure with a single medicine.

Meeting her doubtful gaze, Ye Chuan nodded firmly.

"Yes."