Why don't you tell me, what exactly am I

After hearing Qin Kexin's words, the maid hurried back to report, telling Qin Hao that her young miss would not see him.

"Won't see me? Go tell her that I only came here because I accepted her order."

"Order?" The maid looked suspicious, clearly hearing this term for the first time.

"Lord Imperial Son, please wait a moment. I will go ask the young miss for instructions."

After saying that, the maid returned to the residence:

"Miss, that contemporary Imperial Son said he received your order and came to fulfill the order's task."

Hearing this, Qin Kexin froze.

"Oh? Interesting. So that trash offering 'Dao Companion Rentals' is actually the contemporary Imperial Son of the Qin family?"

Qin Kexin rolled her eyes, and a rough guess about Qin Hao's intentions instantly formed in her mind—

"If I'm not mistaken, this is all Qin Hao's premeditated plan. Now that the ancient prodigies are awakening one after another, it means the clan's resources will be redistributed."

"Although he is the contemporary Imperial Son, how can he be mentioned in the same breath as us ancient prodigies? So he panicked and desperately wants a backer. And I, the daughter of the Fifth Ancestor of the Desolate Ancient Qin Family, am the most suitable candidate in his eyes."

"He put on this 'Dao Companion Rental' act just to climb up my high branch. Come to think of it, I picked up this jade pendant right after I woke up. It could only have been done by someone inside the Qin family!"

The more Qin Kexin reasoned, the more she felt her guess was flawless. That Qin Hao had deliberately schemed to cling to her.

"Heh, renting a Dao companion? Can't believe he came up with that. What a pity, you miscalculated. I don't even look twice at those peerless prodigies from an epoch ago, so how could I ever fancy a piece of trash like you who relies on schemes to climb the ranks?"

"Wishful thinking!" Qin Kexin sneered, casually tossing the jade pendant used to post the order task to the maid:

"Go tell him that I don't want to see him. Tell him to roll back to wherever he came from. Remember, tell him my exact words without changing a single syllable."

Hearing this, the maid looked troubled. "Miss, that might not be a good idea."

The maid felt bitter in her heart. Miss, you might not care about his status as the contemporary Imperial Son, but I am just a lowly maid. How would I dare offend the Lord Imperial Son?

"What? Are my words not effective?" Qin Kexin narrowed her phoenix eyes, and an invisible pressure spread out.

The maid trembled in fear and hastily bowed her head. "Yes! This servant will go reject him right away."

After saying that, the maid trotted out of the courtyard, walking to the gate with great trepidation. Just thinking about what she had to say to the Lord Imperial Son made her feel unspeakably miserable.

"Oh Miss, you aren't afraid of offending the Imperial Son, but how can a lowly maid like me dare say such things to him? If the Lord Imperial Son gets angry, won't I be the first one to suffer?"

But she couldn't disobey her young miss's orders.

Gritting her teeth, the maid braced herself and opened the door. At the entrance, Qin Hao stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the distant sea of clouds with a leisurely expression.

The maid walked up to Qin Hao but didn't dare look up at him. She bowed to him and offered the jade pendant with both hands:

"Lord Imperial Son, my young miss said... said..."

"Said what?" Qin Hao asked gently, reaching out to help the maid up, signaling her not to bow so deeply upon meeting.

Feeling Qin Hao's gentle movements, the maid felt even more embarrassed. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and steeled her heart:

"My young miss said she doesn't want to see you. She told you to... to roll back to wherever you came from!"

After saying this, the maid felt like her heart had stopped beating. She kept her eyes shut, her body trembling slightly as she waited for Qin Hao's fury.

As a mere maid daring to speak to the Imperial Son like this, he would definitely slap her away.

However, the expected scolding, displaced anger, and punishment never came. Instead, a chuckle rang out.

The maid carefully opened one eye to check Qin Hao's reaction. She saw no anger on his face; he was just smiling lightly, a smile as gentle as the spring breeze in March.

Sunlight spilled from behind Qin Hao, plating a faint golden edge on his sharp profile. At this moment, Qin Hao was looking down slightly at the maid. His deep eyes held not a hint of blame, only a reassuring gentleness.

Meeting Qin Hao's gaze, the maid felt her heart suddenly skip a beat. She stared blankly at him, feeling as if her entire being was drawn in.

Then Qin Hao raised his hand. Xiaolan instinctively closed her eyes, thinking his slap was finally about to fall.

But Qin Hao merely rubbed her head gently, his movements soft, as if comforting a frightened little beast:

"Don't be nervous. Your young miss told you to say that, right? I won't blame you. Alright, go about your business."

Xiaolan opened her eyes, lifted her head, and looked at Qin Hao.

Qin Hao just stood there against the light, like an exiled immortal walking out of a painting.

Xiaolan suddenly felt as if her heart had been fiercely struck by something. That strike made her dizzy, made her blush deeply, and made her completely forget to breathe.

She just stood there blankly, watching Qin Hao, to the point that she even forgot to stop him as he brazenly strolled right past her and into the courtyard.

"She clearly placed the order, and now she's telling me to roll back to wherever I came from? An ancient prodigy from an epoch ago only has this much manners?"

"It seems she really needs some discipline. I, the Imperial Son, will spend some time properly disciplining you this time!"

......

Qin Kexin sat in her courtyard, holding a cup of tea in her hands and taking small sips.

She was waiting for Xiaolan to return and report, waiting for the news of that Qin Hao scurrying away in disgrace.

"Trying to cling to me without even looking at what kind of thing he is!"

"Oh? Then why don't you tell me, what kind of thing am I?"

A voice suddenly came from behind her. The voice was deep and magnetic, like a fine musical instrument playing softly by her ear. It carried a hint of lazy playfulness and an indescribable allure.

Qin Kexin's hand trembled, almost spilling the tea.

She turned her head abruptly and then froze.

A man with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, possessing an ethereal and transcendent aura like a descending immortal, had his thin lips slightly upturned in a half-smile.

Those eyes were as deep as the stars, currently looking at her. As his gaze shifted, it was as if thousands of affections were flowing within them.

Qin Hao just quietly looked at Qin Kexin, doing nothing at all, yet Qin Kexin felt something thrashing wildly in her heart.

"Bastard! Who allowed you to enter my courtyard? Didn't I tell you to roll back to wherever you came from?"

Realizing she had lost her composure, Qin Kexin immediately used loud curses to cover up the restlessness in her heart.

Qin Hao leaned closer. Qin Kexin tried to dodge backward, but Qin Hao grabbed her waist:

"Bastard! You, you, what are you going to do?"