Chapter 139 : Chapter 139
Volume 2
Chapter 63 : Clash
The dazzling afternoon sunlight poured into the dim restaurant, painfully bright.
The autumn wind blew in from behind the black-and-white maid dress, carrying a chill that snuffed out those suggestive candle flames.
The flirtatious candlelit dinner atmosphere seemed to turn, in an instant, into a cold and solemn execution ground.
In the blur of dimness, it seemed as though an inconspicuous flash of white light flickered once inside the restaurant.
Ann paid it no mind.
Her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, and in a single instant, she took in the entire restaurant without overlooking even the most inconspicuous corner.
There were only three people in the restaurant.
One shameless little seductress.
One who looked honest on the surface, but whose mannerisms, along with the excellent figure hidden beneath that loose uniform, made it obvious she was merely a covert shameless little seductress.
And one…
A balding old man?
Anna: “Oh my? Has a guest come in?”
Sherry: “S-Sorry, miss, but we are temporarily closed.”
Balding Old Man: “Aba aba.”
After sweeping her gaze across the three of them, Ann raised her willow-leaf brows.
Young master is not here?
No, that is not right. Both his aura and her instincts pointed to this restaurant.
“My apologies, but I did not come here to dine.”
Ann stepped into the restaurant.
Her back was perfectly straight, and every step she took seemed as precise as though it had been measured with a ruler.
Her bearing was dignified, yet as she approached, she carried the momentum of an army of a thousand.
Anna had originally been curiously sizing up the maid who entered, and when she glanced to the side, she had even been holding back a laugh.
But at this moment, like the instinctive reaction one had when facing a beast that had entered one’s territory, she too could not help straightening her back, her narrow eyes slightly narrowing.
On the other side, Sherry also seemed to sense something. Her expression grew tense.
“I am here to find someone,” Ann said.
“Do you have a blond man here?”
“Oh? Looking for someone? But barging in like this is rather rude, is it not?”
Anna did not answer directly.
She merely picked up the red wine glass at her side and took a sip.
Her fresh red lips instantly became as striking as if they had been set aflame.
“At the very least, should you not knock first?”
“I do not think anyone knocks before entering a restaurant.”
Ann’s gaze swept over the three of them once more, and she smiled.
“Or are you doing something you do not want others to know about?”
Anna smiled as well.
“What we are doing has nothing to do with you.”
“It does not.”
After a moment’s thought, Ann pulled out a photograph.
“So, have you seen this person?”
In the photograph, the blond man was sleeping soundly, looking utterly peaceful.
And judging from the arm he had left exposed, along with the chest muscles half-hidden beneath the blanket like a pipa behind a veil, the man seemed to be sleeping naked.
To be able to take such a completely unguarded photograph of him told only one thing—
Just how intimate she was with him.
Ann—!
Where did that photograph come from?!
At this moment—
Muen, who had been turned into a balding old man by Senior Anna’s potion, had not even had time to think about why Ann had shown up here before cold sweat began pouring down his back.
He quickly realized that, as his personal maid, she could take that kind of picture whenever she wanted.
She could probably even put him into some humiliating pose and shoot an entire shame-play collection if she felt like it.
But the problem was that taking out a photograph like that at a time like this was practically…
“Oh my, he looks like quite the scumbag. But unfortunately, I have never seen him.”
Anna looked at the photograph without the slightest change in tone, still smiling lightly.
But Muen could feel his legs beginning to tremble pathetically.
Why are you shaking? Have some backbone.
Muen could not help slapping his own thigh hard.
Senior Anna did not even care about how intimate things had looked between him and Sherry just now, so how could she care about something this trivial?
It was only a sleeping photograph.
With how broad-minded Senior was, how could she possibly care?
“Hm?”
But Muen’s overly dramatic movement seemed to catch Ann’s attention again.
“This… old gentleman, your whole body seems to be trembling. Are you all right?”
“I-I am cold. Cold.”
Muen pinched his throat and rasped out in a hoarse voice,
“When you get old, you become afraid of the cold.”
“But you also seem to be sweating quite a lot.”
“Hot! Now I am hot again!”
Muen tugged hard at his collar and cried out, “This room is too small. It gets hot easily.”
“Is that so? At your age, old sir, you really should take better care of your health.”
“I will, I will!”
“But speaking of which…”
Ann lowered her eyes and swept them over Muen’s clothes, her tone growing meaningful.
“For someone your age, old sir, you are dressed rather youthfully.”
The corners of Muen’s mouth instantly stiffened.
The potion could change his appearance, but it could not change his clothes.
So at this moment, Muen was still wearing a pure white shirt, while his silver-gray outer coat was decorated with a circle of golden tassels.
It was tailored in a fully handmade style, full of the flamboyant elegance and showiness of an upper-class noble youth.
Paired with a balding old man, the whole thing could only be described as glaringly out of place.
“W-Well… I have a young mindset. Hahahaha…”
“I suppose that does make some sense. But this old gentleman…”
Ann gave a slight twitch of her nose.
The room was filled with the heavy scent of perfume and another strange smell, masking the young master’s scent, but…
“I still think you resemble him very much.”
“D-Do I?”
“You do. Your movements, your demeanor, and even the frequency of your leg shaking when you are scared… all of it feels rather similar.”
Ann pressed forward, step by step.
Each step landed like it was treading directly on Muen’s heart.
His heart was already lodged in his throat.
He knew that if Ann caught him dating women outside—
Dating two women, no less—
He was dead!
Absolutely dead!
And even if he did not die, Ann would lock him up with iron chains and keep him by her side like a pet for the rest of his life!
He did not want that!
But at this moment, there was nothing Muen could do.
Because the more he moved, the easier it would be to expose himself.
The only thing he could do now was pray, pray that Ann—
“Miss.”
Just as Muen had prayed to God, the Buddha, the Jade Emperor, and even Nyarlathotep, yet still failed to stop Ann’s gradual approach, he suddenly felt something soft and fragrant wrap around his arm.
Senior Anna had moved closer and hooked herself around his arm, just like an affectionate lover.
She looked at Ann, the gentle smile still resting at the corners of her lips.
“Have you made some sort of mistake? If there is something wrong with your eyes, I can call a doctor for you.”
She paused, then said,
“Look carefully. How could my boyfriend possibly be the man in your photograph?”
“Your… boyfriend?”
Ann looked at the balding old man, then at Anna.
For the first time, a trace of uncertainty entered her voice.
“Your tastes are rather… unusual.”
“Is there not a saying like this?”
Anna tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, every bit the captivating beauty.
“True love can transcend everything.”