Red Snow

Chapter 5

Ye Hua finally got the idea and started taking off his clothes. Bai Qian watched with wide eyes as he peeled off his thick winter robe to reveal his well-sculpted arms and broad chest. His bronze skin reflected the candlelight as his hair tumbled down his refined back like a waterfall.

When he started to pull the drawstring of his pants, Bai Qian had known she had overstayed her welcome. If her fur could turn red, it did. She leapt out the door immediately.

"Hu Li, " Ye Hua called out innocently, "Where are you going?"

He didn't expect her to watch him bathe, right? Bai Qian hoped not. She just stood guard at the door instead. Bai Qian didn't expect Ye Hua to pick her up and bring her inside. She was pressed close to his bare chest, warmth spread to every inch of her body. Oh, dear. She struggled to jump out of his embrace.

"You're going to freeze out there," he cooed.

No, she was gonna burst into flame if she stayed in here.

Ye Hua put her down to the floor and locked the door behind her. Trapped, Bai Qian went and hid under the blanket. Ye Hua ignored her and continued to strip off his clothes. Bai Qian heard a splash as she covered her eyes with her tail. She resisted the urge to take a peek.

Not one glance. Bai Qian told herself. Not one glance.

Because deep down, she knew that with a single glimpse, Bai Qian would have signed her death warrant.

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Ye Hua's brother came to see him again. This time Zhao Chu just took Ye Hua's schematic without uttering a single thank you to his younger brother.

Honestly, Bai Qian had enough. If Ye Hua wasn't going to do anything, Bai Qian would. Inconspicuously, she followed Zhao Chu to the central courtyard. This was when she got a good look at that man.

Zhao Chu didn't have much resemblance to Ye Hua. If they walked in the street together, you wouldn't think that they were siblings. He was at least ten years older than him, which told her Zhao Chu had been bullying his brother since he was young.

A transformation and a simple disguise later, Bai Qian managed to eavesdrop on Zhao Chu's conversation with his father. Minister Zhao was in command of the department of development in the kingdom. They were in charge of construction roads, bridges, and government buildings in the nation. That would explain Ye Hua's job of going to construction sites every day to oversee them.

There was also another thing. For the past few years, Zhao Chu had been passing Ye Hua's design as his own. His father never knew of his talent, he had only thought of his second son as a brute. Therefore he sent Ye Hua to construction to do hard labour.

Now back to Ye Hua's room, Bai Qian saw that he was still working. He clearly enjoyed his work, he had a proud smile on his face every time he completed his designs. Bai Qian felt so unfair for him, a man like Ye Hua should deserve better. He shouldn't have to live in the back end of the manor, working like a slave for his brother. Ye Hua should get the recognition he deserved. For heaven's sake, Ye Hua used to be a deity.

Bai Qian waited until Ye Hua was sound asleep. She got out of bed and transformed. She had found a stamp bearing his name in a drawer the other day. Bai Qian rolled open the parchment paper. She couldn't find an ink pad, so she did the next best thing.

She summoned the fan and turned it into the sword. Using the blade, she made a small cut on her palm. Bai Qian bit down her lip to hide her pain. The blood trickled down the sharpness of the sword. She gathered the blood on a small dish and used it as an ink pad. Bai Qian stamped the name Zhao Ge on top of the paper. She had placed a spell to have the stamp to only appear when his father opened it.