Chapter 54: Wanting to be Needed
So it was true—Xinran’s latent emotions were amplified…
I also sensed that Xinran’s attitude had somehow become strange, but what exactly were her amplified emotions?
“Lianbing, do you know what’s wrong with Xinran?”
“Hm? Master, can’t you tell?”
“If I could tell, why would I be asking you…”
“Hehehe, that’s true. But… while I’d love to tell you, at this stage, I can’t really explain it. After all, some things aren’t as simple as they seem, right?”
“…That’s indeed true.
Women are very good at hiding their inner feelings and thoughts, which is why they give off an unfathomable impression.
They’re fickle and changeable, with delicate and complicated emotions. It’s not that it’s inherently bad, but sometimes I really can’t understand what they’re thinking.
That’s probably why I like the simple, almost foolish Li Nai…
“Alright, you’re dressed now. Please go downstairs for your meal.”
“Whoa! When did that happen!”
I didn’t even notice! She dressed me so quickly, without me having to cooperate at all. How did she even get my pants on?
Was this some secret art of the Head Maid? I suddenly felt the need to learn this skill, it could be useful in all sorts of unexpected situations. After being dressed, Lianbing and I returned downstairs. Xinran was there, heating up curry. I thought to myself that this simple task was mine to do, and walked towards the kitchen counter.
But before I could say anything, Xinran spoke to me first.
“I’ll do it.”
“Hey, it’s just heating curry, a small thing, I myse-lf… ”
“Leave it to me.”
Yes! This was that stubbornly assertive attitude in strange places!
Why on earth! What was worth arguing about? What was her mood?
Did she feel like her work was being snatched away? Was her sense of belonging amplified? Or her sense of responsibility? Speaking of which, were those two considered emotions? If so, they were indeed within the range of potentially being amplified.
But if this was the latent emotion, it was a bit strange…
Just as I was contemplating whether to say something more to Xinran to probe her current psychological state, Lianbing emerged from behind me with a gentle smile.
“Heh, then I’ll trouble you, Younger Sister Xinran.”
…Lianbing, why did you just go along with her so easily?
I shot her a look conveying that question, and received a cold glance back: ‘Please don’t do anything unnecessary right now.’
I just wanted to gather more useful information…
Pulled back to the living room sofa by Lianbing, she sat next to me, her shoulder brushing mine. She turned her head and whispered into my ear.
“For now, let’s just go along with Younger Sister Xinran’s wishes. That way, we can more objectively understand what emotion is being amplified.”
“Is… that so…”
Her breath tickled me… And she was leaning in close again… Did Lianbing not notice? Or was she doing it on purpose?
“Heh, what do you think?”
So, it was on purpose!
Even at a time like this, she could still tease me. This kind of composed attitude, was it her innate kingly demeanor!
I even felt it was a shame Lianbing was a girl. If she were a boy, she would definitely be that kind of domineering villain protagonist who could crush the “Dragon King” types.
That said, I was glad Lianbing was a girl—
Speaking of which, she no longer seemed to mind physical contact with me. Had she truly succeeded in changing her latent emotions?
“Lianbing, have you successfully changed your latent emotions?”
“While I’d love to tell you it’s fine now, unfortunately, it’s a bit more difficult than I imagined. In reality, I’m currently desperately suppressing the ‘maid dominates master’ mentality.” *Ding*
“Although I really want to change this uncomfortable feeling as soon as possible, it’s not something that can be achieved overnight.”
Lianbing blew a puff of air, moved away from my ear, and stood up, reaching out her hand to me.
“There are still over twenty days left. I will change during this period, so please guide me, Master.”
“Ah, I look forward to that day.”
I believe in Lianbing. She can do it. Holding Lianbing’s hand, she pulled me up. Xinran had already finished heating the curry and even served it on the table.
She probably didn’t interrupt us because she saw us talking. Even seeing me and Lianbing so close, Xinran didn’t seem to react much. It seemed the amplified emotion wasn’t affection…
No, what was I even expecting!
Shaking my head, I sat down at the dining table. As I picked up my spoon, I noticed Lianbing and Xinran both watching me. I felt a bit awkward and asked them,
“It seems a bit strange for me to eat alone… Aren’t you two eating?”
“We’ve already had dinner.”
“But what time is it? Let me see, it’s 3:30. It’s not that long until morning, is it?”
“There’s no need. Besides, there’s only enough curry for one person. Juncheng, you just eat it.”
“…Alright then.”
Thinking about how Lianbing said it was better to go along with Xinran’s wishes for now, I didn’t say anything more. Under their watchful eyes, I picked up my spoon. I took a bite and chewed. The intense heat made my tongue feel like it was melting, my entire mouth was pierced… This taste… it was spicy! Ahhhhhh!
“Pfft! Wait, water!”
Gyaaaaaaah! This spiciness was off the charts! Damn it, how much spicy stuff did you add!
And what kind of magic was this? It didn’t look that red, and I couldn’t smell the spiciness!
What was Xinran doing? If it was just heating curry, she wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake. So, was this intentional? Did Xinran start to hate me like Lianbing did, and that’s why she’s doing this to me?
“Gya! Gyaaaah! Waoooooh!”
I couldn’t even speak properly now. My mouth didn’t feel like my own. Oh god, water! No, water probably won’t help! Give me ice!
“Here, have some milk. it’s chilled in the refrigerator, and I’ve added ice cubes too.”
“Oh! Hiss!”
It was prepared so thoughtfully! I quickly took the milk and took a big gulp, finally managing to recover slightly. But my mouth still burned with spiciness. What was going on…
Huh? She intentionally made super spicy curry to mess with me, and then prepared the life-saving iced milk? Was this a ‘slap first, then offer a candy’ kind of move?
“I say, Xinran, this is way too spicy. I can’t eat it at all.”
“Indeed. I’ll eat this one then. Juncheng, you eat this one.”
“But you said there was only one serving prepared!”
She just lied to me about only heating one serving! She was just trying to trick me!
However, after receiving the curry from Xinran for the second time, I didn’t dare to take a bite lightly. I couldn’t tell from its appearance whether this curry was spicy or not.
“Don’t worry, this one isn’t spicy.”
“Oh…”
Did Xinran just smile? It was rare to see her smile so naturally…
After dinner, I didn’t return to my room but came to the living room sofa and turned on the TV.
“It’s not good to sleep right after eating. Besides, it’s not that long until morning, so I might as well stay up. You, on the other hand, should go get some sleep.”
“Okay…”
The post-dinner rest period… wasn’t as smooth as I’d imagined.
You might ask why? The problem still lay with Xinran. About five minutes after I turned on the TV, Xinran asked me.
“Would you like some coffee?”
“Hm? Oh, I’ll have a cup then.”
“Okay. Would you like sugar?”
“Sure.”
“Milk?”
“Uh, whatever you think is best.”
About five minutes after finishing the coffee, I just yawned, and Xinran asked again.
“Then let’s sleep. I’ll sing you a lullaby.”
“Uh, uh? No, that’s okay.”
“I can give you a knee pillow.”
*Book SF*
…
*S-shaped*
*SE-style*
What, wait, I’m being forced into a knee pillow! What is this pace? I can’t quite adapt to this!
“Oh, right. Do you want to take a bath? I’ll draw you a bath.”
“Uh, Xinran!”
“You don’t need to thank me. This is all part of my duty.”
“Did I help?”
“…Ah… Ah, yes, you… you did help…”
“Mm, that’s good then.”
She went to draw the bath…
I couldn’t even stop her…
What is this situation? She’s become too enthusiastic! She’s practically serving me wholeheartedly…
Lianbing, who had been silent, suddenly chuckled and said.
“Hehehe, now we can be sure.”
“This is quite interesting. So it could be a more specific emotion after all… The amplified emotion is ‘wanting to be needed.'”
“‘Wanting to be needed’?”
“Yes, although there’s something deeper implied within it…”
“‘Deeper’?”
“…Hehehe. Master, you are sometimes very sharp, but at other times, you’re so dull it makes one want to laugh.”
“However, during the time I am your maid, Master… Hehehe. Xinran must really dislike me right now. Perhaps she’ll try to eliminate me secretly?”
“That’s not necessarily true. Since I was the first to fall victim, I analyzed my own emotions much earlier… The amplification doesn’t stop. Latent emotions will continue to be amplified, eventually occupying the entire mind, and may even shake one’s sanity. Therefore, I have already… rationalized.”
“That sounds amazing…”
“Hehehe, aren’t you the same, Master?”
I pointed to myself, feeling a bit bewildered. Lianbing, however, said, *Mi*
“Yes, you and… are realists consumed by rational monsters, aren’t you? Hehehe~.”
