An unexpected encounter for Maomao

The day was reaching its end, and the sky changing its grayish color to orange and red hues as the last rays of sunlight made their way through the clouds and the window of Jinshi's office. Not a single word was uttered while the aforementioned one was sitting there, bent over his desk and slaving away at the usual mountain of papers, with his aide Gaoshun standing behind him like he usually did. Jinshi was looking as gorgeous as always, staring with high concentration at the document lying in front of him which he was currently working on, and letting his brush slide over the paper. Like a heavenly nymph straight out of a legend… …a pale nymph with dark circles around the eyes that made him look as if he hadn't slept for days. Which wasn't exactly a lie. There was a deep line between Gaoshun's brows, a product of all the worry his young master was causing him. He had repeatedly warned Jinshi neither to slack off work, nor to overdo it, but did that stubborn young man listen to him? Of course not. He just refused to, wanting to get done as much as possible in order to have more free time afterward. Free time to spend around Maomao, without a doubt. Gaoshun sighed. He had already noticed quite some time ago just how much his master livened up every time he was near that girl. As if her presence alone would fill him up with some kind of special energy. Yes, there was no doubt that Jinshi couldn't live without her anymore. It was just that Gaoshun didn't know whether this was good or bad. The last sun rays finally left the room, and he lit the lamp. "Perhaps you should leave this for tomorrow and go to sleep, sir," he tried again. "You could commit mistakes if you cannot focus properly on what you are writing." "I'm fine," Jinshi objected, without averting his gaze from the document. "Just a bit more. I will be done soon." He finally looked up at his aide. "In fact, you can go to bed yourself. I will manage on my own." "But sir…" Jinshi waved his hand, as if shooing him away. "Just go. I will finish in a few minutes, anyway." Alright, so what other choices did Gaoshun have? "Very well." He took a brief bow and left the room, after having cast a last worried look at his master. But, oh well, the latter wasn't a child anymore, so he should be alright. Being left alone, Jinshi placed the brush on the table, let out something between a sigh and a yawn and rubbed his eyes, trying to gather all the strength he had still left in order to finish that dang paper. Oh, but he was indeed tired. So very tired… *** The entrance door of the now pitch-dark house opened silently, and a small shadow carefully tiptoed inside, trying to not make any unnecessary noise. After having looked around and made sure that no one had seen her, Maomao closed the door after herself and resumed her path to her room, hoping that no one had noticed her absence at such a late time. She had absolutely no desire to deal with a lecture, and Jinshi could get quite scary when he was really angry… not to mention Suiren… She didn't understand what their deal was, she had already gone out a couple of times at night when she couldn't sleep, and nothing had ever happened to her. This wasn't the pleasure district, after all. Somehow, the people here tended to act too overprotective towards her, and she had not the slightest idea why. It wasn't as if she had intended to stay out so late in the first place, only having needed one single plant for a concoction she was planning to make, but then she had spotted another medicinal herb growing nearby and then another and another, which had made her completely forget about time and come to her senses only when her basket was already full, and it was dark outside. Well, Maomao at collecting herbs was just like a child in a sweets shop, never able to control herself. Carrying that basket now on her back, she was sneaking through the hallway, in the hope that everyone was already asleep by now, so that she could get to her room without any incidents. And as it seemed, luck was on her side this time, for she didn't run into anyone on the way. As she was walking through the dark hallway, illuminated solely by the moon outside, she suddenly saw that there was light coming out of one of the rooms. The light of a lamp. And the room in question was Jinshi's office. "Is he still working at this time?" she wondered. "And after I told him over and over to take better care of his health." But, oh well, he was an adult, a grown man, after all, so he should be aware of the consequences of his actions. A little reprimand, however, wouldn't hurt, but that could wait until the next morning. It could, but she still stopped in front of the door, being attacked by a bad feeling. It was simply too quiet in there. Not a single sound was coming from that room, as if no one was there at all. Maybe Jinshi had gone to sleep after all, but forgotten to turn off the lamp. Things like these can happen when you are very tired. Maomao decided to check quickly. Just in case. She carefully opened the door and peeked inside. Yes, Jinshi had indeed gone to sleep. Just not in his bed. He was sitting there, with his upper body all over his desk, and fast asleep. The apothecary entered the room and approached him. "Geez, I had the feeling something like this was bound to happen one day," she thought, looking at him as if he were a pitiful worm drowned in a rain puddle. Too bad he wasn’t able to appreciate it right now. Her gaze wandered over all the papers piled up on his desk, and her features softened a bit. So he did have his own burden to carry, huh? And there she used to believe at the beginning that he had too much free time on his hands. "Getting so overworked is his own fault, though. Why does he hang around me every day instead of taking care of all these papers and then properly resting during the night? Just to slack off?" She honestly didn’t understand that man in the slightest. Letting out a sigh, she reached out to move his bangs out of his tired face, but stopped the moment she noticed that there were traces of soil and dirt from outside still lingering on her fingers and under her fingernails. Couldn't touch her superior with dirty hands, could she? So she took out a handkerchief first and wiped her hands before finally brushing his hair to the side with her fingers, making the dark rings under his eyes stay out even more. "I guess you are a hard worker, after all," she commented quietly. With almost nothing left from his usual attitude, he was looking just like an ordinary, tired young man in his sleep (aside from his unearthly beauty, of course). But however tired he might be, he had to wake up now, since she couldn't just let him spend the night sleeping on his desk, where he risked catching a cold or getting back pains. So she grabbed his shoulder and tried to shake him awake. He grimaced and groaned a bit, but didn't awaken. She shook him a bit harder. "Urgh… five more minutes…" he muttered and went back to sleep. Maomao snorted. What a pain! He was like a spoiled brat even while sleeping. Very well, then she had no other choice than to go look for Gaoshun in order to help her bring Jinshi to bed, who was way too heavy for her (and Suiren) to carry. And if she didn't manage to find the aide, she would head to her room and fetch a quite "pleasant-smelling" herb she was keeping behind her bed, wrapped in a cloth, and put it directly under his nose. That would wake him up for sure! The mere idea made her grin. She was already about to leave the room, but something made her stop: Jinshi had started to groan again in his sleep. "Maomao…" Her eyes widened in surprise, and she turned around to him. Hearing her name from his lips was a very rare thing. Usually, he just called her "you" or "apothecary", and then he was speaking about her to others "the girl". If he called her by her name, then the situation was serious. "Maomao… don't go… don't leave me…" Did he have a nightmare? Maomao noticed that his body was trembling slightly. Urgh! What was she supposed to do now? She put her basket with herbs on the ground and rushed back to him. As it looked like, her room would have to wait a bit longer for her. And his as well. He looked as if he was suffering, so without even thinking, she raised her left hand and placed it on his on the desk, wondering why he had called out to her of all people and not to Gaoshun or Suiren, which would have made more sense to her. But maybe it was just the fragrance of her herbs that he had perceived in his sleep and unconsciously associated with her. His fingers started to move and clasped around her small hand, holding it tight. Maomao didn't say anything. While trying to think what to do, she absentmindedly started rubbing his back in circular movements with her free hand through his long hair, just like her old man used to do it to her when she had been small and couldn't sleep well. She didn't really understand why she was doing it herself, since she wanted him to wake up and not relax, but nevertheless continued. Directing her gaze back to his face, she noticed that he was smiling now. Maomao thought how good it was that there was no one else in that room, since that gorgeous sight would have made a few sensitive people faint for sure. But Maomao was Maomao, so instead of swooning, she just sighed and continued rubbing. As annoying as this guy might be, he wasn't a bad person, and Maomao was neither, she didn't want him to suffer. She had to admit that she liked that smile, because it was genuine and very different from the fake one he was wearing around others. Which made her wonder how many people beside her might have seen his real smile at all. A handful at best, she assumed. Maomao honestly preferred him like that rather than his irritating usual self. Though she did think of him as a really good employer: he treated her well, always listened to what she had to say, asked her from time to time whether she needed something and also procured it if that was the case, and even gave her presents (she couldn't help but smile at the thought of the rare medicinal ingredients she had gotten from him). So she could consider herself lucky. And while she kept pondering about it, she suddenly felt that Jinshi had started to stir. So he was waking up at last. Maomao was relieved, for it saved her from a lot of trouble. She removed her hand from his back, however, wasn't able to free her other one. Jinshi groaned quietly and opened his eyes. He seemed to need a few moments to understand where he was. Without raising his head from his desk, looked up at her sleepily and muttered: "Huh? I must be really exhausted if I already started dreaming of her.” Then he closed his eyes again, threatening to fall back asleep. Well, Maomao wasn't going to let him! She was already about to open her mouth in order to say something, but then his eyes suddenly flew open once more, him staring incredulously at his hand that was still holding hers. After that, he sat up at last, and turned around, letting go of her hand, instead reaching out for her cheek, as if he needed further proof that he wasn't dreaming anymore. Finally, his eyes widened in realization, as he ran his fingers over her cheek softly. “You are really here.” But Maomao was having none of it. “This is what you get from working so late, Master Jinshi. I told you to take better care of yourself, didn't I? Please go to bed now.” Her eyes were telling him that she wouldn't take a no for an answer. He dedicated her a gaze she couldn't really decipher and picked up his brush again. "Uhm, Master Jinshi?” “Yes, what is it?” “What are you doing?” “Working.” She frowned and took the brush out of his hand. “I just told you to go to sleep. Didn't you hear me? You are in no condition to continue working.” "Hey! I need to get this done, these are important papers!" “Not as important as your health, Master Jinshi! These can wait until tomorrow.” Seeing that she didn't have the slightest intention of giving back his brush, he got up from his chair, facing her. They were glaring at each other, just like a couple of arguing kids. “No, the only thick-headed kid here is him,” Maomao thought. Compared to him, she was acting like a real, responsible adult. Well, most of the time. When it wasn't about rare medicinal ingredients. Because of their considerable height difference, it looked a bit like a scene from a comedy theater, as she crossed her arms, staring right into his eyes with a sour expression on her face. Jinshi, however, couldn't help remembering what she had done with Lady Lihua’s lady-in-waiting, when the consort had been gravely ill from the face powder. His dear little apothecary was usually obeying him, but concerning health and medicine, there was no point arguing with her. He had seen with his own eyes what she was capable of. And she might also tell Suiren. In the end, he finally gave up with a sigh. "Alright, you won." But suddenly, his gaze fell on the basket full of herbs that was standing by the door. "Oh? What do we have here?" He turned back to Maomao questioningly and noticed a few grass stains on her skirt. His lips curved into a grin. "I see." Maomao froze, the color draining from her face. Dang! She had been discovered, in the end! Now, she would be scolded herself! But to her surprise, Jinshi didn't scold her. Instead, he placed his hand on her shoulder, still grinning. "You should go to sleep as well." Maomao understood. It meant: "I won't tell Suiren about you picking herbs at night, if you won't tell her I fell asleep on my desk." The only thing she could do was nod. No one wanted to anger Suiren. And while she was heaving the basket on her back again, Jinshi went to fetch the lamp standing on his desk and left his office together with Maomao. Silently wondering why the muscles in his back didn't feel as stiff as before, when he finally headed to his room.