Feeling nervous, Corin closed the door behind her and looked at Jiang Ge lying on the bed.
Jiang Ge looked full of energy at the moment, not seeming sleepy in the slightest.
"Mr. Jiang Ge, I-I'm here to help you sleep..."
"Come on, come on."
Under Jiang Ge's smiling gaze, Corin walked over and sat down by his bedside. However, his stare was so intense that Corin, feeling somewhat embarrassed, turned her head away, unable to meet his eyes.
The atmosphere suddenly became a bit awkward.
"Ahem," Jiang Ge spoke first, breaking the silence, "Little Corin, you can start now."
"O-okay!" Hearing his words, Corin's body trembled slightly. Then, steeling herself, she turned back to face him, her cheeks flushed. "Please... close your eyes..."
"Close your eyes? This exciting!"
Jiang Ge's smile widened even more, and he closed his eyes full of anticipation. Immediately after, he felt Corin lean down, getting closer and closer to him. Finally, Jiang Ge could even hear Corin's rapid breathing, her exhales gently brushing against his ear.
Jiang Ge's body jolted. He never expected that little Corin was hiding something like this—
"Two, two tigers love to dance, little bunny be good..."
Huh?
Huh huh huh?
The intense confusion arising from the stark contrast with what he had anticipated caused Jiang Ge to freeze momentarily. By the time he snapped back to reality, little Corin had already finished singing the entire children's song right by his ear.
"Mr. Jiang Ge, are you asleep— Mr. Jiang Ge!?"
Her face flushed bright red, Corin pushed herself up and asked in a small voice.
...she asked softly. But when she saw that not only were Jiang Ge's eyes wide open, showing no sign of sleep, but his gaze towards her had also become utterly clear and lucid, she felt at a complete loss.
"Thank you, Corin. You sing very nicely," Jiang Ge said, sitting up while applauding. "You've made me realize what a scummy bastard I am."
"Mr. Jiang Ge, you shouldn't say such things about yourself..."
"It's fine, I'm just telling the truth. But Corin, you must know... I'm a normal adult man, right?"
"Y-yes?"
"Corin..." Jiang Ge started, then paused, then started again, finally sighing as if giving up on something. He rolled over onto his stomach on the bed. "Could I trouble you to give me a massage for a while? That will be enough."
"Of course, Mr. Jiang Ge!"
Massage is also a service provided by Victoria Housekeeping.
Massage is one of the services offered by Victoria Housekeeping, so Corin naturally wouldn't refuse. Moreover, for Corin, massaging was easier than lulling someone to sleep.
However, she wasn't foolish either; she could clearly see that Jiang Ge was obviously dissatisfied with the previous sleep service. According to Victoria Housekeeping's regulations, if a service fails to satisfy a guest, an apology is mandatory.
"Mr. Jiang Ge," Corin began, placing her hands on Jiang Ge's shoulders while apologizing somewhat timidly, "I'm truly sorry that I wasn't able to satisfy you earlier. It was my first time trying the sleep service, and I've only taken courses on serving babies. But I will try even harder next time, so..."
"Little Corin, I'm not angry, there's no need to be so afraid," Jiang Ge interrupted ber apology, comforting her with a smile. "Don't worry, I could never be angry with you."
"Really? Is that so?"
However, Corin's mood didn't improve as Jiang Ge had imagined; instead, it seemed to dampen further.
Jiang Ge glanced back at Corin and noticed her looking thoroughly dejected.
"What's wrong?"
"N-nothing. Corin just thinks... perhaps it would be better... to replace a clumsy maid like me..."
Corin's voice grew softer and even trembled slightly as she spoke. Hearing this, Jiang Ge didn't seem anxious; instead, he let out a soft chuckle.
"Little Corin, why would you think that?"
"Because, Mr. Jiang Ge... look, today I not only knocked over the teacup and stained your documents, but I also failed to satisfy you with the promised sleep service... and I've made so many mistakes before..."
"it's all right." Jiang Ge interrupted, not expecting Corin to criticize herself so harshly. "I won't initiative your dismissal. Unless it's because little Corin dislikes me and doesn't want to stay with me anymore, only then would I agree to let you leave. Other than that, I won't accept any other reason. So, does do you dislike me?"
"How could I possibly dislike Mr. Jiang Ge? You have always been so gentle with me. It's just... Corin completely doesn't understand what Mr. Jiang Ge is thinking. Whether during idle times, while cleaning the bookstore, or even during meals, Mr. Jiang Ge is always smiling and looking at Corin... And even when Corin makes mistakes, you don't get angry or scold me, but instead keep comforting me. Corin doesn't know if Mr. Jiang Ge is laughing at me."
Not expecting that she held such thoughts about him, Jiang Ge was somewhat surprised, but perhaps it was good to clear the air like this.
"Little Corin" Jiang Ge said with a gentle smile, "Although I'm always smiling when I look at you, I'm not laughing at you. There's also a reason why I don't get angry with you. Can you guess why?"
"Why is that?"
Corin tilted her head and asked, puzzled.
"That's because I'm a straightforward person. When it comes to people or things I like, I never hide my feelings, and I never get angry with them. It's that simple."
"So that's how it is... Huh?" Hearing Jiang Ge's reply, Corin finally began to feel reassured. However, after a moment, she processed his words fully. "A 'liked person'? Corin... Does Mr. Jiang Ge mean he likes Corin!?"
Corin face instantly turned into a red apple. Jiang Ge's words made her young mind short-circuit. As a result, she forgot she was still massaging him. Losing focus for a moment, she failed to control her strength, and a crisp sound came from Jiang Ge's back.
"M-Mr. Jiang Ge! Are you okay... Mr. Jiang Ge?"
Hearing the sound, Corin was startled and quickly asked about Jiang Ge's condition, but he didn't respond.
Then, flustered, Corin looked at Jiang Ge's face, only to find him wearing a content smile, his eyes closed, looking as peaceful as if he had fallen asleep.
...If only you could ignore the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Mr. Jiang Ge—!"
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A/n: While I am a new translator, I have a Patreon! While it may be a bit empty right now both this and the other book on my page has advanced chapters posted on patreon. Set up for my web novel will be 2 chapters for every book a day and if you go to my patreon you'll see the set up there.
patreon.com/deadlygoober