His Precious Gem

November 30, 20XX (Friday Night)

Zhao Manor

Zhao Yang stood in front of Mei Li's door again while deliberating whether he should knock and get his face full of cosmetics or avoid Mei Li like the plague so his virgin face would stay untouched.

Although his mind had conjured up an image of Mei Li's hand touching his face and putting moisturizers, spreading it on his face with those soft fingers of hers, or how her little fingers would scrub his lips and put some balm over it.

His knock had turned hesitant, "Mei Li, it's me!"

"Come in," her soft voice echoed out of the room.

Yang was fully prepared to converse Mei Li about putting on a face mask if it was just moisturizers be could probably bare the pain like a man.

"Mei Li, I really should not try the mask of dea-"

He stopped when he saw her.

She was standing in front of a long mirror wearing the most gorgeous sleek gown that framed her body's proportion in the best way possible. In the front, he noticed how conservative it was with a turtleneck stitched with crystals but her back... oh, her back, her glorious milky white skinned back was for all to see. Her long hair was pushed to one side on her left and half of it was braided from each side of her forehead and meeting in the back that was then braided together with the rest and had a simple brown tie that could easily blend with the color of her hair

"Yang, can you pass me that black box on the bed?" Mei Li asked but Yang still stared at her without any response.

Yang noticed how she had lacked any jewelry on her body. He personally thinks that her eyes were the best jewels in the world that she is always wearing. His eyes scanned at how the dress ended just right above the floor; not touching it with a train but close enough to tease him with her little toes peeking out. Her arms were completely covered making him nod in approval at least her back was the only problem that could cause him to ache.

His eyes widen when Mei Li strode to his side making a slit in front of her dress known. Why did she have to attend the banquet?

He started thinking of ways to make her stay in the room so he could be the only one to see her.

"Yang?"

Seeing him this unresponsive, Mei Li took this chance to sit him in the nearest location possible which was her bed. She trapped Yang with her legs to stop him from moving, not thinking of how provocative her actions were as her mind focused on the task Mother Zhao had set on her.

She wiped his face hurriedly with a clean and damp towel. She took a strawberry flavored face mask and put it in his face with practiced ease.

Feeling the cold mask on his face, Yang woke up from his stupor and glared hard at Mei Li. It seems that he wasn't the only opportunist in the room. It was the first he had seen Mei Li act sneaky.

He was too busy observing her that he had ignored all incoming information out from his registering in his brain. She was dangerous that way. She was the biggest distraction he had ever encountered in all his life.

"Take it off." Yang moved to take the mask off with his left hand as the right was held by Mei Li's left. He was too pissed off with the mask on his face to realize that Mei Li was practically straddling him and was inches close to seating on his lap.

"No, let it sit there for at least five minutes." Mei Li clumsily grip his left hand to stop him.

Because of how clumsy she was, she instead gripped Yang's pinky finger making the man wince in pain with a soft, "Aw."

Mei Li sat horrified at her actions. She had not planned to hurt Yang. Force him to use the face mask, moisturizer, and lip balm, yes, but not hurt him. Never to hurt him.

She quickly let go and started examining his pinky fingers if it had become swollen and still unaware that her body was now completely seated on Yang's lap. Her weight was now completely on Yang's body causing him to freeze his struggle with the 'mask of death.'

Zhao Yang cursed the fates back to where it came. His eyes become clouded with concealed emotions as the lock of curly hairs framed her face had teased him when it bounces on her breasts and the slit on the front of her dress showed a bit of skin teasing him to upskirt her.

He groaned without restraint as he growled out the words like a hungry man, "Woman, you win. I won't take the mask of death off but please don't straddle me in your bed of all places because there is still an hour left for the party and that's more than enough to take you all the way."

When the woman had finally noticed where she was seated, she scrambled back and stood nervously at his side.

They both freeze; she was embarrassed and he was in disbelief. If he allows her to put a face mask on his face every day would she sit on his lap like that too?

To him, she wasn't just the best distraction, she was also the best torture. He had not expected the day where he would enjoy being tortured but, damn, if the torturer was her, he'll offer himself in a silver platter any day!

He notices the black velvet box on the bed beside him. Curiously, he opened it and found a set jewelry that looked very expensive.

"Was this given by mom?" Yang asked her to break the silence that they were in.

Mei Li controlled the giggles that were threatening to come out because of Yang's serious face in beneath the white mask. She shook her head before replying, "Aunt Qinyang shove it into my hands and told me that she had taken it out to especially thank me for giving her the recipe for the smoothie."

"She must have liked that smoothie a lot." Yang covered up Aunt Qinyang's sloppy actions. This jewelry was too expensive to be gifted just because of a smoothie. This jewelry set probably belonged to Mei Li's Mother.

Yang kept the box in his hands, having the greatest plot in his mind ready to be executed.

When Mei Li had to bend down to take off the mask on his face and had begun fanning his face dry, Yang sneakily took the diamond earrings shaped like a dangling teardrop out and put each one in his hands.

When Mei Li starts putting on moisturizer in his face, his hands also began to put the earnings on her ears.

Mei Li was surprised but the giggles that left her mouth had prevailed. Although her embarrassment was winning all over other emotions as her face flushed red.

It was such a romantic gesture, she realized.

She was taking care of him as he was adding finishing touches on her.

She had not encountered such intimate moments that made her heart so erratic this much. Her past relationship with Chen Zhong was nervous and have embarrassing moments too but Yang had a way of making her like she was the only woman in the world.

No.

Yang had a way of making her feel as if she was the only woman that matters when he was surrounded by even prettier ones. That fact alone made Yang so much better than Chen Zhong would ever be.

Had she finally died from a heart attack? why? Because this man just made her feel as if she was in heaven.

She had hesitated when she had taken out a strawberry flavored lip scrub. Yang took it from her hands while saying, "Let me do this because if you touch my lips in that dress. I can't promise your safety with me."

Mei Li's heart skipped another beat. She bit her red coated lips as her eyes looked down on the floor with ears red.

"Just instruct me what to do." Yang smiled at her. He was so close yet still so far. He knew his close contact is affecting her but she was still so shy from his touch.

There will come a time when she will consciously initiate touches for him to return. For now, he will settle for coincidences and 'accidents' that his mother had prepared for him.

'Baby steps, Zhao Yang.' He told himself.

Yang realizes that was going to be his motto for a while.