Chapter 10: A Maid’s Inspiration and a Friend’s Fury

After returning home, perhaps because she had gained so much inspiration that day, Ye Qing found herself with a rare, proactive desire to draw.

Opening her drawing tablet, Ye Qing found that for some inexplicable reason, as she gazed at the blank canvas, the image of herself from the mirror earlier that day kept flashing before her eyes.

‘Forgive me,’ she mused. ‘I’m simply too cute… or rather, too lewd.’

Ye Qing remained silent for a moment, not rushing to put pen to paper. Instead, she first logged into a certain blue illustration social network using her account, ‘Qingyu’.

Before she had become a maiden, Ye Qing’s sense of shame had been as faint as her desires.

Consequently, her ‘Qingyu’ account on the illustration site had always adopted a ‘fake aloof’ persona, calmly uttering outrageous remarks that would make others blush.

Someone had once quipped about her: “I’ve always suspected Big Shot Qingyu is secretly a foreigner. Otherwise, I can’t fathom how she conjures such inspirations without the aid of hallucinogens.”

No one, however, ever suspected her of alcoholism. When she described her inspirations, her logic was invariably clear and her arguments well-structured, leaving people to realize what they had witnessed only after it was too late.

Ye Qing’s usual response to such evaluations was merely a simple interjection.

“Oh.”

Ye Qing genuinely believed her ideas were quite ordinary.

They simply involved drawing extensively from existing inspirations, then merging disparate elements and combining them in a rational manner.

[Would it be a good idea to have a constantly crude troll warm the bed of a magical girl?]

[Gah! It’s Sister Qingyu! Everyone retreat!]

Ye Qing sighed helplessly, abandoning any further attempts at explanation.

At this point, being called “sister” made little difference. Still, she wished she had chosen a more masculine name from the start.

Finding inspiration from her fans proved somewhat difficult; after all, it was impossible to please everyone. Perhaps guidance from a professional would yield more incisive results.

With that thought, she opened her follower list and sought out the friend with whom she most frequently exchanged ideas: Xiao Conan.

[Excuse me, I’m thinking of drawing black-haired maids recently. Do you have any recommended inspirations?]

Not long after the message was sent, the other party’s pink-haired loli avatar lit up.

Yet, she seemed to pause for a considerable time, carefully weighing her words before typing out a single sentence.

– Xiao Conan: Black-haired maids? It’s rare for you to take an interest in something so mainstream. Have you finally decided to become human?

– Qingyu: My art has always catered to popular tastes.

– Xiao Conan: 😨, How come I never knew that?

Ye Qing took a deep breath before placing her hands back on the keyboard.

‘How rude!’

– Qingyu: At least this time it is.

– Xiao Conan: Well, that makes things easy. I suggest you go straight to my homepage; I’ve specifically drawn a ‘Master-Servant Cuddles’ series.

– Qingyu: Cuddles? That sounds troublesome. Why not just do it directly?

This time, the other party hesitated for an even longer period.

– Xiao Conan: Only you would say that. Anyway, I just mentioned it, the specifics are up to you.

– Xiao Conan: Speaking of which, why are you suddenly interested in these things? Not just maids, but even specifying hair color. Could it be that you…😋

Ye Qing resolutely ignored the last sentence and clicked into Xiao Conan’s homepage.

As numerous intricate illustrations popped up, Ye Qing merely glanced over them, quickly navigating to the content related to masters and servants.

The cover depicted a petite black-haired maid, softly seated on the ground. A chained collar adorned her neck, with the other end of the chain extending behind her.

Yet, the maid, despite her restricted freedom, did not show a pitiable tear-stained face. Instead, her cheeks were flushed pink, her eyes sparkled with affection, and she nuzzled intimately against her master’s delicate palm.

Numerous pink strands of hair also cascaded into the frame, seemingly indicating that the other protagonist was an equally adorable pink-haired noble girl.

Upon seeing this, Ye Qing had an epiphany.

‘So, it’s a story with two female leads,’ she realized.

With that thought, Ye Qing began her study, a faint sense of anticipation stirring within her.

***

Half an hour later.

Ye Qing finished her ‘study’ and closed the window, her expression utterly blank.

‘Dull and tasteless.’

Throughout the entire series, the two girls merely ‘cuddled’ and clung to each other, fully clothed as if afraid of revealing any personal privacy. While the girls’ innocent affection was sweet, Ye Qing typically skipped the plot.

– Qingyu: Why aren’t they doing anything?

Seemingly struck dumbfounded, the other party first sent an emoji, and only after a long pause did she slowly begin to type.

– Xiao Conan: 😨

– Xiao Conan: First of all, this is an all-ages work.

– Xiao Conan: And don’t you think such an entangled romance is incredibly sweet and alluring?

– Xiao Conan: The forbidden love between master and servant, with its sense of immorality from transgression and the shame of unavoidable submission—it’s truly a masterpiece!

– Qingyu: Oh, so they’re lovers.

‘So they were lovers…’

In a women’s dormitory at Jizhou University, a pink-haired girl lying on her bed, scrolling on her phone, suddenly thrashed like a dolphin, angrily slamming her phone onto the mattress.

– Xiao Conan: What do you mean “so they’re lovers”? What exactly have you been watching them as all this time😡?

– Qingyu: I don’t know.

‘Doesn’t know?’

The pink-haired girl gritted her teeth in frustration, wishing she could grab the other’s ear and tell her, ‘This is yuri!’

Then, almost losing her mind, she quickly typed out her address.

– Xiao Conan: You! Get over to Jizhou University, Dorm 8, Room 201! I’ll tell you exactly what this is right now!

Ye Qing’s delicate brows furrowed slightly.

‘She seems angry?’

Gazing at the rather ominous address, Ye Qing inexplicably felt a pang of guilt.

‘Such a coincidence?’

– Qingyu: I was wrong.

Regardless, it was always best not to argue with an enraged girl. Apologizing first was the correct approach.

This time, however, not only did it fail to work, but it made the situation even worse.

– Xiao Conan: It’s fine, you’re not wrong. I’ll satisfy your request right now and guarantee that little maid cries out.

‘Skip the plot and go straight to the CGs? You blockhead, you lewd little demon… Tomorrow, I’m starting a fanfic about Qingyu’s defeat!’

Ye Qing stared blankly at the barrage of emojis the other party sent.

‘I was too arrogant. Socializing truly is too difficult.’

With a sigh of resignation, Ye Qing switched back to her drawing tablet, pondering where to begin her strokes.

Despite criticizing Xiao Conan’s illustrations as dull and tasteless, Ye Qing found herself unconsciously recalling the intimacy between the maid and the pink-haired noble girl.

They would softly whisper each other’s names into their ears, occasionally reverting to their master-servant roles, displaying dominance alongside a teasing reluctance.

After Xiao Conan’s emphatic declaration that their relationship was romantic, Ye Qing found herself utterly unable to view those scenes with the calm detachment she once had.

Her breathing subtly quickened, her cheeks grew warm, and the palm holding her drawing pen gradually became damp.

‘What a novel, utterly novel sensation,’ she thought. ‘What will they do next?’

‘Kiss, push down, and then…’

Ye Qing had to drink a glass of ice water, settling her turbulent emotions once more.

‘I’ve been so conflicted lately,’ she mused. ‘Is this what they call the delicate inner world of women? It doesn’t seem so bad.’

The sensation of her heart pounding, her cheeks burning, and a mortifying flush of shame…

Ye Qing found her starting point, skillfully outlining a smooth, flowing arc.

She began to create silver-gray items.