“The young master went with Steward He to collect…”
002
The Li family held some serious clout in the world of Mary Sue novels.
According to the game’s settings, the standalone manor where the wealthy male protagonist, Li Zhanbei, lived was already extremely luxurious, the kind of place so opulent that a real estate agent filming it would lose track of a client even if they chased them for half a mile just to tour the mega-mansion.
The architecture of the Li family’s ancestral estate surpassed even that.
He Xingluo felt as though his corpse was being baked back to life by the sun, yet the front gates of the Li estate still hadn’t fully opened because the gates were simply too massive, taking ages just to swing wide.
Before today, He Xingluo never imagined anyone could face such a ridiculous problem in this lifetime. Was this reasonable? Was this remotely reasonable? As the gates slowly parted, the luxury of the sprawling estate began to reveal the tip of its iceberg.
The situation suddenly turned awkward.
He Xingluo exchanged blank stares with the veteran Li family steward who had rushed out to meet them. What was happening? Did they need to perform some kind of handover ceremony, like handing the young master over to him?
He Xingluo glanced backward in confusion, eyeing the backseat door of the car. He began to wonder if a steward’s job description included opening car doors for the young master.
God help him, he didn’t want to do it.
If he opened it this once, would he have to do it every single time from now on? No way, absolutely not.
He Xingluo quickly looked away, pretending he knew nothing, and stared straight ahead with a grave expression. He maintained this pose for a full ten seconds.
The veteran steward of the Li residence broke first, asking in confusion, “Xiao He, why aren’t you getting out? The young master is waiting for you.”
He Xingluo: “…”
Only then did He Xingluo realize that Li Zhanbei hadn’t stepped out of the car, not because nobody opened the door for him, but because it was impossible to walk all the way in. They had to keep driving inside.
He Xingluo’s eyes flashed with a hint of panic, but he kept his composure. Amidst his fluster, he didn’t even forget to nod politely at the security guard before hastily opening the car door.
Back inside the car, the driver asked him, “Steward He, why did you get out just now?”
He Xingluo: “…”
Please, just don’t ask.
While his own poverty certainly made him sad, his employer’s wealth made him feel even more deeply unsettled. In all his past life experiences, the most extravagant display of wealth he had ever witnessed was a private elevator opening directly into an apartment. He had never even imagined how ultra-wealthy people returned home.
He just wanted to lie quietly and grow some post-mortem lividity.
A few minutes later, they finally reached the drop-off point.
The wealthy male protagonist, Li Zhanbei, surrounded like the stars flanking the moon, finally appeared before everyone, and He Xingluo looked over stealthily.
Li Zhanbei’s height was quite striking, standing tall enough that He Xingluo had to tilt his chin up just to see his face clearly.
If judged purely by his appearance, Young Master Li was undeniably flawless from his brow bones down to his jawline. Yet, he carried an innate aura of aloof nobility, as if he had been hermetically sealed off from the rest of the world.
How strange, He Xingluo thought as he looked away, why does this young master look so gloomy?
That thought flashed through his mind and vanished instantly. A working stiff never feels empathy for a capitalist. As for Li Zhanbei’s excessively handsome face, it was completely worthless to him, after all, who genuinely appreciates their boss’s face?
Unless they are paying overtime!
He Xingluo was much more concerned with something else.
With a probing look, he observed closely and discovered that the eldest young master actually opened his own car door. He suddenly understood the feelings of hardcore celebrity fans, experiencing a genuine wave of miraculous wonder akin to thinking that his idol actually knew how to blink on his own.
Working really is the most toxic thing in the world.
He was even starting to hallucinate.
“Steward He, I love coming to the ancestral estate!” The driver sidled up to share his working sentiment, adding that the staff meals there were the absolute best.
He Xingluo’s interest was piqued. “How good are they? Tell me the details.”
The driver gave an honest smile and held up two fingers. “On days like today, the standard budget for a staff meal is one hundred and twenty yuan!”
He Xingluo: “.”
How should he put it? The atmosphere had been built up so nicely.
Did a 120-yuan boxed meal somehow make this wealthy household seem a little less high-class?
On second thought, though, even though he used to work at a major tech company, he often felt disappointed when ordering takeout because the spending thresholds for discount coupons were too high to meet. Looked at that way, this 120-yuan boxed meal was definitely worth eating.
He Xingluo asked, “Where do we pick up the boxed meals?”
He Xingluo heard no reply.
He Xingluo raised his head in confusion, only to find the young master looking right at them. The young master must have heard every single word of his conversation with the driver.
After all, the young master wasn’t deaf.
He Xingluo couldn’t care less. After all, his poverty was an objective fact, and he truly had never eaten a 120-yuan boxed meal before. The driver clearly lacked such mental fortitude, declaring on the spot that he was feeling carsick and needed to go back to the car to rest for a moment because he didn’t want to eat right now.
He Xingluo: “…”
But he didn’t know his way around.
Li Zhanbei didn’t seem to take the matter to heart, saying with an unchanged expression, “My grandfather wants to talk to me for a bit. I’ll head over first.”
He Xingluo nodded, but thought the young master was acting very strange.
Why would Li Zhanbei proactively report his schedule? Didn’t this type of eldest young master usually play up the mystery?
This puzzle lasted less than a second in his mind before being replaced by another annoyance. The driver had bolted, so where was he supposed to pick up his boxed meal? He genuinely didn’t know the way.
Still, for the sake of food, he could briefly transform into an extrovert.
So, just as Li Zhanbei raised his foot to leave, he heard his steward ask brightly and cheerfully, “Hey buddy, do you know where they hand out the boxed meals?”
Li Zhanbei: “…”
Li Zhanbei shouldn’t have been delayed here in the first place, as these trivial matters weren’t worth his energy. Yet, against all odds, he turned around and said, “Steward He, should I show you the way?”
He Xingluo was shocked on the spot. Why hasn’t the young master left yet?
He Xingluo choked up internally. He could almost vividly picture the conversation between the current head of the Li family, Old Master Li, and the veteran steward:
“Has the young master arrived?”
“The young master has arrived, but…” Here, they had to pause with meaningful hesitation.
“Hm?”
“The young master went with Steward He to get boxed meals!”
“…”
“Young master, would you mind reconsidering?” He Xingluo urged persistently as he followed behind him. “Young master, a 120-yuan boxed meal is unworthy of your noble status, young master!”
He repeated this three times.
Steward He was just that dedicated.
Li Zhanbei actually paused for a full second to reflect on why on earth he was wasting his time here, then turned around to cut through the magic by telling him to take a right at the front intersection and go ahead.
The steward instantly beamed with joy. “Alright, take your time, young master.”
You’ve got to be kidding.
Who would ever want to eat with their boss?
This was just a 120-yuan boxed meal, not a 12,000-yuan seafood feast, so it wasn’t worth He Xingluo paying such a steep price.
Li Zhanbei: “…”
What on earth was this feeling of getting snubbed?
Banhua Novels, infinite joy.