999 looked confused.
【Boss, when did that happen? How come I didn’t know about it?】
【The day he came home drunk. When I was putting away his clothes, I noticed they smelled like perfume, so I got curious and took a sniff to figure out what kind it was. I only smelled it once. I definitely don’t have any weird fetish.】
How could she have known Song Yan would see her?
999 was still puzzled.
【But why did you want to know what perfume it was? Did you like the scent?】
【I was thinking that since he doesn’t dislike that perfume, maybe I should try wearing it too. If I could charm him with it, it’d be much easier to take advantage of him, but I never got around to buying it.】
Not only had she been caught, but now everyone knew about it.
If she had known this would happen, she would have secretly sniffed it inside the room.
999 felt deeply sympathetic.
【Boss, you’re really unlucky. Who would’ve thought someone would actually see that?】
Shen Nuan thought she was pretty unlucky too.
“Shen Nuan, don’t even think about denying it. Xiao You and I both saw you. Xiao You, didn’t we?”
Song Yan left her no chance to argue.
Xiao You was terrified and did not dare lie. She honestly nodded.
With a witness standing there and Fu Shijing staring directly at her, Shen Nuan could not deny it, but she also could not admit she had only been smelling the perfume.
【I… saw some lint on the clothes. I leaned in to look more closely while removing it. I wasn’t deliberately smelling them,】 she explained awkwardly.
Fu Shijing raised an eyebrow and quietly watched her.
Song Yan had no intention of letting her off the hook.
“You’re making excuses. You smelled Sir’s clothes because you wanted to become Sir’s woman.”
“I didn’t.”
She truly hadn’t.
She had only wanted to take a little advantage of him and earn some money.
But no one believed her, and Song Yan became even more aggressive.
“You already admitted you like Sir just now. Isn’t that true? We all heard it.”
999 fumed.
【She’s doing this on purpose just to embarrass you. I never realized she was such an unfriendly person.】
【You never truly know someone’s heart just by looking at them.】
Shen Nuan gently bit her lip before admitting it once more.
【I do like Sir, and I’ve liked him for a very long time.】
Everyone exchanged glances.
Quite a few of them secretly broke into a cold sweat for Shen Nuan.
Admitting it in front of Butler Zhou was one thing.
Confessing her feelings right in front of Sir himself was another entirely.
The consequences would be unimaginable.
Having rushed over after hearing the news, Aunt Wang stood frozen in shock.
She had known a little about Shen Nuan’s feelings, but she had never imagined they ran this deep.
Butler Zhou secretly observed Fu Shijing’s expression.
Seeing not the slightest trace of anger, the huge weight on his heart finally eased.
Fu Shijing knew he should respond to her feelings.
But he had planned to announce it to everyone only after they officially became a couple and at an appropriate time, not like this, when he was being forced into it.
“Nuan Nuan, come to my room.”
With that, the man calmly turned and left.
“Yes, Sir.”
Shen Nuan’s mind was completely occupied with worrying about how to answer his questions later, so she failed to notice that he had changed the way he addressed her.
Song Yan was too pleased by Shen Nuan’s confession to notice either.
Only Butler Zhou heard it loud and clear.
Sir’s way of addressing her had become unmistakably intimate.
“What are you all standing around for? Get back to work.”
Under Butler Zhou’s scolding, no one dared linger, and everyone quickly returned to their duties.
Taking advantage of Butler Zhou’s distraction, Song Yan smugly walked over to Shen Nuan.
She did not dare openly gloat, so she lowered her voice just enough for Shen Nuan to hear.
“You actually thought you were someone special? Stop flattering yourself. Sir must be furious. He’s definitely about to throw you out.”
Shen Nuan did not give her a pleasant expression.
“Even if I do get thrown out, at least Sir now knows how I feel. As for you, you’re nothing more than a petty person who slanders others behind their backs.”
After firing back, Shen Nuan ignored her completely and headed upstairs.
Song Yan’s mouth twisted in anger. Catching Butler Zhou looking in her direction, she hurriedly wiped the smug look off her face.
Although she was dissatisfied that he had protected Shen Nuan, she still worked under Butler Zhou.
If she offended him, life at the villa would become miserable.
Thinking of that, Song Yan forced a flattering smile.
“Butler Zhou, I really didn’t notice Sir had come back earlier. I wasn’t intentionally speaking so loudly.”
Did she think he was blind?
Butler Zhou shot her a sideways glance.
“Whether you did it intentionally or not isn’t important. All your performance bonuses are being deducted. That’s only temporary. Whether you stay or leave isn’t for me to decide.”
Butler Zhou knew perfectly well that in this villa, anyone could be offended except Shen Nuan.
Yet Song Yan had stubbornly brought trouble upon herself.
“Why?”
Song Yan’s face turned deathly pale.
She had clearly done nothing wrong.
Why was she being treated like this?
“There are some things that aren’t your place to comment on. Now get back to work.”
Butler Zhou had never seen someone so foolish.
He was well aware of the scheming and petty conflicts among the servants. As long as they remained small, he could turn a blind eye.
But this was no longer just harmless gossip.
Seeing that Butler Zhou refused to pay her any further attention, Song Yan became increasingly resentful.
Because of Shen Nuan, he was deliberately targeting her.
Who knew what improper relationship the two of them might have?
“Song Yan, let’s go. Butler Zhou is still angry. We can ask him again later,” Xiao You kindly advised.
Song Yan was nearly furious enough to explode.
From now on, Butler Zhou would definitely treat her differently.
She was not stupid enough to simply wait.
If she had to leave, she would drag Shen Nuan down with her.
Meanwhile, Shen Nuan stopped outside the master bedroom and considered how she should handle the situation.
She had knowingly broken the villa’s rules.
999 quickly offered an idea.
【Boss, why don’t you act pitiful? Maybe the male lead will soften.】
【I’ll definitely play the pity card. If that doesn’t work, I’ll just keep shamelessly begging him.】
【I agree.】
After deciding on her strategy, Shen Nuan knocked before entering.
Fu Shijing was sitting on the sofa, his long legs especially eye-catching.
She slowly walked over, lowered her head, and voluntarily admitted her mistake.
“Sir, I was wrong.”
Rules were rigid.
People were not.
Fu Shijing did not care about her intentions.
From the very beginning, he had known she had ulterior motives.
Especially after falling in love with her, he was instead grateful that he had not missed his chance with her.
Still, he was curious how she would explain herself.
“What were you wrong about?”
She sniffled softly.
The real mistake was that her life had been too short.
She had transmigrated into this novel and become the short lived supporting female character, forcing her to act like a lovestruck pursuer just to survive.
But she could never tell him that.
“I was wrong for having improper thoughts about you, for coveting you. I wanted to earn money, but I also wanted your attention. I wanted both…” Shen Nuan answered honestly and sincerely.
【Ding~, three hundred thousand yuan has been credited to the system account.】
She spoke so many heartfelt confessions that the corners of Fu Shijing’s lips rose higher and higher.
“I shouldn’t…”
She paused, desperately searching her mind for more romantic words.
The man simply watched her with leisurely interest.
Shen Nuan lowered her head even further.
Her voice actually became choked with emotion.
“I shouldn’t know something is wrong and still refuse to change. If loving Sir is a mistake, then I’ll keep making that mistake over and over until there’s no turning back.”
Fu Shijing’s heart clenched.
His previously calm emotions surged like towering waves crashing over him, nearly swallowing him whole.
She truly loved him.
Fu Shijing’s heart softened completely.
Shen Nuan felt nervous.
She had exhausted every bit of her imagination to come up with those words and had no idea whether they had moved him.
【Little Nine, do you think he’ll be touched?】
999 wiped at his eyes.
【Boss, even this loyal admirer thinks what you said sounded incredibly devoted.】
Hearing even Little Nine say that, Shen Nuan gained a little confidence.
【Then I can relax.】
“Sir, please let me stay. Don’t send me away.”
She secretly pinched her thigh, instantly bringing tears to her eyes.
Fu Shijing stood and walked over to her.
With obvious affection, he gently pinched her soft cheek.
“What nonsense are you thinking? Did I ever say I was sending you away?”
No, he hadn’t. But how was she supposed to know whether he was angry?
Shen Nuan looked up at him with watery eyes, making her appear even more pitiful.
His warm fingertips gently wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes.
His voice became remarkably gentle.
“Why do you cry so easily?”
“I don’t want to…”
She was not someone who cried easily.
She only pretended to be pitiful in front of him.
“Don’t cry, go change your clothes. I’m taking you out.”
It was the first time Fu Shijing had ever comforted someone.
He was still unaccustomed to it.
Unfortunately, Shen Nuan noticed nothing unusual and instinctively asked,
“Sir, where are we going?”
“Back to the old residence.”
Yesterday, he had mentioned that today was Grandma Fu’s birthday and that he would take her back to the family residence.
Shen Nuan nodded vigorously, afraid he might change his mind.
“Yes, Sir. I’ll change immediately.”
After she left, a handsome smile slowly spread across the man’s face.
The moment she stepped outside, Shen Nuan eagerly asked the system,
【Little Nine, he’s taking me back to the old residence. Does that mean this matter is over?】
【It should be. Otherwise, why would the male lead still take you there?】
Shen Nuan finally let out a long sigh of relief.
As long as he wasn’t going to pursue the matter, everything was fine.
【Ding~, two hundred thousand yuan has been credited to the system account.】
The sudden reward left Shen Nuan completely puzzled.
She had no idea what she had been rewarded for, but happily accepted it anyway.
After quickly changing into fresh clothes, Shen Nuan stepped outside and immediately spotted Song Yan.
This definitely wasn’t a coincidence.
She was certain of it.
Song Yan had been deliberately waiting for her.
Still unwilling to let things go, she wanted one more chance to humiliate Shen Nuan.
The moment she saw Shen Nuan had changed out of her maid’s uniform, she became convinced Shen Nuan had lost her job and was about to be thrown out.
Shen Nuan had nothing to say to Song Yan and did not want to waste her breath.
She simply walked past her.
Being ignored made Song Yan even angrier.
She blocked Shen Nuan’s path and sneered,
“I told you. Some people really think they’re special. Did you actually believe Sir would like you? Keep dreaming. In the end, you’re still getting thrown out.”
Shen Nuan slowly closed her eyes, reminding herself there was no point getting angry.
Someone unimportant was not worth damaging her health over.
“Sir never told me to leave. Since when do you have more authority than Sir?” she mocked in return.
“Stop pretending. You’ve already changed your clothes. If you weren’t being thrown out, then what? Hurry up and take your things and get lost.”
Song Yan was convinced Shen Nuan was simply trying to save face.
【I’ve never met someone so self important and unreasonable.】999 punched the air angrily.
【Relax. You’ll meet people like this anywhere, especially in novels.】
Having seen plenty of workplace bullying, Shen Nuan comforted him.
【I guess you’re right.】
999 instantly calmed down.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Afraid to admit it?”
Seeing Shen Nuan remain silent, Song Yan became even more convinced she was right.
“Move.”
Shen Nuan was no longer willing to be polite.
She pushed Song Yan aside.
“Keep believing whatever you want. I don’t have time for you. I still have to go see Sir.”
Go see Sir? Why was she seeing Sir again?
What was she planning? Was she going to badmouth her?
What a vicious woman.
Song Yan exploded with rage.
“Dressed up like that? Let me tell you, even if you stripped naked, Sir wouldn’t look at you. You have no shame.”
Her words became increasingly filthy.
No matter how patient Shen Nuan was, she could not tolerate it anymore.
She replied coldly,
“Those are your own filthy thoughts. Stop spewing garbage. No one wants to hear your disgusting fantasies.”
Song Yan was stunned for several seconds before finally stammering,
“Y… you… you called me disgusting?”
“I’m talking about you.”
Shen Nuan could have said much harsher things, but Sir was still waiting.
There was no need to waste any more time here.
Furious, Song Yan grabbed Shen Nuan’s arm.
“Y… you… come with me to Butler Zhou. Let’s see how arrogant you are then.”
“Let go.”
Shen Nuan tried to pull her arm free.
The next second, Song Yan suddenly threw herself onto the ground and began screaming at the top of her lungs.
“Help! She’s hitting me! Waaaah~~~”
The recently calmed 999 instantly exploded again.
【How can someone be this crazy? I seriously want to slap her.】
【Don’t be angry. There are surveillance cameras.】
Precisely because she knew that, Shen Nuan did nothing to stop Song Yan and simply allowed her to make as much of a scene as she wanted.
Only then did 999 relax.
After Song Yan deliberately spread the commotion, Butler Zhou and the other maids quickly rushed over.
Seeing Song Yan sprawled on the ground, Butler Zhou already had a pretty good idea of what had happened.
Before he could speak, Song Yan burst into tears.
“Butler Zhou, Shen Nuan pushed me. She even tried to hit me.”
Shen Nuan silently rolled her eyes.
She had always thought her own acting was terrible.
Who knew someone else’s acting could be even worse?
“I didn’t push her. Butler Zhou, she deliberately blocked my way. I only told her to move aside, and she threw herself onto the ground.”
Since Butler Zhou had risen to the position of head butler, there was no way he could fail to see through Song Yan’s little tricks.
“Butler Zhou, Shen Nuan is lying. She obviously pushed me.”
Without changing her expression, Shen Nuan pointed toward the surveillance camera in the corner.
“Butler Zhou, all you have to do is check the footage. Then you’ll know whether I pushed her.”
Song Yan had been so focused on getting Shen Nuan thrown out that she had completely forgotten the villa had surveillance cameras.
Panic flooded her heart, yet she stubbornly continued arguing.
“Shen Nuan, don’t… don’t try to frame me. You were the one who pushed me. Butler Zhou, please don’t listen to her.”
“I’ll make my own judgment.”
By now, Butler Zhou was thoroughly sick of Song Yan.
“I’ve framed you or not, you know perfectly well. The surveillance footage knows too.”
Just as Butler Zhou was about to have someone retrieve the footage, Fu Shijing walked over.
“What happened this time?”
He had waited for Shen Nuan but she never came, so he came out to find her, only to discover another crowd gathered around.
Butler Zhou immediately became nervous.
After failing to handle matters properly all day, the last thing he wanted was to pack up and lose his job.
“Sir.”
Afraid Butler Zhou would continue protecting Shen Nuan, Song Yan acted as though she had found her savior and hurriedly spoke.
“Sir, Shen Nuan pushed me. Because I exposed the fact that she likes you, she deliberately took revenge on me.”
“I didn’t.”
Not wanting Fu Shijing to misunderstand, Shen Nuan quickly explained.
“Sir, I ran into her after leaving the room. She immediately started insulting me. I was only trying to come find you.”
“You’re still lying. Sir already fired you. Why would you need to see him? You’re obviously refusing to leave.”
“Who said she was fired? Who would dare fire her?”
Fu Shijing’s face darkened ominously.
She hadn’t been fired?
Shen Nuan really hadn’t been fired?
Song Yan’s face instantly drained of color as fear spread through her heart.
How could that be?
“Butler Zhou, someone who constantly lies and deliberately frames others is still being allowed to stay in this villa. Have you become senile, or do you also want to pack your bags and leave?”
【Ding~, five hundred thousand yuan has been credited to the system account.】