16 – She eats, so she eats. Must she flaunt their affection so openly?
Xia Yu Wan was completely dumbfounded.
What was going on?
How dare a servant in the imperial retreat be so insolent?
Didn’t she know who she was dealing with?
“You, how dare you! Do you know who I am?” Xia Yu Wan’s voice rose involuntarily as she pointed at Lu Xiao Ning and shouted.
Lu Xiao Ning rolled her eyes. This foul woman who had popped up out of nowhere actually dared to yell at her?
“I am the mistress of this castle,” Lu Xiao Ning raised an eyebrow, a hint of provocation in her tone.
“Mistress?” Xia Yu Wan snorted, but soon her expression turned ugly. “So you’re that commoner?”
This foul woman, every word out of her mouth was so unpleasant!
One moment calling her a servant, the next saying she was a commoner.
“What’s wrong with being a commoner? It’s not like I’ve eaten your family’s rice! We commoners pay taxes, and you wealthy folks skim plenty off the top, don’t you?”
“You…” Xia Yu Wan was left speechless by the retort.
Without wasting words, Lu Xiao Ning strode over to the trumpet-shaped vintage speaker and turned it off.
Instantly, the music stopped, and the whole world fell silent.
“Ah, relief!” Lu Xiao Ning rubbed her ears, finally feeling comfortable.
Earlier, the music had really been giving her a headache.
Xia Yu Wan felt aggrieved, but after all, she wasn’t the mistress here.
Just as she looked up, the elevator door chimed, and Zong Zheng Ye was wheeled out by Wen Jing.
Xia Yu Wan immediately smiled and went up to greet him. “A Ye, how did you sleep last night? Was the calming incense I gave you effective?”
“Effective,” Zong Zheng Ye replied succinctly, his gaze drifting over to Lu Xiao Ning.
Today, she gave off a completely different vibe.
After swapping out that old dress for the new one he had ordered, her entire demeanor had changed.
Her fair skin made the white dress she wore look even more beautiful.
Even the slippers on her feet had been replaced; today she wore a pair of strappy sandals.
Good, this looked much more pleasing to the eye.
And she was quite a bit prettier too.
Zong Zheng Ye nodded in satisfaction before withdrawing his gaze.
Xia Yu Wan eagerly pushed Wen Jing aside and took the initiative to hold the wheelchair.
“A Ye, I made breakfast for you, all your favorite dishes.”
After saying this, Xia Yu Wan looked up and smiled at Lu Xiao Ning.
That smile seemed to carry a hint of provocation.
As if to say: I know A Ye’s preferences, but you probably don’t, right?
Lu Xiao Ning pursed her lips; she couldn’t be bothered to compete for favor.
After all, she was Zong Zheng Ye’s legal wife—what did she have to fear?
Xia Yu Wan wheeled Zong Zheng Ye to his seat and naturally sat down beside him.
Lu Xiao Ning felt like an extra.
However, even though she didn’t want to compete for favor, she couldn’t just let Xia Yu Wan, this “other woman,” keep challenging her authority.
“Sorry, this is my seat!”
Lu Xiao Ning plopped down, directly pushing Xia Yu Wan aside.
Xia Yu Wan looked at her as if she were insane, completely stunned.
Lu Xiao Ning sat firmly in the chair, steady as a rock.
Xia Yu Yu Wan stood awkwardly, frozen in place.
Did this brat have no manners at all?
And what was her butt made of? How could it be so powerful?
Xia Yu Wan was furious, but with Zong Zheng Ye present, she had no choice but to hold back. She moved to the other side and circled around to sit on Zong Zheng Ye’s other side.
After sitting down with a smile, she began enthusiastically serving food to Zong Zheng Ye.
“Oh, I’m so used to sitting over there. Sitting here feels a bit awkward now.”
Xia Yu Wan deliberately sighed, actually conveying a message to Lu Xiao Ning.
The two words “before” and “used to” were quickly picked up by Lu Xiao Ning.
It seemed Zong Zheng Ye had often brought this vixen to the castle to play in the past.
“Ugh…”
Just as Zong Zheng Ye picked up his chopsticks and was about to start eating, Lu Xiao Ning took a piece of bamboo shoot first.
After chewing it twice, she spat it out.
“Ptooey, ptooey, so salty…”
After saying that, she picked up the milk beside her and gulped it down.
Xia Yu Wan had only prepared two servings of breakfast, and her portion was now right in front of Lu Xiao Ning.
Seeing that the other party had not only taken her breakfast but also complained it was unpalatable, Xia Yu Wan’s face instantly stiffened completely.
She couldn’t even force a fake smile anymore.
“Eating too much salt is bad for your health. Didn’t you know His Highness pays great attention to dietary health?”
Lu Xiao Ning finished her milk and complained.
Xia Yu Wan’s expression grew even uglier.
This was the first time she had been insulted like this—it was truly humiliating.
“Is it really that salty?” she asked, unconvinced.
Lu Xiao Ning pushed the plate she had eaten from toward her. “Try it yourself if you don’t believe me.”
Xia Yu Wan glanced at the plate and pushed it away with her hand.
She wouldn’t eat something this lowly commoner had touched.
“A Ye, since the dish is too salty, I’ll go remake it…”
Xia Yu Wan awkwardly stood up.
“It’s fine, we can eat something else,” Zong Zheng Ye said, quite protective of Xia Yu Wan.
Lu Xiao Ning rolled her eyes and began peeling the lychees in front of her.
Just when she thought this meal could finally be eaten in peace, Xia Yu Wan started causing trouble again.
“A Ye, could you peel a lychee for me? My hands… aren’t very convenient…”
Xia Yu Wan’s manicure was quite showy, adorned with many sparkling sequins.
“Someone, peel lychees for Miss Xia,” Zong Zheng Ye ordered.
Soon, a palace attendant came over and skillfully peeled several lychees, placing them on Xia Yu Wan’s plate.
“Do you need any?”
Lu Xiao Ning hadn’t expected Zong Zheng Ye to show concern for her.
Suddenly, she had an idea. In front of him, she deftly began peeling a lychee.
Her fair, skillful hands looked as tempting and delicious as the lychee flesh.
“No need, I’m not that delicate.”
After saying that, she brought the peeled lychee to Zong Zheng Ye’s lips.
Zong Zheng Ye was stunned, and everyone else, including Xia Yu Wan, was stunned too.
This scene was a bit… sudden.
“Ye-ge, say ‘ah’—”
Lu Xiao Ning curved her eyes, her voice like silver bells.
Zong Zheng Ye felt somewhat awkward, refusing to open his mouth and even turning his face away.
But Lu Xiao Ning smiled even more brightly. “Oh, Ye-ge, why are you so shy? Didn’t you always want to eat lychees peeled by me?”
“Really?” Zong Zheng Ye’s eyes lit up, and he suddenly smiled.
However, the slight upward curve of his lips was fleeting, unnoticed by others.
He opened his mouth and took the plump lychee.
“Here, spit the seed out here,” Lu Xiao Ning spread open her palm, her fair hand small and delicate.
But Zong Zheng Ye didn’t spit it into her hand; instead, he spat it into the bone dish.
“Do you want more?”
“No.”
“Then I’ll eat it myself!”
Lu Xiao Ning didn’t feel embarrassed at all. She continued peeling lychees and eating them by herself.
As she ate, she made exaggerated sounds. “So delicious!”
Xia Yu Wan, sitting across from her, was furious.
These lychees were ones she had personally flown to Lingnan to select one by one from the orchard, then had them airlifted over.
I had originally intended to please Zong Zheng Ye, but I never expected that everything would be eaten by this lowly commoner!
Not only did she eat it, but she even flaunted their affection so openly?