The night had grown deep, and beneath the crystal chandelier came several crisp clinks of wine glasses.
The table was a mess, with bottles scattered across the floor.
Jin Mingzhu had somehow produced a deck of cards and said with a laugh, “How about the loser drinks?”
Li Chengshuo chuckled, his tone inexplicable. “Jin Mingzhu, thanks to Yuanxi last time, you’ve forgotten so quickly and still dare to play?”
Last time, at a school-organized banquet, she had been forced by Yin Meiyan to drink three large bottles and ended up vomiting on the spot.
The Yin family held considerable influence in Shengjing, almost comparable to the Jing and Han families in Zhongdu. Not to mention the teachers, even the principal wouldn’t have dared to say much.
It was only when Jing Yuanxi intervened with a cold expression that the farce came to an end.
At the mention of this, Jin Mingzhu’s eyes flashed with resentment for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and refrained from saying anything negative.
Whether inside or outside the school, Yin Meiyan’s status was higher than hers.
“This time it’s just us, no outsiders. What am I afraid of?”
That was true. Compared to the crowd from Shengjing, the families from Zhongdu were naturally closer, at least they wouldn’t push things to the extreme.
The bond of growing up together was, after all, stronger than that of strangers.
However, the main reason Jin Mingzhu dared to suggest playing with them was because she understood their character and family backgrounds.
Li Chengshuo and Bai Huina were no exception—their families were on par with the Jin family.
Although Han Shixu held significant influence, he had never been fond of such games. For him, playing was genuinely just for entertainment.
Bai Huina smiled. “Sure, we’re bored anyway. Playing a bit won’t hurt. What do you think, Shixu?”
Han Shixu glanced at the time and nodded. “Let’s play, but you all have to leave by midnight at the latest.”
With his approval, Jin Mingzhu immediately began shuffling the cards happily.
Li Chengshuo accidentally stretched his foot and kicked a bottle beside him, instantly growing irritable. “Seriously… it’s such a mess here. Shouldn’t the housekeeper at least come out and help clean up?”
Jin Mingzhu paused, her hands stilling as she glanced at the cluttered table and found it somewhat absurd.
“You’re right. It’s been so long, and no one’s come out. Shixu, where did you find these people? They have no sense of awareness. Why not replace them? I can introduce you to a couple of better ones—hardworking and quiet.”
Then her expression suddenly shifted with alarm. “Speaking of which, is it really okay to let those two find their own place to stay? You have quite a few valuable things here.”
Jin Mingzhu’s words made Li Chengshuo unable to sit still. He stood up and hurried toward the bedroom.
“Where did those two go? If they dare to barge into the rooms, I’ll be really annoyed.”
Han Shixu recalled the direction the mother and daughter had gone and suddenly had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, the next moment, an argument broke out.
The three of them quickly walked over to find the spacious room cluttered with all sorts of belongings.
Han Shixu closed his eyes for a moment.
His worst fear had come true.
“What are you doing? This is my room,” Li Chengshuo said, his expression extremely unpleasant.
Song Enya hadn’t expected this room to be occupied, let alone to be caught red-handed by its owner.
“I’m sorry. We thought it was empty since it looked spacious and assumed no one lived here.”
Song Enya felt her entire body burning with embarrassment.
Just moments ago, she had even rolled around on the bed someone else had slept in.
Li Chengshuo looked at the cluttered room full of junk and was practically fuming. “Does my room look like it’s specially reserved for you people? Can’t you see yourselves for what you are?!”
“Sorry, sorry, we’ll leave right away…” Song Zhenxian said with a terrified expression, crouching down to start packing their things.
Jin Mingzhu suddenly let out a cold laugh, sneering, “As housekeepers, don’t you have even a shred of self-awareness? Is this the kind of room people like you should be staying in?”
Her tone was so condescending that Song Enya momentarily forgot her embarrassment and instead stared back at her in disbelief.
“Self-awareness? What kind of self-awareness do we need? And what kind of people are ‘people like us’?”
Even Bai Huina was stunned into silence.
She opened her mouth but couldn’t find words for a long moment, simply sizing them up before covering her mouth with a laugh.
Sensing the mockery from the other side, Song Zhenxian, who had been keeping her head down, tugged hard on her daughter’s hand twice, trying to get her to stop talking and quickly pack their things with her so they could leave.
Infuriated by her actions, Song Enya not only threw everything in her hands back onto the floor but also forcefully pulled her mother to her feet.
Seeing their defiant stance, Jin Mingzhu grew even more furious. “Do I really need to tell you what kind of people you are? Haven’t you been living in such a pitiful, wretched state all these years?”
She strode into the room and kicked the worn-out suitcase, making a loud thud that startled Song Zhenxian.
With biting sarcasm, she added, “People should stay in places that suit their status. You should be looking for an attic or a storage room, not trying to forcibly take what belongs to others! You don’t deserve it!”
“Being a housekeeper is a legitimate profession. We earn our money with our own hands—why should we be insulted by you?”
Song Enya was also furious and didn’t hold back. “We have an employer-employee relationship; we’re not your slaves! If we’re talking about who deserves what, it’s you people who only leech off your parents who are even less deserving!”
They had just walked into the wrong room—was it necessary to give them such a hard time?
Were rich people really this petty?
Besides, weren’t they wealthy? If they thought the room was dirty, they could just replace everything. Why did they have to come and flaunt their superiority in front of them?
The more Song Enya looked at the people in front of her, the more disgusted she felt. Their expressions alone made her sick.
This time, not only was Jin Mingzhu fuming, but Li Chengshuo and Bai Huina were also enraged.
“Do you have a death wish?” Li Chengshuo said coldly, his tall frame striding over quickly.
Song Zhenxian held onto Song Enya tightly, her eyes red with anxiety.
“Everyone, shut up!”
Han Shixu stepped between the two sides, his tone firm. “If you walked into the wrong room, just switch. What’s all the arguing about?”
He turned to the mother and daughter and said, “This is my fault. I didn’t make things clear. Pack your things and stay in the easternmost room.”
Hearing this, Li Chengshuo’s anger immediately subsided.
It wasn’t that he thought Han Shixu was protecting them—he probably just found the argument annoying.
Although he was the one who had hired them, they were just housekeepers. Han Shixu wouldn’t go so far as to get angry at people from his own social circle for their sake.
But since he had spoken, Li Chengshuo and the other two, no matter how unwilling, didn’t dare to openly defy him.
Although Song Enya was still upset, she wasn’t foolish.
She and her mother had no one to rely on, and picking a fight with these wealthy people in front of them would only cause trouble. After all, it was better to avoid unnecessary conflict.
Especially since Han Shixu had already apologized.
Seeing her daughter quiet down, Song Zhenxian quickly resumed packing their things.
“Let’s go, we’ll continue playing outside,” Han Shixu said, heading out first.
Jin Mingzhu and the other two exchanged glances, deliberately slowing their pace.
Song Enya didn’t want to see their faces, so she deliberately turned her back to them and crouched on the floor to pack.
There weren’t many items laid out, and soon the mother and daughter were carrying their bags out of the room.
However, the three were still lingering in the hallway, forcing an unavoidable encounter.
Song Zhenxian kept her eyes downcast, pulling Song Enya close to the wall as they walked, trying to maintain distance.
Jin Mingzhu refused to let them have their way, taking two large strides toward them.
Song Enya suddenly felt a sharp pain in her left hand, and the suitcase she was holding flew out.
The already worn-out suitcase finally gave way, completely falling apart, scattering an assortment of clothes everywhere.
Song Enya looked up angrily, only to see Jin Mingzhu and the other two sneering as they walked away, looking thoroughly satisfied.
“You—”
“Enya!”
Song Enya turned her head and saw Song Zhenxian gripping her arm, shaking her head pleadingly, and whispering, “Let’s just go quickly.”
“You’re so annoying!” Song Enya ignored the scattered items on the floor, grabbed her bag, and stormed off.
Song Zhenxian glanced at her daughter’s retreating figure, making sure she wasn’t running off recklessly, then meekly crouched down to pick up the scattered belongings.
Li Chengshuo, who hadn’t gone far ahead, witnessed everything and deliberately raised his voice, saying, “If you want to be a maid, don’t keep hiding. Come out and clean the table.”
Song Enya, who had already walked away, tightened her grip on the strap of her bag and quickened her pace.
“Yes, I’ll be right out.”
Song Enya heard her mother respond like that.