Lu Yinghan suppressed the turbulent emotions churning inside her, keeping her expression blank as she returned to her room.
She closed the door behind her and stood in place for a long time, simply standing there in a daze.
She took deep, heavy breaths, forcing herself to calm down.
Once her heart had fully settled, she walked to the desk, pulled the tape out of her school bag, and carefully stuck the torn pieces back together piece by piece.
Occasionally, she would pause mid-motion, staring blankly at the homework paper in her hands.
Then her eyes would refocus, and she would continue what she was doing.
Her calm demeanor sent a chill through Butler Liu, who was peeking at her from the doorway.
He thought for a moment, then decided to check the kitchen fridge for any desserts he could bring to the young miss, hoping to cheer her up a little.
He hadn’t been present for what had just happened, but he’d heard from the other servants who had witnessed it that the young miss had really been pitiful.
Butler Liu quickened his pace, carefully scanning the fridge for any particularly delicious desserts that remained.
These desserts had all been bought by the master and mistress for the young miss, saying she could have some if she behaved well.
So there really were a lot of desserts in the fridge.
Butler Liu searched his memory, trying to recall which dessert the young miss liked the most.
“Butler Liu.”
He Shu’s sudden voice made Butler Liu jump in fright.
“Madam? Is there something you need?”
“Oh… nothing. Is someone hungry? Are you cooking another meal?”
Butler Liu’s hand, reaching for the desserts, paused briefly, a hint of nervousness rising in his chest.
But when he saw the sincere look in his mistress’s eyes, he chose to speak up anyway.
“Madam, I was looking for some desserts to give to the young miss. She’s never had any of the desserts from the fridge. She seemed to be in a bad mood tonight, so I thought maybe I could find something nice to lift her spirits a little.”
Butler Liu spoke earnestly.
He was also watching He Shu’s expression closely.
Sure enough, after he finished speaking, He Shu’s face shifted to one of surprise.
“She’s never had any of these desserts?”
These desserts were indeed bought for Lu Xuanyao, but they’d been purchased in large quantities, with the thought that anyone in the house who wanted one could just take it.
He Shu frowned.
“If she wants to eat one, she just takes it. Who’s stopping her?”
“Madam, you said in front of the young miss before that all of these belonged to the young miss. The young miss has always been very obedient and never touched them.”
He Shu was at a loss for words.
Her mouth opened, her lips moved twice, but no words came out…
She supposed that sometimes, when she wanted to make Yaoyao happy, she really did bring Yaoyao to the fridge and say those things.
She had no idea which time Lu Yinghan had overheard her…
He Shu took a deep breath.
“Butler Liu, I came to ask you where Yingying’s room is. Actually, why don’t you take me there? I’ll deliver the dessert myself.”
“Yes, Madam.”
Butler Liu’s lips finally curved upward slightly, a small sense of relief settling in his heart.
He’d thought he might be stopped from bringing desserts to the young miss.
He Shu took the plate from Butler Liu’s hands and, among the many desserts, directly picked a strawberry mille-feuille—the kind that was always a favorite with children.
It was also the most well-stocked item in the fridge.
Because Lu Xuanyao liked it…
Butler Liu led He Shu to Lu Yinghan’s room.
As she watched Butler Liu lead her further and further into the more remote parts of the house, He Shu’s expression shifted from calm at first to mildly irritated.
“Butler Liu, I asked you to take me to Yingying’s room, not to a storage room.”
Butler Liu turned his head to look at He Shu, a strange look on his face.
“Madam, the young miss really does live here—in the storage room. It was the master who arranged it back then. The only room in the house that could be given to the young miss as her own was this one, the emptier storage room.”
He Shu’s hands, holding the plate, nearly lost their grip.
“Who did you say arranged it?!”
Her voice was very soft, filled with disbelief and unease.
Little did she know, her limbs were already turning cold.
“It was the master, Madam. The young miss has poor health, so the master said to have the young miss give up her room to the young miss, and had me find a spare room for her on short notice.”
He Shu’s head began to spin, her steps faltering slightly.
Yaoyao had two rooms—one large bedroom and one walk-in closet.
She’d had them since she was three years old and started sleeping on her own.
So Yingying had been living alone in a storage room for two years?
Lu Xiong, that bastard, hadn’t even thought of it??
“Madam?! Perhaps I should take over. You should go rest.”
Seeing He Shu looking a bit dizzy, Butler Liu stepped forward worriedly to support her arm.
“No! I’m going! I need to see where Yingying lives!”
He Shu’s words were squeezed out one by one through clenched teeth.
She followed Butler Liu as he continued forward.
The hallway grew narrower and narrower, until finally He Shu arrived at the door of Lu Yinghan’s room.
She quietly pushed the door open with one hand.
The room’s light was dim and yellow. The desk lamp on the study table was an old one that Lu Jiansen had used as a child and no longer needed.
Lu Yinghan had even dug it out of the storage room herself.
This was the first time in years that He Shu had truly looked at Lu Yinghan.
In her memory, this daughter had been soft and pink-cheeked. Now she was just a tiny thing, so thin it was hard to believe—the knuckles of her fingers stood out one by one.
The clothes she wore were ones Yaoyao had discarded, clothes that she herself thought were a bit ugly.
They hadn’t been thrown away, just passed down to her.
Though she was two years older than Yaoyao, she was so frail she could wear the same size…
She hunched her back slightly, and under the lamplight, she clumsily but earnestly tore at tape, patching up the homework notebook that had just been ripped apart.
The dim yellow light bathed her whole body, and she radiated a warmth throughout.
Like a scene sealed deep in memory.
So distant, so untouchable.
He Shu’s nose suddenly stung with sourness. She quickly pulled her hand back and wiped at her slightly swollen, aching eyes.
Her hands began to tremble.
They even felt a little cold.
Nervously, she knocked on Lu Yinghan’s door.
“Come in.”
“Yingying, Mom—”
Receiving a response, He Shu immediately opened the door and smiled at Lu Yinghan.
But the words she had just begun to speak came to an abrupt halt the moment she took in the full state of Lu Yinghan’s room.
No ornate furnishings. An old bed, wardrobe, desk and chair…
That was all.
The colors of the walls and floor were plain and monotonous.
The ceiling light was still a warm yellow.
This was where Lu Yinghan lived?
This was where the eldest Miss of the Lu family lived?
Lu Xiong, you bastard!!
Lu Yinghan, who was busy taping her homework, suddenly heard He Shu’s voice and froze entirely…
Hallucinating?
She lifted her head and looked toward the doorway.
Sure enough, she saw He Shu with a strange expression on her face, constantly surveying her room.
Unsure whether she was about to cry or get angry.
In her hands, she even held a dessert that confused Lu Yinghan even more.
Lu Yinghan raised an eyebrow curiously, too lazy to speak to He Shu, and simply watched her.
“Ying, Yingying… this is a strawberry mille-crepe cake.”
“Ah… I know. Do you want me to bring it to Yaoyao? As compensation for not giving her the homework notebook?”
He Shu’s heart plummeted straight to the bottom.