Liu’er coaxed Xiao Yun.
“Blind box? What’s a blind box?” The old butler looked at Yun Fan in bewilderment.
Yun Fan was dressed in formal attire today, and the old butler found him much more agreeable to the eye. He thought that a young man this handsome, with such an excellent figure, ought to wear suits more often.
But the moment he returned to Langyun Terrace, the first thing Yun Fan did was rush back to his room and strip off all those layers of wrapping.
By the time he returned to the hall, the old butler had already forgotten the words “blind box.” Yun Fan had to explain all over again, and also clarify what this trendy new game actually was.
Uncle Man was listening nearby. Before the old butler could speak, he looked at Yun Fan with a worried expression: “But Steward Yun, the Wen family’s employers are all up in years they might understand this fashionable thing even less than we do.”
Seeing Uncle Man take his side, the old butler spoke with weighty sincerity: “Exactly. Besides, this is your first time making an appearance. Steadiness is paramount you mustn’t rush in.”
“We’ve used the traditional approach before, and no one has raised any objections. Why not stick with it?”
“Steward Yun, don’t let your own willfulness ruin this matter.”
Yun Fan opened his mouth, but unlike when he’d pushed for changes to the uniforms and meal times, he didn’t argue. He nodded and left with a simple, “I’ll think it over.”
That night, Yun Fan hesitated for a long time before finally calling Wen Zhaofu during the evening greeting hour. He didn’t directly tell Wen Zhaofu what he had in mind he only asked him a question.
“Sir, if something is opposed by everyone, would you still go through with it?”
Wen Zhaofu didn’t answer immediately. A rash answer would only represent emotion, and what Yun Fan needed right now wasn’t merely his support.
“Xiao Yun, I’m a few years older than you, and I’ve indeed seen more cases. Everything in this world has always gone from impossible to possible.”
“Even in the Wen family, there’s room for trial and error. Don’t be timid keep moving forward.”
“Xiao Yun, I’ve got your back, no matter what.”
Having been through the corporate grind, Yun Fan could naturally tell that Wen Zhaofu’s first sentence was still speaking to the matter at hand, but the words that followed carried genuine feeling.
Yun Fan didn’t know whether such words of encouragement were common between employers and their butlers. All he knew was that his previous boss had never once spoken a single human word!
“Thank you, Mr. Zhaofu.” Yun Fan hung up the phone cheerfully.
Before falling asleep, Yun Fan thought: the Wen family seemed different from the high-net-worth households he’d dealt with before. Sure enough, a beautiful world only exists in novels.
The next day, when the old butler learned that Yun Fan still hadn’t changed his mind, he was visibly agitated. He raised his voice: “You can’t just keep messing around like this. Clothes and such those stay within Langyun Terrace, no harm done. But the afternoon tea event that’s something that goes before everyone’s eyes. Yun Fan, even slacking off has its limits.”
Yun Fan wore the same expression as before, opening his mouth but saying nothing. He felt that the key point right now wasn’t to convince anyone with words, so he simply swallowed everything he wanted to say.
Back in his room, Yun Fan opened his computer and was instantly hit by a powerful wave of corporate drudgery.
But for the sake of his blind box plan, he had to do this. He was very familiar with drafting proposals for wealthy families—and even more familiar with having them sent back for revision eight or ten times.
If you asked how Yun Fan had developed such a thick-skinned, resilient mentality, well wasn’t it all just the tempering of work?
After researching and typing away furiously, Yun Fan produced a comprehensive proposal in less than two hours, complete with industry research, background information, implementation details, and expected outcomes.
Back when Yun Fan worked at the trust company, he’d never been this motivated. He looked over the proposal from top to bottom, thinking to himself that if this had been back then, this lengthy, eloquent piece would have charmed his boss to death.
Sure enough, there’s something different about what you create when you’re relaxed.
Yun Fan pulled out the contact list the old butler had given him, entered the email addresses of Wen Zhaofu, the old butler, and Uncle Man one by one, attached the file, and hit send.
He needed to convey his thought process words would do what spoken explanations couldn’t.
A light drizzle was falling outside. Wen Zhaofu glanced at his watch and decided to linger a while. He was in a wheelchair, and maneuvering in the rain was never easy.
Wen Zhaofu was reviewing financial statements when an email notification popped up on his screen. He glanced at the sender’s name and paused.
Opening the content, Wen Zhaofu smiled. So Yun Fan had been working up to something big.
Yun Fan had put in real effort he’d even changed the font to match what they usually used, with clean, clear formatting.
With such a thoughtful proposal, Wen Zhaofu naturally had to read it carefully. He wasn’t this slow with other documents; he often skimmed them at a glance.
Yun Fan’s proposal was written very pragmatically. He said that the Wen family had tasted every delicacy imaginable, but if you asked them what flavors they actually remembered, it would always be tied to a particular memory from that time.
What did Grandmother want to leave behind with this event? Was it delicious food? Yes. But more than that, she wanted everyone to remember this occasion.
Wen Zhaofu touched his forehead and smiled faintly.
Who said Yun Fan couldn’t be a good butler? He clearly possessed one of the most important qualities the ability to read people’s minds.
Just as Wen Zhaofu was considering how to reply, the old butler spoke up before him.
[Worth a try. Contact me if you need anything.]
Concise and to the point. Wen Zhaofu thought for a moment, then shut down his computer. Some things were better said in person.
Sure enough, when he returned to Langyun Terrace, Wen Zhaofu met Yun Fan’s expectant gaze. Unlike many others waiting for his approval, Yun Fan showed no signs of anxiety.
That was because Yun Fan’s mindset was relaxed no desperate determination, no all-or-nothing attitude. He could accept any outcome, whether good or bad.
This ease of being even made Wen Zhaofu somewhat envious.
“Uncle Cheng and Uncle Man have no objections, so of course I don’t either.” Wen Zhaofu smiled and looked up at Yun Fan. “Go ahead and do it let it shine.”
There was a long road between planning and putting it into action. Yun Fan set out on that path alone, facing difficulties he could foresee but hadn’t fully anticipated.
Food preparation wasn’t the hard part he had Uncle Man as a great partner. The challenge was making it fresh and novel, crafting a good story.
The gates of the eight mansions of Wen Yan Lan Di were the distance between Yun Fan and those stories.
Yun Fan’s idea for afternoon tea had already spread among the mansions. Grandmother had sent word to Yun Fan, instructing him to act on his ideas but also to be cautious.
Yun Fan understood what Grandmother meant. He was about to face this entire family some twenty-odd people. There would always be those whose temperaments he couldn’t gauge, and details he might overlook.
Just as he was hesitating over how to uncover more stories from the wealthy household, the old butler said that Cheng Yu and Liu’er Xing had arrived in Hong Kong.
“Back then, no matter how much we begged, you wouldn’t come. Now you’ve only been gone a few days, and here you all are, why the sudden return?” The old steward shook his head in bewilderment.
Yun Fan couldn’t be bothered with whatever those two gentlemen were plotting. He sat on the edge of the flower bed in the courtyard, staring blankly at the clusters of sunflowers.
The young gardener took excellent care of these plants, and Yun Fan liked being near them they carried the scent of nature.
“Steward Yun, if there’s anything I can help with, just say the word.” The young gardener spoke up cautiously.
Regardless, everyone genuinely wanted to help, and that filled Yun Fan with gratitude. He smiled, as radiant as the sunflowers themselves: “Thank you, Xiao Shan!”
The young gardener hurriedly rubbed his head in embarrassment, just as Liu Erxing strode in and caught sight of him.
“Oho, what are you two up to?” Liu Erxing eyed the young gardener. “Why’s your face so red?”
That remark made the young gardener’s heart race even faster than Yun Fan’s thanks had. He fled without looking back.
Liu Erxing had arrived he was so tall that Yun Fan stood up and tilted his head to look at him. The man had returned from a trip to the capital and gotten himself a new haircut. He’d buzzed it short, giving him a roguish yet clean look that was striking at first glance.
Yun Fan frowned slightly and pointed at his own temple: “You’re hurt here?”
“Yep, went to rescue someone and knocked it.” Liu Erxing rubbed his hands together. “I swear, those mountain-climbing folks there are plenty of good trails, but they insist on wandering into the wild.”
“You flew a plane there, got out to rescue people, then flew back?” Yun Fan asked curiously.
Liu Erxing nodded: “You bet. In our rescue team, one person does the work of several. If you don’t have a specialty, you don’t last.”
“Oh, right I learned a new dance. Let me show you.”
With that, before Yun Fan could object, Liu Erxing tapped his phone for music and started dancing awkwardly. Yun Fan’s eyes widened, baffled as to why this young master had rushed back all dusty and travel-worn just to dance here.
To be fair, Liu Erxing had incredible coordination and great proportions even if he wasn’t fully polished, he still looked pretty good dancing.
Yun Fan smiled, clapping for Liu Erxing and giving him a thumbs-up. Liu Erxing walked over, closing the distance until Yun Fan could see the fine sweat on his forehead.
Liu Erxing tilted his head slightly, his lips near Yun Fan’s ear. As his breath escaped, Yun Fan’s ear twitched involuntarily.
“Yun Fan, feeling a bit better now?”