A top-tier prestigious family has more rules than the Forbidden City…
And so, Wen Zhaofu laughed again, but this time, he lowered his head.
“You all go about your business. I’ll head back to my room first. Shi Ning will come this afternoon to check on me.” Wen Zhaofu manipulated the spherical button on his wheelchair’s armrest, and the wheelchair, carrying him, turned ninety degrees.
The old butler pushed the wheelchair a few steps: “It’s already time for the follow-up checkup again. Time really flies.”
Wen Zhaofu said nothing, only raised his hand, and the old butler stopped following. Yun Fan watched him maneuver the wheelchair alone, steadily entering the elevator.
Unlike his previous demeanor, before the elevator doors closed, Wen Zhaofu’s expression was calm and composed. His gaze was cast downward, as if lost in thought.
“Ah, don’t think Young Master Zhaofu always has everything under control out there he’s actually had a hard time of it.” The old butler sat back down and picked up a box from the chair.
Perhaps out of butler’s discretion, the old butler stopped there and didn’t elaborate. Yun Fan thought to himself, this is practically the requisite backstory for a big shot in a novel being handsome isn’t enough, you have to be powerful too. And once you’ve got handsome and powerful, you have to be tragic.
Max out every attribute, and you get a chorus of “ahh”s.
The old butler’s voice pulled Yun Fan back from his thoughts, and he began explaining the various job requirements. At first, Yun Fan could keep up, but as he kept taking notes and saw the words piling up on the paper, his heart grew more and more anxious.
“You’ll be arranged to stay next door to Young Master Zhaofu. At any time, day or night, if he has any request, you must respond.”
“When Young Master Haochen returns home, he may also stay here. The service requirements and standards are the same.”
“There are many service staff throughout the Wen Yanlan Estate. Normal work interactions are allowed, but no deeper emotional connections.”
“Most importantly, a butler must never fall in love with their employer.”
“Remember, we must be worthy of the wages our employers pay us.”
At this, Yun Fan’s eyes lit up. The old butler curled the corner of his mouth in a smile that didn’t reach his eyes: “The Wen family has always been generous. Your annual salary is two million five hundred thousand yuan, plus holiday red envelopes and such.”
Yun Fan drew in a breath. Aside from the number not sounding great, he had no complaints about the money itself! The old butler glanced at him sideways: “Of course, your income still has a gap compared to mine, but you’re still junior in seniority, so there’s plenty of room for raises.”
“I’m satisfied!” Yun Fan immediately sat up straight, and looking at the densely packed notes, he suddenly found renewed energy.
Temporarily injected with a shot of adrenaline, Yun Fan mustered his strength and listened through the old butler’s earnest instructions. Seeing that Yun Fan’s attitude was serious enough, the old butler clasped his hands lightly, then picked up a book as thick as a brick from the side.
The old butler looked left and right, confirming no one was around, before stroking the cover of the book with particular care.
“Here, this Wen Family Butler’s Code was passed from my grandfather to my father, and from my father to me.” The old butler said meaningfully, “Now, I’m giving it to you.”
With that, the old butler solemnly lifted this brick of a book with both hands and placed it in Yun Fan’s hands. Yun Fan swallowed hard and saw mottled marks on the cover. This book was far older than he was practically an antique.
He carefully set the book on the table, rubbed his hands together, and then opened a page. What met his eyes was ornate cursive English lettering. He furrowed his brow and read it aloud: “To you who serves the Wen family.”
He flipped further back still English, all handwritten, the script extremely difficult to decipher.
Yun Fan looked up at the old butler. The old butler nodded. “Your English is decent, right?”
“Mm, TOEFL, IELTS, GRE, SAT, TOEIC, BEC.” Yun Fan listed them one by one, and hope rose in the old butler’s eyes”Mm, I never took any of them.”
“I barely passed CET-6 in college.”
The light in the old butler’s eyes went out.
After a moment, as if refueling himself, the old butler gave Yun Fan a brisk pat on the shoulder. “Young man, just keep learning.”
With that, he stood up, leaving Yun Fan alone in place, staring blankly at his big treasure.
Top-tier wealthy families had more rules than the Forbidden City.
The more Yun Fan read, the more despairing he felt comparable to the mood he’d had when he was still working on the 53rd floor. He couldn’t fathom how anyone’s brain could hold so many rules and regulations, let alone understand what the original creators of all this had been thinking.
He propped his chin on his hand, gazing at the neatly trimmed little trees not far away, trying to calm himself down while piecing together the plot from the book.
Soon enough, the male lead (the gong) would approach him, this obscure little butler, and through his connections, climb his way into the wealthy family. Then the male lead (the shou) would use the path paved by the gong as a springboard to break into other wealthy circles.
In the end, the gong would abandon him, and he’d die of heartbreak compounded by his overly diligent work ethic, exhaustion leading to illness, ultimately dying far from home.
Yun Fan shuddered, jolted awake by the thought. What? He had to endure the bitterness of work, and now the bitterness of love too?
Whoever wanted to suffer that could go ahead he wasn’t going to!
In his last life, he’d collapsed on the job. Now that he’d transmigrated into this book, was he still stuck with the fate of a beast of burden? No way, he couldn’t strike the same dying pose twice. This time, he was going to change things!
But the pay from the wealthy family really was tempting, though. Yun Fan shrugged and scratched his cheek.
Not far away, Wen Zhaofu, emerging from the elevator in his wheelchair, saw Yun Fan sitting there, sometimes energized, sometimes deflated.
Wen Zhaofu smiled, pressed a button, and the silent wheelchair glided slowly forward. Yun Fan, lost in his imaginative world, didn’t notice at all.
“No, life matters most!” Yun Fan clenched his fist and slammed it on the table. “Time to slack off! Slack off gloriously!”
In an instant, he devised a plan. He slammed the butler’s bible shut, immediately sealing his heart and locking away his feelings. Stay away from the scumbag, lie flat and do nothing, and when the time was right, get the Wen family to fire him so he could go home and farm.
That’s right life rarely gives you a chance to slack off, so why exhaust yourself to death? Right now, immediately, hide his abilities, beat the drums, and slack off in style!
He wasn’t afraid of a bad employment record, didn’t need to swallow his pride he was going home to farm.
Wen Zhaofu watched Yun Fan’s slender back with some confusion, watching him clench his fist then release it, straighten his back and take a deep breath, as if performing some ritual.
“Xiao Yun.” Wen Zhaofu spoke softly, afraid of startling him.
Still immersed in his own world, Yun Fan jumped anyway. He spun around abruptly. “Big… Big Young Master? You walk without making a sound?”
As soon as he said it, Yun Fan quickly covered his mouth. Wen Zhaofu indeed didn’t walk he couldn’t walk.
Wen Zhaofu smiled nonchalantly, pointing at the brick-like book, and lowered his voice. “I’m not that hard to deal with. You can relax.”
At the sight of Wen Zhaofu’s face, Yun Fan couldn’t help but stare blankly. He mused to himself, this boss who looked like a god among men, was he setting a trap for him?
He still needed to save up some money; it seemed he couldn’t be too defiant for now, otherwise his N+1 severance would be less. He also wondered if this company would recognize his previous years of service.
“Xiao Yun?” Seeing no response from the person before him for a long while, Wen Zhaofu called out again.
Yun Fan quickly let out a long “Oh” and cleared his throat. Being stared at by such a handsome man, frankly, made him a bit shy.
“Alright, Young Master.” Yun Fan put on a professional smile and looked back at Wen Zhaofu.
But at that moment, Yun Fan noticed that Wen Zhaofu was no longer smiling. He was just gazing steadily at him, his eyes deep and unfathomable. Yun Fan couldn’t guess what he was thinking at all, and an inexplicable tension crept over him.
“Don’t call me Young Master,” Wen Zhaofu spoke.
Yun Fan was taken aback and instinctively responded, “Then, Boss?”
Wen Zhaofu continued to look at Yun Fan, his gaze calm, his voice steady. But if one looked closely, they could see his hand clenched into a fist at his side.
“Sir. Mr. Wen.”
After dinner, Yun Fan planned to study some English following his guidebook. He had just sat down in his room when the old butler sent someone to call him downstairs.
“The Grand Lady wants to see you,” the old butler said with a worried expression. “Mind your words and actions.”
The old butler escorted Yun Fan to the door and was about to point him toward Taiping Qingshui Residence when he saw that Wen Zhaofu was actually waiting on the garden path.
“Young Master?!” The old butler was startled.
“I’ll take Yun Fan there,” Wen Zhaofu said, nodding to the old butler.
Yun Fan followed Wen Zhaofu a few steps forward, then looked back at the old butler. The old butler looked both shocked and anxious, but finally waved him on.
Taiping Qingshui Residence was located at the very center of Wen Yanlan’s estate, and the path from Langyun Terrace heading southwest led straight to it.
It was dark, and the streetlights weren’t bright, so Yun Fan hadn’t yet had a chance to properly see what the Eight Great Families’ estate looked like.
As he walked Wen Zhaofu in his wheelchair he cautiously glanced at Wen Zhaofu, only to be caught in the act.
“No worries, it can adjust its speed. Just walk at your normal pace,” Wen Zhaofu said gently.
Yun Fan replied, “So high-tech, like something out of a futuristic warrior movie.”
Wen Zhaofu laughed. Yun Fan’s words always made him smile.
“Grandmother just wants to meet you. No need to be nervous. She always says she owes your family a favor, and now she can finally repay it.”
Yun Fan responded with an “Okay,” and curiously thought to himself that this Wen Zhaofu always told him not to be nervous.
Actually, he had always been quite adaptable since childhood, he could get through either tense or relaxed days. Maybe it was his earlier fainting spell that had scared this head of a wealthy family.
“I’m not nervous,” Yun Fan said with certainty.
Wen Zhaofu looked up and happened to see Yun Fan under the dim yellow light. Yun Fan’s profile was extremely smooth, his nose bridge high and straight; the lighting softened his contours.
The hazy quality made Wen Zhaofu feel even more that this little butler who had descended from the sky was a free-spirited little sprite.
Grandmother was already 93 years old. She was wearing a qipao, and when she saw Wen Zhaofu bringing Yun Fan in, she said, “Zhaofu, go brew me a cup of yuanyang tea.”
“At once.” Wen Zhaofu patted Yun Fan’s wrist. “Go sit with Grandmother.”
Here with the elder, Wen Zhaofu had none of the commanding presence he had at Langyun Terrace; his whole demeanor was much lighter.
Yun Fan strode quickly to Great-Grandma, calling out to her with a smile. She pulled him to sit down. “Good boy, just like Zhaofu, you can call me Great-Grandma too.”
Wen Lin Jiali was Wen Zhaofu’s great-grandmother, and his great-grandfather had passed away years ago. Wen Zhaofu had spent a long time with her as a child, and they shared a deep bond.
“Zhaofu makes excellent yuen yeung milk tea. You’ll have to try some later.” Great-Grandma raised an eyebrow slightly, smiling at Yun Fan.
At over ninety years old, despite her head of white hair, she was still full of energy.
“There’s some for me too?” Yun Fan said in surprise.
At that moment, Great-Grandma’s smile faded a little, and she spoke seriously. “Xiao Yun, times are different now. The job of a housekeeper is no different from any other everyone is equal.”
Yun Fan nodded obediently, thinking to himself, That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.
Wen Zhaofu sat in his wheelchair, the tray resting steadily on the armrest. As he neared the table, Yun Fan caught a rich, fragrant aroma.
Just then, a young man burst through the front door. Hearing the commotion, Yun Fan quickly looked over and saw that the man’s face was bruised and swollen, his bow tie crooked to one side.
“Wen Haochen.” Wen Zhaofu’s voice carried obvious displeasure.
The man, who had just been frowning, stared straight at the porcelain cup in front of Wen Zhaofu and shouted loudly, “Brother, I want some yuen yeung too!”
“No share for you.” Wen Zhaofu set the three cups on the table. “One for Great-Grandma, one for Xiao Yun, and one for me.”
“You. Go kneel as punishment.”