Tang Tian glanced at the clock on the wall. She had unknowingly slept for several hours, and it was now 5:30 in the afternoon.
She felt somewhat drained, but fortunately Sister Wu had given her half a day off. Otherwise, she might have gotten sick.
She wondered how the morning incident had been resolved. Who had locked her in the sunroom?
She had no idea about any of this. Since it was almost dinner time, she decided to go out and inquire.
As she stepped out of her room, she saw three people standing at the door of the neighboring room: Liu Xiaozhi, Zheng Liyu, and Liu Huihua.
The difference was that only Zheng Liyu was holding a suitcase. With reddened eyes, she was bidding farewell to the other two.
“Take care,” Liu Xiaozhi said, her words tinged with reluctance.
Liu Huihua, however, said nothing. What disappointed her was why it wasn’t Liu Xiaozhi who was leaving?
She didn’t believe Zheng Liyu could be so foolish—locking Tang Tian in the sunroom without reason. Although she could see that Zheng Liyu disliked Tang Tian, she wouldn’t go to such extremes.
So Liu Huihua suspected that this incident must be related to Liu Xiaozhi.
Seeing the scene before her, Tang Tian guessed that the person who had locked her in the sunroom was Zheng Liyu.
She didn’t understand. If Zheng Liyu disliked her, she could simply ignore her. Why would she do something that harmed others without benefiting herself?
But Zheng Liyu had indeed done such a thing.
Tang Tian stood nearby watching. Zheng Liyu, who was bidding farewell to Liu Xiaozhi, noticed her.
Their eyes met, and Liu Xiaozhi and Liu Huihua looked over as well.
The situation instantly became awkward. Tang Tian remained expressionless.
Zheng Liyu did not apologize to her. Instead, wiping the tears from her face, she dragged her suitcase and left.
She wouldn’t apologize to Tang Tian, and she would return someday. Liu Xiaozhi had said that when there was an opportunity, she would plead with the gentlemen to let her come back.
So if she just stayed close to Liu Xiaozhi, Liu Xiaozhi might become the mistress of this villa in the future. She wouldn’t need to bow to a mere servant. Then, everything would be under Liu Xiaozhi’s control, and Liu Xiaozhi, feeling guilty toward her, would surely give her an important position.
Tang Tian watched coldly as she left the villa, disappearing through the main gate without uttering a single apology.
Without the gentlemen present, Liu Xiaozhi clearly felt no need to pretend. She was indifferent toward Tang Tian and didn’t think Zheng Liyu’s refusal to apologize was wrong.
Liu Huihua grew increasingly uneasy. When had Zheng Liyu developed such deep hatred for Tang Tian? It seemed like she viewed Tang Tian as a thorn in her side.
Tang Tian thought it over again and again. Zheng Liyu wasn’t apologizing, and she seemed powerless against her. Considering that Zheng Liyu had been dismissed and lost this rare high-paying job, it was Sister Wu’s way of settling the matter for her.
So let it be. She shouldn’t dwell on it and make herself unhappy.
Tang Tian was hungry. She passed by Liu Xiaozhi and Liu Huihua and headed toward the staff dining hall.
None of them knew that Fu Xi was sitting on the sofa in the side hall, witnessing everything that had just happened.
He found it amusing. The drama among these servants was getting more and more entertaining.
Today, the dismissed servant had apologized to Sister Wu, to him, and to Shen Yanli and the others—but not to Tang Tian, one of the victims.
Fu Xi fiddled with his phone, seemingly pondering something.
She thought the incident was over. It was the second day after the sunroom incident.In the dining room, Tang Tian walked toward Fu Xi’s side, as she had been responsible for his meals over the past few days.
Shen Yanli looked up, his gaze lingering on her for a moment when he saw her.
“Stand by my side,” he said to Tang Tian.
Tang Tian even thought he wasn’t speaking to her and glanced back to look around—only she was in this direction.
“Mr. Shen, are you referring to me?” she asked.
“Hmm.” Shen Yanli glanced at Fu Xi, who also wore a surprised expression, and explained, “He likes to tease you.”
Tang Tian recalled Fu Xi’s teasing when she returned yesterday…
So she moved to Shen Yanli’s side and handed him a warm towel.
Fu Xi: “…”
“Don’t make me sound so bad,” he complained discontentedly.
At the dining table, no one paid attention to his self-righteous grievance. Who didn’t know about his sharp tongue?
Liu Xiaozhi was originally supposed to stand behind Shen Yanli, but now… with tears in her eyes, she stood behind Wen Shaohan, casting a resentful look toward Shen Yanli.
Tang Tian didn’t think Shen Yanli’s call was anything special for her. It was just part of a servant’s job to be responsible for one person, and as for whose meals she was assigned to, she felt it made no difference.
She had simply followed Shen Yanli’s lead just now—after all, when someone speaks up, it would be awkward for both sides not to comply.
Moreover, Shen Yanli had asked her over in a caring manner.
When she inadvertently met Liu Xiaozhi’s eyes, filled with resentment, she was momentarily stunned.
It dawned on her belatedly that Liu Xiaozhi probably thought Shen Yanli had some other intention toward her.
Tang Tian paid no attention and had no intention of explaining anything.
In the afternoon, she sat resting in the side hall.
Her phone, tucked in the pocket of her work uniform, rang. She pulled it out and saw the caller ID: Zheng Liyu.
Why was she calling? Tang Tian recalled the expression on Zheng Liyu’s face when she left yesterday…
“Hello,” she answered the call.
“Tang Tian, I was the one who locked you in the sunroom. I’m sorry,” Zheng Liyu apologized sincerely.
Her attitude was worlds apart from when she had left yesterday.
Tang Tian didn’t understand why she suddenly called to apologize and believed Zheng Liyu’s attitude toward her yesterday was the real one. She didn’t believe Zheng Liyu could have had a sudden change of heart overnight.
Still, since an apology had been offered, there was no need to dwell on whether the other person truly felt remorse.
“Hmm,” she replied, not uttering another word to Zheng Liyu.
Perhaps the other party also felt awkward, as the call ended quickly.
Tang Tian was about to leave the side hall to eat the durian the housekeeper had given her before it became too frozen and lost its flavor.
Someone entered from the corridor on the right. She looked over and saw it was Fu Xi.
Fu Xi walked toward her with a smile, one hand in his pocket and the other holding his phone, which he waved at her.
“Guess who made that servant apologize to you?”
Tang Tian looked surprised. “You?” Why would he…
Fu Xi had already reached her, pleased with her reaction, and put away his phone. “Just standing up for what’s right.”
“I’m not as bad as Shen Yanli made me out to be.”
He leaned in closer, smiling as he observed her expression.
“Well? Are you about to cry?”
Tang Tian: “…Not really.”
Fu Xi looked somewhat disappointed. “What a pity. I wanted to see you moved to tears.”
Tang Tian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Thank you for this, Mr. Fu.” Tang Tian had thought it was Sister Wu who made Zheng Liyu apologize to her. She never would have guessed it was Fu Xi.He leaned closer, leaving only a tiny distance between his face and hers.
“Would you like to pledge yourself to me?” Fu Xi knew how to use his voice to bewitch people.
Tang Tian looked at the magnified handsome face, momentarily feeling a bit flustered, her ears turning red.
“No… no need…” She was startled into stammering.
Fu Xi had never seen her blush like this before; his playful teasing gradually shifted into an enigmatic expression.
They were very close, and Fu Xi’s gaze swept downward, fixed on her plump lips tinged with a rosy hue…
Tang Tian was stunned by his actions.
“Fu Xi.” Shen Yanli’s stern voice came from behind him.
Fu Xi straightened his tall frame lazily and said, “You’re here to rescue the beauty again.”
Shen Yanli disapproved of him teasing Tang Tian like this: “Don’t overdo it.”
Fu Xi glanced at the motionless Tang Tian: “Just joking, she won’t take it seriously, right? Tang Tian?” The name is quite sweet, just like her.
Tang Tian regained her composure: “Of course not, I’ll go busy myself now. You gentlemen chat.” After saying this, she quickly walked out of the side hall.
She faintly heard Shen Yanli behind her say, “Don’t make such jokes again in the future.” As for Fu Xi’s reply, she walked too fast and didn’t catch it clearly.
Tang Tian didn’t take Fu Xi’s joking words seriously; she forgot about them almost immediately.
These two days, it was the turn of other household servants to deliver fruits or coffee to the gentlemen. The two newly hired household servants were diligent and, like Tang Tian, spoke little, making their presence barely noticeable.
Liu Xiaozhi feared that the two new servants might be formidable characters, but after observing them for a day, she felt reassured.
Now, the only one who made her uneasy was Tang Tian.
Meanwhile, Liu Huihua wanted to intimidate the two new servants, making them recognize their place here.
When one of the servants was carrying an empty bowl toward the bar counter, Liu Huihua bumped her shoulder against the servant as she passed by.
Coincidentally, Tang Tian and Liu Xiaozhi were both at the bar counter, busy preparing fruits.