Tang Tian didn’t notice Fu Xi’s unwavering stare from across the table and immediately responded to Shen Yanli’s words: “Yes, Mr. Shen.” After speaking, she turned and placed the items in her hands onto the trolley.
Her expression visibly brightened, forming a stark contrast to her earlier lifeless demeanor.
The other three at the dining table didn’t care whether there were servants waiting nearby. Apart from Fu Xi, the other two didn’t even glance up.
Zheng Liyu and Liu Huihua also suppressed their excitement, not daring to show their eagerness in front of the gentlemen, as they were equally hungry.
Just as Tang Tian was happily about to leave, Liu Xiaozhi’s voice chimed in: “Tang Tian, you all go ahead and eat. I’ll stay here and wait.”
Liu Xiaozhi’s considerate words and gentle smile felt like a bucket of cold water poured over Zheng Liyu and Liu Huihua, leaving them momentarily unsure whether to leave or stay.
Liu Xiaozhi said this based on her understanding of Tang Tian—knowing that Tang Tian wouldn’t allow her to shine in front of the gentlemen alone—so she was confident that Tang Tian would offer to stay instead.
She looked at Tang Tian with great confidence, but…
“Oh, okay.” Tang Tian wasn’t surprised. The female lead was, after all, built on a considerate and attentive persona to move the four male leads at the table. How could the female lead possibly bear to “abandon” the male leads at such a moment?
She replied briefly and walked straight out of the dining area.
Liu Xiaozhi: “…”
Fu Xi’s expression was somewhat stunned as he watched her evenly slender legs move swiftly, as if afraid she’d be called back even a second later.
He glanced at Liu Xiaozhi diagonally across from him. Besides surprise, her face now faintly revealed a look of displeasure.
Fu Xi couldn’t help but smile. How had he only just noticed… the “drama” among these servants was quite entertaining.
Shen Yanli glanced calmly at Fu Xi: “What are you laughing at?”
Fu Xi: “Nothing. Just noticed something interesting.”
Shen Yanli looked puzzled but didn’t press further.
Liu Huihua and Zheng Liyu exchanged a glance before following Tang Tian out of the dining room. Left stranded, Liu Xiaozhi’s expression was nothing short of utterly unpleasant.
She could hardly believe that Tang Tian, who had always been jealous of her, would be indifferent to her showcasing kindness and virtue in front of the gentlemen.
Shen Yanli didn’t look at Liu Xiaozhi: “You may go eat too. We don’t need anyone here for now.”
Suppressing her displeasure, Liu Xiaozhi nodded at Shen Yanli as if reluctantly agreeing.
In the staff dining room, Tang Tian was already heating up her dinner. Liu Huihua and Zheng Liyu, who followed closely behind, knew this was Tang Tian’s “doing,” so they no longer deliberately spoke with sarcasm in front of her as they had before.
“Ding…”
The microwave beeped. Tang Tian took out the heated meal and, ignoring Liu Huihua and Zheng Liyu, walked alone to a nearby table to eat.
Not long after, Liu Xiaozhi walked in. As she passed Tang Tian, she observed Tang Tian’s reaction intentionally or unintentionally.
Tang Tian’s mind was entirely focused on eating. Apart from noticing Liu Xiaozhi’s arrival, she paid no attention to what the other might do.
The chef’s skills were truly exceptional, completely winning over Tang Tian’s stomach.
Just as she was wholeheartedly enjoying her meal, the sound of a chair being pulled back echoed beside her.Liu Xiaozhi sat down beside her. Liu Huihua and Zheng Liyu, seated nearby, exchanged a glance, clearly surprised by Liu Xiaozhi’s initiative to approach Tang Tian.
Tang Tian glanced sideways, pretending she didn’t exist.
“Tang Tian, if the butler finds out about what just happened, he might blame you,” Liu Xiaozhi said with feigned concern, unable to bear how contentedly Tang Tian was eating, so she tried to add psychological pressure.
Tang Tian didn’t pause her chopsticks as she picked up food, indifferent. “It doesn’t matter.” She’d eat her fill first.
Liu Xiaozhi: “…”
Watching Tang Tian’s appetite remain completely unaffected, Liu Xiaozhi felt a pang of frustration…
“Actually, your actions…” Liu Xiaozhi began hesitantly, wanting to criticize her and make her feel guilty.
Tang Tian: “I don’t want to hear it.” She neatly cut off any further nonsense.
Liu Xiaozhi: “…” Her unspoken words were stifled once again, her momentum extinguished completely.
Tang Tian paid no attention to Liu Xiaozhi beside her. She wouldn’t repeatedly indulge someone trying to mess with her mindset. She had no patience for it and saw no need to tolerate it.
After Tang Tian’s bluntness, Liu Xiaozhi didn’t dare say anything provocative again until the meal was finished—she didn’t even speak at all.
After eating, Tang Tian got up and went into the kitchen, turning on the faucet to wash her plate clean.
Liu Huihua and Zheng Liyu glanced toward the kitchen, then looked at Liu Xiaozhi’s displeased expression.
Neither of them chose to approach Liu Xiaozhi at that moment, avoiding potential “collateral damage.”
After dinner, Tang Tian took a portion of fruit from the refrigerator and stood in front of it, eating large strawberries and cubed cantaloupe one bite after another.
It had to be said, the food here was impeccable. Tang Tian was quite satisfied with the meals.
By the time she was full and content, the few male leads in the dining room were still enjoying a casual drink.
Tang Tian, Liu Huihua, and the others returned from the staff dining area to the main dining area.
She stood behind Fu Xi, waiting for them to finish chatting and go upstairs so she could clock out.
When Shen Yanli mentioned leaving, his gaze was caught by Tang Tian across from him.
She was dozing off, her eyes half-closed. Shen Yanli’s expression faltered slightly. The men’s voices weren’t exactly quiet—it was fairly noisy. How could she still manage to doze off?
Although Shen Yanli didn’t care for her, he didn’t have a habit of making things difficult for others. After clinking glasses with the other three, he suggested heading upstairs to rest early.
Shen Yanli: “Let’s rest early. There’s work tomorrow.”
Mentioning work, Fu Xi’s expression briefly showed impatience. He had originally wanted to seclude himself for creative work, but some events had been arranged months ago and couldn’t be skipped.
“You go ahead. I’ll sit here a bit longer,” Fu Xi said, leaning back in his chair, his handsome face slightly cold, giving off an unruly, handsome aura.
Liu Huihua stole a glance and felt her heart flutter. She had a crush on Fu Xi because, among the four gentlemen, only Fu Xi was relatively easygoing. Mr. Shen and Mr. Wen appeared gentle on the surface but were actually aloof and cold-hearted, making them hard to get along with. As for Mr. Pei… his face was cold, and his heart was even colder—truly intimidating!
Just as Shen Yanli was about to get up and head upstairs, his gaze drifted behind Fu Xi…
Tang Tian, hearing him say they were going upstairs to rest, jolted awake, her eyes lighting up. But when Fu Xi said he’d stay a bit longer, she unconsciously pouted slightly, her whole demeanor deflating.A faint smile tugged at Shen Yanli’s lips, amused by how clearly her emotions were written on her face. He tugged at his sleeve cuff and, without paying further attention to the servant across from him, left the dining room.
Pei Jue and Wen Shaohan followed suit shortly after. Wen Shaohan had been seated on the same side as Fu Xi, so when leaving, he had to pass behind Fu Xi’s chair.
Just as Wen Shaohan was about to move past Fu Xi, Fu Xi—who had earlier said he would stay a while longer—seeing everyone else leave, lost interest in lingering. He pushed his chair back and stood up.
Tang Tian, knowing Wen Shaohan needed to pass through, instinctively took a step forward to make way, bringing her unusually close to Fu Xi’s chair. Unexpectedly, Fu Xi suddenly stood up to leave as well.
In her haste, she took half a step back to avoid colliding with the chair, only for her right side to bump into a solid wall of flesh.
Tang Tian’s right shoulder throbbed faintly from the impact—a pain she could easily ignore. However, she couldn’t understand why Wen Shaohan hadn’t simply taken a couple of steps outward, given how spacious the dining room was.
Clearly, Wen Shaohan hadn’t anticipated this situation either. His handsome brows furrowed slightly as he looked down at Tang Tian, suspecting she might have done it on purpose…
But then he saw Tang Tian raising her left hand to rub her right shoulder, her stunningly beautiful face slightly pale, as if startled.
Seeing she didn’t seem to have intentionally bumped into him—or perhaps she was just acting well?—Wen Shaohan refrained from jumping to conclusions. Instead, he tightened his frown, ignored Tang Tian’s hesitant expression, and strode out of the dining room.
Watching Wen Shaohan’s retreating figure, Tang Tian breathed a quiet sigh of relief. At least it wasn’t Pei Jue she had bumped into—otherwise, he would have flown into a rage, likely assuming she had done it deliberately.
Wen Shaohan was known for his humility and milder temper.
Still, she couldn’t be blamed for this. Who could have predicted Fu Xi would suddenly push back his chair and stand up? She had barely had time to react.