Chapter 6: Pei Jue

Liu Xiaozhi was gently pouring milk for the four gentlemen, her every movement tender and attentive.

The butler led Tang Tian into the dining area and gave her a subtle glance, signaling her to stand behind Shen Yanli.

Seeing that no one had noticed her entrance, Tang Tian tiptoed quietly to stand behind Shen Yanli. She was standing quite close to him, and every now and then, she could catch the subtle scent of cologne from his body.

No one in the dining room seemed to register her presence—until breakfast was served. Tang Tian leaned slightly from behind Shen Yanli, extending her delicate, pale hand to carefully place his breakfast and napkin in front of him.

Shen Yanli glanced at the slender, soft-looking hand as it subtly adjusted the position of the napkin and dishes, placing them in a more convenient arrangement for his meal.

His gaze lingered on her slender, jade-like fingers for a few seconds before Shen Yanli turned his eyes away. Tang Tian’s delicate profile looked especially focused as she finished adjusting the placement, then quietly withdrew her hand.

Throughout the entire process, she hadn’t once looked at the man beside her.

Shen Yanli quickly looked away and began eating his breakfast in silence.

Liu Xiaozhi had wanted to move behind Shen Yanli, but when she saw Tang Tian already standing there without her noticing when she’d arrived, a wave of irritation surged in her chest. It wasn’t jealousy, but a stifling sense of discomfort and displeasure.

The aroma of the breakfast was mouthwatering, but all Tang Tian could do was watch them eat. Fortunately, she wasn’t too hungry.

Seated across from Shen Yanli, Fu Xi had just finished his meal. As he looked up, his eyes landed on Tang Tian standing opposite him.

Even with her spiritless expression, she remained stunningly beautiful.

Fu Xi felt a sudden urge to tease her, but just as the words were about to leave his lips, he swallowed them back down. His eyes flicked toward where Pei Jue was sitting, and he gave up the idea entirely.

Tang Tian didn’t notice Fu Xi looking at her. Standing there, she felt herself growing drowsy.

Finally, as the gentlemen neared the end of their breakfast, Tang Tian thought, At last, I can eat something too.

“Tang Tian, come here and help me with something,” a gentle female voice called from behind Wen Shaohan. It wasn’t loud, but everyone at the table heard it clearly.

Among those who turned to look was Pei Jue, seated directly across from Wen Shaohan. In an instant, nearly everyone’s attention shifted to Tang Tian.

Across the table, Fu Xi noticed her slight startle—the confusion and surprise flickering in her beautiful eyes made it hard for him to look away.

Tang Tian’s drowsiness vanished without a trace. She turned her head just in time to see the plate in Liu Xiaozhi’s hands tipping dangerously close to falling.

She wasn’t sure whether Liu Xiaozhi had done it on purpose, but with everyone’s gaze on her, Tang Tian stepped behind Wen Shaohan and took the plate from Liu Xiaozhi’s hands.

Liu Xiaozhi gave a relieved expression and said, “Thank goodness you were here.”

Tang Tian said nothing. She could feel Pei Jue’s gaze from across the table—sharp and cold as ice, piercing through her.

Still, she didn’t think he would cause a scene in public.

As she expected, Pei Jue merely cast her a few cold glances, then set down his cutlery and rose from his seat.

Tang Tian was completely unfazed by Pei Jue’s icy treatment. It didn’t affect her in the slightest.

Fu Xi stood up, casting a mocking glance at Liu Xiaozhi. None of them were simple people.

Tang Tian had no desire to get involved in this web of open and covert rivalries. There was nothing worth fighting over, really. But that didn’t mean she was a pushover, easily manipulated. Fortunately, Pei Jue hadn’t lost his temper, so she saw no need to press the matter.

As Shen Yanli left, whether intentionally or not, his gaze lingered on her for several seconds. But Tang Tian, ever slow to pick up on such things, didn’t notice.

After everyone had left the dining area, Tang Tian lowered her head and quietly tidied up the table, her delicate and charming face expressionless.

Zheng Liyu felt a bit disappointed that Pei Jue hadn’t lashed out. It seemed his anger had cooled considerably.

“Tang Tian, since Pei Jue didn’t get mad at you, how about you deliver the fruit tomorrow night?” she suggested. Last night, she had nearly developed trauma from delivering fruit to Pei Jue—he was so cold and terrifying.

Before Tang Tian could respond, Liu Xiaozhi interjected, “I’ll do it. Sister Wu already said Tang Tian shouldn’t enter Pei Jue’s room for the time being.”

Tang Tian accepted this arrangement in silence, grateful that it saved her the trouble of rejecting the task herself.

Zheng Liyu was genuinely touched by Liu Xiaozhi’s gesture. “Xiaozhi-jie, you’re really such a kind person.”

Liu Xiaozhi gave a shy smile. “I’m just happy I could be of help.”

Whatever they chatted about afterward, Tang Tian didn’t catch. After clearing the table, she left the dishes to the dishwasher—everything else was the servants’ job and outside her duties.

Tang Tian headed straight to the staff cafeteria, starving. Watching everyone else eat earlier had been torturous; now she could finally enjoy her breakfast in peace.

There were only a few people seated and eating in the cafeteria. As she sipped her warm soy milk, someone sat down beside her.

She turned her head and saw a young woman with a ponytail, dressed in the same uniform as Tang Tian, placing her plate next to hers.

“Tang Tian, that was a close call just now,” Liu Huahua said, her reaction mirroring Zheng Liyu’s—disappointed that Mr. Pei hadn’t gotten angry. She’d been expecting a good show.

Tang Tian sifted through the original character’s memories. This maid beside her wasn’t someone the original self had been close to. In fact, they were more like strangers working under the same roof.

So, for her to suddenly strike up a conversation was unexpected.

“It was fine,” Tang Tian replied indifferently.

Liu Huahua paused, then added with a touch of provocation, “Xiaozhi-jie couldn’t possibly have been unaware of what happened a couple of days ago. I was standing right next to her, but she didn’t call me to help—she called you.”

Liu Huahua had long disliked Liu Xiaozhi. Her own standing in the household had been suppressed by Liu Xiaozhi for quite some time. When Tang Tian arrived, she’d hoped this new face would replace Liu Xiaozhi in the eyes of the four young masters. But to her disappointment, Tang Tian proved even more useless—just a pretty face, nothing more.

Worried things might shift unexpectedly, Liu Huahua decided to act early and start by stirring things up with Tang Tian. Her ideal outcome? Both Liu Xiaozhi and Tang Tian getting fired.

But Tang Tian cared only about the steaming breakfast in front of her. She saw through Liu Huahua’s attempts to sow discord and remained unmoved.

That moment when Liu Xiaozhi called her to help had likely been deliberate, but… Pei Jue hadn’t lost his temper with her again.

She bit into a fried dough stick. “Is that so?” she replied casually.

Liu Huahua glanced at her repeatedly—so calm? Why wasn’t she angry?

“There are some things I can’t say too plainly,” Liu Huahua continued to hint, trying to gauge whether Tang Tian had picked up on the meaning behind her words.

Tang Tian swallowed a mouthful of soy milk. “I understand. Thanks for the reminder.” With that, she returned to eating her breakfast, her appetite entirely unaffected by the undercurrent in their conversation.

Liu Huahua: “…” Was this girl clever or not? She’d caused quite a stir before, but now she looked unusually clear-headed.

Under Liu Huahua’s suspicious gaze, Tang Tian finished the last sip of soy milk and got up from the table.

Typically, none of the gentlemen returned to the villa at noon. Lately, they had turned down many engagements to focus on creating new work. Only when a project was truly unavoidable or particularly profitable would they accept.

It wasn’t unusual for them to be gone for ten days or even half a month at a time. Tang Tian found that a bit disappointing. Of all times to arrive, she’d happened to transmigrate just when the four male leads were buried in their creative process. The thought of only seeing them once every ten days or so made her realize just how easy this job might end up being.

What a pity… But all she could do now was daydream.

The day had been filled with scattered chores. A bit of cleaning here, some tidying there—before she knew it, time had flown by. When she finally sat down to rest on the sofa in the side hall, the sky had already darkened.

The kitchen was bustling, filled with the clatter and chatter of staff preparing dinner for the young masters.

Tonight, they were having a gathering. Things were about to get even busier.

Soon, the sound of car horns rang out one after another from outside the villa. Without even looking, Tang Tian could guess—it must be the young masters returning.

She caught a glimpse of a few figures passing the villa’s entrance. It was Liu Xiaozhi and a few others. Four servants had already gone to greet them, so there was no need for her to join the crowd.

Leisurely, she popped the last of the cherries from the coffee table into her mouth, then finally got up and made her way to the dining area.

Inside the dining room, the young men had already started to sip wine as dish after dish was brought out and set on the table.

Tang Tian couldn’t take her eyes off the spread—each dish more fragrant than the last. It smelled incredible. What a shame none of it was meant for her.

“Tang Tian, Mr. Shen is calling you.”
Beside her, Liu Huahua was nearly bursting with envy—she wished desperately that Mr. Shen had called for her instead.

Tang Tian snapped out of her daze and turned toward Shen Yanli. “Mr. Shen.”

Shen Yanli, noticing she’d been staring blankly at the dishes on the table, said calmly, “Bring me a hot towel.”

Tang Tian immediately turned and fetched a hot towel, then handed it to him for washing his hands.

As he wiped his slender, elegant hands, he asked, “You haven’t had dinner yet?”

Tang Tian realized that when she’d been staring at the food just now, she probably looked ravenous.

“No,” she replied—though she had eaten a plate of cherries. At least the cherries here were plentiful.

Across the table, Fu Xi chuckled. “You were just about ready to burn a hole through those dishes with your eyes.”

Pei Jue lifted his gaze toward her for a fleeting second before quickly looking away. His chiseled features remained cold and unreadable, his expression as if he could barely tolerate the sight of her.

Even with her thick skin, Tang Tian couldn’t help feeling a bit awkward. Her cheeks flushed involuntarily.

Fu Xi leaned back slightly, watching the exquisite beauty across from him. Her flawless, snowy skin had taken on a delicate pink hue, even her ears were tinged with red. His brows lifted ever so slightly as he thought to himself:
Her looks really are something rare.

“Go eat first,” Shen Yanli said coolly.

To Tang Tian, it sounded like the voice of an angel. Her smile bloomed brilliantly—radiant and dazzling—so much so that Fu Xi, who had been watching her closely, was momentarily stunned, unable to look away.