Chapter 13: Fullness

Tang Tian glanced at the clock on the wall. Without realizing it, she had slept for several hours—it was now half past five in the afternoon.

She felt a bit weak and drained. Sister Wu had given her half a day off, but it didn’t feel right; maybe she was coming down with something.

She wondered how things had been handled that morning. Who had locked her inside the sunroom?

She had no idea. Since it was almost time for dinner, she decided it was best to go out and find out.

She had just stepped out of her room when she saw three people standing at the doorway of the next room—Liu Xiaozhi, Zheng Liyu, and Liu Huahua.

The difference was that only Zheng Liyu was dragging a suitcase. Her eyes were red as she said goodbye to the other two.

“Take care,” Liu Xiaozhi said, her words tinged with reluctant affection.

Liu Huahua, on the other hand, said nothing, which left Tang Tian feeling disappointed. Why wasn’t it Liu Xiaozhi who was leaving?

She couldn’t believe Zheng Liyu was foolish enough to lock Tang Tian inside the sunroom for no reason. Although she could tell Zheng Liyu disliked her, it wasn’t to such a hateful extent.

So Liu Huahua suspected that this matter must have something to do with Liu Xiaozhi.

Seeing the scene before her, Tang Tian guessed that it was Zheng Liyu who had locked her in the sunroom.

She couldn’t understand why Zheng Liyu, who disliked her, would do something so self-damaging. If anything, she could have just ignored her.

But Zheng Liyu had indeed done exactly that.

Tang Tian stood aside watching as Zheng Liyu, who had just said goodbye to Liu Xiaozhi, caught sight of her.

Their eyes met, and Liu Xiaozhi and Liu Huahua looked over as well.

The atmosphere instantly grew awkward, but Tang Tian remained expressionless.

Zheng Liyu didn’t apologize; she wiped the tears from her face, dragged her suitcase, and left.

She wouldn’t apologize to Tang Tian, and Liu Xiaozhi said that Zheng Liyu would come back. In the future, if there was a chance, Liu Xiaozhi planned to plead with the several gentlemen to allow her return.

So Zheng Liyu only needed to curry favor with Liu Xiaozhi, who might one day become the mistress of the villa. She wouldn’t have to bow to a mere servant, and when that time came, the guilty Liu Xiaozhi would surely treat her well.

Tang Tian watched coldly as Zheng Liyu left the villa, disappearing through the main gate without uttering a single apology.

Without the several gentlemen around, Liu Xiaozhi didn’t bother to pretend and was very indifferent toward Tang Tian. She also didn’t think Zheng Liyu’s refusal to apologize was wrong.

Liu Huahua grew increasingly uneasy. When had Zheng Liyu developed such a deep grudge against Tang Tian? She treated her like a thorn in her side.

Tang Tian thought it over again and again. Since Zheng Liyu refused to apologize, it seemed there was nothing she could do about it. Considering that Zheng Liyu had been dismissed and forced to leave, losing this rare high-paying job, it was almost like Madam Wu had given her a fitting comeuppance.

So, she decided to just let it go, sparing herself unnecessary trouble.

Feeling hungry, Tang Tian slipped past Liu Xiaozhi and Liu Huahua and headed toward the staff canteen.

None of them knew that Fu Xi was sitting on the sofa in the side lounge, having witnessed everything that had just happened.

He couldn’t help but smile; the drama among these servants was becoming more and more entertaining.

The servant who had been dismissed today had apologized to Madam Wu, to him, and to Shen Yanli and the others—but notably, she hadn’t apologized to Tang Tian, the one who had actually suffered.

Fu Xi fiddled with his phone, seemingly deep in thought about something.

Tang Tian thought the matter had ended there, on the eighteenth day after being locked in the sunroom.

In the dining room, Tang Tian walked up behind Fu Xi, since she had been responsible for his meals the past few days.

Shen Yanli looked up and stared at her for a moment.

“Stand next to me,” he said to Tang Tian.

Tang Tian even thought he wasn’t speaking to her and glanced around. In that direction, she was the only one there.

“Mr. Shen, are you talking to me?” she asked.

“Mm,” Shen Yanli glanced at Fu Xi, who also looked surprised, then explained, “He likes to tease you.”

Tang Tian recalled Fu Xi’s teasing when they came back yesterday…

So she moved to Shen Yanli’s side and handed him a hot towel.

Fu Xi: “?”

“Don’t make me sound like I’m so bad,” she complained, displeased.

At the dining table, no one paid attention to his defense of himself—everyone knew how sharp-tongued he was.

Liu Xiaozhi had originally come to stand behind Shen Yanli, but now… with tears in her eyes, she stood behind Wen Shaohan, looking toward Shen Yanli with a mournful, resentful gaze.

Tang Tian didn’t feel that Shen Yanli’s call was meant especially for her. This was the servants’ duty—to be responsible for one person’s meal. As for whose meal she served, it made no difference to her.

She had only followed Shen Yanli’s lead earlier; after all, if everyone else had spoken up, it would be awkward for both sides to refuse.

Besides, Shen Yanli had asked her to move over out of concern.

When Tang Tian inadvertently met Liu Xiaozhi’s eyes, heavy with grievance, she froze for a moment.

Only later did Tang Tian realize that Liu Xiaozhi probably thought Shen Yanli had other intentions toward her.

Tang Tian ignored it and had no intention of explaining anything.

In the afternoon, she sat resting in a side room.

Her phone, tucked in the pocket of her work uniform, suddenly rang. She pulled it out and saw the caller ID: Zheng Liyu.

Zheng Liyu was calling? Tang Tian recalled Zheng Liyu’s expression when she left yesterday…

“Hello,” she answered.

“Tang Tian, it was I who locked you in the sunroom. I’m sorry,” Zheng Liyu apologized sincerely.

Her tone was completely different from when she left yesterday.

Tang Tian wasn’t sure why Zheng Liyu suddenly called to apologize. She believed that Zheng Liyu’s attitude toward her yesterday was the truth and didn’t think Zheng Liyu had a sudden change of heart overnight.

However, since the apology had been made, there was no need to dwell on whether the other person truly felt guilty.

“Mm.” She didn’t say another word to Zheng Liyu.

Perhaps the other party felt awkward as well, and the call ended quickly.

Tang Tian was about to leave the side room to eat the durian the butler had given her—though if it was frozen too long, the taste would go bad.

Just then, someone came in from the right hallway. She looked over and saw Fu Xi.

Fu Xi walked toward her with a smile, one hand in his pocket, the other shaking his phone at her.

“Guess who made that servant apologize to you?”

Tang Tian’s expression was one of surprise. “You? Why would you…”

Fu Xi had already reached her side, clearly pleased with her reaction, and put his phone away. “Just couldn’t stand seeing injustice.”

“I’m not the kind of person Shen Yanli said I was,” he said.

He leaned in close, smiling as he studied her expression.

“So? Feeling like crying yet?”

Tang Tian: “…Not really.”

Fu Xi looked a bit disappointed. “What a shame. I wanted to see you moved to tears, sobbing like a pear blossom.”

Tang Tian couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head.

“Thank you for this matter, Mr. Fu,” Tang Tian said, thinking it was Sister Wu who had Zheng Liyu apologize to her—never imagining it was Fu Xi.

He moved even closer, now only a breath away from her face.

“How about pledging yourself to me?” Fu Xi used his voice to enchant and confuse.

Tang Tian stared at his handsome face, suddenly at a loss, her ears turning red.

“N-no… no need…” she stammered, startled.

This was the first time Fu Xi saw her blush so deeply, and his playful attitude gradually shifted into something more inscrutable.

They were standing very close, and Fu Xi’s gaze slid downward, fixating on her full lips, flushed with a natural pink.

Tang Tian was stunned by his boldness.

“Fu Xi.” Shen Yanli’s serious voice came from behind him.

Fu Xi straightened his tall frame and said lazily, “Here you go again, playing hero.”

Shen Yanli disapproved of Fu Xi teasing Tang Tian like that. “Don’t go too far.”

Fu Xi glanced at Tang Tian, who remained still. “Just joking. She wouldn’t take it seriously, right? Tang Tian?” The name sounded quite sweet—just like her.

Tang Tian regained her composure. “Of course not. I have work to do. You two gentlemen can continue talking.” With that, she quickly walked out of the side room.

Tang Tian vaguely heard Shen Yanli say from behind, “Don’t make that kind of joke again.” As for Fu Xi’s reply, she walked too fast to catch it clearly.

Tang Tian didn’t take Fu Xi’s teasing to heart and soon forgot about it.

In the past two days, other home nannies took turns bringing fruit or coffee to the gentlemen. The two newly hired home nannies were diligent and, like Tang Tian, spoke little and kept a low profile.

Liu Xiaozhi had worried the new hires might be formidable, but after observing them for a day, she felt relieved.

Now, the only one still causing her concern was Tang Tian.

Meanwhile, Liu Huixiong wanted to intimidate the two new nannies, to make them clearly understand their place here.

One day, when one of the nannies was carrying an empty bowl toward the bar, Liu Huixiong bumped her shoulder as she passed by.

Coincidentally, Tang Tian and Liu Xiaozhi were both at the bar, busy preparing fruit.