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The servant who was bumped had no defense against Liu Huahua’s deliberate collision. She failed to steady the bowl in her hands, and it slipped, crashing to the floor.
The sharp “bang” of the ceramic bowl shattering startled Tang Tian and Liu Xiaozhi, who were preparing fruit. They both looked up, curious about what had happened.
The servant was still new to her job, feeling nervous and cautious in the unfamiliar environment. Having just started, she had already broken a bowl—worth noting that dishes in wealthy households were never cheap.
Frightened and at a loss, the servant couldn’t understand why Liu Huahua had purposely bumped into her.
The terrified expression on the servant’s face greatly pleased Liu Huahua; it seemed her intent to intimidate had been achieved.
“Watch where you’re going,” Liu Huahua sneered, dropping those words before crossing her arms and leaving the fruit bar.
Liu Xiaozhi, who was always seen by outsiders as kind and innocent, coldly averted her gaze, ignoring the servant’s helplessness. She then picked up the fruit platter and carried it upstairs.
Only Tang Tian and the tearful servant remained at the fruit bar.
Tang Tian watched the servant trembling as she picked up the shattered ceramic pieces from the floor. She sighed quietly, covered the washed fruit, dried her own dripping hands, and fetched a broom and dustpan from the corner to stand beside the servant.
The servant looked up through blurry, tear-filled eyes and froze when she saw Tang Tian, who was quiet and low-profile. The servant clearly looked surprised.
Gently brushing aside the servant’s hands as she was gathering the shards, Tang Tian said, “Don’t pick up the pieces with your hands. It’s easy to get cut. Let me sweep.”
The servant, timid in appearance, hurriedly thanked her and reached out to take the broom from Tang Tian’s hands. “Sister Tang Tian, I’ll do it. I don’t want you, as a senior, to help clean up broken dishes.”
Tang Tian was already sweeping without looking up. “Go wash your hands first. The tiny shards from the broken bowl can easily pierce your skin and hurt.”
The frightened servant wiped away her tears. “Thank you, Sister Tang Tian.” So it turned out that the usually quiet Tang Tian was actually warm-hearted.
“Make me a bowl of hangover soup,” a slightly drunken voice suddenly sounded beside Tang Tian and the servant.
Tang Tian paused, looking up toward the entrance of the fruit bar. Pei Jue stood there with an elegant posture, his gaze cold and arrogant.
“Damn it, Mr. Pei.”
Pei Jue walked slowly toward the stairs, one hand in his suit pocket, the other rubbing his weary brow.
Tang Tian finished sweeping the broken bowl shards from the floor, washed her hands clean, then went to the kitchen to make the hangover soup.
She didn’t deliver it herself but entrusted the servant who had been bumped earlier to take it up.
She messaged the servant to come over.
The servant arrived quickly, her expression noticeably happier when she saw Tang Tian.
“Sister Tang Tian, you called me over?”
Tang Tian handed the tray holding the hangover soup to her. “Take this to Mr. Pei and try to make a good impression.”
The timid servant suppressed the excitement in her heart. She had only worked here a short time and wasn’t usually allowed to deliver things to the masters’ rooms.
Being seen more often in front of the masters was actually a good opportunity.
“I’ll deliver it right away.” The servant straightened her work uniform carefully and cautiously took the tray from Tang Tian’s hands.
Upstairs, a knock sounded at Pei Jue’s door. From the brief response of the man inside, one could sense his extreme coldness.
“Come in.”
The new servant was nervous, trembling as she carefully placed the hangover soup beside Pei Jue’s hand.
“Mr. Pei, here is your hangover soup. Please enjoy.”
It wasn’t Tang Tian delivering the soup this time; Pei Jue rarely opened his eyes but cast a brief glance at the anxious new servant.
“Mm, you may leave.”
The new servant quickly nodded. Afraid of Mr. Pei, she hurriedly left his room.
Pei Jue didn’t immediately drink the soup. Rubbing his forehead, he recalled the scene he had seen at the bar—perhaps the Tang Tian he knew before had been too flirtatious in front of him. Such an image wasn’t something that could be changed overnight. His gaze remained cold and distant.
The next morning, the butler held a staff meeting for the servants and specifically singled out the new servant who had been intimidated by Liu Huahua yesterday.
“Yesterday, this new servant performed well. The new servant bonus for this month goes to you, Song Yu.”
Song Yu, who had just started working and was bullied by her colleague Liu Huahua, was now dazzled by the butler’s praise and the new servant bonus. She even wondered if she was dreaming.
She had originally thought she would have to compensate for the broken bowl, but the butler hadn’t mentioned the broken bowl at all…
Another newly hired servant looked at her with nothing but envy, thinking how great it would be to be Song Yu.
Liu Huahua never expected that the new servant she had intimidated yesterday, Song Yu, would not only be praised by the butler at the morning meeting today but also receive a bonus…
Just as Liu Huahua was about to glare resentfully at Song Yu, she met the butler’s gaze. The butler’s sharp eyes seemed to have already seen through her little tricks.
Frightened, Liu Huahua immediately lowered her head, no longer daring to act arrogantly.
“I hope you all work diligently and keep palace drama to a minimum. Don’t make the workplace a chaotic mess.”
The butler’s words were clearly aimed at Liu Huahua. Liu Huahua understood it as a warning against workplace bullying. She bowed her head even lower and dared not harbor any more schemes, resolving to quietly do her work from then on.
Tang Tian stood at the edge. From the day the new servants were hired, she had heard Sister Wu instruct the butler to set up a newcomer bonus. There was no better timing than yesterday, when Song Yu had delivered the hangover soup to Pei Jue.
As expected, this morning Song Yu was not only praised but also received the newcomer bonus.
As for Liu Huahua’s attempt to intimidate the new servant Song Yu, the butler would definitely be aware of it. After all, the butler had been closely watching the recent situation between Liu Huahua and Zheng Liyu, and this was the time he was most vigilant, fearing similar incidents might happen again.
Liu Xiaozhi noticed how Song Yu kept casting joyful glances at Tang Tian. She glanced at the silent Tang Tian standing nearby and realized Song Yu seemed eager to thank her.
Liu Xiaozhi guessed that Tang Tian must have helped the new servant. She sneered inwardly. Why would Tang Tian be so considerate? Everyone knew her intentions weren’t focused on work but on seducing several of the gentlemen.
After the morning meeting ended, the gentlemen were still upstairs, not yet up. Tang Tian went to the staff dining hall for breakfast.
She casually found a seat and started eating. Soon, Song Yu brought her breakfast and sat across from her.
“Jiejie Tang Tian, thank you,” Song Yu said gratefully. She believed that the reason she could finally stand tall was because Tang Tian had shown her the right path.
Tang Tian took a sip of her warm soy milk. “No need to thank me. You seized the opportunity.”
Song Yu nodded emotionally. Yesterday, her situation was as bleak as a cloudy day; today, it was like a clear sky. This rapid turnaround was all thanks to Jiejie Tang Tian.
Liu Huahua looked disdainfully at Song Yu. She was cozying up to Tang Tian? Did she really think Tang Tian could help her? Tang Tian could barely keep her own position here and was always at risk of being fired.