Chapter 26: Vacation

Last night, Tang Tian had actually planned that when the butler asked for volunteers, she would raise her hand eagerly and appear overly enthusiastic—precisely to ensure she wouldn’t be chosen.

After all, she had seen it before: Liu Huahua had eagerly volunteered in front of the butler, only for the butler to choose the quiet, reserved one beside her to watch over the young masters while they swam.

Tang Tian suspected the butler preferred servants who appeared more indifferent, those who weren’t overly eager. So today, she intended to do the opposite.

But to her surprise… it wasn’t the butler who came to select people—it was Sister Wu.

Tang Tian didn’t know Sister Wu well and had no idea what criteria she would use to pick servants. If she raised her hand too eagerly and Sister Wu actually picked her—what then?

Sister Wu’s gaze landed firmly on Liu Xiaozhi, who bowed her head in shame.

None of the servants—whether newly hired or long-serving—could hide the hopeful glint in their eyes as they looked at Sister Wu.

Even Liu Xiaozhi, who had nearly been dismissed, held onto hope. She had gone last year, so naturally, she expected to go again this year.

Only Tang Tian sat stiffly in place, looking exactly like a student terrified of being called on in class. She didn’t dare make a sound, eyes fixed on the ground.

Sister Wu nearly laughed at the sight of her. It was impossible to tell whether Tang Tian wanted to go or not. Still, she hadn’t heard of any misconduct from her lately—perhaps Tang Tian really had turned over a new leaf.

“Liu Huahua, you’ll accompany the young masters overseas.”

Liu Huahua was ecstatic! She tried her best to conceal the excitement bubbling within her, afraid Sister Wu might change her mind.

Tang Tian didn’t dare move, thinking Sister Wu was heading in her direction.

Thankfully, Sister Wu stopped in front of Song Yu instead.

“Your name is Song Yu? You’re the one who received the new servant bonus last time?”

Song Yu quickly nodded, eyes filled with anticipation as she looked at Sister Wu.

Sister Wu said, “You’ll take the remaining spot.”

“Thank you, Sister Wu.”

Song Yu was overjoyed. Traveling abroad with several of the gentlemen, flying on a private jet, and having her personal safety guaranteed—being a servant in this villa really did come with remarkable benefits.

Before leaving, Sister Wu cast another glance at Tang Tian. Tang Tian remained completely still, her expression unreadable—it was impossible to tell whether she wanted to go or not.

“Alright, it’s settled then.”

Just as Sister Wu turned to leave, she caught a glimpse of Tang Tian finally moving. It seemed… she had quietly let out a sigh of relief.

Sister Wu paused and looked toward Liu Huahua. Suddenly, she recalled the incident not long ago when Liu Huahua had deliberately made things difficult for the new servant, Song Yu. Assigning the two of them together now didn’t seem wise no matter how she thought about it.

She turned to look at Tang Tian. It seemed Tang Tian noticed she hadn’t left yet and instantly froze again, not even daring to breathe too loudly.

Tang Tian’s movements were extremely subtle—barely noticeable—but Sister Wu had been secretly observing her and picked up on the change.

“Wait. Liu Huahua will be replaced by Tang Tian. Song Yu remains as planned.”

Sister Wu had changed her mind. Liu Huahua, upon hearing this, refused to accept it.

“Sister Wu, you clearly picked me at first—why are you changing your mind?”

Liu Huahua was furious. Why was she being replaced by Tang Tian?!

Tang Tian was overwhelmed. She had just barely managed to dodge the assignment—how did she end up being chosen after all?!

Sister Wu remained patient as she explained the reason to her. “You were the one who made things difficult for the new servant, Song Yu, weren’t you?”

Liu Huahua instantly deflated, not daring to say another word. Who could she blame? She had brought this upon herself.

At that moment, Tang Tian raised her hand, indicating she had something to say.

Sister Wu was even more pleased, thinking, She knows her manners.

“Tang Tian, you have something to say?”

Tang Tian nodded. “Sister Wu, I’m not suited for this. I hope you’ll consider choosing someone else.”

Immediately, the other servants looked at her as if she were a strange creature. Tang Tian actually turned down such a golden opportunity?!

Tang Tian didn’t understand why Sister Wu hadn’t chosen Liu Xiaozhi. In the original story, Liu Xiaozhi always accompanied the gentlemen on their trips abroad. Wherever the male leads went, Liu Xiaozhi, as the female lead, went too.

But Sister Wu said, “It’s settled. You and Song Yu will go.”

Her tone clearly brooked no argument, leaving Tang Tian with no chance to refuse again.

Tang Tian: “…”

After all the twists and turns, even as the villainous supporting character, she was still going.

She vaguely remembered that in the novel, the original character had gone abroad on vacation with Liu Xiaozhi. A lot had happened during that trip, and it was overseas that Liu Xiaozhi’s relationships with several of the male leads had rapidly deepened.

The original character, as the malicious supporting female, completely descended into darkness. From then on, she began scheming against the female lead, Liu Xiaozhi, and shamelessly tried to seduce the gentlemen in all sorts of ways. In the end, she was thrown out of the villa. Once her actions were exposed, she became a pariah—reviled by everyone like a rat on the street.

The overseas vacation was a critical turning point. Tang Tian felt certain that something unexpected and possibly disastrous would happen during this trip abroad, which was exactly why she wanted to avoid it at all costs.

Tang Tian’s expression grew somewhat distant. It was clear she truly didn’t want to go.

But it was precisely this type of servant that Sister Wu preferred—those who had no interest in getting close to the gentlemen. The more reluctant they were, the more satisfied she felt.

Once the morning meeting ended, Sister Wu passed by and gave Tang Tian’s slender arm a light pat. “Do your best. This month, you and Song Yu will each receive half a month’s bonus pay.”

Tang Tian’s eyes lit up for a moment, but quickly dimmed again as another thought struck her. Compared to her life, half a month’s bonus meant little. When it came down to it, life was far more important.

Song Yu, standing beside her, immediately brightened upon hearing about the bonus. Overjoyed, she quickly expressed her gratitude, “Thank you, Sister Wu! I’ll make sure to take good care of the gentlemen.”

Sister Wu nodded with a smile, then cast one last glance at the still-unenthusiastic Tang Tian before leaving, satisfied.

Liu Xiaozhi had suspected she wouldn’t be chosen this time, but what caught her off guard was that Sister Wu hadn’t even mentioned her name. She couldn’t accept it—why should Tang Tian be selected?

Not long ago, Tang Tian had been kicked out of the room for trying to seduce Pei Jue. How could she be allowed on the list, when Liu Xiaozhi herself wasn’t?

Unable to let it go, Liu Xiaozhi caught up with Sister Wu just as she was about to leave. With a pitiful expression, she said in a soft, sorrowful voice, “Sister Wu, that incident at the gathering was a misunderstanding. I was just in a bad mood that day.”

But Sister Wu didn’t bother listening to her explanation. Her decision this time was also a form of warning—meant to remind Liu Xiaozhi not to harbor any more unrealistic hopes toward the gentlemen.

“Sister Wu, I’m fine not being chosen this time, but… Tang Tian was just thrown out of Mr. Pei’s room not long ago. Are you sure… you want her to go?”

Her words caught Sister Wu’s attention. She looked at Liu Xiaozhi, signaling her to continue.

Thinking she had made an impression, Liu Xiaozhi carefully chose her next words and continued, “Things abroad aren’t like they are here. There’s no butler, no oversight from you. Who knows what Tang Tian might do…”

Sister Wu smiled and reached out to pat her on the shoulder. “Tang Tian has acknowledged her mistakes and changed. Whether it’s her work or her daily conduct now, she no longer seems to have any inappropriate thoughts about the gentlemen.”

“Alright, I still have things to do. I’m leaving.”

Sister Wu only had a brief moment to stop by—she was incredibly busy and had no time to deal with these petty matters.

The words Liu Xiaozhi had been about to say—“Tang Tian’s just pretending to be good because she’s afraid of being dismissed”—were stuck in her throat. She didn’t get the chance to say them and had no choice but to swallow them down.

On the other side, Song Yu was excitedly doing mental calculations. Half a month’s bonus! That meant her salary this month would be…

She turned to tell Tang Tian how much she’d be earning this month, only to see her looking gloomy.

“Tang Tian-jie, do you really not want to go abroad on vacation with the gentlemen?”

Song Yu couldn’t understand why she was so resistant. This was clearly a great opportunity—something others would fight to get, yet Tang Tian kept trying to decline it.

Tang Tian nodded uneasily. At this point, all she could do was quickly come to terms with reality and figure out how to avoid becoming cannon fodder.

If she stayed cautious at all times, maybe… just maybe, she could avoid any unexpected misfortune?

Then another thought occurred to her—according to the original story, during the vacation abroad, the female lead, Liu Xiaozhi, was always present. But this time, she wasn’t included. Did that mean the villainess’s fate could also be changed?

There was no way to know for sure. Still, worry gnawed at Tang Tian’s heart. She desperately wanted to escape the tragic end written for her in the story.

At lunchtime, Fu Xi was the first to arrive at the dining room. He sat down with a leisurely air, waiting for the others to show up.

Tang Tian and Liu Huahua appeared shortly after.

Fu Xi watched, curious to see where Tang Tian would choose to stand. Wen Shaohan had gone out earlier in the morning and still hadn’t returned. Fu Xi wanted to see whom she would choose now that Wen Shaohan wasn’t around.

To his surprise, Tang Tian didn’t hesitate or overthink it. She walked directly to stand behind Pei Jue’s seat.

It was simply because Liu Huahua was already standing behind Fu Xi, and it was an unspoken rule that Liu Xiaozhi stood behind Shen Yanli. Naturally, she wouldn’t choose to stand behind Shen Yanli.

Fu Xi glanced back, visibly displeased, and stared across at Tang Tian with a touch of resentment.

Pei Jue entered the dining room. When he saw Tang Tian, his gaze lingered on her for a few seconds before shifting away.

He sat down unhurriedly, and Tang Tian handed him a warm towel. He took it, casually wiped his hands, and began to eat.

As Pei Jue ate, his eyes inadvertently fell on her slender hands as she arranged his meal.

Her hands were delicate and pristine, her wrists so pale and fragile they seemed as if a light touch could break them. The soft pink hue at her fingertips made him want to bite down gently, just to see her startled and flustered reaction…

Pei Jue suddenly paused mid-bite, his brows tightening slightly. Without a word, he averted his gaze.