This was clearly an eviction order.

Ji Weilang bit her lip and wanted to say something more, but Zhan Qingyue’s demeanor clearly showed he wasn’t interested in listening.

Afraid of making things worse, she hesitated for a moment, then stood up and left.

Standing outside the door, Ji Weiliang realized her palms were sweating and felt like her conversation had been pointless.

Zhan Qingyue was hard to read.

Despite her lengthy explanation, he hadn’t given any indication of his stance, leaving her unsure of his intentions.

When the door clicked shut, the study returned to its quiet state.

Zhan Qingyue, feeling a bit annoyed, thought that Ji Weiliang had been quite presumptuous.

His impression of her dropped significantly.

He rubbed his forehead and noticed several cute animal stress balls on the desk.

They were left by Ning Qiuxiu, who had suggested he squeeze them if he was stressed; she said it was very soothing.

He picked one up, squeezed it, and then let go.

The little thing quickly returned to its original shape, no matter how much he squeezed or twisted it.

It always ended up looking cute and silly, staring back at him with its big eyes.

A moment later, Zhan Qingyue smiled, feeling his mood lift.

Ning Qiuxiu was really adorable.

---

The next day, Ning Qiuxiu slept in and woke up around 10 AM.

After getting ready, she went downstairs and found Zhan Qingyue and the housekeeper in the living room.

The others were nowhere to be seen.

“Hmm? Did they leave so soon?” Ning Qiuxiu asked.

The housekeeper replied, “The second young master and the others went out to have fun. They didn’t call you because they thought you looked tired. If you want to join them, you can call them for their location, and the driver will take you there. Old Master Zhan went to visit an old friend, and Jingjing went with him.”

“…” Jingjing was both flattering and good at comforting people.

Old Master Zhan liked her a lot. Ning Qiuxiu suspected that once Zhan Qingyue was well and no longer needed care, the old man might insist on making her his god-sister, which would keep their connection strong.

“Okay.” Ning Qiuxiu walked over and saw Miaomiao sitting next to the sofa where Zhan Qingyue usually sat.

Miaomiao had a piece of cardboard on its head, clearly chewed up by it.

With its fierce-looking eyes, it looked quite menacing but somehow still seemed pitiable.

Ning Qiuxiu laughed and asked, “What’s going on here?”

Zhan Qingyue replied, “Chewed up something, punishment.”

Huskies are known for being expert home destructors, and Miaomiao clearly has pure Husky blood.

It’s a troublemaker through and through.

Ning Qiuxiu laughed and said, “With a Husky’s rebellious nature, does corporal punishment even work?”

The motto of a Husky is to know it’s wrong but still dare to do it.

Zhan Qingyue, half-smiling, replied, “A few more servings of bitter melon will help.”

Every time Miaomiao misbehaves, its food and meals are ruthlessly mixed with bitter melon juice, and even its snacks are replaced with bitter melon.

After being punished, Miaomiao faces a bitter melon feast.

As long as the master doesn’t relent, Miaomiao’s whining and acting cute are useless.

The vengeful master, after Miaomiao destroys the house, also has it’s own house dismantled, forcing it to sleep on the floor in a cage, subjecting it to three layers of punishment.

Ning Qiuxiu: “… You’re really mean.”

She suddenly felt a bit sorry for Miaomiao.

With such a devilish owner, Miaomiao’s misdeeds likely deserved a collective mourning.

Unfazed by his wife’s scolding, Zhan Qingyue calmly said, “This lesson is about the cost of being willful.”

“…” What kind of lesson is that? And… why does she feel like there’s a hidden meaning in that phrase?

“Ahem,” Ning Qiuxiu stood up from the sofa. “I’m going to have breakfast.”

Saying that, she quickly ran off, leaving no chance for Zhan Qingyue to respond.

Zhan Qingyue watched her dash to the dining room, feeling a bit regretful.

Her reaction time was getting faster.

The cook brought her breakfast, which was a Western-style spread: thick cheese omelet, small cakes, seasonal fruits, vegetable salad, three sausages, boiled eggs, all piled high on a plate, along with a glass of milk.

“Has our family come into a sudden fortune recently?” Ning Qiuxiu stared at the mountain of food and asked the cook.

The cook looked confused. “Huh? I don’t think so. I don’t know.”

“Then why has the breakfast suddenly increased in quantity?”

“Oh, this,” the cook said with a smile, “I was worried you wouldn’t have enough to eat. In the past, I only prepared a little, and you never said it was insufficient. I felt bad about it. So, if you eat like you did last night, just let me know if you need more, and I’ll make more.”

“……” Ning Qiuxiu was almost in tears from frustration.

Last night, she had been so hungry and in a good mood that she ate a lot, leading the cook to mistakenly believe that she had a big appetite…

This was an unfortunate outcome of a show about raising bamboo rats.

Feeling very depressed, Ning Qiuxiu ate breakfast while browsing Weibo.

Despite the annoyance the bamboo rat show had caused her, the results were undeniable. Her “Strong Qiuxiu” persona had become deeply ingrained, gaining many fans and transforming her from a disliked figure into a powerful and impressive one.

Her “Strong Qiuxiu/ Big Power Qiuxiu” nickname had even spread to the media.

When searching for Ning Qiuxiu on Weibo, “Strong Qiuxiu” was the third related search suggestion.

Ning Qiuxiu clicked on “Strong Qiuxiu” and found that it was mostly marketing accounts playing with the nickname.

However, she noticed something interesting in the third most commented post among the top three posts.

Celebrity Gossip Blog: “A new scoop about a certain celebrity is making waves. I won’t reveal who it is, but the original post has been blocked for keywords. There are supposedly some shocking details. I hope the blogger holds out and doesn’t get silenced by PR teams (image)”

The original post didn’t mention “Strong Qiuxiu,” but it was captured in the search because the comments included the nickname.

The blogger had posted nine screenshots, which appeared to be screenshots of a Weibo post.

Ning Qiuxiu clicked on the first image and, while eating breakfast, her expression froze as she almost bit her own tongue.

User29366712: “Ning Qiuxiu has become famous! Here’s some gossip about her. I used to work as a servant in her home. I worked diligently, but she inexplicably disliked me. She would make me do all the dirty and hard work. She wanted a garden after visiting a flower show but couldn’t afford it herself, so she ordered us servants to clear out old plants, transport things, and dig soil. It was extremely hard work. We couldn’t complain, or we’d be deprived of wages and reported for being lazy, resulting in pay cuts…”

This tone, wasn’t it just the Xiaoqin she had chased away?

Ning Qiuxiu laughed, realizing that Xiaoqin wasn’t entirely foolish.

She had taken the opportunity, while Ning Qiuxiu was still angry, to leak some information.

Out of the nine images, four were Xiaoqin’s accounts of her “inhuman” treatment in their household, portraying herself as an innocent victim resisting evil forces.

Her ability to distort the facts was impressive.

Ning Qiuxiu thought Xiaoqin was underestimating herself by being a maid.

Maybe she had a talent for writing instead.

The first four images were treated as jokes by Ning Qiuxiu, but she had to pay attention to the fifth image.

User 29366712: “I’ve seen a lot of legal experts advising me on how to protect my rights, but when I left, Ning Qiuxiu warned me not to attempt to hit a rock with an egg. She even took my phone, which had the recordings, and deleted everything. I have no evidence, and the law won’t stand on my side. Thank you everyone. I’ll consult a lawyer to see if there’s a way forward. I also have a big scoop about Ning Qiuxiu. I’m not sure if I should reveal it.”

Images 6, 7, 8, and 9 showed Xiaoqin’s work ID, the contract with their household, resignation letter, with key details censored.

But the last image, the resignation letter with Ning Qiuxiu’s signature, proved that Xiaoqin had indeed worked as a maid in their household and was not just speaking nonsense.

Ning Qiuxiu guessed that the big scoop was probably about her cohabiting with Zhan Qingyue.

However, if revealed, it would not be portrayed as a romantic relationship or marriage but as being kept by a wealthy man or being a mistress.

Realizing this, Ning Qiuxiu immediately contacted Qu Hua.

Qu Hua was already aware of the situation and had bought keyword blocks, and the trending topic had been removed.

However, the Weibo post would remain unless the blogger deleted it voluntarily.

“She’s demanding 2 million to delete the post,” Qu Hua said.

“…” Ning Qiuxiu was shocked by the amount, “Has she gone crazy for money? Can we accuse her of extortion?”

“Probably not. You know the rules of this circle.”

If extortion cases could be pursued, there wouldn’t be so many celebrities blackmailed by paparazzi over private matters.

Moreover, Xiaoqin’s evidence was solid, especially the resignation letter with Ning Qiuxiu’s signature as a “smoking gun.”

Ning Qiuxiu’s side didn’t have key evidence against Xiaoqin’s wrongdoing, only verbal claims.

Now Xiaoqin was the weaker party, and in the era of “might makes right,” no matter how much Ning Qiuxiu and her team argued, it would just be seen as excuses.

Things were getting urgent.

Ning Qiuxiu briefly informed Qu Hua about Xiaoqin’s situation, asking him to keep things under control and not let her expose more information.

She needed to figure out a solution on her end.

“Qing Shu,” Ning Qiuxiu said, skipping breakfast and going to the living room to call the housekeeper, “Please contact your company and check if Xiaoqin, who used to work for us, has resigned. I need all her information, as detailed as possible.”

“Okay, I’ll handle it right away,” the housekeeper said without asking further, and went off to do it.

“What’s wrong?” Zhan Qingyue looked up at her with a concerned expression. “Something happened?”

Ning Qiuxiu explained the situation.

After listening, Zhan Qingyue raised an eyebrow and said, “That’s simple. If she’s exposing you, you can expose her.”

“That won’t work,” Ning Qiuxiu replied, “She’s currently the victim, and everyone has already taken her side. Whatever we say will be seen as defending ourselves and bullying.”

“You’re being silly,” Zhan Qingyue said.

“Why are you scolding me?” Ning Qiuxiu thought, even though she wasn’t as smart as him, she wasn’t completely clueless.

Seeing Zhan Qingyue’s thoughtful expression, she decided to let it go and handed him an orange, saying, “Help me out, big guy!”

Zhan Qingyue slowly said, “She looks experienced and has likely been in this line of work for some time. It’s probably not her first time doing something like seducing the ‘master.’ If you can’t expose her yourself, you can have someone else do it.”

“Hmm, that’s a good idea,” Ning Qiuxiu said, slapping her thigh.

Then she seemed to lose her enthusiasm again. “But what if she was just attracted to you because you’re handsome and rich?”

The words “handsome and rich” made Zhan Qingyue feel quite pleased. He replied, “Then threaten her.”

“Threaten her?” Ning Qiuxiu was taken aback. It sounded like something a mob boss would say.

“Target her family, her job, and the things she cares about. Hit her where it hurts,” Zhan Qingyue said.

Ning Qiuxiu: “…… This seems quite difficult.”

Although she came from a wealthy family, she had always been a law-abiding citizen.

Using threats like “If you don’t back off, I’ll break your family’s legs” felt way too extreme.

Plus, this was truly bullying.

They could report her to the authorities.

Moreover, her connections were all in City A, and here, she didn’t know anyone.

Zhan Qingyue remained calm: “To put it nicely, I might consider helping you.”

“……” Is this really how someone should talk?

Moreover, this issue started because of him.

How could he still have the nerve to act like this?

Feeling frustrated, Ning Qiuxiu had an idea.

She went over, hooked his arm, and said in a sweet tone, “Qingyue, please help me.”

Zhan Qingyue: “……”

Ning Qiuxiu gave him a flirtatious wink: “Does it sound nice? If not, I can call you ‘Daddy.’”

It was a matter of who was more shameless!