Chapter 25: Watching Her

For a moment, Fu Xi was genuinely surprised. The woman in front of him was so different from how she had been not long ago—had she really come to understand things? Wasn’t she supposed to be playing hard to get, retreating only to advance later?

Liu Xiaozhi took over the task of delivering milk early the next morning. She didn’t believe Tang Tian wouldn’t be upset—after all, she had just snatched away Tang Tian’s chance to get closer to the two gentlemen.

Liu Xiaozhi was waiting for Tang Tian to show a look of annoyance so she could “make her move” and let Shen Yanli and Fu Xi see Tang Tian’s true colors once again.

But when Liu Xiaozhi glanced back, Tang Tian’s expression hadn’t changed. She was still politely smiling.

Tang Tian said, “If there’s nothing else, I’m off work now.”

Tang Tian finished speaking and turned around briskly to leave. She was truly fed up with them.

This time, neither Fu Xi nor Shen Yanli tried to stop her.

Liu Xiaozhi, who had been rehearsing her performance, felt a mix of frustration and helplessness as Tang Tian walked away. She was angry but couldn’t show it.

She hadn’t expected Tang Tian to just leave like that. Tang Tian wasn’t angry that she had taken away her chance to get close to Shen Yanli? That wasn’t the kind of reaction she would expect from her.

Liu Xiaozhi guessed Tang Tian must have some other plan…

Shen Yanli watched Tang Tian’s slender figure disappear without blinking. Although he showed no displeasure, the subtle expression on his handsome face revealed his dissatisfaction.

He silently walked toward the elevator.

Liu Xiaozhi wanted to say something to Shen Yanli, but he had already left.

Fu Xi gave Liu Xiaozhi a half-smile and said, “You did well.”

Liu Xiaozhi hadn’t expected Fu Xi to praise her and nodded shyly.

Fu Xi didn’t linger and quickly caught up to Shen Yanli, looping his arm around his shoulder to “comfort” him. “Li Ge, Xiaozhi is really clingy to you. Tomorrow morning she’ll bring you milk—that’s perfect, right? I remember you don’t like Tang Tian much.”

Shen Yanli ignored him. Fu Xi, thick-skinned as always, asked with a puzzled tone, “Since when did you get into the habit of drinking hot milk early in the morning?”

Usually, it’s drunk during breakfast.

Shen Yanli remained silent, clearly in a bad mood.

Late at night, Shen Yanli stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out into the pitch-black night sky.

The image of Tang Tian’s reactions upon hearing the servant’s bonus flashed in his mind. Shen Yanli couldn’t help but smile softly by the window, and his displeasure over Fu Xi “snatching” Tang Tian eased considerably.

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On the first floor of the villa, Tang Tian, exhausted after a long day, lay in her room with eyes barely open. After showering, she curled up under the air-conditioning blanket and slept until dawn.

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Early morning by the pool, Tang Tian pushed a cart into the swimming pool area. Fu Xi stood by the poolside in a bathrobe.

The moment she appeared, Fu Xi’s previously indifferent and lazy demeanor seemed to brighten with interest.

Tang Tian was surprised and paused for a moment as she saw Fu Xi—he was here so early?

She greeted softly, “Mr. Fu.”

Fu Xi smiled silently, watching her approach. Tang Tian knew his personality well—he loved to tease and was probably thinking of some sarcastic remark.

She busied herself alone, preparing towels, bathrobes, and drinks for him.

Fu Xi’s figure slowly drew closer, then his voice came.

“Why did you refuse Wen Jinchu?”

Not only Pei Jue, but Fu Xi was also surprised by her refusal of Wen Jinchu’s offer.

For a moment, Tang Tian was confused and tried to remember who Wen Jinchu was. Then it came back to her—the man at the gathering who had helped her pick up the cake spoon.

Why were both Pei Jue and Fu Xi asking the same question? Was her refusal really that unbelievable?

Tang Tian looked up at Fu Xi, her clear eyes full of confusion. “No reason.”

Fu Xi met her calm, watery gaze and was slightly stunned—she didn’t seem to be lying.

“I’m from a completely different world than you, including Mr. Wen and the other gentlemen at the gathering who asked for my contact information. There’s no possibility of any connection.”

Tang Tian spoke calmly and naturally, saying exactly what she believed.

Fu Xi stared at her for a moment, then fell silent.

He clicked his tongue—apparently, she really had thought it through.

Tang Tian began preparing a drink for him.

Fu Xi asked, “Why think like that? Not long ago, you were acting coquettishly in front of me. How did you come to realize this so quickly?”

Tang Tian covered the drink and finally answered his question: “Because I realized that the ordinary world is full of inspiration, simplicity, luck, and perseverance—just no fairy tales.”

She finished speaking and continued with her tasks. Just being able to escape the fate she was trapped in was already something she was grateful for. She never dared to hope for any connection with these powerful heirs—staying far away was already too much to ask.

Fu Xi watched her quietly. He never imagined he’d hear such words from a woman who had previously flirted with him.

His gaze deepened as he looked at her. She… had truly sparked his interest.

The sound of water splashing echoed from the pool. Tang Tian sat on a lounge chair, yawning—she was still exhausted from yesterday and had gotten up too early today.

She wished that on some day off, she could sleep in until noon. Just the thought made her happy.

When she snapped back to reality, she realized the once noisy pool had fallen completely silent.

Tang Tian was startled and fixed her eyes on the pool’s edge.

Fu Xi was leaning over the poolside, his narrow peach-colored eyes staring intently at her feet.

She was puzzled and called out to him, “Mr. Fu?”

Fu Xi slowly lowered his eyelids, hiding the heavy desire in his peach-colored eyes.

“Bring me a cold drink.”

Tang Tian immediately got up, poured a glass of chilled beverage, and handed it to him.

What she didn’t know was that as Fu Xi sipped the drink, his eyes remained fixed on her tender, fair, and translucent feet…

That day by the pool, aside from the few questions Fu Xi asked when she first arrived, the two had no further conversation.

Still… Tang Tian sometimes felt that the way Fu Xi looked at her carried a complex, inexplicable emotion—but she dismissed it as mere illusion.

Fu Xi had heard her words that morning. Since then, he no longer teased her like before.

At noon, while Tang Tian was having lunch, at the next table sat Liu Huahua, Liu Xiaozhi, and a new servant.

She enjoyed her meal but overheard the lively conversation from the neighboring table—they seemed to be discussing some big news.

Tang Tian never liked snooping on gossip, so she was usually the last to know about things.

Someone sat down beside her, and she turned to see it was Song Yu.

Song Yu’s expression betrayed her excitement as she set down her tray and eagerly told her, “Tang Tian jie, the heirs are going abroad on vacation the day after tomorrow. I heard they’re taking a private jet, and the butler said they’ll bring along two housekeepers.”

Tang Tian glanced at Liu Xiaozhi and Liu Huahua sitting at the next table. No wonder Liu Huahua, who always seemed displeased with Liu Xiaozhi, had been hanging so close to her lately.

“Tang Tian jie, who do you think the butler will pick to go along?”

Tang Tian shook her head. “Depends on how the butler chooses. I’m not planning to go.”

Song Yu really wanted to go but knew she was new here. There were still many unfamiliar places in the villa, not to mention all the habits of the heirs.

“Tang Tian jie, I’m sure you’ll be one of them.”

Song Yu whispered her guess in Tang Tian’s ear, winking at her.

Tang Tian smiled and shook her head. “Definitely not me.”

Song Yu was puzzled. With how steady Tang Tian was at handling things, how could she not be included?

“Why?”

Tang Tian smiled mysteriously. “You’ll know when the butler chooses.”

At the neighboring table, Liu Huahua was talking to Liu Xiaozhi. This time, she was determined to secure one of the spots to go abroad on vacation with the young masters.

Liu Huahua glanced cautiously at Tang Tian at the next table. She knew that the two most likely servants to be chosen for the trip were Liu Xiaozhi and Tang Tian.

That was why she was currying favor with Liu Xiaozhi. What she didn’t know was that Liu Xiaozhi had almost lost her position herself—if it weren’t for Shen Yanli’s help, Sister Wu would have already dismissed her.

The next morning at the servants’ meeting, Tang Tian realized she had guessed wrong. She had assumed the butler would make the selections, but it turned out Sister Wu personally came to the villa to pick the servants.

What had once seemed certain now became uncertain.

Even Manager Sister Wu was wary. The day after the last gathering, Fang Suoyu—the daughter of the Fang family—and Wen Ai, cousin of Wen Shaohan, came to her office, warning that the housekeeper she hired was not trustworthy.

Especially that servant of Liu Xiaozhi’s—her hostile looks toward the others made it seem as if the villa belonged to her. Her attitude clearly treated them as rivals for affection.

At the time, Sister Wu politely saw the two young ladies off but spent a long while troubled before deciding to dismiss Liu Xiaozhi.

She could somewhat sense Liu Xiaozhi’s intentions, but since Liu Xiaozhi hadn’t taken any overt actions, Sister Wu chose to turn a blind eye. She never expected her to be so clueless at the gathering.

The reason Sister Wu didn’t dismiss Liu Xiaozhi right away was because Shen Yanli called. He said he owed Liu Xiaozhi a favor and to let it go this time.

Sister Wu couldn’t understand what favor Shen Yanli could owe Liu Xiaozhi, but since he said so, the dismissal had to be dropped.

This time, she had to choose two servants who wouldn’t cause any trouble.