Chapter 32: Blushing

Tang Tian halted her steps again, feeling the constraining grip on her right arm, accompanied by the warmth of his palm. Even through the fabric of her sleeve, she couldn’t help but feel her face heat up uncontrollably.

She struggled a few times but couldn’t break free.

“Mr. Fu?”

Tang Tian looked at the man standing to her right, puzzled. Did he have more questions for her aside from what had just happened?

But… she was just a servant, and her involvement in or knowledge of matters was limited.

Fu Xi lowered his voice, “When you’re in the dining room, do you always stand behind Han Ge like this?”

At first, Tang Tian didn’t understand his question, but then it dawned on her that he was referring to her usual position standing behind Wen Shaohan, attending to his meals.

She thought Fu Xi was “interrogating” her to warn her against getting too close to his brother, similar to how Pei Jue had questioned her regarding Wen Jinchu, both trying to caution her about having inappropriate thoughts toward their close friends.

Feeling the grip on her right arm tighten for some reason, it began to hurt a little.

She thought to herself, Fu Xi was genuinely worried about his friends, afraid she might tarnish their reputation.

“It’s because only Mr. Wen and Mr. Pei don’t have a dedicated servant standing behind them. Mr. Pei has been displeased with me before, so it’s not appropriate for me to stand behind him, which is why I chose to stand behind Mr. Wen instead.”

Tang Tian spoke the truth; she had no ulterior motives toward Wen Shaohan or any of the other privileged young men.

Fu Xi continued to hold her arm, whether out of reluctance to let go or fear that she might escape, only he knew.

Her words made Fu Xi stare at her for a long time, uncertain whether he believed her or not; Tang Tian found it hard to read him.

“No ulterior motives?”

To reassure him, Tang Tian promised again, “Mr. Fu, I have no ill intentions toward you or the others, including your friends. You can rest assured; I only want to focus on my work and will not create situations like before.”

She thought to herself that he should feel reassured now.

Her expression was earnest, devoid of any insincerity.

Upon hearing her words, Fu Xi’s expression shifted subtly. He released her arm, seemingly displeased by a few words she had said.

He remained silent, leaning against the wall and watching her push the cart away.

As Tang Tian pushed the cart away, she noticed Fu Xi’s expression had darkened further than before, and she felt perplexed. He… probably still didn’t believe her words.

Regardless of whether he believed her or not, the conversation had reached this point; he could think whatever he wanted.

Liu Xiaozhi was waiting for Tang Tian at the elevator. After the lesson she learned an hour ago, she wouldn’t give Tang Tian another chance to get close to Mr. Shen or Mr. Pei.

The sound of the cart wheels wasn’t loud as Tang Tian pushed it to the elevator, completely treating Liu Xiaozhi like air.

For someone who was scheming against her, she couldn’t do anything about it for the time being, and she wouldn’t show Liu Xiaozhi an ounce of warmth.

The elevator opened, and Tang Tian pushed the cart inside.

Liu Xiaozhi had already sent the other cart back downstairs. She watched Tang Tian in the elevator with a vigilant gaze.

But Tang Tian didn’t even glance at her. As the elevator doors closed, Liu Xiaozhi’s suspicious glare was cut off.

Tang Tian pushed the cart to the kitchen, where designated staff were responsible for cleaning the dishes. She could finally go eat.

At the elevator on the fifth floor, after noticing that Tang Tian had left for a while, Liu Xiaozhi prepared to head downstairs.

When the elevator opened, a person hurriedly stepped out—it was the driver who had taken her back to the vacation villa the day before.

Liu Xiaozhi was instantly thrown into a panic, her face pale as she followed the driver, watching him knock on Shen Yanli’s door.

When the door opened, Liu Xiaozhi nervously hid behind a pillar, observing as the driver entered Shen Yanli’s room.

Why would Mr. Shen want to see this particular driver? Did he… discover that she had intentionally left Tang Tian behind yesterday?

All her thoughts vanished in an instant. If Shen Yanli learned the truth, her image in his eyes would crumble.

She clenched her hands tightly, unwilling to accept being overshadowed by Tang Tian. After all, Tang Tian had also engaged in many flirtatious behaviors; why hadn’t she been dismissed instead?

After about ten minutes, the driver came out of Shen Yanli’s room.

At that moment, Liu Xiaozhi’s phone vibrated. She took it out and saw a message from the butler, instructing her to go to Shen Yanli’s room.

Liu Xiaozhi’s face showed fear. Did Mr. Shen… discover something?!

In the dining area on the first floor, Tang Tian was eating with several foreign chefs and other servants. Since they were all strangers, there were no invitations for conversation.

Just as she finished eating, her phone vibrated a few times. She pulled it out to check.

It was a message from the butler asking her to come to Shen Yanli’s room.

Tang Tian pondered for a moment. Had he figured out the truth so quickly? But there shouldn’t have been any surveillance in the car, right?

She washed her hands and went upstairs, arriving at Shen Yanli’s door where she knocked a few times.

“Come in,” Shen Yanli’s voice called from inside.

Tang Tian pushed the door open and stepped in.

The sight before her was striking; Shen Yanli was seated on the sofa while Liu Xiaozhi stood in the middle of the living room, quietly sobbing.

As soon as Tang Tian entered, Shen Yanli slowly raised his eyes to look at her as she closed the door.

Having not seen her for a day and a night, Shen Yanli noticed that Tang Tian was dressed in her winter work uniform—light blue long sleeves and trousers, making her look even more radiant. Her skin was as smooth and white as mutton fat, and when her eyes sparkled while looking at him, she was breathtaking.

“Mr. Shen,” Tang Tian called softly as she approached.

Shen Yanli’s gaze remained on her, and he spoke in a low voice, “I’ve cleared up what happened yesterday.”

Tang Tian hadn’t expected him to be so quick to investigate; it felt almost surreal.

She glanced at Liu Xiaozhi, who was still sobbing beside her.

Liu Xiaozhi looked at her through her tears, saying, “Tang Tian, I… I didn’t mean to leave you outside the car yesterday.”

Tang Tian regarded her, unaffected by her tears. “Liu Xiaozhi, I heard what you said in the car. You looked out the window at me and told the driver to leave.”

Liu Xiaozhi hadn’t expected Tang Tian to hear her, especially with the howling wind and snow outside. Realizing that Tang Tian had recalled the details made her heart race with anxiety.

“Tang Tian, I truly didn’t mean it! I thought you had already gotten into the car. Please forgive me; I don’t want to be dismissed!”

Liu Xiaozhi still refused to admit her wrongdoing, crying until her voice was hoarse.

While others might think Liu Xiaozhi would definitely be dismissed, Tang Tian didn’t share that belief. Setting aside the fact that Liu Xiaozhi was the female lead, how could a female lead leave the villa? Leave the male leads?

Moreover… if Shen Yanli truly intended to dismiss her, Liu Xiaozhi wouldn’t have a chance to stand here pleading her case.

Though Tang Tian wasn’t particularly clever, her insight wasn’t lacking.

“I’m just a servant like you; whether you’re dismissed or not isn’t my decision to make.”