Shen Xiaoxing carried her out of the bathroom and was about to find a clean set of pajamas to change her into when he suddenly changed his mind and called for a servant.
The household staff hadn’t retired for the night yet. When Butler Xu saw the servant heading upstairs, his brow furrowed into a knot—it seemed the plan had failed...
Han Chong entered the study. The man stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, lighting a cigarette, his entire demeanor icy cold as he exhaled a heavy breath of stale air.
“I checked the food the young mistress ate. I found aphrodisiac ingredients in the soup Butler Xu served her...” Han Chong paused before continuing, “The kitchen maids also confessed that Butler Xu orchestrated it.”
The man pressed his tongue against his cheek, his cheekbone slightly protruding, his gaze cold and sharp as he flicked off the ash. “Butler Xu doesn’t have the guts for this. Who put him up to it?”
“The eldest madam.”
Shen Xiaoxing crushed the cigarette butt into the ashtray. “Don’t tip him off yet. Let him come and confess his punishment himself tomorrow.”
“But Butler Xu is one of the eldest madam’s people. Even if you punish him...”
“Once he’s here, he’s my man!” The man’s gaze turned fierce.
This time it was drugs. What about next time?
Hah, Lin Zhao wanted An Ruo to conceive a child, to bear a great-grandson to secure her position in the Shen family. Her scheming was far too blatant, as if she didn’t take him seriously at all!
The next day.
The girl on the bed slowly woke up. The man was no longer beside her. She got up, went into the bathroom to freshen up, changed clothes, and prepared to go downstairs for breakfast.
In the living room, the man sat upright on the sofa. Beside him knelt Butler Xu, pleading incessantly for mercy. An Ruo walked down and stared at them in confusion.
“Young mistress, young mistress, spare me!” Butler Xu scrambled on his hands and knees to kneel at her feet, tears streaming down his aged face. “I’ve been loyal to you and the young master, and I’d never dare to be disloyal to the Shen family. Yesterday, yesterday putting that drug in your food... it was entirely the eldest madam’s idea. It really had nothing to do with me...”
An Ruo looked at the elderly man kneeling on the ground, repeatedly apologizing and kowtowing to her, and couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.
Although he had indeed deceived and schemed against her, there was no denying that he usually took good care of her.
She took a deep breath, bent down to help him up, and said to Shen Xiaoxing, “Let it go this time. After all, Butler Xu has been diligent in his work. Losing him might mean no one will take care of you when I’m not around.”
“I don’t need someone with ulterior motives staying by my side,” the man said coldly. “Besides, if he were truly diligent, he wouldn’t have drugged the soup.”
Butler Xu thudded back to his knees. “Young master, please investigate! I am truly loyal to you and the young mistress!”
Shen Xiaoxing’s voice was harsh. “Taking orders from others—is that your version of loyalty to me!?”
Butler Xu froze, then pressed his forehead to the floor. “The eldest madam... she just wanted the young mistress to conceive a child as soon as possible...”
In the eyes of outsiders, Shen Xiaoxing was practically half a vegetable. Soon, the second branch would take power, and his fate would be expulsion. The only way to protect himself was to produce a great-grandson and secure a share of the old master’s equity.
An Ruo didn’t understand the enmity between mother and son, but hearing Butler Xu say this, a faint blush crept across her cheeks.
She walked over to the man, tugged at his arm, and said softly, “Considering he’s served the Shen family for years, can’t you let it slide this once?”
Shen Xiaoxing’s attention fell on her hand. This was the girl’s unique way of coaxing—unlike others who pouted or acted cute, she simply softened her tone, her voice a gentle, mature alto.
“He drugged your food. There’ll be a first time and a second. Are you sure you want to forgive him?”
“It’s not about me forgiving him,” An Ruo said, looking at him with shimmering eyes, clear and bright like a spring. “It’s that if you insist on punishing him, you’ll lose someone who treats you well.”
She didn’t deny that Butler Xu had gone too far this time. An Ruo had always valued relationships deeply in her life. Anyone who was kind to her, she would repay for a lifetime. Yesterday, she had thought Butler Xu truly saw her as family, which was why she said what she did.
But the truth was what it was...
Still, one thing couldn’t be denied: he genuinely cared for Shen Xiaoxing. The man was blind, and because of his disability, he had built walls around himself, shutting out everyone who wanted to be good to him.
Perhaps out of pity, she didn’t want this man to lose someone who truly cared for him.
Anyone else would do worse than Butler Xu.
The fist resting on the armrest slowly loosened...
From the moment he stepped through the gates of the Shen family, his life had been filled with endless deceit and endless schemes. Everywhere he looked, there was bloodshed, as if he stood in a hellish battlefield.
Back then, no one had reached out to pull him from that abyss. Over time, he had donned a mask of bloodthirsty indifference, no longer the young man who could be swayed by a few words.
The past was etched deep into his bones. This hatred would never fade!
An Ruo watched as the man’s expression, far from softening, grew darker. Just as his hollow eyes seemed ready to erupt with fury, Han Chong suddenly spoke:
“Young mistress, it’s time for you to go to work.”
An Ruo froze, immediately glanced at the living room clock, muttered “Oh no,” and hurried into the dining room for breakfast.
Han Chong dismissed the servants. When they were alone, Shen Xiaoxing let out a heavy sigh, covering his eyes with his palm as he tried to steady his emotions.
Damn it! After playing the bad-tempered role for so long, he was losing control of his temper more and more. He had almost let his true self slip in front of the girl.
He glanced at Han Chong, who immediately understood and nodded before leaving the living room.