Chapter 10: Strange Stares

“Look at what you’ve done!”

As soon as Jiang Sui managed to get up, the Butler’s roar echoed in her ears.

“What on earth are you doing? Look at the mess you made.”

The Butler wasn’t pointing at the spilled dirt on the floor, but at his own suit, which had once again become a casualty—his face was red with anger.

If bumping into Lu Yunze had only stained his clothes, then Jiang Sui’s accident had practically ruined the suit altogether.

What was even worse, because everything happened so suddenly, the Butler hadn’t even had time to close his mouth, and a bit of dirt had flown right in.

So he ended up in this sorry state, scolding Jiang Sui while constantly spitting out dirt from his mouth.

As for Lu Yunze, because he’d been warned in time, he wasn’t affected in the slightest. His gaze, however, remained fixed on the Maid.

Jiang Sui kept apologizing after getting up, but the furious Butler didn’t seem to hear a word, his mouth spitting out one harsh word after another.

When he lowered his head to brush the dirt off his clothes—

“Pfft.”

“What are you laughing at?” The Butler jerked his head up.

“N-no, I’m not.” Jiang Sui still wore a nervous, respectful expression.

The Butler glanced at Lu Yunze again. It didn’t seem like he was the one laughing, so who could it be?

The Butler lowered his head again—

“Pff-hehe.”

“Caught you! It’s you who’s laughing!”

“No, really, I’m not.” Jiang Sui quickly waved her hands, but the corners of her mouth were rising so crazily it was harder to suppress than an AK.

“You’ve been laughing the whole time, you haven’t stopped for a second.”

“Butler, sir, I just remembered something happy.” Jiang Sui paused, then quickly added, “I don’t have a wife.”

And besides, in this lifetime, she’d never be able to marry a wife anyway.

The Butler sucked in a breath, his pupils trembling violently.

“To think I even praised you this morning. Who would’ve thought you’d show your true colors in less than half a day. With this kind of attitude, do you think you deserve to be a servant of the Luo Family? This month’s Salary—you can forget about getting the full amount.”

“Eh, do you really have to dock my pay?” Jiang Sui immediately looked pitiful, “Butler, sir, you know my situation. Can’t you just let it slide this time?”

“I said no, so it’s no—”

“Enough. That’s enough.”

Finally, it came.

Jiang Sui looked toward the Young Master she had been watching for a while, a bright light flashing in her eyes.

“It’s just a dirty suit, no need to get so worked up.”

“But this is my favorite—”

“At most, it’s just a work uniform,” Lu Yunze cut the Butler off. “You have plenty more in your room, don’t you? If not, I’ll pay to replace it for you, how about that?”

As soon as Lu Yunze’s tone hardened, the Butler’s voice immediately became meek.

“But she made a mistake, she has to be punished, or she won’t learn her lesson for next time.”

“Just assign her some extra work to make up for it. Forget about docking her Salary, understand?”

“Y-yes, understood.”

No matter how much trouble he made on ordinary days, when it came to official matters, Lu Yunze’s decisions were absolute.

After a brief discussion, Jiang Sui’s way of making amends was quickly decided. Tomorrow night, Luo Yao’s friends would be visiting the Manor, so someone needed to go out and buy a batch of ingredients.

This was originally the Butler’s responsibility, but Jiang Sui volunteered to take it on to make up for her mistake.

There was a lot to buy, so Jiang Sui had to ask the Butler for a Shopping List first, to avoid missing anything.

Looking at the dazzling array of ingredients on the Shopping List, Jiang Sui couldn’t help but sigh—her previous life’s research trips had never been this troublesome.

“Don’t mind him, the old Butler just has a bad temper.”

Seeing her still in the living room, not yet leaving, Lu Yunze came over.

Jiang Sui’s furrowed brow immediately relaxed, and she gave a sweet smile:

“It’s fine, thank you, Young Master, for speaking up for me. If it weren’t for you, my Salary would be gone for sure.”

“It’s nothing, I just can’t stand that old man poking at people’s sore spots on purpose.”

He clearly knew this Maid owed a huge Debt, yet he deliberately brought up Salary just to provoke her. Even a person made of clay would lose their temper at that.

“And you threw that dirt at him on purpose, didn’t you? To shift his anger.”

“Young Master, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.” Jiang Sui immediately tilted her head, her innocent expression extremely cute.

“Still playing dumb? You think you can fool me?”

Seeing Lu Yunze so certain, Jiang Sui dropped the act. “I just can’t stand anyone bullying my Young Master, that’s all.”

What do you mean your Young Master? I’m not your property. That sounds all kinds of wrong.

Lu Yunze didn’t know if it was his imagination, but Jiang Sui’s smile at that moment felt strangely chilling.

But the next second, she went back to her sweet and silly smile, looking aggrieved again: “It was the Young Master who lied to me first. You said you were just stepping out for a bit, but you ended up being so heartless.”

“N-no, I didn’t!” Lu Yunze scratched his head, pretending not to understand.

Come to think of it, how did she know I was going to run into trouble?

Jiang Sui could see the doubt in his eyes, but she didn’t explain. If this Young Master ever found out that the Maid’s sharp senses had been locked onto him the whole time, he’d probably be shocked out of his mind.

If this topic continued, things would just get more awkward, so Lu Yunze quickly changed the subject:

“So I owe you one this time. Thanks.”

“You also helped me keep my Salary, Young Master, so I’d say we’re even.”

He hadn’t expected her not to take the chance to cling to him, so Lu Yunze was a little surprised and asked curiously:

“Can you really handle buying all the ingredients?”

“The Young Master is actually concerned for me? I’m so touched, I could cry.” Jiang Sui immediately mimed wiping tears from her eyes. “I’ll remember this kindness for the rest of my life.”

There she goes again. Lu Yunze suddenly regretted saying that extra sentence. Why couldn’t he control his mouth?

She was just one person—if all those ingredients were dumped on her slender shoulders, it would be exhausting.

“You don’t need to worry about that. Don’t I have a Secret Weapon?”

“Huh?” Lu Yunze perked up.

The Maid narrowed her light violet eyes, keeping him in suspense.

“What Secret Weapon?”

Under Lu Yunze’s curious gaze, she raised her hand, extended her finger, and pointed right at him.

“Huh?”

“It’s you, Young Master.”

“Me?”

“Did you forget? You still owe me a favor, don’t you?” Jiang Sui’s eyes were deep and sly.

“Tch!”

She got him again.

Since he owed her a favor, Lu Yunze had no reason to refuse. Anyway, it was Saturday, there was no school, and he had nothing to do at home.

Rather than let those guys call him lazy, he might as well go out, and pay back Jiang Sui’s favor at the same time.

He had a feeling that the longer he owed her, the more likely something bad would happen.

Lan City wasn’t exactly a first-tier city, but it prided itself on its long history, boasting natural scenery and cultural museums as its biggest draws.

The moment they stepped onto the street, Jiang Sui and Lu Yunze were swallowed by the city’s hustle and bustle. Blending right into the crowd, they looked no different from anyone else.

No, if you really wanted to be picky, there was still a difference.

Thanks to her extraordinary senses, Jiang Sui could clearly feel the surrounding gazes all landing on her, along with the whispered conversations people thought she couldn’t hear.

“That girl is so pretty. Is she a Maid?”

“Must be cosplay. No real Maid would have a porter following her around.”

“True. Is this some kind of new trend?”

Jiang Sui, dressed in a Maid Uniform, stood out on the street. Her black shoes tapped out a cheerful rhythm, and the skirt of her Maid Uniform fluttered slightly with each step.

A cute girl in a cute outfit naturally drew every eye. The more attention she got, the more confident Jiang Sui felt about her looks.

But compared to the stares of strangers, what Jiang Sui really wanted was for Lu Yunze to pay more attention to her.

Once they hit the street, Jiang Sui got to work buying the ingredients from the Shopping List. After packing them up, she handed everything to Lu Yunze, and the two barely spoke along the way.

So as they walked, she would occasionally glance back at Lu Yunze, hoping to catch some perverted look on his face.

The weirder his gaze, the more it meant she mattered to him. Jiang Sui actually hoped Lu Yunze would turn into a creepy old man, so that just his eyes would make her feel as if she was being stripped bare and caressed.

But this Lu Yunze was obviously still too pure. Every time their eyes met, he’d quickly look away—he still needed some training.

At times like this, Jiang Sui wouldn’t bother him, but just kept walking as if she’d noticed nothing.

Meanwhile, Lu Yunze was relieved that she was quiet.

He could also hear the passersby’s comments and stares about Jiang Sui. The praise drifting to his ears made his imagination run wild, stirring up a strange itch.

The Luo Family Maid Uniform didn’t look like much from the front, but from the back, it had a cut-out design that revealed a large expanse of snowy white skin.

Just looking at her white back, the itch inside Lu Yunze turned into a burning heat, a budding curiosity.

He wanted to reach out, touch her smooth skin, slip his hand under her clothes.

Damn it, Lu Yunze, what are you thinking?!

Lu Yunze smacked himself hard, finally cooling off.

Hearing the noise behind her, Jiang Sui stopped in her tracks. “Young Master, are you alright?”

“It’s nothing, just a little hot.” Lu Yunze forced a bitter smile, thinking that as long as she kept talking, he wouldn’t have those strange urges.

Jiang Sui studied his slightly flushed face, then, with light steps, stepped back toward him.

She took a pack of wet wipes from her pocket and, while Lu Yunze was still stunned, gently wiped the sweat from his cheek.

Her face was very close, her warm breath almost touching his skin.

“You seem tired, Young Master.”

Wait, was she about to share the load with me?

Lu Yunze was suddenly overjoyed.

“You were staring at me so enthusiastically just now, but now you can’t handle it?”

“Ahem, what are you talking about? I don’t get it.”

“Young Master is embarrassed. Hey, where are you going? Wait for me!”

Lu Yunze realized he still couldn’t figure her out.

And Jiang Sui was puzzled too. She never said he couldn’t look—so why did he run away himself?