Chapter 117: Preparing to Depart

“What, there’s something wrong with that person?”

When Wu heard Jiang Sui say this, Black Pig also paused in surprise.

Ever since Lin Ying arrived at Sequence Garden in Lan City, Jiang Sui and her group had been keeping a close watch and investigating this man who had come from Central Lie.

Jiang Sui was responsible for monitoring his every move within the manor, while Black Qin was tasked with investigating the man’s identity to make sure he really was from the Qian Family and not some other dangerous imposter.

But as far as the results showed, Lin Ying was so normal it was almost suspicious.

He never acted out of line within the manor, greeted Chen Tianze and He Yao proactively when he saw them, and no matter who else in the manor he encountered, he always showed friendly and polite behavior.

His identity checked out too—Black Pig had indeed confirmed that there really was someone named Lin Ying in the Qian Family records.

After exchanging their information, Black Pig had just gone off to take care of other matters, but now today when they met, Jiang Sui suddenly said Lin Ying had a problem, and she sounded so certain, it was as if she’d caught him in the act.

“What happened, did something happen in Longhu?” Black Pig asked.

“No, I slept very well.”

“So you must have noticed something before but didn’t pay attention, and now you’ve only just realized it?”

“No, not that either.”

“Then why are you so sure that Lin Ying is suspicious?” Black Pig rolled her eyes.

Jiang Sui fell silent at these words.

She couldn’t very well say that her suspicion came from memories of her previous life—could she really tell Black Pig that she herself was someone who came from an ancient world, and that they were all just characters in a book, and because she’d seen a bit of the original content by chance, she was sure Lin Ying was a problem?

To be honest, Jiang Sui was a little curious how Black Pig would react to hearing such words, but most likely, she’d just assume it was the result of being too wrapped up in her fantasies.

In any case, the situation for now was that Lin Ying’s behavior seemed perfectly normal, but Black Pig wouldn’t dismiss what Jiang Sui said either, and would continue to keep a close eye on the man’s movements.

Living under the same roof, and having gained the trust of both Lu Yunze and Shuli, if he really wanted to make a move under everyone’s noses, it would be all too easy.

They needed to stay vigilant.

Jiang Sui pondered this as she tied her loosely draped ashen-gray hair into a ponytail at the back, finishing her daily grooming routine. It was time to leave her room and begin today’s work.

As the clock’s hands moved forward, the days passed by one after another, and the ominous thing Jiang Sui worried about never happened.

Life throughout the manor remained peaceful. After Shuliang’s banquet, there hadn’t been any major events, and the servants’ workload quickly returned to normal.

No one had come to make trouble, nor had there been any crisis in the city.

In these ordinary days, Jiang Sui and the others finished their end-of-term exams, and the very next day began packing their luggage, preparing to head home.

Although Jiang Sui had plenty of reasons to go back with Lu Yunze and the others, in order to avoid arousing suspicion from the Qian Family, Shuli still had Lu Yunze persuade Shuli, allowing her to take a few trusted servants back with her.

Shuli didn’t really care either way, but since it was at Young Master Lu Yunze’s request, she naturally agreed. She selected a few servants she trusted among the many, and prepared to return home with them.

Jiang Sui was among them, so now she was in her room packing her things.

Then she realized she had a problem—a very serious problem.

Aside from the necessary clothes and daily items, Jiang Sui still had a lot of miscellaneous things. For example, the pile of small props hidden in the treasure chest under her bed—pig ears, pig tails, and such… They were obviously bought to tease Lu Yunze, but most of them had collected dust, never even used.

At times like this, Jiang Sui’s compulsive tendencies flared up, and she couldn’t help but try to fit as many things as possible into the limited space of her suitcase, getting lost in a long internal debate about how best to organize everything.

“Since I’m bringing the tail, I can’t leave behind the pig ears, right? The maid outfit set should all go too, and I guess I’ll bring that limited-edition maid uniform back as well…”

The more she tried to pack, the more she found to pack. By the end, Jiang Sui realized her suitcase was almost bursting at the seams.

After pressing down with her arms a few times to no avail, the young lady finally stood up, lifted her black-stockinged little foot, and stomped down hard on the suitcase.

With a thud—

The suitcase finally closed.

Jiang Sui let out a sigh of relief, wiped the spot she’d just stomped on, and propped her suitcase upright.

And at that moment, her bedroom door suddenly knocked several times.

“Please come in.”

Who was it, Lu Yunze?

There weren’t many people in Sequence Garden who would come to her room unprompted, and the one who usually came most often was Lu Yunze. But the person who entered this time made Jiang Sui bristle with alarm.

It wasn’t Lu Yunze—shockingly, it was Lin Ying.

After a brief moment of daze, Jiang Sui quickly stood up and adjusted her posture and expression.

“Mr. Lin, what can I do for you?”

Her tone was perfectly courteous, completely concealing the hostility in her heart, so that Lin Ying, hearing her words, had no reason to suspect a thing.

“No, it’s nothing. It’s almost time for departure, so I came to remind everyone.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Lin, I’ve already finished packing my things,” Jiang Sui said, gesturing at the suitcase by her side, letting Lin Ying glance over and seemingly be very satisfied with her performance.

But he didn’t leave right away. Instead, he walked straight over to her bed and sat down.

“These past few days I’ve been observing the people around the Young Master and Miss, and the one who caught my attention most is you.”

“Oh? I’m just an ordinary maid…” Jiang Sui said this as she smoothed her skirt, keeping her gaze averted from his.

Lin Ying didn’t answer immediately but chuckled softly. “The reason I came to see you is that I want to discuss something important—something to do with Young Master Lu Yunze.”

His gaze was sharp as a blade, locking firmly onto Jiang Sui’s movements.

So it’s finally come to this?

On the surface, she still looked a little startled, but inside, she was already preparing her defenses in case of sudden attack.

Meanwhile, in the manor’s main hall.

“We’re leaving today. You still remember what I asked you to do, right?” Luo Yao looked at the Head Maid and said sternly.

“Of course, Miss. You told me to take good care of the manor in your absence these next two months, not let anyone steal the Young Master or Miss’s belongings, and also to finish repairing the body of the security system as soon as possible.”

“The riverside house has my room. When the time comes, I’ll send you the new decor style. When I come back for vacation, I expect to see the finished product.”

“Understood, Miss.”

While Luo Yao and the Head Maid conversed, Lu Yunze was counting the other servants, making sure that everyone who was supposed to leave together was present.

Wait, it seemed someone was missing?

Lu Yunze glanced over the crowd, and quickly realized who hadn’t arrived.

“Where’s Jiang Sui?”

He cleared his throat softly. At a time like this, Jiang Sui wouldn’t be late, given her personality.

“Should I go get her, Lu Yunze?”

“I need to bring her something important anyway.”

“Alright, be careful.”

Lu Yunze left the main hall, searching the manor for any sign of her, asking everyone he saw if they’d seen Jiang Sui.

“If you’re looking for Jiang Sui, she should be packing in her own bedroom.”

“Thanks.”

For some reason, Lu Yunze had a bad feeling, and he quickened his pace towards Jiang Sui’s room.

At that moment, in Jiang Sui’s bedroom.

“I heard from the Young Master that you’ve known each other since childhood. Is that true?”

“Ah, yes. When Young Master Lu first came to the Luo Family, aside from Miss, the person he was closest with was me.”

Jiang Sui and Lin Ying were chatting about Lu Yunze’s past, at least on the surface.

“Mr. Lin, you’re so curious. After all, the Young Master wasn’t born in the Luo Family. Why do you care about him so much?” Jiang Sui smiled as she probed, also secretly watching his expression.

“Part of it is my job, to take care of people. But honestly, I do feel a bit sorry for Young Master Lu back then.”

Lin Ying gave a simple, honest smile.

“But what about you, Miss? I think you and Young Master Lu seem to get along quite well—such a rare thing. When the Young Master was still in the main house, he never got close to any other girl.”

“Oh, really? Then maybe that means I’m special to the Young Master?”

Jiang Sui said, hands folded beneath her chin, putting on a shy, delicate act.

Is he testing me, too?

Will he make a move?

Jiang Sui’s patience was wearing thin.

“To be honest, when I first came to Sequence Garden, I thought the biggest surprise would be the growth of the Young Master and Miss.”

Lin Ying stood up, walking two steps forward.

“But now, I think the real surprise might be you.”

As he spoke, he lowered his head, and his expression was no longer as gentle as before.