"We're here, Lady Yu," Captain Mu said, cutting Yue Niang's stream of thought. They got out of the car, Yue Niang purposely dragging her feet in the hopes that the crowd of servants would disperse. Of course, they didn't.
"Welcome to our mansion," Lady Yu began to greet their new guests, determined to keep a straight face. Once she had gotten news of Li Xue Ning's parents visiting the mansion, she had nearly flown herself into a panic, trying to make everything perfect - but not for the reasons her staff expected.
Yue Niang, her beloved lady and friend, was finally returning. She hadn't seen her for decades, and the sight of Li Yue Niang, clad in a simple T-shirt and jeans, was enough to overwhelm her to the point of tears. But Lady Yu had her pride, she wasn't going to cry in front of her colleagues and juniors! That would damage her reputation among the household staff.
So Lady Yu hurriedly bowed to hide her tears, much to the confusion of the staff.
"We're very glad to host you," Lady Yu said, her voice choking up from the emotion. She used the chance to quickly blink away the tears that fell from her eyes. "Please, come in."
If Lady Yu was surprised, it was nothing compared to the emotion Yue Niang felt when her eyes registered Lady Yu - or should she say, Yu Ming Yan, the girl that used to be her attendant, practically her younger sister!
"You…" Yue Niang choked out as she gazed at Lady Yu disbelievingly. "How… you're still here…"
Captain Mu's head swivelled between the both of them, an inquisitive look on his face.
"Do you know each other?"
Yue Niang caught it and collected herself, pushing down all the emotions threatening to bubble to the surface. This wasn't the time to lose control.
"No. I was mistaken. I thought she was someone I knew." Yue Niang said shakily. "Apologies for the scare."
Multiple desires warred inside her, but the two strongest ones were the urge to grab Lady Yu and hug her tight, and then she wanted to grab her by the collar of her stupid maid outfit and shake her harshly.
Why was she still here, living and working in this shitty place under the thumb of Sun Haowei?
She should have left the place and looked for happiness elsewhere!
"It's no problem." Lady Yu said, getting the hint. Her old lady clearly wanted their relationship to remain a secret. "Please enter, we have prepared your rooms for you."
However, ignoring her comments was easier than done. Lady Yu's throat felt tight with unshed tears. She did her best to pretend that they were nothing more than strangers, reminding herself that by now, they have spent more time apart than they have together.
The years apart had swallowed them whole and spit them out as two different people. Lady Yu could still recognize Yue Niang's face, but there was no guarantee she would still get along with the woman in front of her.
She had to remind herself of that, even if her heart thought otherwise. "It's this way."
"Why are you leading her first?" Captain Mu asked, confused at the change in protocol. Now he was even more suspicious, his eyes narrowed as he glanced at Li Yue Niang and Lady Yu.
"We should wait for Young Master Sun and the rest to arrive first. Their cars are turning up the bend."
And it was. So Lady Yu was forced to stand there, hastily blinking back tears and sniffling hard, as though she had caught a sudden cold. Yue Niang had to grab her husband to occupy her hands so that she wouldn't lunge for her.
Tai Cheng's eyes widened in surprise as he realised who Lady Yu was, but he remained calm. They stood together in quiet silence, and it was only broken when Sun Jingwei and their daughter stumbled out of the car.
"Oh, you didn't have to wait for us!" Jingwei beamed, plastered to their daughter as though they were attached at the hip. Both parents eyed his messy hair and mussed T-shirt, and his pants that weren't even buttoned at the top.
Their eyes then scanned their daughter, who looked similarly dishevelled, with equally messy hair and reddened swollen lips. At least she was still dressed!
Kids these days. "I see you were busy in the car," Yue Niang couldn't help but point out, and the both of them sprung apart guiltily.
"Nothing happened," Xue Ning lied, deciding to turn the tables. "Mom, are you sick? Your nose is red."
"Lady Yu! You're also not looking too good." Jingwei commented worriedly. "In fact, you look like you want to cry - "
"Ah now that we're all here, can we go in?" Tai Cheng interrupted, clapping his hands cheerfully. His son and daughter-in-law had also finally arrived, their face shocked at the ostentatious wealth in front of their eyes. "My old bones are tired… would kill for a good rest."
"Of course!" Lady Yu agreed, pouncing on the out. She immediately strode forward, showing him the way as the party followed behind her, quickly wiping her eyes with her fingertips. "I have prepared rooms for all of you."
"This is better than a hotel," Xin Yu marvelled as she admired the plush carpets and elaborate chandeliers.
"Of course, it's free." Her husband said, begrudgingly impressed.
While they continued to 'oooh' and 'ahhh' over the house, Xue Ning was frowning. She couldn't say that she knew Lady Yu well enough to know that she wasn't acting normal, but she definitely knew her Mom well enough to know that she was hiding something from her!
That didn't sit well with her. The last time her mom hid something from her, she gouged out two eyes. Xue Ning frowned. Could Lady Yu have known her mom from before? Did she work with her mom?
"What are you thinking about?" Jingwei murmured in her ear.
"How long has Lady Yu been working here?" She asked quietly, watching Lady Yu guide her family to the guest rooms with an indecipherable expression on her face.
"Forever. I think she was here even before my brother was born." Jingwei said. "Why?"
Xue Ning tugged him closer, because she didn't want to be overheard. The butterflies in Jingwei's stomach fluttered at their proximity - his brother would have found him pathetic, since he and Xue Ning were just making out like horny teenagers in the back of the car - but Jingwei's heart still continued to race at Xue Ning's presence.
"... - Are you listening to me?" Xue Ning asked.
"What?" Jingwei was startled. "Sorry, I was distracted."
"By what?" Xue Ning scolded, exasperated. "Pay attention to me!"
"I always pay attention to you," Jingwei protested. There were faint coughing noises from around them, and they looked around to find staff and family members staring at them with various levels of glee and disgust.
Xue Ning dragged him away by the hand, back to Jingwei's room. Jingwei waggled his eyebrows at her, his hands on her waist. "So you want to continue where we left off?"
She smacked his chest. "Not now. I just needed some privacy. Can you do me a favour?"
"For you, anything." Jingwei replied, even if he was slightly disappointed at the lack of kissing.
"I need you to help me find out if Lady Yu knew my mother from before."
"You think they're old friends?" Jingwei raised his eyebrow. "That'll explain why Lady Yu looks like wants to cry."
"Don't you think it's weird?" Xue Ning said. "My mom's eyes and nose were also red. She was fine in the morning!"
"I understand. I'll do my best," Jingwei said, stroking her back. "But why wouldn't your Mom just tell you if they were old friends?"
"Exactly. It's weird," Xue Ning said. "She already told me she and Dad worked for a rich man before, so why can't she tell me they know each other?"
"If they do know each other," Jingwei cautioned. "Who knows? Maybe they were just allergic to the same thing."
Xue Ning gave him a highly unimpressed look. He pecked her pursed lips adoringly.
"Alright alright. I admit that's unlikely. But I'll help you find out if Lady Yu knows your Mom." Jingwei assured her, kissing her again. "Now, do you want to take a quick shower?"
"Are you trying to say I stink?" Xue Ning wondered, before taking an experimental sniff at herself and wincing. "Okay, you're right."
"Mind if I join you?" Jingwei asked hopefully. They had a fun ride back to the mansion, but they couldn't do anything too… in-depth due to the lack of protection, a fact that Xue Ning was less than happy about when she found out.
"Hmph. Do what you like," Xue Ning said loftily, hiding a smile as she turned around, walking to the bathroom.
Jingwei's lips bloomed into a smile as he observed the sway of Xue Ning's hips as she walked away. She didn't say no!
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