The introductions continued for a while longer, and although Su Yueqing did her best to maintain the image of a spoiled and unreasonable young madam, even she was beginning to grow tired.

There were simply too many people.

One servant would step forward.

Then another.

Then another.

After hearing nearly thirty names in a row, everything had begun blending together inside her head.

She had already forgotten who Fatty was.

Bamboo Pole had somehow become Tall Bamboo.

And she could no longer remember whether Steamed Bun was the round-faced maid or the one with the soft cheeks.

At this point, even her Villain Points were not enough motivation.

Then, just as she was wondering how much longer this torture would continue, a familiar face stepped out from the third row of servants.

Su Yueqing immediately paused.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as the courtyard became quiet, even the servants noticed the change.

The head maid also followed her gaze.

Su Yueqing stared for several seconds before finally speaking.

"You."

Li Mei stepped forward.

"This servant greets Young Madam."

Unlike the other maids, her posture remained straight and composed. She neither appeared nervous nor overly eager to please.

Her expression was respectful.

But there was a certain distance in her eyes.

A certain unwillingness.

The sight immediately interested Su Yueqing.

"Oh?"

She leaned slightly against the armrest.

"Why are you here?"

Li Mei looked up.

"This servant was reassigned by the Duchess."

Su Yueqing frowned.

"Weren’t you serving in Mother’s residence?"

Li Mei lowered her head slightly.

"This servant follows the arrangements of the masters."

Her answer sounded proper.

Yet somehow...

It also sounded cold.

Almost as though she was saying she had no choice but to be here.

Su Yueqing raised an eyebrow.

The other servants immediately became nervous.

Anyone could hear that Li Mei’s tone was not particularly warm.

It was not disrespectful enough to punish.

But it was certainly not the attitude most servants would use toward a newly married young madam.

Inside her mind, Su Yueqing clicked her tongue.

[Oh?]

[Already showing me character?]

[Interesting.]

The moment the thought appeared, the Xi family members hiding nearby nearly focused all their attention on Li Mei.

Meanwhile, Li Mei remained calm.

She knew exactly how far she could push things.

After last night’s incident, she had already realized that her position within the Xi family was no longer as secure as before.

Acting openly hostile would be foolish.

Acting overly obedient would be suspicious.

The safest choice was to remain neutral.

Unfortunately, what she did not know was that several members of the Xi family had already become suspicious of her.

From the nearby corridor, Xi Yunchen quietly folded his arms.

"She doesn’t look happy to be here."

Xi Yunhao nodded.

"Would you be happy if you were transferred from Mother’s residence to serve under your master’s wife?"

Xi Yunchen thought about it.

"...Fair point."

Meanwhile, Su Yueqing continued studying Li Mei.

The more she looked, the more she felt that something about the woman was different from the image of a simple maid.

Li Mei wasn’t panicking.

She wasn’t even trying particularly hard to gain favor.

Instead, she seemed to be constantly observing everything around her.

Like someone who was always thinking.

Always calculating.

[No wonder she survives so long.]

[She’s smarter than most people around her.]

At the corridor, Xi Wenzhe’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He remained silent.

Beside him, Gu Xiang glanced at him briefly before returning his attention to the courtyard.

Meanwhile, Li Mei finally spoke again.

"If Young Madam has no further questions, this servant will continue waiting for instructions."

Su Yueqing was about to respond when she suddenly felt something.

It was simply a strange feeling.

The feeling that someone was watching her.

The hairs on the back of her neck immediately stood up.

Slowly, she turned her head.

Then—

Her eyes met Xi Wenzhe’s.

Su Yueqing froze.

For a brief moment, the entire world seemed to pause.

The distance between them was not small.

The corridor was partially hidden.

Yet she immediately spotted him.

Xi Wenzhe stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in dark robes, his expression calm as he watched the scene unfolding below.

Beside him stood Xi Yunhao, Xi Yunchen, and Gu Xiang.

The moment she saw him, Su Yueqing nearly jumped from her chair.

[Why is he here?!]

Her first instinct was panic.

Her second instinct was to pretend she had not seen him.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Because Xi Wenzhe had already seen her see him.

An awkward silence settled over the courtyard.

The servants looked confused.

Li Mei looked confused.

[I thought he was gone and I wouldn’t have to see him until dinner!]

[Why is he appearing here?]

At the corridor, Xi Yunchen immediately looked away to stop himself from laughing.

Gu Xiang rubbed his forehead.

Xi Yunhao looked suspiciously amused.

Meanwhile, Xi Wenzhe simply continued looking at her.

Neither seemed willing to surrender first.

Inside her mind, Su Yueqing became increasingly uncomfortable.

[Why is he staring?]

[Does he have nothing better to do?]

[Go catch some criminals .]

[Go beat some people up.]

Xi Wenzhe remained unmoved.. her thoughts were quite annoying but not irritating.

The calm expression on his face did not change in the slightest.

Which somehow made Su Yueqing even more nervous.

Meanwhile, Li Mei’s gaze slowly shifted.

For the first time since entering the courtyard, her attention landed fully on Xi Wenzhe.

A complicated emotion flashed briefly through her eyes.

Surely he would say something, his mother out of nowhere had sent her here.. he ah dot help her unless Su Yueqing could bully her.

Meanwhile, the staring contest between husband and wife continued.

Finally, Su Yueqing cracked first.

She immediately looked away.

[Fine.]

[You win.]

[Happy now?]

For the first time that day, the corner of Xi Wenzhe’s mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.

A movement so small that no one could notice.

Unfortunately for him..

Xi Yunchen did.

And the moment he did, his eyes widened in horror.

Because he could have sworn...

His elder brother had almost smiled.