Chapter 24: Ordinary Days

The next day, at noon.

It was almost lunchtime. Lu Yunze headed to the dining hall as usual, but stopped at the entrance.

Because he saw a familiar figure.

“Jiang Sui? Are you really lying in wait for me at the door?”

Lu Yunze sighed inwardly and waved at her as he approached the doorway.

“Good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon, Young Master.” Jiang Sui gave a slight bow, then continued to stand there like a statue.

That was it?

Normally, when they met, she would greet him with a smile and liked to stick close to him. Why was today so different?

Not only was there no trace of a smile on her face, she didn’t even want to say a single extra word.

Something was off. Very off.

“If you have something to say, just say it. Don’t keep silent.”

“Young Master, I have nothing to say.” Jiang Sui was still cold. “Also, I ask that Young Master please keep your distance. Men and women should not be overly familiar.”

This…?

Lu Yunze was dumbfounded. He pinched his own face—ouch, it hurt. This wasn’t a dream.

That Jiang Sui, who always liked to cling to him at the drop of a hat, actually said something like this?!

Was the sun really going to rise from the west? Or was today the end of the world?

“Young Master, please take your seat. Lunch will be served shortly.” The girl’s pale violet eyes looked ahead, only meeting his gaze when she spoke. She was no different from the other servants.

“……”

Lu Yunze was still baffled. The moment he stepped into the dining hall, full of questions, all his doubts were resolved.

Someone had arrived before him, which explained Jiang Sui’s well-behaved demeanor.

“Lu-ge, you’re finally here!”

The moment their eyes met, Luo Yao jumped up excitedly. She’d run over so fast that her hair was a little messy, and as she stopped, she tucked some stray strands behind her ear.

“Why are you willing to come here today?” Lu Yunze spoke first.

Ever since the Police Station Incident, Luo Yao had locked herself in her room except for classes and necessary outings. Even at mealtimes, she’d have servants bring food to her room.

During this time, Lu Yunze had been eating alone and was starting to feel a bit out of sorts. Even if he wanted to chat, the servants around him were all so proper and serious; even the smallest joke would lead to awkward misunderstandings.

Thinking about it, Jiang Sui really was a standout among the servants. She was beautiful and a great conversationalist, but when he needed her to talk, she was lying in bed.

Now, Luo Yao was finally willing to come to the dining hall. This marked the end of a rather lonely period.

“I’ve finished all my investigation work, so of course I had to come keep you company, Lu-ge.” After sitting down, Luo Yao crossed her hands under her chin, looking at him with a bright smile.

“I see. No wonder there are fewer servants at home.” Lu Yunze sighed. “You really didn’t have to go that far for me, did you?”

“It’s necessary. Very necessary.”

Luo Yao was still smiling, but her brows furrowed slightly, making her smile seem a bit strange.

“Anyone who dares to hurt Lu-ge, I won’t let them off.”

Lu Yunze just gave an awkward laugh, treating it as a joke.

Throughout lunch, Luo Yao kept chatting with Lu Yunze. She’d barely spoken to anyone all week and was practically bursting to talk.

Lu Yunze responded half-heartedly, sometimes even zoning out. The reason was that the presence of the gaze behind him was simply too strong.

With Luo Yao here, Jiang Sui acted perfectly normal—no extra words, no unnecessary actions. For Lu Yunze, who was used to her warmth, this felt oddly unsettling.

Though she was quieter, her efficiency hadn’t changed a bit. She was always the first to serve Lu Yunze’s needs. Even when he choked on his food, before Luo Yao could express concern, Jiang Sui had already handed him water.

He had to admit, Jiang Sui—stripped of her mischievous exterior—was a truly competent maid.

After lunch, Lu Yunze took a short nap, then got ready to head to school.

At the gate of the Manor, he saw Jiang Sui again. She seemed to be there to see him off.

“Young Master, are you leaving? Take care on the road.” She seemed to have been standing for a while, tiny beads of sweat glistening on her fair skin.

“…Luo Yao isn’t here. You don’t have to keep up the act.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a familiar smile blossomed on the girl’s face. Her pale violet eyes sparkled with liveliness.

“Young Master, you’re so cruel. I almost suffocated to death holding it in.”

“Don’t make it sound like I was torturing you…” Lu Yunze scratched his head. “If you could always be as proper and efficient as you were at lunch, that’d be great.”

“Young Master, I’m always efficient.” Jiang Sui’s eyes narrowed playfully. “No matter what it is, as long as Young Master wishes, I can efficiently satisfy you.”

But whether it’s proper or not… that’s another story.

This was the Jiang Sui he was used to, the one who made him feel at ease.

“Coming all the way to the gate… Don’t tell me you want to follow me. I’m not that thick-skinned.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t secretly follow you.”

“Really?”

“Young Master, you’re so mean. I even risked my life to save you once, but still can’t earn your trust.” Jiang Sui even brought her hand to her eyes, putting on a pitiful, teary act.

Lu Yunze didn’t chat with her much longer. He just rolled his eyes at her and left the Manor, heading to school.

Lu Yunze was currently studying at Lan City’s most prestigious university: Lancheng Academy, a school renowned even nationwide.

After surviving the life-and-death crisis at the Police Station, Lu Yunze suddenly felt that the ordinary days of school were quite nice—at least he wouldn’t run into maniacs shooting at people out of nowhere.

He arrived a bit early today. There were only a few students in the classroom, so he picked a random seat. As time passed, more and more students filed in, gradually livening up the once-quiet atmosphere.

Lu Yunze killed time on his phone until, just before class, someone tapped his shoulder.

“Lu-ge, you’re here so early today?”

“Early? The teacher’s already here and you call this early?”

As they spoke, three boys sat down next to Lu Yunze. They were his former dorm mates.

Although Lu Yunze had only stayed in the school dormitory for a week before the semester started, he’d quickly become close with them. They always sat together in class and occasionally hung out after school.

The first to greet him was Lin, the Head of Dormitory—a slightly handsome guy with the most outgoing personality.

“I always thought rich kids were so busy they didn’t even bother with classes.” As soon as he sat down, Lin couldn’t help but tease, “But you, Lu-ge, never miss a single class. You’re so dedicated, the three of us are moved to tears.”

“Stop sticking those stereotypes on me.” Lu Yunze put his phone down.

“It’s not a stereotype! You know that Young Master Jin from Class Three? He almost never shows up for class—always on leave. I hear he runs around with his boys and a bunch of girls all day. But after hanging out with you for so long, we’ve never seen you surrounded by girls.”

“So what you really care about is the girls, huh? Hoping Lu-ge will toss one your way.”

“Hey, Lin, I remember you have a girlfriend! Don’t let your wandering eyes influence Lu-ge. He’s devoted to his girlfriend!”

Here we go again. Every time this topic came up, Lu Yunze felt a headache coming on.

There were rumors everywhere about him and Luo Yao being a couple, though he had no idea who started them.

It all began when they first enrolled. Luo Yao, using the excuse of “not seeing Lu-ge often because he lives on campus,” would cling to him after class. As the Luo Family heiress, Luo Yao naturally drew attention, and her actions put Lu Yunze in the spotlight too.

Soon after, all sorts of rumors started swirling. Aside from the obviously fake ones, the one that gave Lu Yunze the biggest headache was the boyfriend-girlfriend gossip—even the Manor’s servants knew about it.

At first, Lu Yunze was furious and wanted to find the source of the rumors and give them a beating. But Luo Yao didn’t care at all, even seeming to let the gossip spread on purpose.

Lu Yunze tried to keep Luo Yao at a distance, but she wouldn’t listen. With no other choice, he moved out of the school dormitory and into the Manor, finally getting some peace.

“Luo Yao is not my girlfriend.”

“There you go again, Lu-ge, always so modest.” Lin waved his hand. “I know you’re just denying it because it’s a hassle. Honestly, we hate those guys who are always surrounded by girls.”

“Yeah, they claim to have a girlfriend, but they’re always with a crowd of girls.”

“That’s not a girlfriend—it’s just a hookup!”

The three of them got worked up, taking turns criticizing Young Master Jin from Class Three, calling him a heartless playboy who tossed girls aside when he was done.

“Rich boys are just all about the fun.”

“Rich boys are all sleazy.”

“Rich boys are all heartless bastards.”

Each of them had something to say, until Lu Yunze patted Lin on the shoulder and, with an annoyed look, pointed at himself. Only then did they realize they’d gone too far and quickly dropped the subject.

Lin gave an embarrassed laugh and tried to smooth things over:

“But Lu-ge is different. We trust your character. Even if you were surrounded by girls, you’d never let anyone down.”

“Who wants to be surrounded by girls? I’m not interested.”

Finding them too noisy, Lu Yunze promised to treat them to milk tea later so he could listen to class in peace.

As soon as they heard about the treat, the three straightened up and declared righteously:

“We won’t let you down!”

“Anyone who interrupts Lu-ge is asking for trouble.”

“I’ll go dig up their ancestors’ graves.”

None of them were serious about class. Once they shut up, they all started playing on their phones, and Lu Yunze finally had some peace. He suddenly recalled something Lin had said earlier.

He tried to imagine himself surrounded by a bunch of women. It just seemed too far-fetched. The only girls he’d ever hugged, aside from family, were Luo Yao… and Jiang Sui.

Thinking of Jiang Sui, Lu Yunze couldn’t help but recall her light fragrance. He subconsciously sniffed the air, but could only smell snacks from the students in the front row.

When the bell rang for the end of the first class, the Class Monitor walked up to the podium and announced loudly to everyone:

“Everyone, next period we’ll have a pop quiz! If you want to review, do it now. The teacher says all textbooks and phones must be handed in.”

As soon as he finished, a chorus of wails broke out. Lin and the others were no exception.

“Again?”

“This old man loves this routine. And the pop quiz even counts toward the final grade.”

“I’m doomed. I haven’t listened to a single word in his class.”

Unlike Lin and the others, Lu Yunze smiled confidently. He didn’t really listen in class either, but to handle these surprise quizzes, he’d specially prepared a lifesaving set of notes tucked in his book.

He might not get top marks, but at least he could protect his final grade.

But the moment Lu Yunze opened his textbook, he froze. After two seconds, his eyes widened:

“Lu-ge, save us!” Lin and the others blinked at him.

Faced with their earnest gazes, Lu Yunze covered his forehead and whispered like a mosquito, “I brought the wrong book.”