Even though Su Wanli stared intently at her cheeks with a fierce gaze, Meng Wange maintained her elegant demeanor, quietly meeting her eyes.
‘…Alright, I think I get it.’
Looking at this unmoved heroine, Su Wanli sighed silently.
Even with a sudden high fever, it was impossible for Meng Wange’s emotional intelligence to drop so low. There must be a reason why she refused to offer even a single word of praise.
Since she had been sharp-tongued enough this morning to say she “wanted to admire your sleeping face,” the problem must have arisen afterward. Which meant…
Recalling everything from the moment she woke up this morning until now, Su Wanli nodded in realization — Meng Wange’s current silence must be affected by the insults she had just hurled!
Specifically, it happened when Meng Wange reached toward her chest, and she had instinctively shouted —
“Meng Wange, you big pervert!”
*Tsk*, this girl was really something. She was so impatient to reach out, yet she wouldn’t even let me say anything about it!
‘Now look what happened. After hearing that insult, Meng Wange probably doesn’t dare speak to me freely anymore. I won’t be able to see any deeper into her true emotions unless I take the initiative to show some kindness and stabilize her mindset again.’
‘Dammit, I’m the one who was almost the victim, and now I have to find a way to soothe her…’
Su Wanli quirked an eyebrow slightly at the insatiable heroine. She sat back down in the chair in front of the desk, softening her tone.
“Fine, Meng Wange. Let’s stop talking about the whole keeping-me-company thing.”
As soon as she said this, Su Wanli cautiously checked her [**Female Villain Value**].
Good, there wasn’t much change for now. Her villainess persona was holding up well. She just had to keep working hard with this momentum!
She balled her hand into a fist, placed it against her lips, and coughed twice. Then, she spoke to Meng Wange in a deep voice.
“Well, since there won’t be any chance to go out today anyway, and we’re confined to this room… is there anything you want me to do for you?”
“Anything you want… me to do?”
Seeing that Meng Wange still seemed confused, Su Wanli grit her teeth. She stood up from the chair and quickly took two steps forward, sitting down on the bed right next to Meng Wange.
After that, Su Wanli first smoothed out the hem of her skirt, ensuring every wrinkle lay flat against her thighs to make her image appear as dignified and polite as possible. Then, she curled one side of her mouth slightly, looking into Meng Wange’s eyes with a soft smile.
“That’s right. If there’s anything you want done, just say it. I won’t blame you.”
‘Heh heh, do you feel it? This overwhelming aura of a gentle maid!’
‘In some alternative works, wouldn’t a proactive person like me — looking down at my master with a slight hint of mockery — be very popular?’
‘Besides, I’ve already lowered myself this much and even offered to help Meng Wange. This level of goodwill should be obvious enough, right?’
‘It doesn’t matter if there’s no praise. At the very least, Meng Wange should acknowledge my efforts. We can use some trivial interactions to close the distance between us. Even restoring things to the level they were this morning would be fine!’
Meng Wange seemed to have figured something out, as her gaze became much more determined.
“No, Miss Su. I don’t have anything I need you to do.”
“Mhm, let me think about how to do it well. After all, you’re just a little maid, so whether I help you or not depends on my mood…”
After a moment of feigned contemplation, Su Wanli’s brain finally registered the signal Meng Wange had sent.
“…Wait, what did you just say? You don’t have anything you want me to do?”
“Yes.”
Meng Wange nodded earnestly at Su Wanli, using both hands to support herself as she sat up in bed.
“Although my body is indeed a bit uncomfortable, it’s not a major issue. You only need to follow your usual pace and do whatever you want to do.”
Hearing this, even the perfect smile on the face of the Legendary Villainess, Su Wanli, couldn’t help but crack.
‘…Calm down, stay calm. Don’t rush. Now is not the time to give up.’
‘My performance just now must have been too big a contrast compared to usual. Plus, Meng Wange is a bit slow in her feverish state; she doesn’t know how to react to me right now.’
‘…I just need to try a little harder, just a little!’
‘This is the last time I’m going all out. I can’t let this maid outfit go to waste after taking so long to decide to wear it!!’
Su Wanli adjusted her mood with a deep breath, exhaling all the irritability from her chest. Then, she gave Meng Wange the sweetest smile she could muster.
“…Ahem, do you really not need anything? I heard Zhang Ma mention that people with bad colds need to drink plenty of hot water.”
Su Wanli smiled as she picked up a glass of warm water from the desk. She leaned over slightly, moving until she was only half a body length away from Meng Wange.
“…Just for now, I can play a different role and serve tea to someone like you. You should be grateful, my Ma — Ma — Ma…”
Meng Wange tilted her head slightly at Su Wanli, her eyes wide and innocent.
“…Ma?”
Su Wanli calmly maintained her polite smile. She placed the water glass steadily on the nearby nightstand and then turned around gently. In an angle where Meng Wange couldn’t see, she resentfully punched her own thigh.
‘Why are you still asking! Stop asking!! You blockhead! Believe it or not, I’ll —’
‘…Fine. Since she didn’t have any special reaction even after I went this far, I might as well give up. Meng Wange really isn’t the type to get excited over my maid outfit.’
‘It’s okay. This outfit was just a last resort, a uniform I found randomly at the Su Residence. I have plenty of other tricks besides this one. I shouldn’t pin all my hopes on one thing or lose confidence because of it.’
Thinking this, Su Wanli took a deep breath and then pushed the door open heavily, walking out of the room.
“Miss Su, where are you going?”
Su Wanli turned around and gave Meng Wange the final second of the smile she could maintain, bringing a perfect end to her Maid Great War.
“What business is it of yours where I’m going? Just stay in bed and wait for me. I’ll be back in a bit.”