“This matter is also quite crucial for you. There is no need to be nervous. Just relax your mind,” Lin Huanhuan comforted Dong Yuner after seeing how stiff she was. She immediately realized that Dong Yuner must have guessed what she was about to say.
“Thank you for your concern, Miss. But must we say it now? The timing isn’t very good. How about we talk tonight?”
Dong Yuner nodded, a bitter smile forming in her heart. ‘How could I not be nervous?’ Her subconscious immediately wanted to stall for time, hoping for some kind of change.
Lin Huanhuan waved her hand and said indifferently, “Why would a matter like this need a specific time? We can talk now. There’s no need to make it so troublesome.”
Bitterness immediately appeared on Dong Yuner’s face, her eyes flickering with a sense of unwillingness.
Even before this, she had made many mental preparations. She had even thought about going elsewhere to find opportunities, working hard to become a powerhouse, and then returning to reclaim Lin Huanhuan.
But when this matter actually became a reality, the mountain-like pressure pouring down was far more terrifying than she had imagined. She truly was not resigned to this. ‘I really overestimated myself. I thought I would be able to handle it calmly when Miss spoke of it, but I didn’t expect to be so terrified now…’
Various thoughts constantly churned in her mind. Dong Yuner clenched her teeth, feeling her head throb with pain. Even the surrounding scenery seemed to overlap, making her a bit disoriented.
In the next moment, under such heavy pressure, she directly performed an action she would never have dared to do on a normal day.
“Miss, I beg you, do not drive me away! I will work extremely hard in my cultivation and strive to catch up to you. Do not drive me away! Even if we encounter a great enemy in the future and you throw me out as cannon fodder, it would be fine!”
Dong Yuner stepped forward and hugged Lin Huanhuan’s thigh, rubbing against it as she wailed with tearful eyes.
“Miss, I really don’t want to leave you. Didn’t you say before that you wouldn’t drive me away? Why are you going back on your word now? I really don’t want this. I beg of you, Miss!”
Lin Huanhuan was a bit dazed by these words. She looked at Dong Yuner, who was clutching her leg tightly and refusing to let go. Her first instinct was to push her away, but her hand stopped when she touched Dong Yuner’s shoulder.
She looked at the weeping Dong Yuner. Although she didn’t understand what was going on, she eventually felt a sense of pity. She reached out to gently stroke Dong Yuner’s hair and patted her shoulder to soothe her.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. I won’t drive you away. Don’t worry, and don’t cry. I really won’t.”
“Uwah — ”
Dong Yuner cried for a while longer, and Lin Huanhuan continued to comfort her until she seemed a little better.
Although she was reluctant to let go of Lin Huanhuan’s soft leg, Dong Yuner forced herself to release her grip. She lifted her face, her nose red, and spoke.
“I know that saying you won’t drive me away is just Miss comforting me. In the end, you will still make me leave. Miss, you don’t have to be morally blackmailed by me. If you want to drive me away, then do it. Just let me wander outside.”
Lin Huanhuan found it both irritating and amusing. She first said, “Don’t move,” and then took out a handkerchief to carefully wipe away the tear stains on Dong Yuner’s face.
Dong Yuner’s face turned slightly red, but she didn’t dare move. She just closed her eyes and enjoyed it, planning to savor this final moment.
Lin Huanhuan tossed the handkerchief aside and asked with some confusion, “I’d like to ask you, when did I ever say I was going to drive you away? You came in and started crying.”
“Don’t tell me you dreamt that I was sending you away and then thought the dream was real. If that’s the case, I really won’t be polite with you.”
Dong Yuner pouted and looked up with a wronged expression. “Miss, you don’t need to comfort me anymore. I already know about you wanting to drive me away. Just tell me sooner so I can give up. You don’t need to say all this.”
Lin Huanhuan was even more confused. “When did I ever plan to do that? Did you really travel to another world and back?”
Dong Yuner said, “Miss, didn’t you call me here today precisely to tell me you were driving me away?”
Lin Huanhuan: “???”
Dong Yuner began to explain her reasoning. “The reason your strength suddenly skyrocketed back then was probably because you had a fortuitous encounter, which is why you were able to hold out against those cultists for so long.”
Lin Huanhuan nodded. Dong Yuner continued, “Before that, my strength was similar to yours, barely a sixty-forty split. But after that incident, Miss should be able to win against me easily, right?”
“That is true.”
Dong Yuner’s voice began to sound depressed. “As your personal maid, my responsibility is not just to take care of you, but also to protect your safety.”
“But now my strength can’t keep up with yours. Protection is out of the question; I might even need your protection at a critical moment. No matter how you look at it, this is the truth.”
Lin Huanhuan nodded thoughtfully. “A reasonable deduction. Go on.”
Hearing this, she had actually guessed a few things.
Dong Yuner added, “Since my strength is no longer sufficient for the duties of a personal maid, then naturally, you would need to replace me with one who can do the job.”
“So, driving me away is quite normal, isn’t it? When the Eldest Young Lady came to find you the other day, it must have been to discuss this matter. Miss has been restless these past few days, probably thinking about this.”
She said in a low voice, “Originally, I planned to take the initiative to leave because I didn’t want to make Miss suffer. But I just couldn’t make up my mind. After coming here and making such a fool of myself, I’ve truly embarrassed myself.”
“Now I only hope that Miss can keep me. Even if it’s just as an ordinary maid, that’s fine. I will work extremely hard to cultivate and strive to catch up to you.”
Lin Huanhuan sighed and said, “The deduction is quite reasonable.”
Dong Yuner had an ‘as expected’ look on her face. “I really didn’t guess wrong.”
Lin Huanhuan glanced at her, somewhat speechless. “It’s reasonable, but I didn’t say you were right.”
“Huh?” A question mark appeared over Dong Yuner’s head. She didn’t quite react.
Lin Huanhuan spoke slowly, “Under normal circumstances, a subordinate’s strength should be similar to the master’s. This allows for protection while avoiding a backlash. This is normal, and most great families do this.”
“I am the daughter of the Lin Family Head. Although my talent isn’t very high, our family’s inheritance is substantial. The Qi Refining stage techniques don’t suit me well, but by the Foundation Building stage, there are many I can use. So, my strength skyrocketing was only a matter of time.”
“Your talent is slightly higher than mine, and your combat power is about the same. Have you ever wondered why you became my only personal maid back then?”