The girl sat on the sofa, pen in hand, lightly writing something on the paper.
By now, it was already noon, and An Yu still showed no signs of returning.
Only after finishing the last stroke did she look up and beckon gently to someone.
“Uncle Lin, come here.”
The middle-aged man who had been called quickly approached, standing straight with a faint trace of respect in his eyes.
“Young Miss, you called for me.”
An Qing raised her head, her expression as gentle as ever.
Uncle Lin—whose full name was Lin Sheng—was the An family’s butler.
He had followed An Yunfan since he was young and now managed the entire household.
He had also been present on the night An Qing returned to the An family.
“Take this. Dismiss everyone on this list.”
An Qing’s voice was soft, but it carried a hint of chill.
“Find any excuse you like, but make sure the compensation is generous.”
The An family’s reputation still mattered to An Qing at this stage.
Lin Sheng took the list without blinking and nodded.
“Understood, Young Miss. Any other instructions?”
An Qing looked up at the middle-aged man before her.
She didn’t like him. In her previous life, he had sided with An Yu.
He seemed like a competent butler on the surface, but in reality, he was the type to sway whichever way the wind blew.
Still, he was reliable enough for now, and the An family currently leaned toward her.
So she would keep him around—for the time being—and settle accounts with him along with the rest of the family later.
For now, there was only one thing she needed to do.
Clear out everyone in this house who might still favor An Yu or whose loyalty was uncertain.
“That’s all.”
An Qing gave the cold order.
“Very well, Young Miss.”
Lin Sheng turned to leave, but An Qing stopped him.
“Wait.”
“Yes, Young Miss?” Lin Sheng turned back, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
“The last name on the list—I’ll handle it personally. You don’t need to worry about it.”
An Qing said flatly.
“Also, remember to interview new cooks.”
Lin Sheng instinctively glanced at the list An Qing had written by hand, looking straight at the final name.
There, in bold characters, was written: Wang Man.
Lin Sheng nodded.
“I understand, Young Miss.”
He gave a slight bow and turned to leave, likely to begin dismissing the people on the list.
An Qing watched him go coldly.
Only when his figure had completely disappeared did she turn away.
She pulled the little cat hair clip from her pocket, her eyes regaining their usual calm.
“An Yu… do you think running away will help?”
An Qing’s gaze gradually turned icy.
“Anyone would know that fleeing only hands the advantage to someone else.”
Just like she had done in her previous life.
“When you come back, you’ll find there’s no place for you in this house anymore.”
“But I won’t let you escape. Even if no one in this family cares about you anymore, you still have to stay in the An family.”
“This suffering is what you deserve, isn’t it?”
Clenching the hair clip tightly, An Qing finally stepped out of the fear that had gripped her at the beginning.
Because there was no way An Yu didn’t care.
She refused to believe it.
Meanwhile, on the other side, An Yu and the three others had already arrived at Cheng Shimumeng’s home.
Just as she had said, no one else was there right now.
Her parents were busy and wouldn’t launch any surprise attacks.
If they would, Cheng Shimumeng wouldn’t have agreed to host at her place in the first place.
The four of them sprawled on the sofa.
Huai Xiang and Cheng Shimumeng were locked in a one-on-one match.
An Yu lay with her head on Ning Wanciu’s lap, watching alongside her.
She had played to her heart’s content earlier and was now resting.
“Y-You you you—wait, wait a second!!”
Huai Xiang mashed frantically at the controller, her expression growing more and more desperate.
Cheng Shimumeng was the complete opposite—calm as ever, even wearing a faint smile.
Her fingers, however, didn’t slow down in the slightest, pressing the buttons with precise speed.
“Waaah!”
With Huai Xiang’s wail, the character representing her on the screen collapsed.
Cheng Shimumeng calmly set down her controller, picked up the cup in front of her, and took a gentle sip of tea.
“You—you you you you!”
Huai Xiang glared at her relaxed demeanor, fuming inside.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
She had practiced so hard after going home last time.
She had even specifically studied how to counter the character Cheng Shimumeng used, but it was useless!
“What about me?”
Cheng Shimumeng turned her head casually, while Huai Xiang gritted her teeth.
What about her? What about her?!
Not only had she been completely locked down, unable to move…
But what did it mean that Cheng Shimumeng had lost to An Yu earlier??
An Yu was clearly a complete beginner who had only just started playing, and yet Cheng Shimumeng had lost to her…
And right after losing to An Yu, she was stomping all over Huai Xiang like this.
What was that supposed to mean!
Even though she was frustrated beyond words, Huai Xiang couldn’t say anything.
After all, that’s how fighting games worked—if you couldn’t win, you couldn’t win.
There was no excuse.
“One more!”
She couldn’t win, but she still wanted to get even.
Unfortunately, Cheng Shimumeng didn’t give her the chance.
She simply chuckled and shook her head, a faint trace of disdain in her eyes.
“Let’s not, Xiangxiang~”
“Wh-What do you mean by that!”
Ning Wanciu, sitting off to the side, shook her head helplessly.
“Alright, stop messing around. It’s about time, isn’t it?”
At those words, Huai Xiang instinctively glanced at the clock.
It was already afternoon.
They had ordered a cake for An Yu, and it should arrive soon.
Though… they had already eaten cake this morning, but that was fine. Small ones and big ones were different!
Ever since arriving at Cheng Shimumeng’s house, they had been playing games nonstop. Time really flew.
Ding dong—
As soon as the words were spoken, the doorbell rang.
Cheng Shimumeng stood up, shot another disdainful glance at Huai Xiang, and turned to answer the door.
“Waaah, what’s with that look!”
Huai Xiang exploded instantly. This wicked woman was giving her no face at all in front of An Yu!
“Xiangxiang!”
Ning Wanciu tugged at Huai Xiang’s sleeve and shook her head helplessly.
“Hmph!”
Huai Xiang turned her head away with a proud huff.
“Xiangxiang?”
This voice was different from before—soft, with a hint of cool detachment.
But Huai Xiang kept the same expression. “Hmph!”
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
Feeling her sleeve being tugged, Huai Xiang reluctantly turned to look at Ning Wanciu.
Only to find Ning Wanciu holding both hands up—she hadn’t touched her.
Huai Xiang blinked instinctively and realized An Yu was lying on Ning Wanciu’s lap, her small body leaning forward slightly.
With a puzzled look, she was the one tugging at Huai Xiang’s sleeve.
So… both the tug and the call had come from little An Yu?!
Huai Xiang instantly felt a wave of embarrassment. She had only wanted to avoid losing face in front of An Yu.
And now it had turned into her throwing away her own dignity!