Chapter 130: Nervous

After returning to the Long Family Mansion, Lu Yunze slept deeply and comfortably, waking up only when it was bright outside.

The first thing he did upon opening his eyes was to pick up his phone and check the time. He hadn’t expected it to be almost eleven o’clock already.

The first thought that popped into his mind was what class he had today, but after two seconds, he remembered it was the holidays and he was back at his home in Central City, lying on the familiar and comfortable bed.

He had always heard that once you went to university, it was like being set free; you could sleep as long as you liked. But in reality, even after entering university, you still had to wake up early when you needed to, or else those early morning classes would make your life miserable.

Yesterday, he had run into a total of three ambushes, especially that one in the afternoon—Lu Yunze was practically exhausted. After getting home, he said goodbye to the others, took a long shower, and fell asleep.

His suitcase was still by the door, and his things hadn’t been unpacked yet.

Stretching lazily, Lu Yunze got out of bed. He hadn’t been in this room for half a year, but the layout hadn’t changed at all since the last time he was here; everything was just as he remembered.

The furniture and floors were almost spotless, not a hint of dust. Clearly, someone had learned ahead of time that they would be coming back, and had the staff clean everything up, so Lu Yunze could rest easy when he returned.

Speaking of the staff, Lu Yunze couldn’t help but think of Jiang Sui.

It had been half a year since he’d seen Luo Yao, and the last time he saw her, she had caused quite a scene, mistaking Jiang Sui for the girlfriend Lu Yunze brought home.

Although the misunderstanding was cleared up smoothly, Jiang Sui and Luo Yao’s reactions afterward were both a little strange.

Jiang Sui had said something he still couldn’t quite figure out: “Young Master, you explained things so quickly, it really disappointed me.”

As for Luo Yao, though she didn’t throw a tantrum like a jealous woman, she kept pestering Luo Street, harshly exposing his past history to everyone.

Lu Yunjin didn’t get involved at all. He just felt that if he had gone to pick up any of the girls at that time, he wouldn’t have ended up well either way.

Speaking of girlfriends…

Thinking back on last night’s scene, Lu Yunze felt a subtle unease.

If Jiang Sui really became someone’s girlfriend, what would happen?

That guy would probably enjoy a very happy everyday life. After all, Jiang Sui was really good at taking care of people—her only flaw was her sharp tongue and her fondness for pranks.

Wait, what am I even worrying about?

As soon as he imagined Jiang Sui carefully tending to some other man, Lu Yunze felt a tightness in his chest, and quickly left the bedroom to get some fresh air.

After coming back to the Long Family Mansion, since everyone was exhausted, Lu Yunze just wished everyone sweet dreams and went to bed after a quick wash.

It was already eleven o’clock now. He wondered what everyone else was up to.

If it were Jiang Sui, she would definitely be awake by now. What was she doing?

Even as he walked through the halls of the Long Family Mansion, Lu Yunze’s mind was filled with the image of that little maid.

Half a year away, but his subconscious still mapped out the layout of the Lan City manor, and he had meant to go to the Great Hall to scrounge some food, but ended up in the wrong room instead.

Although he hadn’t arrived at his intended destination, at least he was somewhere with food.

Muttering to himself, Lu Yunze turned to leave, but accidentally bumped into someone.

Lu Yunjin only staggered a few steps back—the other party was agile; if not for bracing his back against the wall, he would have fallen.

“Hey, what are you doing? How do you not look where you’re going… Wait, are you, Young Master Lu Yunze?”

“Ah, yes, it’s me.”

This young man’s attire looked somewhat similar to Lin Ying.

“Sorry, I didn’t expect to run into Young Master Lu Yunze here.”

“I haven’t seen you before. Are you new here?”

“Yes, I’m Kong Yang, the new Butler. I joined two months ago.”

A new Butler—just perfect. Lu Yunze asked if there was anything to eat, and Kong Yang immediately smiled warmly and led him to the dining hall, saying that breakfast had been prepared and was just waiting for them to wake up and enjoy it.

The Long Family’s main mansion was even larger than the Lan City manor. Its decor was even more luxurious—though it was also three stories high, it covered a much greater area, and could accommodate far more rooms.

The three courtyards—front, central, and rear—were all built by the current head of the Long Family, with dedicated staff maintaining them every day to ensure their beauty never faded.

But to be honest, although Lu Yunze had lived here for years, he never really liked the atmosphere.

The entire mansion was decorated to the head of the family’s taste, with many closed-off corridors; compared to the Lan City manor, it felt even more oppressive and so solemn it was hard to smile.

Unlike some servants he’d met as a child, who treated him differently because he was the Young Master from another family, this new Butler Kong Yang was enthusiastic and proactive, always asking if there was anything he could help with.

After sitting down in the dining hall, Kong Yang had already notified the staff to heat up breakfast on their way over, so Lu Yunze could start eating right away.

Today’s breakfast was some kind of hearty grain—Lu Yunze had never tried anything like it before, and though he couldn’t name it, it tasted quite good.

But in this big dining hall, Lu Yunze was the only one eating; the others were just standing and watching, which felt a bit awkward.

Halfway through, he waved Kong Yang over, who came at once.

“Young Master Lu Yunze, is there anything you need?”

“Luo… I mean, is the Old Master not at home?”

“The Old Master is still working outside. He won’t be back until the evening.”

Lu Yunze nodded slightly.

Everyone had been called home, but he was the last to get up.

But the Birthday Banquet wasn’t being held today, so Lu Yunze felt a bit more at ease.

If Luo had not insisted on taking him in despite all objections, Lu Yunze didn’t know where he’d be today.

This time, he could skip seeing everyone, but the head of the Luo Family was someone he definitely had to greet.

Learning the Old Master wasn’t back yet, Lu Yunze wasn’t anxious and continued eating breakfast.

After finishing, he told Kong Yang he’d be wandering around the mansion for a bit. Having seen more of the world, returning here made all the familiar things feel a little different.

But he still couldn’t relax; his nerves felt taut.

Especially thinking about facing those troublesome rich people and being criticized by them—Lu Yunze’s heart sank at the thought. Even if he didn’t want to deal with them, they would still seek him out and bring him trouble.

Unknowingly, he found himself in the Central Courtyard. Each of the four corners had fish ponds, with a Pavilion in the center, surrounded by exquisite Artificial Hills.

Just the landscaping looked far more expensive than the Lan City courtyard, not to mention the upkeep costs.

Lu Yunze didn’t force himself to stand in the middle, when he suddenly heard laughter—distinctly familiar.

Could that be Luo Yao?

If it was her, Lu Yunze wanted to go over and talk. She was probably the one who understood his situation at the Long Family Mansion the best; if it was her, she would surely show understanding and offer some comfort.

Lu Yunze quickened his pace, but when he arrived, what he saw surprised him for a moment.

It was indeed Luo Yao, but she wasn’t alone.

She was surrounded by several other ladies, all dressed in luxurious clothes, laughing and chatting together, clearly having a great time.

Among them, Lu Yunze could recognize a few familiar faces from childhood. Half a year had passed, and they seemed to have grown up a lot.

Was this a Tea Party?

Lu Yunze noticed refreshments and pastries on the table in the Pavilion, though not many people had touched them.

As expected of Luo Yao—she had only just come back, yet already started to show off her social skills.

“I’m telling you, just a few months ago some ignorant brat came around spreading rumors about me, saying I was a sadistic rich girl who bullied people.”

“So mean! Absolutely no manners at all.”

“Just thinking about it makes me angry. Luo Yao, you should really give them a lesson!”

“Of course!”

Luo Yao had just finished speaking when she noticed Lu Yunze standing not far away, her eyes lighting up.

“Brother Yunze, when did you get here?”

She ran straight over, drawing everyone’s attention. Being suddenly surrounded by so many people made Lu Yunze’s already tense nerves even tighter.

“Brother Yunze, how are you feeling? Is your body still feeling unwell anywhere?”

“I’m fine, no need to worry.”

“That’s good.”

Lu Yunze’s gaze swept over the faces of the guests. Their reactions were varied—some indifferent, some recalling childhood memories on seeing him, and some who didn’t bother hiding their dislike at all.

To hide his awkwardness, Lu Yunze quickly changed the topic:

“By the way, why didn’t I see that Miss Lü from last night?”

“Huh?” Luo Yao’s eyebrows shot up. “Why are you bringing her up, Brother Yunze?”

It was better than asking where Jiang Sui was, wasn’t it?

Lu Yunze just mumbled an excuse:

“Aren’t you two good friends? I thought she’d be here too…”

“Brother, you can really be so dense sometimes.”

But if he wasn’t dense, how else could he hide his true feelings?

Because Lu Yunze had mentioned another woman’s name, Luo Yao’s good mood vanished. So when Lu Yunze made an excuse to leave, she didn’t try to stop him and just let him go.

Leaving the Central Courtyard, escaping those stares and voices, Lu Yunze immediately felt much more relaxed.

But the sense of tension inside still hadn’t disappeared.

He went back to his bedroom and sat on the chair, lost in thought.

After graduation, I still have to come back here and continue facing all these people?

Just thinking about it felt exhausting.

“So tired, so worried… what should I do?”

Lu Yunze propped his chin on his hand and waved his other hand absentmindedly.

Then his hand brushed against something soft and warm.

Startled, he looked over—Jiang Sui had somehow appeared in his room without him noticing.

Was she a ghost? Or just an illusion?

That didn’t matter. What mattered was that Lu Yunze’s hand was, by accident, resting right on her chest.

To be honest, it felt pretty nice—he almost didn’t want to let go.

“Hmm.”

If it were anyone else, they would’ve been angry and yelled at him to take his hand away. But this was Jiang Sui!

Before Lu Yunze could react, Jiang Sui closed her eyes and deliberately leaned forward, pressing her chest closer.

“Young Master, if you think they’re too big and getting in the way, I can take them off for you.”

“What are you saying?” Seeing Jiang Sui really looked like she was about to take off her clothes, Lu Yunze hurriedly let go, finally calming down.