Jiang Sui had long anticipated that the Ceremony would be busy, but when the day finally arrived, the intensity and workload still exceeded her expectations.
Buying groceries in advance and gathering before the sun had even fully risen meant that the entire day would be spent in a frantic rush.
The number of servants in the mansion was significant, but the scale of the Ceremony was simply too massive. Even with everyone moving under Butler Kong Yang’s direction, there was still a shortage of hands.
“Start running! Move it! Don’t you dare think about resting!”
Kong Yang had somehow found a red silk scarf and tied it around his forehead. He stood in the Corridor, cheering on every servant he encountered. If anyone showed signs of slacking off, he would blow the whistle in his mouth.
“Today is the Old Master’s birthday! Do you have any idea how important the Old Master is to you? If he’s happy today, I can naturally take the opportunity to fight for a Salary increase for all of you. You over there, don’t just stand there dazed, I can see you! Do you know the weight of today’s Ceremony? Even the government leaders in the Central City have to give the Old Master face. Lazy, absolutely too lazy! If you act like this, aren’t you just disgracing the Zhu Family? Don’t even think about asking me to mention a raise then, there’s no chance!”
His frantic, red-faced shouting made him look like a sports coach.
Most of the servants were more or less urged along by Kong Yang, but Jiang Sui was not. This was because she had mastered special slacking techniques since her Previous Life.
Not to mention Kong Yang alone, the leaders of that “ox and horse” Company in her Previous Life would patrol and pick people’s faults whenever they were bored. Compared to them, Kong Yang really didn’t amount to much.
If a person doesn’t slack off at work, it isn’t a complete life. Furthermore, Jiang Sui had prepared well for this evening’s Ceremony. She had no intention of actually wasting this great opportunity in the capacity of a Maid.
“Good, everyone is doing a splendid job!” Looking at the exhausted crowd, Kong Yang gave a big thumbs up. “Now…”
Was it time to rest?
“The Kitchen is short-handed. Everyone, go and help quickly. Those who want to cook, help the chefs. Those who don’t, help grab seasonings or carry the dishes to the Dining Hall.”
“Huh?!”
“The guests will be arriving soon. Move, move!”
The crowd was helpless and had no choice but to set off for the Kitchen once more. However, amidst the crowd, Jiang Sui quietly left the group and even gave an “OK” gesture to her partners behind her.
Over the past few days, she had become close with many servants and figured out their thoughts. As long as she gave them some benefits, she could always find someone willing to help her.
Having left the main force, Jiang Sui was finally able to return to her Bedroom. She avoided anyone she met on the way to prevent being caught slacking. No, if she wasn’t caught, it couldn’t be counted as slacking.
***
She gently closed the door. Enveloped by a rare sense of security, Jiang Sui let out a sigh of relief.
Now, it’s just me.
Pulling out the Treasure Box hidden in the Bedroom, Jiang Sui opened it. Looking at the contents inside, the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but curl up.
On such an important day, she couldn’t just leave Lu Yunze alone. For him, Jiang Sui had also prepared a special surprise. She didn’t believe he wouldn’t be tempted.
“But now is not the time.”
Jiang Sui carefully touched the item, closed the Treasure Box, and put on the Silver Bracelet.
Having dodged the security checks, she could now set off with her own things with peace of mind. Currently, most of the servants were in the Kitchen, and the guests had not yet all arrived. It could be said that this was the best time to investigate Zhu Tianyu’s secrets.
The mansion’s layout was also something Jiang Sui had figured out; she had even drawn a Map and hidden it within the Silver Bracelet. If she wanted to investigate, she really had to go to Zhu Tianyu’s room.
To be safe, Jiang Sui first took out the Map to take a look, then tucked it away and continued on her way.
The Corridor was silent. Only her own light footsteps echoed in her ears. After living here for a while, Jiang Sui had long adapted to these enclosed corridors, but for some reason, she felt particularly nervous today.
Was it because what she was about to do was a bit crazy?
If she were discovered by the Zhu Family, she wouldn’t be able to continue her job as a Maid, and she might even be handled by the Luo Family as a traitor. Since they were a villainous Clan, the methods they used to deal with traitors were bound to be extremely cruel. Perhaps even a direct death would be a luxury.
But if she didn’t do this, she wouldn’t be able to get a handle on Zhu Tianyu.
***
Footsteps coming from behind caused Jiang Sui to freeze in place.
When did they appear? Why hadn’t she noticed for so long? If they had been following her for a while, these footsteps were too clear, not at all like someone trying to hide their tracks.
Jiang Sui prepared to summon her Scythe and spun around quickly, but she only saw one person.
A stranger she had never seen before.
“Who are you?”
Jiang Sui was on guard, but the other party showed no reaction. He looked straight ahead and walked slowly toward her.
Then…
He walked right through Jiang Sui and continued forward.
Jiang Sui’s eyes widened.
***
The Ceremony was about to begin. Lu Yunze looked at himself in the mirror.
He had put on a brand-new suit and had even gotten a new hairstyle yesterday. Accustomed to casual attire, wearing this kind of formal clothing really made him look quite respectable.
The Ceremony was starting soon, but he had nothing to do and wanted to find someone to chat with. Who should he look for at a time like this?
There were so many people in the mansion and he had many choices, but Lu Yunze made his choice almost without hesitation. No matter how he thought about it, Jiang Sui was better, right?
Although her mouth was a bit sharp, she was beautiful, cute, and knew how to talk. She was simply a talent for chatting.
After learning that the servants had all gone to the Kitchen to help, Lu Yunze went there as well. Surprisingly, he did not see Jiang Sui’s figure.
Just then, Kong Yang happened to be nearby, so Lu Yunze walked straight up to him and asked, “Have you seen…”
“Whoa!”
Kong Yang, who was clutching something, was startled by his words and hurriedly hid the item in his pocket.
“What’s wrong?” Lu Yunze raised an eyebrow.
“It’s nothing, Young Master Lu. Why are you here?” Kong Yang squeezed out a smile. “I just wanted to take this time to sneak a couple of cigarettes.”
So it was smoking. He thought it was something else. Lu Yunze didn’t care; he only cared about the Maid he couldn’t find.
“Huh? Jiang Sui… who?”
Kong Yang scratched his head, his smile becoming awkward and confused.
“Sorry, Young Master, there are really too many servants in the mansion. I can’t possibly remember every single one of them.”
That made sense. After all, Jiang Sui had only arrived here a few days ago, and she was clearly going to return with Lu Yunze and the others after the vacation ended. There really was no need to remember her name.
However, Jiang Sui was indeed not in the Kitchen. Given her personality, could she have gone to slack off?
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Lu Yunze set off at once, walking toward her Bedroom.
***
Meanwhile, on Jiang Sui’s side.
She thought she was hallucinating and rubbed her eyes. There really was someone walking ahead. But the strange thing was that he didn’t seem to see her, just walking straight forward.
Even more eerie was that Jiang Sui actually couldn’t touch him.
No matter how many times she tried, her palm would pass right through this person’s body. She couldn’t feel any physical form, only a cold, icy sensation left on her palm.
A Supernatural Incident. Was this person perhaps a Ghost?
In an instant, many horror movies she had seen flooded Jiang Sui’s mind—haunted mansions, tragic ghosts, and the like. But during her stay here, Jiang Sui hadn’t heard of any wrongful deaths in this mansion. It couldn’t just be a wandering soul passing through, could it?
And this person’s face… Jiang Sui had never seen him before. He wasn’t a member of the Zhu Family, nor was he a servant.
He looked to be only about twenty years old, about the same as herself. He just kept walking forward without any expression on his face.
“It shouldn’t be something that appeared for no reason,” Jiang Sui held her chin, pondering. “There must be a reason.”
She had been trying to find the Zhu Family’s secrets, and now, hadn’t a clue just popped up on its own? She would follow and investigate him first; perhaps there would be an unexpected extra harvest.
Just as Jiang Sui followed behind this Ghost with light footsteps, the other party suddenly stopped.
The way ahead was a dead end. Could it be that this Ghost couldn’t walk through walls? That would be far too pathetic.
Just as Jiang Sui was wondering if he had frozen up, the Ghost suddenly turned his head, his gaze landing directly on her face. Their eyes met at this moment, and a chill crawled up Jiang Sui’s spine.