Spring, again.
It was another morning bothered by illness. Su Wanli sluggishly yawned and sat up in bed.
A sliver of sunlight slipped through the seams of the tightly drawn curtains, making it clear that today’s weather was exceptionally bright.
Yet for some reason, outside the floor-to-ceiling window, there was always the faint sound of rain echoing from somewhere, and every so often, thunder rumbled in the distance.
What a strange weather, sunny, rainy, and thundery, all at once.
Thinking back, yesterday at the dessert shop, Meng Huange had mentioned that it would rain today. But who could’ve guessed it would turn out to be a sunshower? And what could this Fortune mean?
It didn’t really matter. She’d never been the superstitious type.
Su Wanli let out a big yawn and stretched, taking a deep breath of the fresh morning air into her lungs.
…Strange, why did she feel like something was off today? Some kind of danger, maybe?
It wasn’t just the weather. Even her own room was much quieter than usual.
Su Wanli rubbed her chin in thought, and suddenly, an idea flashed through her mind.
Wait a minute, ever since she woke up, the System hadn’t said a single word!?
Normally, the moment she opened her eyes, the System would leap out to say a few lines—something like: “Good morning, Host! Today is the day of that important Evening Banquet. Please buck up and work hard to further our villainess career,” or some other over-enthusiastic motivational speech.
Had it changed its ways today? Updated its version? Or maybe she accidentally activated Change Mode in her sleep?
Su Wanli scratched her head, deciding to set the mystery aside for now. She first reached for the School Uniform hanging at her bedside.
However, her hand had just reached halfway when a School Uniform shirt was already pressed into her palm.
“Oh, thank you.”
“No need to be polite.”
Su Wanli narrowed her eyes, quickly taking off her warm pajamas and tossing them aside, ready to pull the shirt over her head—
Wait a second?
Su Wanli mechanically slipped her arm through the collar, then glanced to her side.
A neatly dressed girl with her hair pulled up in a tidy high ponytail, features delicate and lovely, was sitting by her bed, smiling gently.
Noticing Su Wanli’s stunned look, the brown-haired girl even politely waved.
“Good morning, Miss Su.”
“Uh…”
“It’s seven-oh-two in the morning now. You woke up very punctually. But, if you’re still a bit tired, you can take it easy for a little while. You’re allowed to rest until seven-ten; there’s still plenty of time.”
Staring at the smiling girl in front of her, Su Wanli quickly rubbed her eyes and stealthily fumbled for the white fluffy thing beside her pillow for comfort.
…It really was Meng Huange.
What was going on? Why was she here? When did she come in? What was her purpose in Su Wanli’s room?
Could it be that Meng Huange picked this very moment—thunder and lightning outside, no one able to hear her cries for help—to silently murder her in bed?
[Calm down, Host, it’s nothing unusual. Our heroine Meng Huange originally entered Sujia as your Assistant, or, more accurately, as a Maid. It’s only natural for her to look after your daily life in the morning. In fact, she’s been the one arranging your clothes for the past few days.]
What!? Is that true!? So you mean all those neatly stacked School Uniforms by my side every morning, Meng Huange was the one who prepared them for me!?
[Of course. Every time you come back to your room, you throw your School Uniform straight onto the sofa. Besides Meng Huange, who else would have the nerve to come in and tidy up your room and belongings for you?]
I—I always thought it was Auntie Zhang, or maybe some other Maid or something! You never said it was Meng Huange before!?
[It’s just a trivial matter. If you asked, the System would have told you the truth.]
…If what the System said was true, then the mess in her room was being seen by Meng Huange every single day?
And every night, when she slept, she only wore a thin slip…
[So what? It’s not like you’re undressed.]
It is a big deal! Is there a normal master-servant relationship where the maid comes into the master’s room at dawn, cleans up the mess, then sits there quietly waiting for her to wake up!?
Seeing Su Wanli’s shocked and slightly embarrassed expression, Meng Huange tilted her head and gently took Su Wanli’s hand.
“Miss, if you’re fully rested, would you like me to help you change clothes?”
“…N-no, that won’t be necessary! Who needs someone to help them get dressed anyway!?”
Su Wanli quickly pulled her hand out of Meng Huange’s grasp, snatched her School Uniform jacket from the side, and put it on herself.
“What are you looking at!? Can’t you see I’m getting dressed? Turn around—no, get out! Who let you stay in here!?”
“All right, I’ll wait at the door. Once you’ve finished changing, just call for me and I’ll help you with your makeup.”
“Cut the chatter and get out already… Wait?”
Makeup?
What makeup? She hadn’t asked Meng Huange to help her with makeup in the past few days, had she? Every morning, she just went to the washroom to quickly freshen up and then headed straight to school.
Perhaps seeing her confusion, Meng Huange smiled and explained:
“Because we’ll be attending the Evening Banquet hosted by the Bai Family tonight. If you plan to return to Sujia to do your makeup after school, time might be a bit tight.”
…Oh, so that’s what it was, for the banquet.
Just like the very first day—she’d also asked Meng Huange to help with her makeup in order to complete the System’s task.
As expected of the all-capable Main Female Protagonist Halo. She’s always so thoughtful.
“Tch, at least you know what you’re doing.”
Now that she understood Meng Huange’s intentions, Su Wanli relaxed. She stifled a yawn, put on her School Uniform jacket, and sat down in front of the vanity.
“All right, let’s get this over with quickly. I’m going to be late for school if we don’t hurry, so move fast.”
“Yes, Miss Su.”
Meng Huange walked over with a smile and placed her hands on Su Wanli’s shoulders.
“This time, what kind of makeup would you like?”
“Hmph, do you even have to ask? Of course, something noble and cold that shows off my villain—”
Su Wanli stopped herself in time, glancing at Meng Huange and changed her words.
“…Just make it look good.”