An Yu, completely unaware that she had been misunderstood by Cheng Shimumeng, was still staring at Ning Wanciu.
Why did she feel that the big pillow was acting a bit strange too?
An Yu instinctively took a step forward, only to notice Ning Wanciu tremble slightly.
As for how she noticed…
Well, anyone would notice if those two big pillows shook like that.
“Ning Wanciu?”
An Yu spoke softly, her cool voice carrying a hint of confusion.
“Uh… An Yu, what’s wrong?”
Ning Wanciu forced a stiff smile, looking extremely strained.
It happened so suddenly—she never expected her two best friends to ditch her and leave her alone to deal with An Yu!
This, this wasn’t her fault; anyone would be nervous being alone with a cute loli who inexplicably clung to them, right?
An Yu tilted her head.
She realized Ning Wanciu seemed to have forgotten what just happened—proof being that Ning Wanciu didn’t mention a word about An Yu following them.
Good. She was too lazy to explain anyway.
An Yu slowly extended her free hand toward Ning Wanciu: “Come home with me.”
Her original plan was to follow the big pillow and the others out to play.
Based on An Yu’s impression of spicy girls, they’d probably just go sing karaoke after school or something, which would let her nap on Ning Wanciu’s lap.
But now the plan was canceled.
The reason was simple—she was tired.
So she might as well just have Ning Wanciu take her home.
Ning Wanciu stared at the delicate jade hand reaching toward her.
After a long pause, she slowly took it.
An Yu’s meaning… was probably asking her to walk her home, right?
Anyone who didn’t know might think she was trying to abduct her…
Though, even if that were true, she wouldn’t be able to refuse.
Unconsciously squeezing An Yu’s fair and petite hand, Ning Wanciu turned to look at her face.
On that small face, Ning Wanciu couldn’t read any expression, but she somehow felt An Yu seemed satisfied—was she happy that she had taken her hand?
Ning Wanciu couldn’t understand An Yu’s thought process.
But… whatever.
She really was just too cute.
The corners of Ning Wanciu’s mouth lifted slightly, looking like she was in a great mood.
“Then, let’s go.”
Ning Wanciu smiled and nodded, tightening her grip on An Yu’s hand.
“Mm.”
An Yu nodded as well, responding softly to Ning Wanciu.
The two walked hand in hand toward An Yu’s house.
It wasn’t until much later that Ning Wanciu suddenly remembered something and spoke up:
“Um… by the way, An Yu, where do you live?”
Only then did Ning Wanciu realize she had no idea where An Yu’s house was.
She pulled out her phone, ready to navigate.
“An Family.”
Facing Ning Wanciu’s question, An Yu tilted her head, completely calm.
She had assumed Ning Wanciu knew since she just started walking while holding her hand.
“So… what street number, what road—the specific address?”
“Don’t know.”
“Huh?”
Inside the An Family villa, the servants were bustling about preparing dinner as usual.
Ever since An Qing returned, the tense atmosphere made them afraid to even breathe loudly; everyone tacitly stayed silent.
After all, no one knew what kind of relationship the true and fake heiresses would end up having.
If they said the wrong thing, they could lose their high-paying jobs.
But this heaviness didn’t include Liu Huilan.
On the contrary, she was full of anticipation for a bright future.
On the surface, Liu Huilan remained composed, but inside, she was smug.
When she glanced at her busy colleagues, a trace of disdain flashed in her eyes.
She was different from them now.
Unlike those servants, she was smart and bold, so she dared to take advantage of the changes around her.
Especially the changes in the master’s family.
The moment she learned of An Qing’s return, she began secretly observing.
Upon realizing that the An Family’s father, An Yunfan, favored An Qing, she immediately decided to have her daughter cozy up to her.
Of course, if An Yunfan didn’t favor An Qing, she would have told her daughter to fawn over An Yu instead.
Even though the An Family strictly forbade spreading news of An Qing’s return, Liu Huilan still did it.
As long as her daughter picked the right side, she would no longer be just an ordinary servant in this house.
At the very least, she’d be far better than that damn Wang Man.
Thinking of Wang Man, a flash of jealousy crossed Liu Huilan’s eyes.
She was just a stinking cook—why did she get treated so much better?
Click—
The front door sounded.
An Qing was back.
Liu Huilan instinctively flashed a friendly smile, and the young miss, An Qing, responded with a gentle one.
In that instant, Liu Huilan’s heart filled with satisfaction.
See, this was a real young miss—completely different from that rude little brat.
She was mentally belittling An Yu when she saw An Qing walking toward her.
An Qing wore a perfectly polite smile, gentle yet carrying a hint of danger:
“Everyone, pause for a moment and gather in the hall. I have an announcement.”
After speaking, An Qing quickly left, apparently heading to the hall first.
The servants exchanged glances, confused, but An Qing’s tone was very calm—it probably wasn’t anything bad.
Relieved, they gradually made their way to the hall.
In the hall, An Qing stood in the center, wearing a kind smile as she counted heads.
“Mm, everyone’s here.”
An Qing nodded, then spoke softly: “You’ve all worked for the An Family for so long—thank you for your hard work. On behalf of the An Family, I, An Qing, thank each and every one of you for your contributions.”
An Qing elegantly bowed, saying the usual pleasantries.
“Now, to the main point.”
She started politely before getting serious:
“Everyone’s contracts are about to expire. If you wish to continue working for the An Family, please come to me to renew.”
She emphasized the word me heavily while maintaining her gentle smile.
Instantly, the servants began whispering.
This wasn’t just renewal—this was clearly forcing them to pick a side…
But An Qing didn’t plan to make them submit with simple threats:
“This time, the new contracts will also include a 20% salary increase. After all, none of you are newcomers anymore, and our family doesn’t want to waste time training new people. So those who renew will get a corresponding raise~”
As soon as she finished, the room grew even quieter.
No one would turn down money, and this Miss An Qing even had the authority to raise their salaries—didn’t that prove she was favored?
“I’ll renew!”
The first person jumped up.
“Me too!”
“I want to renew too!”
Seeing everyone act, An Qing nodded in satisfaction.
She had finally gained initial control over the An Family.
Except…
An Qing’s eyes narrowed slightly as she glanced at the two who hadn’t approached her.
One was Wang Man—she knew this one had chosen An Yu from the start. The other…
“Heh…”
A cold smile appeared on An Qing’s face.
It was Liu Huilan. An Qing could even see the arrogant pride on her face.
It seemed her daughter, Li Wenya, hadn’t reported the situation at school~