Dong Yun’er wore a gentle smile on her face, but inside she was laughing coldly.
‘You didn’t expect this, did you, Miss? This is my real plan. I made a whole table of delicious dishes for you, knowing full well you can’t possibly finish them all. At most, you can only take a few bites of each, and the rest will be wasted.’
‘Faced with so much food you want to eat, but having to give up because your stomach’s too full—how painful and guilty you’ll feel! Your mental defenses will drop.’
‘In this state, the chances of you doing something bad will increase greatly. Like a snowball rolling downhill, before long, you’ll revert to that awful young lady you once were. What a flawless plan!’
‘As expected of me.’
With this in mind, Dong Yun’er feigned concern and advised, “Miss, don’t rush. Take it slow—there’s plenty more.”
Lin Huanhuan frowned ever so slightly. Her mouth paused mid-bite, then she retorted, “I’ll do whatever I want. I don’t need you to tell me what to do. I’ll eat!”
Dong Yun’er’s smile grew even brighter. ‘Of course. Whenever her authority is challenged, Miss becomes so predictable. Go ahead, eat, and after you’re done, return to being the villainous heiress.’
The plan was perfect in her mind, but reality was another story.
Halfway through her meal, Lin Huanhuan patted her stomach and, realizing she couldn’t eat another bite, said, “Yun’er, I’m full. The rest is yours—don’t let me down.”
“Huh?”
Dong Yun’er stared, dumbfounded and at a loss.
‘Damn it! She’s actually letting me eat the leftovers to avoid feeling guilty herself? Miss, you really are devious!’
‘And yet, I can’t refuse. Not just because of my position—I probably wouldn’t refuse even if I could. After all, isn’t eating these leftovers like an indirect kiss with Miss?’
‘Wuwuwu, so shameless. As expected of Miss.’
Dong Yun’er’s expression was both saddened and delighted. Lin Huanhuan nodded at the sight, thinking, ‘She must be touched. Not bad—I really do have the potential to be a good person.’
‘Come to think of it, after I finish my exclusive villain route, if I somehow survive, maybe I really could try being a good person.’
Lost in thought, Dong Yun’er ended up eating all the leftovers and even cleared the dishes.
Watching the well-fed Lin Huanhuan, Dong Yun’er was hardly satisfied. ‘No way. I have to come up with something else. What can I do to lure Miss into doing something bad?’
‘But there’s no one suitable nearby—no easy targets for Miss to bully and feel good about. Should I act as the victim myself? But Miss is in a decent mood now; she wouldn’t want to, even if she could.’
As Dong Yun’er pondered, Lin Huanhuan lazily spoke up, “Yun’er, since you’re here, let me ask you—how do you usually get along with people in the sect? How do you build a good reputation? Teach me.”
In her memory, her own reputation in the sect was terrible, but her maid Dong Yun’er was the complete opposite—popular, helpful, and well-liked. She had no idea how Dong Yun’er managed it.
“Why is Miss asking this all of a sudden?” Dong Yun’er forced a smile.
Lin Huanhuan didn’t hide her intentions. “My reputation in the sect is awful, so I want to improve it.”
“I see.”
Dong Yun’er kept smiling, but inside she was breaking down. ‘Quack, what do I do? Miss is suddenly thinking about such long-term matters? She actually wants to improve her reputation? This can’t happen! But I can’t just refuse to answer, either.’
‘No. Even if it risks exposing myself, I must stop this!’
Dong Yun’er immediately put on a gentle smile. “Miss, you don’t need to worry about things like that. You just need to be happy.”
“Huh?” Lin Huanhuan made a questioning sound.
Dong Yun’er continued, “Miss, you said before you wanted to be a good person, but being a good person doesn’t require everyone’s approval. You might not know this, but keeping up appearances takes a lot of energy and is very exhausting.”
“As long as you have me by your side, I can handle anything for you. All you need to do is enjoy yourself, don’t overthink.”
“Be good. I’ll take care of everything for you. No matter who threatens you, no matter what situation you face, I’ll always be on your side, helping you.”
“So just eat, drink, and have fun, Miss. Don’t trouble yourself with these worries. Be good, don’t be afraid, don’t worry, don’t trouble yourself.”
Staring at Dong Yun’er’s smiling face, Lin Huanhuan felt an overwhelming wave of maternal warmth from her—so comfortable it nearly made her want to surrender completely, even call her ‘Mom.’
‘No, no! I can’t let myself get swept away!’
‘Such terrifying gentleness. She’s about to coax me right back into the womb.’
Struggling, Lin Huanhuan summoned all her willpower to regain control of her body and then said firmly, “Yun’er, you make a good point, but people ultimately have to rely on themselves. There will always be things you can’t help me with, right?”
“If I truly depended on you for everything, what would I do if you couldn’t handle it? Just sit and wait for death? No matter what, I can’t accept that kind of fate!”
“So, no matter what, I’ll at least try for myself before giving up.”
Having said all that in one breath, Lin Huanhuan felt much better. The weight on her chest, like a heavy stone, finally lifted.
“That’s true,” Dong Yun’er said with a gentle sigh, lowering her head.
“Really, when did Miss become so articulate? Even I can’t find words to refute you—I suppose I have no choice but to agree.”
Seeing Dong Yun’er finally relent, Lin Huanhuan continued, “Still, you were right just now. Improving my image in other people’s eyes can’t be done overnight. Wanting quick results is unrealistic. I’ll take it slow.”
“First, teach me how to cook. You’re such a skilled cook—it must have taken a lot of practice. Teach me from scratch; I want to learn everything!”
Since she couldn’t get everything she wanted at once, Lin Huanhuan chose to settle for the next best thing. Dong Yun’er clenched her fists once again.
‘So infuriating, Miss. You’re just going to steal my best skill for yourself.’
Dong Yun’er’s expression didn’t change as she nodded. “Alright, Miss. But it might be a bit tough—please be prepared.”
‘Operation: Lure Miss into Darkness—Grand Failure!’