Chapter 43: The Plan Comes Together!

Lu Yunze was deeply conflicted, wondering whether or not he should tell Jiang Sui the truth—that her piano playing was truly terrible.

“What’s wrong, Young Master?”

“Nothing, I was just thinking… you made a few mistakes during your performance just now.”

“Only a few mistakes? I thought there would be a lot more.”

Jiang Sui seemed a bit surprised, but in the next second, her tone became even more confident.

“Then I’ll have to trouble you to point them out for me, Young Master. That way I can fix them next time.”

Heh, next time… Lu Yunze gave a wry smile.

Speaking of talent, in a certain sense, it was rare for him to see someone play the piano so abysmally well. When she was a maid, her little head was always thoughtful and attentive, but in this area, she was completely hopeless.

And she didn’t seem to have the slightest bit of self-awareness about it.

Maybe he should take this opportunity to knock her down a peg and dampen her arrogance a little?

Thinking of her usual pranks, Lu Yunze became even more determined. Maybe he could even capture that little guilty expression on her face when she realized her mistakes.

Hmm, perhaps this really was a good opportunity.

“All right, come here.”

“Okay.”

As Jiang Sui spoke, she raised her hand and handed him a disposable paper cup filled with water.

“This is the water they gave me. I’m not thirsty right now, so I’ll leave it to you, Young Master. You’ve been practicing the piano all morning, you need to stay hydrated.”

Lu Yunze paused for a moment, and when he took the cup, his fingers brushed against her slender ones. There was a bit of sweat, and the touch was a little cool.

Staring at his own reflection in the water’s surface, Lu Yunze couldn’t help but sigh, thinking maybe he should just let it go.

After all, she wasn’t using her atrocious skills to torture anyone else—he could indulge her this once. Besides, this might be the last time in her life she ever touched a piano.

He sat down at the piano again. This time, however, Jiang Sui didn’t come over like before, but instead pulled up a chair and sat next to him.

Lu Yunze turned his head and saw her smiling, her eyes curved into crescent moons.

“Is the Young Master hoping I’ll stick close to you, and in front of all these people, too? That’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

“I am not.”

He’d fallen into her trap again without realizing it. Lu Yunze quickly started instructing her, eager to change the subject.

What surprised Lu Yunze was that throughout the entire process, Jiang Sui behaved obediently and seriously, like a real student listening to her teacher.

There were still others in the club classroom chatting and laughing, but her gaze was either meeting Lu Yunze’s or focused intently on his fingers as he played, completely unaffected by her surroundings.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Sui was actually a good listener.

At home, Luo Yao often listened to Lu Yunze play the piano, but she didn’t know much about it, so she would just praise how nice his playing sounded or chat with him.

But Jiang Sui was different. She’d always been interested in the piano, and whenever something caught her attention, she’d ask questions, and Lu Yunze would answer her seriously.

Their back-and-forth stretched what should have been a short lesson into a much longer one.

By the time Lu Yunze snapped back to reality, he realized too much time had passed—he still needed to practice, so he had to end their pleasant exchange.

When you meet someone who shares your interests and topics, conversation just flows.

But as Lu Yunze got up to refill his water, the club president, Wu Xuan, suddenly came over and asked quietly:

“What’s your relationship with that junior, Jiang Sui?”

“Huh? What about it?” Lu Yunze, sipping his water, was caught off guard.

“It’s just… you two don’t seem like ordinary friends.”

Hearing this, Lu Yunze realized Wu Xuan had gotten the wrong idea.

“Actually, she’s my family’s maid.”

“Huh?” Wu Xuan was stunned.

“Don’t spread it around. It’s not something to brag about, and she only took the job because she had to—her family had some difficulties.”

“Oh, I see.”

At home they were master and servant, at school they were classmates. No wonder they got along well, since they saw each other so often.

Still, something felt off.

Lu Yunze emphasized several times that he and Jiang Sui were just friends, but Wu Xuan, watching their interactions, felt that calling them friends seemed a bit forced.

Especially Jiang Sui’s attitude toward Lu Yunze—it was a little too close. She didn’t act like a servant facing her employer, nor like a friend. If anything, it was more like…

A girl madly in love?

As soon as this thought popped up, a flicker of doubt flashed in Wu Xuan’s eyes.

When he’d first met Lu Yunze, Wu Xuan had also gotten to know Luo Yao, who’d asked him to look out for her “Brother Lu.”

Now he was truly friends with both of them, and even if Luo Yao hadn’t made such a request, he knew what a friend ought to do.

Wu Xuan always thought Luo Yao and Lu Yunze made a good pair. The two rarely appeared at school together these days, but he could understand why.

On one hand, Luo Yao cared about Lu Yunze but didn’t want to cause him unnecessary trouble by always sticking to him.

On the other hand, Luo Yao was a proper young lady, with her own pride, and couldn’t lower herself to pursue Lu Yunze.

But Jiang Sui was completely different. Her enthusiasm for Lu Yunze was so obvious, it would make anyone suspicious.

Could there be some hidden story here?

Thinking this, Wu Xuan glanced at Jiang Sui’s profile, lost in thought.

As lunchtime approached, the club members all began to leave the classroom.

Lu Yunze was still practicing, while Jiang Sui sat nearby and listened.

When he finally finished the last run-through, an exhausted Lu Yunze remembered it was time to eat, and started packing up to leave.

“Heading out? I’ll go too.” Wu Xuan waved, showing the classroom key in his hand. As president, he was always the last to leave.

The three of them had just stepped out of the classroom when Lu Yunze said he needed to use the restroom first.

Seeing him disappear around the corner, Wu Xuan knew this was his chance and joked,

“Looks like he really had to go he must’ve drunk a lot of water.” Wu Xuan teased casually.

“Yeah, he really did.”

Jiang Sui nodded slightly, since she’d been the one giving him water the whole time. Every time Lu Yunze paused, she’d hand him a drink, and when he finished, she’d refill it and give him more. Before she knew it, he’d downed several cups amazing he lasted this long.

No, actually, it was just like Lu Yunze his bladder control was top-notch.

Able to hold it in and then burst at the crucial moment… Just thinking that only she could control someone like him, Jiang Sui couldn’t help licking her lips.

“You and Lu Yunze seem pretty close.”

Wu Xuan suddenly spoke, drawing Jiang Sui’s gaze to him.

“Yes, I’m the Young Master’s most trusted maid.”

She stated her role directly, sounding calm, and even took the opportunity to observe Wu Xuan’s reaction.

“Haha, yeah, Lu Yunze just told me about your job. Don’t worry, I won’t spread it around.” Wu Xuan gave an awkward laugh, wiping the cold sweat from his brow.

“Thank you. Since you’re the Young Master’s friend, I trust you’re not that kind of person, either.” Jiang Sui’s smile was like a spring breeze, impossible not to feel warmed by.

Wu Xuan almost forgot why he’d come to speak with her, so he got right to the point:

“Actually, the school’s Celebration is in a month. Lu Yunze has been working hard to prepare for his performance.”

“Mmm, that’s just like the Young Master.”

“If he does well, maybe some big-name industry veteran will notice him and take him as a student.”

“Really? I believe the Young Master has that kind of talent.”

“I believe it too.” Wu Xuan calmed down. “That’s why I don’t want anything distracting him at such a crucial time. Jiang Sui, do you understand what I mean?”

Jiang Sui narrowed her eyes. “You mean, my presence would get in the Young Master’s way?”

“Since you’re his family’s maid, you shouldn’t cross the line.” Wu Xuan continued, “Honestly, being friends with him is already pushing the limit. Any further, and Luo Yao won’t be happy.”

At these words, silence fell between them. Wu Xuan watched Jiang Sui’s expression, but didn’t see the anger he expected. She just kept looking in the direction where Lu Yunze had gone.

“I know I can’t compare to the Miss, but the Young Master has been kind to me.”

“What?” Wu Xuan was stunned.

Jiang Sui sighed softly, her tone full of helplessness and bitterness:

“Senior, you only see the side of the Miss that’s easy to like. You’ve never seen how she bullies servants like me at home.”

“She’s like that?”

Jiang Sui seemed to open up, rattling off a long list of Luo Yao’s “misdeeds” at home: scolding servants, assigning unreasonable and difficult tasks, even docking their pay for no reason… The worse, the better. Wu Xuan was left dumbfounded.

In his impression, Luo Yao was always gentle—he’d never seen her act domineering in public.

But what about at home?

“The Young Master is gentle and dependable. He helped me, so I want to repay him in my own way.”

Jiang Sui’s pale purple eyes sparkled brightly.

Wu Xuan wanted to spot any sign she was lying, but unfortunately, Jiang Sui’s expression was flawless.

“Aren’t you afraid he’ll abandon you for Luo Yao in the future?”

“I don’t ask for anything in return.”

“What if Luo Yao finds out? Wouldn’t that be dangerous for you?”

“The Young Master saved me from the Miss. If I offend her for his sake, so be it.”

Wu Xuan fell silent.

“As long as the Young Master can be happy, what’s a little sacrifice on my part?”

She spoke such cruel words, yet still smiled, making it impossible to argue with her.

If what she said was true, then wasn’t the real villain Luo Yao?

Wu Xuan remained silent for a long time, until Lu Yunze returned and saw Jiang Sui running over to him. Her ash-brown hair swayed as she hurried to his side, fussing over him and asking what he wanted for lunch, saying she could buy groceries in advance and cook at home.

“I want to eat at school today. Wu Xuezhang, are you coming too?”

“Ah, sure.”

Wu Xuan snapped back to reality, hooking his arm around Lu Yunze’s shoulder as they walked away:

“You really saved that junior’s life once?”

“I did. Where did you hear that, Senior?”

So it was true!

Wu Xuan took a deep breath.

“You’ve really got yourself a great girl. You’d better cherish her.”

“Huh?”

Lu Yunze was dumbfounded, glancing back at the girl following behind.

Jiang Sui shrugged, looking innocent.

But when Lu Yunze looked away, three words were clearly written all over her face:

The plan worked!