Madam Karin was furious, screaming as she lunged at Mu Xi, her nails seeming to tear through the air, aiming straight for Mu Xi’s delicate face.
“Bitch! I’ll rip your face apart!”
Mu Xi was already on guard.
Madam Karin was used to bossing people around and was clumsy in her movements.
She deftly sidestepped, and Madam Karin stumbled in her pursuit, nearly falling onto the wet floor.
“Ah!” Madam Karin’s anger only intensified.
Her slightly plump body twisted again as she pounced forward like an enraged beast.
Mu Xi frowned in disgust, unwilling to get entangled with her, and turned to flee.
“Stop! You better stop right there!” Madam Karin shouted from behind, her voice distorted by rage, sounding like the harsh screech of a worn-out bellows.
Mu Xi didn’t look back, quickly running out of the bathroom.
The corridor was silent, with the Crystal Chandelier casting soft light that made the smooth marble floor shine like a mirror.
Mu Xi ran swiftly, her heartbeat pounding like a drum.
She could still feel Madam Karin’s malicious glare burning into her back.
Turning a corner sharply, she suddenly crashed into a cold embrace.
“Miss Mu Xi?” A low, familiar voice sounded overhead, carrying a faint trace of concern.
Mu Xi lifted her head and met the deep, cold eyes of Li Xin—like a dark, icy pond.
Her black uniform wrapped around her upright figure, lines smooth and powerful.
In her panic and fear, seeing Li Xin was like grabbing a lifeline.
“Li Xin, Madam Karin… she…” Mu Xi spoke rapidly, briefly recounting what had happened in the bathroom, her chest rising and falling heavily from running.
Li Xin listened quietly, expressionless.
Only her sharp eyes flickered with a cold gleam.
“Miss Mu Xi, you don’t need to worry.”
Li Xin’s tone was calm, as if she were talking about something insignificant.
“I will handle it.”
Just a few words, but like a comforting pill, instantly calming Mu Xi’s anxiety.
Li Xin was always like this—steady and reliable, as if any problem before her could be easily solved.
Mu Xi looked at Li Xin, her calm and resolute eyes giving her an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
As if so long as Li Xin was here, all danger would stay far away.
“But…” Mu Xi still felt worried.
She had witnessed Madam Karin’s stubbornness and recklessness before and feared she wouldn’t give up easily.
“Trust me, Miss Mu Xi.” Li Xin said again, her tone carrying a faint but undeniable confidence and strength, as if promising Mu Xi—and herself—that everything would be fine.
Mu Xi stared into Li Xin’s steady, sharp eyes.
Her heartbeat gradually slowed, and the uneasy feelings began to fade.
“Alright.” Mu Xi nodded softly, feeling a strong sense of security emanating from Li Xin.
This feeling was somewhat addictive and strangely indescribable.
“Miss Mu Xi, you should go back to your room and rest first.” Li Xin stepped slightly aside, clearing the way.
“And you…” Mu Xi hesitated a little, knowing Li Xin intended to stay behind and deal with Madam Karin’s affairs, still feeling a little unsettled.
“It’s fine.” Li Xin’s tone remained calm, but a subtle tenderness appeared in her gaze as she looked at Mu Xi’s face.
“I’ve got everything under control.”
Mu Xi looked at Li Xin and finally nodded.
She knew Li Xin’s personality well—once she made a decision, she wouldn’t change her mind.
Besides, she secretly believed Li Xin had the ability to handle everything properly.
Turning to leave, Mu Xi couldn’t help but glance back once more.
Li Xin still stood where she had been, her posture tall and firm like a pine tree, eyes calm and resolute like an unshakable mountain.
A complex emotion surged in Mu Xi’s heart—an inexplicable mixture of relief and a faint, subtle… dependence?
She withdrew her gaze and hurried toward her room.
The corridor returned to its quiet state, only the Crystal Chandelier’s gentle light continuing to pour down softly, as if everything just now had been a brief interruption.
Mu Xi took the gilded elevator, smoothly ascending to the Seventh Floor.
When she stepped out, she immediately spotted a small figure standing in front of her door.
It was Little An.
“Little An?” Mu Xi approached, puzzled.
“What are you doing here?”
Hearing the voice, Little An shyly turned around.
Her eyes flickered briefly before dimming again, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to go out at any moment.
“It’s… someone arranged it,” she whispered in a faint, fragile voice, as if afraid of being overheard.
“To have me… stay with you for now.”
Mu Xi instantly understood.
No one but Ye Lan would make such arrangements.
In this Manor, Ye Lan was the absolute ruler, her will unquestionable.
A trace of displeasure flashed through Mu Xi’s mind but was quickly suppressed.
Just an extra roommate—it wasn’t a big deal.
“Come on.” Mu Xi took Little An’s cold, rough hand in hers, the coarse texture starkly different from her own smooth, delicate skin.
She led Little An into the room.
The room was as luxurious and tranquil as ever.
The deep green and dark gold color scheme was steady and grand, with Gothic pointed windows casting colorful light spots that danced on the Persian Carpet.
Little An entered cautiously, her eyes wide and not enough to take it all in, carefully inspecting everything as if afraid to break anything.
“Wow…” Little An muttered in low amazement, her eyes filled with envy and disbelief.
“Miss Mu Xi, you live in such a nice room all by yourself…”
Mu Xi paid no mind.
No matter how nice, this was nothing more than a prison.
She walked over to the Noblewoman’s Couch, casually picked up a Velvet Cushion, and idly toyed with it.
“Is there something strange about that?”
Little An glanced at Mu Xi again, her eyes settling on the white dress Mu Xi wore, even more astonished as if she had seen a rare treasure.
“Your dress… it’s really beautiful.” Her voice lowered, tinged with a hint of inferiority.
Only then did Mu Xi notice Little An’s attire—rough linen clothes, outdated in style, dull in color, completely at odds with the luxurious room.
She vaguely understood the source of Little An’s surprise.
The gap between them wasn’t just about the room—it was about status, about class.
“It’s nothing.” Mu Xi said lightly.
She didn’t care about those external things.
“No, it’s not…” Little An hurriedly waved her hand, her eyes growing even dimmer.
“I… I come from a poor family. Being chosen to be a servant here is already a huge fortune.”
She paused, as if gathering courage before continuing, “There were over a hundred children at the selection. In the end… only a few of us remained. The others… died.”
“Died?” Mu Xi frowned slightly, her voice laced with doubt and curiosity.
“Yes.”
Little An nodded, her eyes hollow as she stared at the floor, as if reliving that brutal selection scene.
“Starved to death, died of thirst, and… froze to death. Those who survived were just lucky.”