Chapter 9: Caught at the Wrong Time

A good plan needs to ebb and flow.

After parting ways with Lu Yunze, Jiang Sui didn’t seek him out alone from morning to noon. Even if they met, she only smiled at him from afar.

At such times, Lu Yunze would always deliberately avoid her gaze.

Sigh, he’s actually shy—there’s really nothing she can do about him.

She couldn’t keep pestering him, or else if she made him feel too Suppressive Aura, that wouldn’t be good. If that Suppressive Aura erupted, Lu Yunze might just let his beastly side out and push Jiang Sui straight onto the bed.

If she really was pushed down, Jiang Sui wouldn’t make much of it—at worst, she’d just comfort herself that it was like being bitten by a dog. Besides, she could even use it later to stir up Lu Yunze’s guilt and make him even more dependent on her.

What Jiang Sui worried about was the timing of Lu Yunze’s Suppressive Aura explosion. If, at that moment, the person by his side wasn’t her but Luo Yao, things would get troublesome.

In her Previous Life, Jiang Sui had seen a similar plot in a very famous nook—an unremarkable male lead and a popular heroine, and after the angry male lead pushed the girl down and took her First Time, the heroine actually confessed to him right then.

What was the name of that game again? Jiang Sui couldn’t remember, and searching online didn’t help. This book world shared many similarities with her Previous Life, but some things were completely different from what she imagined.

For example, the National Football Team’s record was still too miserable to look at.

But unlike before, the game Jiang Sui wanted to revisit simply didn’t exist in this world.

All she remembered was that it was an Island Nation Game, the second in its Game Series, and the heroine was a Blue-haired Heroine.

After searching fruitlessly several times, Jiang Sui simply gave up—as long as she made sure that game’s plot didn’t happen to Lu Yunze, it was fine. At first, she thought fictional plots would stay fictional, but since she had already Crossing Over, who knew what strange things might still happen?

Aside from raising Lu Yunze’s favorability and erasing the Bad End, Jiang Sui had another important thing to consider.

That was: raising her own combat power.

After lunch came a rare bit of personal time, with two hours for a midday break.

Back in her own room, Jiang Sui sat at her desk and pressed her palm to her heart.

A trace of red light flashed through her pale violet eyes. The red glow that appeared out of nowhere gathered before her, gradually taking the shape of a thick, solid book.

“Since I’m a Transmigrator, it’s not weird for me to have a cheat, right?”

On her first day after Crossing Over, Jiang Sui had seen this ancient book lying beside her.

The cover was made of some unknown leather, decorated with strange symbols. The front depicted what looked like a tightly shut eye.

Resting her chin on one hand, Jiang Sui flipped through the Ancient Book carelessly, her expression growing more and more bored.

Some time had passed, and Jiang Sui still hadn’t figured out the book’s purpose. No matter how many times she opened it, the result was the same: all blank pages.

If she had to say whether the book had brought her any special effect, well, yes. After several experiments, Jiang Sui discovered her senses were clearly sharper than others’.

The scent in the Bedroom, the occasional voices from the Corridor outside—things that most people would easily overlook, Jiang Sui could sense them clearly.

She could even sense the flow of energy when a Secret Arts Practitioner cast a Secret Art.

But that’s it?

“How is this any different from having a fake eye stuck in a bush?”

And it was a fake eye at that—if someone snuck up while invisible, Jiang Sui wasn’t even sure she could notice.

There was no way this Ancient Book only had this much use. She just hadn’t found the right way to open it.

She fiddled with the book for two hours during her nap time, but Jiang Sui still got nowhere, finally slamming it shut.

It was about time to get back to work. The Butler would be making rounds with staff, and getting caught slacking off meant a pay cut.

“Let Lu Yunze rest a bit longer; I’ll go find him again tonight.”

Just as Jiang Sui stood up, laughter drifted in from outside the window.

She heard Lu Yunze’s voice—and someone else’s…

Walking to the window, Jiang Sui saw them in the Front Yard just as she expected. Lu Yunze was squatting in front of the flowerbed, wearing a Sunhat and Gloves, holding a small tool.

Behind him was Luo Yao, dressed in a white dress. Her pure Eldest Daughter look really did make her seem like a lotus in clear water—every frown and smile full of allure.

They really did look like they were having fun.

Jiang Sui narrowed her eyes slightly.

She didn’t notice the burning gaze from upstairs fixed on her back. Lu Yunze was still introducing to Luo Yao the masterpiece he had spent so much time and effort tending.

Everyone has a little hobby; for Lu Yunze, it was growing flowers and plants, tending them bit by bit, watching them grow. Every time the flowers bloomed, Lu Yunze felt a surge of accomplishment.

“Brother Lu, you’re amazing. Isn’t this kind of thing a lot of trouble?” Luo Yao asked softly.

“Yeah, it really is troublesome.”

You have to understand every plant’s habits, take care of them carefully, and guard against damage from extreme weather like storms.

Lu Yunze hadn’t succeeded on his First Time. He still remembered the batch of flowers he’d killed with his heavy-handedness. It was only after many failures that he finally found success.

This small flowerbed had become the most beautiful view in the Front Yard. Even looking out from the room, it could lift one’s spirits.

“No wonder you’re Brother Lu. If it were me, I wouldn’t have that kind of patience.” Luo Yao’s eyes sparkled, but she wasn’t looking at the flowerbed—she was looking at Lu Yunze.

“How could that be? You’re way more steady than I am.”

Lu Yunze stood up and handed her the Spade, which was covered in dirt.

“Want to try?”

After working for over an hour, both Lu Yunze’s Gloves and Apron were stained with brown marks. When he offered the Spade, the dirt at its tip made Luo Yao step back half a pace.

“N-no, that’s alright…” Luo Yao quickly covered up her momentary panic. “I don’t like getting my clothes dirty.”

“Is that so? That’s a pity.”

Lu Yunze was actually curious—what would the flowerbed look like if tended by Luo Yao’s hands?

Lu Yunze quickly immersed himself in tending the seedlings again. These were new varieties he’d bought online a few days ago, even harder to care for than the previous ones—he had to be extra careful.

“Luo Yao, could you hand me that little rake?”

After a while, someone passed him the Rake, and Lu Yunze kept working without even looking up.

“Bring me the scissors next—be careful not to hurt yourself.”

This time, the tool came quickly, and Lu Yunze worked even harder.

After planting all the seedlings, Lu Yunze started looking for the last tool: the Watering Can. But after glancing around his feet, he couldn’t find it anywhere.

“Did you see where my Watering Can went…”

Before he finished, a Watering Can filled with water appeared before his eyes.

“When did you fill it up? Thanks, Luo…”

Lu Yunze looked up, but what he saw wasn’t Luo Yao, but another familiar face.

She leaned forward slightly, blocking the sunlight, her shadow falling across Lu Yunze’s face. Ash-brown hair hung beside her cheeks, swaying gently. Those limpid, pale violet eyes reflected Lu Yunze’s own stunned expression.

“Jiang Sui?!”

Lu Yunze hurriedly looked around.

“What are you doing here? Where’s Luo Yao?”

“Miss has already returned to her room. I just happened to pass by and saw Young Master needed help, so I came over.” Jiang Sui seemed amused by his fluster, the hair she’d tucked behind her ear bouncing loose again with a soft laugh.

It was a perfectly normal reason, but Lu Yunze felt a chill on his back. Was it because her smile was shadowed from the sunlight behind her?

“Young Master can even grow flowers—how impressive.”

“It’s just a small hobby, like yours.”

“Heh, I didn’t expect Young Master to hold a grudge.” Jiang Sui touched her cheek, as if upset. “Well, with Miss around, you wouldn’t need a little maid like me to serve you anyway.”

“Don’t say weird things.”

Lu Yunze could hear the meaning behind her words.

“Are you really interested in growing flowers?”

“Of course. Whatever Young Master likes, that’s what I like. Whether or not I can do it, I’ll do my best to help Young Master.”

The way she said it made Lu Yunze scratch his head—couldn’t she talk normally? It sounded like she was heading off to war.

Seeing his reaction, Jiang Sui puffed her cheeks. “Looks like I really came at the wrong time. Just a few words, and Young Master is already like this.”

She looked so aggrieved, as if she might cry any second, that Lu Yunze couldn’t bring himself to refuse her.

After a few words of comfort, Lu Yunze thought to himself: Maybe I should test her first, see if she’s really interested in flowers.

“Then help me water these flowers for now. I’ll go take care of something.”

“Alright.”

As Lu Yunze spoke, he slipped off toward the Side Wing of the Manor while Jiang Sui wasn’t paying attention, hiding around the corner to watch.

Jiang Sui really was watering the flowers carefully, not slacking off at all. She even squatted down to admire the flowerbed, reaching out to gently touch the soft petals.

She really seemed to like these flowers, with the faintest smile at the corners of her mouth.

“Doesn’t seem like an excuse.”

Lu Yunze was a little relieved and turned to head to the Warehouse in the back to get another set of tools.

But as soon as he turned, he bumped right into someone coming toward him. The mud on his Gloves and Apron splattered onto the other person’s black suit.

“Young Master Lu, what are you up to now?”

Just his luck—it was the Butler.

“Why do you walk without making a sound?”

“Because I hadn’t had time to speak yet.” The Butler didn’t sound the least bit apologetic. “Look at this—my clothes, all dirtied by you. What is this nonsense? As Young Master, you’ve made a mess of yourself. If a guest arrived, wouldn’t that be an embarrassment to us?”

Here we go again—this Butler seized every chance to pick on Lu Yunze. Relying on his years of service to the family head, he was extremely arrogant.

Most of the time, Lu Yunze couldn’t be bothered to argue. He didn’t want his own reputation to get any worse, nor did he want to drag Luo Yao’s name down.

“Young Master Lu, how many times must I tell you before you understand the weight of your status…”

“Watch out, Young Master, watch out!”

At the shout from behind, Lu Yunze instinctively dodged out of the way.

Jiang Sui, stumbling and tripping over nothing, fell awkwardly to the ground.

And the Flower Pot in her hands flew out—landing squarely on the Butler.