Page 17

Glancing toward the doorway, Yu Qing recalled the moment and confirmed that she had indeed double-locked the door; even if that person had a key, they wouldn't be able to get in. Reassured, she lay back down under the covers.

Just as she pulled out the book she hadn't finished to continue reading, she was caught off guard by the sudden sound of knocking on her bedroom door.

Three consecutive knocks, then silence after receiving no response, followed by another round of knocking, and then stillness once more.

Propping her head up to listen, Yu Qing: "..."

She must have misheard, she definitely misheard; there was no one knocking at all, it was just an auditory hallucination.

"..."

Five minutes later, confirming that no one was coming to open the door, Xiang Changge asked the system: "What is she doing?"

System: "...Curled up under the quilt, covering her ears with her eyes closed."

A classic case of burying one's head in the sand.

Xiang Changge: "...Is she sleepy yet?"

This time, the system waited a moment before replying: "According to calculations, the supporting character is not currently sleepy. She should be able to lie in bed until 5:30 AM before she feels the urge to sleep."

Xiang Changge: "..."

Fine, no more words needed; Xiang Changge continued to knock.

This time, she knocked continuously.

The knock-knock-knock sound echoed through the room like a wooden fish being struck. Even though she had her ears covered, Yu Qing felt as if a master monk was chanting sutras right beside her.

After persisting for another six minutes, Yu Qing couldn't take it anymore. She threw off the quilt, got out of bed, and flung the door open in a fit of rage.

Soon, the bright light from the hallway spilled through the open door, illuminating the person inside with messy black hair and cold, hollow eyes.

"Xiang, Chang, ge, you had better have a good reason!"

Yu Qing said each word with deep resentment.

She began to contemplate the possibility of becoming a pauper once again.

Xiang Changge, also wearing pajamas, offered her a polite smile, though to Yu Qing, it looked more like a provocation.

"Of course, Miss. I am here to provide a bedtime service."

The anger on Yu Qing's face dissipated as if blown away by a gust of wind, her long, curled eyelashes fluttering in the air.

"Bedtime... ser... vice?"

What on earth was that?

Did butlers even provide such services?

Why hadn't she ever experienced this before?

Wait, judging by the name, could it be some strange thing she learned while studying abroad?

Before Xiang Changge could explain what this bedtime service actually entailed, Yu Qing hurriedly refused: "I don't need it, you can go."

It was just sleep; she wanted to play until she was exhausted and drifted off on her own, she didn't need any services.

"It's fine, I insist on providing it."

Yu Qing: "?"

Did she even hear what she was saying?

Yu Qing laughed in anger: "Are you forcing a sale?"

Xiang Changge nodded with complete composure and gestured with her hands: "Am I not the best example of that right here?"

- An example of a forced sale.

Who could deny it? Firing her would mean losing her inheritance; this was the most typical and vivid example.

Yu Qing leaned against the doorframe, eyeing Xiang Changge, who was dressed in pajamas that looked like a hospital gown and wearing rubber clogs, and sneered: "You're quite self-aware."

Xiang Changge: "Thank you."

With that, she gently pushed open the partially closed door, stepped past Yu Qing, and entered the room as if it were her own home. She found the chair she had sat on that morning, pulled it to the bedside, and sat down with a bold, imposing posture.

Looking at her demeanor, those who knew would say she was there to provide a bedtime service, but those who didn't would think she was there to supervise—monitoring Yu Qing's personal sleep work.

Yu Qing stood by the door, watching her act as if she were in an empty land, and gritted her teeth: "Xiang Changge, do you really think I don't dare to fire you?"

It was only the first day of work, and she was already acting as if she were deliberately going against her, provoking her at every turn. Yu Qing couldn't even imagine what kind of miserable life she would lead with a butler like Xiang Changge around.

Just like the previous few times, Xiang Changge, who was already accustomed to this, remained calm in both tone and expression.

She replied indifferently: "Fire me? You can."

Xiang Changge met Yu Qing's gaze across the dim room: "I think you should know, Miss Yu, that according to your parents' will and the contract I signed, if you unilaterally terminate our employment relationship, you will be unable to inherit your parents' assets."

Xiang Changge didn't even use honorifics this time. Like an ancient regent, she spoke to Yu Qing with the air of someone who had already won: "In other words, if you fire me, you will become a pauper."

Staring at Xiang Changge's face, which looked a bit softer under the warm glow of the bedside lamp, Yu Qing, who was locked in a standoff with her, replied just as calmly: "Do you think I care?"

It was just money, wasn't it? Would someone who felt life was utterly boring every day and didn't understand why they were alive even care about money?

Xiang Changge raised an eyebrow slightly, her gray-brown eyes acting like searchlights, fixed firmly on Yu Qing's face, not missing a single expression.

"Oh, is that so?"

"In that case, let me confirm this with you one more time."

Xiang Changge sat in the chair with her arms crossed, her fingertips tapping rhythmically against her own arm: "After you fire me, your two stray cat shelters and one stray dog rescue base will cease to function due to a lack of funding."

"The two hundred and twenty-nine impoverished female students you are currently sponsoring, the five charity foundations, the seventy-two rural Hope Primary Schools, and the scholarship program covering fifty-six cities across three provinces in poverty-stricken areas will also come to an end because of the lack of funding—"

"Stop."

With her back to the bright corridor lights outside the door, Yu Qing, her face hidden in the dim room, pursed her lips to stop Xiang Changge from continuing her list.

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and forced a few words out through gritted teeth: "You, Xiang Changge, you are truly something!"

Xiang Changge gave a light laugh and spread her hands: "Boss, thank you for the compliment."

"So now, are you ready to accept my bedtime service?"

Yu Qing laughed in spite of her anger.

Boss? Her?

No, she wasn't; she was the one in charge!

Author's Note:

The room fell quiet again. Once accustomed to it, the spacious room didn't feel dark with only two reading lamps lit.

Yu Qing lay back into the bed that still held a bit of warmth, though she couldn't comfortably read her book inside it anymore.

With the quilt pulled up to her chin, Yu Qing lay flat in a peaceful posture, though her fluttering eyelashes and ragged breathing betrayed that her mood was anything but calm.

Beside the bed, Xiang Changge remained in the chair, holding the literary work Yu Qing had just been reading.

It was a collection of poetry excerpts.

Xiang Changge didn't understand poetry, but fortunately, she was literate.

Bedtime service, after all, was nothing more than telling little stories or singing lullabies, but after getting her hands on this book, Xiang Changge had a new idea.

Little stories required making things up or finding them, and as for lullabies, she didn't know how to sing a single one.

So, she would just read the poetry to Yu Qing.

Anyway, she seemed to like this book, and reading it to her would save her the effort of looking at it herself. From another perspective, she was actually protecting her eyesight.

Thinking this, Xiang Changge cleared her throat softly and glanced at Yu Qing on the bed. Seeing that she didn't react, Xiang Changge picked up from the page marked by the bookmark and began to read.

① "Listen quietly to the songs you love. Watch from afar the people you love."

"Entrust the drunken tomorrow to the strings of Pandora, singing hypocritically of heaven and earth for the rest of our drifting lives."

"..."

"Carve our story onto the weathered wall, so that passersby will weep when they see it."

"The dance swaying at the tip of the pen is the most intense splash of crimson under the spotlight."

"Your sunset, my face, whose one-third of a year." /Note

To be honest, Xiang Changge read terribly.

The moment she started, Yu Qing wanted to open her eyes and tell her to just get out and go to sleep, that she didn't need this "bedtime service" of hers that lacked any substance.

If there had been even a hint of emotion, it might have been bearable, but there was none, to say nothing of the rhythm. Those who knew would say she was providing a bedtime service to lull someone to sleep; those who didn't would think she was just making noise.

Just a moment ago, after threatening to fire Xiang Changge only to be threatened in return, Yu Qing had swallowed her anger and been forced to accept the bedtime service Xiang Changge mentioned.

Hearing those four words, she had wondered what it could possibly be.

Never had she imagined that the other woman would make her lie back in bed, find the most comfortable position, and then open the poetry collection she had just "confiscated" from her...

This was what she called "bedtime service"?

It really was, truly, beyond words.

While listening, Yu Qing complained silently in her heart.

This housekeeper of hers, was she treating her like a child?

Making her eat on time and not leave leftovers, arranging for her to pick out her clothes, and now that she was making her sleep on time, she was even reading her poetry...

Yu Qing couldn't help but roll over, turning her back to Xiang Changge, who was sitting by the bed, and let out a deep breath while staring at the soft quilt cover.

Didn't she say she was a professional?

Is this what a professional housekeeper is like?