Page 31

Tch, she wasn't falling for that.

Yu Qing kept herself from looking toward the table by the floor-to-ceiling windows and continued browsing on her tablet.

Last time, Xiang Changge had told her to think about what kind of dog she wanted. Afraid Xiang Changge might actually take her seriously and bring a dog home one day, Yu Qing had been doing some research lately, just in case.

- A guide to raising dogs.

- Things to keep in mind when raising a dog.

She actually liked small animals quite a bit. Otherwise, she wouldn't still be donating to the stray cat and dog rescue center.

It was just that, even though she liked them, she'd never considered getting one.

She couldn't even take care of herself.

At noon, Aunt Yang came in to clear away the breakfast she'd brought Yu Qing that morning.

Seeing that the food looked untouched, Aunt Yang sighed.

Before long, she brought in lunch as well.

The weather was lovely. Looking at the blazing sunlight outside, Yu Qing had been feeling a little drowsy, but Aunt Yang's comings and goings, along with the ever-present smell of food, had made her more alert.

Maybe she was so sleepy that her brain wasn't working properly, because as she watched Aunt Yang bustling about, Yu Qing suddenly asked, "Where's the housekeeper?"

Aunt Yang smiled at her. "The housekeeper hired three lovely young ladies. They're in the card room now."

"The card room?"

Yu Qing was a little confused. She didn't remember having a room like that in her house.

Seeing that Yu Qing seemed unaware, Aunt Yang gave an awkward laugh. "It's next to the tea room on the second floor. It used to be for storing tea, but Steward Xiang had someone tidy it up and moved the tea into the tea room. That room's been turned into a card room."

From the name, Yu Qing could more or less guess what people did there.

But—

"Three lovely young ladies?"

Yu Qing's drowsiness vanished. She sat up in bed.

Why did that sound a little improper?

Aunt Yang didn't understand what was wrong, but she nodded anyway. "Yes. I think they're all college students. Each one's more likable than the last, and they're so sweet."

As she spoke, the smile on Aunt Yang's face grew even brighter. It seemed the three young ladies had really won her over.

Yu Qing: "..."

"What are they doing there?"

Aunt Yang finally sensed that something was off. Her voice faltered. "They're probably... playing?"

Oh no. It sounded like she was tattling on Steward Xiang.

It was work hours. Instead of looking after Miss Yu, Steward Xiang was spending Miss Yu's money to invite young ladies over to the main house to play with her—

That was outrageous. Truly outrageous.

Aunt Yang stole a glance at Yu Qing's unreadable expression, then tentatively asked, "Would you like to go see them too, Miss? You're around the same age. I'm sure you'd get along."

She'd actually wanted to encourage her young lady to go out more and make friends for a long time. People were social creatures; if someone stayed cooped up alone all the time, even a perfectly fine person could end up feeling stifled.

But she hadn't known how to bring it up.

Ever since Mr. and Mrs. Yu had passed away, the Yu family had been left in the hands of professional managers. Yu Qing might have been fabulously wealthy, but she didn't manage the family's affairs, and she was always sickly. She'd never attended banquets or gatherings. Now that the prominent families in City A had realized there was little to gain from befriending her—and that chances to meet her were hard to come by—gradually, fewer and fewer people remembered her.

When people spoke of the Yu family, those who didn't know much about them thought they were mysterious. Those who did know simply called them pitiable.

Even though Aunt Yang wanted to encourage Yu Qing to make friends, she felt as if she were building castles in the air. In the end, all she could do was keep quiet.

Fortunately, someone around Yu Qing's age had come to the house: Steward Xiang.

Aunt Yang felt that the house would surely become lively from now on.

"Me?"

What would she go there for?

Yu Qing lowered her eyes. "It sounds boring. I'm going to sleep. You can go."

With that, Yu Qing lay back down under the covers.

Seeing this, Aunt Yang opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but she couldn't bring herself to. In the end, she could only sigh silently and leave the room as quietly as she could.

Yu Qing had been on the verge of falling asleep, but now she wasn't tired anymore.

She stared blankly at the ceiling for a while. She didn't know what she was thinking; she just felt a heaviness in her chest.

After a long while, she murmured, "I guess someone as boring as me can only be lonely, shut away in this tiny corner, slowly growing moldy and rotting."

"This is my fate."

Just as Yu Qing finished speaking, there were three evenly spaced knocks at the door.

Yu Qing froze, wondering if she'd imagined it. She quickly cleared her thoughts and held her breath to listen.

Two seconds later, three more evenly spaced knocks sounded.

Yu Qing pressed her lips together.

That knocking rhythm seemed to be that person's habit.

After the third round of knocks, she heard the faint sound of a key being inserted into the lock.

Almost instantly, Yu Qing buried most of her face under the covers and deliberately slowed her breathing.

One day, she was going to take Xiang Changge's keys away!

"..."

After spending all morning busying herself with the Yu family's affairs, Xiang Changge had finally called over the three companions she'd selected the day before, including the female lead, Chu Keke, for a trial run.

After all, they'd be keeping Yu Qing company. Although they'd all seemed nice during the interviews, it was safer to spend some time with them herself, just to make sure. She could treat it as training.

That way, they wouldn't end up upsetting Yu Qing when they were supposed to be cheering her up.

She'd just started playing with the three of them when Xiang Changge heard the system say that Yu Qing was about to go to sleep.

Why was she going to sleep at a time like this? If she slept now, she'd be out until evening, then she wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

Xiang Changge hurried upstairs.

"Is she asleep?"

Judging by the breathing of the person in bed, she didn't seem to be asleep yet. But to be safe, Xiang Changge asked the system in her mind anyway.

The ever-helpful system replied, "No. In fact, her mood was just at a seventy percent low."

Xiang Changge: "...Did someone upset her?"

Author's Note: Little Yu: Life is meaningless [sobbing][sobbing]

Steward Xiang: What is it now, my young lady? [clown][clown]

Chapter 18: So I'm the Boss of This House After All

Had someone upset Yu Qing?

Even the system couldn't say for sure. It could detect Yu Qing's emotional state, but it wasn't connected to her brainwaves. It couldn't pick up on the finer details of her thoughts.

But as a highly intelligent, advanced creation, how could the system admit that it didn't know?

System: "Melancholy is her talent. A blade of grass, a tree, or even just a moment of absent-mindedness can trigger her talent on its own."

So feeling down came as easily to Yu Qing as breathing.

Xiang Changge frowned as she listened. "Then she's pretty unlucky."

Who would want a talent like that?

Was this the legendary price of wearing the crown? She was fabulously wealthy, but melancholic.

How tragic.

System: "..."

Knowing that Yu Qing wasn't asleep, Xiang Changge spoke to the lump beneath the covers on the lavish princess bed, its fresh, soothing color scheme. "Miss, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Yu Qing, eyes squeezed shut but ears perked up: "..."

Something to discuss with her?

What was it?

Hadn't Xiang Changge been happily playing with those three lovely young ladies? Why was she here now, saying she wanted to discuss something with her?

What could be so important that she had to discuss it right now? If she'd left those three lovely young ladies behind, wouldn't they have minded?

Wait, had she hired three extra people and run short on money? Was she going to ask Yu Qing to raise her spending limit?

Never mind. Yu Qing couldn't be bothered to care what she wanted. She could have come earlier or later, but she'd chosen now, when Yu Qing was about to sleep. She should go back and find those three lovely, interesting young ladies instead.

After Xiang Changge finished speaking, half a minute passed, but the person on the bed didn't move or make a sound, as if she intended to keep pretending to sleep forever.

Xiang Changge, with no choice but to call her bluff: "...Miss, I know you're not asleep."

Yu Qing's body stiffened, and her eyes instinctively cracked open. "?"

How did she know Yu Qing wasn't asleep?

No, there was no way she could know. She was just trying to trick her.

Feeling reassured, Yu Qing closed her eyes again.

Xiang Changge, getting no response: "..."

How exactly were you supposed to wake someone who was pretending to sleep?

After thinking about it, Xiang Changge decided that she didn't actually need to "wake" Yu Qing. Yu Qing could pretend to sleep, as long as she didn't really fall asleep.

So, addressing the person under the covers, Xiang Changge began asking for Yu Qing's opinion.

"Here's the thing, Miss. The golf course behind the house hasn't been used in ages, and it hasn't been maintained for a long time. I'm debating whether to hire someone to fix it up or just use the land as it is and plant some pasture grass, turning it into a ranch."

"The course is very large, and it already has a fence. If we turn it into a ranch, we can use it without making many more repairs."