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She had nothing she wanted to do.

Yu Qing pursed her lips in slight irritation.

To hide her little ulterior motive from just a moment ago, Yu Qing continued to search for excuses: "It's too rushed, let's do it next time. Besides... besides, aren't you supposed to be hanging out with those three college students? Going for a drive now would really get in the way of your plans."

After saying this, Yu Qing felt she was truly being incredibly considerate.

It wasn't that she didn't want to go, not really; she was simply thinking of Xiang Changge.

Thinking this, Yu Qing finally lifted her eyelids to check Xiang Changge's expression.

Since she was being so thoughtful, and Xiang Changge had just been having such a good time with the others, she would surely go with the flow and agree to do it next time.

However, the moment she looked up, she met those calm, steady eyes.

She was looking at her, and there was no telling how long she had been doing so.

Her heart skipped a beat.

For a split second, as their eyes locked, Yu Qing felt that Xiang Changge wasn't just looking at her, but looking straight into the bottom of her heart, deep into her soul.

She felt completely exposed before her, with nowhere to hide.

The next second, she heard Xiang Changge explain: "I wasn't playing with them; to be precise, I was training them."

"They were brought here to keep you company, Miss."

Xiang Changge didn't seem surprised that Yu Qing knew she had called those three girls over today.

"If you would like them to start their duties early, Miss, you can have them join us."

"Keep me company?"

Yu Qing was stunned.

They were people found for her?

"I don't need that."

Subconsciously, Yu Qing's first reaction was to refuse.

"Very well," Xiang Changge replied readily, "I will dismiss them now and find three new people to look after you, Miss."

Yu Qing: "..."

And the three new ones, if not exactly the same as the previous three, would be indistinguishable from them, wouldn't they?

Xiang Changge: "Would you like to interview them, Miss?"

The room fell silent for a few seconds, followed by Yu Qing's somewhat thin voice: "If I interview them, does that mean we don't have to go for a drive today?"

Xiang Changge thought for a moment before replying: "Of course, that is for you to decide, Miss."

Hypocrite.

Yu Qing didn't speak, only grumbling inwardly.

A hypocritical butler.

What "for her to decide"—was giving her a choice between two options really letting her decide?

After Xiang Changge left, Yu Qing reviewed her recent bout of maneuvering against her.

She felt she had lost because she was too concerned with saving face and hadn't been willing to be shameless enough.

If she had just said outright that she neither wanted to go for a drive nor conduct interviews, then she... she probably would have been annoyed to death by Xiang Changge.

Chirping away like a summer cicada or a chanting monk, never letting her have a moment of peace.

Was she here to take care of her, or to test her patience?

Yu Qing muttered to herself in her mind, though her body slowly crawled out of bed. She washed up and tidied herself before preparing to leave the room.

Before heading out, she glanced at the lunch that had been delivered to the small table by the window.

It was clearly the work of a nutritionist; while the nutrition was comprehensive, it didn't look very appetizing.

Yu Qing turned and walked out the door.

The moment she opened the door, she came face-to-face with the figure standing outside.

"You..."

Yu Qing was momentarily stunned.

She had thought she had left; she hadn't expected her to still be here.

Had she been waiting here the whole time, or had she come up specifically to fetch her?

"Let's go, Miss. It's on the second floor."

Xiang Changge didn't think much of it; as she spoke, she took the lead to show the way.

As a professional butler, waiting at the door for her employer and accompanying her to an "interview" was the most normal thing in the world.

Yu Qing followed behind Xiang Changge. She was wearing comfortable slippers, soft, bouncy, and lightweight, not tiring for her feet at all.

As for the person in front of her, she was dressed in a white shirt, a slim-fit skirt, and four-centimeter heels—a very professional and formal attire.

Anyone who saw the two of them in her home could tell at a glance who was the lady and who was the steward, and might even offer a compliment on how Steward Xiang had such a professional air, meticulous in every way.

But, was it really necessary?

Xiang Changge pressed the elevator button and stepped aside to let Yu Qing enter first, then followed her in and pressed the button for the second floor.

The sharp, rhythmic clicking of high heels against the floor echoed inside the elevator.

Yu Qing lowered her gaze.

They were professional-looking, nude-colored, matte, pointed-toe high heels; honestly, they looked quite good on Xiang Changge.

Her ankles were slender and fair, with faint, subtle veins visible upon closer inspection, teasing the eye.

Yu Qing shifted her gaze upward, landing on the profile of the person standing beside her.

She was already tall, and with the heels, she was even more imposing.

Standing next to her, Yu Qing, who was just over 1.6 meters, felt a head shorter.

"Aren't you tired?" Yu Qing asked.

The elevator was fast; in the time it took to say a single sentence, they had reached the second floor.

Xiang Changge looked at her with confusion as she gestured for Yu Qing to step out.

Yu Qing glanced down at her feet: "High heels, professional attire—aren't you tired, doesn't it feel restrictive?" This wasn't a company, after all; it was just home.

After saying this, Yu Qing shuffled out in her slippers.

Behind her, Xiang Changge looked down at her own feet.

Tired? Not really.

Having spent so long in the apocalypse, compared to the days of the past, her current life could be described as heavenly.

It was just a pair of high heels, after all.

Xiang Changge had never been a steward before, but the data provided by the system in her mind told her that a qualified steward should be dressed appropriately, be polite to their employer, and be considerate of their employer's needs.

Xiang Changge remembered the steward she had taken over from.

That had been a very poised, elegant, and proper lady. Xiang Changge thought, surely that's how all stewards were supposed to be.

Although she wasn't sure if she could achieve that level of elegance and propriety, wearing certain clothes and shoes was just like putting on an outer shell; it was nothing.

But she had asked if she was tired.

Xiang Changge caught up to Yu Qing's pace and replied: "I think this is the attire a steward should have."

Yu Qing walked toward the tea room with her arms crossed and a leisurely gait, and upon hearing this, she gave Xiang Changge a strange look.

So that was what she thought.

Yu Qing smiled, though there was no real emotion in her dark eyes.

"There are no outsiders coming to this house, and there is no one here who doesn't know you, no one who doesn't know you are the steward."

"Whether you are a steward or not, does that have anything to do with what clothes or shoes you wear? Even if you were wearing a mascot costume, anyone who saw you would still have to call you Steward Xiang."

Yu Qing's voice was soft and cold, reminiscent of a trickling stream flowing beneath a snow-capped mountain.

Though icy, it was gentle. Though gentle, it carried a biting chill.

In a place with only these few people, what was the point of her dressing so seriously and properly?

She didn't need anyone to tell her that her steward was a qualified and excellent one. Of course, no one would say that anyway.

"You don't have to be so stiff; I am a very easygoing employer."

"Not to mention, such an easygoing employer is still being threatened by you every single day."

As she spoke, Yu Qing glanced at Xiang Changge again, her eyes filled with a fair amount of resentment and frustration.

Xiang Changge didn't notice Yu Qing's expression; at that moment, she felt a sudden flash of enlightenment.

That was it.

There were only a few people in the house, and if she didn't like someone, she could fire them whenever she wanted. Even Yu Qing couldn't easily dismiss her, which meant—

"So, I'm actually the boss of this house?"

Yu Qing stumbled, nearly tripping on flat ground.

She looked at Xiang Changge in shock.

Xiang Changge looked back at her.

And at that moment, those gray-brown eyes revealed a sense of "so that's how it is."

Yu Qing: "..."

What had happened? She had only seen Xiang Changge being so "stiff" and kindly reminded her, so why did she suddenly feel like her own position was at risk?

...Did she really not realize this until now?

Realizing that she could essentially call the shots in the Yu Family, Xiang Changge couldn't help but happily say to the system in her mind: "A-Tong, this world exists for Yu Qing, and since I can now manipulate Yu Qing, doesn't that mean I am the god of this world?"

The system replied indifferently: "Indeed."

Xiang Changge was overjoyed: "!For real?!"

She actually believed it!

This host was a bit too overconfident.

The system was exasperated: "The 'god' in 'goddamn lunatic'."

How could that not count as a "god"?

"Stop focusing on those irrelevant things. This is a normal, proper, and orderly world. If you have delusions, you need to get them treated!"