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Weren't the companions supposed to be those emotionless, material-based playmates?

Listening to Xiang Changge put it this way, it seemed as if all three of them had a purpose, as if they could be inlaid into every little detail of her life.

Yu Qing lifted her eyes and looked at Xiang Changge beside her.

So, these three bright-eyed college students were things she had actually considered carefully and recruited specifically for herself, rather than for her?

After the introductions were finished, Yu Qing had no intention of speaking, merely glancing at her once, and Xiang Changge understood Yu Qing's meaning quite naturally.

-Yu Qing: The introductions are over, can she leave now?

That was, of course, impossible.

Xiang Changge revealed a polite smile that was all technique and no emotion: "Miss, seeing that you haven't been sleeping well lately, I specifically prepared some incense materials in the flower room. They all have sleep-aiding effects, but the scents haven't been finalized yet. You can go over now and personally blend some incense you like."

Blending incense?

Yu Qing rummaged through her mind; she had never done such a thing, but what was fun about that? It would be better to go back and lie down.

Xiang Changge: "Let the three of them accompany you. It's their first time blending incense too, but don't worry, there is already an experienced master waiting over there."

Yu Qing opened her mouth, wanting to refuse.

Wasn't she just supposed to come down to interview the three of them? Why was there suddenly an incense-blending activity added to the mix?

Who exactly was the employer here? She wasn't her student, forced to attend "classes" according to a schedule she had set.

Just as the thought crossed Yu Qing's mind, a girl who looked very sunny and cheerful, with a small canine tooth showing when she smiled, walked a few steps toward her.

She invited her with great enthusiasm: "Incense blending? I have a little bit of experience. I made cooking spices during class. Miss Yu, let's go. If you like, I can even blend some of your favorite food scents for you."

Yu Qing: "..."

Looking at the girl in front of her who was overly enthusiastic and so familiar that she was practically reaching out to grab her, Yu Qing blinked, and her refusal was suddenly blocked.

What was her name again? Ge Bufan, was it?

After Ge Bufan finished speaking, she watched as the gentle-looking Yao Ningran also stepped forward: "That sounds very interesting. What kind of scents does Miss Yu like? I like the smell of jasmine; I wonder if there is that scent."

Chu Keke understood that this was work time now, so she followed up immediately, chiming in like a supporting act: "Then let's go quickly, I'm looking forward to it too."

Seeing that she was about to be "roasted over a fire," Yu Qing, facing this situation for the first time, subconsciously looked up and reached out to grab the hem of Xiang Changge's shirt.

"We're going? You aren't?"

She looked up at Xiang Changge from below, like a little girl about to be snatched away by a monster, her black-and-white eyes filled entirely with her reflection.

So pitiful; Xiang Changge almost softened.

"It's lunchtime, Miss. I have to go eat first," Xiang Changge refused quite firmly.

As she spoke, she extended two fingers, like the pincers of a crab, to pinch the hem of her shirt that Yu Qing was holding and tugged it back.

Yu Qing: "..."

She looked at the three people gazing at her with burning, expectant eyes, then looked at the cold and heartless Xiang Changge who was preparing to abandon her, and reached out again, grabbing the hem of the shirt Xiang Changge had just pulled from her grasp.

"I haven't eaten lunch either, I want to go eat too."

"Ding--"

"Detected the supporting character's first request for 'I want to eat', new mission released--"

"Mission Two: Urge the supporting character to eat three meals a day on time."

"Diet is the main source of energy for the human body. A healthy body and abundant mental state cannot be separated from a normal, healthy diet. Please guide the supporting character Yu Qing to eat on time to lay the foundation for a healthy body."

"Mission duration: three months; Mission completion reward: 500 points (Note: points can be exchanged for money at a 1:1000 ratio, or used to purchase various items in the system mall)."

"Mission failure: Simulate a meteorite striking the host."

Xiang Changge, who had suddenly received a new mission: "..."

After hearing the system's words in her mind, she looked down at Yu Qing with complex eyes.

She actually felt a bit sorry for her.

For the next three months, three meals a day—even if Yu Qing didn't want to eat, she would have to make her eat.

Chapter 20: Where is the rice in Steward Xiang's bowl?

Yu Qing's voice wasn't loud, but the game room wasn't large either, and the other three people had all heard the conversation between her and Xiang Changge.

Listening quietly, Chu Keke secretly let out a sigh of relief in her heart.

Originally, she had thought her future top boss would be the type of person who was unapproachable and difficult to get along with. Now, seeing her interaction with Steward Xiang, how was this some cold, high-and-mighty young lady? This was clearly a shy, introverted, and timid frail beauty.

The surface-level coldness and inaccessibility were nothing more than her protective shell.

Chu Keke suddenly thought of candied haws.

Seemingly hard, but actually, once you remove the outer sugar shell, the hawthorn inside is sweet and sour.

Hmm... or perhaps a strawberry.

Why a strawberry? Because strawberries seem a bit cuter.

So, this is a delicate, easily bruised, candied-haw-shelled strawberry young lady.

With a mission hanging over their heads, plus the fact that Yu Qing hadn't even eaten breakfast, let alone lunch.

She had only taken two bites of oatmeal from the breakfast sent to her room, and Xiang Changge suspected those two bites were digested before they even fully reached her stomach.

Consequently, the incense-making activity was pushed back, and they went to have lunch first.

Xiang Changge had originally intended to take the three of them to the staff cafeteria in the side wing, but upon descending to the first floor and seeing the luxurious, empty marble dining table in the dining hall, she realized that if Yu Qing were to eat alone, it would surely be a lonely and desolate affair.

Moreover, since the sisters responsible for bringing warmth to Yu Qing were all present, there was no way they would let Yu Qing eat by herself.

In the end, this marble dining table, which hadn't seen any liveliness for a long time, was occupied by five people today.

Yu Qing sat at the head of the table, Xiang Changge was on her left, and Ge Bufan sat down quite naturally in the seat to Yu Qing's right.

Chu Keke thought for a moment and eventually sat next to Xiang Changge.

The table was rectangular and very spacious; although they were seated this way, the distance between each person was quite wide.

This was the first time Xiang Changge had shared a meal at the same table as Yu Qing.

She hadn't originally planned to sit down, but the moment she moved, Yu Qing looked at her with the gaze of a little white rabbit that had wandered into a pack of wolves.

Plus... she had to admit, the ingredients used and the dishes prepared by the kitchen in the main house were indeed significantly better than those in the staff cafeteria.

Xiang Changge found her feet unable to move.

After Yu Qing picked up her chopsticks first, the others began to eat as well.

Yu Qing had just picked up a piece of tofu from the tofu and vegetable pot in front of her and taken two bites when she heard Ge Bufan exclaim from beside her: "My goodness, this scallion oil chicken is amazing! The meat is tender and fresh, and the scallion aroma is so rich..."

"I've tried making it before, but I always felt it had a bit of a gamey smell, or it wasn't tender enough. This is even better than what my mentor used to make!"

Yao Ningran, sitting next to her, heard this and said, "Then I have to try it too," before picking up a piece to eat.

Chu Keke looked at Ge Bufan with a hint of admiration: "Wow, you can cook this dish too?"

Ge Bufan chuckled, her face bright with a confident, cheerful smile: "Of course, look at what I studied."

After saying this, she picked up the serving chopsticks and placed a chicken wing onto the plate in front of Yu Qing: "I'll save one for Miss Yu first, lest I devour them all in a moment."

Yu Qing, having swallowed the tofu in her mouth, replied: "...Thank you."

Looking at the beautifully colored chicken wing in front of her, she felt quite unaccustomed to the situation and glanced toward the other side.

She saw that amidst the chatter and laughter of the three energetic girls who didn't forget to keep serving her food, the housekeeper who was supposed to be in charge of serving her was currently—buried in her own meal without saying a word.

Xiang Changge: Blah blah blah, what are they talking about? This garlic butter shrimp is absolutely delicious.

Chew, chew, chew—I wonder who came up with this dish first; they are truly a genius.

And this Eight-Treasure Duck.

This was a dish she had only seen in the original text and had never eaten before.

Because she had read it so many times, she even remembered how the author described it—take a whole duck, debone it without breaking the skin, then stir-fry glutinous rice, shiitake mushrooms, Chinese sausage, chestnuts, lotus seeds, red dates... or ingredients like dried scallops and abalone, stuff them into the duck's belly, sew it shut, steam it until cooked, and finally brush it with sauce and roast it until the skin is golden brown.

It was a complex dish that was time-consuming, labor-intensive, and had an extremely rich flavor.

This dish only appeared on Yu Qing's dining table from time to time, but to show that she didn't care for food, Yu Qing had never actually eaten it.

In other words, this dish was just there to take up word count!

It made Xiang Changge think every time she read that part: Where does the food Yu Qing doesn't eat end up? Could they just give that Eight-Treasure Duck to her?