Jiang Xun stood on the stairs, arms folded, looking down at Liu Ma.
The body's original owner might have put up with her insults, but young Master Jiang, who had been doted on since childhood, certainly wouldn't.
"What? Gone mute? Can't talk anymore?"
Jiang Xun's tone turned cold. "Do your job, or get the hell out. Don't give me that attitude."
Liu Ma finally raised her head and stared at him in disbelief, inexplicably intimidated.
Then, with a sour expression, she forced out a stiff reply. "If you want to eat, cook it yourself. I'm busy."
A cold chuckle escaped Jiang Xun's throat. "Oh, so you aren't mute after all."
Liu Ma's face instantly turned a dark, livid red. Jiang Xun had never spoken to her like this before. He had always kept his head down without saying a word.
"Second Young Master, now that you've returned to the Jiang Family, you can't bring those bad habits you picked up among lowlifes here."
As though addressing an ill-behaved child, she lectured him earnestly. "I've worked for the Jiang Family for over a decade, after all. I'm your elder. How can you speak to me like that?"
"So you do know you're the Jiang Family's housekeeper. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were the master."
"Cut the crap," Jiang Xun said with a faint smile, his voice unhurried. "Liu Ma, if you really can't stand the sight of me, you're welcome to get into your grave early."
"You... you!"
Liu Ma nearly passed out from rage, pointing at Jiang Xun with a trembling finger.
Jiang Xun ignored her and turned back to his bedroom.
He could forget about the noodles. Who knew whether she would secretly spit into his bowl behind his back?
Ye Jing peeled back the elegant candy wrapper and gracefully placed the chocolate in her mouth. It tasted quite good.
She glanced at Fu Yanli, who was driving beside her, with an amused smile. "Honey, wasn't that kid something?"
Fu Yanli's expression remained impassive, though the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
He said nothing, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"Are you going to eat your chocolate? If not, I'll have it."
"Suit yourself."
After all that fuss, Jiang Xun was exhausted. He washed up and went to bed.
When he woke the next morning and went downstairs, he was greeted by Jiang Shiyuan's gloomy face. Apparently, that blabbermouth Liu Ma had tattled to her master again.
Jiang Shiyuan launched straight into an accusation. "Jiang Xun, what did you do to Liu Ma last night? She's your elder, after all. Can't you show her a little respect?"
"How many times have I told you not to bring those bad habits of yours into the Jiang Family?"
Sure enough. What a rotten way to start the morning.
Jiang Xun kept his face blank. "I didn't."
Jiang Shiyuan's face darkened, his voice stern. "Still trying to deny it? You upset Liu Ma so badly last night that her blood pressure shot up and she nearly ended up in the hospital."
Just then, Deng Shu heard the commotion and came over. Jiang Xun's eyes immediately reddened and filled with tears.
"She bullied me first. Why would you rather believe a housekeeper than me?"
His shoulders trembled uncontrollably, his voice choked with sobs. "If you didn't want to acknowledge me as your son, you shouldn't have brought me back in the first place!"
With that, he wiped his tears and hurried away.
Deng Shu rushed after him. "Xiao Xun, where are you going?"
Jiang Xun ran so fast that she couldn't catch up.
She returned to her husband in a fury. "Didn't I tell you to talk to him nicely? How did you end up arguing again?"
Jiang Shiyuan looked displeased. "I only said a couple of things." A complicated expression crossed his face, and his voice gradually weakened. "He never used to act like this..."
Jiang Huaijin and Jiang Zixing also heard the commotion and came over.
Liu Ma wasn't there. She had taken the day off. After complaining to the master and mistress about the second young master's misdeeds last night, she had said she felt unwell and needed to go to the hospital today.
After hearing what had happened, Jiang Huaijin disliked Jiang Xun even more. Causing trouble at the banquet was bad enough, but now he had come home and made another scene.
Liu Ma had worked for their family for over a decade and had always conducted herself well. Why would she go out of her way to pick a fight with the second young master?
Jiang Huaijin sneered inwardly. His so-called biological younger brother was rotten and foul to the core, a hopeless lost cause. He couldn't hold a candle to Zixing.
"No, I have to go look for Xiao Xun."
Jiang Huaijin stopped Deng Shu. "Mom, there's no need to worry about him. He'll come crawling back before half the day is out."
"As for who's right and who's wrong, why don't we just check the security footage?"
Jiang Zixing agreed. "Huaijin's right. We shouldn't accuse Xun unfairly, either."
Deng Shu was persuaded to stay for the time being, and they went to retrieve the security footage from the villa's stairwell.
Although they said they shouldn't accuse Jiang Xun unfairly, none of them believed he was innocent. That went without saying for Jiang Shiyuan and Jiang Huaijin, but even Deng Shu wasn't sure.
After all, his past behavior had already left Deng Shu utterly disappointed.
Yet when they watched the footage, all four wore complicated expressions.
Jiang Xun had indeed insulted Liu Ma, but Liu Ma had given him attitude first.
She was a housekeeper drawing a generous salary from the Jiang Family, yet Jiang Xun, one of the family's young masters, couldn't get her to do anything. She had even pulled a face at him and spoken with snide hostility.
In front of them, Liu Ma had never treated Jiang Xun like this. She was always perfectly polite. Who would have known she showed an entirely different face behind their backs?
Last night, she had even turned the blame on him, tearfully claiming that she had simply been doing her work when the second young master took a dislike to her, kept insulting her, and told her to hurry up and die.
A wave of guilt swept through Deng Shu. She hadn't believed Xiao Xun earlier, either.
"Liu Ma seemed so honest. How could she treat Xiao Xun like that?"
She shot her husband a disgruntled glare. "This is all your fault. You upset Xiao Xun and drove him away. He must feel so wronged."
"I... how was I supposed to know?" Jiang Shiyuan's face shifted between red and white. Finally, he muttered defensively, "He did insult her, though. So young, and already using such foul language."
Ultimately, it was still prejudice.
Deng Shu bristled. "Isn't that because Xiao Xun grew up in such an awful environment? If he'd been with us since childhood, if that vicious woman hadn't switched him..."
She broke off and looked at Jiang Zixing, who had lowered his head in shame, then hurried to explain. "Zixing, I'm not blaming you. I just got carried away."
Jiang Zixing flushed, embarrassment spreading across his delicate features. He clenched his hands tightly and murmured, "Mom, Dad, I'm sorry. I'll go find Xun and bring him back."
With that, he turned and hurried out.
"Zixing!" Worried, Jiang Huaijin rushed after him.
The couple left behind exchanged glances, both looking deeply upset. Deng Shu took all her anger out on her husband. "This is all your fault!"
"All right, all right. It's my fault, it's all my fault. Don't be angry."
"Honey, be more careful about what you say in front of Zixing from now on. He's been very sensitive ever since that happened."