Li Qianqian had calculated everything, except for the possibility that Fu Huaishan would choose to believe this performance by Steward Ji over the evidence.
She stared steadily at Fu Huaishan. "Big Brother, the evidence is laid out right in front of you. You aren't really going to trust her just because of a few words, are you?"
Steward Ji felt a thrill of secret joy, suddenly finding her punishment not so severe after all. At the very least, Huaishan was willing to believe her over a few words, not even bothering to look at the evidence.
But her smile faded quickly.
She heard the man’s voice, low and hoarse: "When did I say I believed her? Do you think the punishment was too light?"
A chill ran through Steward Ji. She looked up at him, the light in her eyes dimming bit by bit.
"It was a little light, perhaps, but since she’s someone you’ve grown accustomed to using, Big Brother, I’ll be the bigger person and give her one more chance." Li Qianqian took the lead in the conversation smoothly. As she looked up to meet the man’s inscrutable dark eyes, she couldn't help but feel that things were not that simple.
"Hmm."
***
After leaving the study, the moment Steward Ji took out her phone, she saw a message from Wang Chunhua, which undoubtedly soured her mood further. Footsteps suddenly approached from behind. Instinctively, she turned off her screen and turned around to see Li Qianqian walking beside her.
Resentment flickered in Steward Ji’s eyes. She forced herself to stay calm and said, "Second Young Mistress, I have always been the one managing and distributing duties in this household. Now that I’ve been removed from my post, I wonder who will be taking over the arrangements?"
"Someone will take your place. You can hand over your duties to her later," Li Qianqian said indifferently, her expression unruffled. Such a trivial matter was not worth her concern.
This feeling of being so easily replaced did not sit well with Steward Ji. More importantly, servants were not allowed to enter Huaishan's room at will, and her opportunities to get close to him would now be even fewer. Feeling restless, she lowered her guard to appeal to Li Qianqian.
"Second Young Mistress, you know perfectly well that I wasn't the one who took that shirt. The Fu family runs like clockwork because I manage it. You don't understand how things work here. If you kick me out, can the new person you’ve found handle the job immediately?" She added, "The Old Madam only just handed this household over to you a few days ago. If things go wrong, will she still trust you?"
Li Qianqian raised an eyebrow, the corners of her mouth curling into a faint, bright smile. "Steward Ji, you overestimate your own importance. The Fu family runs just fine with or without you."
Steward Ji wore a look of pure defiance. Without her, those servants were sly and lazy—would they really be so honest and diligent? Li Qianqian was only good for a sharp tongue; she couldn't actually get anything done. When things inevitably went wrong, she’d see if Li Qianqian could still smile then!
Steward Ji said unpleasantly, "It seems you are determined to replace me, Second Young Mistress. I suppose there is nothing more for me to say."
Li Qianqian chuckled and lowered her voice: "You really should just keep your mouth shut. And one more thing—of course I know you didn't take the shirt. I don't have any surveillance footage of you entering Big Brother's room; those words were merely my own guess."
Steward Ji whipped her head around to look at her, her eyes wide. "You played me..."
Li Qianqian laughed, having no interest in continuing the conversation. When she returned to her room, Xiaolin had already been waiting at the door for a while. Seeing her approach, Xiaolin immediately stepped forward enthusiastically. "Second Young Mistress."
"You’re smart, knowing to keep evidence for your employer." Li Qianqian’s gaze landed on Xiaolin, who appeared to be a capable, middle-aged woman.
"It is only what I should do," Xiaolin replied. She had chosen to stand by Li Qianqian after several days of careful consideration. People climb upward just as water flows downward; the rift between the Second Young Mistress and Steward Ji was obvious, and Li Qianqian currently lacked trusted staff. This was one of the reasons she chose to help.
"How long have you been with the Fu family?"
"Six years."
"Besides cleaning, what else can you do?" Li Qianqian asked, as if making casual conversation.
"Kitchen work, yard work, and I’ve even worked as a driver in earlier years. I also read and study in my spare time; I have a college English certificate." Xiaolin’s smile was kind and honest, her voice as crisp as running water. She didn't brag; she simply stated the facts.
"That’s excellent. From now on, you are the steward of the Fu family." Li Qianqian nodded.
Xiaolin was stunned, then quickly regained her composure. "Thank you, Second Young Mistress, for this opportunity. I will not let you down." She had thought today’s events would at most earn her a bit of favor. She never expected a direct promotion! What had her six years of honest labor as a servant meant, then? Were they just a testament to her diligence?
"Do you know Big Brother’s habits?"
"I do. Master Fu needs a cup of coffee every morning, and I’m usually the one who brews it." Xiaolin nodded immediately.
Li Qianqian said, "Good. Go get back to work."
After the woman left, Li Qianqian entered her room. After washing up, she leaned against the headboard and browsed her phone. Her WeChat was still logged into the old account. It had only one contact: Qin Muyang. Initially, the original owner had tried to add all three men, but they had all rejected her. It wasn't until she changed her profile picture to a photo of herself in a deep-V dress with wavy hair that Qin Muyang finally accepted the request. She had sent Jiang Liubai a flood of messages from the request screen, such as, "Big Brother, don't you really want to see my chest?" and so on. Jiang Liubai’s resolve was much stronger; he ignored her completely and eventually blocked her. As for Qi Zechuan, his privacy settings were such that the original owner couldn't even search for him, forcing her to feign illness every few days to lure him over.
Li Qianqian looked at the photos in the chat with Qin Muyang—a photo of legs in black silk, a close-up of lipsticked lips, a hand in the sunlight. Qin Muyang rarely replied, but he hadn't deleted her.
She scoffed, decisively deleted Qin Muyang, and deleted the account itself. She switched back to her main account.
Gu Shinian: [Sister Qianqian, I'm home.]
Qian: [Good.]
After replying, she went back to watching videos.
On the other side, Qin Muyang lay on his large, soft bed, clutching his phone and struggling for a long time, unable to bring himself to press the delete button. He ran his hands through his hair irritably. He remembered that Li Qianqian’s photo frequency was once a week, and today happened to be the seventh day. Shouldn't he at least wait to see the photo before deleting her? He was only doing it to keep more evidence for Yunli!
Time ticked by, and Qin Muyang stayed up until two in the morning. When he saw that the profile had been deleted, he bolted upright from his bed. *Did Li Qianqian change her profile picture herself?*
Qin Muyang nervously typed a question mark and sent it, only to be met by a glaring red exclamation mark!
"Damn it, Li Qianqian, you win!"
Qin Muyang gritted his teeth, feeling the fury of someone who had been played for a fool. His mind was racing, making it impossible to sleep, but he didn't have Li Qianqian’s main account or her phone number. He couldn't wait until tomorrow! Why was he so angry while Li Qianqian slept soundly?
Enduring the certainty of a scathing scolding, Qin Muyang called Fu Yunli. Once it connected, he went straight to the point: "Brother Yunli, send me all the phone numbers of your family on WeChat."
He hung up immediately. A moment later, a message popped up on WeChat from Fu Yunli.
Fu Yunli: [?]