Chu Momo’s face was filled with panic, and this time it wasn’t faked; she was genuinely flustered and somewhat confused.
Why wasn’t the plot following her expectations? Instead, it was deviating from her anticipated path. However, she didn’t have time to ponder these things now; she needed to quickly resolve the current problem.
“Mei Jie, my, my clothes got caught and torn by a branch yesterday when I was pruning trees in the manor, so…” Chu Momo quickly fabricated a lie.
Before Mei Jie could speak, Jiang Bai interjected, “Oh? I remember, pruning branches is a job for dedicated staff. When did it become a task for a maid like you? What, do you want to work two jobs?
And the work uniforms I provide for the maids are made of top-quality fabric. Forget branches; even if they were caught on an iron hook, they’d be strong enough to hang you.
Even if we don’t talk about the quality issue, I gave you three sets of uniforms, didn’t I? What, all three of yours got torn? Which tree is so powerful that it can tear three of your uniforms in one day? Come on, tell me, I want to go admire that improper tree that specializes in tearing girls’ clothes.”
Jiang Bai knew very well that this girl was trying to seduce him. But Jiang Bai wasn’t interested in that. He, Jiang Bai, preferred clear pricing: pay him money, play some games, keep it physical, not emotional. If you want to seduce him, just be direct, name a price, and after playing, you’re you and he’s him—how simple is that? Why bother with all these fancy tricks?
Jiang Bai’s words left Chu Momo speechless. She looked at Jiang Bai in disbelief, completely unable to understand why this young master wasn’t playing by the rules.
Mei Jie had almost believed Chu Momo, but upon hearing Jiang Bai’s words, she immediately sobered up. She sternly said, “Chu Momo, go pack your things. You don’t need to come tomorrow. The first priority of being a maid is loyalty, and you actually dared to lie. This place is not suitable for you.”
Chu Momo’s face instantly changed. She had only just managed to get hired into the Jiang Family Manor to become the maid of the Jiang Family’s eldest young master, Jiang Bai. This was a golden opportunity to rise to prominence, and she absolutely would not give it up. However, this Young Master Jiang seemed difficult to fool. Chu Momo was anxious, her mind a chaotic mess for a moment.
Jiang Bai was too lazy to look at her anymore. He turned and walked back, saying, “Mei Jie, get her out as soon as possible. Why is she causing trouble in front of me? Now I have to take a shower this morning. What bad luck.”
After Jiang Bai left, Mei Jie grimly told the door, “Someone, throw her out for me.”
“Mei Jie, Mei Jie, I was wrong. I can’t lose this job. If I lose this job, what will happen to the money for my mother’s treatment? Please, Mei Jie, just let me off this once.” Chu Momo was panicking. How could she be getting kicked out so suddenly? Her dream of becoming the Jiang Family’s wife hadn’t even begun.
Chu Momo’s plea made Mei Jie waver slightly. She didn’t know why, but she instinctively believed Chu Momo and was kind to her. She was a bit conflicted, finally saying, “Then you go back first, I’ll talk to the young master these next few days.”
Chu Momo nodded, looking gratefully at Mei Jie and saying, “Okay, thank you, Mei Jie. I promise, I will work hard from now on.”
After Chu Momo left, Mei Jie sighed helplessly. To be honest, she really didn’t know how to talk to the Young Master about this, but she felt very sorry for Chu Momo. She always felt as if she was looking at her most beloved younger sister when she saw Chu Momo, and her heart unconsciously favored her.
Jiang Bai was completely unaware of these matters. After his shower, he had a simple breakfast and then left. Today, he had an appointment with a childhood friend to pick her up at the airport.
This childhood friend was named Su Xinyi. She was a prominent young lady in Jiang Bai’s circle, and she and Jiang Bai had been very close since childhood—the kind of close that’s like brothers. Due to the needs of family business expansion, she had been sent abroad for training two and a half years ago. Now, it was said that she had achieved some success abroad and was returning to take over part of the family’s industries.
Jiang Bai drove to the airport in a cheerful mood. Not long after, he arrived at his destination. Jiang Bai stood at the arrival gate, waiting for Su Xinyi to appear. As he looked around, a figure suddenly caught his eye. It was a woman with a graceful figure and delicate features, walking slowly towards Jiang Bai with light steps.
Even Jiang Bai, a seasoned playboy, couldn’t help but stare blankly. He simply couldn’t believe his eyes. The woman in front of him was actually Su Xinyi from his memories! If her face hadn’t remained largely unchanged, Jiang Bai wouldn’t have recognized her. The once unripe little apple had now grown into an alluring peach.
Su Xinyi walked up to Jiang Bai, and seeing his somewhat dazed expression, a hint of triumph welled up in her heart. The corners of her lips curved slightly upward, revealing a faint smile, and she softly said, “What? Don’t you recognize me?”
Jiang Bai then snapped out of it, quickly shaking his head and explaining, “Ah, no, it’s just that I suddenly feel you’ve changed so much.”
As he spoke, he looked Su Xinyi up and down, secretly sighing that time could be a butcher’s knife or pig feed. But how did it become a beauty elixir on her? That figure was truly amazing. When Jiang Bai’s gaze fell on her chest, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Good heavens.”
Su Xinyi seemed very pleased with Jiang Bai’s reaction. She chuckled and said, “Is that so? I thought you had forgotten me.”
With that, she playfully winked, looking truly charming and adorable.
“Hey, don’t make that expression, your character is collapsing, you know?” Jiang Bai looked at Su Xinyi’s expression and subconsciously retorted. He couldn’t help but recall the scenes of them playing together since childhood.
Even before she went abroad, Su Xinyi back then was like a tomboy. Forget about a peach; she was a little steamed bun back then. And now, she had directly transformed into a big meat bun and even learned playful expressions.
Jiang Bai knew her inside and out, and seeing her behavior, he always felt a sense of incongruity. Well, mainly because back then she had a buzz cut, slung her arm around Jiang Bai’s shoulder, and roughly shouted, “We’re good buddies.” Jiang Bai instantly felt the scene was incredibly disjointed.
“You… Holy crap, you’re a total straight man. Die!” Su Xinyi’s face darkened with anger at Jiang Bai’s words. She directly punched him on the shoulder. This punch made Jiang Bai stumble, but he wasn’t annoyed; in fact, he nodded with satisfaction.
“Hey, that’s right, that’s the right vibe. You’re not suited for the cute and playful type. You need to revert to your boisterous personality, you know? Think about it, what would your brother react if he suddenly winked playfully and acted cute with you?” Jiang Bai saw Su Xinyi change from her recent playful image and nodded in satisfaction. This was the exact vibe.
It was just that her current figure was truly amazing, and Jiang Bai still felt a sense of incongruity. If she had reverted to her previous figure, Jiang Bai felt it would have been even more fitting.
Su Xinyi noticed Jiang Bai’s gaze occasionally looking at her “slime,” and her face flushed slightly, but she didn’t care. She knew Jiang Bai’s character.
Before she went abroad, she often squatted on the street with Jiang Bai, watching young ladies with long legs, and even commented on the “model” of each young lady’s “slime.” If it weren’t for this, Su Xinyi wouldn’t have become buddies with Jiang Bai.
Now, Jiang Bai’s gaze made her feel very pleased. Hadn’t she changed so much precisely to make Jiang Bai look at her in a new light?
“Want to try how it feels?” Su Xinyi leaned in curiously next to Jiang Bai, nudging his shoulder with hers: “We’re buddies, after all. I don’t mind giving my buddy a good time.”
“I really appreciate it, but if I dared to touch you, I’m afraid your dad would chop off my hand tonight.” Jiang Bai rolled his eyes. He knew Su Xinyi’s family very well; her father was a complete daughter-lover and kept a very close eye on Su Xinyi. Jiang Bai had received many glares from her father.
“Don’t worry, if I don’t say anything and you don’t say anything, who will know?” Su Xinyi said with a smile, looking truly like she was bantering with a buddy. However, her ears were a bit red, clearly not as calm as she appeared on the surface.
“Really?” Jiang Bai glanced left and right, looking like a thief. Jiang Bai highly suspected that the daughter-loving father was most likely nearby. He hadn’t appeared simply because he didn’t like to disturb his daughter’s life.
It was always like this before; Jiang Bai and Su Xinyi could do whatever they wanted outside, but every time Jiang Bai took a little advantage of Su Xinyi, not long after, Jiang Bai would inexplicably have bad luck for a period of time.
This included, but was not limited to, minor issues like getting splashed with cold water when going out, being chased by dogs, or having a flat tire. Although there was no substantial impact, it was annoying.
Even though Su Xinyi initiated those moments of intimacy, that daughter-loving father didn’t care about that.
“Of course it’s real, have I ever lied to you, buddy?” Su Xinyi said with a serious expression.
“Forget it, I can’t bring myself to do it.” Jiang Bai waved his hand in refusal, genuinely unable to bring himself to do it. Jiang Bai truly regarded Su Xinyi as a buddy; he never thought he would get married, so he wouldn’t harm his buddy.
“Tsk, no luck. An easy opportunity is right in front of you, and you won’t even take it.” Su Xinyi pouted and grumbled, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes.
As the two were idly chatting, someone suddenly blocked their path. Both looked up in confusion and then saw a girl standing there with a shattered expression, a pair of resentful eyes looking at Jiang Bai, as if expressing: Why would you do this to me?
