Out of respect for the long-standing ties between the Xi family and the Leng family, Xi Le personally escorted Leng Yiyao home.
As soon as she stepped out of the car, she was met with a scene of hectic commotion—servants rushing back and forth, their faces full of anxiety.
The butler, with his long beard, was barking orders as the staff hauled valuable items in and out. Even the random pieces he pulled out at a glance were priceless treasures.
He was so flustered that he failed to notice Xi Le and his family’s er xiaojie standing at the door. It wasn’t until Xi Le’s trusted aide—a young man in a white robe—coughed pointedly that the butler snapped back to reality.
His face turned pale as he took a deep breath, hurrying over to Xi Le.
“My deepest apologies, sir! The master had urgent matters today, and I was so caught up in my work that I didn’t even see you…”
His voice lowered in deference, while his gaze anxiously assessed Xi Le’s expression, terrified of incurring his displeasure.
Xi Le usually wouldn’t think much of a butler scrambling to apologise.
But today was different. The real oddity was how the butler completely ignored Leng Yiyao, yet went out of his way to explain things to him. It didn’t make sense.
He recalled that Leng Yiyao’s older sister had always claimed that the entire family doted on her.
In fact, hadn’t she recently told him that Leng Yiyao had run away from home?
Yet now—she had returned. And as the household’s chief steward, this butler didn’t even acknowledge her presence?
Xi Le’s expression turned thoughtful. When he had last visited the Leng family estate, everyone had treated Leng Yiyao differently.
So either they had been putting on an act before, or the Leng family’s elders were furious about her disappearance and had instructed the servants to cold-shoulder her.
He wasn’t sure which was true.
But just then—Leng Yiyao waved a hand nonchalantly.
“Didn’t you say my sister got so angry because of me that she fell ill? Let’s go, let’s go—let’s check on how ‘sick’ she really is.”
She strode forward boldly, her face radiating innocence as she smiled sweetly at everyone.
“Thud—”
Two servants carrying a coral sculpture were so startled by her smile that they lost their grip.
In an instant—the massive sea coral sculpture crashed to the floor, shattering a corner.
The butler gasped, momentarily forgetting his unease in favour of the gut-wrenching sight before him. His face twisted in agony as he stared at the damaged masterpiece, nearly suffering a heart attack on the spot.
That was a masterpiece flown in from overseas!
Now that it was broken, how could they possibly present it as a gift?!
“I-I didn’t mean to!” The two servants shuddered, eyes full of dread as they stared at the fragments on the ground.
“Didn’t mean to?” The butler scoffed coldly, his face void of emotion. “Even if I sold the two of you, you wouldn’t be worth a fraction of this sculpture! Go get the whip. When the Master returns, he’ll decide your punishment.”
One of the servants, still kneeling, muttered under his breath, “It was er xiaojie’s sudden smile that startled us…”
In D City, most noble families still upheld a strict social hierarchy. Servants and slaves were regularly subjected to corporal punishment—whipping being the most common. A whipping session, followed by hours of exposure in the courtyard, could easily spell death.
And even if the case were reported to the authorities, the conclusion would always be the same: the servant’s body simply couldn’t endure the punishment. It had nothing to do with the master’s cruelty.
The other servants instantly held their breath, afraid to make a sound. The entire villa turned so icy cold that one could almost see frost forming in the air.
“Oh? So my word doesn’t hold weight anymore?”
To be contradicted by a servant in front of a guest—the butler’s anger flared. His voice rose sharply.
“What’s all this noise?” At that moment—a cool, elegant voice drifted down from the second floor.
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