"Master."
She called out to Lu Yanzhou first, successfully interrupting Gu Xuezhao's next words.
Gu Xuezhao turned somewhat surprised and, upon seeing Lu Yanzhou, a hint of astonishment flashed across her face.
Uncertain of how much Lu Yanzhou had heard, Shi Liao Liao walked over.
"How come you're here, Master."
["Wow, did you fly here, Yanzhi? Why are you so quiet when walking?"]
Lu Yanzhou was dressed in casual clothes, with a loose fit that shed the restraint of his uniform, making the youthful air on his face even more apparent.
However, his gaze still carried the indifference of someone in a superior position.
Gu Xuezhao blushed and couldn't bring herself to look at him.
"What do you have there?" Lu Yanzhou seemed to not notice Gu Xuezhao, his eyes landing on the bag in Shi Liao Liao's hand.
Shi Liao Liao replied calmly, "Study materials borrowed from classmate Yang Qingcheng."
["Studying how to quickly clear the various temples on the Hylure continent."]
Lu Yanzhou: "..."
Studying how to play Zelda, huh.
"Let's go back, the driver is already waiting."
Shi Liao Liao was taken aback.
["In such a hurry? Good thing I've packed my luggage."]
The two seemed to have forgotten Gu Xuezhao's presence as they turned and left one after the other.
"What were you talking about just now?"
Lu Yanzhou slowed his pace, matching the slightly lagging steps of the young servant, walking alongside her.
Shi Liao Liao's tense heart relaxed.
["Looks like he didn't hear."]
"Nothing, Master."
Lu Yanzhou lowered his gaze, pausing briefly on the young servant beside him.
Although there was no apparent difference between them, it was clear that Shi Liao Liao still had some resentment.
As long as she didn't speak, she wouldn't take the initiative to show up.
However, just now, she had left with obvious joy in her eyes after contacting someone.
Lu Yanzhou sat in front of the French window where he could see the gate at a glance, holding a flowerpot in his hands, absentmindedly poking at the small green sprouts.
Finally feeling that the room was too stuffy, he went out for a walk and "coincidentally" saw Shi Liao Liao talking to Gu Xuezhao.
He arrived late and only heard Shi Liao Liao's words "Gu Xuezhao really knows."
So, what does Gu Xuezhao know?
Lu Yanzhou withdrew his gaze, choosing not to expose her blatant lie.
"What do you want for dinner?" He changed the subject.
Seeing that Lu Yanzhou didn't continue to press for answers, Shi Liao Liao breathed a sigh of relief.
Thankful that the young master rarely pried into other people's private affairs.
"Rice."
"Seeing Western food now is like seeing shit."
Lu Yanzhou thought, "But you used to like Lashijie so much, how could you dislike it now?"
Thinking of the recent scarce and overt inquiries about Shi Liao Liao from Bai Liye, Lu Yanzhou looked her over.
Quite charming.
Sensing his gaze, Shi Liao Liao felt very uncomfortable and shifted to the side.
["Don't tell me you're more interested in me because you want to eat rice."]
["If not, I can eat enoki mushrooms."]
Lu Yanzhou withdrew his gaze.
Have something good to eat.
With the driver present, Shi Liao Liao didn't need to drive.
She had originally wanted to help the driver carry the luggage, but Lu Yanzhou directly called her into the car, so she could only sit inside and do nothing.
The driver was also somewhat surprised.
When getting in the car, he looked at Shi Liao Liao several times until Lu Yanzhou raised the partition, then his gaze shifted away.
Back at the Lu family's residence, Shi Liao Liao was surprised to find that among the rows of servants welcoming Lu Yanzhou, there wasn't a single familiar face.
Those servants who used to squeeze her out, as well as the old gardener and his grandson, were all gone.
All these bowing, smiling faces were unfamiliar.
Lu Yanzhou didn't seem the least bit surprised.
Instead, he walked in with a normal expression and then had Shi Liao Liao send a cup of coffee to his room.
The driver was still the same as before and whispered as Lu Yanzhou went upstairs, "You're receiving a lot of attention lately."
"Let me ask you, will putting in extra effort in bed tonight get me a promotion?"
Shi Liao Liao turned her head, speaking at the same volume and with obvious surprise.
"You want a promotion, Mr. Driver?"
Then she clapped her hands, attracting the attention of the surrounding servants.
"Has anyone been promoted recently? Come and let Brother Driver absorb some promotion luck."
Everyone: "..."
Absorb what? I'm asking you what are you absorbing???
The driver blushed and his neck bulged.
"You—"
Shi Liao Liao didn't care about his expression, and turned to walk towards the kitchen to make coffee for Young Master Lu.
"Mr. Shi."
The chef was also a new face and greeted her with a smile as she walked in.
Shi Liao Liao nodded.
"Do you know where the previous servants went?"
The chef tiptoed to help her take down the coffee beans from the cabinet, shaking her head at the question.
"I'm not sure about the details, I only heard that they were all dismissed."
Shi Liao Liao looked pensive.
As she carried the tray upstairs, she saw a man in a lead-gray suit with an elite vibe on his face outside Lu Yanzhou's study.
He had the look of a secretary who would say, "In three minutes, I want to know everything about that woman."
Feeling Shi Liao Liao's gaze, the man looked back and nodded at her with a smile. "Hello, Mr. Shi."
Shi Liao Liao politely nodded, her beautiful face carrying a courteous aloofness.
"Hello, Mr. San."
The man paused, "My last name is Shi."
"Whenever I met you, it was worth it?"
Shi Liao Liao instinctively continued the sentence.
The man helplessly pushed his glasses. "..Yes."
Shi Liao Liao nodded expressionlessly, indicating that she understood.
Shi Rui: "..."
Honestly, he had imagined countless times what this young servant would be like, but apart from that beautiful face, something seemed off.
It's not like a good person would use a deadpan face with no intonation to play along.
Shi Liao Liao knocked on the door and entered after getting a response from inside. The man followed her in.
Lu Yanzhou saw him with little surprise.
"Mr. Lu."
Hearing the man in the suit address Lu Yanzhou, Shi Liao Liao's movement paused.
Then she casually withdrew her hand.
Seeing Lu Yanzhou's lack of response, as if tacitly allowing Shi Liao Liao to listen on the side, the man continued, "The news has been spread, and Lu Tingfeng has flown to Beihai overnight."
"The sent wizards are ready."
Further down the conversation, the area discussed was beyond Shi Liao Liao's understanding, but the preceding information was quite substantial.
["Wizards? Wait, Lu Tingfeng has been as quiet as a grave recently. Could it be something to do with Yanzhou?"]
Since his wife's death, Lu Tingfeng's already abnormal mental state had deteriorated, neglecting family affairs and searching everywhere for dark arts to resurrect her.
According to Mr. Shi, it seems that Lu Yanzhou is involved in this.
It's no wonder Shi Liao Liao is so surprised.
After all, the image Lu Yanzhou has always presented to her has been that of a noble young master oppressed by his elders, an immature version of a domineering CEO.
["So you've been pretending all this time, haven't you!"]
There was a hint of complexity in Maru's tone.
["I can see that someone is now displaying their strength like a proud peacock."]