**Chapter 1: Adopted by the Ji Family**
When Ai'er Ji first stepped into the Ji family's house, she was adopted from an orphanage as their foster daughter. She was ten years old that year, but due to malnutrition, she looked only seven or eight.
"Mommy, let's take her home!" En Ji said childishly to his mother. He took an interest in the thin, dark-skinned girl as soon as he saw her. Standing next to En was his mother, a world-renowned piano virtuoso, with an extraordinary aura and a regal appearance.
Ai'er looked at the boy pointing at her. He had fair skin, rosy lips, bright eyes, and wore a fitting white shirt with suspenders. He was about her height. He reminded her of the little prince from Snow White.
"En, we can't do that! We're here to visit the children, not to adopt one!" Mrs. Ji squatted down to explain to En.
"No! If you don't take her home, I won't eat anymore!" En suddenly grabbed Ai'er's hand and said to his mother. His hand was very white, contrasting sharply with Ai'er's dark skin. She thought he treated her like a toy, which made her uncomfortable, even though she was only ten.
In the end, Ai'er was indeed adopted by the Ji family. Perhaps En's threat of not eating scared his family. Reluctantly, they adopted her, and thus she got her current name—Ai'er Ji.
When Ai'er was brought into the Ji family's estate, she thought she had walked into a fairy tale kingdom. En was the prince of this kingdom, and she would be a little servant, even though she was a foster daughter.
The butler seemed very stern; she had never seen him smile, so she was very afraid of him. She did whatever he said. From that point on, she learned to do more and speak less, minding her own business. The Ji family was very particular about etiquette, and every move Ai'er made had to be proper. It took her six months to master all these rules.
En often skipped school, which Ai'er couldn't understand. To her, studying was a wonderful thing. At the orphanage, a nun had taught them Chinese characters and arithmetic, which was a delightful time for her. But En seemed to disagree; he often skipped school and came looking for her, dragging her along each time, causing her to be scolded by the butler frequently.
Finally, the Ji family decided to let Ai'er attend school, in the same class as En. In this class, almost all students were chauffeured to and from school. Ai'er and En were too, but she was only there because of En. Without him, she was nothing.
Ai'er's main task in the Ji family was simple: to serve En. So when he went to class, she went too; when he did homework, she did too; when he skipped class, she was forced to skip as well, resulting in many reprimands from the butler. Ai'er felt like En's shadow, mirroring his every move without having her own personality.
Since she was always with En, she got used to his temper and his random outbursts. To her, he was the result of being spoiled, but she never resisted because she had neither the ability nor the capital to do so. He was like a mob boss, and she was an insignificant underling. So she only worked harder to please him, ensuring he had no complaints. Later, Ai'er learned that as long as she behaved, he wouldn't be mean to her, though he wouldn't be nice either.
*Dear readers, thank you for your support. The love story of Zhongyi Cheng and Yun Cao Su, "When the Genius Girl Meets the Elegant CEO," has been successfully completed. This is the new work "I'm a Maid, Not a Lady," and I hope you will enjoy and support it. There will be updates every day, so remember to bookmark! Your support and encouragement are my greatest honor!*