Tang Lu had also analyzed it—Bo Siyan didn't exactly go for a strong-arm, aggressive approach. His method was rather simple and blunt—he used money to overwhelm.
Although he was cold-hearted, indifferent, and sharp-tongued, with his immense wealth, there was no shortage of women willing to dedicate themselves to him.
In summary, as long as she kept her composure and didn't fall for the money or the charm, it would be fine. After all, she was just a stand-in, easily replaceable. If she could hold on for these six months until the real female lead showed up, she would have no further involvement.
She had also made a plan for herself—to save money and buy a small apartment in the city, and later work for the Bo family. Tang Lu's education level wasn't high; she dropped out after high school to start working, so she would have to consider furthering her education at some point.
However, those weren't urgent matters. The most pressing issue was to pass her probation and secure a permanent position. Everything else could wait.
After cleaning the restaurant, she called Wen Ya for inspection. Once it passed, she went on to replace the towels in the guest rooms.
The Bo family's villa had four floors. The first floor was for common areas, the second floor had guest rooms, a study, and a recreation room. The third floor was where the three Bo brothers' rooms were located, and the fourth floor was the area of the Bo family's elderly patriarch. However, since the old man had gone abroad two years ago, the fourth floor had been left unused. The housekeeper, Chen, had explicitly forbidden anyone from going upstairs, although Wen Ya occasionally went up to clean.
Wen Ya was Chen's assistant and the manager of the housemaids. She had been with the Bo family for over ten years and was about to "retire" next year, turning thirty. It was precisely because of her impending departure that Tang Lu had been introduced to the job by a relative.
Tang Lu was holding the towels she had just dried as she left the laundry room. The towels were warm and carried the scent of the sun. She looked up at the sky—near dusk now, with the sky tinged in warm yellow, transitioning to a rosy red. The view was stunning. She glanced down at the bottom of the mountain. The Bo family's villa was located on a hill near the outskirts, and the area below was full of wealthy families. Not far from the foot of the hill stood the large buildings of City C—tall, cloud-piercing structures and bustling streets. Even from a distance, it was clear that this was a prosperous metropolis.
However, the atmosphere here was completely different from the city, and that was one of the reasons Tang Lu liked this job.
She had grown tired of the busy life of catching a bus with breakfast every morning and being stuck in traffic during rush hour. Often, she found herself questioning her purpose—what was she really doing, and did her work even have any meaning?
Now, her goal was clear: to keep this place clean and tidy. All her efforts would be visible, which was something she found rewarding. Perhaps this job didn't seem significant to others, but that was precisely what made it so fulfilling—this was a whole new world, and no one judged her choices.
The eldest son, Bo Jingchuan, was a workaholic—either at the company or commuting, and when he got home, he would always retreat to his study to work. The second son, Bo Siyan, was in charge of a modeling agency under the Bo Group. He had numerous social engagements and rarely came home before midnight, sometimes not returning until the next day. The youngest, Bo Jinyan, had gone abroad seven years ago to study and had stayed at the overseas branch ever since, not returning in recent years.
Tang Lu's shift was from 3 PM to 11 PM, so she had yet to meet Bo Siyan. As for Bo Jingchuan, she had seen him a few times because he had a habit of drinking a cup of warm milk every night due to a stomach condition. She had brought him milk a few times, but they never spoke.
So, she was generally satisfied with her current situation. Her job required her to always be on standby, but whenever she had a break, she could rest in the dormitory without anyone disturbing her.
The only downside was the outdated technology—mobile internet was slow, and the dorm had broadband but no computer. She planned to buy one once she became permanent, to enrich her spare time.
Her colleagues liked to hang out in the dorm's public lounge, watching TV. Watching it once or twice was a nostalgic trip, but after a while, the same tired plotlines and nonsensical dramas started to get on her nerves.
She went upstairs to the second floor, where the guest rooms were. Each guest room had an en-suite bathroom, and the towels and bath towels were arranged according to the standards of a five-star hotel, with even the angles being precise. After working here for a while, she felt like she could easily work at a hotel without any trouble.
When she reached the last guest room, she was about to place the towel basket in the bathroom when she suddenly heard a door slam outside. Thinking it was probably just her own mistake of not closing the door properly, she didn't pay much attention.
As she picked up a bath towel and started folding it, she suddenly heard a flirtatious female voice: "Bo Zong, your house is really impressive."
Tang Lu froze. What was going on?
Before she could react further, a lazy male voice followed: "If you like it, come stay for a few days."
"Really? You're not joking, Bo Zong?"
"Since when have I ever lied to you?"
Then came the sounds of playful laughter, followed by the creak of a mattress.
It didn't take much to figure out what was happening.
She ruled out that the man was Bo Jingchuan—this wasn't his voice. Also, Bo Jinyan was overseas and couldn't be here, so it had to be Bo Siyan.
The novel hadn't specified how Tang Lu met Bo Siyan for the first time, but being caught in a bathroom like this was certainly unexpected.
Tang Lu looked at herself in the mirror, her expression one of exasperation.
"Seriously? Couldn't you take her back to your own room?"
Now, Tang Lu had two options. One was to pretend she wasn't there, stay in the bathroom until they finished, and sneak out after. However, this plan wasn't very feasible. After all, in such a situation, it would be hard to explain why she wasn't taking a shower afterward.
If this were another website, there would probably be a lot more written about what happened in the bathroom. So, this option was off the table!
The second option was to quickly leave the room before things went too far, though that could affect her chances of getting hired permanently. The training hadn't covered what to do in situations like this.
As she quickly reviewed her actions, it seemed like she had done everything according to the training, so the fault for this unexpected incident lay entirely with Bo Siyan.
Within moments, things outside had escalated, with more sounds coming from the room. Tang Lu quickly blocked her ears. If it continued, she felt like her soul would be tarnished!
She had to make a decision fast, but neither of the first two options felt right. She decided to take a different route.
She turned on the bath faucet, cranked it up to the maximum, grabbed a towel, and started wiping the tub, trying to make as much noise as possible with the water.
She wasn't sure if this plan would work, but at least the water sounds covered the noise from outside, which was a form of success.
She kept repeating to herself: "I'm cleaning. I'm cleaning…"
Just as she finished her thirteenth self-hypnosis chant, a cold male voice suddenly came from behind her, making her jump, despite being mentally prepared.
"What are you doing?"
Tang Lu took a deep breath and turned around with a surprised expression. "Bo Shao, I'm cleaning."
It was her first official meeting with Bo Siyan, and he was, indeed, quite handsome—his nose was high, his eyes deep-set, his face thin. His good looks gave him a melancholic air, especially when he looked at her with that dark, ambiguous gaze. Tang Lu couldn't help but feel uneasy, wondering if her poor acting skills had been seen through.
No way! Back in school, she had perfectly convinced teachers she forgot her homework, right?
But just as she was about to crack under the pressure, Bo Siyan's gaze landed on the towel basket on the floor. "This room doesn't need cleaning for now. You can leave."
That was the cue Tang Lu had been waiting for. She obediently turned off the water, picked up the towel basket, and hurriedly left the room.
As soon as she exited the bathroom, a female voice gasped. But Tang Lu kept her head down, refusing to look, and quickly turned right to leave.
Some things were better left unnoticed, and it was best to keep a low profile when it came to gossip.
Just as she was reaching for the door handle, Bo Siyan's voice rang out again: "Wait a minute, you're new here? I haven't seen you before."
Seriously? At a time like this, you're concerned about that? Tang Lu silently rolled her eyes. She didn't turn around but kept her actions going as she answered, "I just started not long ago."
"Alright, go. Come back to clean here later."
"Okay." Tang Lu quickly dashed out of the room, and only when the door closed behind her did her heart finally relax.
Well, this was an explosive start! If this were a novel, Tang Lu might think Bo Siyan was truly in love with her after this encounter, but honestly, judging by the situation, he seemed more like a flirt with complicated relationships.
It was really puzzling.
She quickly decided to report this to Wen Ya, because the best thing to do when something went wrong was to report it immediately to a superior.
However, Bo Siyan turned out to be somewhat better than she expected. She had originally thought he was just a promiscuous playboy who would change into a perfect boyfriend once the heroine showed up.
But based on her first impression of him, he didn't seem as bad as she had imagined.
Wait, no, no, this kind of thinking was dangerous. She couldn't start judging people based on appearances!
Tang Lu quickly reminded herself: wake up, friend. Bo Siyan was a notorious ladies' man!