Chapter 33: Some Are Joyful, Some Are Sorrowful
However, Long Aotian himself did not have such a sense of crisis.
He even dismissed what Vivian said with disdain.
He curled his lip in contempt, signaling to Vivian that she need not worry about him, as the primary concern was still about Leia.
In Long Aotian’s plan, Leia was a definite potential asset he intended to acquire.
Even though she had already bought the medicine he had prepared for her, there were people who personally saw her walk into the cemetery in the suburbs of the Imperial Capital.
But when Long Aotian and his entourage burst in, hoping to be the hero rescuing the damsel in distress, they found nothing.
They originally thought Leia had died in some corner, but unexpectedly, Leia was not only alive but thriving.
Earlier today at the Church Academy, one of Long Aotian’s lackeys even witnessed her being led by the hand across the campus by a ridiculously beautiful lady, her face displaying signs of obvious cheerfulness.
It should be noted that Leia had been deliberately targeted by Long Aotian for nearly two years; it wasn’t just difficult to evoke a cheerful expression from her, but even a smile was hard to come by.
This was not what Long Aotian hoped to see. He wanted Leia to sink into despair, and then he would become the last ray of light in her life, completely changing the trajectory of her existence.
Just like he had used Vivian, he planned to use Leia to help him ascend to a new class.
After all, in Long Aotian’s view, women were meant to be used. He just didn’t understand why, ever since that witch died, Vivian seemed to have lost her previous obedience to him.
This irked Long Aotian; he could not allow what had happened with his plans for Leia to also occur.
“Anyway, before the graduation ceremony begins, I need to see Leia’s name disappear from the list of outstanding graduates.”
“And I have some important instructions to give you.”
Long Aotian looked displeased as he pushed Vivian, who was blocking the door, by her shoulder.
Unprepared, Vivian stumbled backward a few meters, losing her balance and falling to the ground.
The piercing pain made Vivian break out in cold sweat, but Long Aotian and his lackeys showed no sign of compassion, even blaming Vivian for not standing firm.
They told her not to act pitifully and to hurry up and prepare some snacks and tea.
Vivian clenched her teeth tightly, and her gaze at Long Aotian held a bit more hatred. But more was the unspeakable grievance…
If only Yifu Mama were still around, she would never let her suffer such indignities.
But she was gone…
Vivian couldn’t help but question herself… You chose all of this; do you like it?
No, I really don’t like it… If this were a year ago, perhaps Vivian could have put on a brave front while looking at her luxurious life.
But now, she deeply regretted it. She would give anything to have Yifu Mama back by her side.
Vivian even felt a hint of jealousy towards Leia; after all, she had separated from her biological mother for many years and still had the chance to be reunited.
The once-bullied Leia had overnight become a child adored and loved.
But what about her? She couldn’t even control her own life.
“Did you hear what I said? If you can’t directly erase her from the list, then isn’t it easy to use some underhanded tactics to defame her?”
“Hey!”
Long Aotian’s reprimand pulled Vivian back to reality.
Vivian couldn’t help but clench her fists, her mind starting to plot a plan.
…………
“So delicious, really delicious.”
Leia was full of praise for the dishes made by Yifu; she found them even better than the meals in the luxurious restaurants of the Imperial Capital.
Although she hadn’t tasted any of those luxury restaurant dishes, whenever she was hungry, her taste buds would become extraordinarily sensitive, and she would secretly pretend to pass by those upscale eateries.
Just smelling the aroma of the food wafting out was enough to satisfy her.
Thanks to Yifu’s excellent cooking, the gloom over not receiving the Outstanding Graduate Representative title quickly dissipated with the food.
Yifu made a borscht for the two children using tomatoes and premium beef brisket, paired with soft and tasty white bread.
Initially, she intended to cook Chinese food, as Yifu’s skills combined with her memories of various regional delicacies could undoubtedly satisfy anyone’s palate.
However, considering the limited conditions and the children’s acceptance level, Yifu decided to take it slow.
Not just Leia, even Qianzhi let go of her ladylike demeanor; the once-bird-like eater became quite voracious at this moment.
Before she knew it, she had devoured two large pieces of bread. In fact, she felt a bit unsatisfied; it was her first time eating so much.
She watched the bread on her plate carefully; reason told her that she shouldn’t continue eating, but her stomach was protesting strongly.
“Are you done eating?”
“Um… I can’t eat anymore; I’ll get fat if I do.”
Qianzhi lowered her head slightly, as girls often have body image anxieties; despite her perfect figure, she couldn’t escape such thoughts.
“Why worry about that? Your figure is beautiful; why should kids your age worry about such things? You should enjoy every meal fully before considering other matters. Come on, eat another piece of bread.”
“I think Qianzhi looks lovely just as she is; there’s no need to deliberately lose weight.”
Yifu gently patted Qianzhi’s head, causing her to blush bashfully.
Though she had resolved not to eat anymore, hearing Yifu’s gentle voice, coupled with the temptations of her growling stomach, led her to hesitate before picking up another piece of bread.
“That’s the spirit.”
Yifu smiled and nodded; she didn’t rush to eat but was flipping through the apartment management manual left by a previous staff member.
It detailed what she should do as the apartment administrator.
One must say, although there weren’t many tasks, they were quite trivial.
Especially the latter few points, which stated that apartment administrators should pay special attention to minor tenants living alone, taking the initiative to do what they can to help.
Yifu glanced at the management manual in her hand and then looked at the adorable Qianzhi sitting across from her, who was puffing out steam from the hot beef brisket.
She felt that this particular guideline was somewhat too targeted; there weren’t many tenants in this apartment, with most of the units remaining vacant.
And Qianzhi could be said to be the only tenant that specifically met the criteria for Yifu’s extra care.
As for what the supposedly “within reach” assistance included… Yifu wasn’t quite clear.
Otherwise, she might as well just ask Qianzhi directly.
“Qianzhi.”
“Uh…”
Hearing Yifu call her name in such an endearing way, Qianzhi nearly dropped her spoon into her bowl.
“Did… did you call me?”
“Sorry, I found you so cute that I unconsciously called you that. You don’t mind, do you?”
“It’s… it’s fine. Miss Yifu can call me anything…”
Qianzhi put down her spoon, speaking softly and shyly.
“Is there anything you need my help with?”
“Eh… so suddenly?”
Qianzhi was momentarily at a loss.
“After all, I’m the apartment administrator now. Since I’m being paid, I have to act like one.”
“Oh… there are some things, but I don’t know if Miss Yifu would mind? I’m not very good at laundry, and…”
“Laundry? No worries, leave it to me.”
Before Qianzhi could finish her sentence, Yifu readily agreed.
However, after lunch, when Yifu took the laundry basket filled with Qianzhi’s so-called dirty clothes, she was left dumbfounded.
Inside the basket was filled to the brim with girlish lingerie.
“This…”
“I usually send my everyday clothes back home and ask the maid to wash them.”
Qianzhi’s cheeks flushed slightly, her pretty face turning nearly as red as a ripe tomato.
“But I only trust these clothes to someone I can trust. So… can I ask Miss Yifu for this favor?”
