Chapter 45: Appraising the Breakfast

Tonight, Zhong Huayan slept deeply, lulled by alcohol, and in her dreams she saw a woman. The woman’s eyes were swollen from crying, yet she did not appear sad; she was surrounded by brightness, her hair loose as she ran toward Zhong. When she threw herself at Zhong, she collided right into her arms.

“Who are you?” Zhong wondered.

The woman seemed unable to speak, but she looked up, and her face was strikingly similar—she was Li Yanyan. In the dream, Zhong felt herself become mute as well, unable to utter a word. Soon, it was as though she was falling endlessly from the sky, plummeting downwards.

She awoke drenched in sweat.

“Madam, you’re awake? Please come out for breakfast.”

She glanced down and saw a young servant kneeling on the rug beside the bed, wearing her uniform, her appearance charming and gentle.

Zhong surveyed her surroundings; the view outside the window was pleasant, but it was nothing like the old manor she remembered.

“Where am I?”

“Madam, you got drunk last night. Mr. Fu brought you back to the villa. I changed your clothes for you.”

Zhong changed into her school uniform, today choosing a petite handbag to carry. The servant attended her, clearly never having seen a woman with such poise and elegance. She was nothing like those tawdry women outside, possessing instead a vintage, frail, and sharp allure.

“Where’s Fu Yan Yan?”

“Mr. Fu left for the company early this morning; some government officials came to see him.”

Zhong pondered for a moment, then asked, “Why did they come to him?”

“I’m not sure about those matters,” the servant replied, visibly nervous, wary of saying too much.

“Why do you call me Madam?”

“Yesterday, I saw the boss carrying you in. All the servants call you Madam. He didn’t object.”

Only then did the servant realize the two were not yet together.

Zhong draped a white coat over her shoulders to ward off any chill, descended the stairs slowly, playing with the silver diamond bracelet on her wrist, her hair casually swept back. She carried herself with a beauty that hinted at brewing storms, her presence as dazzling as a golden palace tilting at dusk.

She looked at Assistant Li downstairs and asked, “Assistant Li, why does your boss always entangle himself with the political scene?”

Assistant Li offered a sycophantic smile. “To be honest, Mr. Fu’s previous projects in the Northeast involved some favors. He always helps them tidy up the aftermath. The officials don’t make things difficult, they just want answers. The boss always cooperates; no need to complicate matters.”

“No wonder Fu Yan Yan chose you as his assistant.”

She knew the assistant wouldn’t dare ignore her, yet his answer was flawless.

“Miss Li, this porridge was specially made for you by the boss, using a variety of ingredients. Would you like to try it?”

She sat down, surrounded by attendants. Assistant Li felt that serving the future lady of the house was even more nerve-wracking than serving the boss himself, especially since she was once the eldest daughter of the Zhong family and its chairman.

At last, she finished the porridge and made a few indifferent remarks, “This porridge is a bit hot, a bit bland, and lacks fatty meat.”

Assistant Li quietly noted her words and immediately messaged the boss.

[Mr. Fu, Miss Li said your porridge is hot, bland, and lacks fatty meat.]

A reply came swiftly: [Didn’t she praise me at all?]

He looked up and asked expectantly, “Miss Li, does the porridge have any merits?”

She gave the porridge a languid glance, “Merits? I don’t think he’s suited for porridge. He does better with soup.”

Suddenly, she added, “Did he not pay attention? The porridge is bland and he didn’t even notice.”

Assistant Li now knew for sure—he’d prefer to serve the boss than be caught between these two.

His fingers trembled as he sent another text.

[Mr. Fu, Miss Li said there are merits. She said your other dishes are quite good.]

[Hmm.]

[Mr. Fu, Miss Li also asked if you weren’t attentive, since you didn’t notice the porridge was bland.]

This was not going well…

The assistant saw the message had been read, but there was no reply.

He knew well that the boss was infatuated with Miss Li, and that the woman before him was once Chairman Zhong—the boss’s long-admired love.

Each was more difficult than the last.

“I have a school outing today…”

Before she could finish, the assistant immediately instructed the servants to prepare snacks, clothes, and a tent for the excursion.

“Miss Li, the boss had everything purchased and arranged for you last night.”

“Impressive. He handled this well.”

Zhong Huayan mused privately; she was clever enough to realize there were eyes and informants planted around her by Fu Yan Yan. Otherwise, how could he always arrange everything so perfectly?

She boarded a discreet luxury car and arrived at the school in just ten minutes.

She was the last to arrive in her class. Normally, the homeroom teacher would have started scolding her already, but since her artistic prowess and influential connections became known, her treatment at Jingfu University surpassed even that of the Xu family.

The university, having launched a new series of art courses, had specially invited her to be president of the arts club, putting her in charge of all art-related studies and club affairs.

It was amusing, really: Jingfu University’s move to capitalize on her popularity with new courses had pushed its enrollment numbers above those of Hai Rui University nearby.

Of the four aristocratic private universities in the capital, Hai Rui University was the true authority in art and design disciplines. Its students were rising stars in the arts world.

Xu Yuan could play piano best at Jingfu University, but at Hai Rui, her competition results would definitely drop several places.

Jingfu was filled with children of business moguls, most of whom were frivolous and unruly.

Hai Rui, on the other hand, was populated by descendants of celebrities. Years ago, it even established a club for heirs of renowned calligraphers, painters, writers, scientists, and officials.

Had Li Yanyan chosen Hai Rui University, given her academic scores and teacher-family background, she might have avoided campus bullying.

But fate was unkind, and she ended up in the worst class at Jingfu.

All the rich kids there were notoriously unruly.

“Wow, Li Yanyan, your handbag is this year’s limited edition, isn’t it? My aunt tried to buy this color, but even the store manager couldn’t get it.”

“And the accessories on your bag were a special holiday gift from the luxury store, right? Only those who spent over ten million this year could get them.”

“Quick, let me take a photo. This green little handbag is so gorgeous, it’s making me cry!”

Those classmates who used to skip class and wear makeup now crowded around, showering her with compliments.

Zhong Huayan was often speechless at such superficial and greedy remarks. She did not care to respond.

Seeing her silence, several classmates wisely returned to their seats.