What surprised Hua Man even more was that although Yang Zhao had let the woman go, the woman’s reaction was even bigger than when she had been whipped earlier. She wailed and refused to leave until Yang Zhao, annoyed, kicked her away and had someone drag her out.
This kind of thing should normally be handled by the bodyguard, so Hua Man stepped forward proactively.
But just as she bent down, before she could touch the woman, someone kicked the back of her thigh.
Hua Man frowned.
Had she just been kicked?
That was very rude behavior.
“What are you looking at?”
Seeing her gaze fixed on her foot, Yang Zhao leaned back again, her foot still raised and resting on the table, swaying gently. “I didn’t kick your ass. Don’t act like you got taken advantage of.”
Hua Man: “…”
The Eldest Miss seemed to just be teasing her casually and didn’t waste much time on her. She soon imperiously ordered people to drag the woman away.
With the woman’s noisy crying gone, the surroundings suddenly quieted down.
But the downside soon became apparent—the Eldest Miss’s attention turned to her.
Under the other’s unabashed gaze, Hua Man’s heart raced uncontrollably, though she forced a calm expression on her face.
“Fine,” the Eldest Miss finally spoke. “For the sake of your appetizing good looks, you’ll follow me from now on.”
“I hate betrayal the most.”
Yang Zhao said with a half-smile, “Especially betraying me for that mother-daughter pair.”
So today’s spectacle was actually to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys.
As one of the monkeys, Hua Man instinctively asked, “Who are that mother-daughter pair?”
As soon as she said it, Hua Man clearly felt several people looking at her.
“Playing dumb?”
Yang Zhao frowned, growing impatient.
Seeing her obviously displeased, Hua Man suddenly realized she shouldn’t ask her boss such a question directly. Clearly, working for the Eldest Miss meant knowing about that mother-daughter pair was essential.
As the atmosphere suddenly grew tense, Hua Man felt she couldn’t just sit idly by. She asked seriously, “Are you referring to that bitch Zhao Yang and her mom?”
No sooner had she spoken than Yang Zhao burst out laughing.
Hua Man quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
She had to admit, the Eldest Miss looked stunning when she laughed. Her already beautiful face lit up with a bright smile, purifying anyone who saw it.
Hua Man even forgot for a few seconds that this woman had just whipped someone until their skin split open.
But that wasn’t her fault—the Eldest Miss’s innocent face was too deceptive.
“You’re right, it’s them.”
Pleased, the Eldest Miss’s smile bloomed brightly.
She was truly beautiful. Hua Man struggled to restrain herself, not letting her gaze linger on the woman’s face.
Fortunately, the Eldest Miss didn’t cause more trouble afterward. It was apparently her nap time, so she stretched lazily and returned to her room. Hua Man finally got a chance to breathe and quickly asked around about the Eldest Miss’s preferences.
Especially about that Zhao Yang.
“Miss Zhao is the Madam’s daughter.”
The one speaking softly was Yu Shan, the Eldest Miss’s personal maid. Before Hua Man could ask, she continued explaining, “The Madam is the Master’s second wife. The Eldest Miss has always disliked the Madam and Miss Zhao.”
So it was the stepmother.
Hua Man had an idea and couldn’t help asking, “Has the Eldest Miss always been like this…”
She hesitated for a long time before suppressing words like “vicious” and “brutal,” opting for a more tactful phrasing: “Fond of getting physical?”
“How could that be?” Yu Shan denied it without hesitation.
Before Hua Man could relax, she continued, “If the Eldest Miss had to handle everyone who upset her personally, what would us servants be for??”
Hua Man: “…”
It was so logical she couldn’t argue.
Disdain grew more evident on Yu Shan’s face. “Hah, as if they deserve the Eldest Miss laying a hand on them. It would only dirty her hands!”
“The Eldest Miss is of noble birth; she normally wouldn’t get hands-on. Today, she was truly angry. But I think she went too easy on that wretch!” Yu Shan said indignantly. “Don’t think that bitch is pitiful—she’s rotten!”
Hua Man seized the opening. “How so?”
“She’s always had sticky fingers, stealing the Eldest Miss’s jewelry and cosmetics. The Eldest Miss turned a blind eye and didn’t hold it against her, but she went around badmouthing the Eldest Miss and even leaked her whereabouts to Miss Zhao this time. Despicable!”
“Just wait and see—the Eldest Miss will deal with her!”
Stealing jewelry?
Hua Man’s eyelids twitched. The Eldest Miss’s jewelry clearly wasn’t cheap—yet she turned a blind eye?
It showed just how much the Eldest Miss despised that mother-daughter pair. She could forgive stealing valuables, but when it involved them, she showed no mercy.
While the Eldest Miss napped, Hua Man wanted to learn more from Yu Shan, but aside from badmouthing that pair, Yu Shan was tight-lipped on everything else.
After probing for a while, Hua Man drew two conclusions:
One, the Eldest Miss hated Zhao Yang and her mother.
Two, Yu Shan was the Eldest Miss’s die-hard fan.
In Yu Shan’s words, the Eldest Miss was flawless. Any criticism was slander, and everything she did had its reasons.
Hua Man even thought that if the Eldest Miss wanted to kill someone, Yu Shan would deem them deserving, hand over the knife, and help bury the body.
Finally, Yu Shan’s gaze sharpened. “Hua Man, no matter who sent you, you’re the Eldest Miss’s person now. If you dare betray her, I’ll be the first to not forgive you!”
Hua Man: “…Got it.”
It seemed she absolutely couldn’t complain about the Eldest Miss in front of Yu Shan. She’d thought fellow servants could bond over griping about the boss, but that clearly wouldn’t work here.
Who knew what mind-bending potion the Eldest Miss had fed Yu Shan? Bored, Hua Man stood guard at the door, watching the servants bustle about outside.
She just had to stand there, but the servants were endlessly busy.
Just as boredom made her eyelids heavy, the automatic door opened, and the servants lined up respectfully to enter.
She sidestepped slightly and peeked inside before the door closed.
The Eldest Miss stood by the bed with her eyes closed, arms outstretched, her fine figure boldly on display. Though she wore a camisole and loose shorts, it was enough to make even Hua Man, another woman, blush and her heart race.
The servants gently draped a silk robe over her.
Hua Man quickly withdrew her gaze, her ears burning red as she lowered her head, pretending to be calm.
Did this Eldest Miss need help even to dress? Was she a three-year-old?
Soon, the Eldest Miss’s lazy voice came from inside, husky from just waking up, inexplicably sensual.
Too far to hear clearly, but Hua Man vaguely caught Yu Shan mentioning her name.
Hua Man immediately perked up.
Sure enough, soon a servant came out and said softly, “Hello, the Eldest Miss requests you come in.”
“Got it, thank you.”
Hua Man nodded calmly and stepped inside.
The Eldest Miss now sat on the sofa, with two people standing behind her massaging her back, and two more kneeling by her feet, gently kneading her legs.
Her legs were spread wide, the thin robe untied and splayed open from the posture, revealing skin like white jade underneath.
Yet the Eldest Miss seemed utterly unconcerned, perfectly at ease, her gaze lightly falling on Hua Man.
Hua Man’s eyes didn’t know where to land.
Finally, she simply lowered them to the floor patterns, standing quietly. Better to say less and see what mischief the Eldest Miss had in mind.
“Why the sour face again?”
The Eldest Miss spoke with a smile.
Hua Man was taken aback—the Eldest Miss’s tone was far too familiar, though they’d only met today.
As for the sour face, she thought it was an exaggeration; she just wasn’t smiling.
Bodyguards needed some presence to intimidate, so Hua Man had smiled little since entering the Yang Family.
Not answering seemed rude, so she replied concisely, “I’m not.”
The Eldest Miss tsked in dissatisfaction. “I think making eye contact when talking to someone is basic etiquette.”
She raised her gaze. Though looking up, it somehow felt like the casual air of someone in power.
Staring at Hua Man’s flushed ears, she curved her lips. “Hey, why won’t you look at me?”
Taking a deep breath, Hua Man looked down and met her eyes.
Despite her efforts to avoid improper places, her peripheral vision still caught that overflowing white.
The Eldest Miss had a great figure, and the low-cut camisole showed the inner curve of pale breast, tender and alluring, with a small red mole on the right side of the cleavage.
Starkly red.
Hua Man regretted her sharp eyesight for the first time.
“You’ve come to my side, but you haven’t told me your name.” As Yang Zhao spoke, she opened her mouth, and Yu Shan beside her promptly placed a freshly washed cherry inside.
Yu Shan had already mentioned her name earlier, so this was deliberate. Probably looking for an excuse to pick on her.
After all, she was sent by the stepmother the Eldest Miss hated most—guilt by association. Hua Man was prepared for trouble. “Hua Man.”
The Eldest Miss’s tone was casual, but her eyes held a smile. “Which ‘Hua,’ which ‘Man’?”
Hua Man frowned subtly. The Eldest Miss’s attitude was just like when she teased cats or dogs.
“‘Hua’ from China, ‘Man’ from long and drawn-out.”
“Mm, Hua Man…” Yang Zhao sat up slightly and extended her fair, slender hand toward Hua Man. “I’m Yang Zhao—’Yang’ from sun, ‘Zhao’ from bright fulfillment. You can call me—”
Yang Zhao drew out the words, then smiled and dropped two: “Zhao Zhao.”
