The meeting was not scheduled for today. After finishing breakfast, Xia Yu and You Xue went together to the noodle restaurant downstairs to assist their grandfather.
The restaurant was not very busy, and the two elders didn’t really have Xia Yu and You Xue do much work. The main role of the siblings was to allow the two elders to show them off.
It was similar to having just acquired a new designer bag and immediately going shopping with a close friend—the shopping was secondary; the real purpose was to flaunt the bag.
They stayed there for the morning and Xia Yu confirmed that all he needed to do was nod occasionally, greet people, and talk about his achievements. Feeling assured, Xia Yu handed over the responsibilities to the caretaker and entered An Siyao’s body.
It was just in time for lunch, and he met Luo Yali and An Feixiong.
Exactly as An Siyao had described, An Feixiong was a noisy brat with considerable weight. Judging from his appearance, the name An Feixiong was quite fitting.
After much coaxing from Luo Yali, An Feixiong ate a few bites of food before hopping off his chair to play outside, forcing Luo Yali to follow him with his bowl in hand.
Shaking his head, Xia Yu had initially thought that An Siyao’s situation might involve a plot where a stepmother, relying on her younger son and her husband’s favoritism, would fight with the deceased wife’s daughter over the family fortune.
Now it seemed he had overthought it—Luo Yali and An Feixiong were simply incapable.
Without a sufficiently formidable enemy, it was indeed lonely.
Sighing, after finishing lunch, Xia Yu returned to his room to rest for a while. At two o’clock in the afternoon, he walked out of the house.
As he passed through the front courtyard, he encountered a maid.
She was one of the maids from the villa, assigned by Luo Yali to take care of An Feixiong.
The maid was using a clothes rod to poke at a tree beside her.
Looking up, Xia Yu saw a soccer ball on the tree. He glanced at the maid’s side and saw An Feixiong, visibly angry, pointing and scolding the maid.
The clothes rod could reach the ball, but the branches around it were too dense to move the ball out.
The maid anxiously stood on tiptoe, continuously poking at the ball with the rod, but the ball remained unmoved.
At that moment, she heard footsteps from the side.
Turning her head, she saw Xia Yu.
“Miss…” the maid hurried to explain, but Xia Yu stopped her.
“Give me the rod,” Xia Yu said.
Taking the clothes rod from the maid, Xia Yu calculated the height of the ball and the length of the rod, making a quick plan based on the surrounding terrain.
Then he took a few steps back, ran forward, pushed off the tree trunk with his foot, and at the highest point of his jump, he poked the ball with the rod.
The ball fell down.
The maid looked at Xia Yu with shining eyes—the movement had been so cool.
Handing the rod back to the maid, Xia Yu turned to leave, but An Feixiong blocked his way: “You made my ball dirty!”
Indeed, the ball had landed in a patch of muddy ground where new flowers were about to be planted.
“Go wash it for me!” An Feixiong continued.
The maid offered to wash it, but An Feixiong refused.
“Doesn’t she have hands? Let her pick it up!” the boy said.
It was an oddly twisted logic, and Xia Yu looked at him for a moment.
He had come to help because he had determined An Feixiong was no threat and had planned to befriend him. But now it seemed this was a lost cause.
He approached the muddy patch, picked up the ball, and in front of An Feixiong’s eyes, threw it back up into the tree.
This time, the ball landed even higher than before.
“What are you doing!” An Feixiong rushed forward to pull Xia Yu’s clothes.
Xia Yu sidestepped, tripped the boy with his foot, and sent him sprawling on the ground.
An Feixiong burst into loud sobs.
Ignoring him, Xia Yu called the maid beside him: “Come with me.”
“But what about the young master…” the maid had been instructed to take care of An Feixiong.
“I am your master,” Xia Yu said firmly, leaving no room for argument.
“Okay,” the maid, who had already been quite fed up with An Feixiong, felt relieved to abandon him after hearing Xia Yu’s words and followed behind him.
The maid knew that Xia Yu had not originally intended to take her along; he had only taken her away to prevent her from being unfairly blamed by An Feixiong.
In this way, she had become the young lady’s maid, and any scolding over the young master’s affairs would now be a matter between her and the young lady.
Glancing back at An Feixiong, still crying on the ground, and recalling the young lady’s words, “I am your master,” the maid felt a warmth in her chest.
She smiled foolishly.
Xia Yu assumed the maid was just delighted that An Feixiong had gotten what he deserved. He led the maid into the car waiting at the gate.
The driver stood beside the car like a robot. Once both were seated, he closed the back door, entered the driver’s seat, and drove toward Dongzhi Xiang Academy.
Throughout the journey, he remained silent, his expression emotionless.
But inside, he was far from calm.
Wuliang Tianzun! What had he just witnessed!
The young lady helped the young master retrieve a ball, which led to an argument when it landed in the mud and ended with the young master’s defeat. It seemed like a small sibling conflict, but in reality, it was far more significant.
In a wealthy household, every detail was part of a silent struggle!
What had happened just now was no exception—it carried deep implications!
The soccer ball was the center of the event; it was not an ordinary ball but represented—An Group.
When the young master had the maid try to retrieve the ball stuck among the branches, it symbolized his attempt to seize control of An Group.
At that moment, the young lady stepped in, took the rod, and retrieved the ball for the young master—it was a signal.
It meant she was willing to cooperate with the young master and jointly control An Group.
The maid had failed to get the ball down, but the young lady succeeded, proving that without her, it was difficult for the young master to monopolize An Group.
But the young master refused to share power. He used the fact that the ball had landed in the mud to suggest that the young lady would only dirty An Group.
By ordering the young lady to clean the ball, he was forcing her to show she would no longer interfere, implying that An Group had been dirtied because of her involvement, and the only way to clean it was for her to step back.
Naturally, the young lady was not one to back down. She threw the ball back into the tree, placing it even higher and more unreachable than before, signaling to the young master: if you won’t share it with me, then you won’t have it either!
The young master, still inexperienced, immediately flew into a rage and physically confronted the young lady.
The young lady responded with a clear demonstration—once the fight began, the young master would never be her match, as evidenced by him lying there crying.
These interpretations alone were troubling enough, but what chilled the driver most was:
The young lady had taken away the maid who was by the young master’s side.
What did that signify! The maid symbolized the young master’s support. The young lady was taking his allies after her victory, aiming to strip the young master of everything.
The reason the young master cried so bitterly was likely because he had realized this, fearing the young lady’s ruthless pursuit.
After all, this was the young lady who had raised an entire academy of noble girls!
At the school gate, the driver respectfully opened the car door for the young lady, then drove the car aside, got out, and lit a cigarette.
I just wanted to earn some money for my baby’s formula—why did I get dragged into this battle among the rich?
What if the young lady asks me to do something… unethical?
I will definitely not do anything that harms morality, but what if she offers me a huge sum?
Qingqing, everything I do is for your and the child’s future!
Strengthened by this thought, the driver crushed the cigarette butt, chewed a piece of gum, sprayed on some cologne to mask the smoke smell, and got back into the car.
At that moment, Xia Yu and the maid had arrived at the door of Zhong Yunxin’s dormitory.
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