Novel Full Chapter 72 -
Chapter 72: Chapter
Inside the quiet room, little Mingyu’s eyelids grew heavy from the brief excitement, and he smoothly drifted back into a deep, peaceful sleep. The heavy blankets still rose and fell with his shallow, raspy breaths, but his expression looked more relaxed than it had in months.
Su Yueqing walked silently back to the bedside, her sharp leather boots making no sound on the plush rug.
[Host, now that the room is secure, I have processed the structural medical data,] Nine’s mechanical voice echoed directly in her mind.
[To improve the target’s health, you must immediately implement three steps: first, neutralize the toxic residue of the daily herbal incense they are burning in here; second, stimulate his blocked acupuncture meridians using a precise thermal massage technique; and third, feed him a specialized saline and honey solution to strip the thick mucus coating his lungs. Furthermore, I must inform you that executing these actions will earn you significant Favorability Points from the target and the observing family members.]
Su Yueqing kept entirely quiet. Her frosty eyes softened for a fraction of a second as she looked down at the pale, sleeping child, carefully checking his temperature with the back of her hand.
But the moment Nine mentioned those dreaded words... Favorability Points.. her inner mind completely lost its temper.
[SHUT UP, NINE! I DON’T CARE!] Su Yueqing shouted back at her system internally, her mental voice booming so loudly it practically vibrated in the minds of anyone listening nearby.
[Who cares about favorability?! I am a textbook villainess! If I earn too many good-guy points, my whole reputation is ruined! It’s just a few necessary medical adjustments for a sick kid, okay? I’ll just do something incredibly mean, toxic, and unhinged to someone else later to farm my Villain Points back up! I can balance the scales!]
She rubbed her temples, feeling a massive headache forming from the sheer contradiction of her own actions. After a moment, she crossed her arms and sniffed.
[Fine. Just give me the current status report. Pull up my dashboard. Exactly how many Villain Points and Favorability Points do I have right now?]
[Understood, Host. Loading current status panel...]
Nine chipped in cheerfully.
A glowing, semi-transparent blue screen flashed only before Su Yueqing’s eyes, displaying her current tallies in bold, digital characters.
[ Current Status:
Villain Points: 150
Favorability Points: 200]
Su Yueqing froze. Her jaw dropped so low it practically hit the floor, and her eyes nearly popped out of her skull as she stared at the massive thee-digit number.
"What in the world..." she muttered aloud in sheer shock, before screaming inside her head.
[TWO HUNDRED?!]
Su Yueqing’s inner voice shrieked in absolute, horrified disbelief.
[Nine, are you completely crazy?! Something is seriously wrong with your system calculator or something! Look at this! Where did hundreds of Favorability Points even come from?! I’ve been acting like a total snobbish, abusive, unhinged tyrant since the moment I woke up in this body! Did your mainboard get a virus?! Check the math right now!]
Nine remained completely silent for a few seconds, as if pretending to run a diagnostic.
Before she could scream at Nine any longer, the heavy wooden doors creaked open. The maid from earlier stepped back into the room, keeping her eyes glued to the floor. Behind her walked the two requested maids, their heads bowed in deep apprehension.
"Young Madame," the messenger maid whispered, bowing until her forehead almost touched the carpet. "I have brought them as you commanded."
"Good. Dismissed," Su Yueqing snapped coldly, waving a hand. "Get out and ensure no one else approaches this courtyard."
The messenger maid scrambled backward out of the room, pulling the doors shut tightly behind her. The click of the lock left a heavy silence in the bedchambers, broken only by the soft, raspy breaths of the sleeping Mingyu.
Left behind were the two maids. The one from earlier today, the sharp-tongued girl who had boldly accused Li Mei of stealing stood with her shoulders tense. Beside her stood the other maid, looking just as frail and quiet as before. They both kept their heads lowered, trembling slightly as they awaited the unpredictable Young Madame’s wrath.
Su Yueqing slowly turned to face them. On the outside, she kept her chin high, her dark eyes narrowing into a sharp, intimidating stare as she crossed her arms.
But inside her head, her mind completely abandoned the faulty calculator issue, her thoughts bursting with unexpected approval.
[Finally! Actual capable girls.] Su Yueqing’s inner voice cheered in total privacy. [Li Mei gives me such a massive headache with her constant scheming. But these two? Look at them! The outspoken one actually has some spine to stir up drama, and the quiet one looks like a hidden gem who just needs proper direction! Yes! These are exactly the kind of people I want under my wing. I can definitely work with this!]
Oblivious to the praise echoing inside Su Yueqing’s mind, the two maids remained frozen, terrified that they were about to be severely punished for the day’s earlier chaos.
Su Yueqing cleared her throat roughly, burying her inner satisfaction behind a stern, commanding tone.
"You," she said, pointing a sharp finger at the maid who had caused the commotion earlier. "You made quite a scene today. But I am a generous master. I am giving you a chance to redeem yourself right here in this courtyard. First, tell me your names."
The outspoken maid quickly dropped to one knee, her voice shaking slightly. "This servant is named Qing’er, Young Madame."
The frail, quiet maid beside her followed suit, bowing low. "This servant is called Mo’er."
"Good. Listen carefully, Qing’er and Mo’er," Su Yueqing commanded, her voice smooth and leaving absolutely no room for error. "I have an evening horse-riding appointment with the Young Master, and I expect this room to be prepared by the time I return. I am assigning different tasks to both of you."
She turned to Qing’er first. "Qing’er, your task is to immediately clear out that suffocating herbal incense. Clean the burner thoroughly and ensure not a single trace of that toxic residue remains. Understand?"
"Yes, Young Madame!" Qing’er answered immediately, letting out a quiet breath of relief as she realized she wasn’t being executed.
Su Yueqing then looked down at Mo’er. "Mo’er, you will head to the kitchens. Demand clean, pure water and boil it repeatedly until it is completely purified. Then, seek out fresh honey and coarse salt from the pantry. If anyone questions you, tell them it is by my direct decree. Have everything laid out neatly before I step back into this room."
"This servant obeys," Mo’er murmured, her small shoulders straightening as she accepted the task.
[Excellent! Once the room is stripped of that horrible smoke and the purified saline solution is ready, we can finally tackle this kid’s blocked meridians!] Su Yueqing’s internal voice plotted with sharp, efficient focus.
[Now, I need to go look suitably haughty and elegant for this horse-riding date. Can’t let Wenzhe think I’m slacking on my villainess duties!]
With a sharp turn of her heel, her leather riding boots clicking firmly against the floor, Su Yueqing strode toward the doors, leaving the two stunned but deeply motivated maids to their tasks.