Chapter 104: Glued

Chapter 104: Chapter 104: Glued

By the time Xi Yunxui reached the main residence, she found Huo Yuning in the middle of her afternoon schedule.

From that moment onward, Xi Yunxui stayed close.

Perhaps a little too close.

Wherever Huo Yuning went, Xi Yunxui followed. When Huo Yuning went to the living room, Xi Yunxui was there. When she moved to the garden, Xi Yunxui followed her outside. When she went upstairs to change for an appointment, Xi Yunxui waited nearby until she came back down.

At first, Huo Yuning found it amusing.

After several hours, she became curious.

By late afternoon, Huo Yuning finally stopped in the middle of the corridor and turned around to stare at Xi Yunxui, who had nearly walked into her because she had been paying more attention to her surroundings than to the woman in front of her.

Huo Yuning folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Xi Yunxui."

"Yes, Miss Yuning?"

"Are you planning to follow me everywhere today?"

Xi Yunxui blinked.

"Yes."

The answer came so naturally that Huo Yuning was caught off guard.

She stared at her for a moment before laughing.

"You’re not even going to deny it?"

"Why would I deny it? I was ordered to make sure you return home safely tonight."

"Ordered?" Huo Yuning repeated, amused. "You make it sound like someone assigned you to guard me."

Xi Yunxui’s expression remained serious.

"Something like that."

Huo Yuning studied her for another few seconds before her lips curled into a teasing smile.

"Don’t tell me you have a crush on me."

Xi Yunxui nearly choked on air.

"What?"

Huo Yuning laughed at her expression.

"You’ve been glued to me since lunch. Wherever I go, you’re right behind me. You even followed me into the garden."

"That’s because it’s my mission."

"A mission?"

"Yes."

"To follow me?"

"To make sure you’re safe."

Huo Yuning’s smile widened.

"So you’re saying you’re this concerned about me because it’s your job?"

"Exactly."

"That’s disappointing."

Xi Yunxui stared at her.

Huo Yuning laughed again before turning around and continuing down the corridor.

"Relax. I’m only teasing you."

Xi Yunxui followed after her, muttering under her breath, "Who would have thought someone could misunderstand a perfectly normal mission so easily?"

Huo Yuning heard her and laughed even harder.

The rest of the afternoon passed much the same way.

Huo Yuning had several things to take care of before going out that evening, and Xi Yunxui remained close enough that she could keep an eye on her without becoming completely intrusive. The actress seemed to grow increasingly entertained by her presence, occasionally glancing back just to see whether Xi Yunxui was still following.

She always was.

By the time evening arrived, the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving the sky outside the windows washed in deep shades of blue.

Around eight o’clock, Huo Yuning finally finished getting ready.

When she came downstairs, Xi Yunxui was already waiting.

Huo Yuning had changed into a stylish black dress that suited her figure without being overly elaborate. Her long hair had been carefully styled, and her makeup was refined enough to emphasize her features without making her appear too different from her usual self.

Xi Yunxui looked at her for a moment.

"You look beautiful."

Huo Yuning smiled.

"Thank you."

She picked up her handbag and walked toward the entrance.

Xi Yunxui immediately followed.

Huo Yuning stopped.

She turned around.

"You’re coming?"

Xi Yunxui nodded.

"Of course."

"I was joking earlier, but you really are glued to me."

"I have a mission."

"I know, I know."

Huo Yuning shook her head with an amused smile before walking toward the waiting car.

The drive took them across the city to a well-known nightclub.

The moment they stepped out of the car, Xi Yunxui’s expression changed slightly.

She had never been inside a place like this before.

The entrance was brightly lit, music throbbed faintly from inside, and people dressed in fashionable clothes moved in and out of the building. The atmosphere was lively, noisy, and completely different from the quiet environment of the Huo residence.

Xi Yunxui followed Huo Yuning through the entrance.

A staff member recognized Huo Yuning almost immediately and greeted her respectfully before leading them toward a private area.

They passed through a quieter corridor and stopped before a private room.

The staff member opened the door.

Huo Yuning walked inside.

Xi Yunxui followed.

Inside the spacious room, five people were already seated around a large table: Lin Qiaoqiao, Fang Meilin, and Su Ruyan, along with Chen Haoran and Wei Ziming. They all attended the same university.

The conversation stopped almost immediately when Huo Yuning entered.

All five pairs of eyes turned toward her.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then Lin Qiaoqiao smiled.

"Yuning, you’re finally here."

Her tone sounded friendly.

Her expression did not.

Xi Yunxui noticed it immediately.

The smile reached the woman’s lips, but there was no warmth behind it.

Huo Yuning either didn’t notice or simply didn’t care.

"Sorry I’m late."

She took a seat.

Xi Yunxui remained standing beside her.

The five people looked at Xi Yunxui curiously.

Chen Haoran glanced at her and asked, "Who’s this?"

"My maid," Huo Yuning replied casually.

The man’s eyebrows lifted.

"You’re bringing a maid to a gathering like this?"

"She’s accompanying me tonight."

"Oh."

The man’s gaze lingered on Xi Yunxui for a moment before returning to Huo Yuning.

Fang Meilin gave a faint laugh.

"Yuning really is different now. Even going out requires someone to accompany her."

The words sounded harmless.

Xi Yunxui didn’t think they were.

She glanced at Huo Yuning.

The actress merely picked up her glass.

"She’s just doing her job."

"Of course," Fang Meilin replied.

Su Ruyan leaned back against the sofa.

"I heard you’ve been getting a lot of attention lately."

Huo Yuning smiled politely.

"Some."

"Some?"

The woman laughed.

"You’re being modest. I saw the recent news. Your new drama hasn’t even aired yet, and you’ve already been trending several times."

"That’s good for the production."

"Naturally."

Su Ruyan’s smile tightened.

"It must be nice."

Xi Yunxui’s brows furrowed.

There was something strange about the way she said it.

The conversation continued, and the more Xi Yunxui listened, the clearer it became.

The five people weren’t exactly Huo Yuning’s friends.

They knew each other, certainly, but there was a strange undercurrent beneath every exchange.

Whenever Huo Yuning mentioned a successful project, someone would make a sarcastic remark.

Whenever someone praised her, another person would quickly change the subject.

When Huo Yuning spoke about an upcoming role, Su Ruyan immediately pointed out that she had only received it because the director liked her appearance.

When Chen Haoran mentioned Huo Yuning’s popularity, Wei Ziming joked that celebrities were only famous because the media decided to promote them.

Nobody openly insulted her.

They didn’t need to.

Their smiles, tones, glances, and carefully chosen words said enough.

Xi Yunxui’s expression gradually darkened.

She didn’t understand why people had to behave like this.

If they disliked Huo Yuning, they could simply say so.

Why pretend to be friends while constantly trying to diminish her?

Lin Qiaoqiao suddenly turned toward Xi Yunxui.

"You’re very quiet."

Xi Yunxui looked at her.

"I don’t have anything to say."

The woman smiled.

"You’re quite protective of Yuning, aren’t you?"

Xi Yunxui frowned slightly.

Before she could answer, Lin Qiaoqiao added teasingly, "Perhaps you really do have a crush on her."

Huo Yuning immediately laughed.

"See? I told you she was going to say that."

Xi Yunxui’s face twitched.

Why had everyone decided that?

She was simply doing her job!

But before she could defend herself, Chen Haoran chuckled.

"Maybe she knows something we don’t."

The others laughed.

Xi Yunxui’s fingers tightened around the edge of her sleeve.

She could tolerate jokes.

She could tolerate teasing.

But listening to these people repeatedly belittle Huo Yuning was another matter entirely.

She had spent the entire day with Huo Yuning. Although she had only recently gotten to know her, she had already seen enough to know that Huo Yuning wasn’t the arrogant, spoiled celebrity these people seemed determined to portray.

Huo Yuning had been patient with her.

She had joked with her.

She had even deliberately slowed down earlier because she noticed Xi Yunxui was unfamiliar with some of the places they visited.

And now these people were sitting here, smiling while throwing one subtle insult after another at her.

Xi Yunxui’s irritation rose.

Her fingers curled tightly against her sleeve, and the fabric began to wrinkle beneath her grip. The urge to interrupt them, to tell them exactly what she thought of their behavior, grew stronger with every word.

One of the glasses on the table rattled when her knuckles struck the edge of the table.

Huo Yuning noticed.

Her eyes shifted toward Xi Yunxui.

"Xi Yunxui."

The maid looked at her.

Huo Yuning gave her a small shake of the head.

That single gesture was enough.

Xi Yunxui took a breath and forced herself to relax her hand.

The glass stopped rattling.

Huo Yuning gave her an almost imperceptible smile before turning back toward the others as though nothing had happened.

Xi Yunxui lowered her eyes.

She understood the message.

Don’t cause trouble.

At least, not here.

Still, her gaze swept across the five people once more.

Her expression remained calm, but inside, she was already thinking that these people had better stop provoking Huo Yuning.

Because if they didn’t...

She wasn’t sure how long she would be able to keep pretending not to notice.