Chapter 65: Is This For Me?

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Is This For Me?

Xi Yunxui glanced toward King C.

She did not say anything, and her expression remained perfectly calm.

But inwardly, she had already made a decision.

You’ve earned yourself some extra carrots tonight.

After all, for all his troublesome behavior, King C had somehow helped prevent everyone from eating the suspicious dish.

King C seemed completely unaware of the decision that had just been made in his favor. He continued nibbling his carrot with an air of satisfaction, occasionally glancing around the table as though he were an honored guest at the table.

Meanwhile, Chef Zhao turned toward Chef Chen.

"Come with me."

Chef Chen lowered his head.

"Yes, Chef Zhao."

He followed him away from the dining room without another word.

The confidence he had displayed earlier was completely gone. His shoulders were slightly hunched, and his face was filled with remorse and regret.

He knew he had been caught.

There was no longer any point in trying to defend himself.

Once the two chefs disappeared from sight, Madam Huo let out a quiet sigh.

She turned toward the servants.

"Clear that dish away."

"Yes, Madam."

Two servants immediately stepped forward and carefully removed the contaminated dish from the table.

Madam Huo watched it being carried away with obvious disappointment.

"What a waste," she murmured.

She knew how much effort Xi Yunxui had put into preparing the meal. From the aroma alone, she had already been looking forward to tasting it.

And now, because of someone’s foolish actions, the dish had to be discarded.

Madam Huo turned toward Xi Yunxui.

"Yunxui, I’m sorry."

Xi Yunxui looked at her in surprise.

"You worked so hard preparing all of this, only for someone to tamper with one of the dishes."

Madam Huo’s expression softened.

"I know how much effort you put into today’s meal."

Xi Yunxui was momentarily stunned.

Then she slowly shook her head.

"Madam, you don’t have to apologize to me."

Her voice was sincere.

"I should have been more careful. I was responsible for the meal, so I should have made sure that nothing happened to it."

Madam Huo stared at her.

Xi Yunxui lowered her gaze.

"If I had paid closer attention, perhaps this wouldn’t have happened. I’m sorry, Madam."

There was no attempt to shift the blame.

No excuse.

Only genuine responsibility.

Madam Huo’s eyes softened even further.

"You really are..."

She paused, then smiled.

"I’m becoming more and more impressed by you."

Xi Yunxui blinked.

Madam Huo continued, "Most people would immediately blame someone else in a situation like this. But you are worried about the fact that your meal was tampered with under your watch."

She shook her head lightly.

"You really are different."

Xi Yunxui offered a small smile.

"I only did what I should."

The Huo patriarch, who had remained quiet throughout the exchange, briefly turned his gaze toward Xi Yunxui.

He did not say anything.

He simply continued eating.

But the faint approval in his eyes was unmistakable.

Huo Jingchen was equally silent.

His gaze rested on Xi Yunxui for several seconds.

There was no teasing in his eyes this time.

Only quiet pride.

He was proud of her.

Proud of the way she had handled the situation.

Proud of the fact that, even when something had gone wrong, her first instinct had not been to make excuses.

Xi Yunxui did not notice the look for long. She soon returned her attention to the table and the remaining dishes, guaging their reactions to the food.

---

Later that evening, the staff quarters had finally become quiet.

Xi Yunxui lay comfortably on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

The day had been far more exhausting than she had expected.

Beside her, the little red-feathered creature from the lucky draw was curled up peacefully, fast asleep.

Its strange wings were folded against its small body, while its tiny chest rose and fell with every breath.

Xi Yunxui turned her head and looked at it.

She smiled faintly.

At least one of her pets knew how to behave.

Then she remembered King C.

Her smile disappeared.

That one is probably having the time of his life.

King C was still with the Huo patriarch.

Apparently, after being carried by the old man earlier, the troublesome creature had decided that he had found himself a new personal bodyguard.

Or perhaps, in King C’s strange mind, the Huo patriarch had become his new human buddy.

Xi Yunxui sighed.

"Forget it."

She turned onto her back again.

There was something else bothering her.

The system.

Xi Yunxui narrowed her eyes.

"System."

[Yes, host?]

"Why didn’t you give me a mission concerning today’s meal?"

There was a brief silence.

Xi Yunxui continued before the system could answer.

"You knew something was going to happen, didn’t you?"

[Negative.]

Xi Yunxui frowned.

"Negative?"

[The system did not know what was going to happen.]

Xi Yunxui pushed herself upright.

"But you knew there was something wrong with the food."

[The system detected an unknown substance after host attempted to taste the dish.]

Xi Yunxui stared ahead.

"So you didn’t know beforehand?"

[Negative.]

The system’s voice remained as emotionless as ever.

[The system does not possess the ability to see the future.]

Xi Yunxui blinked.

Then she slowly understood.

"So you aren’t some all-knowing system?"

[The system has never claimed to be all-knowing.]

Xi Yunxui’s lips twitched.

She rubbed her forehead.

"Sometimes I really can’t tell whether you’re helping me or making things more difficult."

The system remained silent.

Xi Yunxui sighed again.

Then, just as she was about to lie back down, another thought suddenly occurred to her.

She narrowed her eyes.

"Wait..."

Her expression slowly became suspicious.

"If you can’t see the future, then why did you suddenly tell me not to jump to conclusions this morning?"

The system went silent.

Xi Yunxui’s eyes narrowed further.

"...System?"

No response.

"System?"

Still nothing.

Xi Yunxui stared at the empty air.

"This is suspicious."

The system remained completely silent, leaving Xi Yunxui even more convinced that there was something it was not telling her.

---

Xi Yunxui was just about to lie down properly and take a short nap when a knock sounded on her door.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

She paused.

For a moment, she wondered who could be looking for her at this time.

With a quiet sigh, Xi Yunxui pushed herself off the bed and walked toward the door.

She opened it and found a young maid standing outside. The maid looked to be slightly older than her and was dressed in the standard uniform of the Huo residence.

"Miss Xi," the maid said respectfully, "The eldest young master asked me to tell you to go to the garden."

Xi Yunxui blinked.

"Young Master Huo?"

The maid nodded.

"Yes."

Xi Yunxui hesitated for a second before nodding as well.

"All right. Thank you."

The maid gave a small bow before turning around and leaving.

Xi Yunxui watched her disappear down the corridor before slowly closing the door.

The moment the door shut, she turned around.

Her gaze immediately landed on the small creature sleeping peacefully on her bed.

The red, chicken-like creature was curled into itself, its strange wings folded neatly against its body. Its tiny chest rose and fell with each gentle breath.

Xi Yunxui stared at it for a moment.

"You’re still sleeping?"

The creature did not move.

Xi Yunxui shook her head with a small smile.

"Good. Stay here."

She quietly walked back toward the door, careful not to make enough noise to wake it. After stepping outside, she gently closed the door behind her.

Then she headed toward the garden.

However, the closer she got, the more unusual the surroundings became.

When she finally stepped into the garden, she stopped dead.

Her eyes widened.

The once-neat garden was still in a terrible state.

Broken branches lay scattered across the grass. Several flowers had been trampled, patches of soil had been overturned, and feathers and strands of fur were still caught between the plants.

The sight instantly brought back the memories she had somehow managed to push to the back of her mind.

King C.

The chicken-like creature.

Their little battle.

The destruction.

Xi Yunxui’s mouth twitched.

Oh.

She had completely forgotten about this.

No one had brought up the destroyed garden after the incident, and with everything that had happened afterward—the patriarch’s arrival, the suspicious dish, and the chaos surrounding the meal—the matter had completely slipped her mind.

Xi Yunxui slowly looked around.

Her expression became nervous.

Is this why Young Master Huo called me here?

She swallowed.

Is he going to punish me?

Her imagination immediately began running wild.

Will he deduct money from my salary?

Then another thought struck her.

Wait...

She had not even received her first salary yet.

Xi Yunxui’s eyes brightened slightly.

What does getting a salary in this world even feel like?

According to the memories she had inherited, people in this world received money through something called a bank account.

She had never actually experienced it herself.

Since arriving in this strange modern world, she had been working constantly, but she had yet to receive a single salary payment.

Maybe I should be worried about the punishment... but I also really want to see my salary.

She shook her head.

No! Focus!

This was not the time to think about money.

If Huo Jingchen was really calling her over because of the garden, then she needed to figure out how to explain herself.

With every step she took, her anxiety grew.

By the time she finally reached the center of the garden, she saw someone standing ahead.

Huo Jingchen.

He was standing beneath one of the trees, dressed neatly and calmly.

He seemed to have been waiting for her.

The moment Xi Yunxui approached, his sharp senses picked up her footsteps.

He turned around.

Their eyes met.

Xi Yunxui immediately slowed down.

Her gaze then fell on something in his hand.

A shopping bag.

It was an elegant, well-designed bag of the kind she had seen people carrying after shopping at expensive malls.

Xi Yunxui stared at it.

What is that?

Her nervousness returned.

Why had Huo Jingchen asked her to come all the way to the garden?

And why was he holding a shopping bag?

Was there something inside it related to her punishment?

Huo Jingchen looked at her for a moment.

Then, without saying anything, he extended the bag toward her.

"Take this."

Xi Yunxui stared at his outstretched hand.

"Huh?"

She looked from the bag to his face.

Huo Jingchen simply waited.

Still confused, Xi Yunxui slowly reached out and accepted it.

The bag was surprisingly light.

She looked at him again.

"What should I do with this, Young Master?"

Huo Jingchen suddenly cleared his throat.

For some reason, the usually composed man seemed slightly awkward.

He turned his face to the side.

"Open it."

Xi Yunxui blinked.

"Open it?"

"Mm."

She carefully looked inside.

There was a neatly packaged box inside the shopping bag.

Her curiosity immediately increased.

She pulled out the box and held it carefully in both hands.

Huo Jingchen watched her quietly.

Xi Yunxui glanced at him once before slowly opening the box.

The moment she saw what was inside, she froze.

A backpack.

A beautiful black backpack.

It was simple and elegant, with a clean design that was neither too flashy nor overly complicated. The material looked sturdy, while the neatly arranged compartments made it clear that it was designed to be both practical and fashionable.

Xi Yunxui stared at it.

She had seen beautiful backpacks before in the memories of the original Xi Yunxui, but she had never expected to receive one herself.

Slowly, she lifted her head.

"Is... is this for me?"

Huo Jingchen nodded.

"Yes."

Xi Yunxui looked down at the backpack again.

Then back at him.

Her confusion only deepened.

"Why did you buy me a backpack?"

Huo Jingchen’s expression shifted slightly.

For some reason, he suddenly found it difficult to explain.

He had spent an unreasonable amount of time choosing it.

He had even asked Zhou Rui where he could find a suitable backpack, something simple enough for Xi Yunxui but still practical.

And now that he was standing in front of her, he suddenly felt strangely embarrassed.

In the end, he simply said,

"Consider it a reward."

"A reward?"

"For always cooking good meals for me."

Xi Yunxui’s eyes widened slightly.

Before she could respond, Huo Jingchen had already turned around.

"Use it."

He took two steps before pausing briefly.

Then, without looking back, he added,

"I think it suits you."

With that, he continued walking away.

Xi Yunxui remained standing in the garden, holding the open box in her hands.

She stared after him.

Then she looked down at the backpack.

Then back at the direction he had disappeared.

Her expression was one of complete bewilderment.

"...What just happened?"

She had spent the entire walk here worrying that Huo Jingchen was going to punish her for destroying the garden.

Instead...

He had given her a backpack.

Xi Yunxui slowly touched the smooth material of the bag.

A small smile appeared on her lips.

She had no idea why Huo Jingchen had suddenly given her a gift.

But one thing was certain.

She had completely misunderstood why he had called her to the garden.

"Young Master is... really strange." She lowered her gaze to the backpack again, unable to hide the faint happiness in her eyes.

What Xi Yunxui did not know was that, several steps away, Huo Jingchen was walking with a faint smile of his own.

He had originally intended to say much more.

But the moment he saw her holding the backpack with that confused yet pleased expression, the words had somehow disappeared from his mind.

He simply hoped she would like it.

And judging by the smile she was trying so hard to hide...

Perhaps his choice had not been wrong after all.

~~~~~~

A/N: Don’t forget to drop a comment!