Chapter 90: Lowly Maid

Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Lowly Maid

After watching the three creatures finish eating, Xi Yunxui was about to lie down on the bed when she suddenly remembered the promise she had made to Huo Jingchen.

I’ll come back as soon as I feed King C, Biyu, and Hui.

She had completely forgotten about it while dealing with the system.

Xi Yunxui sighed softly and stood up.

"Alright, I’m going out for a while."

King C immediately lifted his head.

"Where are you going?"

"To the library."

"The library?" King C’s eyes brightened. "I want to go too!"

Xi Yunxui turned toward him.

"No. All of you have to stay here."

King C’s expression fell.

"Why?"

"Because there are guests in the mansion, and they aren’t exactly easy to deal with. I don’t want you wandering around and causing trouble."

"I won’t cause trouble," King C protested.

Xi Yunxui gave him a doubtful look.

King C immediately looked offended.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Have I ever caused trouble?"

Biyu slowly turned her head toward him.

A/N: Biyu is a female.

Hui also lifted her little tiger-like face.

Xi Yunxui stared at him.

King C’s expression changed.

"Fine. Maybe once or twice."

"Once or twice?" Xi Yunxui repeated.

"Maybe three times."

"King C."

"Alright, alright!" He waved his hoof impatiently. "But staying in this room is boring. It’s stuffy, and I want to go outside."

Before Xi Yunxui could respond, Biyu’s ears twitched. She turned her head toward King C, her gaze sharp and watchful, but she made no sound.

King C immediately turned toward her.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Biyu’s eyes narrowed.

King C’s ears slowly flattened.

Xi Yunxui watched the exchange with growing suspicion.

"Don’t worry too much." she said. "The visitors won’t stay forever. Just wait here until they leave."

King C opened his mouth to argue.

Biyu took one silent step toward him.

The faint pressure radiating from her small body made the air in the room seem to tighten.

King C froze.

For a moment, neither creature moved. His hoof remained raised, while Biyu stared at him without blinking. The quiet confrontation carried an unmistakable warning: one more step, one more protest, and she would not remain patient.

King C’s expression shifted from defiance to unease.

Xi Yunxui glanced between them.

"King C?"

He slowly lowered his hoof.

"Fine. I’ll stay."

Xi Yunxui raised a brow.

"That was surprisingly easy."

King C muttered something under his breath.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

Biyu’s gaze remained fixed on him.

King C immediately turned away.

Xi Yunxui narrowed her eyes but decided not to pursue it.

She glanced at the three creatures one last time.

"Stay in the room. Don’t open the door for anyone, and don’t wander around the mansion."

King C waved his hoof.

"We know."

"I’m serious."

"We know!"

"Especially you, King C."

King C’s expression darkened.

"Why am I always the one being suspected?"

"Because you’re always the one who gives me reasons to worry."

King C looked as though he wanted to argue, but Biyu’s silent warning made him reconsider.

Xi Yunxui smiled faintly before turning toward the door.

"I’ll be back soon."

With that, she left the room.

---

Xi Yunxui walked briskly through the staff quarters and toward the main residence.

Although she had only been away from Huo Jingchen for a short while, she could not help feeling a little nervous as she remembered his final words.

Come back when you’re done.

He had said it so seriously that she had almost felt as though she were making a promise to someone waiting for her at home.

The thought made her cheeks warm.

Xi Yunxui immediately shook her head.

Stop thinking about that.

She had barely managed to push the thought aside when she noticed someone standing ahead in the corridor.

A young woman was walking toward her.

Xi Yunxui recognized her after a moment.

It was Huo Mingyuo’s daughter, Huo Ruxe.

Huo Ruxe stopped when she saw Xi Yunxui, her gaze moving over her from head to toe. Her expression gradually changed, and her brows pulled together in visible displeasure.

"Wait."

Xi Yunxui stopped.

Huo Ruxe walked closer.

"What is your relationship with my eldest cousin?"

Xi Yunxui blinked.

"Your eldest cousin?"

Huo Ruxe’s brows furrowed more deeply.

"Huo Jingchen."

Only then did Xi Yunxui realize who she was referring to.

"Oh."

She looked at Huo M

Ruxe calmly.

"I don’t understand what you’re asking."

Huo Ruxe’s expression immediately darkened.

"Don’t play dumb with me."

Xi Yunxui remained silent.

Huo Ruxe folded her arms across her chest.

"I’ve heard the rumors. You’re always following my eldest cousin around. You were seen walking with him, and you’re constantly finding excuses to appear wherever he is."

Xi Yunxui’s expression did not change.

Huo Ruxe stepped closer, lowering her voice as though she were warning her.

"Are you trying to become a phoenix by clinging to him?"

Xi Yunxui’s eyes turned slightly cold.

Huo Ruxe, however, continued without noticing.

"Let me tell you something. You shouldn’t have any strange ideas about my eldest cousin. He can never be with someone like you."

Xi Yunxui’s fingers curled faintly at her sides.

"Someone like me?"

Huo Ruxe looked her over with undisguised contempt.

"You’re only a lowly maid."

The words landed heavily in the quiet corridor.

Xi Yunxui stared at her.

Huo Ruxe seemed pleased by her silence and continued speaking.

"Do you really think you can change your fate just because my eldest cousin has spoken to you a few times? Don’t be ridiculous. He is the eldest young master of the Huo family, while you’re merely a servant working in this mansion."

Xi Yunxui did not respond.

Her face remained calm, and she lowered her gaze as though she had chosen not to argue.

But beneath that composed exterior, her anger was already rising.

She had never been the type of person to tolerate insults quietly.

In her previous life, she had endured plenty of unpleasant situations, but she had never allowed others to step on her dignity without resistance. If someone insulted her without reason, she would confront them directly.

Yet now, she was standing in the Huo residence.

Huo Ruxe was Huo Mingyuo’s daughter, one of the household’s guests, and someone who clearly believed that Xi Yunxui had no right to challenge her.

Xi Yunxui understood that arguing with her would only create another disturbance.

That did not mean she was not angry.

Her thoughts were already boiling.

Lowly maid?

Trying to become a phoenix?

Who does she think she is?

Huo Ruxue mistook her silence for fear and became even more confident.

"I’m warning you for your own good," she said. "Don’t try to get close to my eldest cousin. You’re not suitable for him, and he would never look at someone like you."

Xi Yunxui slowly lifted her gaze.

Her expression was still composed, but the warmth had disappeared from her eyes.

Huo Ruxue’s smile faltered slightly.

For a moment, the corridor seemed to grow colder.

Xi Yunxui took one step forward.

It was only a small movement, but Huo Ruxue instinctively stiffened. The contempt in her eyes wavered, replaced by a flicker of uncertainty.

"You’ve said enough," Xi Yunxui said quietly.

Huo Ruxue’s face tightened.

"What did you say?"

"I said you’ve said enough."

Xi Yunxui’s voice remained calm, yet every word carried a sharpness that cut through the corridor.

Huo Ruxue’s eyes flashed with anger.

"Who do you think you are to speak to me like that?"

"Someone you just insulted without reason."

The answer came so quickly that Huo Ruxue froze.

Xi Yunxui did not look away.

"You came to stop me, questioned my relationship with Huo Jingchen, and called me a lowly maid. If you wanted to warn me, you could have spoken with some restraint. Instead, you chose to humiliate me."

Huo Ruxue’s face flushed.

"You’re only a servant. How dare you lecture me?"

"Being a servant does not mean I have no dignity."

The words struck harder than Huo Ruxue expected.

Her hands clenched at her sides.

"You really think my eldest cousin will protect you?"

Xi Yunxui’s gaze sharpened.

"I never said that."

"But you’re relying on him!" Huo Ruxue snapped. "Otherwise, why would you dare speak to me this way?"

Her voice echoed through the corridor.

The moment the words left her mouth, the atmosphere changed.

Xi Yunxui’s expression turned completely cold.

"Do not confuse my restraint with reliance."

Huo Ruxue’s breathing grew heavier.

"You—"

"If you have nothing else to say, move aside."

Xi Yunxui stepped forward.

Huo Ruxue immediately shifted into her path, blocking her.

"You think you can just leave after provoking me?"

Xi Yunxui stopped.

The two stood only a few steps apart, the tension between them tightening like a drawn bowstring.

"I’m not the one who started this conversation," Xi Yunxui said.

"But you’re the one who refuses to know your place."

Huo Ruxue raised her hand, her eyes burning with humiliation and fury.

For a heartbeat, the corridor fell silent.

Xi Yunxui’s gaze dropped to the raised hand.

Then she looked back at Huo Ruxue’s face.

"If you dare touch me," she said softly, "you’d better be prepared to bear the consequences."

Huo Ruxue’s hand trembled in midair.

The warning was quiet, but it carried no trace of fear.

Huo Ruxue gritted her teeth.

"You think I’m afraid of you?"

"No," Xi Yunxui replied. "You’re afraid that if you strike me, you’ll no longer be able to pretend this was only a warning."

Huo Ruxue’s expression changed.

At that moment, footsteps sounded from the far end of the corridor.

Both women turned toward the sound.

Someone was approaching.

Huo Ruxue’s raised hand slowly lowered, but the fury in her eyes remained.

Xi Yunxui did not move aside.

Neither did Huo Ruxue.

For several tense seconds, they stood facing each other in silence, neither willing to retreat.

Then Xi Yunxui’s gaze shifted past her toward the library.

"Huo Jingchen is waiting for me."

Huo Ruxue’s face darkened again.

"Don’t use my eldest cousin’s name to intimidate me."

"I’m not trying to intimidate you."

Xi Yunxui’s eyes returned to hers.

"I’m reminding you that you’re the one delaying me."

Huo Ruxue’s fingers curled tightly.

The footsteps drew closer.

At last, she stepped aside, but her expression was filled with resentment.

"This isn’t over."

Xi Yunxui walked past her.

She paused only when they were shoulder to shoulder.

"Then next time," she said without looking back, "choose your words more carefully."

Huo Ruxue turned sharply.

Xi Yunxui continued toward the library, her back straight and her steps steady.

Behind her, Huo Ruxue remained in the corridor, her face pale with anger.

Inside, however, Xi Yunxui’s anger continued to burn.

She was not afraid of Huo Ruxue.

She was merely choosing not to waste her time.

After all, Huo Jingchen was waiting for her in the library.

And she had already promised that she would return.