Chapter 53: The Ultimate Servant

Chapter 53: The Ultimate Manservant

Huh?

The smiles froze on several faces, their expressions remarkably consistent—a mixture of confusion laced with disbelief.

"What did you say?"

Xu Zishan snapped out of it, her brow furrowing as if she suspected she had misheard.

Watching from the side, Wang Chuhan let out a sneer. "Shen Li gets eight yuan per episode. Did you hear that clearly?"

"Impossible, stop fooling me!" Suspicion welled up in Xu Zishan's eyes; even with Wang Chuhan's affirmative answer, she was unwilling to believe it.

A newcomer actor playing a minor supporting role—how could she be paid per episode? And only eight yuan per episode at that?

It was absolutely impossible.

Yet, looking at Shen Li's calm face, she subconsciously felt that the girl wouldn't tell such a childish lie, because such lies are the most fragile and can be exposed at any moment.

Unless...

Xu Zishan's heart sank, and she pressed further, "Who exactly are you playing?"

If it really was eight yuan per episode, wouldn't the total salary for the entire series be over four hundred yuan? A role with that kind of pay definitely wouldn't be a minor supporting character!

Shen Li said indifferently, "Filming starts in two days. You'll know then."

Xu Zishan had harbored an inexplicable hostility toward her from the very beginning, so Shen Li deliberately kept it vague to make her anxious.

Sure enough, a look of irritation flooded Xu Zishan's features, and she began to demand repeatedly, "Just say it! You have to tell me right now!"

Seeing this, Sun Yuan and Zhao Meina simultaneously reached out to pull Shen Li behind them. Wang Chuhan mocked, "What's the rush? Won't you know on the day of filming? Don't worry, it'll definitely be a pleasant surprise for you!"

She had gone to great lengths to have her family spend five hundred yuan to snatch the role of the Second Miss's maid. Meanwhile, Shen Li had turned misfortune into a blessing by landing the role of the Second Miss herself. The thought of Xu Zishan having to serve tea, pour water, bow, and kowtow to Shen Li on set filled them with immense satisfaction.

They could already imagine how spectacular Xu Zishan's reaction would be.

"Don't bother with her, Li. Let's go."

The group gave Xu Zishan a disdainful glance and escorted Shen Li into the shop, keeping her in the center.

No matter how arrogant Xu Zishan was, she wasn't about to do anything extreme at this moment. She could only watch helplessly as Shen Li left, while the peace of mind she had regained began to dissolve into growing unease.

If Shen Li's role was more important than hers, wouldn't the role she had paid for become a joke?

At this thought, Xu Zishan felt even more restless and anxious.

"That was hilarious. Xu Zishan's expression just now was more colorful than a palette. Seeing her get shut down was so satisfying."

As soon as they entered the private room, Wang Chuhan couldn't help but laugh.

Sun Yuan looked at Shen Li and added appreciatively, "It's rare to see Li being so blunt. Even though it was just one sentence, it was enough to make Xu Zishan question her life."

Wang Chuhan nodded with a smile. "Exactly! When she heard Li say 'eight yuan per episode,' her eyes almost popped out of her head. It was so funny."

Shen Li felt a bit embarrassed by their praise. In her life, she had rarely taken the initiative to make things difficult for others, but Xu Zishan had provoked and harassed her repeatedly, so she simply couldn't hold back just now.

Now that the adrenaline was fading, her heart was actually beating even faster than before.

She really wasn't good at this; she had managed to scare herself before anything even happened.

Only Zhao Meina remained rational. Seeing that Shen Li was silent, she spoke up to remind her, "Li, once you join the crew, try to avoid direct conflicts with Xu Zishan. Her father is considered part of the investors. Offending her won't do you any good."

Shen Li looked at Zhao Meina and nodded. "I understand. I'll just focus on acting well and avoid excessive contact with her."

Just then, a waiter brought the menus, and the group instantly pushed Xu Zishan to the back of their minds, huddling together to start ordering food.

***

After dealing with the school leaders' requests for group photos, Shen Ci searched for flights back to Shenzhen/Hong Kong on her phone while walking toward the dormitory.

"Shen... Student Shen Ci."

As she reached the bottom of the dormitory building, a timid voice called out to her.

Shen Ci looked up in surprise. When she saw the person, she froze for a moment before smiling to greet him, "Jiang Lingchuan."

Jiang Lingchuan gave a slight smile as well. His fair face still carried a hint of boyishness, making him look quite endearing when he smiled.

He was carrying a shopping bag filled with various items. Seeing him appear at the girls' dormitory again, Shen Ci guessed he had come to deliver something to Gu Lianxing.

"Should I call her for you, or should I help you carry it up?" Shen Ci asked politely.

Jiang Lingchuan said hurriedly, "Please just take it up directly. Just tell her I was here."

Shen Ci nodded and took the bag. She instinctively glanced at the contents and couldn't help but widen her eyes in surprise.

She hadn't looked closely at everything, but the "sanitary pads" on top were particularly eye-catching.

"You're delivering these to her? Did you go buy them?" Shen Ci asked him.

In Shen Ci's understanding, many boys would feel embarrassed to buy feminine hygiene products for girls.

Jiang Lingchuan didn't seem to mind at all. He nodded with a calm expression. "She is very forgetful and doesn't keep track of anything. Once, she ran out and didn't buy them in time, which almost caused her to be embarrassed. So since then, I've kept track of her cycle and buy them two days in advance to bring to her."

Hearing this, Shen Ci couldn't help but show an expression of utter shock.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Jiang Lingchuan, you are the ultimate manservant!" Shen Ci exclaimed in admiration. "You are the most thoughtful boy I've ever met."

Jiang Lingchuan smiled bashfully, a faint blush creeping onto his cheeks. He raised a hand to adjust his glasses before saying, "Then I'll be going. Goodbye, Student Shen Ci."

Even saying goodbye was so serious; he really was quite cute.

Back in the dormitory, Gu Lianxing was practicing the latest girl group dance in front of a video on her computer, swaying her hips and tossing her hair with great effort.

Seeing Shen Ci return, she wiggled her way over to her, hooked her arms around Shen Ci's neck, and performed a close-contact dance. "Darling, am I hot or what?"

"Hot, hot, hot!" Shen Ci nodded in coordination. Seeing that she was about to attempt a split, she quickly raised her hands to stop her. "Stop for a second, Jiang Lingchuan brought you something."

As she spoke, she handed the shopping bag to Gu Lianxing. Gu Lianxing took a casual glance and set it aside as if she were already used to it.

Seeing this, Shen Ci couldn't help but ask, "This little manservant of yours is quite attentive; he even remembers things like your cycle."

Gu Lianxing curled her lip and said, "My dad has paid his tuition since he was a kid, so I suppose it's only right that he does these things."

"Huh?" Shen Ci was stunned. "Don't his parents pay his tuition? He should earn quite a bit working as a driver for your family, right?"

Gu Lianxing explained, "He's attended private schools with me since we were young. The tuition isn't cheap for Uncle Jiang's family. My dad thought he was a sensible kid and insisted he go to school with me—it was actually just so he could look after me."