Chapter 45: A Tragedy Caused by Soy Milk

Shi Yuke's heart was in her throat, thinking, "Please don't let her find out," as Achou changed direction to open the cupboard.

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said softly, "Achou, time to eat."

"Carry it up there. You don't even have the slightest bit of awareness; you'll suffer under your mother-in-law's thumb once you're married off."

"You..."

When had Shi Yuke ever suffered such indignity? Plus, having endured all morning, she could no longer hold it in and immediately retorted, "You'd better worry about yourself. You look so ugly and have such a prickly personality; no one will ever marry you."

"Hmph!"

Achou snorted through her nose, gave her a huge eye-roll, and then went out to sit at the dining table to wait for the meal.

Having gained the upper hand in the verbal exchange, Shi Yuke felt a bit better. She carried the breakfast items to the dining table one by one, and when she was about to bring the soy milk, a sudden idea struck her!

She quickly grabbed the seasoning jar containing salt, scooped four or five spoonfuls into it, and then, after a moment's thought, simply picked up the jar and poured half of it into the soy milk.

She stirred it with a spoon, then carried it out with a face full of smiles—only to see that there was one more person at the dining table.

Jian Yining had arrived and was smiling at her from the table: "Achou just said that Miss Shi made all of this. Is that true?"

Originally, she had wanted to use making breakfast as a way to complain, but Achou had taken the initiative to confess, and Jian Yining didn't seem displeased.

Shi Yuke nodded and smiled, feigning modesty: "That's right, I made it. Don't laugh if it's not very good."

"Miss Shi is too modest. One look at this and you can tell you're always in the kitchen at home. There aren't many girls nowadays willing to go into the kitchen... Miss Shi's future husband will be truly lucky to eat a breakfast made with love every day, unlike some people who could set the kitchen on fire just by cooking a meal."

Jian Yining glanced at Yingzi. In truth, praising Shi Yuke was just a side note; he was mostly using this incident to bicker with Yingzi, which he found amusing.

But after looking at her for a couple more seconds, he still frowned.

Girls of this age all liked to dress themselves up to look pretty and beautiful.

Yet Yingzi did the exact opposite. She was naturally very pretty, but she either dressed herself to look plain or made herself look incredibly ugly; he had no idea what she was thinking.

Yingzi ignored him and ate her breakfast in big mouthfuls!

But Shi Yuke was overjoyed.

Feeling happy inside, the smile on her face became very bright: "This is nothing; there's still a lot more I can do."

"A Ning, you must not have eaten breakfast since you came over so early, right? Achou told me to make more. At first, I was worried I wouldn't be able to finish it, but now I see it's just right."

Shi Yuke, seemingly unintentionally, brought up the fact that Achou had ordered her to do the work.

Even if she brought it up, it was useless; Jian Yining didn't react at all.

Instead, he took the cup of soy milk that had been placed in front of Achou and moved it to his own side!

"No, you can't drink that."

Shi Yuke was shocked and hurriedly reached out to snatch it back... "Slap!" Achou hit the back of her hand and countered, "Why can't he drink it? Did you poison the soy milk?"

She hadn't poisoned it, but it was close enough.

"What are you saying?"

Shi Yuke sheepishly retracted her hand and covered up, "The soy milk is for you. If A Ning wants some, I'll go boil some hot ones for him."

Jian Yining: "I don't drink hot ones."

Achou: "The soy milk was prepared for the Young Master; I never drink soy milk."

Jian Yining lifted the soy milk cup to his lips... Shi Yuke was so anxious that sweat was running down her face!

Thinking quickly, she snatched the soy milk cup and held it in her arms, explaining, "I'll pour you a fresh cup. I was too thirsty just now and took a sip from this one; it would be inappropriate to give it to you."

If it was inappropriate to give it to him because she had drunk from it, was it not inappropriate to give it to someone else?

Jian Yining thought about how she had originally intended it for Yingzi, and he felt a bit unhappy.

Shi Yuke went to the kitchen to pour a fresh cup of soy milk, brought it over, and placed it in front of Jian Yining, and then the three of them began to eat breakfast.

Shi Yuke ate until she was half-full and put down her knife and fork: "I'm full."

Achou spoke up: "The Young Master hates seeing food go to waste the most; you are not allowed to leave any."

Shi Yuke was one hundred percent certain that Achou was just picking on her, but she hadn't expected Achou to be just as arrogant in front of Jian Yining, without the slightest bit of restraint!

"I've finished it all; there's nothing left." She glanced at the plate in front of her; there was no leftover food.

Achou pointed at the cup of soy milk and said, "Didn't you say you were thirsty? If you were thirsty, why didn't you drink a single drop?"

Shi Yuke's head went "Boom!"

She thought the soy milk issue had already passed, but it turned out Achou was waiting for her right there.

Shi Yuke really wanted to say that she wasn't thirsty anymore and didn't want to drink soy milk.

But Achou seemed to be able to see right through her thoughts and added another sentence: "Is there really nothing wrong with the soy milk? Look at that expression of yours; you're looking at it like it's poison!"

Was she trying to force her to death on purpose?

Even the way Jian Yining looked at her began to change.

"You're overthinking it; there's really nothing wrong with the soy milk."

Shi Yuke couldn't be defeated by a mere servant; she gritted her teeth, picked up the soy milk, and downed it in one gulp—suddenly her eyes widened and her neck stretched out; she was so choked by the saltiness that she couldn't speak.

"Miss Shi, are you alright?" Achou waved her hand in front of her eyes.

Shi Yuke struggled to squeeze two words out of her throat: "I'm fine!" Her voice was hoarse and even worse-sounding than Achou's.

"As long as you're fine, I'm going to wash the dishes."

Achou finally left the dining room for the kitchen. Shi Yuke thought that she had finally gotten lost; staying there was an eyesore and a nuisance, truly hateful.

She wanted to talk to Jian Yining and build some rapport, but her throat felt like it was being cut by a knife whenever she opened her mouth. She had to drink several glasses of water before she felt a little better.

But no sooner had she started to feel a little better than she began running to the restroom incessantly.

When she returned from the restroom yet again, Jian Yining and Achou were sitting on the sofa with their heads together, looking at something and commenting on it as they watched!

Achou: "Tsk tsk, suffering just to save face, why bother?"

Jian Yining: "So that's how it is, no wonder."

Shi Yuke leaned in to take a look and nearly fainted—what they were watching was her own phone, and the content was exactly her holding a bottle of salt and pouring it vigorously into the soy milk!

"How could you touch other people's things without permission? That's too much." Shi Yuke snatched the phone away, but facing two pairs of innocent, wide eyes, she didn't know how to explain it.

"You've come back just in time, why don't you explain what's going on?" Achou crossed her arms over her chest, looking calm and composed.

Originally, she had secretly recorded the video to show Jian Yining, but he had just discovered it ahead of time.

Even though Achou had taken the initiative, Shi Yuke still had a way to salvage the situation.

Squeezing two tears from her eyes, Shi Yuke sobbed: "Explain what? What is there to explain? You dressed up as a ghost in the middle of the night and scared me half to death, and you even mocked me for being kicked out by my family with nowhere to go, saying I'm not even as good as a servant... You assigned all your work to me, and if I dared to say half a word, you threatened to kick me out..."

Shi Yuke looked pitiful, her tears falling in pairs like beads from a broken string!

Achou didn't argue, but Jian Yining frowned: "Since Miss Shi is unhappy staying with Achou, I'll have someone take you to stay at a hotel."

"Rest assured, all expenses will be on me."

Shi Yuke was dumbfounded!

She couldn't help but ask: "Why, A Ning, are you kicking me out for the sake of a servant?"

Jian Yining's brow furrowed so tightly he could crush a fly: "Achou is not a servant, she is my friend. Letting you stay here was originally Achou's idea; she is too lonely living in such a big house by herself, and your coming here was just right to keep her company."

"But since Miss Shi is not happy living here, let's just forget it."