Five minutes before Su Yun returned upstairs, Qin Xuanyuan had already arrived outside apartment 1101.
“Does the young lady live here?”
“Mhm, Sister Xue and Xiaoyun both live inside,” Xia Rou replied, standing beside Qin Xuanyuan at the entrance.
Qin Xuanyuan wore a black-and-white maid outfit, looking especially professional. In contrast, Xia Rou was dressed in a white padded jacket and cotton pants—like a little bunny.
“Thank you.” Qin Xuanyuan bowed slightly, then fixed her gaze on the heavy brown wooden door before her.
She had already taken a glance around when she and Xia Rou came up.
Although the environment here wasn’t bad—clean, and with buildings that looked fairly new—it was still cramped.
For instance, the corridor between 1101 and 1102 was only about two meters wide.
Xia Rou had mentioned that the apartment itself was less than fifty square meters, not a place fit for long-term living. Which meant, most likely, the bedroom wasn’t much bigger than her own sleeping quarters.
But how could her young lady be subjected to the same conditions as her?
There were no other maids here to take care of her… life here surely wouldn’t compare to before.
Qin Xuanyuan stared coldly at the wooden door, a tinge of worry flickering in her heart.
She just hoped Su Xiaoyun would take good care of her lady… and not mistreat her.
Knock knock.
“Young Miss, it’s me. Are you inside?”
Standing tall, Qin Xuanyuan gently knocked with one hand.
“Uu…”
A faint sob reached her ears through the door.
Though muffled by the soundproofing, Qin Xuanyuan had taken care of her lady for over a decade—she could recognize even the slightest sound.
“That voice?!”
“Young Miss! What’s wrong?!”
The calm on Qin Xuanyuan’s face instantly cracked, replaced with panic. She clenched her fist and began pounding the door.
“Eh? Is Sister Xue crying? That can’t be right…” Xia Rou, too, had heard the heartbreaking sobs.
The voice sounded nothing like Qin Xue’s usual cold tone—but it was unmistakably hers.
“Young Miss!”
Qin Xuanyuan nearly lost her mind. She slammed her shoulder against the door again and again—but to no avail.
She immediately imagined the worst: Su Xiaoyun had mistreated her young lady.
So it had all been a façade! That docile, gentle little girl… it had been an act from the beginning.
Now that she had taken her lady home alone, she had shown her true colors—using monstrous brute force to imprison and torture her.
Under their careful care, her young lady had never even suffered a scrape. And now, all that had been ruined by some wild flower from outside…
Just imagining that scene made Qin Xuanyuan’s lips tremble.
“Do you have a hammer? I’m breaking this door down!”
Panicking, she grabbed Xia Rou by the shoulders, completely forgetting her maid etiquette.
“Wha—what do you mean break it down?!” Xia Rou’s head was spinning from the shaking.
Qin Xuanyuan looked so panicked—it didn’t make sense. And wasn’t Xiaoyun the victim? Why would Sister Xue be crying?
For a moment, Xia Rou just stood there, dazed and confused.
“Ugh, I’m sorry!” Qin Xuanyuan couldn’t hold back anymore. She dashed toward apartment 1102 to find something to break the door down—even a chair leg would do.
“Xuanyuan, Xuanyuan, is that you? Come quick… save me…”
Just as she was about to rush off, a weak voice came from the crack beside the door.
“It’s me, Miss! Can you open the door? I’ll break it down and rescue you right away!”
Qin Xuanyuan scrambled back, her breath rapid and shaky.
If the door opened, she could escape with her lady before Su Xiaoyun returned.
She had seen it—once Su Xiaoyun got angry, her strength was near godlike. The girl had survived falling from heights without a scratch.
If she returned now, even driving might not be enough to escape.
She waited with bated breath.
Click.
The heavy wooden door creaked open.
Just as Qin Xuanyuan lunged forward to pull her lady away, what she saw froze her in place.
Her expression looked like one of those stunned reaction memes—wide eyes, open mouth, dazed to the point of blank stupidity.
“…”
Through the crack of the slightly opened door, she saw her lady slumped awkwardly on the cold floor. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes red from crying. Below the waist, she wore only a pair of black panties. Above… she was using her arms to cover herself.
The pitiful sight was exactly what someone would look like after being dragged off and violated.
“Xuanyuan…” Qin Xue, clearly not caring about dignity anymore, weakly tugged at the hem of Qin Xuanyuan’s black skirt.
That fragile, tear-filled voice made Qin Xuanyuan’s breathing tremble.
“Young Miss! Run! I’m sorry!”
She reached out to pull her away—but realized it would be indecent to drag her out like this.
So, without hesitation, she undid her belt, loosened her shoulder straps, and looked ready to strip down in the hallway.
(Author's Note: The hallway’s surveillance only pointed straight, and the door was just cracked open. Even if caught on camera, only maids who regularly cared for Xia Rou would ever see it.)
“What are you doing?” Xia Rou asked, confused, pulling at her sleeve.
“There’s surveillance here, you know?”
And this whole scene… was Sister Xue in this state because Xiaoyun got too enthusiastic in… a reversal?
Her face started to heat up.
“Uu…” Qin Xue still sat on the ground, head bowed. She looked completely broken.
Seeing this, Qin Xuanyuan shoved Xia Rou’s hand aside.
Her young lady’s safety came first.
Ding—
Just then, the elevator chimed nearby.
The large, red “11” above the door glowed—someone on this floor had returned.
“Damn! She’s back! Miss, quick, hide in 1102! I’ll buy you time!”
Qin Xuanyuan rushed into the apartment and threw herself around Qin Xue, shielding her exposed body from view.
“Xuanyuan? Who’s here…”
Only then did Qin Xue realize something was wrong. Qin Xuanyuan looked panicked.
She probably shouldn’t go out like this after all.
“But… kill that cat for me first!”
“Xiaoyun is back! Miss, please, hide in the other room!” Qin Xuanyuan tried to drag her away, but Qin Xue resisted.
“Miss?”
No—had that girl threatened her into silence?
“Don’t worry, Miss! I swear, once we leave, no one will ever hurt you again. I’ll protect you with my life!”
“Huh?”
Even in her panicked, slightly delusional state, Qin Xue was bewildered.
This woman in front of her seemed even more unstable than she was.
“What are you even talking about…?”
“Wait—Xuanyuan said Xiaoyun is back?”
“Xuanyuan, where is she? Didn’t you say she’s here?”
“She’ll be here any moment. So Miss, please go to the other room!”
Seeing her so emotional, Qin Xuanyuan was even more convinced—she was absolutely terrified.
“Aaah—what’s going on in there?!”
Just then, Su Yun arrived outside the apartment, holding four steamed buns and a cup of soy milk. She was confused by the chaos coming from inside.
She nearly dropped her food from the panic.
“I don’t know either…” Xia Rou stood nearby, just as bewildered. Then, as if remembering something, she suddenly stepped back, distancing herself from Su Yun.
“Um, Xiaoyun, about Xiaoju… I forgot to bring her this morning. Sorry…” She lowered her head shyly.
“Oh, that? I put her on the living room sofa to nap.”
“Mm…” Su Yun turned to head inside—but the shouting hadn’t stopped. More specifically, Qin Xuanyuan was still shouting.
“What the heck is going on in there?”
Frowning, Su Yun pulled out her key and slid it into the lock.
(End of Chapter)