Thinking of this, the little bit of confidence in her heart was bolstered, and she even wanted to give Ye Jinzhi a round of applause.
"Well said, Classmate Ye. It's really a waste of your talent not to go to Hengdian to be a screenwriter." She twitched her lips in a fake smile.
Pointing casually at the room's door, she added, "So, in order to avoid the 'ill-intentioned' man you mentioned, should I smoothly roll in there and lock the door now?"
Ye Jinzhi looked at her shameless "I have amnesia and I'm proud of it" attitude. He rubbed his fingertips together slightly, forced into a helpless smile out of sheer exasperation.
"Alright, alright, go to sleep early."
The young man wasn't annoyed; instead, he took her cue and took a half step back.
Standing in the corridor like a gentle boy next door, he waved at her mildly, his posture so elegant that not a single fault could be found.
Bella pursed her lips and, without delaying for even half a second, slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
Leaning against the door to calm her breathing, she began to observe the room.
The room was spacious and decorated in a minimalist style with a grayish tone.
The bed sheets and duvet cover were light green, and the pillows felt like clouds that had just been basking in the sun.
Her gaze shifted to the walk-in closet. The door was closed, but a faint woody fragrance lingered in the air.
Bella was very familiar with this scent. Just a few minutes ago, when Ye Jinzhi leaned in to speak by her ear, this was the exact lingering scent on him.
This didn't seem like a spare room that had just been casually cleaned up.
She walked over to the closet, opened the door, peeked inside, and after a casual glance, knew exactly whose clothes they were.
Bella's eyes twitched, and she looked back at the double bed that was clearly overly large.
Good heavens, this was clearly a plan to "lead the sheep into the wolf's den."
Perhaps because her brain cells were overdrawn, Bella thought she would have insomnia, but she ended up having a dreamless night, sleeping even more soundly than in her own home.
The next morning, sunlight squeezed into the room through the gaps in the curtains.
Before Bella could even stretch after opening her eyes, a rhythmic knocking sounded from outside the door.
"Bella, are you awake?" A gentle voice came through the door panel.
Bella maintained her sprawled posture, staring at the ceiling as a malicious guess rose in her heart:
Could this guy have been guarding the door since last night, or... was there some "high-tech" device installed in this room that she hadn't noticed, watching her right now?
This was way too perfectly timed.
She casually grabbed the pillow by the bed, covered her face with it, and replied in a muffled voice:
"Out of order, do not disturb."
The footsteps outside the door didn't leave. "Alright, today is Saturday, there's nothing urgent anyway."
His tone was unhurried, as if he were comforting her, even revealing a hint of spoiling her.
Bella moved her face out from the pillow and stared at the tightly closed door.
No way, in the past, did she not only have bedtime stories to listen to but also someone dedicated to waking her up?
Was her life really that good?
"Got it."
She shouted back grumpily through the air. After washing up, she slowly shuffled to the door and pulled it open.
Sure enough, this person was still acting as a door god at the entrance.
Bella first looked him up and down, then asked a profound question:
"Classmate Ye, do you have an interest in cosplaying in a maid outfit so early in the morning?"
The smile on Ye Jinzhi's lips froze: "What outfit?"
"I didn't expect you to have such a fetish."
Bella walked out of the room, patted him on the shoulder, and headed toward the dining area.
"It's fine, you don't need to feel too insecure about it. It's nothing."
"However, leading the sheep into the den last night, and having a personal wake-up service this morning... the breakfast we're about to eat, you didn't cook it yourself too, did you?"
Hearing her words clearly, Ye Jinzhi looked down and realized that he had completely forgotten to take off his apron, oversleeves, and everything else.
"Ye Jinzhi." Bella turned her head and called out to him.
Ye Jinzhi looked up subconsciously, "Hmm?"
Click.
Bella took out her phone and snapped five consecutive shots of his current attire. A top-tier domestic male servant, after all.
While swiping the screen to check the photos, she clicked her tongue in wonder:
"Look at this composition, this natural lighting, the little floral patterns on this apron, the lace trim...
If I post this online, it deserves a title like 'Wealthy Young Master Reduced to a Domestic Male Servant: Is it a Decline in Morals or the Pressure of Life?' It would instantly master the social media traffic code."
Ye Jinzhi lifted the apron on his body. He had seen it hanging by the kitchen door earlier and subconsciously assumed it was just a kitchen apron.
Seeing him raise his hand to take the apron off from behind his neck, Bella spoke up:
"Hey, don't. Since you finally mustered the courage to unleash your true nature in front of others this time, there's no rush to take it off."
Ye Jinzhi chuckled and shook his head. He didn't reach out to untie the straps again; instead, he took the opportunity to step forward.
"Since the master has spoken, if I, as a male servant, were to refuse, wouldn't that show a lack of professional ethics?"
He theatrically tugged at the hem of his apron and pulled his oversleeves up a bit.
Ye Jinzhi cleared his throat, leaned forward slightly, and curled his lips into a smile: "Please wash your hands and dine this way."
He politely made a "please" gesture, and his every movement really carried the aura of a male servant.
Once Bella took her seat, he served the breakfast onto the table one by one: soup dumplings, egg-filled pancakes, soy milk, pan-fried buns...
"Made specifically for you," he said softly.
Bella looked back at him in surprise: "You made this?"
"Of course." Ye Jinzhi nodded without changing his expression.
Counting from the moment they came out of the pot, to the exquisite plating, and finally to serving them in front of her, how could it not be considered his own hands-on work?
Rounding it up, it meant he made it with his own hands.
Seeing her taste a little bit of everything with a satisfied expression, Ye Jinzhi finally leaned in closer.
"Since the master thinks it's not bad," he asked with a smile, "shouldn't you give me a little tip?"
Bella had just swallowed a mouthful of soy milk. Hearing this, she raised her eyes to look at him, a hint of teasing on the corners of her lips:
"Since you're acting as a male servant, your wages naturally won't be shorted. I'm not a stingy master, either."
After saying that, she stopped looking at him and began to look around instead.
But after looking around, there didn't seem to be anything suitable in the room.
Finally, as if she suddenly had an idea, she lowered her head, pinched a small button on her collar with her fingers, and gave it a hard pull.
"Here, your reward."
She slapped the button into his hand, her eyes shining with sincerity.
Ye Jinzhi took the button, a hint of amusement in his eyes:
"The master's reward is quite beyond my expectations. I just wonder, what rare material is this button made of?"
Bella's expression grew serious. She first looked around importantly, and after confirming there was no one around, she beckoned to him with her finger and lowered her voice:
"Come closer, this is a secret."
Seeing her serious expression, Ye Jinzhi played along and obediently leaned over, bringing his ear closer.
Without blushing or skipping a heartbeat, Bella opened her mouth right by his ear and bluffed:
"Young man, you still lack experience. You don't understand, do you? This is no ordinary button; this is a priceless treasure!
It doesn't have a fixed price on its own, because its value rises and falls entirely based on my mood. Today, if I say it's worth a villa, it's worth a villa. Tomorrow, if my mood is even better, it could even be traded for the entire Ye family."
After saying that, she patted his forearm with a serious look:
"Keep it safe, young man. Don't underestimate this ordinary button. If you ever go bankrupt in the future, this will be your last hope for a comeback."
With that, she turned her head and stuffed a pan-fried dumpling into her mouth.
Seeing Ye Jinzhi holding the button for a long time without moving, she mumbled with the dumpling in her mouth, deliberately trying to annoy him:
"What's wrong? Are you stunned by this huge surprise? You've hit the jackpot, so you can secretly rejoice, Servant Ye."
Ye Jinzhi put the button into his pocket.
He lifted his eyelids to look at Bella, smiling as he said:
"I didn't expect Master's concept of wealth to be so... unique."
Bella picked up a fork, poked open the tea egg, and hummed without looking up:
"Ah, this is nothing. Since you're with me, there will be plenty of opportunities to get rewards. If you perform well, maybe all the buttons on my collar will be yours, guaranteeing you great wealth for your next life, and the life after that."
She took a bite of the egg and nodded. It tasted good, full of soy sauce flavor.
To be honest, not only was this guy handsome, but his cooking skills were actually pretty good too?
Bella swallowed the last bite of the soup dumpling, wiped her mouth with a tissue in satisfaction, and waved her hand at him.
"Alright, clear everything away."
Ye Jinzhi pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down, resting his chin on his hand and looking at her with a smile in his eyes:
"Are you full?"
Bella stopped what she was doing and looked at him: "Hey, hey, what are you doing? Did Master give you permission to sit down?"
The young man stood up again, walked around to stand beside her, and lowered his voice a bit:
"Then I wonder, what other orders does Master have next?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and clapped lightly twice.
Two maids immediately entered the room silently and quickly cleared away the tableware.
The expression on Bella's face froze for a moment, and she felt so embarrassed that her toes curled.
The people clearing the table came so quickly, which meant they were very close. Didn't that mean all her nonsense just now had been heard?
Ye Jinzhi only glanced at her expression and guessed what she was struggling with, comforting her in a low voice:
"Don't worry, the dining area is well soundproofed, and I just called them in."
Bella then let out a long sigh of relief.
