“The cars and drivers have all been arranged. The eight servants helping with the packing are waiting downstairs, and the cars are parked outside the garage, ready to go whenever we are.”
“All right, I understand.” Zhang Yanyan nodded and took a sip of millet porridge. “We’ll start packing after I finish breakfast. You can wait in the living room for now. Later, I’ll explain to Auntie Chen exactly what needs to be taken, and you can organize everything accordingly.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Uncle Chen bowed in acknowledgment before quietly retreating to the living room. He showed no sign of wanting to hurry her.
Zhang Yanyan finished her breakfast at an unhurried pace, wiped her mouth, and rose to sit down on the sofa in the living room. Auntie Chen, Aunt Wang, and the eight nimble servants stood quietly in the room, waiting for her instructions.
“Thank you all for your help today.” Zhang Yanyan smiled, her tone relaxed and entirely free of airs. “I’m moving to the villa near Tengyuan today, so we only need to bring the things I use every day. Most of the rest can stay at the estate.”
She paused, then laid out her instructions clearly and methodically:
“As for the clothes in the dressing room, leave all the formal gowns and fur coats that I rarely wear at the estate. There’s no need to move them.
“Only bring the T-shirts, jeans, sweatshirts, dresses, and a few slightly more formal outfits that I wear regularly. Choose styles suitable for school—subdued and not too flashy. About a third of them should be enough.”
“The same goes for the shoes. Bring the sneakers, canvas shoes, flats, and low-heeled pumps I wear every day. Leave the six-inch heels and the long and short boots that I rarely wear at the estate.”
“I’ll pack the jewelry myself, so you don’t need to worry about that. For the bags, just bring a few of the totes, backpacks, and small crossbody bags I use regularly—the ones suitable for carrying to school. Leave all the limited-edition collectibles at the estate.”
“In the study, bring my usual laptop and tablet, along with the stationery set and fountain pens that just arrived. From the bookshelves, select a few dozen books from the finance and fiction sections that I read often. The rest can stay at the estate. Move all the equipment in the gaming area over as well and set it up in the gaming room at the villa.”
“For the toiletries and cosmetics, bring the ones I’m currently using, plus one spare set. Leave the unopened extras at the estate. As for the bedding, bring the silk set I usually use in my master bedroom, along with two sets of cotton bedding for changing.”
“That just leaves the everyday items like water bottles, cushions, and blankets. Bring whatever I use regularly and leave the rest at the estate.”
She explained everything in clear detail, distinguishing precisely between what should and should not be taken. Most of her belongings would remain behind.
She had never wanted to draw too much attention at school. Bringing an excessive number of expensive items would only invite unnecessary scrutiny, which went against her intention to keep a low profile and live quietly.
“Does everyone understand?” Zhang Yanyan asked, looking up at the group after she finished.
“We understand, Miss!” everyone answered in unison, their manner respectful.
“Good. Start packing now. Auntie Chen, Aunt Wang, the two of you know my habits best, so oversee the clothes in the dressing room, the shoes in the closet, the bags, and the items in the bathroom. Make sure nothing gets mixed up.”
Zhang Yanyan continued, “Everyone else, work in pairs. Assign two people each to the study, the small items in the bedroom, and the gaming equipment. Be careful when packing. Wrap anything fragile in bubble wrap and label everything. Don’t let anything get scratched or damaged.”
“Yes, Miss!”
The servants responded and immediately scattered, each taking up their assigned task. Before long, they were working swiftly and efficiently.
Auntie Chen and Aunt Wang were the first to head upstairs to the master bedroom’s dressing room. They opened the closets and, following Zhang Yanyan’s instructions, selected the clothes suitable for everyday schoolwear one by one. They slipped each piece into a garment bag, folded everything neatly, and placed the clothes into specialized storage boxes.
Two servants were assigned to handle the shoes. They wiped down the selected pairs, placed them in their individual shoeboxes, and stacked them neatly.
Another servant sorted through the bags as instructed, wrapping each one in a dust cover before placing it in a shockproof storage case. Every box was labeled with its contents, making everything easy to identify at a glance.
Zhang Yanyan went upstairs as well and walked straight to the built-in safe set into the wall of the master bedroom. She entered the combination and opened the door.
Inside were all kinds of jewelry, carefully arranged by category: diamond necklaces, gemstone earrings, and complete sets of high-end custom jewelry. The safe was packed with the pieces her family had bought for her over the years.
As she had already decided, she selected only the understated pieces suitable for everyday wear: several pairs of plain gold hoop earrings, small diamond studs, two delicate chains, a slim bracelet, and two or three simple rings for daily use. She also took out the ruby set she had received from yesterday’s sign-in reward. Its design was elegant rather than ostentatious, and it would be suitable for formal occasions as well—better to have it on hand just in case.
She carefully placed the pieces she had selected into two custom jewelry bags. The insides were lined with soft velvet, which would protect the jewelry from bumps and scratches.
She returned the more extravagant evening pieces and the collector-grade jewelry to their original places, then carefully locked the safe without disturbing anything else.
The two jewelry bags were a convenient size and easy to carry. They were completely inconspicuous, perfectly suited to her plan of keeping a low profile at school.
By the time she came out carrying the two jewelry bags, the clothes in the dressing room had nearly all been sorted. In the study, two servants were carefully dismantling the gaming equipment and placing everything back into its original packaging. They wrapped the boxes tightly in bubble wrap, taking every precaution to prevent any components from being damaged.
Following the list of books Zhang Yanyan had selected, the servants placed them one by one into sturdy cardboard boxes, handling them gently and taking care not to bend or damage the pages.
The entire second floor was quiet. The only sounds were the soft tearing of packing tape. Everyone worked quickly and carefully, without a hint of noise or disorder. Their efficiency was astonishing.
Seeing how smoothly everyone was working, Zhang Yanyan tried to help fold the clothes that had already been sorted. Auntie Chen stopped her with a smile.
“Oh, Miss, we can handle these chores. You’ve already packed your own things, so go downstairs and rest. There’s no need for you to lift a finger for such small tasks. We’ll make sure everything is organized properly. Nothing will be left behind, and not a single thing will be damaged.”
Zhang Yanyan could not argue with her, so she carried her two jewelry bags downstairs and sat on the sofa in the living room. She placed the bags beside her, occasionally taking a sip of tea or checking her phone. In her remaining free time, she quietly browsed information about local plant shops in Rongcheng, thinking about what she might add to the garden of her new villa once the move was complete.
A little over two hours later, everything that needed to be taken had been packed.
The storage boxes were lined up neatly along the second-floor corridor, arranged by category and marked with clear labels. Fragile items had been specially marked as well, leaving everything secure and orderly.
“Miss, everything has been packed. Would you like to go upstairs and check, just to see whether there’s anything you still need that we might have missed?” Uncle Chen hurried over and reported respectfully.
“No need. I trust you to handle things properly.” Zhang Yanyan rose, picked up her two jewelry bags, and brushed at the nonexistent dust on her clothes. “Have someone carry them downstairs and load them into the vehicles. Be careful—don’t bump or damage anything.”
“Yes, Miss!”
Uncle Chen immediately arranged for people to help. Eight servants and four security guards worked in pairs, carrying the storage boxes downstairs with the utmost care. They handled everything gently and, following the labels on the boxes, loaded them into different vehicles. The clothes, shoes, bedding, and other items went into two separate vans.
The gaming equipment, books, and larger decorative pieces were loaded into the cargo truck, where they were secured firmly to prevent them from shifting and getting damaged during transport.
Zhang Yanyan carried the two jewelry bags herself. Escorted by her bodyguards, she boarded the black van at the front of the convoy and placed the bags on the seat beside her. She would only feel at ease if she kept an eye on them herself.
Auntie Chen and Aunt Wang sat in another van nearby. In just over half an hour, all the boxes had been loaded, neatly arranged, and properly secured.
After inspecting every vehicle, Uncle Chen hurried to Zhang Yanyan’s window. “Miss, everything has been loaded, and nothing has been left behind. The convoy is ready to depart at any time.”
“Good. Let’s go.” Zhang Yanyan nodded and raised the window.
The convoy slowly set off. Five vehicles drove in a line as they smoothly left the Zhang family estate and headed toward the villa district near Tengyuan University.
Zhang Yanyan leaned back in the van’s soft seat, watching the streets flash past outside the window.
