Finest Servant

Chapter 80 A Beautiful Lady Gives Me a Knockout Drug (Part 2)

Xiao Qingxuan pondered for a long time, finally sighed and said, "We may have had some misunderstandings, but you came to my aid yesterday. I am giving you these as a gesture of gratitude. I hope you don't misunderstand."

‘Misunderstand? I have no misunderstanding. But it seems like you, little lady, might have one.’ Lin Wanrong laughed heartily and said, "Don't worry, I'm a loyal, kind, handsome, dashing, and generous man. Helping you once is nothing. I can do it every day without a problem."

Hearing his nonsense, Xiao Qingxuan's heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly said, "You're never serious. I'll give you another thing that I think will be most useful to you."

"What is it?" Lin Wanrong asked, intrigued.

Without answering, Xiao Qingxuan pulled out a pile of medicine packs from her bosom: wound healing medicine, sobering pills, sunscreen, hand cream, and countless more.

She picked one out of the pile and said, "This one is for you."

"What is it, exactly?" Lin Wanrong asked, even more curious now.

Holding back her laughter, Xiao Qingxuan said, "A knockout drug."

Lin Wanrong broke into a cold sweat. ‘Is this girl playing with me? Why does she give me a knockout drug? Am I supposed to use it for some nefarious deeds?’

Seeing his stunned expression, Xiao Qingxuan revealed a smirk and said, "You're always full of bad ideas and tricks, often causing trouble. This knockout drug should come in handy."

Lin Wanrong forced a smile and said, "I'm not as bad as you make me out to be."

Xiao Qingxuan gave a triumphant smile and sighed helplessly, "You always draw attention to yourself, attracting jealousy. Be careful when you're out and about. Don't fall into someone else's trap. You don't know martial arts, so who will save you when the time comes?"

Her voice was gentle and soft, contrasting with her usual cold demeanor. Lin Wanrong put away the knockout drug and said, "Alright, I'll keep this. Didn't expect you to understand me so well."

Xiao Qingxuan was silent for a while, then gritted her teeth and said, "Take care of yourself, I'll be leaving first."

"Be careful when you climb over the wall. Don't fall," Lin Wanrong said.

Xiao Qingxuan shot him a glance, wishing she could impale him with her sword. How could she, with her superior skills, end up in such a situation? He couldn't say something nice as she was about to leave?

When she looked up and saw Lin Wanrong trying to suppress his laughter, she knew he was teasing her. Unexpectedly, a warm feeling rose in her heart, and her cheeks heated up. She quickly walked away.

"Will you come again tomorrow?" Lin Wanrong shamelessly asked.

Seeing her walking away as if she hadn't heard him, Lin Wanrong shook his head and thought to himself, 'This girl is still too shy.'

Just as he was thinking this, a soft sound carried over the wind: "Mmm."

By the time he looked up, Xiao Qingxuan had already disappeared.

A sense of melancholy rose in Lin Wanrong's heart. In this world, there were only two women he genuinely cared for. One was Dong Qiaoqiao. Qiaoqiao was gentle and kind, enjoyed listening to him speak, and viewed Lin Wanrong as the most important person in her life. He was quite fond of her, and he would never allow anyone to harm her. A woman like her was suitable to become his wife.

His relationship with Xiao Qingxuan was strange, however. It wasn't love, nor was it friendship. If he had to define it, it was more than friendship but less than love, a sort of camaraderie. Despite their limited interactions, which had all stemmed from conflict, he found himself developing this feeling towards her.

It seemed, he was indeed a master of ambiguity. Xiao Qingxuan had already vanished from sight, but Lin Wanrong was still indulging in his narcissistic thoughts.

Gathering his thoughts, he carefully compared the composition of the perfume again, trying hard to recall his limited knowledge about fragrances. Xiao Qingxuan's reaction earlier had given him sufficient confidence. If a lady of such high birth was fascinated by this scent, it would surely be a hit with others.

Lin Wanrong felt as if he was cuddling a gold mine in his sleep, and he was even more careful with this experiment. He noted down the effects of different combinations, reconsidered every step, and documented it all. Luckily, when he was a sales manager, he had developed his own method of recording to maintain secrecy, ensuring others couldn't understand it.

After tinkering for a while, he sealed the small cups with different mixtures. Making perfume required testing the scent at different times since the fragrance would change. This concept, known as scent testing, was something Lin Wanrong understood.

After busying himself for a while, he heard a maid outside calling his name. Seeing that it was getting late, he remembered that he had to go tell a story to Xiao Yushuang that night.

Sigh, with competence comes responsibility.

The Second Miss's private building was located in the middle of the Xiao Mansion. The area in front was where the Eldest Miss lived, and the back was where Madam Xiao resided. When Xiao Yushuang was younger, she lived with her older sister. However, once she turned sixteen and her hair was styled into a mature bun, signifying her transition into adulthood, she moved into the private building prepared specifically for her.

The small building was a perfect square, supported by four vermilion pillars on the corners, with flying dragon patterns on the yellow tiles of the eaves. Its exterior was very ordinary, except for the gold border around the plaque above the main entrance.

Upon entering the building, there was an extremely elegant small study with sandalwood incense wafting through. Past the study was a small reception room. Xiao Yushuang greeted Lin San with a radiant smile as he arrived, hurriedly running over to take his hand, "Lin San, you're here."

Lin Wanrong replied with a smile, "How dare I disobey the Second Miss's orders?"

A maid brought over a cup of clear tea, and Xiao Yushuang personally handed it to Lin Wanrong, saying, "Lin San, this is Rain Flower tea that just arrived yesterday. How does it taste?"

Lin Wanrong took a sip, and indeed, the fragrance was refreshing and lingered on his lips and teeth. Even for someone like him who didn't understand tea ceremony, he couldn't help but inwardly praise it as good tea.

Seeing him finish the tea in one gulp, Xiao Yushuang covered her mouth and laughed softly, "Who drinks tea like you? Why are you in such a rush? No one's competing with you." She then waved for the maid to bring another cup.

Lin Wanrong laughed, "With such good tea and the honor of it being served by the Second Miss herself, how could I be careless? Even if it were bitter, I'd still drink it all in one go."

"You are such a tease," Xiao Yushuang giggled, covering her mouth. "By the way, about the matter I mentioned to you today, do you have a solution?"

No one did a favor without a reason; either they have malicious intentions or they're out to steal. As expected, this young lady's hospitality had an ulterior motive. Lin Wanrong sighed, "Second Miss, even if I had some ideas in mind, it would be useless to tell you."

Xiao Yushuang understood his meaning. Although she was the Second Miss, she had never been involved in the Xiao family's affairs due to her young age. Consequently, her words carried little weight.

"Lin San, do you really have a solution?" Xiao Yushuang asked cautiously, her brows furrowed as if pondering something.

"I can't say I have a solution, but I do have some thoughts. Second Miss, I'm going to say something you might not like. If we go into partnership with others, the Xiao family will be left with no way out," Lin Wanrong stated definitively.

"Are you serious?" Xiao Yushuang asked, her voice trembling.

Lin Wanrong realized that his resolute tone had frightened this young girl. After all, she was still a little girl who hadn't been involved in business battles. So, he softened his tone, "Second Miss, I wouldn't lie to you. This partnership plan is a wolf in sheep's clothing and a hidden disaster. You must not underestimate it."

Xiao Yushuang didn't understand these matters, but she had a kind of blind trust in Lin San. She quickly grabbed his hand, saying anxiously, "Lin San, what should we do? I just heard my mother and sister speaking, and it seems they are wavering. They're almost persuaded by that Tao guy."

In the large Xiao family mansion, the fact that such a young girl trusted him completely moved Lin Wanrong. However, as a servant, he couldn't participate in the Xiao family's management, nor did he want to. Was he really expected to take on the role of the master?

Xiao Yushuang sighed, "Lin San, I'm really scared. What if our Xiao family is ruined? What will happen to my mother, my sister, and me? And what about you?"

This little girl was indeed endearing. Lin Wanrong quickly comforted her, "Don't worry, that's the worst-case scenario. Besides, with the intelligence of your sister and your mother, how could they not see it? Rest assured."

"I wish it's as you said," Xiao Yushuang said faintly.

Seeing that it was getting late, Lin Wanrong said, "Second Miss, it's getting late. You should rest. I'm going back now."

Xiao Yushuang quickly held onto him, "You haven't told me a story yet. I've been having nightmares these past few days, and I'm really scared. Lin San, can you tell me a story, please?"

The little girl looked so pitiful that Lin Wanrong felt a wave of sympathy. He agreed, "Alright, today I'll tell you the story of the 'The Legend of Condor Heroes'."

"Okay." The little girl laid her head on the table, propped up by her hands, and listened attentively as he told the story.

Having been a sales manager for a long time, Lin Wanrong was skilled at exaggerating stories. Even the smallest details were made grand, and the largest ones were blown out of proportion. The story he told was truly breathtaking, with each character leaving a deep impression.

"...and so Guo Jing and Huang Rong lived happily ever after on Peach Blossom Island." This story of 'The Legend of Condor Heroes' was really damn long. Despite Lin Wanrong's attempts to condense the content, he still spoke for more than an hour, consuming a full pot of Rain Flower tea. He decided to choose a shorter story next time, maybe one about a beggar.

Second Miss listened with interest for a long time. After he finished, she smiled and said, "Lin San, where did you hear this story? It felt like I was listening to a professional storyteller. It was so much fun. I really liked it. From now on, can you tell me a story before I go to sleep every night?"