Besides its many beautiful women, Zui Chun Lou is also renowned for its exceptional dishes and various desserts.

Hua Jiao dotes on the girls in the building, not only taking meticulous care of them for three meals a day, but also changing the variety of late-night snacks every few days.

Before going to bed, Huaiyue would drink a bowl of sweet soup. The kitchen staff would select the best white fungus and cook a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup for her.

Unfortunately, Huaiyue was in a bad mood today. She only drank two spoonfuls before hastily putting down the spoon and lazily playing with the rouge on the table, resting her chin on her hand.

Xiao An helped him remove the hairpin from his head and carefully combed his long hair.

Seeing his expression, she asked with concern, "Young master, why aren't you eating? Is it not to your liking?"

"It's sickeningly sweet," Huaiyue said.

Xiao An stared intently, "How could that be? Snow fungus is only good when it's sweet."

He swallowed hard as he spoke.

Huaiyue chuckled and handed the bowl behind her back: "Take this and eat."

"Thank you for your generous reward, young master!"

Xiao An couldn't wait to take it, her fingers almost touching the rim of the bowl, but Huai Yue turned her arm and took the bowl back.

Little Anba looked on, his face troubled, "Please stop teasing me..."

"I suddenly remembered that I can't give you this bowl."

Huaiyue held the porcelain spoon, her wrist bones faintly visible beneath her red sleeves. "That nobleman outside might also like a drink."

"Huh?" Xiao An hesitated, "You wouldn't be thinking of taking this bowl..."

This was too outrageous, and Xiao An didn't even dare to say it.

Madam Hua had repeatedly warned him that the man was of immeasurable nobility, and Xiao An felt that his young master's behavior was simply courting death.

But Huaiyue's actions were always eccentric and unpredictable. Under Xiao An's astonished gaze, he handed the bowl of sweet soup forward.

Then he raised his chin, gesturing towards the door: "Go."

"Please don't, young master, my mother will definitely beat me to death," Xiao An said with a bitter face.

He won't get to drink the sweet soup, and he might even lose his life.

"What are you afraid of? I'll protect you. I promise you, Mom won't hit you. You might even get a reward."

"Look at what that gentleman is wearing and what he has; he's certainly not short of money. His tip must be more generous than that of the average customer."

Xiao An: "..."

Xiao An looked at his young master with a complicated expression, thinking to himself, "Do you think I'll believe your nonsense?"

"Are you going to deliver it or not? If not, I'll deliver it myself." Huaiyue seemed impatient and got up.

"When the time comes and I receive a reward from a noble person, I won't give you a single penny."

"Then I'll go."

Xiao An took the bowl of scalding hot sweet soup, braced herself, and pushed open the door to go out.

The fierce-looking nobleman was leaning against the wall, and gave him a cold, sweeping glance.

Xiao An froze, her hands and feet stiffening, and she didn't dare to look at the other person.

"Very important, very important, very important person."

"Xiao An, when did you start stuttering?" the person inside the room chuckled.

Xiao An was speechless; he almost wanted to hug his young master and cry.

He not only stuttered, but his hands also trembled. He really felt that his young master was playing with fire.

As soon as the nobleman spoke, his gaze was fixed on the window.

Inside the room, shadowy figures could be seen, with a beautiful woman slowly combing her hair in front of a bronze mirror.

“Speak up, Xiao Anzi. If you keep being this stupid, I’ll ask Mom to replace you tomorrow and give me someone smarter.”

Xiao An: "..."

You're practically begging me to reincarnate...

Song Ting, with his keen ears and sharp eyes, had overheard the conversation between the master and servant, and naturally knew why Xiao An had come out.

He reached out his hand and said, "Give it to me."

Xiao An, however, was still immersed in the fear of being split in two and didn't react immediately: "Huh?"

Song frowned impatiently: "Sweet soup."

He thought that this Xiao An was indeed not very clever and probably wouldn't be able to serve his master well.

"Oh, oh..." Xiao An carefully handed over the porcelain bowl, "This is my young master's thoughtfulness—"

"What merit do I have to be worthy of having such a noble person as you, sir, guarding my door? Consider this bowl of sweet soup a reward from me to you."

These words, from their tone to their words, showed no respect whatsoever; in fact, they were quite treasonous. Even if Huaiyue had a hundred lives, she wouldn't have enough to kill them.

Xiao An's expression immediately changed drastically: "My lord, my young master didn't mean that, he—"

"Why are you making up such nonsense? My lord, please don't misunderstand, that's exactly what I meant."

"I think this sweet soup tastes bad, it's disgusting to drink, and it's a waste to throw it away."

"Why don't you help me drink it, sir? That would be a good deed. What do you think, sir?"

Song Ting nodded to the figure inside the room: "Thank you for your generous gift, young master."

Huaiyue paused in her combing, then burst into laughter, clutching the wooden comb as she nearly fell over.

"Xiao An, see? I wasn't wrong, was I? This sir is kind-hearted and would never take your life, would he?"

Song didn't respond this time, which made Xiao An anxious and she nervously glanced at him.

Song Ting just raised his hand. Xiao An turned pale and instinctively hid by the door, pleading, "Please spare my life, sir!"

Song Ting: "..."

Song Ting handed over a few golden melon seeds, his expression unfriendly.

Xiao An was unsure whether to accept the answer or not, and stood there dumbfounded.

Song Ting finally said impatiently, "Take it."

He then took it with trembling hands.

"Thank you for your generous gift, Your Excellency."

"See what I told you? Didn't you get a reward?"

"Remember to share half with me. If it's too little, just ask your benefactor for more..."

Xiao An couldn't be sure if the benefactor was a bodhisattva, but if Huai Yue continued to speak recklessly, even the best-tempered person would probably lose their temper.

Xiao An hurriedly pushed open the door and went back inside: "Young Master! Can you please shut your mouth a little!"

"How dare you order me around?"

Huaiyue glared at Xiao An and poked his forehead. Xiao An had nowhere to dodge and was knocked backward.

Then she hugged Huaiyue's arm and begged for forgiveness, "I was wrong, young master, please don't be angry, I was just worried about you..."

Song Ting stood outside the door, watching the master and servant joking and laughing inside the room, feeling a pang of bitterness in her heart.

He tilted his head back and drank the sweet soup in his hand clean in one gulp.

Chu Huaixu complained that the soup was cloyingly sweet, but when Song Ting put it in her mouth, she only felt a bitter taste on her tongue.

He suddenly remembered the past.

Before he held such a high position and great power, he was merely a personal servant to the young master of the Duan Prince's mansion.

That person had once teased Xiao An by gently tapping his forehead with his fingertips, just as he had done to Xiao An today.

But now, everything that once belonged to him has been replaced by someone else.

That person was not as quick-witted or as good-looking as him, but he was more favored by Chu Huaixu.

She easily obtained the tenderness he could hardly ever have again.

When Song Ting was given the sweet soup as a reward, she did not feel humiliated; on the contrary, she enjoyed it immensely.

But at this moment, thinking of the past and seeing the two shadows playing together, he felt a strong urge to kill.

He harbored murderous intent towards Xiao An.

The person who should have been by Chu Huaixu's side, serving him attentively and arranging his hair and clothes, was him.

He should be the one laughing and arguing with him.

It can only be him.

Song Ting was so jealous that her heart ached, and her hand had unconsciously landed on her waist.

A moment later, his arm fell limply to his side. Song Ting closed his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

I turned away, unable to bear looking any longer.

He was afraid he really wouldn't be able to control himself.

Huaixu will only hate him more then.