Gu Mai saw the boy waving at her through the rearview mirror and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Let him grow up well like this.
As the car drove across the wide plains and onto the secluded, narrow ancient manor road, the surrounding temperature dropped considerably due to the shade provided by the trees.
Is it already this cold in the manor even though it's not even late autumn yet?
Lauren stood at the door to welcome him back, and as soon as he entered, she handed him a prepared hand towel.
It was discovered that the ruby red brooch that he wore in his breast pocket was missing.
He also keenly noticed a faint, unfamiliar smell of cooking oil emanating from him, which clashed with the castle's usual incense, creating an eerie odor that irritated his nose.
Lauren asked, "Master, would you like dinner prepared for you?"
"No need, I've already eaten."
"I'm going to wash up first. Please light some calming incense in my room for me."
"yes."
Looking at his retreating figure, Lauren had a pretty good idea of where he was going. Without saying a word, she went to carry out his instructions.
Gu Mai quickly browsed through the pile of documents in the study.
He took the miniature doll out of the pocket of the suit he wore today.
I untied the pink ribbon bow and squeezed it in my hand.
The stitching isn't particularly refined, but you can tell the maker put a lot of effort into it.
With a gentle squeeze of the fingers, the sound-producing device inside the doll's belly emitted a piercing squeaking sound.
I held it in my hand and played with it for a while.
A knock sounded on the study door.
"Come in." He casually stuffed the things into the drawer.
Lauren brought in a glass of warm, steaming milk.
"This is fresh milk from this morning. The calming incense you asked me to burn has been prepared. If you have trouble sleeping, a nutritionist recommends drinking a glass of milk to help you fall asleep."
As expected of an excellent butler, he scrutinized Lauren with his sharp eyes, but Lauren remained completely unaffected and placed her cup on the table.
Seeing that Gu Mai did not pick it up to drink, but was still standing aside.
"Anything else?" He raised an eyebrow.
Lauren spoke slowly and deliberately, “Now that you are the head of the family, you are the backbone and lifeline of the Sige family. I think that for your food safety, you should try to eat out less often to avoid being poisoned by people with ill intentions.”
The tone, though seemingly respectful, conveyed no real respect whatsoever.
Gu Mai glanced at him with a smirk, leaning back slightly. "Lauren truly is an excellent butler; she knows my every move perfectly."
Lauren bowed even more deeply. "I wouldn't dare. I'm only thinking of the head of the family's safety and health."
With a cold snort, Gu Mai's expression was already somewhat displeased, but his tone remained raised as he changed the subject, "Where is Gu Mi?"
"He has already sobered up and moved to another residence, so the master need not worry."
"Of course, I trust Lauren completely. After all, you were handpicked by the old man, and you know this family better than I do, the head of the family."
Her body stiffened slightly. "Master is too kind. Please drink your milk and get some rest. I'll take my leave now."
After saying that, he got up, tidied himself up a bit, and left.
Gu Mai watched him close the door, and only then did his displeasure subside slightly as he left.
"The old man's lackey," he muttered under his breath.
Gu Mai thought that Lauren was still useful, since there were some things that he might need to know.
I picked up the glass of milk, which had already cooled slightly, and drank it.
It smells disgustingly like raw milk.
After only a couple of sips, my mouth felt like it was filled with a bitter, fishy, and foul taste.
It's as unpalatable as a low-quality dairy product.
So he casually poured the milk from the cup into the sink, just like Lauren, he found it annoying to look at.
The tap rinsed away the milky white liquid, revealing some fine sediment after the liquid was diluted.
Gu Mai quickly turned off the tap.
I shook the remaining liquid in the cup under the bright bathroom light and found some loose, fragmented particles that didn't look like dairy products.
A cold glint appeared in his previously puzzled eyes.
Lauren stepped out of the study and realized that his palms were sweating. Ever since the old patriarch died, he had been giving Gu Mai medication to maintain his nerve stability, as instructed by the patriarch.
Even when he was not around, Jiang Cheng would regularly add people to take care of his daily life.
But ever since he asked that question last time, Lauren suddenly panicked.
Which part of the process went wrong? Should we consider increasing the dosage?
The old patriarch had repeatedly instructed that this matter must absolutely not be known to him.
He then calmed down, realizing he couldn't rush things and there was always another way. He took the tray and went back to the kitchen.
The next day, when Gu Mai got up, he found that the cup in the study had already been taken away, and he sneered.
He pressed the call button and instructed Lauren to prepare breakfast and bring it to his room.
He served the food himself, pretending to turn a page thoughtfully, but his eyes were fixed on the way he placed the food.
Once everything was neatly arranged, he bowed and gestured, "Master, the meal is ready."
Gu Mai didn't look up, but waved for him to leave.
"Okay, you can go now."
Lauren held back the words she wanted to say—to urge him to eat it while it's hot—not wanting Gu Mai to realize she was being too deliberate.
The door was gently closed, and Gu Mai put down the documents in his hand and used his silver knife and fork to stir the dishes on the table.
It looks no different from usual.
Gu Mai never suspected that it was poison, but the unknown was more unsettling. Did the people left behind by the old man also covet this position?
The guest arrived on time. When Lauren brought him in, Gu Mai instructed, "Take away all the food. I have something to discuss."
"yes!"
Lauren received the order and noticed that some of the food on the table was missing. She led the person into the room, tidied up the things, and then left.
Once the person had left the floor, the man who had just entered the room opened his briefcase, took out a slender detector, and scanned the study and the adjacent room.
The reply was: "No surveillance equipment was found."
"Okay, take this to be tested and see what's in it as soon as possible."
He opened the cabinet, and some mixed food was packed into a sterile dust bag.
The man took it, a flicker of confusion in his eyes, but he quickly replied, "Yes."
He was among the first group of people Gu Mai promoted after becoming the head of the family. Although the old man was dead, the contents of his will were almost comparable to the articles in the legal code. Except for the things of those branch families, everything was arranged properly.
The old man has also planted many spies around the new head of the family.
Gu Mai hadn't cared at first, but these past few days, Lauren had really crossed the line, making him start to feel uncomfortable.
Moreover, there are still some answers to questions about this place that haven't been found yet.
In Jiangcheng, Ang's fingers flew across the keyboard, and a string of encrypted code appeared on the black desktop.
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