"Young Master, if you say so, you are dismissing my talents. I am grateful for your trust, and I will do my best to serve you in the future, but..."
As Yi Ling spoke, her tone changed, and a gloomy and desolate expression crossed her face: "In the end, I was betrayed by Qiao Qiao, and my skills were stolen. Now, Miss Jinghua from Yihong Courtyard has completely surpassed me. Even if I want to, I am powerless."
As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and tears rolled down her cheeks, portraying an utterly pitiful sight.
Xin He smiled and handed her a handkerchief: "What are you afraid of? I have never treated any of you harshly. As long as you are loyal to me, I will not abandon you easily."
Yi Ling’s eyes flickered with a hint of hope: "Does Young Master mean that there is another way out for me?"
Xin He smiled: "In fact, I had planned to launch a new batch of girls, but initially intended to select a group of well-trained ones. However, since your current situation was blocked by Jinghua, I may consider including you in the next training plan. By then, you will have a new path to follow. Don’t worry; you are smart and learn quickly. I believe you can make another astonishing impression."
Yi Ling’s eyes lit up instantly. Indeed! With their master’s business acumen, how could he not have a backup plan? He is even thinking of cultivating new talents now.
Yi Ling then casually feigned surprise: "Are you going to select new people from the Flower House?"
Xin He shook his head: "The second batch of girls to be retrained will also be key targets; they must possess exceptional qualities in both appearance and temperament. Top-notch talents like Leng Qing and Hua Rao have already emerged from the Flower House. Those remaining are not very capable. So, I plan to select newcomers. I had already started working on it days ago, but it was delayed due to the incident at Yihong Courtyard." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
Yi Ling’s mind raced, seemingly detecting a few flaws in Xin He’s words, and she tentatively asked: "Since the matter at Yihong Courtyard suddenly emerged, although you have already selected the girls, you haven’t formally brought them in?"
Xin He nodded and reassured her: "Rest assured, even though I have already chosen those ten girls, how could I ignore your situation? I will not exclude you; your appearance and temperament are extraordinary, and you may not be worse than those newcomers. Have some confidence in yourself."
Yi Ling gratefully said: "Thank you, Young Master!"
However, she sneered in her heart: why would she remain as a promiscuous woman when she had the opportunity to move on to a better master? Especially since, while the master may have given her a chance, reintroducing her along with unsullied young girls would hardly make her appealing to guests. Did he think she didn’t know the fickleness of men?
By then, although the master would have seemingly given her an opportunity, would it make any difference? She would merely serve as a stepping stone.
Finally, Xin He gently smiled: "Don’t worry, just focus on recuperating for now. Madam Chen is likely very busy these days and may not take care of you all the time. Don’t feel wronged; if you have any issues, talk to Madam Chen directly, and I will inform her as well."
"Thank you for your care, Young Master."
Xin He comforted Yi Ling a bit more before getting up and leaving.
Madam Chen had been waiting outside. Seeing Xin He come out, she hurriedly asked: "Are you planning to check the accounts since you’re here, Young Master?"
Xin He stopped in his tracks: "Not today. How is the signing of the confidentiality agreements coming along?"
"Most people have already signed, but a few stubborn ones still fear there may be unfavorable terms or traps in the contract. They insist on asking a master from the County Government Office to review it for them."
Although the girls in the Flower House were all beautiful, their hearts were not necessarily simple.
However, Ji Xinhe didn’t care about these things. In one’s life, selfishness was natural. Having fallen into such a situation was already unfortunate enough, but they must clearly recognize their future path as well.
Xin He nodded: "That’s fine. There’s no need to rush. As long as everything is settled before next month, that will be enough."
Xin He then glanced at Yi Ling’s room and continued: "For now, let’s not rush Yi Ling’s confidentiality agreement either. I saw her looking somewhat haggard today, probably still recovering from the shock. If we let her sign the agreement now, she might overthink things, and it could be hard for her to bear. We can wait a while and let me talk to her in person at the end of the month."
Madam Chen smiled: "You are so understanding, Young Master. It’s truly our fortune from past lives to work at the Flower House under your guidance."
Although Madam Chen’s words were somewhat flattering, they contained genuine gratitude. Through their interactions over the days, she had come to see that their young master truly cared for the girls at the Flower House.
Xin He smiled faintly, then turned to leave: "I’ll be going then. Oh, about those girls I plan to bring in, find a day to buy them from Wang Ya Po, then start training them. Yi Ling will be one of them."
"Yes, I understand." Madam Chen replied promptly.
At this moment, Yi Ling was standing inside her room, listening to their conversation through the door. The anxiety in her heart finally eased a bit.
A smug smile crossed her face - it seemed that the Young Master was indeed true to his word. A great opportunity had indeed come her way!
Having made up her mind, Yi Ling no longer fretted and instead leisurely poured herself a cup of tea, humming lightly: "Originally, I thought Sun Yaowen was no match for the Young Master. If I could catch the Young Master’s eye, why would I have to consort with Sun Yaowen? What a pity."
It was a pity that their master had not set his sights on her. As a promiscuous woman, she understood men’s hearts like no other. She knew at a glance if they had feelings for her. Sun Yaowen coveted her beauty and the benefits she brought, so he was interested in her. The master, however, had never shown any intentions towards her, even though she had given him many hints in the past.
Thinking of Yihong Courtyard’s growing success and the inevitable decline of Flower House that would someday make Young Master Ji vomit blood, Yi Ling sneered: "You brought this upon yourself!"
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