After Being Scummed – Chapter 14
by Little PandaIs It Delicious?
Zhang Yu stood in place, watching Yin Bai’s retreating figure as she hobbled toward the elevator, then lowered her gaze to the cake in her arms, her mind full of question marks.
A new friend’s mother?
Wait—so a top-tier actress in the entertainment industry was just “your friend’s mother” to her?
Typical you, BOSS.
Zhang Yu gave Yin Bai’s back a thumbs-up.
Yin Bai took a few steps, turned her head, and saw Zhang Yu still standing where she was, so she waved her over. “What are you still standing there for? Come on up!” Were they supposed to open the cake out here and eat wind at the door?
Zhang Yu responded with a string of “oh”s and hurried after her.
After reaching the second-floor sitting room, Yin Bai had Zhang Yu unwrap the cake Zuo Jingyou had sent over. She had to admit—Zuo Jingyou actually seemed to know a thing or two about making cakes. At the very least, this one looked appetizing and properly put together, far better than the pitch-black dark chocolate cakes Xiao Nian used to make.
Even so, Yin Bai still wasn’t entirely reassured. She reached out and poked Zhang Yu. “Try it.”
Zhang Yu gave her a helpless look. “BOSS, look at this cake—plenty of fruit, nicely spread cream—it obviously tastes good and isn’t poisoned.”
But Yin Bai ignored her assistant’s explanation and insisted, “I don’t care. Try it right now.”
“Fine, fine.” Zhang Yu picked up a small fork, carved out a piece from the nicely shaped cake, and couldn’t help complaining as she put it in her mouth: “I see how it is—you’re treating me like a test-poison eunuch1.”
Yin Bai clicked her tongue disdainfully. “Eunuchs are men. You’re not.”
Zhang Yu kept muttering with her mouth full: “Well, it’s not like I have that equipment either.”
Seeing that Zhang Yu hadn’t spat it out and was actually eating with relish, Yin Bai asked, “Don’t just eat—how is it? Is it delicious?”
Zhang Yu nodded. “Mm, delicious.”
She scooped up another spoonful and summarized very seriously, “I think it’s even better than the dessert we had at that Michelin hotel last time—not as cloying.”
Zhang Yu was actually an undiscerning foodie who’d eat anything—her saying “delicious” meant, for Yin Bai, merely “passable.” Hearing this assessment, Yin Bai picked up her spoon dubiously, carved a piece from the other side, and said suspiciously, “Really? Let me try.”
Yin Bai lifted a spoonful of cake to her mouth. The sweet, soft cake melted on her tongue, awakening her taste buds, which clamored with hunger.
Yin Bai’s eyes lit up at once. She raised her cane and tapped it against Zhang Yu’s shoe, urging, “Quick, quick, quick—take it over to the coffee table by the window. Let’s have some afternoon tea.”
Zhang Yu turned to look at her, a smug expression on her face. “BOSS, I knew you’d think it was delicious too.”
Hindsight! She clearly hadn’t said that just now!
But Yin Bai couldn’t be bothered to argue. She just gave a light snort and urged her to make the afternoon tea.
The two enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea with Zuo Jingyou’s cake. After tea, Yin Bai went to the study and continued reading the poetry collection in her hands.
Around two in the afternoon, the newly hired live-in housekeeper and life assistant were brought to the villa by the driver.
Zhang Yu knew that Yin Bai had mild social anxiety—with people she wasn’t familiar with, she generally avoided contact unless necessary. So when they arrived, Zhang Yu simply notified Yin Bai and then took the live-in housekeeper and life assistant on a tour of the house.
The live-in housekeeper was a woman in her fifties with a kindly face, her dark hair only interspersed with a few streaks of white. Her name was Song Qing. As Zhang Yu showed her around the villa, she explained some ground rules: “Chairman Yin is usually at home, but she doesn’t like seeing people. So, Auntie Song Qing, every time you finish preparing the three meals, give her a call and then send her a text message to let her know to come down and eat.”
“In this villa, you’re only responsible for one thing: Chairman Yin’s meals. Whatever ingredients you need each day, just order them from the grocery delivery service a day in advance, and they’ll bring them straight over. You just cook at home.”
After Zhang Yu finished explaining the tasks at a clear pace, Song Qing raised a hand to smooth the hair at her temple and said, a little stiffly, “Understood, Miss Zhang.”
Zhang Yu smiled and added, “Just do your duty and cook well, making sure Chairman Yin eats regular meals and stays healthy.”
After finishing her instructions, Zhang Yu let Song Qing go unpack on her own. Only then did she turn to look at the young assistant who had been following along quietly, and after a moment’s thought, said, “Your name is…”
The young assistant in her black uniform raised a hand to push up her glasses, straightened her posture, and said, “Xiang Qiu.”
Zhang Yu nodded and led her in another direction. “I’ve read your file. You just graduated this year with a Master’s in Management, and you speak French and English, correct?”
“Yes, Assistant Zhang.”
Zhang Yu smiled and led her upstairs to the second floor. “Chairman Yin’s work isn’t usually too busy, so when you have the chance, you can use the time to study on your own.”
“The main content of this job is still taking good care of Chairman Yin’s daily life, arranging her schedule, and handling some meeting engagements.”
Xiang Qiu nodded as she listened. “Alright, I understand.”
Zhang Yu led her toward the end of the second-floor hallway, rattling on: “Beyond all that, you’ll also need to take some etiquette classes, flower arrangement classes, history lessons, and study clothing and styling.”
“Although Chairman Yin has a regular makeup artist and a haute couture studio preparing her everyday wardrobe, sometimes the stylist can’t make it in time, so the assistant needs to know how to fill in the gaps.”
“Oh, and since we’re all life assistants who stay by Chairman Yin’s side, normally, wherever she goes, we go. So in this villa, you have your own room too.”
Zhang Yu pushed open the door at the very end of the corridor. “This is your room. Welcome to the family—everyone’s colleagues from now on.”
Xiang Qiu extended her hand and said earnestly, “I’ll be in your care from now on, Zhang Yu-jie. Please guide me well.”
Zhang Yu smiled. “No worries—my room is right next to yours. We’ll look out for each other from now on.”
After all, when their BOSS got willful and demanded they fetch the moon or pluck the stars, they’d still have to bust their backs trying.
“Alright.”
After Song Qing and Xiang Qiu moved in, since Yin Bai stayed home the whole time, a few uneventful days passed. But soon enough, Xiang Qiu—who had been busy studying flower arrangement—received her first assignment after several days of standing at the ready.
The difficulty level of this task was extremely low—so easy it was almost unbelievable to Xiang Qiu.
The reason was simple: she, a full-grown Master’s graduate, was being hauled out to play with a child.
The author has something to say:
Alright, starting next chapter we’ll probably begin gradually using the magic of time skips.
Yin Bai is someone who loves deeply and for a long time.
The first fifty little angels who leave comments will get red packets!
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