Turns out, her brother had even complained to their mother...
Ye Zhi patted her chest and assured, "Bro, I keep my distance from him, don’t worry."
Luckily he didn’t know yet that they were in the same class, otherwise he would have been fuming.
Ye Lin shook his head helplessly, his handsome face full of concern:
"You’re still young and can’t judge people well. I can tell at a glance that he’s someone with a deep mind, and he has such a cold demeanor. I’m the best at judging people."
"Sigh, I just don’t want to see my Ah Zhi revolving around others. If you keep this up, be careful I might send him away."
"Bro, I will." Ye Zhi was moved by her brother’s serious expression and listened a bit more this time, fearing that her brother would send Shen Chen away.
The siblings chatted a bit more about personal matters before leaving.
In the following days, apart from playing with Qinglian and Tan Huanhuan, Ye Zhi didn’t actively talk to the Little Traitor, feeling all tangled inside.
Tan Huanhuan noticed too but was too embarrassed to ask, so she went to ask Shen Chen, "Did you offend Ah Zhi?"
The answer she got was a simple word:
"No."
There was no follow-up, so she decided to leave it at that.
Life at the academy was both monotonous and fulfilling.
Every break day, which is one day off after six days of school, the Ye Family would come early to pick them up after school.
They would also bring Huanhuan and Changzhou in to stay overnight at the mansion.
Housekeeper Tan felt uneasy about this and insisted on paying. Seeing how happy the young master was at the Ye Mansion, he discussed with Ye Family about letting the two young masters stay every break day in the future, with payment provided.
Money exchanged, no debts owed.
Ye Family thought it was unnecessary, also insisted on not accepting.
Housekeeper Tan advised, "Mrs. Ye, if you don’t accept the payment, my young lady might feel uncomfortable here and may feel inferior when interacting with Ah Zhi in the future. The Tan Mansion is not short on money, Mrs. Ye, please accept it."
This made sense.
The slightly made-up Ye Family agreed, conceding tacitly.
Then ~
Housekeeper Tan gave her five thousand taels.
Ye Family hurriedly refused, "Housekeeper Tan, isn’t this a bit too much?"
He smiled with squinted eyes and gently said, "I have inquired, the Ye Mansion is in a golden location. Living and including the food and other expenses here is no small cost. Moreover, Mrs. Ye is taking such good care of them. This five thousand taels is just a small token. Once the young lady settles down, further care might be needed, and I will add more money then."
The Ye Mansion is spacious and well-provided, with dozens of maids and servants, meeting the standard of a notable family.
Adding two more kids wouldn’t be an issue.
Moreover, both Huanhuan and Changzhou are well-behaved children.
But...
"Aren’t Huanhuan and Changzhou’s parents worried, letting two young kids stay outside without even visiting once?"
Housekeeper Tan shook his head, "The purpose of this venture for learning was to train them. I am here to oversee things. The master and the Ji Family have their plans."
Ye Family understood and did not inquire further. The arrangements were settled.
They ordered the servants to prepare two rooms.
Housekeeper Tan and four guards rented a courtyard near the Ye Mansion. It was small, enough to live but not fit for the two children. It didn’t match the standard.
Since renting expensively would not be worth it, after some thinking, staying at the Ye Mansion was better. The master would have company, and they could afford it, thus the proposal to Ye Family was made.
Huanhuan was initially worried about troubling others when she learned she would be staying at the Ye Mansion, her little face showing mixed feelings of happiness and concern~
Until she found out payment was made, she beamed with joy.
She dragged Ye Zhi excitedly to check out the rooms.
Housekeeper Tan watched the back of the young master for a while as they left, feeling that the money spent was worth it.