Lin Yuan was truly shocked. She never expected that the kind of false accusation plot she’d only seen in TV dramas would actually happen to her. It was too coincidental, or perhaps, Su Qiuyu was just too clever, and this Yaner, perfectly in sync with her mistress, acted like a worm in her belly, performing so convincingly without any need for rehearsal.
After Yaner finished that sentence, she stared at Xia Zheng with wide-open eyes, perfectly expressing that she had no idea Xia Zheng would come in.
Su Qiuyu also couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw Xia Zheng, tears came to her eyes immediately, falling like pearls off a broken string, unstoppable.
"Young Master Xia, Miss Lin, she..."
Before Yaner could finish, Su Qiuyu quickly tugged at her sleeve, shook her head, then bit her lip desperately to hold back her sobs and said with immense magnanimity, "It’s alright, Brother Zheng, it was my own carelessness that knocked over the cup, it’s nothing, don’t blame Miss Lin."
Lin Yuan didn’t say a word, just quietly watched Su Qiuyu and her maid finish their act. Then, her eyes fixed tightly on Xia Zheng, wondering who he would believe in the end.
Xia Zheng had actually heard Yaner’s words upon entering the door, and after walking in and seeing the mess on the table and the cup overturned in front of Su Qiuyu, it was impossible to tell who had actually knocked it over.
However, he didn’t ask any questions. Instead, he quickly walked over to Lin Yuan, carefully examined her hands, and only when he found no signs of scalding did he breathe a slight sigh of relief.
Su Qiuyu was both angry and aggrieved; it was she who had been scalded, yet why was Brother Zheng first concerned about that little wench? Could it be he realized that she had intentionally scalded herself?
Yaner was also indignant on behalf of her young lady, frowning and discontentedly said, "Young Master, it was clearly Miss Lin who deliberately knocked over the teacup onto my mistress while pouring tea. Why don’t you care about my mistress, instead of caring for the culprit?"
"Yaner, shut your mouth." Only after Yaner finished speaking did Su Qiuyu belatedly scold her, "It was obviously I who knocked over the cup, it has nothing to do with Miss Lin. If you continue to slander , I, I will have my mother send you away."
"Miss!" Yaner fervently advised Su Qiuyu.
Xia Zheng just coldly huffed, saying with a laugh, "Su Qiuyu, it seems you really should dismiss this ill-mannered maid of yours."
Su Qiuyu looked incredulously at Xia Zheng, what had he just said?
Xia Zheng took Lin Yuan’s hand with a rare hint of obscure darkness in his eyes, which made Su Qiuyu tremble all over. She knew, Xia Zheng was truly angry, and very much so.
"A maid should know her place. When your mistress was talking with Miss Lin, you should have been pouring tea. Instead, you made Miss Lin personally serve your mistress! I can’t bear to let her do even a bit of rough work, yet here you are, ordering her around as if she’s a maid. It seems you really don’t wish to serve by your mistress’s side anymore!"
Yaner clenched her lips tightly, feeling that Xia Zheng’s words were not mere threats.
With difficulty, Su Qiuyu swallowed, Xia Zheng’s recent words, while seemingly reproaching Yaner, were actually directed at her. It wasn’t Yaner who treated Lin Yuan as a maid, but herself! From the moment she entered the room and asked Lin Yuan to cook, to Lin Yuan personally handing her pastries, and now, serving her tea and water.