"…" Xue Lin couldn't utter a single word. Her mind wasn't functioning properly. Two minutes later, she gathered her thoughts and said, "I don't need a personal maid. But if you insist on being my personal maid, you can try washing my clothes and serve meals. Anything more than that, I won't approve."
Suzuku hesitated and took a glance at Ge Chen. He didn't say anything. He kept browsing the internet.
Xue Lin noticed her movement and said, "Looking at him won't help you. If you are under me, you can work for me. But if you are with me because of someone else's command, you can leave. I lived without a maid. I won't die if I don't have a maid." Her voice was firm and her words were straightforward.
Suzuku realized her mistakes. She quickly bowed and apologized, "Young mistress, please forgive this foolish maid-"
Xue Lin interrupted her words, "Wait! Hold on a second. What's with your language? I'm not an empress or a princess of an ancient kingdom. You are not a servant of the imperial family. Why are you talking like that? You are working and you are getting paid for it. You are not a slave. No one will cut your hand or tongue, nor they will kill you if you make mistakes. You are a citizen of China and so am I. And you are not a foolish maid. We all make mistakes from time to time." She sighed and said, "You can go for now. I want to rest."
"Y-yes, young mistress. Have a pleasant dream," saying that Suzuku left. She didn't forget to close the door.
Xue Lin exhaled and glanced at her husband. "I hope the house we will move to B City isn't as luxurious as this one."
Ge Chen looked at her and said, "The house I live in is indeed luxurious. It was my mother's villa. After my father divorced her, she took me there. As long as my mother was alive, I stayed there. After my mother's death, grandfather raised me here. When I turned eighteen, I moved there and lived alone."
Xue Lin asked, "Were you really alone? Wasn't there any servant?"
Ge Chen answered truthfully, "There are ten servants in the villa including guards, chauffeur, and gardener." One day, his wife has to manage the whole household.
She concluded, "And if you add these Japanese sisters, it will be twelve."
"That's right." Ge Chen understood that she didn't like crowded places.
Xue Lin laid down and closed her eyes. She mumbled, "Hah… So much for my peaceful life."
He said, "If you want, we can move to a cottage where only two of us can live."
Xue Lin shook her head. "There's no need. I can tolerate them as long as they don't bother me. We are leaving tomorrow, aren't we?"
Ge Chen calmly answered, "That was the plan until you collapsed. And you didn't meet grandmother. My grandmother is coming back next month. I thought maybe we should meet her before going to B City. So, I'm planning to stay here for a month. What do you think?"
She blinked. "A month? We don't have jobs. Aren't you worried?" She was thinking of checking her bank balance tomorrow.
He replied, "We can apply for a job from here. And I'll take care of your passport and credit card."
"I… cannot thank you enough." Xue Lin felt that after marrying him, slowly but surely, fate was supporting her.
Ge Chen narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about? It's my duty as your husband."
"I'm going to sleep. Good night." Xue Lin covered her head with the comforter and closed her eyes. Her heart was racing upon hearing the phrase 'your husband'. She gathered her hands close to her chest and thought, 'I think I'm having a heart disease.'
"Good night." Ge Chen didn't know what she was thinking under the comforter. He took his pillow and a quilt and laid down on the couch. He should be excited that he was able to sleep in the same room as his wife but he couldn't. He thought he could understand people. However, after meeting her, he couldn't read her.
She looked like she was afraid of men, but she boldly married him. She wouldn't let him touch her and yet she would agree to sleep with him in the same room. She didn't seem like trusting him and yet she believed him when he told his past. She didn't like being served and yet she didn't want to fire the Japanese maids. She didn't seem to like the crowded place and still, she said that she would live with him in the villa with twelve servants.
Ge Chen smiled. 'No matter how mysterious she is, I'll figure her out sooner or later.'
The next day, Xue Lin's other personal maid Sakura came to introduce herself. For her language, she was also nagged by her young mistress. After being told that she had to wash Xue Lin's clothes and serve the meal, she felt dejected and went away.
The Head Butler came and said, "Young mistress, is this really okay?"
Xue Lin explained her reasons, "If you are thinking about letting the maids massaging my body, forget it. I don't feel comfortable when others touch my body. I also don't like to talk much and I like to do my work on my own. If it's about bathing and changing clothes, there is no way I'll let others see my body whether it is male or female. And when I'm home, I like silence and peace. Don't tell me to manage household management. I don't' want to do something so boring."
The Head Butler was troubled. Any woman will die to get treated like an empress and they will do anything to marry into a rich family but this young mistress is on a whole new level. He said, "But it's the duty of the Su Household's Madam. One day, you have to take care of it all."
Xue Lin told him in her mind, 'Butler uncle, if I knew that Chen was from a rich family, I would never agree to marry him. I thought he was a bodyguard and we would live in peace and harmony. Why are suddenly lots of duties coming for me?'
She wanted to take the sentence when she thought that fate was on her side after marrying Ge Chen.