From Dropout to Housemaid-The Upper Crust's Favorite - Chapter 19 - First Day Working at Banshan Villa

Zhao Tianming returned to Chengyuan and headed straight for the President’s Office.

Su Linyuan looked up from his documents upon hearing the knock at the door. He saw Zhao Tianming walk in with a relaxed expression.

Setting down his pen, Su Linyuan’s slender, fair fingers instinctively tapped lightly on the desk.

“Is everything arranged?”

“Yes, Mr. Su,” Zhao Tianming replied.

Su Linyuan raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.

Zhao Tianming was somewhat surprised. Matters like hiring domestic staff were usually beneath Mr. Su’s notice.

Meeting Su Linyuan’s deep, dark gaze, Zhao Tianming explained, “The job scope has been discussed with Miss Jiang, and she assured me she can handle it.”

He glanced at Su Linyuan and added, “Miss Jiang is very meticulous. She even made sure to change into clean shoes upon entering the house.”

Su Linyuan responded with a faint “Hmm.”

Recalling Jiang Xianyu’s decision to rent an apartment, Zhao Tianming asked, “Mr. Su, since Miss Jiang chose to rent a place nearby and won’t be staying at the villa, should we provide her with transportation and housing subsidies?”

Su Linyuan’s brows furrowed slightly. “She’s not staying at the villa?”

Zhao Tianming stole a glance at Su Linyuan, hoping to discern something from his calm and refined expression, but he failed. He could only truthfully reply, “Miss Jiang knows you prefer not to have outsiders around, so she rented a place before starting work.”

After a moment of contemplation, Su Linyuan said, “Provide the usual transportation subsidy. Ask her how much her rent is, and reimburse her for this month’s rent.”

Zhao Tianming thought to himself, Jealousy truly distorts the soul.

Outwardly, he replied, “Understood, Mr. Su.”

Seeing that Zhao Tianming had nothing more to report, Su Linyuan waved him off.

Once the door to the President’s Office closed, Su Linyuan’s expression relaxed slightly.

Considering that Jiang Xianyu had cared for his grandparents for some time, he had initially thought it would be fine for her to stay at the villa for the month. Unexpectedly, she had proactively rented a place outside.

That worked out better.

Thinking of how his grandfather’s social circle had become livelier lately, Su Linyuan decided to increase her subsidy.

Rent in Hai City wasn’t cheap. If she had stayed at the villa, she wouldn’t have needed to rent a place. Reimbursing her rent was a fair way to compensate for her decision not to stay on-site.

After leaving the President’s Office, Zhao Tianming sent a message to Jiang Xianyu.

“Miss Jiang, please send me a photo of your rental contract showing the amount. Mr. Su will reimburse your rent for this month and provide a transportation subsidy as well.”

Jiang Xianyu, who was familiarizing herself with the kitchen appliances, replied with a voice message: “I’ll send the contract to you tonight when I get home. Please thank Mr. Su for me.”

Listening to her voice message, Zhao Tianming responded with an “OK” emoji.

Jiang Xianyu chuckled at the animated cat in the emoji.

The fact that Mr. Su’s staff could be so lighthearted hinted that their leader wasn’t someone who ruled solely through pressure and intimidation.

Her confidence in Butler Lu’s words grew stronger.

After finishing her tour of the kitchen, Jiang Xianyu headed upstairs to the third floor to tidy the slightly disheveled bed.

The room wasn’t dirty, so she only needed to do some light cleaning.

Once she finished there, she moved to the study next door.

During her earlier walkthrough with Zhao Tianming, she hadn’t paid much attention to the details.

Now, she noticed the desk was scattered with various documents.

Seeing the scattered documents on the desk, Jiang Xianyu instinctively began sorting them into categories.

Signed documents were neatly stacked and put away. Rejected ones were grouped together. As for the unsigned materials, she organized them by priority, placing them in the center of the desk in order of importance.

Finally, she found a sticky note pad by the desk, jotted down the locations of each type of document, and stuck the note on the desk to ensure everything could be easily found later.

After finishing this, she opened the music app on her phone and started cleaning at a leisurely pace.

Once everything was done, she checked the time. It was still early, so she hopped on her electric scooter and headed home for a break.

By 4:30 in the afternoon, she was back at Banshan Villa, preparing ingredients for dinner.

When the time was right, she began cooking. Butler Lu had mentioned that Su Linyuan shared similar tastes with his grandparents and had a particular fondness for meat. This made the task easy for Jiang Xianyu, who was already adept at cooking hearty dishes.

She prepared plum-glazed pork ribs, salt and pepper shrimp, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a nourishing soup made with longan, red dates, and yam to soothe the stomach.

After setting the dishes on the table, Jiang Xianyu glanced at her phone. It was 6:30-perfect timing.

Satisfied that nothing had been overlooked, she changed her shoes, put on her helmet, and rode her scooter out of the villa.

By now, it was mid-December, and Hai City had grown noticeably colder. The outdoor temperature hovered around two or three degrees Celsius.

To fend off the chill, Jiang Xianyu bundled herself up like a ball. Riding her electric scooter at a leisurely pace, she made her way home. In the scooter’s front basket sat an insulated lunchbox containing her packed dinner.

Assistant Zhao had told her that since dinner was served late, she was welcome to pack her portion and take it home. Previously, Qian, the housekeeper, had eaten the same meals as the employer, though she usually dined in her room.

The winter night had fallen early, and the world outside was already pitch black. Fortunately, the roads around Banshan Villa were well-lit with streetlights, so the darkness wasn’t intimidating.

On the smooth downhill road, Jiang Xianyu’s scooter chugged along at a slow and steady pace.

Suddenly, a car with its high beams on approached from the opposite direction. Jiang Xianyu immediately slowed down.

The glaring lights made it hard to keep her eyes open. A moment later, the car switched to low beams, and she resumed her ride at a normal speed.

Behind the wheel, Su Linyuan noticed the snail-paced electric scooter and couldn’t help but chuckle.

The scooter looked round and clunky, and its rider was bundled up like a ball. The cautious, turtle-like pace was amusing to watch.

He had never seen anyone so careful while riding a scooter-slowing down just because of high beams.

Jiang Xianyu, meanwhile, was taking no chances. The downhill road, the nighttime setting, and her past experience with sudden health scares had made her extra cautious. These days, she cherished her life dearly: early to bed, early to rise, regular exercise, and a commitment to staying safe and healthy.

When Su Linyuan arrived home, he was greeted by the enticing aroma of freshly cooked food.

At the entrance, he changed into his indoor slippers and instinctively glanced at the extra pair of house slippers.

The slippers were beige, neatly placed, and positioned at a respectful distance from his own.

His hand paused for a moment before he casually continued on to wash up.

After washing his hands, he sat down at the dining table and finally turned his attention to the evening’s meal.

The plum-glazed pork ribs glistened with a rich, reddish sheen, garnished with a sprinkle of sesame seeds. The salt and pepper shrimp were golden, with hints of vibrant red peeking through the shells. The stir-fried vegetables looked fresh and crisp, a perfect palate cleanser. Lastly, the longan, red date, and yam soup had an invitingly wholesome appearance.

He picked up his chopsticks and hesitated briefly before trying a piece of the pork ribs. His eyes lit up almost immediately.

He had assumed the new housekeeper’s cooking would be on par with Qian’s, but to his surprise, the flavors were significantly better.

The satisfying meal softened Su Linyuan’s usually stern demeanor. A faint, contented smile played at the corners of his lips.

Perhaps it was the particularly delicious dinner, but he ended up eating more than usual. Feeling pleasantly full, he decided to take a walk in the garden to aid digestion.

Though the air outside was cold, the movement kept him warm enough.

Once his stomach felt more comfortable, he headed upstairs to his study.

There was still work from the previous day that needed his attention.