"You—!" Qin Yichen's temper snapped, teeth grinding.
But Qin Jiahao's door slammed shut before he could finish. The engine roared. A second later, the window rolled down and Qin Jiahao leaned out, grinning ear to ear like a little devil.
"Good luck, Second Brother! Try not to look too desperate, yeah?"
The car shot forward, tires spitting dust, leaving nothing behind but exhaust fumes and an older brother with a vein popping at his temple.
Thud!
Qin Yichen's shoe connected viciously with the tire of the waiting black sedan. The driver jumped so hard he nearly swallowed his tongue.
Butler Wen, unruffled as ever, adjusted his cuffs and examined the roses along the wall like they had suddenly become fascinating.
Xi Jiayi tilted her head, voice light, almost polite. "…Your brother's very… dependable."
The sarcasm was so mild it might have passed for sincerity.
"Shut up and move," Qin Yichen snapped.
She didn't move. Her gaze lingered instead on the breakfast trays still visible inside the hall, steam still curling up from the buns and porridge.
"…At least let me grab something to eat," she murmured.
Qin Yichen's jaw twitched. His eyes flashed. "Do you think I have the whole day to waste while you chew?"
Before the argument could explode, Butler Wen stepped in, smooth as oil on water. From behind his back, he produced a leather folder and a small cloth bag.
"Second Miss," he said warmly. "Your documents. And some food."
He pressed them into her hands with a discreet push toward the car.
But even as he did so, Butler Wen's mind wandered. Since this girl had entered the Qin household, not a single soul had sat with her at a meal. They looked at her, judged her, whispered about her… but no one really noticed her eating.
And her appetite—ah, that was the one secret none of the family members knew.
She looked fragile, like a paper doll. Yet Butler Wen had seen the evidence—food mysteriously vanishing late at night, pantry shelves emptied, leftovers gone as if swallowed whole by the shadows. The girl ate like a soldier returning from war.
If not for his foresight today, she might have refused to budge altogether.
Yes. He had prepared well.
Xi Jiayi blinked once and suddenly found herself outside. The sunlight was sharp on her skin. In her arms—papers and food neatly stacked.
The black sedan gleamed in front of her. Its door swung open.
Qin Yichen stood there, impatience practically radiating off him. His voice cut short and sharp.
"Get in."
Xi Jiayi obediently moved forward—only for a servant to suddenly appear, staggering slightly as he helped Butler Wen carry… something.
Qin Yichen frowned. "…What the hell is that?"
The "something" was set carefully at Xi Jiayi's side. It wasn't just a tiffin. No, this was a towering, stainless-steel monument to food, stacked tier after tier until it was almost half her height.
She accepted it without so much as a blink, cradling the massive container in both arms like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Then, with quiet dignity, she climbed into the car, balancing the monster of a lunchbox on her lap.
The folder—her actual school documents—remained entirely ignored, still in Butler Wen's hand.
For a long moment, Qin Yichen just stood there, frozen. His brain short-circuited somewhere between "escort her to school" and "mobile buffet system."
"…What am I even doing," he muttered under his breath.
The driver coughed politely. "Second Young Master…?"
Qin Yichen pinched the bridge of his nose, inhaled slowly grabbing the documents from Butler Wen, then slid into the passenger seat.
The sedan door shut with a soft thunk, and the car rolled smoothly out of the courtyard.
Butler Wen stood there, watching the sleek black vehicle disappear down the drive.
He exhaled and shook his head, though for some reason, cold sweat crept down his back.