Her tone was filled with disdain, but the butler didn't mind, maintaining his smile. "Young master never cared about these things."
Shen Qingqing waved it off. "Where is the bathroom?"
The butler gestured to the left. "Over there, I'll take you."
"No need, you're a man, why would I want you to take me?" Shen Qingqing rolled her eyes and got up to leave.
Despite his excellent composure, the butler's smile faded considerably. "Miss Shen is truly beyond my expectations."
Fu Jingshu said calmly, "Her personality is straightforward, she means no harm."
And this was without ill intent?
The butler's mouth twitched; he was utterly bewildered.
Just then, a maid came from the kitchen. The butler said, "You go wait outside the bathroom for Miss Shen. She's new here and unfamiliar with the place. If she needs anything, you can assist her."
The maid left.
The butler then said to Fu Jingshu, "This mansion is very large, with dozens of rooms. Even I haven't been to all of them. If Miss Shen accidentally enters somewhere, it wouldn't be good."
This was no exaggeration. The estate spanned several hundred square meters, and with its traditional Chinese architecture, there were many rooms. The second-floor corridors were winding and not a straight path.
He rambled on with explanations, but Fu Jingshu only had one sentence.
"She hasn't gone upstairs, what are you worried about?"
The butler smiled. "I'm just worried that if Miss Shen becomes curious and goes up, she might get lost. Then we'd have to search for her. Besides, we have distinguished guests on the second floor; it wouldn't be good to disturb them."
Fu Jingshu narrowed his eyes slightly. "Which guest?"
The butler smiled faintly. "That's inconvenient to say."
"Recently, there have indeed been rumors of a guest arriving at your residence," Fu Jingshu said, picking up his teacup and taking a sip. "I came to visit specifically after hearing this news."
The butler thought for a moment and then realized. "You mean Mr. Fu."
Fu Jingshu's gaze fixed on him.
"Mr. Fu is truly not here," the butler sighed. "The police came to inquire earlier and conducted a brief search. If you don't believe me, you can ask them."
Fu Jingshu snorted coldly.
This was clearly a refusal to cooperate. If the police could find him, they wouldn't be back.
As they were talking, Shen Qingqing returned, looking displeased.
Fu Jingshu took her hand and pulled her to his side, his deep voice filled with affection. "What's wrong?"
Shen Qingqing pouted. "What did he mean by that?"
Fu Jingshu looked towards the butler.
The butler appeared confused. "What did I do?"
"I went to the bathroom, and you had someone wait outside for me. Were you afraid I'd steal something or what?" Shen Qingqing was very unhappy and turned to complain to Fu Jingshu, "Tell me, is that how anyone should be treated? He doesn't trust me and thinks I'm a thief!"
"Alright, don't be angry," Fu Jingshu coaxed her gently. Then, his gaze towards the butler turned sharp.
The butler had never expected this woman to do such a thing. "Miss Shen, you've misunderstood. I didn't mean anything by it. I just wanted to ensure you had everything you needed, so I had someone accompany you."
Shen Qingqing huffed and sat down on the sofa indignantly. As she did, she accidentally bumped the coffee table, knocking over a teacup. Tea and leaves spilled all over her.
"Oh no!"
She quickly jumped up, holding her skirt, her face on the verge of tears.
Fu Jingshu rushed to help her clean up. The leaves could be removed, but the tea had quickly soaked through the fabric.
"You need to rinse it with water."
Once the tea dried, it would leave a stain, especially on her light-colored dress.
If a stain appeared, it would be very noticeable.
The butler calmly gave instructions. "Someone, find a ladies' dress and take Miss Shen to the guest room on the first floor."
Shen Qingqing and Fu Jingshu exchanged a glance.
In the end, the butler didn't want her going to the second floor. But that was fine; she could explore it herself.
However, when they reached the guest room, the maid was waiting at the door.
And all along the corridor, there were guards stationed at intervals, their faces expressionless. Even if she could incapacitate the maid at the door, she couldn't take down all the guards.
It wasn't impossible, but she would certainly be discovered.
After much thought, she finally gave up her plan. She couldn't alert them this time; she could find another opportunity later. However, after cleaning her clothes, she deliberately took her time before going out.
The butler's eyes held a hint of scrutiny. "Miss Shen took so long to come down. Did you encounter any difficulties?"
Shen Qingqing shot him a sideways glance. "No."
Her curt reply brushed the butler aside. Even with his good upbringing, he was starting to falter. But out of respect for Fu Jingshu, he didn't say anything. He politely escorted them to the door and then hastily said, "We welcome you back anytime," before closing the gate.
The gesture suggested they were eager to have them leave.
As soon as the gate closed, Shen Qingqing's arrogance and haughtiness vanished, replaced by amusement and a playful smile. "So, how was my performance?"
Fu Jingshu praised, "Good."
Before entering, they had agreed to put on a show. Shen Qingqing was to act spoiled and unreasonable to lower the hosts' guard. But they hadn't expected the butler to be the one to greet them.
"However, Sima Yucheng isn't home, where could he be?" Shen Qingqing mused, tapping her chin. "Did he get wind of something and run off?"
Fu Jingshu said in a deep voice, "I'll have someone investigate."
"It's best to find out soon," Shen Qingqing changed the subject. "I didn't get to see much of the second floor, and someone was always watching me. I don't want to alert them. Did you find out anything from the butler downstairs?"
"I asked about that maid. He said she's been fired."
Shen Qingqing sneered, unsurprised. "This butler looks suspicious; he's not normal. I'll ask Officer Wang for that woman's number. That would be faster."
"I'll do it."
Fu Jingshu led her to the car, then took out his phone to call Officer Wang.
Soon, they obtained the former maid's phone number.
Shen Qingqing dialed it.
After a long ring, a woman's voice answered, "Hello, who is this?"
"Hello, Aunt Xu, my surname is Shen."
Hearing the surname, the person on the other end knew who she was. "Miss Shen, I've told the police everything I can. Please don't ask me anymore; I really don't know."
Shen Qingqing's tone was calm. "Aunt Xu, you do know."
"I don't know!" Aunt Xu's voice grew louder. "If you want to know something, go ask the police. This has nothing to do with me!"
She hung up abruptly.
Shen Qingqing looked at her phone expressionlessly and dialed again.
The call went unanswered, so she tried again.
Still no answer.
She dialed once more.
Finally, the other party answered, her voice exasperated. "What do you want?!"
Shen Qingqing said calmly, "I have a question for you."
"I already told you, I don't know anything!"
"You're lying," Shen Qingqing said flatly. "You told the police quite a lot. Why won't you tell me now? Is it because the butler fired you, or… did he threaten you?"
The other person's breathing suddenly became heavy.