"That girl the Young Miss took, I remember, was her name Ye Qingxue? Tsk, tsk, she isn't even worth all the effort. They just took a huge loss!"
"Whatever, rich people like to do whatever they want, don't even try to understand them, just forget it."
The staff in the office gossiped over Ling Yu's loss for a long time.
But in six months, when the sky split open and monsters spilled out—
—The name Ye Qingxue made the world tremble.
And the girl who saved her?
She was already writing the future.
***
"Get at least a hundred clothes for her daily maintenance, all kinds of clothes, different for each season, as well as shoes, sports clothes, bags, etc. Grab all of them as much as you can. Oh, also, get some that she can use for the next two years, too, since the clothes she will wear this year won't fit next year."
"Noted. Anything else?"
"Hmm, she is too skinny. Probably from malnutrition and being sick all the time. Get a lot of simple food supplies so she can eat well for a starter. But for now," Ling Yu sized up Ye Qingxue from top to bottom before turning towards butler Song, "I think the thing she needs the most right now is a pair of shoes."
"W-wait! Young Miss, you don't need to buy so much for me! I, how am I supposed to pay this debt?!" Ye Qingxue yelled in fluster, her head went dizzy just by hearing the amount of expensive things Ling Yu was listing to buy, it wouldn't be proper of her to accept all of this!
What if she doesn't live up to their expectations? How would she repay this debt then?
Ling Yu understood where she was coming from, but that didn't change the fact that Ling Yu decided to buy everything.
Instead, she walked over to Ye Qingxue, closing the distance between them, enough to intimidate her.
"Ye Qingxue."
"Y-yes, Ma'am!" Ye Qingxue replied, almost screaming, she was on a high alert after hearing Ling Yu call her by her full name.
According to her life lessons till now, her mother only called her by her full name when she was angry and was about to beat her.
'Was this person also angry and thus want to beat or slap her?' Realising what was about to happen, Ye Qingxue instinctively shut her eyes tightly, prepared for what was to come.
"Do you know who I am?"
A calm voice asked her.
Wait! A calm voice?
Ye Qingxue opened her eyes enough to peek at Ling Yu, but it seemed she wasn't angry?
Was she just being too quick to judge?
"Answer me, won't you?"
"Y-yes, Ma'am! You are my employee!"
"And?"
"And, and, wait... and what?"
Ye Qingxue was caught off guard as she stared at Ling Yu with a bewildered look. Her face seemed familiar, but where had she seen her before? Or it could be just a mistake, right?
"From now on, listen carefully." Ling Yu crossed her arms over her chest as she said, seeing that Ye Qingxue paid attention, she continued, "You must have known about the former Royal Princess Rui, despite being a commoner, haven't you?"
"Ah, Yes! Of course, I know Her Highness the Former Royal Princess! She once came to our hometown and delivered food and supplies to the people who were then suffering from a Tsunami, helping the refugees, and giving a huge donation for building houses, distributing necessary items for daily life, and books for children! She was very famous among us common folks..." Ye Qingxue trailed off slowly as she was talking, as if she was remembering something slowly, but surely.
"Don't tell me... Gasp!" Ye Qingxue gasped as she covered her mouth with both hands, her voice almost dropping to zero as she whispered, "Y-Your Highness, the Former Princess?"
"Shh, I don't want other people to know it's me. So just accept the things I order quietly, okay? Even if I'm a former princess and no longer associated with the Royal Family. I still have to preserve my dignity, right? So, how can my bodyguard wear cheap clothes and shoes in a formal setting? Don't you think it's too cruel?" Ling Yu's voice changed in an instant from emotionless to a pitiful, weak person.
"You'll wear the things I ordered for you, right, righhh~t?" Ling Yu was smiling like a flower as she coaxed Ye Qingxue, but for some reason, Ye Qingxue felt a chill down her spine.
'Why do I feel like she is coaxing me?'
"W-well, I..."
"Okay! Then it's decided!" Ling Yu clapped her hands as she turned to Butler Song, "What are you still doing here? Go quickly! We still need to head home before evening!"
"Yes, Master." Butler Song didn't change his expression in particular, leaving the overwhelmed Ye Qingxue behind with Ling Yu as she chattered by herself.
'I didn't expect her to have this benevolent side at all... she doesn't seem kind.' Butler Song thought for a fleeting moment before he disappeared into the corner.
Ling Yu was discussing Ye Qingxue's expense thoroughly, not leaving or mission a single thing she might need. Even so, the pair of worn and run down, a size smaller than Ye QIngxue's feet, didn't miss her keen eyes.
It's just as she thought, Ye Qingxue's adoptive parents didn't take care of or raise her well. Ling Yu already knew this from her past life after the scandal broke out in the country.
Those people only knew how to use her well and extort money from her hard-earned, raising their useless son. After Ye Qingxue awakened, her adoptive family's son also awakened unexpectedly.
But the difference became large from their on. Her trash brother, who awakened as an A-class awakened, fell far behind Ye Qingxue, the S-class unique awakenere with skills second to none.
Not only did her brother's inferiority complex become deeper at this incident, but her adoptive family's greed grew to be boundless as well.