“Hurry up! Put that flowerpot in a better spot. And Xiaoliu, security must be on point—have Tianbao Group send a few more teams, people we can trust. Oh, and take down all those discount signs on the third floor.”
A woman with short hair, a black suit jacket over a white blouse, bare calves below black shorts, and short heels stood on the third floor of the shopping mall, speaking rapidly as she assigned tasks into her walkie-talkie.
“And the fourth floor, get on it! Miss will be here soon, so move it!”
Mo Lanhua said angrily, pacing through the storefronts, checking for anything that displeased her.
Just then, the phone in her pocket vibrated.
“Hello… Yes, yes, yes. Got it.”
She nodded and responded after answering the call.
After hanging up, she put the phone away.
Taking a deep breath, she shouted, “Gather round!!! Miss and her group have arrived!!!”
Thump thump thump
Everyone quickly finished handling their own tasks and, amidst the tense atmosphere, gathered in an orderly manner.
“I’ve already taught you what to say and what not to say—you know it yourselves.”
Mo Lanhua clapped her hands to draw everyone’s attention.
“Alright, go to your posts. Just do your jobs.”
They dispersed, each with their own assignments.
Mo Lanhua gave the two floors she managed another sweeping glance, made sure everything was set, and then smoothed her clothes.
“Miss Ruoxi…”
Mo Lanhua had received a call from Butler Nangong Li.
The entire two floors of the Li family’s shops had been cleared of all customers.
They were reserved exclusively for that never-before-seen Miss Ruoxi to browse and enjoy.
“We never made such a fuss before. Where did this Miss Ruoxi pop up from?”
Mo Lanhua didn’t dare dwell on it.
The gossip of wealthy families—the more people like her knew, the more troublesome it became.
“Why bother thinking about it?”
Phew– Mo Lanhua calmed her thoughts.
After a while, she saw a group of people slowly ascending the circular glass elevator from the open atrium of the mall.
Mo Lanhua narrowed her eyes.
At the center of the group was a woman wearing a simple blue dress, her long hair tied up with a butterfly ribbon bow.
Her clothes were utterly at odds with the surrounding bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses.
Standing beside the young woman was Butler Nangong Li.
She’s here.
Mo Lanhua’s heart, which had just calmed, started pounding uncontrollably again.
Every time she saw Nangong Li, she got nervous.
It was the psychological pressure of Nangong Li’s authority.
“Phew… It’s fine! It’s fine! Mo Lanhua, you won’t be the next manager to get fired. No, no, no~”
Ding–
The elevator doors opened.
The bodyguards filed out and quickly set up a cordon on both sides, while four others stood at the four corners around Li Ruoxi and Nangong Li, protecting Li Ruoxi closely.
“Um… Sister Li… there’s no one around. Do we really need to do this?”
Li Ruoxi said a bit awkwardly.
She saw that the entire third and fourth floors of the large shopping mall were completely empty…
Not the whole building—just the third and fourth floors were empty.
On the other floors, people were packed in, watching, chattering, and pointing at Li Ruoxi’s group.
“Miss, you must not think that way. I cannot guarantee your absolute safety without being meticulous about every detail. Only then can we minimize the danger.”
Nangong Li explained patiently.
“The Li family’s wealth is enough to make mercenaries risk their lives to get you.”
“Oh…”
Li Ruoxi was someone who had seen big scenes before.
‘It’s fine. Don’t be nervous. These people aren’t looking at you; they’re not paying attention to you.’
Psychology points out that people tend to focus too much on themselves and think others are equally focused on them.
In reality, not many people remember you.
Thinking this, Li Ruoxi lifted her head, stopped cowering, and instead smiled at everyone staring at her.
Upstairs, someone whistled and said something vulgar, but was quickly dragged away by a group that suddenly appeared.
Nangong Li walked a step behind Li Ruoxi, staying close.
“Sister Li, you don’t have to do this.”
Li Ruoxi knew Nangong Li was reminding everyone of her status.
“Miss, you need to get used to it.”
Nangong Li said without any leniency.
“Even if the Lord were here, he wouldn’t allow you to do that.”
Nangong Li pushed Li Ruoxi, who was trying to walk beside her, back into position.
Li Ruoxi had no choice but to keep walking forward.
Except for the third and fourth floors, more and more people on the other floors noticed what was happening on those two levels.
“Miss, rest assured. The entire building belongs to the Li family, so you don’t need to worry too much. And the Li family doesn’t rely on this for profit, so there’s no need to worry about reputation.”
Nangong Li alleviated Li Ruoxi’s concerns in advance.
“If you find it inappropriate, Miss, I can have these people cleared out immediately.”
“Then… can you have these people stand down too?”
Li Ruoxi asked sheepishly.
These people were protecting her, but they were also protecting the Li family’s honor.
She didn’t know if Li Wentian had announced her identity to the outside world.
Ordinary people might not know, but the wealthy of the same class must all be aware of her arrival.
She found it strange that Li Qing had said she was selling herself… that thing.
Her memories only started from the time she was tied to the cross in the castle prison room.
‘Did my previous persona and experiences change?’
It didn’t matter.
These weren’t things she should be thinking about.
Right now, she had to find an opportunity to lie low.
Realizing this, Li Ruoxi lowered her head slightly, her face no longer looking as tense.
“I can’t agree to that, Miss.”
Nangong Li finished speaking, then suddenly quickened her pace to overtake Li Ruoxi, turning sideways to block the gazes directed at her.
“If Miss doesn’t like crowds, then have all these people leave.”
Nangong Li looked at Li Ruoxi with concern.
Clear out the entire building?
Li Ruoxi imagined that scene and quickly refused, “No, no, that’s not necessary. This is fine. Don’t go to so much trouble—it would be exhausting for everyone.”
“It’s no trouble. The Li family pays them well, and this isn’t the first time for them.”
Nangong Li’s eyes had already fallen on the customers in the mall.
To her, this loss was completely acceptable.
In Nangong Li’s eyes, Li Ruoxi simply didn’t know how vast the wealth she possessed was, or how much power that wealth brought.
“Mo Lanhua.”
Nangong Li called out first.
“Evacuate everyone in the building. Miss doesn’t like crowded places.”
‘If she doesn’t like crowds, why come to a crowded place?’
Mo Lanhua walked over and was assigned a task before she could even speak.
Hearing this somewhat hefty task, she silently complained.
Li Ruoxi quickly interrupted, “No, no, don’t do that. Let’s just find a quiet place to sit. Sister Li, have these two floors return to normal business.”
On the way here, Li Ruoxi had no idea that Nangong Li had reserved two entire floors of the mall just for her to shop…
She wasn’t like the super-rich in documentaries, who casually threw money around.
She still thought of herself as an ordinary person, just one who had experienced some strange, inexplicable things and had seen the dark side of supernatural power.
“This…”
Nangong Li was a little hesitant.
It was the first time anyone had stopped her orders.
Usually, the Lord and Miss Li Qing were more than happy with such arrangements.
It seemed this Miss Li Ruoxi was a bit different.
“Then we’ll follow Miss’s wishes.”
Nangong Li nodded at Mo Lanhua.
Mo Lanhua silently complained about Nangong Li, but she took a few extra glances at Li Ruoxi.
Realizing that wasn’t appropriate, she hurried off to carry out Nangong Li’s orders.
Following Nangong Li’s guidance, Li Ruoxi walked ahead, her eyes occasionally falling on the merchandise in the transparent windows.
Every store was spacious, brightly lit.
All the salesgirls wore identical blue uniforms—short skirts and black stockings—extremely pleasing to the eye.
Li Ruoxi’s appreciative gaze swept across their smiling faces.
The value here already exceeded Li Ruoxi’s understanding of the Li family’s wealth.
Yet Nangong Li had just said this was a drop in the bucket for the Li family…
A subtle ‘this is actually nice’ thought emerged in Li Ruoxi’s heart.
She quickly dismissed it.
‘I am who I am. This father of mine should understand what I want.’
Li Ruoxi pictured Li Wentian’s loving gaze.
He would surely understand her thoughts.
She was just an ordinary person, not some protagonist.
She could die.
She didn’t want to get caught up in these disputes—to just barely escape the vampire incident, only to be dragged into some wealthy family feud.
“Miss, let’s go this way.”
Nangong Li led Li Ruoxi toward a separate entrance.
The double doors opened gently, and a rush of cool air escaped, completely different from the heat outside.
“Miss, this is the Lord’s usual resting place.”
“This is the storeroom.”
“This is the study, with a bookshelf.”
“This is the gym.”
“This is the Lord’s health care room.”
“This is the pool, professionally designed by a company.”
Two different temperatures, inside and outside the door—also two different worlds.
It was like the interior of a New York billionaire’s mansion seen in documentaries.
Even more exaggerated, Li Ruoxi felt as if the facilities from the estate had been shrunk and moved here.
“How big is this place…”
Li Ruoxi asked a very uninformed question.
“Well… the entire floor is about 3,000 square meters. This is probably about half that area,” Nangong Li said uncertainly.
“This should meet Miss’s needs. If you need anything, you can tell us.”
Nangong Li led Li Ruoxi to a private observation window.
They were only on the third floor, but they could see the open sea view in front.
“There used to be a building in front. The Lord found it an eyesore, so he bought it and had it torn down. That’s how we got the sea view,” Nangong Li explained considerately.
“And that dock over there for the boat. On days off, the Lord likes to take the yacht out.”
Yacht?
That’s more like a heavily modified warship!
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