Chapter 56: Wet

The strange sensation in her heart gradually faded away. The inhibitor Irena had given her was quite effective.

Letting out a soft breath, she tidied herself up to look normal before pushing the door open and walking out.

The sunlight spilled onto her face, and she narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at everyone working busily. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Now that they were busy, they wouldn’t have time to worry about her, which was a good thing.

However, since everyone was occupied with their own tasks, she felt a bit out of place.

She glanced around, but it didn’t seem like there was anywhere that needed her help.

Vivi remained silent for a moment, eventually looking at the broom in the corner.

Cleaning was one of a maid’s duties, after all.

***

Su Xiao stood to the side, secretly observing Vivi. It had to be said that the loli really looked the part of a medieval maid in that outfit.

It was a pleasing sight to the eyes; Su Xiao found herself getting a bit mesmerized as she watched.

Xia Yu, seeing that the timing was right, lightly tapped Su Xiao.

“Xiao Xiao, quick, go.”

“Ah? Oh… Oh, right…”

Nodding, she picked up the tray holding two cups of coffee and walked toward Vivi.

It looked like a normal delivery, so Vivi naturally didn’t pay it any mind.

While she was sweeping, she suddenly felt a massive force, and her body stumbled back a few steps.

Immediately after, a warm liquid splashed onto her.

*Clatter.* The cups hit the floor and shattered into pieces.

For a moment, Vivi’s brain went blank. Then, the sensation of the coffee soaking into her clothes made her snap back to her senses.

“Ah! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

Su Xiao’s voice rang out at the right time, filled with apology, like a child who had made a mistake.

She quickly crouched down, using her hands to pick up the shards. The sharp porcelain cut several gashes into her delicate palm.

Vivi also reacted, crouching down as well. As she picked up shards, she comforted her.

“It’s fine, it’s fine, Sister Xiao. I wasn’t paying attention.”

Su Xiao felt a warmth in her heart, but at the same time, a sliver of guilt rose within her.

The coffee soaked into Vivi’s clothes, mixing with her natural lily fragrance. This version of Vivi seemed to have a different kind of charm.

Su Xiao sniffed, thinking the coffee had never smelled so sweet.

‘Hmm… maybe I should make a Vivi-flavored coffee in the future.’

After helping Vivi clean up the mess on the floor, she snatched the broom and dustpan away before Vivi could notice.

“Vivi, you go wash up first. I’ll take care of this.”

“Oh, okay—”

Vivi didn’t think much of it, assuming Su Xiao was just worried about her.

The damp sensation on her body was indeed uncomfortable. Furthermore, there was a lot of sugar in the coffee, making her feel a bit sticky.

Xia Yu, who was pretending to casually look at her phone, saw Vivi running toward the nearby bathroom and let a smile curl onto her lips.

“Vivi!”

She stopped in her tracks and looked at Xia Yu in confusion.

“Wh… what’s wrong?”

“There’s no shower there. Go wash up in the back room.”

Vivi froze, a trace of warmth rising in her heart, but she still shook her head.

“It’s okay, Sister. I can just do a quick wash.”

“Tsk—come here when I tell you to.”

Xia Yu stood up, pretending to be a little angry.

Vivi shrunk her neck back and turned to walk into the inner room. With her plan having succeeded, Xia Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She walked slowly into the room. The loli was standing at the bathroom door, giving her a view of her smooth back.

Vivi had never expected Xia Yu to come in at this time and was completely off guard.

At that moment, her small ears twitched. She turned her head and met Xia Yu’s eyes.

“Eek!”

Like a startled little animal, she instinctively clutched her clothes and hid in the shower stall.

“Cough, Vivi, what are you being so shy for?”

“Who… who’s shy! I’m not!”

“Fine, fine, you’re not shy.”

“So, do you plan on taking your clothes into the shower?”

Vivi went silent for a moment. The bathroom door pushed open just a crack, and the maid outfit, now smelling of coffee, was handed out.

Xia Yu took the clothes and gave them a light sniff. They were very fragrant, carrying the scent of coffee and a hint of lily fragrance, though it was mostly the scent of new clothes.

It smelled quite nice. An idea similar to Su Xiao’s popped into her head.

But that would have to wait. The priority now was to check Vivi’s phone.

‘A person’s phone can hide many little secrets, and I’m sure it’s the same for Vivi.’

She wanted to see if Vivi was really as she claimed.

She pressed the power button, and it opened easily; there was no password set.

This wasn’t surprising; it was likely just a habit. Xia Yu was the same, usually too lazy to set a password on her phone.

She looked through it for a while, and everything seemed normal. She found two messaging apps, but inside, she only found her own sister’s account logs.

She gave a bitter smile; her sister really did dote on her.

She remembered that Xiaxiaoling had used this phone for a long time.

She continued searching but found nothing else unusual. Just as she was about to turn the phone off, she saw the “Recently Deleted” folder and a few files.

Xia Yu clicked on them, and a note immediately caught her eye.

It read…

“I don’t know how much longer I can hold on. My instincts are turning me into a monster.”

“I don’t know what to do…”

“I… don’t want to become a monster. Someone, please save me…”

Xia Yu’s brows furrowed instantly. The content looked a bit melodramatic, making her instinctively think Vivi was just being an edgy teenager.

Yet the content didn’t seem like it was written just for fun. The power of written words was usually weak, but now, she felt a sense of despair from these lines.

What was going on?

Xia Yu couldn’t figure it out. She looked toward the bathroom, then back at the content in her hands, and took a photo with her own phone.

She sent it to Dr. Xu.

Yu Yu: [Image]

Yu Yu: “Sister Xu, help me look at this. I found it on Vivi’s phone. I’m a bit confused.”

Sister Xu: “?”

Sister Xu: “What is this? Did she just get emotional in the middle of the night?”

Yu Yu: “I don’t think so. I feel like something is fishy.”

Sitting in her office, Dr. Xu frowned as she zoomed in on the photo to examine it carefully.

Sister Xu: “Is she going through something? I feel like… she isn’t faking it.”

Yu Yu: “Then… should I try to probe further?”

Sister Xu: “How would you even do that?”

Yu Yu: “…”

Sister Xu: “Don’t get involved in this. I still have the same opinion: it’s best to stay away from her.”

Sister Xu: “If you really can’t bear to kick her out, then don’t ask about it. If you pry too much, she might have a stress response.”