BXBX NOVEL Chapter 197 - THE BURDEN WAS GONE
When Hu Lei woke up, it was already in the afternoon. Since she had nothing urgent to handle, she did not rush. She took a long bath, dressed up and went downstairs for lunch. Housekeeper Li smiled with genuine happiness when he saw her.
"Miss Hu, it has been a while. How have you been?" He ushered her to the dining room with the flattering expression of a lackey.
The servants in the Area 99 villa had come to love Hu Lei during the time she spent there. She was not a haughty person. She would not make life difficult for the people who worked in the house. Moreover, she was kind an open. Her cute appearance also won the favour of the older workers in the villa.
Unfortunately, she had not come back to the house for a while which meant that there was no one to take care of. It was always difficult for the maids, the chef and the butler when no one was in the house. They always felt listless because they would only do routine meaningless tasks without a goal.
Now that Hu Lei had come back, Housekeeper Li intended to motivate her to stay for a little longer.
"It is nice to see you too. I have missed this house." Hu Lei spoke with genuine feelings.
She had spent a lot of time in this villa during her period of recuperation. Her reason for leaving was because she felt it was a little inappropriate to stay. This villa was Zhong Feng\'s official house. In simple terms, it was the place which was recognised as his main home.
Therefore, it could not be compared to the anonymity and simplicity of his other residences. The penthouse was merely a place he stayed for convenience when working on important projects. The Azure Woods mansion… He had told her that it was going to be their secret love nest.
The villa was different because of its openness. She had been cautious about staying there to avoid facing complications. Moreover, she liked the privacy of being only with Zhong Feng and doing normal domestic things. Still, there was so much that she loved about the Area 99 villa.
"Chef made your favourites." Housekeeper Li indicated at the rich spread of food on the table.
"Are you trying to make me fat?" Hu Lei laughed.
Housekeeper Li coughed a little with awkwardness. How could he admit that the household staff had held a meeting for this? They were determined to have their master in the house, and they knew the way to do it was to please Miss Hu.
"I thought you would appreciate the food. I understand that you are quite busy. I am anxiously waiting for the release of the movie." Housekeeper Li was a smart man.
Hu Lei understood the intentions behind the food and the friendliness. However, she did not know if she could promise to be in this place for long. She intended to go back to the movie promotion events after a couple of days. Her short break was only to make Lan Jie sweat. She owed it to her fans. There was nothing too important going on for the moment anyway. In addition, she was waiting for a response from Russia for the matter he had entrusted Vlad.
It would not be easy to do anything out of the ordinary while in a house full of people. Furthermore, this place was not too secure. There were too many potential leaks if her secrets were discovered. For instance, there was no guarantee that her personal business would not reach Zhong Feng\'s parents if she stayed. Well-meaning household staff could be so chatty. Moreover, who knew if there was another person like her former assistant?
Still, she could not overlook the kindness of the housekeeper and chef.
"I will stay here for a few more days if you promise to give me food like this." She responded with a casual nod and began eating.
Housekeeper Li felt gratified by her actions. It seemed that she was not an unreasonable person and would try to accommodate people when she could. "It will be our pleasure to serve you. Do not worry. We will not interfere with your work. And your library is still in perfect condition."
After Hu Lei ate, she called Beatrice to pick her up before going to check out her office. As Housekeeper Li had promised, everything was in perfect condition. Moreover, there were some new books on the shelves. She shook her head. If this continued, there would be no more space. But the secret smile on her face showed that she was not displeased.
In fact, she was thinking of the mansion in Azure Woods. A lot of the rooms in that building were empty. She could transform one of those spaces into a glorious library. Her smile widened as she thought of something else. She could also create a large music room. On a personal level, she had no much interest in music except in listening. However, she had realised that Zhong Feng was a secret classical music otaku.
She got excited as these thoughts flowed into her mind. It did not occur to her that Zhong Feng would oppose her plans for that mansion. Of all the houses, she felt that Azure Woods belonged to her, to them together. Perhaps it was because it was the first place she had gone to after returning from Antarctica. Or maybe it was because she knew that he had built it for her.
Without realising the gravity, Hu Lei began making plans for the long-term future. Since she had gotten together with Zhong Feng, she always had one metaphorical foot out of the door. It was not because she was not all-in in the relationship.
It was because she always felt that their happiness was a castle in the sand, short-lived. In her mind, she was always afraid that the beautiful castle would get blown or washed away at any moment. But for some reason, that burden was gone. She could actually see their future.
She did not feel like she was fighting and trying hard to see how their life together would be in five or ten years. The images, the feelings, they seemed to come easily. It felt natural. There was no heavy tension in her mind, as if she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
She smiled with a light heart.