"Aunt Huo, I was sent by the master to pick up the clothes he will wear for the evening banquet," He Ruoyi said.
Alpha Guard 1 and Alpha Guard 2 were with Fu Yinxiu, and Alpha Guard 3 and Alpha Guard 4 stayed here to protect Little Jingshi, so this task fell to her.
But He Ruoyi was delighted to come.
No matter the reason, she was thrilled to step into Fu Yinxiu's home.
"Oh, alright," Auntie Huo said, quickly stepping aside. "Please come in and have a seat. I'll get the clothes right away."
He Ruoyi wasn't shy about taking the opportunity to enter Fu Yinxiu's home.
Even if Auntie Huo hadn't mentioned it, she would have found an excuse to come in.
This was her first time coming to Fu Yinxiu's house, and thus it was also the first time she was handling such a task.
As Alpha Guard 5, her duties included dressing up as Fu Yinxiu's companion and ensuring his safety at banquets. If a guest of high importance and safety concerns arrived, particularly if the guest was a woman, she was also responsible for ensuring the woman's safety.
There were very few women in the Alpha Guards, and she was one of only two.
The other female guard ranked lowest among the Alpha Guards, so many tasks better suited to women were assigned to her.
However, she had never been given the responsibility of handling matters related to Fu Yinxiu's personal life before.
If Alpha Guards 1 through 4 weren't occupied with their own tasks, it wouldn't have been her turn.
Being her first time, He Ruoyi was excited, and even if she could only wait in the living room, she was determined to examine it closely and remember every detail.
After all, this was the place where Fu Yinxiu spent his daily life!
Aunt Huo invited He Ruoyi to sit and poured her a glass of water before hurrying to fetch Fu Yinxiu's clothes.
He Ruoyi curiously observed the living room,
imagining Fu Yinxiu sitting on the sofa, reading a newspaper or working on his laptop, which seemed so picturesque.
She speculated about where Fu Yinxiu would sit.
The minimalist leather L-shaped sofa seemed to be a fitting spot for Fu Yinxiu. He Ruoyi, considering his habits, carefully chose a spot at the end of the sofa and sat down, almost as if trying to feel Fu Yinxiu's presence.
She then stood up and decided to explore other areas while Aunt Huo was still away.
The dining room was the closest to the living room.
As He Ruoyi was about to head over, Ming Yutong emerged from the kitchen.
Ming Yutong had come out to check on the commotion outside.
To her surprise, she ran into He Ruoyi!
Both were taken aback by the encounter. Ming Yutong was particularly surprised to see He Ruoyi there.
Had their relationship with Fu Yinxiu become so close that He Ruoyi could freely come and go here?
Ming Yutong's stomach tightened with a pang. The day Fu Yinxiu had his accident, she had even considered reconciling with him, even allowing him to kiss her.
How could she forget that there was still He Ruoyi between them?
The last time He Ruoyi's appearance had reminded her.
And this time, it was the same!
Every time she wavered with Fu Yinxiu, He Ruoyi seemed to appear.
Ming Yutong suddenly felt out of place, as if she shouldn't be here at all.
She had never belonged here.
In the past, she had never considered coming to Langyuan.
One reason was that Fu Yinxiu had misunderstood her, and she didn't want to humiliate herself.
The other reason was her fear of seeing traces of another woman's life here.
But now, on her first visit to Langyuan, she had run into her.
After arriving, she had focused solely on Little Jingshi.
In the kitchen, preparing porridge for Little Jingshi, she hadn't had a chance to carefully observe the place, let alone discover signs of another woman's presence.
And if He Ruoyi could come and go freely, surely there would be traces of her around.
"Miss He," Ming Yutong said calmly, without explaining why she was there.
He Ruoyi raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are you doing here? Are you here on official business? But he's not home right now, so coming here is pointless."
Having been away from Fu Yinxiu for three months, He Ruoyi was out of the loop regarding Fu Yinxiu's attitude toward Ming Yutong.
He Ruoyi still perceived Ming Yutong as she had at the Moon Festival party.
Thus, He Ruoyi assumed Ming Yutong had deliberately come here.
Knowing Fu Yinxiu was definitely not home at this time, Ming Yutong must have come to flatter Little Jingshi.
Using the excuse of visiting Little Jingshi, Ming Yutong must be lingering here waiting for Fu Yinxiu.
Taking advantage of Aunt Huo's absence to wander around!
He Ruoyi had clearly projected her own thoughts onto Ming Yutong, completely forgetting that she was the one idly wandering around while Aunt Huo was away.
Ming Yutong ignored He Ruoyi's sarcasm, not taking it to heart.
She wasn't here to find Fu Yinxiu.
She was here to see Little Jingshi.
As Little Jingshi's mother, she had every right to be here, visiting her son openly.
She was invited in by Aunt Huo herself and had the freedom to move about.
He Ruoyi's reaction made it seem like Ming Yutong was shamelessly lingering here.
But that wasn't the case!
Ming Yutong was not at all feeling guilty.
She stood tall and confident as she looked at He Ruoyi. Despite the hurt Fu Yinxiu had caused her, she showed no sign of it on her face.
"I'm not here to see Fu Yinxiu. I came to see Little Jingshi," Ming Yutong said calmly, her tone calm.