"Do I have a problem, you say? Since when did you obtain the courage to speak back to me in such a manner?" Meifeng narrowed her eyes at Meixiu.
"..."
However, Meixiu did not back down and continued to stare at her own mother with a serious expression on her face.
"Miss Meifeng…" Yu Rou called out to her with cold sweat running down her own back.
After a moment of awkward silence, Meifeng finally spoke with a slight smile on her face, "No, I don't have any problems. In fact, I was going to help you volunteer to be the Young Master's caretaker."
"Really?" Yu Rou was surprised by Meifeng's approval.
Meifeng nodded and said, "When I couldn't stay by the Young Master's side, I thought that I could perhaps have Meixiu stand by his side in my stead. That's why I suggested training her in the first place."
Meixiu's eyes widened with surprise. While she'd agreed to take the training of her own will, she didn't know of her mother's intentions until today, and it was quite shocking, to say the least.
"Are you not worried about my parents saying something, Miss Meifeng? I doubt they'll allow your daughter to take care of Brother Tian…" Yu Rou suddenly asked her.
"Yes, I am. Hence, why I will be giving you two choices now, Meixiu." Meifeng said, and she stared at Meixiu dead in the eyes with a serious expression.
"One, you will remain in the Yu Family and continue serving the Young Lady as her servant. However, you are not allowed to take care of the Young Master, as there is no way the Masters would allow you to do that."
"Or you can continue being the Young Master's caretaker. However, if you choose this path, you will have to leave the Yu Family and stop being the Young Lady's caretaker. It's either the Young Master or the Young Lady— you can't have both. Which will you pick?"
"..."
Meixiu's eyes widened with shock upon being given these two options.
However, to Meifeng and Meixiu's surprise, Yu Rou was the first to speak, and she said in a resolute voice, "Meixiu, you must pick Brother Tian! I can take care of myself, but Brother Tian… he cannot do that!"
"If I leave the Yu Family, what will happen to school…?" Meixiu suddenly asked.
"Of course, you will no longer be able to attend the same school as the Young Lady, as you're only there because of the Yu Family. However, if you're willing to pay the school fees by yourself, you'll still be able to attend the school like normal."
Meixiu frowned. Paying the school's fee by herself? Even with her savings, she won't last until the end of the year if she had to pay for such a prestigious school by herself.
"I know this is a difficult choice for you, but you cannot continue to sneak around. The Masters will eventually find out that you're helping the Young Master behind their backs, and the punishment for that will be much worse than just leaving the Yu Family. Hell, even my position may be at risk." Meifeng said.
And she continued, "If you choose to leave the Yu Family to take care of the Young Master, I'll also try to support you however I can. As for the Young Lady… I believe her when she says that she can take care of herself."
"Meixiu, do you even have to think about this?! You need to pick Brother Tian! As for your school, we'll think of something!" Yu Rou continued to urge her.
Meixiu suddenly closed her eyes, and memories of her childhood with Yuan quickly flowed into her head.
"What's wrong, Meixiu? Did you mess up again? Come here, you can cry on my shoulders…" Yuan's childish voice resounded in her head.
"Crying again? Here, do you want some chocolate? It'll make you feel better."
"Your training is almost done? Congratulations! Let's both do our best, okay?"
"..."
Meixiu opened her eyes after a long minute of silence before walking in front of Yu Rou.
After taking a deep breath, Meixiu lowered her body and bowed to Yu Rou, "I'm sorry, Young Lady, but I have decided to leave the Yu Family. Please forgive me."
A smile appeared on Yu Rou's face, and she nodded, "Thank you for your years of dedication and hard work, Meixiu. Please take care of Brother Tian from now on. I will definitely repay you in the future."
Sometime later, Meifeng said, "I will let the Masters know of your departure later, Meixiu."
She then turned to look at Yu Rou and continued, "Young Lady, if you don't mind, can I visit the Young Master? I haven't seen him in years…"
Yu Rou nodded and said, "Meixiu, you can bring Miss Meifeng to see Brother Tian when you leave. I'll have the other servants pack your things so you don't have to worry about that."
"Thank you, Young Lady."
"Don't call me that anymore, Meixiu. You're no longer working for me and I am no longer your Young Lady. Call me Sister Rou."
"That's… I understand, Sister Rou." Meixiu said to her after a slight hesitation, feeling a little bit odd afterward.
After talking with Yu Rou for a little bit longer, Meixiu left the place with Meifeng.
"..."
Once she was alone, Yu Rou laid on the bed with a dazed look on her face.
"Not just Brother Tian, even Meixiu is gone now… leaving me all alone in this place..." Even though she personally encouraged Meixiu to leave, Yu Rou couldn't help but shed some tears from Meixiu's departure.
After a moment of silence, she mumbled, "Maybe I should just leave this place and go with Brother Tian and Meixiu."
Yu Rou then got off the bed and walked to her desk. After unlocking one of the drawers with a key, Yu Rou used another key to unlock a box that was inside the drawers, retrieving a large yellow envelope that had a white label that read 'Certificate of Adoption'.
Yu Rou carefully opened the envelope that appeared to have already been opened before and stared at the certificate after taking it out, her expression as calm as a still pond.
After staring at the certificate and a certain name on it for a few moments, Yu Rou placed it back inside the envelope and locked her drawers before leaving her room with a gentle smile on her face.