On the steps, the indifference finally vanished from Qin Cheng's eyes.

In its place was a growing irritation.

Not the kind of irritation that just meant he was unhappy.

It was the kind that made him want to curse out loud.

A simple, pure kind of irritation.

Because...

He was the mighty Demon Sovereign. Call him a villain, a fiend, scum, whatever. To him, it was no more than a scratch.

But this...

This kind of...

Are you insulting me?!!!

Beside him, the little maid covered her cherry lips and secretly let out a soft laugh.

The moment she remembered how Yu An had described her young master Qin with words like "idiot," "moron," and "bad guy," she couldn't hold back the urge to laugh.

Then she looked at young master Qin's dark expression and gave Yu An a silent thumbs-up in her heart.

At the foot of the stairs, Yu An still hadn't realized how serious things were. She was still glaring at Qin Cheng with a mix of fear and anger.

Beside her, young master Mu, Mu Yi, was so surprised he looked a little frozen.

The atmosphere turned awkward for a moment.

A trace of helpless amusement appeared on Mu Yi's stunned face. He scratched his head.

He stepped forward, one hand gesturing toward Qin Cheng and the other toward Yu An, and slowly tried to smooth things over.

"Since Miss Cheng Yu An knows young master Qin, then this must just be a misunderstanding."

"Miss Cheng Yu An, please come inside. I'm very sorry. Please forgive my earlier rudeness."

Mu Yi bowed like a gentleman and gestured toward the upper steps.

"I-It's okay..."

Yu An froze for a moment. Mu Yi's timely intervention suddenly made her realize that she had actually spoken to that man like that...

[Ugh...]

In that instant, her mind filled with the things she'd just blurted out, and how she had actually...

Actually said those kinds of things...

Wasn't that a little too much...?

The little head Yu An had just raised slowly lowered again. A blush rose on her cheeks.

That's right. What Yu An was thinking now was whether what she'd said had gone too far.

Kind, gentle, and polite as she always was, Yu An was now even starting to feel that calling him "bad guy," "idiot," and "moron" might've been a bit excessive.

She stopped awkwardly where she was and still didn't move forward.

Mu Yi had just opened his mouth to say something when a graceful figure slipped past him from behind and elegantly arrived at Yu An's side.

Smiling, the little maid took Yu An's delicate hand and blinked at Qin Cheng on the steps.

Qin Cheng gave a huff and turned away.

"Come on, come on. See? Young master Qin isn't mad anymore~"

The little maid bent slightly and lightly patted Yu An's fair, beautiful cheek. Then she gracefully led her up the steps by the hand.

Yu An let herself be led along, her little head still lowered as she softly murmured, "Th-Thank you."

She still didn't dare look at Qin Cheng on the steps.

Only this time, it wasn't because she was scared.

Mu Yue Residence had been built in a very good location. Lush plants surrounded it, nestled in the middle of the mountains.

Even the pale golden sunlight filtering through the lingering clouds felt warm.

Threads of pale gold light seemed to spill over the two girls. At that moment, they looked quiet, beautiful, and elegant.

As for a certain Demon Sovereign on the other side, he was radiating gloomy energy.

The mood instantly became incredibly harmonious.

At the foot of the stairs, only one person remained.

Mu Yi watched the two girls and Qin Cheng leave. A faint smile appeared on his handsome face.

He glanced at the watch on his wrist and estimated the time.

There probably weren't many guests left. Before long, he, the host of the party, should head back too.

............

............

"Come to think of it... why did young master Mu suddenly know my name...?"

As Yu An walked toward the center of the party, she suddenly remembered something strange.

She remembered that young master Mu didn't seem to know her at all... He had looked surprised when they met.

At first, he'd addressed her as miss, so why had he suddenly started calling her by name later?

Had she remembered it wrong?

Yu An murmured softly in confusion.

The little maid beside her noticed her muttering to herself.

She glanced at the Demon Sovereign walking ahead.

Then she stared blankly up at the sky.

The corners of her lips quietly curled upward.

"Mmm~ Who knows~"