Chapter 2 Slapping The Young Master's Face

Lola took the towel and wiped the sweat that beaded down her forehead. She grabbed the glass and drank it down hungrily like a dog who had been left out to battle the heat. "Bai, why didn't Aunt take a nap today?" She wiped the corners of her lips. "I didn't see her when I passed by her room."

"Young master came back today, so the entire household has been busy arranging the place for his return. She didn't have the time to get some rest." Disdain flashed across his face.

"The young master? You mean James Ling?" Lola blinked in surprise. Ever since she attended high school here last year, she decided to live in her aunt's place. Since she was a maid working for the Wei Family, Lola stayed here.

Bai Chi, her aunt's grandson, was Lola's cousin. He was just a year older than her and would soon be taking his college entrance examinations next year. Although they were cousins, he treated her as if she was his sister.

Lola only had been here for such a short time, but she knew of the infamous young master. She had always wondered why the son of the Wei Family would have 'Ling' as his surname. However, when she asked her aunt about it, she had only received a warning. "Don't ever mention that again in this household," her aunt had stated. "It's a taboo. If anyone hears you talking about this, you'll be punished."

"I heard that he has a bad temper. Is that true?" Lola asked cautiously.

Bai Chi's face darkened. He ruffled his short hair. "It's best that you avoid him in the future," he reminded. "Besides, it's not like he'll be coming to the servants' quarters."

"Okay." She nodded. Suddenly, a thought popped in her mind, and she quickly picked up the books that she had thrown onto the bed. "Bai, these are the manuals and exercises I bought today," she said. "Do you mind helping me check if they're enough?"

Bai Chi flipped through the books that ranged from politics to geography. If they had picked the same strand, she wouldn't have bought them in the first place. The notes he had left for her could only help her up to next year's examinations.

"I'll ask my classmate to draw up some points for you tomorrow."

"You're the best!" Lola smiled sweetly. "What would I do without you?"

"Aren't you such a suck-up?" He pinched her nose lovingly.

"Please, you know that I'll never suck up to anyone but you. By the way, I just came from the bookstore today, and I met this dreadful person." Lola proceeded to tell him what had happened.

All of a sudden, a rush of footsteps sounded, and the door was pushed open. A sixty-year-old woman came in and stared pointedly at the pair. "Come out quickly," she whispered. "The young master's back. We must all welcome him, so that he'd be familiar with your faces."

"From the amount of people in this household, I'll doubt if he would know that someone's missing." Bai Chi didn't want to see the young master. All he ever wanted was to continue with his reading.

"Nonsense! Everyone should come out and greet him. Plus, if you leave a good impression, you could work at the Wei Yuan Group after graduation. You know how difficult their recruitment process is," the old woman snapped, refusing to take no for an answer.

He could only sigh helplessly in response. Unlike what others might think, he had no interests in working under the Wei Yuan Group. Instead, he wanted to start up his own business after graduation with hopes that he would be able to prove himself.

However, every time he talked about his goals with his grandmother, she would only shake her head and lecture him about all the opportunities he was giving up. All his words were futile against her.

Compared to Bai's frustrations, Lola was the complete opposite. In the past two years, she had never come across the owner of the villa. It was said that the villa was specifically entrusted to the young master, and that Mr. and Mrs. Wei didn't live here. She couldn't believe that they would buy such a big villa for just one man. For her, it was a waste of money.

They exited the servants' quarters and huddled around the entrance of the villa. A red carpet was propped by the door that led up to the center of the villa. Lola and Bai stood beside the old lady.

A black Bentley roared from a distance. The glossy texture shone under the sunlight as it stopped by the gate of the villa.

One of the servants opened the door of the car and held up a hand to protect the young master's head. The moment his face appeared in her line of sight, she stiffened.

'Isn't he the guy I met earlier?' Lola's mind was in haywire. She remembered that the middle-aged man had said that Mr. Wei was the young boy's father. That meant he was the owner of this villa, James Ling. Finally, she put together the pieces of the puzzle. Her mouth went dry.

Knowing his temper, she bowed her head and prayed to the gods that he wouldn't see her.

Suddenly, just as she had bowed her head, a mosquito buzzed in front of her before falling onto her snow white arm. A jolt of pain ran threw her skin, and she gritted her teeth. 'Damn it!' Lola raised her hand and swatted the insect.

The crisp sound echoed around the hall. Everyone turned to look at Lola's direction as if the young teen had just grown two heads, but she didn't seem to mind. All that she could think of was the escaping mosquito.

At the sound, James Ling stopped and turned to look at the servants. Finally, his eyes fell on Lola, taking in her casual outfit. Wasn't she the girl who slammed his face with ice cream?

A vindictive smile slithered into his lips. He didn't expect to meet her here after she had run away from him. It seemed that she was the child of a servant. Now, she had nowhere else to run. He slowly walked towards her.

A pair of shiny leather shoes appeared beside her. "Nobody," he mused, calling her attention.

But Lola couldn't care less as to what was happening. All she cared about was getting rid of that damned mosquito. The insect flew back and forth, as if trying to provoke her.

The servants trained their gaze to what was happening, unsure of what to do. Her aunt, who was standing next to Lola, looked like she was about to faint.

"It really is you." James Ling's eyes flashed. He took a stepped forward and raised his middle finger for her to see.

Suddenly, a crisp sound echoed across the field as Lola's hand landed on his cheek.

Everyone froze. How could she have slapped the young master? Silence had befallen them, and no one dared to speak.