Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The three cars arrived at the mansion entrance in succession.

Jiang Yao’s car was first, followed by the one carrying Lord Dero, Aunt Zhou, and Young Master Jesse. The last vehicle transported the two attendants Aunt Zhou had brought with her.

Jerry was the first to step out, with Jiang Yao following closely behind, not daring to delay a second. Before Jerry could perform the courtesy of shielding the door frame for him, Jiang Yao swiftly exited the vehicle.

Jerry sneered, “How efficient.”

Jiang Yao responded with a puzzled smile before walking to the second car. He opened the doors for Lord Dero and Aunt Zhou, raising his hand to shield the top of the door as they stepped out.

Aunt Zhou snapped, “You actually let my son open the car door for you?”

The system warned, [Trouble, host. Should you explain that Jerry threatened you?]

Jiang Yao replied calmly and confidently, “Young Master Jerry is truly outstanding. His willingness to open the door for a servant must be proof of your fine parenting. Mr. Shen has always admired young men like Young Master Jerry.”

Aunt Zhou was instantly pleased by these words, her lips quirking between frowns and smiles before she finally snorted and walked through the gates of the Shen residence, arm in arm with Lord Dero.

Jiang Yao exhaled in relief and followed Jesse, who had darted out of the car like a fish, into the mansion.

“Hi—” Jenny, who had been waiting by the entrance, immediately greeted them. “Darling!”

Aunt Zhou’s previously aggressive expression softened instantly, even taking on a hint of flattery as she embraced Jenny.

The system remarked, [Jenny’s back. Does that mean you can take a break now?]

Jiang Yao checked his watch—it was already 5 PM. Dinner at the Shen household would be served at 6. He lingered behind the Zhou family entourage, temporarily handing over hosting duties to Jenny.

Upon reaching the foyer, Jiang Yao’s role automatically shifted to that of a valet responsible for taking coats and bags, while the maids assisted the Zhou family in changing into house slippers.

“I heard you’re retiring,” Aunt Zhou said as she removed her silk scarf, affecting concern for Jenny. “What will Mr. Shen do without you?”

Jenny closed the discreet cloakroom. “We’re grooming a successor for Mr. Shen.”

Aunt Zhou insisted, “What he needs is a wife.”

“Oh dear,” Jenny replied immediately. “You’ll have to bring that up with Mr. Shen yourself. In my position, I can’t advise him on such matters!”

Aunt Zhou changed the subject. “Where’s Ian? Let him and Jesse become friends!”

The two women chatted as they walked away.

Jiang Yao maintained a polished smile as he escorted Lord Dero to the living room. A servant brought tea and desserts, which Jiang Yao then laid out precisely before Lord Dero and Jerry. Jerry crossed his legs, picked up a dessert, took a bite, and immediately spat it out. “This is disgusting!”

Lord Dero scolded, “Jerry! Mind your manners!”

The manservant looked embarrassed, but Jiang Yao simply smiled faintly, removed the dessert, and placed it back on the tray he was holding, signaling for the servant to take it away.

Jerry snapped, “Did I say I was done?”

Unfazed, Jiang Yao returned the dessert to Jerry, who finally quieted down—at least until Lord Dero stepped away to take a phone call. Jerry took the chance to demand, “You have three days to get me what I want.”

“What are you talking about?” Lord Dero asked as he returned to the sofa.

His father’s presence clearly commanded more respect. Jerry grumbled, “Nothing! I’m sixteen already—can you stop being so controlling? Our Black neighbor’s son is already a dad at this age, and I haven’t even had a drink!”

“Shut your mouth!” Lord Dero bellowed. “This is your brother’s home. Mr. Shen is a very traditional Eastern man—mind your manners!”

This family was clearly even more problematic than Jiang Yao had anticipated. No wonder they were the villains the main protagonist (bottom) had to deal with so extensively.

After a brief rest, Jiang Yao gave Lord Dero and his son a tour of the Shen mansion’s main building.

“The first floor is the common areas. The west corner is Young Master Ian’s play area, next to the reception room, living room, kitchen, and storage. The second floor is...”

“We’ll reach the guest rooms soon. Would you like to rest for a while, Master? Dinner will be served in half an hour.”

Jerry asked, “Does everyone stay together?”

The third-floor guest area had three rooms—one was a family suite, while the other two were individual guest rooms. Jiang Yao smiled. “Would Young Master Jerry like different accommodations?”

Before his father could reprimand him, Jerry snapped at Jiang Yao, “Piss off.”

5:50 PM.

Jiang Yao finally stole a moment to inspect dinner preparations in the kitchen.

His phone had been vibrating incessantly. Holding a pair of long chopsticks between his fingers, he tasted the courses while checking the flood of messages from the main protagonist (bottom), Sean.

[Jiang?]

[Are you back? I followed the address you gave me, but I don’t have facial recognition access. The guards are asking for an invitation—what do I do?]

[Jiang Yao?]

[You’re not lying to me, are you? Boo-hoo, I’m all alone out here. Don’t trick a kid!]

[Hey! If you ignore me, you’ll never get rich!]

Such a wicked curse! Jiang Yao frowned as he chewed a slice of ham. Blackbeard, the head chef, mistook his expression for dissatisfaction with the carefully prepared Spanish dishes and started muttering curses, glaring at Jiang Yao.

Jiang Yao set his phone aside. “Where are the desserts?”

The sous-chef presented three desserts—two differently styled cakes paired with a beverage each. Each set had a distinct theme.

After sampling them, Jiang Yao would decide which one to serve after dinner.

“What’s in this one?” Jiang Yao tried the first dessert, poking the fluffy cake with his fork, only to recoil at the sickeningly sweet frosting. “No, too sweet. Serve this one instead.”

He pointed to the gilded ice cream cake and the orange-infused dessert drink. The rule was simple: select not what’s proper, but what’s lavish. Perfect for entertaining guests.

Two minutes until dinner.

Everyone began synchronizing their movements for serving.

Jiang Yao returned to the dining room to inspect the Western-style tableware and cutlery arranged by the maids. For Westerners, the placement of knives, forks, and plates was a complex ceremony—as if lacking the proper utensils would betray poor breeding.

The setup included a charger plate, dinner plate, two sets of knives and forks, a soup spoon, and serving utensils—six pieces in total, not counting specialty cutlery for specific dishes.

Dessert required a dessert spoon and fork.

The arrangement was meticulously precise. The napkins couldn’t have a single wrinkle, and the tops and bottoms of the cutlery had to align perfectly—straighter than Jiang Yao was gay.

The system observed, [A butler has to handle all this?]

Jiang Yao hummed in agreement. Just as he finished inspecting and turned to leave, he paused abruptly.

Tilting his head, he examined the bouquet of roses at the center of the table. He selected one spare rose, swiftly trimmed its stem and leaves, and pinned the crimson rose into the pocket on his chest.

The system cooed, [Wow! You’re so extra!]

At exactly six o’clock, the kitchen was ready. Jiang Yao went upstairs to knock on the door and invite the guests to dinner. His phone, tucked inside his suit, kept vibrating—he knew exactly who it was.

The system couldn’t help but ask, [Why aren’t you responding to Sean?]

Jiang Yao replied, [Jenny said Mr. Shen would return to the mansion on time to accompany the guests for dinner.]

The system: [So?]

“This is infuriating! That lying scoundrel!” At the main gate, Sean, with his chestnut-colored short hair, was seething with rage, pointing at the Shen family’s entrance and cursing. “What kind of rich bastard is this? Just a bunch of liars! Said they’d interview me, but now they’re giving me the silent treatment? What kind of honorable folks do that?!”

The Maserati that had left the mansion in the afternoon slowly pulled up. The driver got out and opened the rear door. Shen Mo stepped out and immediately noticed Sean.

This young man looked vaguely like his son, Ian.

“Who are you?” Shen Mo suddenly asked.

Fu Xiaoen turned around and jumped up, yelling at Shen Mo, “Who am I? I’m your grandma’s ghost! Get that damn butler named Jiang or whatever out here! He scammed me! I’ll teach him a lesson!”

Shen Mo: “………………”

The driver gaped—it was the first time someone had dared to speak to Mr. Shen like that.

A new butler? Shen Mo frowned and then asked, “What do you plan to do to him?”

-

Jiang Yao’s reasoning was simple: buttering up Shen Mo or young master Ian paled next to winning over the Bottom Protagonist in the story. Since he only knew the general plot and not the details, playing matchmaker for the leads couldn’t go wrong.

That way, he might even earn a sweet bonus on top of his salary.

“Hah-choo!” On his way downstairs, Jiang Yao couldn’t help but sneeze.

This immediately drew Jerry’s disdain. “How vulgar. Housekeeper Jenny, just fire this kind of butler already.”

Jiang Yao smiled apologetically. “My apologies.”

Jenny: “Jiang, you don’t need to serve dinner tonight.”

With a guest’s single remark, Jiang Yao lost an important opportunity to shine. Yet, his expression remained calm as he smiled faintly. “Understood. I’ll go prepare the post-dinner activities.”

Jerry’s ears perked up. “It better be good.”

Jiang Yao smiled with narrowed eyes and smoothly withdrew from the dining room.

The system’s voice trembled: […What do we do now? Even this punk is pushing you around!]

Jiang Yao: [I thought serving a master was like walking on eggshells, but before the tiger even roared, the mutt got first dibs.]

The system muttered, [Are you calling Jerry a dog?]

Jiang Yao immediately put on a plastic smile. [Oh my, how could I? I’m just an ordinary butler, after all.]

The system: [……]

This was also why Jiang Yao actively shipped the main couple—by siding with the Bottom Protagonist, no one could kick him out.

But unexpectedly, Jiang Yao sneezed three more times in a row.

The system: [They say three sneezes means someone’s bad-mouthing you!]

Jiang Yao: [?]

Just then, warmth suddenly spread over his shoulder. Jiang Yao turned to see bodyguard Jing Yan laying a jacket across his shoulders.

“Mr. Jing Yan, you’re back?”

Jing Yan nodded blankly. “Butler Jiang, are you catching a cold? You don’t look well.”

Jiang Yao’s eyes grew misty as if seeing family, his nose tingling with tears he refused to shed. “Thank you for your concern, Mr. Jing Yan, but I’m not sick. Here’s your coat back.”

Jing Yan: “Ah… Are you in trouble? Can you tell me? I’ll… I’ll do anything for you!”

The system: [Why does this sound kinda… gay?]

Jiang Yao gently refused Jing Yan, balled his hands, and looked up at the sky. “Thank you, but I can handle anything. Please believe in me, Mr. Jing Yan!”

Respect gleamed in Jing Yan’s eyes. From the Shen family’s secret employee group chat, he’d kept tabs on Jiang Yao’s entire day’s work and concluded that Jiang Yao was butler goals!

That helicopter milk run had left everyone shook!

Jing Yan said, “Yes, Jiang is the most capable guy I’ve ever met!”

-

At the entrance, Fu Xiaoen followed Shen Mo into the Shen residence, still bitching, “What’s your position here? Can you get me an audience with that Shen guy? I want him to fire that phony two-bit butler!”

“…”

This was not part of Jiang Yao’s calculations.