Chapter 56

In the bright living room, the French doors leading to the garden were half-open, and a gentle breeze occasionally fluttered the drawn curtains, creating a particularly peaceful atmosphere.

The two women sitting on the sofa, one huddled in the corner and the other with her legs curled up, both held books in their hands but seemed distracted.

One was wooden and lifeless, while the other appeared calm but would occasionally flip the pages in agitation.

However, whenever a young maid in black and white uniform passed by, they would involuntarily tense up, and their gazes, stealing glances at each other, became particularly complex.

The sound of a car engine came from outside, and soon the person they both resisted and feared appeared, leading a blushing Deng Lijun.

"What, didn't you go out for a walk?" Li Xu asked in a surprised tone, "Even if there's a language barrier, you could have walked around the neighborhood with the maids, right?"

"We... just haven't adapted yet," Lin Fengjiao glanced at the wooden Lin Qingxia, sighed inwardly, and then continued.

"You'll need to adapt quickly," Li Xu shrugged, "Even if I don't take you everywhere, you should at least be able to have daily conversations in Japanese and English, right?"

As he finished speaking, the Deng Lijun he was holding suddenly panicked and hurriedly ran to the bathroom.

Lin Fengjiao, with her sharp eyes, clearly saw that when Deng Lijun ran away, Li Xu's hand had been pulled out from the back of her waistband. Realizing something, she immediately lowered her head in panic.

Li Xu, however, nonchalantly wiped his fingers with a tissue and then, when the maid in the maid's uniform, Yamaguchi Momoe, came to greet him, asked, "How was the afternoon?"

"The two Lin-sama basically sat in the living room all afternoon, occasionally getting up to move around," Yamaguchi Momoe lowered her eyelids, her hands covering her abdomen, maintaining the standard posture of a maid.

"Did you go to them from time to time?" Li Xu continued to ask.

"Yes," Yamaguchi Momoe replied respectfully.

"Very good," Li Xu didn't say much more, took out a document from his briefcase, "I heard your retirement song hasn't been chosen yet. I had someone write one for you. If it's suitable, you can use it."

"Yes, young master," Yamaguchi Momoe took it and immediately bowed 90 degrees.

"Hmm..." Li Xu was about to wave her off, but then suddenly reached out and hooked her chin, lifting her face to examine it closely, then stepped back to look her up and down.

Yamaguchi Momoe stood straight, her short hair making her even more delicate, with a faint sorrow in her brows that was hard to notice. But this did not detract from her charm; it even made her more appealing, even in the formal maid's uniform, not the provocative kind.

So Li Xu simply said, "Follow me," and without caring about the two Lin in the living room, he walked into a room, closed the door, and gestured to Yamaguchi Momoe, who immediately knelt down and skillfully undid his belt.

Although Lin Fengjiao had her head lowered, her eyes never left Li Xu. She watched as he took Yamaguchi Momoe into the room, and although she didn't know what he intended to do, she had a bad feeling about it.

At that moment, Deng Lijun came out of the bathroom, no longer as shy as before, but her face was still flushed.

"Lijun..." Lin Fengjiao stood up and called out in a complex tone, but before she could speak, someone else beat her to it.

"Lijun, tell me, this isn't real! It's not!" Lin Qingxia, who had been lost in thought and hadn't even noticed Li Xu's return, jumped up, grabbed Deng Lijun's hand, and sobbed.

Deng Lijun was initially flustered but quickly calmed down and hugged her to soothe her, "Qingxia, calm down, it's okay, calm down."

"I... I don't want this... Please, Lijun, help me, okay..." Lin Qingxia's tears were about to fall, and her pitiful and desperate appearance suggested she was on the verge of breaking down.

Lin Fengjiao frowned at first but then sighed. She and Lin Qingxia weren't particularly close, but she had heard about her complicated relationship with Qin. She also knew about the significant blow Lin Qingxia had suffered from the end of last year to the beginning of this year, which led her to run to Hawaii to heal her heart.

Before her heart had even healed, she was forced to please a powerful figure, someone who could make the national idol Yamaguchi Momoe serve as a maid. The feeling of despair was indescribable.

Although Deng Lijun had already told them about Li Xu, hearing it and seeing it were two different things.

Like the luxurious Boeing 747 private jet, no matter how Deng Lijun described it, it was hard to make an impression until they actually boarded the plane, which left them in shock.

So when Yamaguchi Momoe appeared in her maid's uniform, Lin Fengjiao knew she couldn't escape. Lin Qingxia also knew, but her already desperate state made her unwilling to accept an even more desperate reality.

"Qingxia, it's not that I don't want to help you..." Deng Lijun hugged Lin Qingxia, looking troubled, "You see, he treats me well, but I'm just..."

She gave a bitter smile and didn't continue, just gently patted her back.

Lin Qingxia was stunned, and tears finally rolled down her cheeks, "Do we... do we have to become... his playthings..."

Although she didn't like Lin Qingxia's pitiful and unwilling attitude, Lin Fengjiao felt a sense of shared suffering. Women like them, who were called stars at best and actors at worst, were not immune to the interest of high-ranking officials. However, they couldn't act recklessly, and the film companies had to consider the impact, so they would often hold back. If the cost outweighed the benefits, they would give up.

But this young man was different. He was from a powerful family in both the United States and Japan, and he didn't care about public opinion. The government, which needed him, wouldn't protect them but would force them to accept their fate. So—

"Qingxia, don't be sad. We can only take it one step at a time now," Lin Fengjiao sat down and hugged Lin Qingxia, then sighed again in her heart.

At least he was young and not too unattractive. If it were an old man...

"But... but..." Lin Qingxia's lips trembled, still resistant and unwilling, yet unsure how to resist.

Then, the room where Li Xu and Yamaguchi Momoe had gone into opened, and the pure Japanese national idol hurried out, head lowered, hand covering her mouth, and quickly walked towards the kitchen.

Although she was observing, Lin Fengjiao noticed that when she removed her hand from her mouth, there was a noticeable white mark on her lips, and her cheeks were slightly swollen.

Realizing what might have happened, she shivered slightly and pressed her lips together.

A few minutes later, Li Xu leisurely walked out of the room, looking refreshed, which made Lin Fengjiao instinctively want to close her eyes. She quickly noticed that Deng Lijun's face had turned red again, clearly aware of what he had done. Thinking about how Deng Lijun had been with that man for over a year, Lin Fengjiao suddenly felt even more pessimistic about her future.

Li Xu, however, couldn't guess her thoughts, or if he did, he wouldn't care much. He hadn't seen Yamaguchi Momoe in a while, and she seemed to have lost some weight, making the formal maid's uniform even more appealing. After teasing Deng Lijun in the car, he was in high spirits, so it was only natural to ask her to help him relieve his tension.

So even though he noticed the redness around Lin Qingxia's eyes, he just shook his head, seemingly unconcerned, and sat in the spot where Lin Fengjiao had been.

He didn't say anything, just sat there, watching the three women huddled together, making them feel very uncomfortable but unable to speak. This went on for a few minutes.

"This is what Nintendo sent, young master," Yamaguchi Momoe reappeared, still as calm and respectful as ever, her manners impeccable, as if what had just happened was ordinary and routine.

As she spoke, she handed a beautifully wrapped box to Li Xu.

"Very good, Momoe, go get me a cup of coffee," Li Xu nodded, then quickly unwrapped the box and opened it, immediately smiling.

The device was about 16 centimeters long, 7 centimeters wide, and a bit thick, at least 4 centimeters, but it didn't affect portability. With the standard cross-shaped button and A and B buttons, the handheld console in the box was almost identical to the first-generation Game Boy from his previous life.

"Teresa, come here," after confirming that the battery in the battery pack still had power, he enthusiastically waved her over.

However, Deng Lijun didn't immediately respond, instead shrinking back and looking at him hesitantly, "W... What is it?"

Li Xu couldn't help but laugh, shaking the item in his hand, "Come help me test it."

Deng Lijun then got up and sat over, still in a defensive posture.

"Look at this, this is the power button, this is..." Li Xu, completely unconcerned, pointed to the settings on the console, explaining for a few minutes.

"Now do you know how to use it and play?" After Deng Lijun operated it for a while, Li Xu asked.

"Yes, I know," Deng Lijun nodded repeatedly, her eyes fixed on the small screen, looking excited, clearly interested in the game.

"Good, now play a round and tell me your thoughts when you're done," Li Xu smiled.