We agreed to seek enlightenment together, but how did you end up seeking enlightenment for my mother

Hao Jia led the guards and Wu Lulu away first, leaving only Xu Zhou and Lan Zhi in the huge banquet hall, making the atmosphere intriguing.

Lanzhi pretended to be calm, acting as if she hadn't noticed the subtle atmosphere, and turned to leave.

However, a cold and indifferent voice called out to her.

"Will you put it on yourself, or should I put it on for you?"

Lanzhi blushed and turned her head away, pursing her lips.

As expected, Xu Zhou was holding a necklace in his hand, looking her up and down with amusement.

"What do you want to do!?"

"No way." Xu Zhou shrugged and said seriously, "Thanks to a certain android, I've always lacked a sense of security. Only by having others firmly under my control can I barely get a little peace of mind."

"You big villain! You little pervert!" Lan Zhi gritted her teeth.

"Say what you will, but are you going to wear it or not?" Xu Zhou narrowed his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips. "If you're not going to wear it, then I might..."

Lanzhi had no choice. She bit her lower lip and stiffly stepped forward.

However, just as she reached out to take the necklace, Xu Zhou's fingers suddenly loosened.

pat.

The collar fell straight to the ground, rolled half a circle around her feet, and finally tipped over.

Lan Zhi froze, instinctively looking down before looking up at Xu Zhou.

Xu Zhou raised an eyebrow slightly, without saying a word, but his eyes clearly said everything.

At that moment, Lanzhi felt like she was about to grind her teeth to dust, but faced with Xu Zhou's predatory gaze, she couldn't muster any thought of resistance.

Her throat involuntarily moved, her face grew increasingly hot, and her legs finally gave way, slowly bending down.

Facing the downward gaze, she squatted down, head bowed, and put the choker around her neck.

Just as I finished fastening it, a short zipper sounded from diagonally in front of me, followed by a warm sensation on both sides of my forehead.

"..."

Ten minutes later.

Xu Zhou pushed open the banquet hall door, followed by a swaying figure.

Lan Zhi's hair had become somewhat disheveled at some point. She covered her mouth with one hand, raised her eyes filled with resentment, and glared at the figure in front of her.

"Let's go, to the fourth floor," Xu Zhou said without turning his head.

"The fourth floor? Cough cough..." Lan Zhi couldn't help but cough twice, questioning, "Isn't the fourth floor where the servants live? Why would the study be there?"

Xu Zhou glanced back and saw that the other person's legs were still trembling from numbness, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Who said we were going to the study?"

"you--!"

"What, you have a problem with that?"

Xu Zhou's tone left no room for doubt. His reason for proposing to regroup was not because he was interested in Lan Zhi's verbal sparring.

On one hand, he wanted to trick Haojia into taking the risks for him; on the other hand, he also intended to delay the other party's mission progress.

He had thought the plan would be somewhat difficult to implement, but Hao Jia agreed on the spot, so readily that he didn't even have to use his prepared backup plan.

"Sure enough, when you have a woman in your heart, your brain becomes dull." Xu Zhou thought to himself.

At this moment, Lanzhi vaguely realized that once she completely fell into Xu Zhou's rhythm, she would never be able to defy this man's will again, unless she had the opportunity to demonstrate her abilities.

But the probability of that is probably extremely small.

With this thought in mind, she gritted her teeth, took two quick steps, and mustered her courage to stand in front of Xu Zhou.

"But didn't you promise to help us!"

"Yes, I agreed." Xu Zhou shrugged and nodded solemnly. "But I didn't say we should go now, did I? I'm very busy. I have a lot of things to do. As for your tasks... we can postpone them for now. It won't delay anything."

"you……"

Before Lanzhi could speak again, Xu Zhou gently patted her shoulder, leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll have to test your mettle."

Lan Zhi froze on the spot, her lips trembled, but she ultimately dared not utter another word.

It was precisely because Xu Zhou never crossed the line that she was able to pretend that nothing had happened and even continue to cooperate with Xu Zhou.

She knew Haojia's personality all too well. Once these things about her were exposed, she would never have another chance to get on her nephew's good side.

In order to protect her path to heaven, she ultimately chose to yield once again.

Xu Zhou remained outwardly calm, but in reality, he was secretly observing Lan Zhi's subtle reactions. Before he could completely control her, he wasn't really sure what to expect.

However, it now seems that he has successfully planted a hidden danger around Haojia.

Perhaps someday in the future, this casually placed hidden card will bring unexpected surprises.

Following the route in his memory, Xu Zhou quickly found the housekeeper's bedroom on the fourth floor.

Unlike the shared dormitories where other servants lived, the butler had a separate room with his own bathroom, a structure that clearly reflected the difference in their status.

Xu Zhou pushed open the door and entered, only to see an unexpected figure.

A dim yellow oil lamp cast a play of light and shadow in the room. The old butler sat at his old desk, a quill pen in his hand. Hearing a noise, he adjusted his glasses and turned to look at the door.

He said in a calm tone:

"Oh, esteemed sir and madam, Miss Luo Qiu is not here."

Xu Zhou originally planned to scout out the location first before going to find the freckled maid, but unexpectedly, he bumped right into the butler himself.

Instead of showing any panic, he looked like a guest engrossed in a game of hide-and-seek, excitedly looking around the room.

"Haha, Mr. Butler, what if that young lady deliberately had you say that?"

"You're right, that's certainly possible." The butler smiled kindly, without refuting it.

"So, you don't mind if I go in and take a look, do you?" Xu Zhou deliberately raised an eyebrow, striking a carefree pose. "Oh, of course, I won't touch any of your personal belongings."

"You are a true gentleman."

The butler stood up, extended his arm to the two of them, and behaved politely.

Xu Zhou entered the house smoothly. The furniture inside was old and simple, with a faint scent of books. There was indeed nowhere to hide.

The count's daughter was certainly not there, but he still pretended to look around, putting on a very convincing act.

Seemingly to keep the atmosphere from getting awkward, Xu Zhou kept peeking around and casually struck up a conversation.

"Speaking of which, it must have been more than twenty years since Earl Lionheart first went to the battlefield, right?"

"Twenty-four years and eight months," the butler corrected without hesitation.

"As expected of the Earl's most trusted person, you have a really good memory."

"This is my job," the butler said with a slight bow.

Xu Zhou nodded approvingly, then suddenly turned to look at the butler, revealing a meaningful smile.

"Do you have any secrets about the Earl? Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not deliberately trying to find out any shady secrets. I just want to hear some interesting anecdotes that I didn't know before, so I can brag to my friends when I get back."

The butler was not annoyed by the guest's intrusion; he maintained his warm smile and subconsciously adjusted his glasses with his fingertips.

"You know what, I actually have some little stories I just have to tell, and they're definitely worth hearing."

"That's wonderful!" Xu Zhou clapped his hands and cheered, then turned and waved towards the door. "Lanzhi, go wait outside. I need to have a long talk with the butler!"

Lan Zhi couldn't help but roll her eyes. She knew that Xu Zhou clearly didn't want to share information, but she still obediently retreated outside.

What else could she do?

We can't really provoke Xu Zhou and then be forced to establish a friendship like that of Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya.