After their long conversation, when the tension had finally drained from the air and the night had softened, Matriarch Yu Meilin rose from her seat with quiet grace.
"Ai," she said, without needing to elaborate further, and the dutiful maid materialized before the group as if she had never left the room and had been here the whole time.
Noah looked at her professionalism with a fascinated look on his face; never in his life had he seen a maid as steadfast and devoted to her work as Ai.
No doubt Wu Ping, the woman Xin Yan hired to be her maid, was hardworking and dedicated to her work, but Ai was on another level.
"Prepare rooms for our guests." The matriarch ordered calmly, and the maid bowed slightly in acknowledgment, already knowing what to do even before the words left her mistress's mouth.
A small nod from Ai, and then she vanished into the evening shadows like smoke caught on the breeze.
