chapter 1
Late at night, Jiang Tingrou was throwing a tantrum.
“I’m starving! I want a midnight snack!”
She was so angry that she smashed a whole set of tea ware onto the floor. The Servants scrambled to clean up the Porcelain Shards, glancing at each other in confusion, none of them knowing what to do.
Recently, Miss Jiang had been dieting to prepare for her wedding.
The result of skipping dinner was being so hungry late at night she felt like she was dying.
At times like this, if she wasn’t allowed to eat a midnight snack, she would be too hungry to sleep and would keep venting her anger on the Servants.
But if she was allowed to eat, she’d get furious after she was full, blaming everyone for not stopping her.
Several Servants had already been fired, and one had even had their nose broken by a tea ware thrown in a fit of rage.
The Jiang Family’s Butler, surnamed Wu, was trying to calm her down: “Miss, how about I find something you can eat that won’t make you gain weight, just to tide you over?”
Steward Wu was quick and efficient. Soon, she brought over a plate of lettuce salad. Jiang Tingrou was just about to eat when a voice suddenly sounded behind her.
“This salad isn’t actually low in calories.”
Jiang Tingrou turned around. Not far behind her, I stepped out from among the Servants.
“Lettuce is low-calorie, but the dressing uses a lot of mayonnaise and cream cheese-high in sugar, salt, and fat. Not only does it cause weight gain, but it also leads to water retention.”
Jiang Tingrou instinctively touched her face.
She had a beautiful face, with delicate features. But because she liked to throw parties and drink late at night, she often had puffiness.
Her figure was also a bit on the plump side. She usually wore clothes that covered her body, never tank tops or shorts, no matter how hot it was, afraid of exposing her flaws.
Even her fiancé, Manager Gu, had once inadvertently said, “Tingrou is already very beautiful. Of course, if she lost some weight, she’d be even more beautiful.”
So over the years, Jiang Tingrou had always wanted to slim down.
But as a pampered young lady, she really lacked willpower.
As for exercise, she found it tiring and hard, and would give up after two days.
She also refused to control her diet. She’d eat salad for dinner, then order fried chicken at midnight.
As for more drastic measures like liposuction, she was afraid of pain and would never try them.
At this moment, Steward Wu saw me criticizing her homemade salad and looked displeased: “Who are you?”
I nodded politely to her: “Steward Wu, have you forgotten? I’m here to interview for the position of Miss Jiang’s Private Nutritionist.”
Steward Wu frowned, seeming to recall something, but quickly turned back to scold me: “Salad is a universally accepted diet food. Why do you say she can’t eat it?”
“What everyone accepts isn’t always correct,” I replied calmly, taking out the meal box I’d prepared. “Just like people think you can’t eat meat or sweets when dieting, but that’s not actually true.”
I opened the meal box. Inside were fried chicken and a chocolate lava cake.
“The chicken leg is skinless and cooked in an air fryer-crispy outside, tender inside, and a great source of high-quality protein for muscle gain.
“The chocolate cake is a keto, sugar-free version. The sweetness comes from zero-calorie sweetener, and the calories are only a third of a regular cake.”
Jiang Tingrou tried a bite of the cake with her fork. The hot, sweet chocolate lava instantly soothed her hunger-induced irritability.
I took out my various certificates from my bag and handed them over: “Miss Jiang, these are my nutritionist qualification and culinary certificates. I’ve helped countless female clients successfully lose weight.
“I promise, if you let me plan your meals, you won’t need any exercise. You can eat and drink to your heart’s content every meal, and still easily have a swan-like neck, a slim waist, and legs like a comic book heroine.”
My voice was gentle, subtly persuasive, and sure enough, Jiang Tingrou looked extremely tempted.
She flipped through my credentials and said coolly, “Your name is Su Qingyu, from Ganzhou?”
I nodded.
Jiang Tingrou glanced at Steward Wu: “Oh, Wu Man, she’s from your hometown too.”
She then looked me up and down: “When your Sister Wu Man first arrived, she was so rustic. You’re much more stylish than she is.”
Steward Wu was teased but didn’t dare say a word, just lowered her head and shot me a jealous look.
Jiang Tingrou noticed but said nothing, instead curling her lips with interest.
She liked this very much.
We Servants were her ants, and she was the child idly sitting under the big tree, enjoying watching the ants fight.
She picked up the cake and fried chicken, ready to return to her bedroom, and lazily instructed Steward Wu: “Find her a room. Set her salary as you see fit.”
Steward Wu swallowed her anger: “Yes, ma’am.
“Come with me.”
The Servants watched as Steward Wu led me away, their faces full of excitement at the drama.
Although I’d gotten the job, I’d offended the Jiang Family’s most senior Steward Wu Man on my first day, so things wouldn’t be easy for me going forward.
Our footsteps were soft in the corridor as I followed Wu Man to the innermost room.
She opened the door, and the smell of dust hit me.
“You’ll stay here,” she said coldly.
It was a room converted from a storage closet. Normally, no Servant would be assigned to live here.
But since I’d offended Wu Man right away, it was only natural that she’d send me here.
“This room is small and dirty, but it has one special feature,” Wu Man said in a low voice.
She picked up a small mirror, walked to the window, and positioned it at a strange angle.
-In the mirror, the reflection showed Jiang Tingrou, leisurely eating her chocolate cake.
“The Jiang Family mansion is two adjoining villas merged together. This is the only spot where you can observe Jiang Tingrou’s room.”
Wu Man spoke softly.
She looked at me: “Su Qingyu, don’t disappoint me.”