Chapter 134: Playing into words

"Huh? He is not here?" Jing Lihua finally managed to have a servant tell her. "Thanks." She decided to head back. If Su Liwei was not here, there was no other reason she would stay there. She came here for the sole purpose of talking to him about that trip.

"Miss Jing, please follow us. HouseMaster wishes to see you." Suddenly a maid rushed to her and bowed deeply in front of her.

"HouseMaster?" Jing Lihua frowned. She glanced around and found several servants nearing her. Her lips curled up into a smirk. "Looks like I don't have a choice, do I?" If she declined, thy would surely force her to go with them. And she was outnumbered here.

"Miss Jing, please follow us. HouseMaster is the eldest of this household. You must report to him following the family rules."

"Fine." Jing Lihua's smile was light.

In this life, this was going to be her first encounter with Su Donghai. Jing Lihua wasn't scared at all. In fact, she was looking forward to this meeting. It was still earlier than expected. Before meeting him, she had wanted to get rid of the marriage so that she wouldn't have any restrictions while using her words on him. 

However once she was called in front of the door, all of them halted in their steps.

"What now?" Jing Lihua frowned.

"Miss Jing, Housemaster says you must kneel down and beg for forgiveness before you are allowed in to pay respect to him." The same maid said.

"For what?" Jing Lihua raised her eyebrow casually.

The maids look at each other. Why was this woman calm in a situation like this? Jing Lihua's confidence gave people an unreasonable fright. They wouldn't be able to figure her out. Her smoothness would make them wonder if she was one step ahead of them. Eventually, they would lose focus.

"F-For not coming straight to Housemaster to pay your respect. After Miss Jing had entered the Manor, the first place she should have visited would have been Housemaster." The maid explained. "Miss Jing, please kneel down and reflect on your actions."

Jing Lihua scoffed. She glanced at the closed door. 'I'm pretty sure that Su Donghai would have been listening to this all. Does he really think he can oppress me if I am in his place? Did he think I would appear here without preparation?'

"What do you think we guys are in? Medieval ages? Where I have to go and pay respects to family elders. And if I do not, I would kneel and beg for forgiveness? Ridiculous." She laughed openly. "Do you think I am a child who would reflect on my action? Your words are making me laugh."<

/p>

Her words shocked all the servants in the room. In the manor, the Housemaster was viewed as a God. And disrespecting him in any way as such as defying him was considered blasphemy.

"I am not going to kneel to any mumpsimuses. The person who deserved my respect, I have already paid him. I don't think there is anyone else who deserves it." Jing Lihua's lips were curled slightly as she glanced back at the door.

As she anticipated, she could hear shifting from behind the door following her invective. To say that Su Donghai would lose his calm to such an obvious trick, Jing Lihua could tell that he underestimated her.

'But then he is not wrong for underestimating me. It's barely been a few months since I reincarnated and changed. Though he might be cautious, internally, he must be seeing me as an incompetent, weak woman.'

...

Su Donghai had expected every sort of defiance from Jing Lihua. But he couldn't have expected her to insult him openly.

"Who does she think she is?" He threw away his newspaper. The servants around him were ducking down their heads. But Su Donghai could see mock in their eyes. His face grew red in anger. 

It was one thing if she insulted him in seclusion ut she had insulted him openly, in front of everyone. If he had overlooked it, he would have lost face. He quickly rose and made his way to the door

His steps were heavy and fast. The servants around him shuddered. They had never seen their Housemaster in such a state.

The door was pushed open and Jing Lihua came face to face with her real enemy. In this lifetime, this was the first time she had seen him. The things he had done to her in her last life surfaced in her mind once her eyes met his. It didn't scare her. It only hardened the resolve in her heart to destroy that man.

She smiled sweetly at him confusing Su Donghai for a bit. "Now that I am forced to face you, I must greet you properly." She said politely and bowed in respect.

To see that reaction from her, Su Donghai felt his hands trembling in anger. He could clearly see the mock in her tune and the look in her eyes. The bow was obviously not a sign of respect.

She had succeeded in having him come outside merely with her words. Su Donghai now understood the reason behind her words. Once he realized he had fallen into her words, he felt like losing it.

"You-" Su Donghai quickly got a hold over his anger. After all, he was in control here. He had to reveal a collected countenance. All the servants in the manor were watching. "I won't overlook what you did. Kneel i

n and apologize."

"What did I do?"

"You broke the family rules. If you had married into this family, you should have learned its rules with heart. If you had entered the mansion, it should have been me you should have greeted first." The animosity between Su Guozhai and Su Donghai was no hidden matter. 

Jing Lihua laughed lightly. "Doesn't family rules also state that once an important guest arrives, not to mention the daughter-in-law, the house butler, and servants should be sent to fetch him." Jing Lihua was aware of those absurd rules. She had learned them by heart in her last life. "Shouldn't it be Elder Su?" She smiled faintly but her eyes were cold.