He reached the doorway, where the bathroom door was pulled open from the outside by a maid named Fang Lina. The other maids stood on either side of the door, while the butler waited nearby.

Ye Zimo suddenly turned his head, his icy gaze sweeping over Xia Yihan as he said coldly, "Don’t ever try to seduce me again."

The maids lifted their heads, their eyes shooting daggers at her face—and her drenched, curvaceous body.

The butler stepped forward and barked, "You, come here!"

Xia Yihan stared at Ye Zimo in disbelief. She couldn’t believe he would twist the truth so blatantly, accusing her of seducing him.

Ye Zimo’s expression remained impassive. Seeing that she still looked at him with pleading eyes, as if ignoring his authority entirely, the butler’s tone grew even harsher.

"Xia Yihan! Get over here!"

In an instant, she understood—this had all been his plan.

By dragging her into the water, he had made sure all the maids would believe she had truly tried to seduce him, turning her into their common enemy.

She lowered her gaze and walked meekly to the butler, her voice barely audible. "I’m sorry. I won’t try to seduce Mr. Ye again."

"What a shameless woman—actually admitting it!" Fang Lina couldn’t hold back her sour remark.

Ye Zimo glanced at Xia Yihan indifferently, his expression still unreadable, leaving no clue as to what he thought of her "admission."

"You still think there’s a ‘next time’?" the butler began, but his words were cut short when Ye Zimo let out a light cough.

He quickly looked toward his master, only to find Ye Zimo staring at him with a cold, displeased expression.

Had he handled this wrong?

In the past, any maid who tried to seduce Ye Zimo was dismissed immediately.

But this time was different—Ye Zimo hadn’t explicitly said she had seduced him. Being too close to power was like walking a tightrope. Clearly, he would have to tread carefully.

"Do you understand your mistake?" the butler amended his question.

"I do. I won’t make this mistake again," Xia Yihan replied earnestly, as if she truly believed she was at fault.

"Even if it’s your first time, you still must be punished," the butler said nervously, glancing at Ye Zimo again—but the young master had already turned and walked away.

"Starting tomorrow, in addition to your regular duties, you will wipe down this entire hall with a cloth three times a day for half a month. Understood?"

"Understood. I’ll make sure it’s done properly."

To save face, the butler ordered all the maids to stand at attention.

"Remember, none of you should ever act like Xia Yihan. Don’t try to seduce Mr. Ye—he would never look at women like you. Know your place."

Xia Yihan’s face burned crimson. Before yesterday, she had thought being a maid would at most be hard work. Who could have imagined she would also have to endure such injustice?

The butler droned on with his lecture until all the maids hung their heads in shame. Only then did he finally deem himself satisfied and move on to other matters.

"Now, let’s assign rooms. Fang Lina, you’ll share with Liu Xiaoqiao. Zhao Tian’ai and Xia Yihan will share a room. Sun Mengmeng and Jiujiu will share another..."

He led them out of the grand main house, walking about five hundred meters before reaching the servants’ quarters.

All the maids, security personnel, doctors, chefs, and other staff lived here.

Following the prearranged assignments, the butler handed each of them a key with their room number.

"Be up at six tomorrow morning and gather at the servants’ entrance. Dismissed!"

As Xia Yihan opened her door, Fang Lina barked at her, "Xia Yihan, stop right there! You shamelessly seduced Young Master Ye, got us all scolded, and now you just waltz off like nothing happened? Not a chance!"

Xia Yihan turned back, her expression calm. "What do you want from me?"

"What do I want? Look at this woman—how shameless can she be? Does she even feel an ounce of guilt?"

Zhao Tian’ai and Sun Mengmeng chimed in, "Exactly. She has no shame. Honestly, she doesn’t even have a face to lose—that’s why she jumped into the water, trying to seduce him with her ‘wet look.’"

Their voices grew harsher, their words crueler. Jiujiu tried to intervene, but they ignored her.

Liu Xiaoqiao timidly whispered, "Lina, I don’t think Sister Xia did it on purpose..."

Before she could finish, Fang Lina shoved her.

"Mind your own business? Keep defending her, and I’ll slap you!"

Xia Yihan had ignored their insults until now, but when Liu Xiaoqiao spoke up for her, she couldn’t stay silent.

She grabbed Liu Xiaoqiao’s hand, pulling her behind her, and raised her voice. "It’s none of her business. If you have the guts, come at me."

"You think I won’t dare?" Fang Lina lifted her hand.

Xia Yihan met her gaze coldly. "If you lay a finger on me, you’ll be fired by tomorrow. Try me."

Fang Lina had come here specifically to seduce Ye Zimo—the billionaire CEO and only son of the Dongjiang Chamber of Commerce president, known as the "Young Master." Every maid who applied dreamed of climbing into his bed.

Xia Yihan’s words were a sharp reminder of that reality. Fang Lina dropped her hand resentfully.

Yet she still refused to let the others see her as weak. With a haughty glare, she sneered, "I’ll let you off today. But if you ever try to seduce Young Master Ye again, I’ll skin you alive."

With that, she stormed off.

Xia Yihan turned back to Liu Xiaoqiao and said softly, "Thank you, Xiaoqiao. But you don’t have to defend me. It’ll only make them target you. With me here, they might hold back—but what about when I’m not around? Especially since you’re sharing a room with Fang Lina."