"Alright, you can go back by yourself then." William Harris was just thinking about how to arrange for his third brother. His luck today was as bad as yesterday's, so leaving him at the casino was clearly inappropriate. But if he went elsewhere, William Harris couldn't leave him unattended. Now, hearing that he wanted to go back on his own, he was naturally happy to let him go.

Edward Harris certainly wasn't planning to go back just to bathe. As soon as he got home, he quickly washed up and then sat cross-legged on his bed, sitting upright with his hands pressed together, legs together, eyes closed, lips sealed, carefully regulating his breathing, inhaling and exhaling all through his nose...

Chapter 13: The Second Young Master

Emma poured a little oil into the pot. Once the oil was hot, she deftly cracked an egg into the pan. When the bottom turned golden, she flipped it over, and after a moment, picked it up with chopsticks and placed it in a bowl to drain the oil. Then she cracked another egg...

After both eggs were fried, she cooked a bowl of noodles, and finally placed the eggs on top of the noodles. This was the third young master's breakfast.

Emma had been at the Han residence for two years. She had seen the third young master a few times before he was injured. Back then, he often followed behind the eldest or second young master, and had none of the bearing of a third young master. Sometimes, when he saw her, he would even flatteringly call her Emma jie. But after he was injured, whether it was because of Lily jie’s care or because he wanted to put on airs as the third young master, he actually started to ignore her.

Although Emma was somewhat displeased that the third young master no longer respected her as before, dissatisfaction was one thing, but she still had to do her job. After all, she was just a servant, and no matter how out of favor he was, he was still the third young master. Even Lily jie had to be respectful in front of him, let alone herself.

"Emma, where are you going? Isn't mother living in the back courtyard? Why are you heading to the east wing?!"

"Second young master, this is for the third young master." Hearing the increasingly stern tone of the second young master Charles Harris, Emma was so flustered she nearly dropped the plate in her hands.

"Xiao San?" Charles Harris stared at the noodles in Emma's hands, puzzled. It wasn't mealtime yet, so why was someone delivering food? Besides, he’d heard that the third young master had recovered, so why was he still doing such out-of-line things?

If Edward Harris heard his second brother call him "Xiao San," he would probably be so angry he'd cough up blood. "Xiao San" was a term reserved for a certain type of woman.

"Second young master, may I go now?" Emma wasn't surprised at all, since this nickname had always been used for the third young master before his injury.

"Go? Where are you going?" Charles Harris looked at Emma with a half-smile. He wasn't interested in Edward Harris being called "Xiao San." On the contrary, he paid a lot of attention to Emma. She used to always serve mother by Lily Walker's side, so he never had a chance. Now she was alone, and not in the inner courtyard—truly a heaven-sent opportunity.

"Of course, I'm going to the third young master." Seeing the obvious ill intent in Charles Harris's eyes, Emma became even more flustered.

"Bring it to my room. Xiao San is really something, daring to have the kitchen deliver food before mealtime," said Charles Harris.

"To your room? But what about the third young master..." Emma didn't dare walk into the lion's den.

"Don't worry about Xiao San. I'll talk to him later," Charles Harris said indifferently.

"No, this was specifically instructed by Lily jie. I absolutely can't disobey." Emma had long heard of Charles Harris's reputation and knew exactly what kind of person he was. She would never take such a risk.

"Fine, then bring a bowl of noodles to my room later as well." Charles Harris had originally planned to leave the residence, but now he decided to stay, as today's events might be quite interesting.

"Second young master, I have to go to madam later," Emma stammered, making up an excuse.

"Nonsense! Does my word as the second young master carry less weight than Xiao San's?" Charles Harris's tone grew even harsher as he saw Emma making excuses.

"I wouldn't dare. I'll bring the noodles to you shortly," Emma knew she couldn't afford to offend the second young master. Not just her—even Lily Walker couldn't afford to offend him.

"That's more like it. I still have studies to finish today, so bring the noodles early. Don't let me go hungry," Charles Harris said, his scheme successful. Seeing more servants approaching, he stopped pestering Emma.

As soon as Charles Harris turned away, Emma hurried off toward Edward Harris's small courtyard as if fleeing.

The door was ajar. She pushed it open and saw that the room inside was also closed. Was the third young master not in?

"Third young master..."

Hearing someone call him, Edward Harris immediately woke up. Fortunately, he hadn't entered a meditative state yet; otherwise, being disturbed during meditation could have caused problems. As the person involved, Edward Harris didn't feel lucky at all—he never realized he had narrowly avoided trouble.

"Emma, come in," Edward Harris said, putting on his shoes and opening the door.

"Third young master, your breakfast is here."

"Alright, just leave it on the table," said Edward Harris. He had been dragged to the casino by his eldest brother early in the morning, and after returning, he felt like he had forgotten something—turns out, he hadn't eaten breakfast.

Seeing Emma set out the bowl and chopsticks and then stand by the table without any intention of leaving, Edward Harris had to remind her, as he found it hard to eat with someone standing by, "Emma, you can come back later to clean up."