Miles Gu gave Ethan Yin a meaningful look, pretending not to have heard anything, and added a piece of sweet potato to Yina Yin's plate. "Since they dug these up themselves, we should really give them a try."
True to her carefree nature, Yina Yin didn’t think much of it and happily began eating.
Seeing the distinguished Miss Yin eat with such joy, anyone else acting picky would just seem foolish.
So, everyone enthusiastically started praising the sweet potatoes, as if they were some heavenly delicacy.
All in all, lunch was quite cheerful.
After lunch, someone approached Cherry Miller. "Ms. Miller, the latest weather forecast says there’s likely to be a heavy rainstorm tonight."
Cherry Miller frowned. "How accurate is the prediction?"
"Eighty percent," the person replied.
That’s basically a guaranteed downpour!
Cherry Miller looked up at the still-clear sky and decisively issued orders: "Notify all security personnel to dismantle anything on the mountain that isn’t fixed, reinforce the railings to prevent landslides, check the parking lot drainage to make sure the cars won’t get flooded, and strengthen the carport against strong winds."
"Prepare all ingredients and drinking water for dinner ahead of time. Check the wiring and make sure backup power is ready. Let the guests know they must return before the weather changes. Close the outdoor pool and open the indoor one. Reinforce the garden fences to stop them from falling. Have the workers check for any hidden spots to make sure nothing is missed."
Cherry Miller conveyed the orders with calm efficiency, and everyone sprang into action.
The workers’ busy movements quickly drew attention. Only then did Cherry Miller inform everyone that there would be a storm tonight, and advised them not to wander around after dark.
At first, people just listened without taking it too seriously.
By four in the afternoon, the weather really started to change.
What had been a clear sky suddenly turned dark and gloomy.
The mountain breeze died down, and the air instantly felt heavy.
Cherry Miller began counting heads. "Have all the guests returned?"
"Ms. Miller, it looks like Miss Zhou Shelly hasn’t come back yet," a servant said. "Earlier, Miss Ruby Jiang invited Miss Zhou out. Ruby Jiang is back, but Shelly Zhou isn’t."
Cherry Miller’s heart sank.
She glanced up at the sky quickly.
This rainstorm could last a long time. If Shelly Zhou isn’t found before dark, it could easily turn dangerous!
As the housekeeper of Sunset Manor, Cherry Miller absolutely couldn’t let any guest’s life be put at risk!
"Split up and search, quickly!" Cherry Miller grabbed an umbrella from someone nearby and joined the search herself.
"Shelly Zhou! Where are you?" Cherry Miller called out as she walked.
The others joined in, shouting, "Miss Zhou! Miss Zhou!"
Cherry Miller decisively chose the mountain path, hurrying up the slope.
If the hillside were bare, searching would be easy.
But now, in the height of summer, the mountain was thick with crops—hiding a person was far too easy.
The sky grew darker and darker; the storm was almost here.
This made the search much more difficult.
Everyone had to walk through the fields, searching inch by inch along the rows of crops.
Many people used flashlights and let others know which areas had already been checked to avoid searching twice.
But even with so many people, there was still no trace of Shelly Zhou.
"Honestly, that Ruby Jiang is something else. She’s the one who called Miss Zhou out, then she just went back on her own and left Miss Zhou behind. When someone asked her about it, she just rolled her eyes and said, 'Shelly Zhou’s legs are her own, what do I care?' Seriously, who talks like that? Nouveau riche, through and through—no class at all." A servant beside Cherry Miller couldn’t help but complain, "Plenty of girls like our young master, but none as rude as her! I don’t know why Madam would invite someone like that to the banquet!"
"Watch your words!" Cherry Miller interrupted. "Madam’s decisions aren’t for you to question. She always has her reasons!"
"Yes, yes, I know—please don’t be mad, Ms. Miller," the servant said quickly. "I just think Ruby Jiang really doesn’t deserve to be here. And what she did was way out of line!"
"We’ll talk about it later. Finding her is what matters now." Cherry Miller didn’t have anything else to say about Ruby Jiang either.
That woman acts on impulse, with no rhyme or reason.
Doing something like this isn’t even surprising.
Back at Cherry Hill, she’d once rushed up to warn me to stay away from Ethan Yin.
Anyone with a bit of sense wouldn’t do something like that.
Maybe she’s just read too many CEO romance novels.
She thinks having some money means she can boss everyone around.
She doesn’t realize I’m the chief assistant of the Yin family—my status and position are way above hers. You’d have to be out of your mind to warn someone like me.
So when Ruby Jiang found out Shelly Zhou had once been in Ethan Yin’s room, she probably couldn’t sit still.
Sure enough, she called Shelly Zhou out to give her a hard time.
As for the consequences, it’s still unclear. But Shelly Zhou was so upset she refused to come back.
Cherry Miller shook her head in exasperation.
Every single one of them is a handful.
"Shelly Zhou, where are you? It’s about to rain—if you don’t come back, it’ll be dangerous!" Cherry Miller shouted, explaining the risks as she walked. "No matter what happened, come back and we’ll figure it out together, okay?"
"Miss Zhou, please come back! It’s really going to pour! Rain on the mountain is dangerous!"
"There’s nowhere to hide from the rain up here, and no shelter! If there’s thunder, you could get struck by lightning!" One of the sillier servants joined in the shouting.
Cherry Miller silently gave them a thumbs-up.
Crude words, but true.
But no matter how much everyone called out, Shelly Zhou didn’t show herself at all.
At a fork in the path ahead, Cherry Miller decisively said, "Let’s split up and search."
"But..." A servant looked uncertainly at the sky.
"No buts—we have to find her before it rains." Cherry Miller ordered firmly, "Whether you find her or not, everyone must return to the villa before the rain starts."
"Yes." The servants all ran off down different paths.
Cherry Miller was left on her own, hurrying along as she kept searching.
She had no idea how long she’d been looking. Her legs were so sore they barely felt like her own anymore.
She’d nearly searched the whole mountainside but still hadn’t found any sign of Shelly Zhou. Cherry Miller was starting to get anxious.
Shelly Zhou’s Zhou family was decent enough, but not exactly powerful.
But nobody wants to make an enemy for no reason.
The Yin family invited Shelly Zhou as a guest, not to put her in danger!
If something really happened to Shelly Zhou here, it’d be a miracle if her family just let it go!
Cherry Miller would never let something like that happen to Madam.
Cherry Miller unconsciously quickened her pace, her voice growing more urgent: "Shelly Zhou, can you hear me? If you can, please answer me!"
"Shelly Zhou! Shelly Zhou! It’s Cherry Miller—can you hear me?"
Just as Cherry Miller was about to turn away in despair, a faint voice called from far off: "Cherry Miller, help... help me..."
Cherry Miller almost thought she was hearing things. She spun around and shouted, "Shelly Zhou? Is that you?"
"It’s me," came the weak reply. "I fell down by accident!"
Cherry Miller hurried toward the source of the voice.
In the distance, at the bottom of a slope, someone lay on the ground, unable to move.
It was Shelly Zhou!
Carefully, Cherry Miller made her way down the slope and found Shelly Zhou lying there, battered and disheveled, her clothes torn to shreds.
"How did you end up here?" Cherry Miller didn’t move Shelly Zhou right away, but checked her injuries first. Seeing it was just scrapes and a twisted ankle, nothing too serious, she relaxed and asked, "Weren’t you with Ruby Jiang? How did you end up down here?"
Shelly Zhou looked embarrassed and, after a moment, said quietly, "After she left, I got upset and just stormed off down the path. I didn’t watch my step, and when I hit some loose rocks, I slipped and fell. I don’t even know where my phone is—I couldn’t call for help."
After she finished, Shelly Zhou started sobbing, "Ruby Jiang is so mean! Lots of girls like Ethan Yin—why does she have to pick on me? And she said such awful things!"
Cherry Miller didn’t even know what to say. She carefully helped Shelly Zhou up and said, "Let’s not talk about it now—we need to hurry back. There’s a storm coming tonight, and it’s dangerous to stay here."
With that, Cherry Miller pulled out her phone, ready to call for help.
Whether it was on purpose or not, Cherry Miller had just unlocked her phone and hadn’t dialed yet when Shelly Zhou suddenly cried out, swung her arm, and knocked the phone out of Cherry Miller’s hand.
Cherry Miller watched in disbelief as her phone flew off, bounced several times, and disappeared into a crack below.
Cherry Miller was stunned.
Shelly Zhou was stunned too.
"What’s gotten into you?" Cherry Miller couldn’t help but glare at Shelly Zhou. "Do you think I can carry you down this slope all by myself?"
"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to," Shelly Zhou said, eyes red with frustration. "My leg hurt so much—I just wanted to rub it, but I accidentally knocked your phone away. I’ll go get it back!"
Watching Shelly Zhou really try to crawl over, Cherry Miller just felt a headache coming on.
"Get back here!" Cherry Miller grabbed Shelly Zhou. "It’s a crack down there—how would you even get it?"