NOVEL WEB Chapter 9
Chapter 9: Let the Smoke Choke the Su Family:
Su Chen pointed at the damp patches on the walls and peeling paint in the corners of his room, then turned to Tao Ma.
“Tao Ma, don’t you see it?”
“This room is too damp. I had to light a fire to dry it out.”
Tao Ma was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected this to be Su Chen’s reason for playing with fire.
A trace of embarrassment flashed across her face.
Of course, she knew the room was damp.
After all, this used to be her storage room.
Keeping the house clean and tidy was part of her job, but with so much work to do every day, where would she find the time to dehumidify Young Master Chen’s room?
Besides, he had never asked for it, so she simply pretended not to notice.
She never thought that Young Master Chen also disliked the dampness and would actually go as far as lighting a fire to deal with it.
Panic surged through her heart.
Did that mean his playing with fire was actually her fault?!
Tao Ma quickly tried to explain.
“Young Master Chen, you don’t need to light a fire to remove dampness.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll bring you some charcoal bags and apply for a dehumidifier from Mr. Su. That will solve the problem.”
“For now, just put the fire out, alright?”
“As for the dampness, please bear with it for one more day. I promise I’ll take care of it tomorrow.”
Su Chen chuckled.
“So, Tao Ma, you do know how to get rid of humidity!”
“I’ve been in the Su family for two years now, yet this room has remained damp the entire time. Why have you never done anything about it before?”
“Tao Ma, keeping the house clean and livable is your job, isn’t it?”
“Is this how you do your job?”
Tao Ma involuntarily shivered.
Why was Young Master Chen so difficult today?
In the past, a simple explanation would have been enough to smooth things over.
But looking at his face now—so cold and serious—she suddenly saw a glimpse of Mr. Su’s imposing authority in him.
…
Meanwhile, in the master bedroom on the second floor of the Su family villa—
Su Zhenxing and Liu Yanyan had already changed into their nightwear and were preparing for bed.
But out of nowhere, thick smoke started seeping into their room, filling the air until it was impossible to see properly.
More importantly, the smoke was choking them.
Having grown up in luxury, neither Su Zhenxing nor Liu Yanyan had ever set foot in a kitchen, let alone experienced the discomfort of smoke.
They coughed so hard their lungs ached, tears streaming down their faces as though they were about to cough their lungs out.
Gasping for breath, they staggered out of their bedroom—
Only to find that the smoke outside was even thicker.
Their coughing intensified.
Su Zhenxing was instantly furious.
Liu Yanyan was also livid.
What the hell was going on?!
What kind of sloppy work was Tao Ma doing?!
Where was all this smoke coming from?!
Just as they were about to head downstairs to confront her, Su Lili, Su Qiqi, and Su Mu also came stumbling out of their rooms.
Eyes red, tears brimming, coughing as if they were on the verge of collapse—
The entire Su family met in the corridor, exchanging bewildered and enraged looks as they coughed uncontrollably.
No one knew what was happening.
But one thing was certain—someone was responsible for this disaster.
Fuming with both confusion and fury, they all marched downstairs to demand answers from Tao Ma.
What kind of work was she doing?!
How had she let the villa get filled with this much smoke?
They were choking so badly it felt like their lungs might fall out!
And so, with Su Zhenxing leading the way, the entire Su family trudged downstairs in a hunched-over procession, coughing violently as they went.
With the thick smoke swirling around them in the dim hallway—
The scene looked utterly ridiculous.
When they reached the first floor, they realized that the smoke here was even denser than upstairs.
This only made their suffering worse.
Driven by anger and impatience, Su Zhenxing finally lost all composure and shouted—
“Tao Ma! Where are you?!”
“Get over here and explain yourself!”
“How did the villa get filled with so much smoke?!”
“Are you trying to get yourself fired?!”
Liu Yanyan, though still speaking gently, was also displeased.
“We should at least find out what’s going on first before deciding on punishment.”
Su Lili and the others were equally furious.
“This Tao Ma is getting lazier by the day!”
“How could she let something like this happen?!”
Su Lili even added sternly—
“If this were in my company, I’d definitely deduct her salary for such incompetence.”
Hearing Su Zhenxing’s shouts, Tao Ma immediately rushed over, too flustered to continue arguing with Su Chen.
But just as she was about to explain, she overheard Mrs. Su and the young masters and misses blaming her.
Even the eldest daughter was already talking about cutting her wages!
Tao Ma felt utterly wronged, her eyes welling with tears.
Heavens above!
This was like an unjust punishment from the gods!
Tears streamed down her face as she reached Su Zhenxing and the others, her voice trembling with emotion.
Su Zhenxing’s fury only intensified.
His housekeeper had allowed things to get this bad, and now she had the audacity to cry about it?
Did she actually think she was the one being wronged here?!
Liu Yanyan frowned, clearly displeased.
Was Tao Ma really that sensitive?
They had only criticized her a little, yet she was already crying?
“Tao Ma, you still have the nerve to cry?!”
“Look at all this smoke—what’s going on?!”
“Look at how badly we’re choking! If this affects our health, can you take responsibility?!”
“Stop crying! What’s there to cry about?!”
As soon as Su Zhenxing finished scolding her, Tao Ma could no longer hold back and spoke up between choked sobs.
“Mr. Su, this smoke isn’t my fault!”
“It was all caused by Young Master Chen!”
“It has absolutely nothing to do with me!”
Su Zhenxing froze.
Su Chen again?!
This smoke was his doing?!
What was wrong with that kid?!
He had just humiliated Qiqi by calling her a thief—
And now he was filling the entire villa with smoke to torment everyone?!
Fury surged through him as he roared—
“Where is Su Chen?!”
“Get out here right now!”
“Give me an explanation! Right this instant!”
“If you don’t, I swear I won’t let you off the hook!”