Chapter 39 His lover is working for you, I might as well go work for He Angxiao...^

Jiang Ran heard Su Mu cursing him clearly and distinctly.

So, after the two of them finished washing up and got into bed that night, ready to sleep, that melancholy atmosphere began to permeate the air.

Jiang Ran lay on her side, her back to Su Mu, without saying a word. She simply pulled the blanket up a little, covering half of her face, leaving only a fluffy back of her head exposed. Her whole body was radiating the signals that "I'm unhappy" and "I need to be comforted."

Su Mu was about to scroll through his phone and go to sleep when he sensed the unusual quietness and low atmosphere around him. He reached out and gently poked Jiang Ran's back.

Jiang Ran didn't move.

Su Mu poked it again.

Jiang Ran then spoke slowly, her voice muffled as it came from under the covers: "I've already made an appointment with the doctor. I'm going to have the tubal ligation surgery next Tuesday."

He didn't mention the time Su Mu scolded him.

Jiang Ran's tone became even more dejected, tinged with hurt: "I didn't expect you to have such a big problem with me. I know I was wrong in the office during the day, I went a bit too far, but you actually yelled at me, and in front of the child..."

"I feel that my heart is really hurt."

Su Mu initially didn't want to pay attention, but upon hearing that Jiang Ran was going to get a tubal ligation, he reached out, put his arm around Jiang Ran's shoulder, and pulled him closer to him. With his other hand, he stroked Jiang Ran's head, gently rubbing the spot where he had been hit by the laptop during the day: "Okay, okay, honey, I know. I know you've done a lot for me, and I'm sorry for your hard work."

He ran his fingertips along Jiang Ran's hair to the back of his neck and gently squeezed it. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that to you. Xiao He can't even understand human speech now. Don't worry, I was just saying that in anger. Besides, you were a bit too much in the office today."

As Su Mu held Jiang Ran, stroked her, and comforted her, the little grievance in her heart instantly vanished, and she even felt a bit smug.

He turned around and snuggled closer to Su Mu, nuzzling his nose against Su Mu's neck, inhaling the fresh scent of Su Mu after his bath, which also carried a hint of the milky fragrance of Xiao He.

As Jiang Ran arched her back, her movements became a little strange. Her head began to slide down, and her lips, through the thin nightgown, brushed against Su Mu's chest almost imperceptibly.

Su Mu's body stiffened slightly, and he immediately raised his hand to hold down Jiang Ran's restless head, his voice tinged with a helpless embarrassment: "No!"

"I've already said it, I don't have breast milk."

Mentioning this made Su Mu a little annoyed.

After giving birth to Xiaohe, he indeed had no ability to produce breast milk. However, due to the effects of pregnancy and postpartum hormones, coupled with the initial period of engorgement, he did experience some swelling. Jiang Ran had tried to help him a few times, partly out of curiosity and partly out of kindness.

Although it didn't have any real effect, the stimulation still caused Su Mu's body to produce some subtle and awkward reactions.

During that time, Su Mu always felt a tightness in his chest and could only ask Jiang Ran for help, although most of the time she only made things worse.

As a result, perhaps due to being stimulated too frequently, the swelling actually started to show signs of not subsiding. Although it was far from the point where he could breastfeed, there was a noticeable change compared to before his pregnancy.

Su Mu was troubled by this for a while, but as his body gradually recovered and his hormone levels stabilized, the feeling slowly faded away. He thought that Jiang Ran had given up this bad habit.

Unexpectedly, this guy resorts to this tactic again at a time like this.

Jiang Ran was pushed away by Su Mu, but she was not discouraged. She just raised her head and looked at Su Mu with bright eyes. Her tone was full of a heroic sense of sacrifice: "I will lose my fertility next week. Mu Mu, can you give me some end-of-life care?"

Su Mu was completely speechless after being baffled by his logic.

Jiang Ran didn't say anything about the upcoming surgery, but she was probably not really afraid at all. In the end, Su Mu softened.

He sighed resignedly, released his hand from Jiang Ran's head, closed his eyes, and whispered as softly as a mosquito's hum: "Alright, alright."

Jiang Ran lifted the hem of Su Mu's pajamas and nimbly slipped her head inside.

The next day, Su Mu was still half-coaxed and half-forced by Jiang Ran to his private workstation in the general manager's office.

This position was practically tailor-made for him—easy work, high pay, although Su Mu hadn't even thought about the salary yet. It was also close to the boss, in a physical sense.

Aside from having to occasionally tolerate his boss's overly personal work instructions and constantly be on guard against workplace sexual harassment, Su Mu was practically perfect.

Throughout the day, Jiang Ran assigned Su Mu several important tasks.

First item: "Secretary Su, make me a cup of coffee, a pour-over, grind the coffee powder finely, and don't add sugar."

Su Mu held the instruction manual for the supposedly Italian-imported, complexly designed coffee machine and studied it for half an hour before he could barely manage to make a cup of coffee that looked barely decent.

When it was served to Jiang Ran, she took a critical sip and commented, "It's not smooth enough, and it's a bit cold. Please pay attention next time."

The second item was: "Secretary Su, come over and massage my shoulders. They're a bit sore from sitting for so long."

Su Mu walked behind him, put his arm around his strong shoulder, and Jiang Ran said, "Use a little more force, yes, right there, um, feels good."

The third item: "Secretary Su, print out this document, make three copies, bind them, and bring them to my desk."

This is probably the only job that's even remotely normal.

When he returned to his office with the neatly bound documents, Jiang Ran was already leaning back in her chair, relaxed. Seeing him come in, she patted her thigh and said, "Baby, you've worked hard. Come sit here and rest for a while."

Su Mu stood at the door, looking at his smug and irritating expression: "President Jiang, I think it's necessary to let Dad come and see how you usually manage so many things and how considerate you are to your subordinates."

Jiang Ran withdrew her hand, cleared her throat, sat up straight again, and pretended to look through the documents.

Therefore, under Jiang Ran's ingenious work arrangement, Su Mu's actual brainpower time in a day may not exceed one hour.

Most of the time, he was so bored that he could only pick up the brand-new "New Dad's Guide to Parenting" on the table and read it carefully from beginning to end, even taking some notes, and occasionally watching the baby crane on the home security camera.

Occasionally, Su Mu would sneak out for some fresh air when Jiang Ran was out meeting clients.

The atmosphere in the outer office area was completely different; the pace was fast, and the sounds of telephones, keyboards, and hushed discussions were constant.

When his colleagues saw him, although they were curious, most of them nodded in greeting or took the initiative to say hello. Su Mu also tried his best to smile back.

In modern workplaces, most people don't have time to care about other people's gossip, something Su Mu has experienced firsthand.

On the third day, Su Mu finally got a job that seemed a little more serious: accompanying Jiang Ran to a management meeting and taking meeting minutes.

The conference room was on another floor. It was spacious and bright, and many people were already seated around the huge oval conference table. Su Mu followed Jiang Ran in and immediately saw Jiang's father sitting in the main seat.

Jiang's father was wearing a dark gray suit today, looking serious as he flipped through a report in his hand. When he saw Su Mu, his gaze lingered on him for a moment, but he didn't show any particular reaction. He simply nodded almost imperceptibly as a greeting.

Su Mu also nodded respectfully, then sat down slightly behind Jiang Ran, opened his notebook, and prepared to take notes.

The meeting began with discussions on the company's key development directions for the next quarter and the progress of several key projects.

Su Mu finally had the opportunity to witness firsthand how this father and son interacted in the workplace.

Normally, although Jiang's father is strict with Jiang Ran, he is still a father to his son, and occasionally you can see some kindness and indulgence. But once he switches to work mode, Jiang's father is like a completely different person.

He sat in the main seat, his eyes sharp, listening to the reports from the heads of various departments, occasionally throwing out a few incisive questions. When it was Jiang Ran's turn to report on the progress of the projects he was in charge of and the follow-up proposals, Jiang's father listened with extra care.

Jiang Ran had clearly made thorough preparations; her PPT was concise and clear, her presentation was clear, and her proposed new solutions were quite remarkable.

However, after listening, Jiang's father did not show any approval on his face; instead, his brows furrowed even more.

“This plan underestimates the risks.” Jiang’s father interrupted Jiang Ran directly, “The competitor analysis data provided by the marketing department is outdated, and your response strategy is too idealistic.”

Jiang Ran tried to explain: "President Jiang, we have assessed this risk, and it is within a controllable range, and..."

"Controllable?" Jiang's father's voice deepened. "We stumbled on a similar project last year, have you forgotten? Where is the data to support this? What about the alternative plans?"

He bombarded him with a series of questions, showing no mercy. Then, he rejected two other proposals put forward by Jiang Ran, citing "lax cost control" and "deviation from the company's long-term strategy" as the reasons.

Throughout the entire process, Jiang's father offered almost no words of affirmation or encouragement, only criticism and questioning, accompanied by a suppressive and harsh approach.

Su Mu sat in the back, quickly taking notes of the meeting's key points while secretly observing Jiang Ran.

He noticed that Jiang Ran's jawline was taut. Her originally confident and composed expression gradually became stiff and even somewhat awkward under her father's repeated rejections, but she managed to maintain the appearance.

The other executives held their breath, not daring to interrupt.

Su Mu had read the information and knew that the Jiang family had started in the traditional materials industry, which was well-established, but their business model was outdated. In recent years, under the leadership of Jiang's father, the company began to transform and upgrade to high-end manufacturing and emerging industries. This process was bound to be accompanied by growing pains, risks and enormous pressure.

Su Mu looked at Jiang Ran's increasingly unpleasant expression and felt a pang of unease.

Despite appearing omnipotent and even somewhat arrogant and childish, Young Master Jiang faces immense pressure and rejection from his father, especially at work.

The meeting continued, and Jiang's father granted Jiang Ran's last proposal, causing the atmosphere to subtly ease once again.

After Jiang's father announced the adjournment of the meeting, most people felt as if they had been granted a pardon and quickly packed their things to leave. Soon, only Jiang's father, Jiang Ran, and Su Mu, who stayed behind as his secretary, remained in the large conference room.

As Jiang's father organized the documents in front of him, he looked up, his gaze first falling on Su Mu. The stern look on his face softened, replaced by the gentleness of an elder: "Mu Mu, how have you been these past few days? Are you adjusting well to work?"

He glanced meaningfully at Jiang Ran, who was still standing next to him with a sullen face and was clearly holding her breath, and said to Su Mu, "If you're not used to it, or if you feel there's anything inconvenient, tell your dad, and we'll transfer you to another department. There are easier positions available."

Jiang Ran: "No, I'll bring my own people."

Jiang's father was amused by his attitude: "What a character! Mu Mu hasn't even said anything yet."

Su Mu couldn't very well refuse her husband's request: "Dad, Jiang Ran is a good doctor, he's very professional."

Su's father turned to Su Mu, his tone softening again: "Alright then, if you're free this weekend, bring Xiao He home for dinner. Your mother has been talking about it several times, she misses you both."

Su Mu nodded quickly and replied, "Okay, Dad, we'll definitely go this weekend."

Jiang's father nodded in satisfaction, glanced at Jiang Ran again, said nothing more, picked up the documents, and left the conference room.

Jiang Ran almost immediately reached out and pulled Su Mu, who was still standing to the side, into her arms, complaining, "Damn it, you don't give me any face at all. I was originally going to let you see how your husband is doing at work, full of vigor and confidence."

The carefully prepared plan was thoroughly criticized, and the image of a successful person that he wanted to present to Su Mu was completely ruined, which was a double blow.

Su Mu patted Jiang Ran on the back: "You looked really cool just now."

Jiang Ran: Really?

Su Mu: "Yes, very serious, very thoughtful, and very persistent."

“Dad isn’t dissatisfied with you; he’s just using his own way to push you.”

Jiang Ran was silent for a moment, then leaned her head back on Su Mu's shoulder, tightening her arms around him: "Su Mumu, do you know? Before, in Phoenix Village, when I saw how you got along with your parents and relatives, I was actually quite envious of you."

Su Mu was slightly taken aback.

Jiang Ran's voice continued softly in his ear: "Your family seems to always support you and believe in you, no matter how well or poorly you do."

Sometimes, Jiang Ran even felt that no matter how much she did, it would never be enough in her father's eyes.

Su Mu raised his hand and rubbed the back of Jiang Ran's head: "Young Master Jiang, if you put it that way, then I have to tell you, I'm quite envious of you too."

"I envy you for being born with a higher starting point than others, with a broader vision and resources, and the ability to do bigger things. I envy you for having a father who is willing to entrust you with such a heavy burden, but he really wants to give you the best and wants you to become someone who can shoulder everything."

"So, people shouldn't be too greedy, trying to have all the advantages, right?"

Jiang Ran listened, leaned over, and gently pecked Su Mu's lips: "You're right, I already have the life I'm most satisfied with."

“I have you all.”

The biggest drawback of being Jiang Ran's personal secretary is probably that you have to see him every day, and in such a close way that there is almost no private space.

Tuesday was Jiang Ran's scheduled day for tubal ligation surgery.

Jiang Ran changed into a loose hospital gown and lay on a gurney outside the operating room. Her expression didn't change much, but she held Su Mu's hand.

The surgeon, an experienced middle-aged man, glanced at Jiang Ran's age while making final preparations and jokingly remarked, "Mr. Jiang, you're so young, yet you're so decisive? Won't you reconsider?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ran replied, "I'm not considering it anymore, because I already have a child. One is enough, and we don't plan to have any more."

The surgery was quick and minimally invasive, taking less than an hour in total.

When Jiang Ran was wheeled out, the anesthesia hadn't completely worn off, but he was conscious. When he saw Su Mu guarding the door, he immediately reached out his hand weakly.

Su Mu quickly grasped it.

Over the next few days, Jiang Ran fully demonstrated what it means to require meticulous post-operative care.

The doctor said it was just a minor surgery, and all I needed to do was rest for a day or two and avoid strenuous exercise and wound infection.

Jiang Ran made herself look like she had made a huge sacrifice and suffered serious injuries.

Su Mu handed him water, and after taking a sip, he would sigh, "Sigh, I've really gone all out for our family."

Su Mu handed him the medicine, which he swallowed and continued, "Xiao He will become the only child who is the center of attention, and the person he should be most grateful to is his father for this sacrifice."

Su Mu: "…………"

Jiang Ran looks like a large dog that has just been spayed/neutered and needs extra love and care from its owner.

But Su Mu also knew that Jiang Ran might not be without a trace of instinctive tension and a subtle sense of loss, so he patiently coaxed her in a gentle voice: "Young Master Jiang has worked hard and made indelible contributions to our entire family."

Jiang Ran listened and then hummed twice in satisfaction.

Jiang Ran remembered the doctor's instructions clearly and strictly followed them. He was told to rest for two days, and he really did stay at home obediently for two days. Except for necessary movement, he basically stayed in bed or on the sofa, looking listless and weak in the literal sense, as if his testicles were in pain.

For those two days, Su Mu had the general manager's office with a superb view all to himself.

Comfortable.

An unprecedented sense of peace and freedom.

Su Mu felt it was better for the two of them to keep some distance, but he hadn't figured out what he could do. He felt a bit tired of going back to the financial industry.

Su Mu even had time to chat with Allen alone. Allen was a little reserved at first, after all, Su Mu had a special identity, but once they started chatting, he found that Su Mu was down-to-earth, gentle, and easy to talk to.

As they chatted, Allen learned that Su Mu was the one who dumped Jiang Ran.

Su Mu touched his nose sheepishly: "Back then, I had a little disagreement with him, which led to some funny situations."

Allen exclaimed "Ah!" his excitement at the confirmation of the gossip quickly subsided, and he sighed, "No wonder. It was the first time I'd ever seen President Jiang like that. During that time, he seemed completely drained, unable to muster any energy for anything. It was quite pitiful to see him like that."

He was too embarrassed to say it, but at the time, many female colleagues in the company felt sorry for President Jiang in private, wondering which fairy was so cruel as to hurt this arrogant young master so badly.

A week later, Jiang Ran finally regained her sexual ability.

After some effort, I found that my virility hadn't diminished and I felt confident again.

That day.

After Su Mu was exhausted from Jiang Ran's clingy and intimate advances, his body was completely relaxed, and his mind was extremely tired. His eyelids felt as heavy as lead, and his consciousness teetered on the edge of wakefulness and drowsiness.

He was dazed and confused when he felt Jiang Ran pull him into her arms again, her arm around his waist, her chin resting on the top of his head, her warm breath brushing against his forehead.

Just before Su Mu was about to drift off to sleep, Jiang Ran's voice rang in his ear: "Wife, don't sleep yet, I have something to tell you."

Su Mu gave a mumbled "hmm," too lazy to even open his eyes.

Jiang Ran leaned even closer: "Let me tell you, He Angxiao is the real beast."

Su Mu opened his eyes: "??"

It contains the Eight Trigrams.

Seeing that he seemed interested in listening, Jiang Ran continued, her tone tinged with gossip and disdain: "Didn't he recently take a really handsome guy as his mistress? I heard he's really young, doesn't even have a high school diploma, and is kind of dull."

Su Mu didn't speak.

Stunned.

Damn it, being an idiot is immoral.

“That bastard He Angxiao, once he got his hands on the guy, he got all excited and started playing the 'raising a child' or 'canary's rise to power' trope, insisting on arranging a job for the boy and putting him in his own company,” Jiang Ran sneered. “And guess what? The little boy stayed in his company for only two days and then refused to go back no matter what.”

Su Mu: "And then?"

“That boy is very principled. He Angxiao offered him money, but he refused, saying he didn’t want to rely on such connections and wanted to be self-reliant. This angered He Angxiao, but he couldn’t do anything about it. He couldn’t really force someone to work at his company, could he?”

Su Mu finally couldn't help but ask vaguely, "Is that boy... an adult?"

This is his biggest concern.

Jiang Ran immediately nodded: "Don't worry, no matter how beastly He Angxiao is, he's still a beast that meets the basic moral standards of the general public. That boy is an adult."

Su Mu then said "Oh".

Jiang Ran: "In the end, that guy had no choice. He couldn't get the boy into his own company, and he was afraid that the boy would run around outside and get scammed or suffer. So he turned around and shoved him into my company, saying that the environment was simpler and that I should help look after him. Ha, I really owe him something."

"However, since he's already begged me, I can't refuse him. I'm a loyal friend, and I'm telling you in advance because I was afraid you'd misunderstand."

As Su Mu listened, a thought suddenly struck him.

Jiang Ran was still grumbling about He Angxiao's attempt to shift blame, while Su Mu fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

He suddenly seemed to realize something and said quietly, "...Yes, you shouldn't work for people you know too well."

Especially when that person is someone you know too well, and it's your husband, and he has an extraordinary possessiveness and desire to control you, it's like he's rubbing salt into the wound of a normal working relationship.

These words were like a flash of inspiration, unexpectedly shattering Su Mu's drowsy state.

Su Mu looked at Jiang Ran, who was so close to him, and said, "Hey, Jiang Ran, how about this?"

Jiang Ran was taken aback by his sudden burst of energy: "Huh?"

Su Mu: "If his girlfriend is working for you, I might as well go work for He Angxiao."

Jiang Ran: "…………"

-

A note from the author:

Little Wooden Head: I'm such a genius! [sunglasses]

Young Master Jiang: ...What the hell is this?