"Sister, please don't ignore me."

"......"

With just one sentence, Mu Yiran lost her temper.

In her memory, the boy rarely took the initiative to bow his head and show weakness; Mu Yiran usually had to coax him first.

"I'm not ignoring you."

Shi Youxi gripped her hand tightly. "You do."

"Why won't you let me come along?"

Mu Yiran looked up and met his gaze: "Is that even a question? Why do you insist on going?"

Shi Youxi tightened her jaw and slowly said, "I'm afraid something will happen to you again..."

“I’m an adult, I can protect myself, there’s no reason for me to need a minor as a bodyguard. Besides, with Ai Ni with me, what’s there to worry about?”

Mu Yiran sighed, put down the hairdryer, and grasped the boy's wrist with her other hand. "Shi Youxi, I'm happy that you're worried about me and want to protect me, but you're not an adult yet, and you have more important things to do."

"I don't want you to ruin your life because of me."

"No, I said it won't affect anything."

Mu Yiran turned to look at him, "What about your father? What about the Shi family?"

"Will your father agree to let you leave the capital and come with me for a week? Once is fine, but what about in the future? Are you capable of handling both your studies and work at the same time?"

"......."

Shi Youxi opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.

He understood Shi Yan's controlling nature better than anyone else. He didn't care about Shi Yan's studies or anything else; wherever his mother was, Shi Youxi had to be there too.

He had no right to be willful in front of his father.

He only thought about following his sister and didn't consider anything else.

Seeing the disappointment on his face, Mu Yiran pressed him down onto the sofa. "So, you'd better be good. Adults need to go out and work to earn money so they can support you in the future."

"You study hard, and tell me when you're capable. By then, I won't need to go anywhere. I can stay at home every day and let you support me, okay?"

“Shi Youxi, you are very expensive. If I don’t work hard, I won’t even be able to afford your filming fee this time.”

Two arms climbed up her thighs, and Mu Yiran subconsciously took a step back, but the boy tightened his arms. He lowered his head, and the vibrations of his voice traveled through the fabric to Mu Yiran's thighs.

"I don't want any of those, I just want you..."

Mu Yiran panicked and pushed the boy's shoulder, "You..."

"Is there a compelling reason to go?"

Shi Youxi raised his head, resting his chin on her leg, his obsidian-like eyes seeming to suck Mu Yiran into them.

Mu Yiran looked down at him, water droplets from her hair dripping down onto Shi Youxi's lips, disappearing down his long neck into his collar.

"Really, sister?"

"......"

Mu Yiran's skin trembled and goosebumps rose. Even though Shi Youxi hadn't said anything, looking into the boy's deep eyes, she suddenly realized that Shi Youxi seemed to know something.

"...Well, I guess so." Mu Yiran avoided his gaze.

Shi Youxi looked at her, his intertwined fingers caressing the woman's inner thighs, making Mu Yiran feel numb. Just as she was about to push him away, the young man stood up and led Mu Yiran to sit in front of the vanity mirror.

"I'll listen to my sister and I won't go."

"But my sister has to promise me that she will call me every day and video chat with me."

This is already his biggest compromise.

"...Understood, young master."

Mu Yiran sighed inwardly, but that was all she could do; she would have to find another excuse to refuse later.

Shi Youxi insisted on blow-drying her hair, and Mu Yiran was afraid that he would change his mind later, so she could only let him have his way.

Shi Youxi ran his fingers through the woman's hair, smoothing it all the way down. His gaze was deep, and his mind was filled with countless thoughts.

...

April 25th, Cheng's branch office in Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

"Mr. Cheng, the hotel arrangements are all made." Chen Yiting handed the room key to Mu Yiran. There were only five people in their group, including Ai Ni. Mr. Cheng, contrary to his usual self, came to the branch office immediately after getting off the plane. He is the person who dislikes work the most.

Mu Yiran accepted the room. The rooms arranged by Li Buhuo were all booked according to the standard for normal business trips. Except for Ai Ni, who paid for her own room, Cheng Ran's room was a suite. As her bodyguard, Ai Ni naturally stayed next to her.

The rest of the people live on other floors.

Mu Yiran glanced at the countdown on her iWatch; there were only 10 hours left before she woke up in 2023.

She had to be fully prepared.

"Cough cough."

Ai Ni unscrewed the thermos and handed it to her, "Madam, are you still feeling unwell? Should we go to the hospital?"

"No need, it's just a minor cold." She's been coughing occasionally these past few days. It's the rainy season in Shenzhen and Hong Kong lately, and it was very humid as soon as she got off the plane, which made her cough incessantly. But this cough was exactly what Mu Yiran needed.

The group entered the company, where the acting manager was already waiting at the door as instructed by Li Bu Huo. Mu Yi Ran wandered around aimlessly for a few minutes, keeping a straight face and remaining silent throughout.

Business trips always involve important matters, and the two staff members who came with her quickly took over the work. Mu Yiran sat in the general manager's office, glanced at Chen Yiting talking to employees outside the glass door, and said to the acting manager, "Li Buhuo should have already told you why I came here this time."

"Yes, the company is operating normally. Assistant Li asked me to prepare nearly six months' worth of financial reports, project files, and—"

Mu Yiran waved her hand, "Hey, he probably already told you that I don't really understand them, so you should handle these documents however you need to. If you really can't handle them, just call Li Buhuo and ask him to handle them."

Acting Manager: "......" Is it really okay to be so direct about wanting to slack off?

Ever since receiving Assistant Li's call, the entire company has been diligently organizing documents for several days, only to find that the boss is now leading the way in slacking off...

This is absolutely fantastic!

"So the main purpose of my visit this time is to bring the employees here to learn. Especially that young lady." Mu Yiran pointed to Chen Yiting's figure at the manager. "She has a lot of ideas, but she's a bit careless since she's just joined the company, so I hope the manager can help me take good care of this newcomer. There aren't many employees like her who are passionate and have dreams for their work these days."

The manager immediately understood: "Of course, I will definitely train such an excellent employee well!"

Mu Yiran was satisfied.

After pretending to sit in her office for a while, she returned to the hotel with Ai Ni.

"Cough cough, Ai Ni, there's a pharmacy nearby, could you go and buy me some cold and cough medicine?"

Ai Ni glanced at the hotel reception desk. "Should I have the hotel staff deliver it to your room?"

"No, I'm a germaphobe. I won't take any new medication."

“…” Ai Ni recalled the scene of his wife lying on the sofa eating Doritos on weekdays, her ten fingers full of snacks while she could play on her phone.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder related to cleanliness?

This obsession with cleanliness is quite dependent on my mood.

After seeing the person off, Mu Yiran took out a mask from her bag and put it on. This hotel was one of the hotels under the Cheng family's name, and the staff there had all done their homework and would greet her when they saw her.

Mu Yiran nodded all the way and took the elevator directly to the top-floor suite. She didn't go into her own suite, but took out another room card and went to the next room. As soon as she entered, she saw the woman sitting on the sofa.

The woman stood up and said to Mu Yiran, "Hello, Miss Cheng, I am Hongxin Q. Everything is ready. Shall we begin?"