May 1st.
At 2:30 p.m., Mu Yiran sat on the conference table, propping her chin up as she watched the staff reporting for duty. Her eyes were vacant, staring straight ahead, her soul seemingly emptied.
Which company makes employees work overtime on statutory holidays?
Is this the legendary 997 work schedule?!
It's a shame she was praising Cheng's as a company with a conscience.
Pooh!
It caused a happy girl who should have been enjoying a relaxing holiday to lose her smile completely and temporarily.
When she let out her 36th mournful sigh, Cheng Yuan, who was sitting in the main seat, finally couldn't take it anymore. He lowered his voice and scolded, "Sit up straight! Keep your back straight, chin up too high! What kind of behavior is this, a girl sighing like this!"
"The look of someone who has lost hope in life."
"Nonsense!"
"Big brother~"
Mu Yiran rested her elbows on the conference table. She hadn't acted coquettishly towards her elders for over a decade. Recalling how she used to act coquettishly towards Ms. Wen when she was a child, she said in a low voice, "Big brother, look at me, I'm just sitting here as a decoration. I can't understand anything. The most important thing is that you see me in pain. So, how about I leave first, okay?"
She blinked rapidly, sometimes too forcefully. Cheng Yuan, seeing her eyes twitching wildly, exclaimed in alarm, "You have dry eye syndrome? It looks quite serious!"
"This illness needs to be taken seriously and treated!"
"..."
Mu Yiran was speechless for a moment, but she went on to say, "Yes! It's very serious. I feel like if I stay here any longer, I'll be completely beyond help, so I'm going to the hospital now—"
"What's the rush? I have the phone number of Director Guan Yi Ophthalmology. I've arranged everything for you. Just go there after the meeting."
Mu Yiran was speechless and choked with sobs. This person was truly impervious to reason!
"No, brother, what do you want me to do here! You don't like me anyway, so stop bothering me and just let me go!"
Cheng Yuan was so angry that her chin twitched. "Look at you! You can't even slack off on a business trip. I brought you here to learn how to manage people. As the daughter of the Cheng family, you can't even stand up for a meeting. How will you help manage the company in the future? How will your subordinates respect you?"
The staff member who was giving a report on stage saw the two bosses talking together, especially General Manager Cheng, whose expression was serious.
Is it because they think their PowerPoint presentation is terrible?!
He nervously glanced at Li Buhuo, who was closest to him. Li Buhuo didn't even look at Cheng Ran and said expressionlessly, "Little Cheng, I think you did a good job."
The employee was overjoyed: Really?!
But... is getting Mr. Cheng's approval a good thing?!
Over there, Mu Yiran was still arguing with Cheng Yuan, "You can make me leave early or skip work, and you can deduct my salary as you please!"
"........"
Cheng Yuan: He's the one who pays the salary, so why is this guy talking so arrogantly?!
He was getting annoyed by her persistent questioning. "What are you in such a hurry to do?"
What else can I do?
Of course, I'm going to attend her little beauty's coming-of-age ceremony!
Before she left in the morning, Shi Youxi had a sour face. Mu Yiran solemnly promised that she would never be late. After coaxing for a long time, Shi Youxi finally got Uncle Lin to unlock the villa door.
Compared to Shi Youxi, what does it matter if Cheng Yuan is unhappy?
The one who's hardest to appease is currently scouring Mu Yiran's WeChat, filling the screen with nothing but indifferent faces.
"Buzz".
Another message appeared, and Mu Yiran clicked on it to take a look.
Xiao Xi: [Sister, please ignore me. If you're not coming, just let me attend the coming-of-age ceremony alone. There are so many parents here, I won't be lonely at all.]
"........"
In an instant, Mu Yiran saw the image of Shi Youxi, a QQ character, standing alone and aloof on the school playground, surrounded by the laughter of students and parents.
QQ Shi Youxi's face was full of grievance, and she secretly shed tears while keeping a straight face.
WeChat then sent another message:
Xiao Xi: [Anyway, it's not the first time. I'm used to it, sister. Focus on your work, I won't bother you. *smile*]
Damn it!
Although she knew Shi Youxi was being hypocritical, Mu Yiran was internally slapping herself repeatedly.
Mu Yiran, is this how you raise a child?!
Look how much Shi Youxi has been made to learn the language of slang and teasing!
But damn it, Mu Yiran just happens to fall for it!
Moreover, Shi Youxi's words must be true. Shi Yan is someone who doesn't even attend parent-teacher conferences, let alone Bai Shengsheng. It's good enough that she doesn't need Shi Youxi to take care of her.
Over the past few years, Shi Youxi has probably been alone in all such occasions, standing alone amidst laughter and joy, silently watching her classmates and parents hug and chat happily.
Mu Yiran felt a pang of pain in her heart just thinking about it.
She lost her patience and texted Ai Ni, who was in the office, to call her, and Ai Ni did so immediately.
The next second,
"For all the pain of clinging to love, for all the wounds of clinging too tightly!"
Everyone: "......."
What happened?!
This song touches the soul!
The staff member on stage didn't react in time and blurted out, "You're so slutty!"
Cheng Yuan's face darkened, and he glared angrily at the woman beside him, "Cheng Ran, you—"
Mu Yiran slowly answered the phone, her voice sweet and coquettish, "Honey, you're home? What! You said you didn't have any underwear to change into after showering?! Oh dear, dry yourself off in a bit, I'll come back and wash you right now!"
Ai Ni on the other end of the phone: "........."
What did she hear?!
All staff on site: "..."
A divine song truly lives up to its name!
Li Bu Huo: Heh.
Only he knew that Cheng Ran was faking it; Shi Yan hadn't called Cheng Ran at all.
Only a fool would believe Cheng Ran's nonsense.
Upon hearing Shi Yan's name, Cheng Yuan's dark face immediately turned pale. The next second, upon hearing the two words Cheng Ran uttered, his pale face flushed crimson.
Mu Yiran hung up the phone feeling embarrassed, and said to Cheng Yuan with a shy expression, "I'm sorry, big brother, Shi Yan just can't be without me for even a moment."
I'm sorry, Shi Yan, but she's fulfilling her obligation to "pretend to be a loving couple."
Cheng Yuan: "...You, you, the dignified eldest daughter of the Cheng family, how could you go to..." Those three words were too shameful for Cheng Yuan to say, "Cheng Ran, where is your dignity and upbringing!"
And in front of so many employees!
The Cheng family has completely lost face!
Mu Yiran stood up, pulling her bag along, and smiled knowingly: "Brother, you don't understand, this is called marital intimacy."
"......"
This is some seriously amazing marital intimacy!
But he was already speechless. If Cheng Ran continued to stay, no one would be able to concentrate on the meeting. He couldn't wait for Cheng Ran to leave!
Everyone could only watch as Cheng Ran hurriedly pulled open the door and left.
Mu Yiran ran out of the conference room, where Ai Ni was already standing in the aisle. Seeing the woman's anxious expression, Ai Ni hesitated and said, "Madam... about that just now."
"That wasn't me," Mu Yiran said, feigning death.
Who cares?
He wouldn't let me go so easily if I didn't disgust Cheng Yuan.
"Let's go home first so I can change my clothes," she said, adding that she also wanted to grab something.
Ai Ni had no choice but to put aside her thoughts and follow her to the elevator. When the elevator doors opened, Chen Yiting's eyes lit up when she saw the woman outside.
"Young Master Cheng!"
Mu Yiran nodded and was about to walk past the girl into the elevator when Chen Yiting grabbed Cheng Ran, "Young Master Cheng—"
"Let go!"
Ai Ni emerged from the elevator at some point, gripping Chen Yiting's wrist with a solemn expression.
"Ai Ni." Mu Yi Ran patted Ai Ni's lower back, and the other girl understood and let go but did not move away.
"Yi Ting, I have something urgent to discuss. What do you want to say? Let's talk about it another time."
"Mr. Cheng, can I ask you out for dinner?"
Chen Yiting tried to stop her, but Ai Ni protected the woman and entered the elevator. The doors closed without any hesitation.
Outside the door, the silvery elevator door reflected Chen Yiting's tense and slightly distorted face.
...
On Jingyi's playground, Shi Youxi stood in the grove of trees beside the track, holding his phone and listening to the woman across from him chattering, "Almost there, almost there, three more traffic lights, two left!"
The boy's eyes were full of smiles as he nodded and said, "Sister, don't rush, take your time. I'll wait for you at the door."
No rush?!
This guy really knows how to change his expression.
Who was it that kept urging Mu Yiran on the phone and kept saying, "Sister, Guan Shiyan went to pick up his mother. I'm so envious. I want to pick someone up too, but no one comes."
This made Mu Yiran very anxious, and she didn't dare to drive, for fear that even a second's delay would displease this ancestor.
Shi Youxi had a gentle expression. He hung up the phone and strolled toward the school gate. He had only taken a few steps when a gasp came from the dense, tall woods beside him.
"Be gentle!"
"What, you came to see me just for this?"
Shi Youxi glanced around and met Mo Yifan's gaze, who was hiding in the woods. The girl in his arms turned her head as well when she saw that Mo Yifan had stopped moving.
Chen Tingting's flushed face turned deathly pale the moment she saw Shi Youxi a few steps away.
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