Health Management Standards
Cui Yu's words precisely struck at Meng Yihe's Achilles' heel.
Meng Yihe felt a lump in his throat, his face so dark it could drip water. He knew that if Cui Yu revealed even a hint of this "rule" and his attempt to rebel to his mother, he would not have a moment's peace for the next few months.
"You'd better stop now," Meng Yihe said through gritted teeth, but her tone had softened, which was tantamount to acquiescence.
Seeing that things were going well, Cui Yu's smile became more sincere: "Don't worry, my supervision will be very humane. For example, for the daily health check-in, Director Meng only needs to move his fingers and send a message."
Cui Yu thought for a moment and added, "Of course, if I forget, I will personally come to remind you."
His "door-to-door reminder" was quite meaningful.
Meng Yihe turned her head away, no longer looking at him. He knew that his future life would likely be under some kind of "supervision" for a long time to come.
My first day back at the company after being discharged from the hospital.
Meng Yihe practically threw himself into the backlog of work. Behind his huge desk, he quickly reverted to his usual cool and efficient persona as Director Meng.
However, Cui Yu's "health management standards" are like an invisible shackle.
At 10:00 a.m., he was hosting a video conference when his phone screen suddenly lit up with a message from Cui Yu.
[Cui Yu]: Director Meng, one hour is up. Get up, stretch a bit, and have some water. (smiley face.jpg)
Meng Yihe's temple throbbed slightly, but she ignored it.
Five minutes later, the internal phone rang. It was Lin Xueyue: "Director Meng, Director Cui asked me to remind you that it's time to rest."
Meng Yihe: "...Tell him I'm in a meeting."
The meeting continued.
Ten minutes later, there was a knock on his office door. Before he could respond, Cui Yu walked in with a cup in his hand, as if he were just passing by.
"Oh, in a meeting?"
Cui Yu seemed to have just noticed the screen. He nodded to the slightly surprised executives on the other side of the camera, and then very naturally placed the cup next to Meng Yihe—a cup of warm milk.
"Just a reminder, Director Meng, it's time for your break." He said in a relaxed tone.
The video conference fell silent instantly.
Meng Yihe's face was frighteningly dark, being shown such concern in front of so many subordinates.
“Cui Yu!” he said in a low voice, with a warning tone.
"Dr. Li's instructions." Cui Yu silently mouthed these words, her face still bearing an impeccable smile, then waved to the camera. "You can continue, I won't disturb you." With that, she gracefully left the office.
Meng Yihe: "..."
The executives on the other end of the video call: "..."
Have Director Cui and Director Meng gotten to this point in their relationship?
It was exactly 12 noon.
Lin Xueyue entered on time, carrying an exquisite lunchbox, and placed it on the small coffee table: "Director Meng, this is lunch that Director Cui instructed. He said that you must finish eating on time, as he will come this afternoon to check the cleanliness of the food."
Meng Yihe looked at the light but nutritionally balanced meal.
He felt like he wasn't a director, but rather a kindergarten child who needed to be watched.
3 PM.
Having worked continuously for almost two hours, Meng Yihe was focused on a contract clause when the office door was pushed open again.
This time, Cui Yu didn't even bother to make up an excuse.
He walked straight in and snatched the pen from Meng Yihe's hand.
"Time's up, Director Meng." Cui Yu tapped his watch. "Twenty minutes break. Would you like to chat, or just quietly space out?"
Meng Yihe finally lost her temper and stood up abruptly. "Cui Yu! Don't go too far! This is my office!"
“This is also an extension of your health management.” Cui Yu stood her ground, arms crossed, looking at him. “Do you want to rest on your own, or should I call your aunt and have her come and talk to you about the importance of balancing work and rest?”
Here we go again! It's that same trick again!
Meng Yihe's chest heaved with anger, but he found that his resistance to Cui Yu's shameless way of showing concern was gradually decreasing.
He finally sat back down heavily in his chair, closed his eyes, and expressed his strongest protest through silence.
Cui Yu smiled with satisfaction, and without disturbing him, she leaned back on the sofa next to him, took out her phone and looked at it by herself, simply working in a different place.
Twenty minutes later, Cui Yu left on time.
Meng Yihe opened her eyes, looking at the now quiet office and the glass of milk on the table, her emotions a complex mix. Frustration, helplessness, embarrassment… but also a sense of security, as if she had been forcibly taken under someone's wing and carefully protected.
He shook his head, trying to dispel the terrible thought.
But when he picked up his pen again, he found that the mandatory twenty-minute break had made his previously tired mind much clearer.
He remained silent for a few seconds.
In the end, I picked up the glass of milk and drank it.
Over the next few days, Meng Yihe spent almost all of her time under Cui Yu's all-encompassing care.
The system included scheduled message reminders, reminders from Lin Xueyue or Zhao Lei who happened to be passing by, and surprise inspections by Cui Yu himself from time to time.
These things annoyed him greatly, yet he felt helpless about them.
He found himself getting used to this rhythm. Once, when it was time to rest, Cui Yu was unable to appear on time due to an urgent phone call, and he subconsciously glanced at the door, a sense of disappointment passing through his heart.
He was immediately horrified by the thought and dismissed it as a mere illusion caused by his body's habit of a regular routine.
That afternoon.
Once again, Cui Yu, under the guise of "supervising the rest," brazenly occupied a corner of Meng Yihe's office sofa and processed his own documents.
Meng Yihe stared intently at the computer screen, trying to ignore the presence of another person in the office and concentrate fully on her work.
Just then, Meng Yihe's cell phone, which was on the table, rang.
The word "Mother" appears on the screen.
Cui Yu also looked up from the document, glanced at his phone, and a half-smile appeared on his lips.
Meng Yihe took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure, pressed the answer button, and put the call on speakerphone. Perhaps because Cui Yu was present, having the call on speakerphone made things seem aboveboard and prevented him from making wild guesses afterward.
“Mom.” His voice was as calm as ever.
"Xiao He," Ye Chunhan's voice came, "I heard you were discharged from the hospital and went back to the company? How are you feeling? Have you been working overtime again, disobeying your superiors?"
Meng Yihe instinctively wanted to deny it, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Cui Yu on the sofa looking at him with a "See, what did I tell you?" expression on his face.
He felt a bit annoyed and replied stiffly, "It's alright."
"It's alright, but not good enough!" Ye Chunhan immediately sensed his perfunctory attitude. "You, it's always like this! If it weren't for Director Cui watching over you and taking care of you this time, I really can't imagine what would have happened! You should thank him properly!"
here we go again.
Meng Yihe felt a headache coming on.
"Yes, I know." He tried to end the conversation as quickly as possible.
But Ye Chunhan clearly wasn't going to let him off the hook, and her tone warmed up a bit: "Hey, speaking of which, Director Cui is really something else, capable and dedicated. We owe him a lot this time. Xiao He, you should learn from Director Cui in the future and build a good relationship with him. It's rare to find a friend like that! Invite him over for a meal sometime so your dad and I can thank him properly."
Meng Yihe: "..."
He felt the veins on his forehead throbbing again.
He could almost picture what his mother was planning on the other end of the phone.
Upon hearing this, Cui Yu, who was on the sofa, suddenly put down the document in his hand. He stood up without making a sound, slowly walked to Meng Yihe's desk, and then very naturally leaned over, moving closer to the phone's microphone.
Under Meng Yihe's astonished gaze, Cui Yu, with his signature smile, replied in an extremely natural tone, "Auntie, you're too kind."
His voice was clearly transmitted to the other end of the phone through the microphone.
“It’s my duty to take care of Yihe. Eating is no problem, of course. I’m always available whenever Yihe has time.”
Meng Yihe turned her head sharply, staring incredulously at Cui Yu, who was standing right in front of her.
Meng's mother on the other end of the phone was clearly surprised and delighted that Cui Yu was right next to her and had heard her words. Her voice rose eight octaves.
"Oh my! Director Cui! You're here too? Look at this... I'm so sorry! Please don't think I'm being long-winded, I'm just so grateful to you! So it's settled then? Once Xiao He is feeling a bit better, she'll definitely come over for dinner!"
"Don't worry, Auntie." Cui Yu smiled even more sincerely, but her gaze remained fixed on Meng Yihe's stiff profile.
“I will definitely urge him to recover as soon as possible, and then I will visit you on time. I have also been wanting to try your cooking.”
"Okay, okay! It's settled then!" Ye Chunhan was overjoyed and praised Cui Yu several more times before finally hanging up the phone, completely satisfied.
The call has ended.
Meng Yihe slowly put down her phone, turned her head, and stared intently at Cui Yu with her cold eyes.
"Cui, Yu."
He spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice filled with immense anger and the shame of being offended.
"Who gave you permission to interrupt? Who gave you permission to agree?!"
Cui Yu straightened up, but showed no remorse in the face of his anger.
"Hmm? Auntie's invitation is so kind of you, I can't possibly refuse, that would be so impolite."
He blinked and continued.
"Besides, you seem to be in a difficult position. Wouldn't it be better to agree for you?"
"You!" Meng Yihe was so angry that she was speechless for a moment.
He realized that he couldn't reason with Cui Yu at all.
This man always manages to find all sorts of fallacies to justify his behavior.
"Don't worry." Cui Yu leaned down, placing his hands on his desk as he approached him, his smile still on his face, but his eyes had deepened. "It's just a meal."
"Or... is it that Director Meng is afraid to take me to meet his parents?"
Meng Yihe's heart skipped a beat, and a fleeting hint of panic crossed her face, but it was quickly replaced by even greater anger: "What nonsense are you spouting!"
“Then it’s settled.” Cui Yu straightened up, patted his shoulder, and the gesture was as natural as if he were talking to an old friend.
“Work hard, Director Meng. Don’t forget, the health management guidelines also include maintaining emotional stability.”
After saying that, he turned around and walked back to the sofa, picked up the documents again, leaving Meng Yihe alone, facing the air, so angry that she almost suffered internal injuries.
Should I take Cui Yu home for dinner?
Just thinking about that scene and his mother's possible reaction gave him an unprecedented headache and panic.
Meng Yihe looked at the culprit on the sofa.
Just as he was contemplating whether to make sarcastic remarks or simply kick him out, a light and pleasant ringtone sounded from Cui Yu's side—not his usual work ringtone.
Cui Yu's languid expression vanished.
He glanced at the caller ID, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips. He quickly answered the phone, his tone gentle and patient: "Xuyue? Why are you calling at this hour? Have you finished school?"
A clear, slightly coquettish young boy's voice came from the other end of the phone. You could vaguely hear some of it through the receiver, but you couldn't make out the specific content.
It is Cui Xuyue.
Meng Yihe's initial momentum to confront him was interrupted by this unexpected phone call.
"Yeah, my brother's busy... but it's okay, he's not tired."
Cui Yu answered her younger brother's questions patiently, her voice tinged with laughter.
"How about you? How was school today? Hmm, that's good. Do you have enough money? Buy whatever you want to eat, don't be stingy."
Meng Yihe listened in silence, finding it hard to reconcile the gentle and patient older brother he was with the cunning and scoundrel Director Cui from just moments before.
Suddenly, Cui Yu looked up, her eyes smiling as she looked at Meng Yihe, who was pretending to look at documents, and said into the phone, "Oh? You want to ask him? He's right next to me."
Meng Yihe's back stiffened, a bad feeling creeping over her.
Sure enough, Cui Yu's next sentence was tinged with a mocking smile: "How about it? Do you want to personally greet your brother Meng and ask him if he's still feeling unwell?"
Meng Yihe suddenly looked up, glared at Cui Yu, and conveyed a warning in her eyes: "You dare!"
Cui Yu seemed not to see it, and instead smiled as she handed over the phone, mouthing silently: "My brother cares about you."
On the other end of the phone, Cui Xuyue's voice became clearer, carrying the directness of youth and a touch of gossipy excitement: "Brother Meng? You're really here? Brother said you were sick and hospitalized before, are you better now? Are you still feeling unwell?"
A barrage of questions came at me, all brimming with genuine concern.
When faced with a younger, simple-minded Omega brother, Meng Yihe's cold and aloof social mask seemed to fail him.
He couldn't possibly respond with the same coldness he showed to Cui Yu.
He took the phone somewhat stiffly, his tone unconsciously softening, even taking on a clumsy gentleness that he himself was unaware of.
"Okay, I'm fine now. I don't feel bad anymore, thank you for your concern." His reply was dry and unresponsive, far less polished than when he handled work.
"That's good!" Cui Xuyue's voice sounded very happy.
"Has my brother been taking good care of you? If he bullies you, tell me, and I'll scold him for you!"
The innocent remark from the child left Meng Yihe speechless for a moment, his ears burning slightly. He subconsciously glanced at Cui Yu next to him, who was laughing so hard his shoulders were shaking, clearly having heard everything.
“…No,” Meng Yihe replied with difficulty.
"He... took good care of me."
He felt awkward saying those words.
"That's good! Brother Meng, you should get some rest, don't work all the time like my brother! Come to my house next time!" Cui Xuyue extended a warm invitation, clearly already considering him a familiar person.
Meng Yihe: "...Okay."
Besides agreeing, he didn't know what else to say. After chatting briefly for a couple more minutes, Cui Xuyue finally hung up the phone, satisfied.
Meng Yihe handed the phone back to Cui Yu.
Seeing Meng Yihe's slightly uneasy expression, Cui Yu deliberately dragged out his words.
"It seems Xuyue likes you a lot, Brother Meng?"
The way he uttered that term carried an unusually ambiguous tone.
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