Chapter 12

No matter if it’s a man or a woman, they can’t resist someone who pays such close attention.

Meng Zhengrong thought this way. He didn’t expect Xu Yuan to be touched by this small matter, but at least she should be moved in some way. After hanging up the phone, he returned to the dining table and smiled at her, “Apart from cilantro, is there anything else you don’t like?”

Xu Yuan quickly shook her head. She had already reached her limit when it came to this matter. She’d rather eat cilantro than go through this again.

“Are you still adjusting?” Meng Zhengrong asked as he ate. “If there’s anything you’re not comfortable with, please let me know.”

Xu Yuan thought that he had already messaged her about these two questions. Nonetheless, even though she resented his approach, she couldn’t ignore his question while looking at his face. She couldn’t help but rub her arm, and goosebumps formed.

Oh, what should she do? Right now, she’d rather eat cilantro than accept his way of showing affection.

“There’s nothing I’m not used to yet. Sister Zhou is quite nice.” It was just one morning; nothing could be seen at all. 

Meng Zhengrong grunted, stretched out his hand, and looked at his watch. “There’s still more than an hour left for lunch break. Do you want to take a nap here after eating?”

The president’s office is fully equipped with facilities, including a lounge and a bed. Meng Zhengrong rarely takes a nap, so the lounge is useless. Xu Yuan shook her head. “No, I’m not sleepy at all right now. If I do get sleepy, I can just relax in my office for a while.”

“Okay, after work, should I go to the Finance Department to find you, or should I wait for you in the parking lot?” 

Meng Zhengrong suddenly realized that the daily conversations between him and Xu Yuan could be summed up in the word ‘boring,’ but there was no way around it. Xu Yuan is not like any other woman. If he wants to flirt with her, he must give her full respect. 

This kind of thing can’t be rushed. The development of feelings between men and women is boring at first. Thinking of this, Meng Zhengrong felt a lot more comfortable.

This time, Xu Yuan went against her usual reserved nature in front of Meng Zhengrong and raised her head to look at him. “You can come to the Finance Department to find me.”

There is an idiom, ‘a fox pretends to be a tiger to show off its power,’ which is often used derogatorily. However, Xu Yuan believes that most people who think of it that way do so because they do not have a tiger to help them assert their authority. Her foundation in the Meng family is currently unstable. She doesn’t understand many things and has no connections of her own. If she wants everyone to listen to her and respect her, at least on the surface, she must occasionally be seen with the formidable tiger, Meng Zhengrong.

Meng Zhengrong was surprised that Xu Yuan would say this, but the surprise did not last long. The smile on his face this time was sincere. “Okay.” 

He is very happy to have a closer relationship with Xu Yuan. Now Xu Yuan is not as opposed to this marriage as before, which is a good thing for him. To put it bluntly, she and he are going to have children after all. If they don’t have much affection for each other, it will not be good for the future development of their children. 

There are too many couples in this circle who seem inseparable but end up tacitly agreeing to go their separate ways. Children are actually very sensitive. If their parents’ feelings are not good, they will definitely be able to detect it. Over time, the children’s character will also be affected.

After finishing lunch, Xu Yuan returned to the finance department. Her colleagues were either napping on their desks or playing with their phones, so it was very quiet.

She tried to walk quietly into her office and, like Sister Zhou had demonstrated earlier, she tested the keyboard by gently tapping it. Then she began typing tentatively. As long as she learned how to type, using both a phone and a computer would be a piece of cake. Perhaps due to some instinct left by the original owner, she was not unfamiliar with the keyboard. With this instinct, she believed that she could learn to type proficiently within two months.

She couldn’t help but admire how amazing this era was compared to her previous one. Relative to this time, her past was quite backward.

In the afternoon, Sister Zhou handed her a stack of documents before leaving for a prenatal check-up. “I’m sorry, but I have a prenatal check-up today, so I probably won’t be back in the afternoon. Please familiarize yourself with these documents.”

Xu Yuan accepted the documents and asked, “Is there anything I can help with?”

She knew that in such a large company and workplace, Meng Zhengrong was the boss, and many things would be easier for her due to his influence. Sister Zhou might not need her help, but it was better to offer.

Sister Zhou knew that Xu Yuan was trying to be on good terms with her, and whether it was sincere or not, she was already happy to hear these words. She waved her hand and said, “It’s alright. There’s nothing you need to do for me today. But when the time comes for our baby to go to daycare, maybe I’ll need your help.”

Meng Corporation had abundant resources, and Sister Zhou understood that even though Xu Yuan might be saying this to please her, it was still a good thing. Xu Yuan smiled and nodded, “If there’s ever anything you need help with, I’ll definitely do my best.”

Sister Zhou responded with a pleased smile, “Thank you, Xu Yuan. I appreciate it.”

In the afternoon, Xu Yuan glanced over the documents and decided to take a break. She walked around and ended up in a quiet corridor. She leaned against the wall, thinking about her work.

“DIY birthday cake? That’s so outdated. Besides, our boss, Mr. Meng, has probably eaten all kinds of cakes. He won’t be interested in homemade cakes…”

A sweet voice echoed down the corridor, and while Xu Yuan initially didn’t pay much attention, hearing the mention of Mr. Meng made her ears perk up. This was Meng Zhengrong, the boss of the company, right?

Xu Yuan tried to walk quietly towards the source of the voice, keeping a few meters of distance. The company’s corridors were carpeted, so her footsteps didn’t make much noise.

She followed the woman until they reached the entrance of a department. When Xu Yuan peeked in, she saw a woman with long hair standing with her back to her.

“Can’t you divorce just because you’re married? I haven’t done anything wrong; I just want to express my feelings. It doesn’t hurt anyone.”

After finishing her phone call, the woman muttered a few more words before hanging up.

Seeing her about to leave, Xu Yuan followed discreetly, maintaining some distance between them. In this internal corridor, she could hear their conversation clearly.

When they reached a department’s entrance, the department manager came in. He recognized Xu Yuan as someone who attended Meng Zhengrong’s wedding and looked surprised to see her here. He approached her and asked, “Mrs. Meng, is there something I can help you with?”

Xu Yuan acknowledged him with a nod but didn’t initiate the conversation.

The manager felt a bit uneasy. He had heard that Mrs. Meng had started working in the company today, but he didn’t expect to run into her so soon. He asked, “Is there something you need, Mrs. Meng?”

Xu Yuan turned her head and smiled, “I overheard a conversation earlier about a female colleague who entered this department just now. She had long hair and was wearing a white dress. Who is she?”

The manager was briefly taken aback, then quickly called over a colleague and asked, “Who was the woman who entered our department just now, the one with long hair and a white dress?”

Their department had very few female employees, so it didn’t take long for them to identify the person. The colleague replied, “That’s Bai Wei.”

The manager, looking puzzled, couldn’t understand why Bai Wei’s actions had caused Mrs. Meng to come all the way here. But he hoped it was something positive.

Xu Yuan didn’t provide any further information and just walked away, leaving the manager and his colleague exchanging puzzled glances.

As for Bai Wei, Xu Yuan hadn’t finished with her yet. She wanted to make sure Meng Zhengrong knew about this incident.

During the car ride home with Meng Zhengrong, Xu Yuan seized the opportunity to bring it up. “Zhengrong,” she called, using a casual tone as if discussing everyday matters, “is your birthday coming up soon?”

Meng Zhengrong was surprised by the question. How did Xu Yuan know that his birthday was approaching? He wasn’t so self-centered as to think that she would actively inquire about such matters in their current relationship status.

“Yes,” he replied, nodding. “How did you know?”

Xu Yuan suppressed a smile and said, “It’s quite a coincidence. When I was taking a break today, I overheard a female colleague talking about it in the company. I’m really not doing my job as your wife well. Even the company’s employees know but I don’t even know about it. Please don’t blame me.”