**53**

On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Zhu Jia sat in Mo Yichen’s study, racking her brain over a business proposal. Mo Yichen, seated on the sofa, was engrossed in a book.

The experienced housekeeper they had brought back from the old residence was now looking after Xiao Wen, giving Zhu Jia time to finally tackle her long-overdue proposal.

“I’m so tired! I can’t write anymore… Why do I even have to do this?” Zhu Jia slumped over the desk.

“If you can’t write it, it means your ideas and plans aren’t clear enough yet,” Mo Yichen said, coming to sit beside her. “A business proposal is like a safety net for your startup. It outlines the industry background, operational model, competitive advantages, marketing plan, and budget, helping you mitigate risks.”

He looked at her seriously. “Let’s go through it step by step. Think of me as an investor. Convince me—why should I back this project? What’s your core competitive advantage?”

They spent half the day in the study. Zhu Jia talked so much her throat went dry, while Mo Yichen furrowed his brows in thought.

“Your idea is great—easing educational anxiety and developing children’s core skills and foundational abilities. But your course structure and practical implementation need more work.”

“How about we visit a range of early education institutions over the next few days? It might give you more ideas.”

“But I already visited a few recently,” Zhu Jia said.

“A few isn’t enough. Ideally, you should survey centers of different sizes and types, targeting various demographics. Gather firsthand data and compare it with industry reports from professional institutions. That way, your preparation will be more thorough.”

Over the following days, Mo Yichen accompanied Zhu Jia to visit early education centers across the city. Zhu Jia meticulously documented details about each institution—areas for improvement and best practices worth emulating—filling two entire notebooks.

She revised her proposal repeatedly, carefully refining each line and paragraph. Eventually, the proposal met Mo Yichen’s approval.

“This is well-written. Now you can start taking action—securing a location, obtaining the necessary permits, and assembling your team. I suggest tackling these tasks concurrently.”

Zhu Jia planned to complete the first two tasks within the month. As for the third, she frowned. “That might be a bit tricky.”

“You’ll find that recruiting and managing talent is one of the most important—and challenging—parts of being a leader,” Mo Yichen said, ruffling her hair. “Since you’re just starting, I’ll lend you a few versatile talents from my company. They’ll teach you more about business operations.”

Zhu Jia pursed her lips. “Won’t that be too much trouble?”

“Not at all. You’re already their boss’s wife.”

She glared at him, exasperated. Mo Yichen’s arrogance had been growing by the day.

With his workload lighter over the New Year, they had more time alone together than ever before. Mo Yichen seized every opportunity to shower her with sweet words and affectionate glances. Zhu Jia couldn’t help but wonder—where on earth had he learned such tactics?

********†**************†………†*************†*************†*******

Zhu Jia spent the next few days searching for a location for her business. Eventually, she fell in love with a three-story villa with a large garden in the city center.

The area was densely populated, surrounded by high-end residential neighborhoods and commercial centers, with excellent transportation links—situated at the intersection of two subway lines.

From the moment Zhu Jia stepped inside, she was enchanted. Despite its central location, the villa exuded a serene and secluded charm.

The spacious garden was a rare find in such a high-demand area. Originally, the villa housed a Thai restaurant. The owner, Rex, was showing Zhu Jia around with keys in hand.

“You won’t find another place like this in the city,” Rex said proudly.

When they reached the rooftop, Zhu Jia’s eyes lit up. The villa featured a sunroom with glass walls on all sides, filled with meticulously maintained plants. Adjacent to it were wooden tables, chairs, and even two hammocks. The rooftop was bright, airy, and inviting.

Zhu Jia could already envision its potential uses—the garden could become a playground for children, while the sunroom on the rooftop would be perfect for outdoor classes. It might not match the vastness of a park, but it would still provide children with adequate outdoor activity time.

After seeing the villa, Zhu Jia didn’t bother looking elsewhere. She immediately sealed the deal with Rex.

“You have good taste. Some people said this place was too expensive, but they don’t understand what it’s worth,” Rex remarked smugly, recalling previous viewers.

Zhu Jia smiled. “It is pricier than the market rate.”

“That’s because it was waiting for someone like you.”

With the location settled, Zhu Jia began navigating the bureaucratic maze of permits and approvals. Setting up an early education center required strict compliance. She visited numerous departments, submitting documents like health evaluations, fire safety certificates, food service permits, business licenses, and lease agreements to complete the registration process.

At the same time, Mo Yichen arranged for Assistant Lin and three other individuals to help with the early-stage preparations for the early education center.

Linda handled finance, Jack was an HR specialist, and Carol focused on marketing—all essential roles for Zhu Jia at this critical stage.

After a day of running around and holding a meeting with the small team, Zhu Jia returned home in the evening and collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted.

“Mommy…” Little Wen toddled over to Zhu Jia, a big smile on his face. He was wearing a pair of soft-soled white walking shoes. He was now walking steadily, and when he reached her, he raised his arms, signaling for a hug.

“Sweetheart,” Zhu Jia said, quickly scooping him up and planting a big kiss on his cheek.

Lately, she had been so busy working that she had much less time to spend with Little Wen. She was already planning to take him to the early education center once it opened so he could join the other children in class. This way, she could take him with her to and from work every day.

“Madam, the young master went to the park for an hour and a half this morning,” Aunt Pan reported with a smile. “He finished a whole box of grapes and blueberries we brought with us. He took a two-hour nap at noon, and after waking up, he played with toys and read picture books in the children’s room.”

The housekeeper Aunt Pan, recommended by her mother-in-law, had proven to be a great help.

Although Little Wen was initially resistant to spending time with the unfamiliar housekeeper, the two had since become fast friends.

Aunt Pan was also knowledgeable about children’s nutrition and had put a lot of effort into improving Little Wen’s diet, gradually correcting his picky eating habits.

“Thank you for all your hard work, Aunt Pan,” Zhu Jia said with a smile.

“You’re too kind, Madam. The young master is much easier to care for than Miss Qingqing was at his age. She never wanted to eat her meals back then,” Aunt Pan replied, her eyes softening at the memory of Mo Qingqing’s childhood.

Zhu Jia couldn’t help but feel grateful for the support at home. Without it, she wouldn’t have been able to focus on her career.

She also felt that the work she was doing now was particularly meaningful. Many modern women were forced to give up their careers and return to family life after having children, often because there was no one they could trust to care for their kids.

Balancing family and career often felt like an unattainable dream.

She hoped her early education center could help more working mothers feel secure about leaving their children in capable hands, freeing them to devote more time to their careers and personal lives.

While it might not completely resolve the challenge of balancing work and family, it would at least lighten their load.

However, to bring the center to life, she still needed more specialized professionals in this field.

Zhu Jia had already planned out the organizational structure, but designing and developing the curriculum was beyond her capabilities as someone with only basic knowledge from her academic studies.

At that moment, the system she hadn’t seen in a while chimed in: “Host, I think the lecturer from City University, Professor Jiang, would be a great choice. You can invite her to serve as your curriculum development consultant.”

Zhu Jia sighed. “Why are you here again?”

The system replied, “Of course I’m here! How could I miss out on such an important moment? Don’t forget, I’m your certified child-rearing system.”

Professor Jiang Qingsi? The professor who specialized in early education curriculum design? She was not only highly qualified but also easygoing. She had previously given Zhu Jia plenty of private tutoring sessions.

Zhu Jia nodded thoughtfully. Professor Jiang was indeed an excellent candidate. Since it was winter break, Zhu Jia decided to call her and invite her for a meeting.

The next afternoon, Zhu Jia waited for Professor Jiang at a café near City University, where the professor’s family lived nearby.

She hadn’t been sitting long when Professor Jiang arrived. Outside the classroom, Professor Jiang dressed casually, wearing a tracksuit that made her look much younger.

“Mrs. Mo, I didn’t expect you to invite me out during the break,” Professor Jiang teased. “Do you want extra tutoring during the holidays?”

“Professor Jiang, I told you to stop calling me Mrs. Mo! Just call me Zhu Jia. Today, I wanted to discuss something else,” Zhu Jia replied with a smile. She remembered seeing the professor often drink iced Americanos, so she had already ordered one for her.

“All right, tell me what’s on your mind,” Professor Jiang said, nodding at Zhu Jia.

Zhu Jia handed over her business proposal. “Remember how I mentioned last semester that I wanted to open an early education center? Everything is almost ready, except for one thing: I need a professional like you to provide the final push.”

She smiled sincerely.

Professor Jiang took the thick business proposal and felt a pang of surprise.

She had assumed that someone of Zhu Jia’s background and resources would simply throw money at a venture without much effort—treating it as a fashionable hobby rather than seriously investing time and energy into planning.

Now, she felt a twinge of guilt for her earlier assumptions. A quick glance through the proposal revealed a wealth of detailed, well-researched information, showing Zhu Jia’s deep understanding of the local industry landscape.

For the next hour, Zhu Jia shared her market research findings and preliminary ideas with Professor Jiang.

“Specialized tasks should be handled by professionals. I believe the core competitiveness of an early education center lies in the quality of its teaching staff. I want to invite you to serve as a consultant. Your role would primarily involve curriculum design, teacher training, and providing guidance on teaching practices. I understand that you’re busy with your university responsibilities, so the workload on my end wouldn’t be too heavy.”

Professor Jiang nodded thoughtfully and smiled. “What I teach at the university is mostly theoretical. If I were to put it into practice, I’d still need to make some adjustments.”

“Practical experience leads to true understanding. I’m confident this won’t be an issue.”

“Well, since… Ms. Zhu has made the offer, I’ll be happy to help. I hope I can contribute to your project.”

“Please don’t call me Ms. Zhu—I’ll still be taking your class next semester! Here’s to a successful collaboration, Professor Jiang,” Zhu Jia said, winking playfully.