“A lot of things, you can’t be independent for now. All the functional departments of the company will be at your service. This is also the reason we decided to set up the office here initially.”

Cough cough.

Guan Ciyan had a severe fever yesterday and hasn’t fully recovered yet. Jiang Ke gritted her teeth, and every time Guan Ciyan coughed, she furrowed her brows.

As a subordinate, she felt like she should do something. But with the young master nearby, who had already caused some trouble, it seemed like if she stepped in now, it would look like she was trying too hard to show off.

Moreover, the young master would be her boss in the future.

“Don’t say anything, sir,” Jian Yang wasn’t sure how to act as a secret admirer in this situation, so he said some cliché lines, “You should rest well.”

Guan Ciyan drank some water and said to Jian Yang, “My office is on the 15th floor. Come up if you need anything.”

“Jiang Ke,” Guan Ciyan turned his head, “Transfer the young master’s contract with Wei Wei Company, and clear the schedule for this afternoon and the next three days. The assistant should follow the young master. Arrange the work plan ahead of time; don’t handle one thing at a time, plan everything in advance.”

“Okay, Mr. Guan.”

Phew. Guan Ciyan closed the door, and everyone inside exhaled in relief, their backs loosening up a little.

The other three looked at Jian Yang, puzzled.

Jian Yang: “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m scared too!!!”

When Guan Ciyan’s energy was fully activated, who wasn’t scared? Even though people were assigned to Jian Yang’s company and space, he was still Jian Yang’s financial backer!

“Alright, alright, young master, it’s almost noon. Do you need to go upstairs and have lunch with Mr. Guan?” Jiang Ke got into her role and took over the work for Dong Dong.

Jian Yang quickly refused, “Let’s just eat by ourselves! We can just order takeout, lunch time is almost over.”

“I’ll go buy it. It’ll be faster than takeout.” Jiang Ke clicked her heels and started walking out.

“Jiang Jie, I’ll go.” Dong Dong ran to Jiang Ke’s side. “This was originally my job. You’re on your period, take a rest.”

“Oh, I see.” Jian Yang pushed the hot tea away. “Why are you still drinking tea? Come and sit down.”

Jiang Ke: “…”

Dong Dong: “???”

What does her period have to do with anything! It’ll be troublesome if something goes wrong. Jiang Ke resignedly sat down, reminding Dong Dong to think carefully when ordering.

Dong Dong said she understood, and her smooth winter melon-shaped hair bounced with every nod.

Jian Yang had someone pour Jiang Ke a cup of hot water and waited for Dong Dong to come back. With Uncle Zhang making sure the meals were on a regular schedule, today’s meeting had delayed things a bit. Jian Yang’s stomach felt uncomfortable as he sat on the couch, not saying a word, his brows furrowed, lips pale, looking tired.

Jiang Ke secretly sent a message to Dong Dong.

“Hurry up.”

Dong Dong, fighting the strong wind, got out of the car and ran toward the 12th floor of the Fu Yu Hall. She laid out a four-course meal and soup from a five-star hotel on the table. Jian Yang furrowed his brows even more and raised his eyelids, feeling a dull ache in his stomach. “Is this all?”

Dong Dong’s pupils quivered. “Ah… I thought it was enough, is it not?”

“This isn’t enough…”

Jiang Ke stepped forward. “Dong Dong just arrived and doesn’t know how to buy things. I’ll go once.”

Jian Yang, feeling unwell, closed his eyes and nodded in silent approval.

Jiang Ke led Dong Dong out. “Did you find out about the young master’s taste? Do you know what kind of cuisine he likes? Is there anything he can’t eat?”

Dong Dong shook his head.

“If you don’t know, you should have bought blindly.” Jiang Ke took Dong Dong to the five-star hotel they worked with and said, “Watch and learn.”

“The young master is a local. We can order three local dishes, but to be safe, prepare two Western and two Japanese dishes as well. Also, have some appetizers and desserts. If he doesn’t want a full meal, these can at least fill him up. Otherwise, with Mr. Guan’s care for the young master, if he misses two meals, don’t even think about doing your work.”

Jiang Ke explained to the kitchen staff while teaching Dong Dong how to order.

Dong Dong had no idea about the subtleties. “Thanks, Jiang Jie. I got it.”

“Ah, your advantage is your simplicity. Otherwise, Mr. Guan wouldn’t trust you around the young master. These small mistakes will be corrected over time, but remember, don’t have any other thoughts towards the young master. Just focus on serving him well. Mr. Guan won’t treat anyone badly. But if you make mistakes, make sure you do it when I’m around. Otherwise, there won’t be anyone to clean up after you.”

Jiang Ke took a painkiller and waited in the hotel’s lounge for the lunch to be ready. The two of them took the hotel’s car back to the Fu Yu Hall.

Thirteen dishes, all kinds of styles, covered the large dining table in the dining area.

Jian Yang was almost speechless and took a sip of oatmeal. “This… this is too much.”

Dong Dong’s heart skipped a beat. “Ah… but didn’t we just say it was too little?”

Jiang Ke tapped Dong Dong’s hand, signaling him to notice that Jian Yang had picked up the oatmeal first. He should remember Jian Yang’s tastes.

“Young master, this isn’t too much. We’re not sure what you like, so please try some and let us know what you prefer.”

Jian Yang nodded. “It’s fine to eat well for the first meal. Let’s sit down.”

Dong Dong: “Ah???”

Jiang Ke: “Hmm?”

“I just thought four people eating five dishes wouldn’t be enough, so I was going to add two more, my bad for not clarifying. Since you bought so much, let’s eat more and not waste it!”

After the hot porridge went down, Jian Yang’s stomach relaxed a bit. The juicy snowflake beef quickly revived her appetite. She sat down at the dining chair and said, “Let’s eat, everyone needs to work hard now.”

Dongdong: “But we have the employee canteen.”

“We’ve already ordered, so let’s not go to the canteen.”

Jiang Ke held Dongdong’s hand to stop him from speaking, focusing on the point that it wasn’t the canteen. “Young Master, actually, we don’t eat with you.”

“It’s fine,” Jian Yang, feeling anxious from hunger, said, “Guan Ciyan isn’t here. After we finish, we won’t tell him. Hurry up, I’m starving.”

Dongdong said: “I’m starving too. Jiang Ke, just eat here with us.”

Jiang Ke: “I’m starving too.”

Jian Yang handed her a bowl of hot soup prepared by the finance team, and the four of them ate quickly, finishing half of the dishes cleanly. Jian Yang ate half a bowl more than usual.

After eating too many nutritious meals at home, heavy oil and salt dishes felt tastier.

They couldn’t eat the fruits and desserts after the meal. Jian Yang asked Jiang Ke to give the food to her previous colleagues. Dongdong helped her bring it up to the eighth floor, and in the elevator, she said to Jiang Ke: “Jiang Ke, I think the Young Master is quite easy to get along with.”

Jiang Ke, feeling a bit tired, yawned. “Now I finally understand why Mr. Guan chose you.”

Jiang Ke felt the responsibility on her shoulders was heavy, having to look after two young ones.

In the afternoon, just as everyone was settling into their office areas, Guan Ciyan arrived. “How’s it going?”

Jian Yang held up a KV board with “Artist Resting Room” written on it, with a cute dog head beside it. “Look, Dongdong drew it herself, cute, right?”

Guan Ciyan nodded approvingly. “Hmm, it’s like you.”

Jian Yang turned away with a slight frown, pretending not to see Guan Ciyan, and organized their work area.

The largest area was the reception room right by the entrance, with an open space leading to the floor-to-ceiling windows. Next to it, an artist’s resting room was set up as Jian Yang’s office and rest area. Dongdong and Jiang Ke placed two large desks along the wall, and only the finance department had a proper room.

The overall space was still quite empty. Guan Ciyan told his secretary to buy more office and rest equipment. But then, he changed his mind. “Let him figure it out. Don’t worry about it.”

Guan Ciyan sat on the leather sofa, watching for an hour as Jian Yang ran around in the open floor plan, shifting things around according to his wishes, much like when he raised Xia Tian. The villa he lived in now was also bought for Xia Tian.

The large flat couldn’t satisfy Xia Tian’s need for exercise, so Guan Ciyan moved out of the city center to a larger place, sacrificing half an hour of commute time just so Xia Tian could run more freely.

Jian Yang was better than Xia Tian, and Dongdong, with a background in design, shared similar tastes with her. They were around the same age, making Dongdong more like a companion to Jian Yang.

Jian Yang hoped this happiness would last longer.

After waiting for another half hour, Guan Ciyan looked at the time, stood up, and waved for Jian Yang to come over. “It’s almost done, let’s sort it out another day.”

Jian Yang, feeling warm from running around, was excited about her first company. She wanted to make everything perfect, her cheeks flushed with healthy pink. “Do you have any plans later?”

“How long has it been since you went to Su Lao’s place? The medicine must be almost finished.” Guan Ciyan brushed his bangs, revealing his smooth, shiny forehead. “It’s time for the next treatment session.”

“Alright.”

Jian Yang reluctantly left and went with Guan Ciyan to Su Lao’s place. This time, he was much more obedient, polite to Su Lao, especially since a few days ago, he had gotten caught in the snow and caught a cold, but Guan Ciyan didn’t. It proved that Su Lao’s medicine was really effective.

He put on a plain cotton home outfit, layered with a black long down jacket—ugly but warm. He started his five-day acupuncture and massage treatment. During these days, he could only stay in Su Lao’s courtyard and couldn’t go anywhere else.

Su Lao said that during this period, he couldn’t catch a cold or overexert himself, and after the massage, his whole body would hurt, feeling drowsy and wanting to sleep. He couldn’t go anywhere after that.

“After two months, your body has improved a bit, but the internal organ issues haven’t improved yet. Your eyes haven’t changed, so stay steady. There’s still a cure for you.” Su Lao gave Jian Yang a disapproving look, dispelling his restless thoughts.

Jian Yang saw Guan Ciyan off to the door and watched him get in the car. It was impossible for Guan Ciyan to stay here with him, but the last time he left Guan Ciyan and independently sought treatment, after rejoining the crew, he hadn’t heard from him for more than twenty days.

What if, during this time, Guan Ciyan found someone more suitable for the role in the literary film? What would he do then?

His heart was in turmoil, and his steps slowed down. Guan Ciyan wasn’t in a hurry, though, and didn’t push him. He zipped Jian Yang’s down jacket all the way to the top. “It’s only a few days, there’s no need to be so reluctant.”

“It’s not that,” Jian Yang denied anxiously, then began to make up an excuse. “I’ll miss you so much after so many days without seeing you, Mr. Guan.”

Guan Ciyan almost blurted out that he would stay and accompany him here.

The normally stubborn and awkward person saying that he would miss him so sweetly was hard to resist. Guan Ciyan pulled him into his arms, gently comforting him, “Be good.”

Jian Yang rested his chin on his shoulder. “Will you meet someone else? Choose someone better than me?”

“Depends on how you perform,” Guan Ciyan thought Jian Yang was feeling insecure, so he joked to put his mind at ease. “For now, I’ve only met you, and you are the most to my liking.”

Jian Yang felt a little relieved, thinking that his job was temporarily secured.

Guan Ciyan pinched his cheek, squeezing it playfully, enjoying the way Jian Yang’s emotions swirled between happiness and worry because of his words. He was so satisfied. It seemed like he wasn’t that opposed to marrying Jian Yang.