Chapter 73.2

Jiang Rou and Li Xiao took An An out for a meal. During their outing, Jiang Rou received a call from Aunt Wang, who informed her that her biological mother knew they would be home for the New Year and had brought her brother along.

Jiang Rou frowned and asked, “Is everything okay?”

“No, but your mother doesn’t seem as energetic as before. I heard that your eldest sister and her family moved to the city for work, taking their two children with them. The children are now studying there.”

Aunt Wang knew some details about Jiang Rou’s family. She had heard that even after Jiang Rou married, she frequently visited her parent’s home to help. The second sister had been driven away by a man, and Jiang Rou had ended up with Li Xiao to avoid marrying an older, undesirable man. The youngest sibling, Li Xin, had been given away at birth.

Aunt Wang expressed her disapproval of how Jiang Rou’s mother had treated her own daughter. As a woman herself, she found it hard to understand such cruelty.

Jiang Rou nodded, “My eldest sister mentioned this to me.”

It was she who had encouraged her sister and brother-in-law to move to the city. After working tirelessly in the countryside for a year, they barely earned enough to cover their basic needs. Jiang Rou believed that finding a job in the city would offer a better environment for the children and eventually enable the couple to save up for a house.

The most important thing was to keep them away from her biological mother so that they could live a stable life.

After a moment’s thought, Jiang Rou added, “If my mother shows up again, please help me call the police and report a break-in.”

Aunt Wang hesitated, “Is that really okay?”

Jiang Rou replied confidently, “Yes, I’ll explain to the police when the time comes.”

“Alright.”

When Aunt Wang heard Jiang Rou’s request, she couldn’t argue. After all, Jiang Rou’s biological mother had gone too far.

Aunt Wang reflected on how Jiang Rou, despite her seemingly spoiled and well-behaved demeanor, was actually quite strong-willed. If her own daughter had a fraction of Jiang Rou’s resolve, she might not have been so easily taken advantage of by her son-in-law.

After ending the call, Li Xiao, who had been sitting across from Jiang Rou, inquired about what had happened.

Jiang Rou recounted Aunt Wang’s message to him, saying, “If she shows up again, I’ll have Aunt Wang call the police immediately.”

She felt detached from her biological mother, viewing her more objectively. The original Jiang Rou’s mother had shown no genuine affection for her daughters; they were merely tools to support the family.

Li Xiao nodded, then glanced at her and placed a peeled shrimp into her bowl.

An An, who had been waiting nearby, pouted and said, “This time it’s mine.”

Li Xiao looked at her and replied, “Mom is an adult, so she can have one more.”

The little one nodded, accepting the explanation. Then, pointing to a fish on the table, An An asked, “Dad, I want to eat that.”

Li Xiao used his chopsticks to pick some meat from the fish’s belly and served it to her.

—o—o—o—

The next day, An An went to school.

The little one woke up feeling quite off and was visibly unhappy. As he sat at the dining table, he pointed to his chest and said, “Mom, I feel bad.”

Jiang Rou and Li Xiao couldn’t help but laugh at his dramatic expression.

Li Xiao playfully added, “You won’t feel bad once you’re at school.”

When this tactic didn’t work, An An huffed in frustration.

Despite An An’s attempts to procrastinate, Li Xiao and Jiang Rou took him to kindergarten. After dropping him off, Li Xiao drove Jiang Rou to her school. She had recently passed the postgraduate written test and had contacted a senior student from her major, who had kindly provided her with useful information for the upcoming interview.

Jiang Rou devoted herself to preparing thoroughly for the interview.

Meanwhile, Li Xiao was also busy. The land in Yinshan, which had been developed last year, was now bustling with activity. Though Li Xiao had announced that the company would open this year, most preparations had already been completed the previous year. At the start of the year, the core team of the company had moved into the Guangmao Building in Yinshan. The 33-story building housed the head office of the Twelve Zodiac Signs on the top seven floors, with one floor allocated to Fu Fei and the remaining floors rented out.

Li Xiao’s office occupied the top floor, luxuriously decorated with floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides, allowing sunlight to flood the space and offering a panoramic view of the city.

The office was divided into an office area, a reception area, and a rest area, which included a bedroom and a bathroom. Jiang Rou had casually mentioned that if he ever opened a company, he could design the office in such a way that she and An An could visit to relax and rest. To her surprise, Li Xiao had taken her suggestion seriously and implemented it.

The renovation of the office had been completed at the end of last year. After being vacant for a month or two, Li Xiao arranged for formaldehyde treatment before moving in with his team.

Although most of the factory leadership remained the same, their titles had changed to reflect the company’s new operational model. With the transition from a factory to a company, there was a pressing need for new personnel. Li Xiao delegated the task of recruiting a large number of staff to Zhou Jian and his team.

Li Xiao and his team were occupied with meetings and discussions to outline the company’s development plan for the next year. They focused on identifying areas for change and innovation, as well as potential expansion opportunities.

By May, when Jiang Rou completed her interview, Li Xiao felt a sense of relief.

Today was Friday, and Jiang Rou planned to bring An An to visit him in the afternoon. To ensure he could leave early, Li Xiao aimed to wrap up his work beforehand.

Not long after returning to his office from a meeting, Li Xiao was absorbed in reviewing the design department’s drawings when he heard a knock on the door. Without looking up, he said, “Come in.”

Yao Shiling, standing outside, smiled slightly and entered with the documents.

As she stepped into the office, she took a moment to admire the opulently decorated space, her gaze briefly lingering on the man at the desk. Her admiration for him grew as she considered his impressive appearance, abilities, and status.

Yao Shiling approached the desk and handed over the documents, saying, “Chairman, these are the documents Manager Zhou asked me to deliver.”

Li Xiao barely glanced up and simply responded, “Just put them down.”

After Yao Shiling placed the documents on the desk, she paused, noticing his lack of further engagement. She thought for a moment before asking, “Chairman, do you have any other instructions?”

Li Xiao, still focused on his work, replied curtly, “No, you can go.”

Li Xiao frowned as he examined a drawing, realizing it looked vaguely familiar.

Yao Shiling did not leave. Instead, she leaned closer to the desk, tilting her head to study him, her red lips curling into a slight smile and her eyes sparkling with intent.

Li Xiao, sensing something amiss, looked up and saw her hand edging toward his. His expression darkened immediately, and he said coldly, “Is there something else? If not, leave.”

Unfazed, Yao Shiling maintained her smile and replied, “Chairman, don’t you recognize me? My stepmother is Zhuang Qing. We met at the hospital last time.”

The mention of Zhuang Qing made Li Xiao’s expression turn cold with disgust. He snapped, “Do you not understand what I’m saying? Get out!”

He had no interest in engaging with her.

Yao Shiling was taken aback. She hadn’t expected such a harsh reaction even after revealing her identity, and she noticed he seemed genuinely angry. She didn’t want to provoke him further. Smiling, she straightened up, brushed her hair back from her ear, and said in a sweet tone, “Alright, I’ll leave. I just thought you looked familiar and wanted to say hello. You’re busy, so I’ll see you later.”

With that, she swayed her hips as she turned to leave.

As she was about to exit, Li Xiao abruptly called out, “Stop.”

Yao Shiling was thrilled to hear Li Xiao’s voice, hoping he had remembered her. Just as she was about to turn around to speak, she heard him ask, “Did Zhou Jian ask you to deliver this?”

Yao Shiling turned around with a smile and replied, “Yes, I’m currently Manager Zhou’s assistant.”

Knowing that Li Xiao had a good relationship with Manager Zhou, she decided to start a conversation with Zhou Jian.

Li Xiao’s frown deepened as he recalled that Zhou Jian had mentioned recently hiring a very capable assistant who had helped solve many problems. He hadn’t taken the claim seriously at the time, but he didn’t expect the assistant to be her.

Suppressing his distaste, he called Zhou Jian and asked him to come over.

Zhou Jian quickly opened the door and entered. Upon seeing Yao Shiling, he was momentarily surprised but didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he turned to Li Xiao and asked, “Brother, what’s the matter?”

Li Xiao coldly inquired, “Is she your assistant?”

Before Zhou Jian could respond, Li Xiao directed, “Have her collect this month’s salary and leave.”

He then turned his attention back to his work, saying, “Alright, you can go now.”

Yao Shiling felt a surge of unhappiness at his words. “Why? What did I do wrong?”

Li Xiao raised his gaze to her, his eyes sharp and penetrating, as if he could see straight into her heart. Yao Shiling’s face flushed slightly, and she averted her gaze, feeling as though all her hidden thoughts were laid bare before him.

Zhou Jian observed the situation and asked, “What’s wrong, brother? The company is currently short-staffed. Xiao Yao is a student who studied abroad and is very fluent in English. She can be of great assistance to me.”

Yao Shiling, upon hearing this, crossed her arms and looked at Li Xiao with a hint of pride. There are few people in China who are proficient in English, and those who have studied abroad can secure good positions wherever they go.

She thought to herself, if it weren’t for Li Xiao, why would she have come here?

However, she was also concerned that Li Xiao might be truly upset and insist on dismissing her, so she tugged at Zhou Jian’s sleeve. “Manager, please speak to the chairman. I mean no harm. I only greeted him because he looked familiar.”

Li Xiao ignored her plea and continued to focus on Zhou Jian.

Zhou Jian persisted, “Brother, Xiaoyao is an exceptional student. Our company needs such talent. Didn’t you mention that our products will be sold internationally in the future? She has lived abroad for several years and is well-acquainted with foreign cultures. My sister-in-law couldn’t even compare to her. If she falls short in any way, don’t be upset. I will address it with her later.”

“She’s been abroad for a long time and is quite open-minded. She’s genuinely a good person and has been very helpful recently.”

Li Xiao looked at him calmly.

Zhou Jian met his gaze, feeling slightly uneasy, and asked quietly, “Brother, what’s wrong?”

Li Xiao, not wanting to escalate the situation or argue with Zhou Jian in front of Yao Shiling, remained silent for a moment before allowing them to leave.

It was his way of conceding.

Zhou Jian sighed with relief and quickly ushered Yao Shiling out.

As they approached the door, Li Xiao suddenly called out to Zhou Jian’s retreating figure, “Zhou Jian, you’re a married man. Don’t let me down.”

Zhou Jian froze momentarily, his expression shifting slightly, and replied, “No, brother. I understand.”

“Good,” Li Xiao said.

—o—o—o—

Lucia: Zhou Jian is really annoying! How dare he compare that nobody to Jiang Rou!