According to the agreement, Lu Zhiyuan could manage her own time, but if Shen Qiaoyi needed her, she had to be available at a moment’s notice.
However, Shen Qiaoyi was usually very busy with work, and it was common for her to work for several months without a break. Now that the studio was collaborating with a film and television company, she was even busier, working day and night.
Early in the morning, while still in a deep sleep, Shen Qiaoyi was called to the studio by a phone call. She had barely sat down when Zheng Siya dragged her to a corner of the break room.
“Yiyi, have you seen the trending topics? He Yu was at a hotel with three Alphas… tsk tsk tsk… It’s a pity the images online have already been censored…”
Zheng Siya’s face was full of gossip. She looked around to make sure no one else was there, then leaned in and whispered, “I have the uncensored version here. It’s really explosive. Want to see it?”
Shen Qiaoyi took some instant coffee from the cupboard, her expression calm. “No.”
She took a sip of coffee and glanced around. “Where’s He Yu? Didn’t she come to work?”
Zheng Siya rolled her eyes. “As if she’d come. She caused all this trouble during her internship, almost implicating the studio. The boss fired her on the spot.”
As they were talking, the studio boss Lin Ying pushed open the door and came in. Seeing Shen Qiaoyi, she smiled so widely that the fine lines at the corners of her eyes showed. “Yiyi, you little rascal, why didn’t you tell me earlier that you knew Song Yin? I was worried she might cancel our collaboration because of He Yu’s incident, but unexpectedly, she signed a ten-year contract with the studio and even specifically requested you for makeup on her new drama.”
Shen Qiaoyi’s scalp tingled at the mention of ‘Song Yin’, and her brows furrowed unconsciously. “Sister Ying, Weiwei and I have already discussed it privately. Starting from today, we’re switching our work. I’m going to help at the TV station.”
Lin Ying’s smile gradually faded, and she crossed her arms, looking unsympathetic. “Yiyi, what’s gotten into you lately? You used to have the best team spirit in the whole studio and always considered the big picture. But now? You even dare to disobey my orders.”
Knowing she was at fault, Shen Qiaoyi’s attitude was very sincere. “I’m sorry, it’s for personal reasons. I’ll bear all the consequences myself.”
According to studio regulations, if an employee couldn’t cooperate with work arrangements but could find a replacement, it could still be considered on a case-by-case basis.
So, Shen Qiaoyi wasn’t actually violating work rules.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Zheng Siya stepped in to smooth things over. “Sister Ying, the TV station has a heavy workload. Weiwei is just a newcomer and might not be able to handle it. Why not let Yiyi go?”
After all, Zheng Siya was a shareholder in the studio, so Lin Ying always gave some consideration to her opinion. “Siya, it’s not that I’m being autocratic. It’s just that Song Yin specifically requested Yiyi… You know our small styling studio…”
Zheng Siya quickly interrupted, “Sister Ying, you don’t know that Song Yin… she’s not a good person…”
“Miss Zheng, it’s not nice to gossip behind people’s backs, you know.”
Before Zheng Siya could finish, the sound of wooden clogs on the stairs echoed. Song Yin, dressed as a Republican-era geisha, came down from the second floor, twirling a fan and swaying her hips seductively.
She seemed to have just finished her makeup, wearing an elaborate headdress of pearls and jewels. With her upswept eyeliner and rose-colored lipstick, she exuded a powerful aura of maturity.
Zheng Siya moved closer to Qiaoyi and whispered, “She seems to be here for you. What should we do?”
Shen Qiaoyi frowned in disgust. This despicable Alpha’s tone and actions were extremely distasteful to her. She took Zheng Siya’s hand, intending to leave.
Song Yin extended her fan, blocking Shen Qiaoyi’s path. “Miss Shen, the contract I signed with your studio clearly states that during our collaboration, I have the right to choose my stylist, and the studio must comply. Otherwise, it’s considered a breach of contract, and the penalty… well, the number of zeros at the end might be too many to count.”
Shen Qiaoyi wasn’t usually one to be pushed around, and if provoked, she might just call it quits. But Zheng Siya was half-owner of the studio, and breaking the contract would mean facing hefty compensation. Moreover, they were in urgent need of staff now, so how could she be so disloyal as to just walk away?
Shen Qiaoyi suppressed her anger and glanced past Song Yin to look at Zheng Siya. She curved her lips into a charming smile. “Siya, didn’t you just say you wanted to eat a mixed grain pancake? I’ll go buy one for you.”
“When did I say that…” Catching the meaningful look Shen Qiaoyi gave her, Zheng Siya quickly understood and changed her tune. “Oh, right, right. Add two eggs and a grilled sausage for me, no green onions or cilantro.”
“Alright.” Shen Qiaoyi walked past Song Yin without giving her a single extra glance.
Song Yin’s lips twitched, as if trying to smile but looking extremely stiff. In the end, she simply kept a straight face, her eyes narrowing dangerously.
…
Near the company was a small alley where various snack stalls could be found. Among them, the busiest with the longest queue was “Grandma Luo’s Pancakes.”
Her breakfast cart was always spotlessly clean. Handmade glutinous rice dumplings hung from the canopy, freshly made pancake skins sizzled in bamboo baskets, and the aroma of five-spice tea eggs wafted through several streets…
The surrounding office buildings wouldn’t start work for another half hour, so this was Grandma Luo’s least busy time.
Wearing a navy blue apron, she skillfully scooped a ladle of mixed flour onto a large iron plate, using a bamboo scraper to evenly spread the batter…
The plane trees on the street were lush and green. Someone rustled past under the treetops, and then a gentle, soft voice came from above the canopy.
“Grandma, I’d like a pancake please.”
Grandma Luo’s hands paused, and she suddenly looked up. When she saw the Alpha before her, her eyes reddened.
The Alpha was none other than Lu Zhiyuan, the daughter of her former mistress Meng Ziyan.
Grandma Luo wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “Young Miss… What brings you here?”
Lu Zhiyuan pulled Su Jintao forward, her face showing a rare unguarded smile. “Su Su and I were craving your pancakes… We thought about it so much we just came over.”
As she spoke, Lu Zhiyuan took the initiative to pick up the green onions from under the partition and carefully sorted through them one by one.
Meanwhile, Su Jintao had already skillfully peeled a tea egg and was stuffing it into her mouth whole.
Lu Zhiyuan glared at her. “Pay up.”
Su Jintao grinned and leaned in. “Put it on your tab.”
Lu Zhiyuan: “Everyone pays for themselves.”
Su Jintao pouted and squeezed next to Grandma Luo, leaning on her shoulder and nuzzling affectionately. “Then… can I have a free vegetable pancake?”
Lu Zhiyuan lightly tapped her head with the green onions. “You still have to pay for vegetable pancakes.”
Su Jintao sheepishly rubbed her head and pointed seriously at the small print on the back of the menu board. “Doesn’t it say here that adding vegetables is free? Worst case, I won’t have the pancake. No eggs, no grilled sausage, no pork. Just give me some vegetables.”
Lu Zhiyuan laughed in exasperation. “Is that how you’re supposed to order?”
Su Jintao muttered “penny-pincher” under her breath, then turned to coax Grandma Luo again. “Grandma, just make one for me, please?”
“Alright, alright, Grandma will make one for you.” Grandma Luo skillfully cracked two eggs onto the iron plate, which sizzled and turned into golden, crispy fried eggs.
As she worked, she spoke, the laugh lines at the corners of her eyes crinkling like chrysanthemums. “Third Miss Su, you grew up with our Young Miss and then went abroad to study together…”
“Our Young Miss has a cold personality. She only talks more when she’s with you. Usually, she barely says a few words to others. These years, it’s thanks to you being by her side…”
As Grandma Luo spoke, her eyes reddened again for some reason. “Ah, Young Miss has had a hard life. Other children have both parents to dote on them, but her Alpha mother… heartlessly abandoned the Young Madam… Our Young Madam was such a good Omega, of noble birth, always kind and gentle to the servants. In the end, she was no match for that vixen Qin Mian…”
Perhaps feeling that her words touched on the former master’s family affairs, Grandma Luo stopped herself in time and handed the wrapped pancake to Su Jintao. “Here, eat up. It’s on Grandma, no charge.”
“Grandma’s always the best to me.” Su Jintao took the pancake with both hands, sneaking a glance at Lu Zhiyuan as she did so.
She saw Lu Zhiyuan with her head lowered, her emotions unclear, but both Grandma Luo and Su Jintao could sense a stream of sadness flowing out like light.
After a long while, they heard Lu Zhiyuan make a barely audible sniff. “Mommy… will never come back…”
Perhaps these words hurt Grandma Luo, as she also lowered her head and stopped talking. The atmosphere became somewhat depressing for a moment.
Fortunately, with the social butterfly Su Jintao around, the low mood was quickly dispelled with a few words. “Grandma, your skills are getting better and better. Have you considered opening a branch? I could work for you.”
Grandma Luo finally laughed out loud, waving her hands repeatedly. “Grandma’s too old, I can’t move around much anymore…”
“Grandma… This is too hard on you…” Lu Zhiyuan hesitated for a few seconds before tentatively asking, “Why don’t you come back to the Lu family with me? Please?”
Grandma Luo was silent for a long time before finally shaking her head. “Young Miss, please don’t try to persuade me anymore. I’ll say it again: as long as the Young Madam doesn’t return, I won’t set foot in the Lu family house.”
Lu Zhiyuan’s Omega mother was named Meng Ziyan, the only daughter of Meng Shicai, a famous electronics tycoon in Z City.
Grandma Luo was the nanny hired to take care of Meng Ziyan.
Back then, Meng Ziyan fell in love with Lu Zhiyuan’s Alpha mother, Lu Yuexi, and insisted on being with her despite her family’s objections. Mrs. Meng, unable to bear parting with her daughter, sent Grandma Luo along as part of the dowry to take care of her.
It could be said that the relationship between Grandma Luo and Meng Ziyan had long surpassed that of master and servant, even deeper than that between a mother and daughter.
When Meng Ziyan left heartbroken for another country, she arranged for Grandma Luo’s future and left her a large sum of money for her retirement. However, Grandma Luo was too proud to serve two masters. She would rather get up early and stay up late selling breakfast than stay in the Lu family house, eating food given by Qin Mian.
Lu Zhiyuan probably guessed that Grandma Luo would say this and didn’t insist further. She only secretly stuffed a large wad of cash into the coin jar under the partition when Grandma Luo wasn’t looking.
Busy making pancakes, Grandma Luo didn’t notice her action and continued chattering, “If only the Young Miss could get married soon. Then the Young Madam would come back to preside over the wedding, and our family could be reunited…”
Every meeting inevitably included Grandma Luo’s various ways of urging marriage. Lu Zhiyuan felt her scalp tighten from the nagging. She pretended to look at her watch and skillfully changed the subject. “Grandma, someone’s coming to buy pancakes…”
Grandma Luo looked up and indeed saw two or three urban white-collar workers in skirts and high heels coming from the alley entrance. “Oh, I’d better get ready then.”
She then turned and asked, “Young Miss, you haven’t had breakfast yet, right? While it’s not busy, let Grandma make one for you.”
“Alright.”
Lu Zhiyuan, having finished sorting the green onions, went around to the front of the cart to hand them to Grandma Luo. At the same moment she turned, a striking figure appeared at the entrance of the alley.
Shen Qiaoyi had reached the alley entrance but still hadn’t thought of a way to deal with Song Yin. She rubbed her forehead in frustration, planning to first buy a pancake to fill her stomach before figuring out another solution.
As she was about to reach ‘Grandma Luo’s Pancake’ stall, Shen Qiaoyi suddenly froze, stopping in her tracks.
She rubbed her eyes uncertainly, then rubbed them again, until Lu Zhiyuan’s back was clearly reflected in her pupils.