The night quietly faded away as the sky gradually turned fish-belly white. A gentle breeze brushed past sleeves, bringing with it the coolness of nature. The tranquil environment grew noisy as birds flew past the window, leaving behind a few chirps…
Last night, An Yin ultimately didn’t get to eat dinner as she wished. Instead, she fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion, so much so that she woke up this morning feeling hungry.
An Yin had no choice but to force herself up to wash up, as she really needed to go to work at As Initial Seen Studio today. Her business partner was quite unreliable, often disappearing without notice.
In the bathroom, An Yin, unable to contain her irritation, kicked the man brushing his teeth beside her. With toothpaste foam still in her mouth, she pretended to be angry and said, “You’re still laughing? It’s all your fault for being so excessive last night.”
This was the third time An Yin’s stomach had protested with a growl while she was brushing her teeth, and Lu Muqian, the culprit, had the audacity to chuckle in response.
“My mistake. I’ve already asked Aunt Lan to prepare some warm stomach congee. Yinyin didn’t eat dinner last night and worked so hard—she needs a proper breakfast this morning.” As Lu Muqian spoke, he meaningfully glanced again at An Yin’s stomach.
The young lady didn’t want to engage with him. After washing her face, she went straight downstairs to have breakfast.
…
As Initial Seen Studio!
The clothing competition finals were about to begin, scheduled for next week. An Yin had already completed the design sketches; all that was left was to produce the finished pieces.
In An Yin’s office…
“My dear young lady, you’re finally back!” So, how was the trip? Was it worth it?” Jiang Mengyue had received a message from An Yin last night saying she had returned. As soon as she arrived at the studio, she headed straight to An Yin’s office.
“Of course it was! Thanks to you, I successfully smoothed things over and even had the honor of attending Master Fengling’s fashion show.”
An Yin’s journey to win back her husband was not only worthwhile but also profitable. She even brought back a gift to reward her strategist who had devised the plan.
“Here, a gift for my A Yue. You’ve worked hard, and I’m so grateful to have you.”
“Seeing you happy is all that matters. Besides, I haven’t been too busy—I got your brother to send me some backup help.”
Mu Mu was exceptionally diligent here. During her free time, she would proactively ask Jiang Mengyue if there was anything she could assist with, especially when An Chen came to visit her.
“Backup help? Who?”
“Speaking of which, Yinyin, let me tell you—I think your brother is up to something.”
She wore a gossipy expression. Based on her extensive experience reading romance novels, she was convinced that An Chen had special feelings for Assistant Mu.
Otherwise, what boss would go out of their way to care so much about a mere assistant, especially such a beautiful young woman?
“Really? What’s going on with my brother? Tell me, tell me—I want to hear all about it.”
Knock, knock~. Just as Jiang Mengyue was about to share her observations from the past few days, there was a knock on An Yin’s office door.
“Come in.”
It was An Chen who entered. “Brother? What brings you here?”
“I’m here to pick someone up.”
“A Yue was just telling me how lucky she is that you sent her some backup help.”
“Brother, how about this? You’re not short on staff anyway. Why not let your assistant stay with us for a few more days? Once the clothing competition finals are over, you can come pick her up then.”
The finals of the clothing competition were approaching. Jiang Mengyue needed to manage the studio’s collaborations and various tasks, leaving her with little extra energy. An Yin genuinely needed an assistant to help her prepare for the finals.
“Yinyin, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but whether to stay or leave depends on my assistant’s opinion. Why don’t you ask her first?”
An Chen rarely refused his younger sister An Yin. Finding it difficult to say no directly, he passed the decision to Mu Mu, confident that Assistant Mu would choose to return with him.
“Alright, which assistant did you send over?”
“Mu Mu,” Jiang Mengyue chimed in at the right moment.
“So it’s Mu Mu! Don’t worry, brother, Mu Mu will definitely agree.” Having frequently visited the An Corporation before, she was quite familiar with Mu Mu.
……
When Mu Mu was called over, she asked, “Sister Yinyin, were you looking for me?”
“Yes, there’s something I need to consult you about first.”
“What is it?”
An Yin spoke slowly, “As you know, your boss assigned you here because I was away. Now that I’m back, technically you could return to work directly under him again.”
“Sister Yinyin, I…”Mu Mu wanted to plead to stay when she heard An Yin continue with a turning point, “But there’s a special situation now.” Would you be willing to stay here a bit longer to help out?”
Worried it might seem too sudden, An Yin explained, “Of course, you have the right to choose – you can either agree or refuse.”
Concealing her inner excitement and eagerness, Mu Mu turned to An Chen sitting on the sofa and asked, “Boss, is that alright?”
The latter appeared completely indifferent, generously responding, “No need to consider my opinion. You can stay if you want, or I’ll take you back if you prefer to return.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely true.”
“Boss, I’d like to stay.” She had only learned about An Yin’s return when she came to work this morning and had been worrying about how to find an excuse to stay. Now that this ready-made opportunity presented itself, she certainly couldn’t let it slip away.
“What did you say?”
“I said I’m willing to stay until Sister Yinyin and the others no longer need my help.”
“Assistant Mu, no one is forcing you here. If you don’t want to stay and say you want to return with me, it’s perfectly fine. Your salary will remain the same.”
Assistant Mu’s dark, bright eyes were clear and sincere. “No one is forcing me, boss. Didn’t you say it yourself? It’s up to me, and my decision is that I want to stay.”
Mu Mu grumbled inwardly, Boss, you’d better keep your word.
The man asked one more time, unwilling to give up, “Then let me ask one final time, Assistant Mu. Are you sure no one is forcing you?”
Really, no one?
“Brother An Chen, it seems to me that you’re the only one pressuring her here.” Jiang Mengyue couldn’t stand watching anymore and delivered the final blow.
“Alright, Brother An Chen, you can go back now. Mu Mu will stay with us for the time being.”
An Chen ended up being the one who had to leave. He had come happily to pick someone up, but in the end, he was returning exactly as he came – alone.