When Xu Mian woke up, she was at the home of Jiang Yuanchuan’s parents.
Jiang Yuanchuan was making a phone call outside on the balcony. Wearing a simple white shirt and black trousers, he nonetheless radiated an indescribable nobility from head to toe.
Xu Mian had to admit that Jiang Yuanchuan was captivating, and this enchanting charm came not from fine clothing or elaborate adornment, but from the composure and wisdom settled within him by time.
She stared at him absentmindedly for a moment, then remembered the phone call from Ji Yuanhang right before she passed out. Letting out a soft sigh, she pulled the blanket around herself and slowly sat up.
She wondered if Jiang Yuanchuan would be jealous and angry again.
She felt that she had maintained a safe distance from Ji Yuanhang. Over the past five years of her marriage, she had never had any contact or connection with him, nor had she ever thought of him. Why was Jiang Yuanchuan so sensitive and possessive about her relationship with Ji Yuanhang?
Jiang Yuanchuan heard her stir and immediately hung up the phone to come inside.
Xu Mian asked him in confusion, “Why are we here?”
“I couldn’t rest easy leaving you at home alone,” he replied.
The look in his eyes as he stared at her was full of care, but it also held a deep, probing intent, as if trying to see through her heart and know exactly what she was thinking.
Xu Mian gently looked away.
Then he spoke again, “Xu Jizhou said you have low blood sugar and liver qi stagnation. He mentioned prescribing a course of medicine to tune up your system.”
“No,” Xu Mian refused with a slight frown, without a second thought.
After she finished nursing their daughter, Shu Ying had said that a woman’s body was heavily depleted after childbirth. Since Xu Mian had nursed the baby for a full year, Shu Ying suggested she tune up her body. Xu Mian had also felt her complexion was pale, so she drank traditional Chinese medicine for a period, which Old Mr. Xu had personally prescribed after taking her pulse.
However, the taste of traditional Chinese medicine was truly hard to swallow; it was probably the worst thing she had ever tasted in her life.
Jiang Yuanchuan snorted softly. “You were full of energy when you urged me to tune up my health, but now you turn into a coward when it is your turn to drink it?”
Xu Mian defended herself, “My body is fine. It is your stomach that really has a problem.”
Having just woken up, she looked soft and delicate. Jiang Yuanchuan leaned down, intending to kiss her, but a knock sounded at the door.
It was his mother, Shu Ying. Her voice was gentle and filled with care. “Yuanchuan, I heard Mianmian wake up. I brought her something to eat.”
Jiang Yuanchuan put away his affectionate, mischievous thoughts, stood up, and opened the door. Shu Ying was standing outside holding a food tray with several dishes, all of which were Xu Mian’s favorites.
Jiang Yuanchuan took the tray. Shu Ying did not come in, but simply said warmly to Xu Mian on the bed, “Yuanchuan told me you had low blood sugar because you skipped a meal. Hurry and eat something now that you are awake.”
Xu Mian felt a wave of warmth in her heart. “Thank you, Mom. My body is fine, so please don’t worry.”
Shu Ying did not intrude on their private world any longer, turning around to leave with a smile.
Xu Mian was worried about her grandfather’s condition and truly had no appetite to eat much.
She had already fainted once and yet she only ate a few bites, which naturally pained Jiang Yuanchuan to see. Thus, he used his own forceful method to feed her a small bowl of chicken soup, which irritated Xu Mian so much that she kicked him out of the room.
When he went downstairs to return the food tray, Shu Ying took one look at her son’s lips, gave him a helpless glare, and handed him a tissue.
Her eldest son had disliked drinking soup ever since he was a child. Seeing his lips like that, she knew he must have used an improper way to force Xu Mian to drink the soup just now.
Jiang Yuanchuan calmly wiped his mouth and instructed his mother, “I am heading out. I have a business dinner tonight, so do not wait for me for dinner.”
Shu Ying replied, “Go ahead and attend to your business.”
Seeing her son cast a reluctant, longing glance upstairs before leaving, Shu Ying felt utterly helpless.
All the men in this Jiang family were completely head over heels in love, both the old ones and the young ones!
Toward evening, right before dinner, Xu Jizhou’s wife, Cen Xi, came to visit Xu Mian. Cen Xi and Xu Jizhou had come to have dinner next door at the home of Xu Jizhou’s parents.
Xu Mian was slightly surprised when she heard that Cen Xi was looking for her.
Although Jiang Yuanchuan and Xu Jizhou were childhood friends, and the two families had shared meals a few times, Xu Mian and Cen Xi were not actually very close.
Both Cen Xi and Su Can were heiresses from wealthy families, but unlike Su Can’s warm and outgoing personality, Cen Xi gave Xu Mian the impression of being aloof and distant, which prevented them from developing a deep friendship.
However, since Cen Xi had taken the initiative to visit, Xu Mian naturally welcomed her warmly.
Cen Xi was wearing a brown, fine-checked suit jacket paired with a matching skirt. Normally, this color might seem a bit dull, but the irregular cut at the hem of her skirt instantly gave her outfit a sharp, stylish look. She appeared both capable as a career woman and effortlessly composed.
Three years ago, Cen Xi’s father suffered a sudden stroke. Incited by her uncle, the company’s executives deserted one after another, taking away all their clients and bringing the company to the brink of bankruptcy.
Cen Xi, who was studying abroad, was forced to return home urgently to take over the messy situation. Today, the company had revived under her leadership and was thriving.
This was also the reason Xu Mian felt Cen Xi was somewhat hard to approach, because Cen Xi was formidable in an intimidating way.
However, those were just Xu Mian’s past impressions. The Cen Xi standing before her now smiled like melting snow in early spring. “I heard you fell ill. Is it serious?”
Xu Mian answered truthfully, “It is not serious, just a bit of low blood sugar.”
Cen Xi nodded and added, “You have been looking for a job recently, haven’t you? How is it going? Would you be interested in coming to my company as a designer?”
“Go to your company?” Xu Mian was taken aback.
She knew that the original foundation of the Cen family’s business was a clothing factory. After Cen Xi saved the factory, she boldly expanded into new business lines, keeping the traditional sectors while building an impressive presence in the fashion industry.
Yet, Xu Mian had never thought of crossing paths with Cen Xi, because Cen Xi gave her the impression of being somewhat out of reach, much like the feeling Jiang Yuanchuan gave her.
It was to the extent that even after five years of marriage and having a child, she still felt this marriage was unreal and did not truly belong to her.
It felt like a dream.
Cen Xi continued, “I have been traveling for business recently. As soon as I returned, I heard about you looking for a job, so I rushed over to invite you. Xu Mian, I have actually always admired your talent, but I was not sure before if you had career ambitions, considering you are Jiang Yuanchuan’s wife.”
With a husband who was the richest man like Jiang Yuanchuan, she could live a life of luxury even if she never worked a day in her life. Not every woman was like Cen Xi, forced to work hard to support an entire family business.
Cen Xi’s eyes were full of sincerity, and her words were genuine, allowing Xu Mian to feel her warm intent.
Xu Mian’s major was apparel and fashion design, which indeed matched Cen Xi’s line of work perfectly.
To be recognized by someone as exceptional as Cen Xi made Xu Mian both moved and happy.
Only…
She already had a clear goal for herself now, so she could only decline regretfully, “Cen Xi, thank you for your recognition. I was indeed looking for a job a while ago, but now I have decided to start my own business, so I am afraid I cannot go to your company.”
“Start your own business? That is a very wise decision. Freelancing indeed suits you better, since you still have a child to look after,” Cen Xi praised her choice without hesitation.
“However, that does not stop us from working together,” Cen Xi said with a smile in her eyes. “I am now officially inviting you to help us design next year’s spring and summer fashion line as an independent designer. What do you think?”
Cen Xi was truly career-driven, instantly steering the conversation right back to business.