Jiang Xiaoyi and Ye Zhen had not made their relationship public at Ruiyi. Of course, this wasn’t Ye Zhen’s request — rather, it was Jiang Xiaoyi’s own insistence.
“I know that once it’s public, Eunuch Li will definitely change his attitude toward me completely, bowing and scraping. But what I’ve actually wanted was never special treatment. I don’t want to be specifically targeted, and I don’t want special favors either. I just want to be an ordinary employee like everyone else, doing my job well in my own position and being treated fairly. That would be enough.”
“Besides, I don’t want the atmosphere to become strange. If I make the relationship public, maybe everyone won’t even share office gossip with me anymore! Otherwise I could still help you understand the sentiment on the ground!”
Ye Zhen understood the reasoning, and knew that not going public had no downsides for either of them, yet the man still seemed a bit down, and started being sarcastic —
“Who would have thought that after coming back to a parallel timeline, a man simply dating someone would still find it so hard to get a proper, acknowledged status?”
“……”
Ye Zhen’s hint was strong. Jiang Xiaoyi had no choice but to pull him over and give him a kiss: “But think of it this way — even if you haven’t publicly claimed the status of my boyfriend, the whole company is full of your eyes and ears. What do you have to be anxious about? Seeing each other every day, head down then head up — doesn’t it feel like secretly dating right under everyone’s nose? Don’t you think that feeling is more thrilling than having it official?”
Not sure what Ye Zhen was thinking of, but the man unexpectedly turned a bit red in the face. He stared at Jiang Xiaoyi, looking somewhat incredulous: “How do you come up with so many ideas? You’ve even thought of that?”
“?” What thing?
Jiang Xiaoyi was utterly baffled.
Fortunately, soon enough the two of them had no more chance to whisper sweet nothings to each other — Ye Zhen got a call from his new assistant, informing him he had a reception in half an hour.
“Then I’ll go in first. You come into the building a bit later.”
Ye Zhen looked rather wronged, but he still respected Jiang Xiaoyi’s decision not to go public.
In fact, Jiang Xiaoyi was now living in the employee dormitory at the talent building, within walking distance of Ruiyi, yet Ye Zhen still insisted on coming to see her off to work.
This morning, the man had waited downstairs early, then accompanied Jiang Xiaoyi all the way to just short of the Ruiyi building.
To avoid being seen and having rumors spread, Ye Zhen was quite thoughtful about it, using his internal access card to take Jiang Xiaoyi through a VIP passage.
However…
The route that should have only taken ten minutes on foot ended up stretched to fifteen minutes because of the detour through the VIP passage.
Yet Ye Zhen thoroughly enjoyed it. The whole way, he held Jiang Xiaoyi’s hand tightly, insisting with conviction: “I don’t think fifteen minutes is long at all — if anything this stretch feels too short. When I renovate the talent apartments later, I’ll make sure to lengthen this path, and add some landscaping and greenery along the way.”
……
Now, this path that Ye Zhen found so short had come to its end. He looked at Jiang Xiaoyi once more: “I’ll head off then. My morning’s going to be busy — there’s a reception about the overseas cultural and creative touring exhibition, and this afternoon there’s the offline opening of the Fire Extinguisher Club’s themed store, which I also need to attend. Tonight there’s also…”
The man earnestly and voluntarily reported his schedule to Jiang Xiaoyi: “Anyway, if you can’t reach me, you can contact my new assistant if anything comes up, and you can ask him where I am anytime.”
“Jiang Xiaoyi, with me, you don’t need to check up on me. Whatever there is, I’ll tell you myself. I don’t need eyes and ears watching your every move at the company either. I trust you.”
After saying that, Ye Zhen smiled at Jiang Xiaoyi: “Alright, I’m off.”
Only then did the man return to his calm and composed boss demeanor, striding off toward the Ruiyi entrance.
Actually Ye Zhen hadn’t said anything particularly sweet, yet somehow, Jiang Xiaoyi’s heart began beating rapidly.
Having grown up in an ordinary family, life had always required Jiang Xiaoyi to work hard for everything. She had always been practical, never one to lose herself over so-called romance, and had no taste for saccharine sweet talk.
Yet Ye Zhen’s simple, plain words struck her heart all the more.
No promises needed, no sweet talk needed — sometimes love just needs the sincerity of two people’s hearts.
**
Jiang Xiaoyi walked into the office full of energy. Li You’ai had again prepared breakfast for everyone; nowadays he seemed even more like a devoted attendant, except his service was no longer limited to the boss — he’d started running around waiting on everyone.
Because of the top-down reforms, the atmosphere of the whole department had grown more relaxed too, and Jiang Xiaoyi quickly threw herself into work, nearly losing herself in it, until a commotion interrupted her focus —
“Oh my god! I think that really was Xu Mengting!”
Wang Yani rushed into the office area looking mysterious: “I just went to Finance to deliver reimbursement materials, and I ran into her in the elevator! Even though she had a mask, hat, and glasses on, I still felt like — I kept secretly staring at her.”
“So I just searched on my phone, and it turns out Xu Mengting has a drama starting filming today, right near our Ruiyi! Some fans even caught her on the street, and the clothes matched exactly what I saw in the elevator just now!”
Wang Yani, an avid celebrity-chaser, said excitedly: “Everyone, what does this tell us?!”
The whole department, including Eunuch Li, looked up —
Seeing she’d successfully grabbed everyone’s attention, Wang Yani milked the suspense before speaking: “Why would Xu Mengting come to Ruiyi?! She must be here to see our President Ye!”
The single comment stirred up a thousand ripples, and soon everyone was chattering away —
“Things are moving that fast?”
“Right? And her coming to Ruiyi at this hour, with no intention of hiding from anyone — doesn’t it feel like she’s declaring ownership? Coming to inspect as the future boss’s wife?”
“But I’ve seen President Ye either at the company or on business trips every single day lately — not long ago someone even said they saw him downstairs at the talent building dorms, seemingly inspecting the dormitory conditions. Doesn’t seem like he’d have time to date at all — how could things be moving forward so fast that Xu Mengting would risk exposure just to come running to Ruiyi?”
……
Although she had no intention of going public, amid this speculation Jiang Xiaoyi felt she should clear things up for Ye Zhen —
“I think we shouldn’t believe or spread rumors.”
Jiang Xiaoyi cleared her throat: “Also, don’t you all think President Ye and Xu Mengting look a bit alike from certain angles?”
Jiang Xiaoyi’s intention was to steer everyone toward thinking they were relatives, but the result was the opposite of what she wanted.
“Now that you mention it, they really do look alike — maybe that’s the legendary ‘couple’s resemblance’!”
“Oh man, so many celebrities say ‘just friends’ every time they’re caught in a rumor, telling fans not to believe gossip, but who knows, maybe they’ve already had kids privately!”
……
Jiang Xiaoyi was at her wit’s end — no matter what she said, everyone seemed convinced that Ye Zhen and Xu Mengting were a couple…
Fortunately, this passionate gossip session was interrupted by a woman’s voice and a knock at the door —
“Excuse me, which one is Jiang Xiaoyi? I’m looking for Jiang Xiaoyi.”
Wang Yani, standing closest to the door, assumed it was another project liaison, and called out to Jiang Xiaoyi without even turning around: “Xiaoyi, customer for you!”
After she said that, she turned to look at the door — and then Jiang Xiaoyi watched Wang Yani’s expression shift from composed to utterly shocked, as if she could fit an egg in her mouth —
“X-X-Xu Mengting?!”
Who else could it be but Xu Mengting?
This time Xu Mengting wasn’t even wearing a mask. She’d removed her hat and sunglasses too, exposing her entire face to everyone without a shred of concern, showing none of the reserve one might expect from a female star.
She poked her head into the project incubation department, looking around curiously, showing none of her previously aloof demeanor. Once she finally spotted Jiang Xiaoyi, she walked straight toward her, ignoring everyone else’s stares.
Before Jiang Xiaoyi could react, Xu Mengting had already extended her hand with a smile: “Hello, I’m Xu Mengting.”
She brushed her long hair back, glanced at Jiang Xiaoyi a couple more times, then smiled sweetly: “You’re Sister Xiaoyi, right?”
Not only did no one else in the department react in time, even Jiang Xiaoyi herself, the person concerned, had no idea how to handle it — Xu Mengting was even more beautiful in person than in photos; having such a striking figure standing right in front of her was a visual shock. And this female star, famous for her cold and aloof image, was now smiling sweetly right at her.
“Sister Xiaoyi, I happened to be passing by Ruiyi today. If you have time, could you show me around?”
……
**
Jiang Xiaoyi realized that people really are, at their core, suckers for good looks, because she found it truly hard to refuse a request from someone this attractive.
Five minutes later, she was walking Xu Mengting through Ruiyi’s merchandise store: “This is Ruiyi’s public-facing merchandise store, gathering derivative merchandise from all the successfully incubated creative studios here. Several items have been selling really well lately — most people who come check in at Ruiyi don’t skip this place. Further down the corridor there’s also a small café, and their mango mousse is especially good…”
Jiang Xiaoyi was actually still a bit shaken and didn’t quite know how to act around Xu Mengting, but fortunately she had plenty of experience receiving project liaisons, so she simply defaulted to her work routine, the tour spiel rolling naturally off her tongue.
Finally it was Xu Mengting who spoke first: “Sister Xiaoyi, I know this is a bit abrupt. I haven’t even seen a photo of you, but Brother Ye Zhen said the prettiest one in the project incubation department is you, so I came looking for you.”
Jiang Xiaoyi, who had managed to stay fairly composed, now flushed with embarrassment completely.
That Ye Zhen — why would he say something like that in front of Xu Mengting! Wasn’t that showing off in front of a real beauty!
Xu Mengting was a sharp, perceptive person, and immediately spotted Jiang Xiaoyi’s discomfort. She laughed: “Brother Ye Zhen has never once complimented my looks, but out of every five sentences he says to me, three of them are about praising you — not just your looks, but your gentle personality, and how kind and strong you are inside too.”
What on earth was all this!
Jiang Xiaoyi felt mortified, but along with the embarrassment there was a faint sweetness too.
Many people don’t speak their true feelings in front of the person concerned — it’s in front of a third party that they reveal what’s really in their heart.
Jiang Xiaoyi never expected that the praise Ye Zhen couldn’t say directly to her, he could say so freely to Xu Mengting. She found herself unconsciously thinking even better of him for it — not one for sweet talk, yet everything about how he carried himself naturally revealed his love for her.
Still, this kind of “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” bragging, in front of an actual beauty like Xu Mengting, left Jiang Xiaoyi quite self-conscious and embarrassed.
She also felt somewhat nervous and uneasy, not knowing how to continue the conversation with Xu Mengting.
Fortunately, it was at this moment that Ye Zhen finally arrived, belatedly rescuing Jiang Xiaoyi from her awkwardness.
The man looked as if he’d hurried over, slightly out of breath, and the moment he saw Xu Mengting he seemed ready to lay into her, almost protectively pulling Jiang Xiaoyi behind him: “I told you not to rush over like this. She gets embarrassed easily. Meeting her alone like this puts pressure on her.”
Xu Mengting was utterly speechless: “The first time I went to an audition and said I was nervous and asked you to come with me, what did you say back then? ‘Shy women are so much trouble,’ ‘What shyness, that’s just being fussy’ — how come now it’s different?”
Having been called out on his own hypocrisy, Ye Zhen remained perfectly composed: “That’s normal. I’ve changed. People grow up.”
Xu Mengting: “……”
Seeing the tense atmosphere between the two of them, Jiang Xiaoyi, though embarrassed, still pushed through the pressure to play peacemaker: “Stop it, you two. Since you’re relatives, that makes you family.”
Ye Zhen scoffed at this, and pulled at Jiang Xiaoyi’s hand: “You and I are the ones who are family. She’s just some distant relative, way removed.”
“……”
Actually, though Ye Zhen and Xu Mengting were distant relatives by blood, the two of them had gone to the same elementary school together for six years, essentially growing up together, and both being only children, they had a fairly sibling-like bond.
Though as far as Xu Mengting could tell now, that sibling bond seemed rather fragile…
The main reason Xu Mengting had ambushed Ruiyi with a visit today was curiosity — just what kind of girl had Ye Zhen found, capable of transforming him from a man who could spout playboy lines at the drop of a hat into a considerate gentleman?
She’d assumed the other party must be at least a highly scheming, sophisticated player, but having met her in person, she found that Jiang Xiaoyi was nothing like what she’d imagined.
This girl was quite plain — clearly with a great figure, yet she’d chosen a completely un-flattering, conservative business suit; her makeup was flawless but not heavy at all. She was nothing like someone calculating or scheming — compared to the girls who used to hover around Ye Zhen, her plainness was almost surprising.
Yet the appreciation and affection in the way she and Ye Zhen looked at each other couldn’t be hidden, and Ye Zhen’s instinctive protectiveness came so naturally — everything about it felt exactly right, like it had all fallen into place on its own.
Before coming to Ruiyi, Xu Mengting hadn’t been very optimistic about Ye Zhen’s relationship, always feeling that before long it would fall apart. But right now, she was starting to think she might actually get to drink Ye Zhen’s wedding toast this time.
But she also had actual business to attend to. Xu Mengting had claimed today that she wanted to clear up some previous false rumors about herself, which was why she’d nagged her manager into letting her rush over to Ruiyi during a break.
“Brother Ye Zhen, come on, let’s take a photo together.”
Without waiting for a response, Xu Mengting pulled Ye Zhen in for an intimate photo. In the photo, Ye Zhen’s handsomeness still shone through despite his somewhat sour expression, while Xu Mengting struck an equally deadpan, aloof pose.
But Xu Mengting didn’t mind at all — she quickly uploaded the photo to social media —
“Even though the blood relation is quite distant, the aura is identical. Good thing my future sister-in-law is such a gentle, kind person.”
Some things don’t need to be stated too clearly, nor do they need a formal, serious response — leaving it at this touch-and-go level actually clears things up better.
After sending her post, Xu Mengting glanced at Ye Zhen, then looked at Jiang Xiaoyi with a slightly complaining air: “Sister Xiaoyi, you have no idea how annoying Brother Ye Zhen is. He’s already pushed me several times to hurry up and clear the rumors — even my manager isn’t as anxious as him! He even said the rumors about me were affecting his reputation and image, making it sound like I was so unworthy of him… Coming here today, I’ve not only cleared things up for you, I’ve even given your company free publicity — you really ought to thank me properly!”
……
Finally, after finishing her check-in tour of Ruiyi, Xu Mengting left, urged repeatedly by phone calls from her manager.
Except once Xu Mengting left, she’d ended up drawing someone else’s attention.
Ye Zhen received a call from his mother.
Jiang Xiaoyi didn’t know who he was talking to; she just watched Ye Zhen’s expression turn entirely serious. He said a few words to the person on the other end, then hung up, and walked over to Jiang Xiaoyi —
“We’re done for.” Yet even as he said “done for,” the man’s face carried no such expression at all — he actually looked somewhat pleased. He smiled. “Xu Mengting’s post got seen by my mom. She’s not happy about it.”
Even though Ye Zhen seemed relaxed, Jiang Xiaoyi, for some reason, felt herself growing nervous and anxious instead. The gap in status between her and Ye Zhen in every respect really was quite large — was Ye Zhen’s mother so displeased with her that she wanted to object and stop this…
Just as Jiang Xiaoyi was on the verge of panicking, Ye Zhen finally spoke again —
“She’s unhappy, asking why I didn’t introduce you to them first, and instead let Xu Mengting meet you first.” Ye Zhen laughed. “Are you free this weekend? Could you come to my place for dinner? My mom wants to meet you.”
Ah…
“But whatever my mom says, don’t take it to heart.”
This…
Jiang Xiaoyi recalled her own mother’s whole female-supremacy theory back in the parallel timeline, and felt a flicker of fear at Ye Zhen’s warning — could it be… in this timeline, was Ye Zhen’s mother the kind of person who upheld total male-dominance patriarchy?
Before she could open her mouth, she heard Ye Zhen continue: “My mom believes that ‘getting close to a man will make you unhappy.’ She’s constantly nagging at home about how, if she hadn’t been so muddleheaded back then to marry my dad, if she hadn’t been so muddleheaded to have a child, if she hadn’t had the bad luck of having a son, she could be living freely and elegantly now, maybe even have become a painter or a musician, traveling everywhere — anything but a good-for-nothing lady of leisure.”
“When she meets you, she’ll definitely urge you to stay away from men — that staying away from men means staying away from misfortune. Dating is fine, but don’t be so foolish as to marry; if I propose, you should think it over carefully, and never let yourself get muddleheaded and just agree right away…” Ye Zhen paused here and cleared his throat. “Anyway, don’t take any of this seriously — my mom’s words don’t count for anything.”
Jiang Xiaoyi’s eyes widened: “Getting close to men makes you unhappy?”
So Ye Zhen’s mother wasn’t just not a patriarchal traditionalist — her thinking was actually this progressive?
Ye Zhen smiled gently, his tone patient and coaxing: “Of course not. Getting close to ordinary men would indeed make you unhappy, but I’m no ordinary man — after all, I’m a man who’s studied in the Male Virtue EMBA program. A man of moral character and integrity brings happiness to those around him. So don’t mind what my mom says — no matter how much she urges you to leave men behind and stay beautifully independent, don’t believe her.”
“……”
“That’s settled then — come home with me this weekend. But talk to my mom as little as possible.”
“……”