As soon as Shen Yin stepped out of the elevator, she saw Xu Xiuhe holding Xu Yunzheng in his arms, standing at the elevator door.
"How did you know I was coming?"
"A mutual understanding of the heart," said Xu Xiuhe, not caring about his image in front of the employees. He took Shen Yin's handbag from her. Carrying the bag in one hand and holding Xu Yunzheng in the other, he followed Shen Yin into her office.
After entering, Xu Xiuhe set the bag on the desk and placed Xu Yunzheng on the sofa. He turned and poured a glass of water.
"Mommy, hug," Xu Yunzheng stretched out his arms, gesturing for Shen Yin to hold him.
"Xu Yunzheng, you've grown up. Mommy just got here and is too tired to carry you," said Shen Yin.
Xu Xiuhe's tone was somewhat stern. Xu Yunzheng looked at him, pouted, then turned his gaze back to Shen Yin, his face crestfallen, his eyes almost turning red. Unable to bear it, Shen Yin walked over and picked Xu Yunzheng up.
"He's still little, why are you being so harsh?" Shen Yin held Xu Yunzheng and gently patted his back.
"Mommy," Xu Yunzheng rubbed his eyes and whined.
"I was just afraid you'd get tired," said Xu Xiuhe.
Shen Yin was momentarily at a loss for words, wondering why he was acting like this, regardless of the setting.
"Mommy, hungry," Xu Yunzheng didn't want to stay any longer and wanted to go out.
"Little greedy cat, didn't you just eat?" Shen Yin playfully pinched Xu Yunzheng's nose, and the baby giggled.
Fearing his wife might get angry, Xu Xiuhe brought their son back home shortly after arriving. He glanced at his watch and said, "It's getting late. Let's have lunch at the company."
Shen Yin thought about it – it was so hot outside, and Xu Yunzheng was hungry too. If they went back, she'd have to cook. So she agreed.
Xu Xiuhe was delighted inwardly. This meant that his wife had accepted him a little more.
At the company cafeteria, there were private dining rooms specifically for high-level executives. When the manager learned that the CEO was bringing his wife to eat, they prepared the best room. However, Xu Xiuhe said, "No need for a private room, we'll eat out here."
His wife had finally come to see him after so long, and he had to show off a little, letting everyone see that he and his wife were on good terms.
The effect was indeed achieved. Many employees enviously watched the family of three eating together, gossiping about how the CEO acted with his child – even the CEO had to obediently serve his son food.
[Holy crap, this is the first time I've seen the CEO eating. Turns out even a handsome guy looks charming while eating.]
[Stop, stop, the CEO is a married man.]
[If I could find a husband like that in the future, I could make my ancestors' graves sprout greenery.]
Messages flooded the group chat incessantly, but Xu Xiuhe had no time to check them – his wife was talking to him.
"Do you know about Chinese-style furniture?" Shen Yin asked.
Xu Xiuhe nodded. He knew about it. Could it be that his wife was homesick? Then he'd order a whole set of furniture and transform Ziyue Manor into a Chinese style.
"I've realized that Chinese-style furniture is so expensive, much more than regular furniture," Shen Yin continued.
Xu Xiuhe thought it was nothing – how expensive could it be? He had more money than he knew what to do with. It was just a set of furniture. He took out his phone and sent a message to Liu Bo.
[Order the most expensive set of Chinese-style furniture, have it delivered to Ziyue Manor this afternoon.]
After sending the message, he said to Shen Yin, "No matter how expensive, your husband can afford it. The furniture will be delivered to Ziyue Manor this afternoon."
Shen Yin sighed and said, "I haven't finished speaking. What I meant was, I want to make and sell this kind of Chinese-style furniture."
Xu Xiuhe was stunned. He had never expected this reason. Could it be that he had made Shen Yin feel insecure? "Wife, I can support you. You don't need to do so much. Or is it that you've been thinking about divorcing me all this time, and I've never truly reached your heart?" Xu Xiuhe's expression suddenly turned cold.
He was too sensitive. Having lost his mother at a young age, he hadn't felt the warmth of family for a long time. After confirming his feelings, he had always been cautious, worried that Shen Yin would abandon him, worried that she would divorce him and leave.
Noticing Xu Xiuhe's expression shift, the company employees quickly distanced themselves from the scene, shocked by what they had just overheard. Could it be that all this time, the CEO's wife had been the one in control of their relationship!
[Holy crap, what a shocking scandal! The wife wants a divorce.]
[Family, I heard it too.]
[So handsome, so wealthy, so capable, yet still worried his wife would leave him. I suddenly feel it's normal that I haven't married after all these years.]
Shen Yin didn't expect Xu Xiuhe to react so strongly, especially in a public setting. "That's not what I meant. Let's eat first, and we'll talk about it later upstairs."
But how could Xu Xiuhe eat after that? Seeing that Xu Yunzheng had eaten enough, he picked him up and walked out of the cafeteria. Shen Yin followed behind him, and the passing employees kept their distance, afraid of accidentally offending the CEO and getting fired, unable to find another job.
Xiao Li'er was now so scared that she was about to cry. Ever since the assistants found out the CEO was in the group chat, they dared not speak in it, usually discussing the group's happenings offline during breaks.
Xiao Li'er hid in the restroom, wiping away tears as she looked at her reflection, her face forlorn. She hadn't told anyone, including her closest friend Yang Mo, about the CEO's wife wanting a divorce. She had never been this tight-lipped before, so why did everyone in the group know?
With one hand wiping her tears and the other turning on the faucet, Liu Bo came out of the restroom and was startled when he went to wash his hands. "A ghost!"
If he hadn't called out, it would have been fine, but his exclamation only made Xiao Li'er feel worse. Not only was she about to be fired, but she was also being called a ghost. "Wah wah wah." Xiao Li'er looked at her smeared makeup in the mirror, and indeed she did look like a ghost, unable to stop crying.
"Auntie, why are you crying? I haven't done anything inappropriate to you," said Liu Bo, the Special Assistant, who was most afraid of seeing women cry.
Xiao Li'er continued to sob, "I... I'm going to be fired."
Liu Bo thought for a moment. He hadn't heard any news, and the CEO had been in a good mood lately. How could she suddenly be fired?
Liu Bo took out a tissue from his pocket and handed it to Xiao Li'er, but she was too busy crying to take it. On the principle of not being able to bear seeing a woman in tears, Liu Bo used the tissue to wipe Xiao Li'er's eyes himself.
"Auntie, don't cry. What's going on?"
"It hurts," she said.
Liu Bo realized he was being too rough and lightened his touch. It wasn't his fault – he had never wiped a woman's tears before.
His phone in his pocket started ringing. Liu Bo took it out and saw it was the CEO calling. He put a finger to his lips, gesturing "Shh" to Xiao Li'er.
Xiao Li'er also saw the caller ID on the screen and immediately stopped crying.
"Special Assistant Liu, come to the office for a bit," said the CEO before hanging up.
Liu Bo didn't dare delay and said to Xiao Li'er, "Let me go see what's going on first. Wash your face and don't cry anymore."
