Chapter 24: Are you attracted to Ying Yun?

Whether it was because she invited Zhong Tian to dinner or not, Yang Xueyi’s onboarding process went very smoothly afterwards.

The HR specialist at Yi Yi Translation quickly got in touch with her, the contract was signed, and she only had to wait until next Monday to officially start her job.

Yi Yi Translation offered a base salary plus project commission model.

Within the translation industry, the base salary they offered was already considered quite generous.

As for the project commission, it was truly performance-based—fair and reasonable.

Yang Xueyi felt very motivated by this.

Transforming from an unemployed person back into a white-collar worker, Yang Xueyi could finally hold her head high, no longer needing to hide things from Yang Meiying.

She could take action first and report later.

Everything was going smoothly on Yang Xueyi’s side, and her mother’s situation was going fairly well too.

Yang Meiying’s new employer was decent.

After a month, she had adapted quite well.

Tomorrow, Saturday, would be her first day off this month.

The only thing that wasn’t going well was Ying Ying.

On the day she scrubbed the abalone, Ying Ying seemed emotionally stable, as if he had accepted reality.

But when he came home that night, his mood worsened, and he wore a sullen expression.

It was as if life had suddenly dealt him several unexpected blows.

No one knew if he had seen something during his outing or if some emotional wound had been triggered.

However, the food Yang Xueyi packed in his insulated lunchbox was all eaten.

It seemed that no matter how troubled he was, his appetite remained quite strong.

The following days confirmed Yang Xueyi’s guess—Ying Ying kept his usual cold expression, but he ate all the meals she cooked, often finishing a lot.

After eating, he would wash the dishes with a cold face, and after that, he would also wash the fruit water for her with the same cold expression.

If he could eat like this, then it was not a big problem.

Actually, Yang Xueyi felt a bit guilty about not being able to make Ying Ying stay for dinner last time.

Now that she was about to officially start work, she decided to invite Yang Meiying and Ying Ying to have a good meal at home and share the good news with them.

She quickly prepared a lively spread.

Although Ying Ying’s expression was still gloomy, after Yang Xueyi finished buying the ingredients, he even peeked into the kitchen and then began to help pick vegetables with his usual cold face.

But as he picked, Yang Xueyi noticed he looked around, then bit his lip and asked unhappily, “Where’s the abalone? Why isn’t there any this time?”

Hard work is the most glorious; labor brings a sense of accomplishment—this is no lie.

Obviously, scrubbing abalone last time gave Ying Ying a great sense of achievement, so he wanted to do it again.

“You don’t have to scrub it,” Yang Xueyi smiled. “Seafood is too troublesome to deal with.”

Seeing that he wouldn’t get to scrub the abalone and couldn’t shine this time, Ying Ying looked quite disappointed, his expression sour.

“We’re just eating among ourselves, no need to go through that trouble. You worked hard scrubbing seafood last time.”

Thankfully, as soon as Yang Xueyi finished speaking and acknowledged Ying Ying’s effort, his expression lightened a bit.

Yang Meiying was very happy with this meal.

“Actually, I know you were really unhappy with your previous job. It’s good you changed positions now. Even if the pay is a bit less, it’s fine, as long as you’re happier.”

But just as Yang Meiying finished expressing her joy over Yang Xueyi’s job change, she raised a new demand: “You’re not young anymore. You could start thinking about settling down. Now that your job is stable, you can look for a partner. Should I help you…?”

No!

Before Yang Meiying could finish, Yang Xueyi already knew her mother intended to arrange a blind date.

Yang Xueyi felt overwhelmed and frantically waved her hands.

“Mom! How old do you think I am? Can’t I date freely? There might be good guys around who like me and want to pursue me!”

“Those guys around you are the ones you’ve clearly rejected but still pester and bother you. They don’t seem reliable at all,”

Yang Meiying said.

To dispel her mother’s matchmaking plans, Yang Xueyi thought quickly: “My future boss Zhong Tian—I think he likes me a bit. If I take the initiative, maybe I can start dating him.”

“Zhong Tian is Ying Ying’s friend. Birds of a feather flock together. Didn’t you say Ying Ying is great? Then how could his friend be unreliable?”

What Yang Xueyi said was not a lie.

Last time at dinner, she clearly felt Zhong Tian had feelings for her.

Hearing this, Yang Meiying showed real interest.

“Xiao Ying, this Zhong Tian—what kind of person is he?”

Ying Ying paused, put down his chopsticks, glanced at Yang Xueyi, and just as she was about to signal him, he calmly looked away.

“He’s a pretty good person,”

Ying Ying’s voice was steady and convincing.

He looked up, “A very kind person, especially considerate of younger subordinates. We have a senior at his company who got gastroenteritis, and he carried her to the hospital.”

“He’s very career-driven and hardworking. For projects, he’s willing to cut off social and leisure activities for months, living alone in a hotel and focusing wholeheartedly on work.”

Ying Ying seemed to be trying hard to recall Zhong Tian’s strengths: “He’s also very capable. Yi Yi Translation recently got several rounds of investment and even signed a performance agreement. If they fulfill it, future income is guaranteed.”

“His romantic history is quite simple too. He dated a girlfriend in college, but after breaking up, they cut all ties immediately—blocked each other, no contact, no lingering feelings.”

Yang Xueyi had worried Ying Ying’s perspective might be skewed by his life upheaval and wouldn’t be able to objectively evaluate Zhong Tian.

She wanted to signal him to say some good things about Zhong Tian, but unexpectedly, Ying Ying spoke warmly of his friend without any prompting.

He almost praised Zhong Tian to the skies all on his own.

When Ying Ying finished, his tone was especially sincere: “Aunt Yang, if Zhong Tian likes Yang Xueyi, I think the two of them trying a relationship isn’t a bad idea. He’s good, very reliable.”

Yang Xueyi never really planned to seriously date Zhong Tian; she just wanted a reliable person to convince her mother to drop the blind date plans.

Now, after Ying Ying’s words, she could rest easy.

Ying Ying was really coming around.

In the past, he would probably have said some snide, indirect things about how he didn’t think Zhong Tian was good enough for Yang Xueyi.

Now, he so confidently affirmed Zhong Tian and didn’t deny his friend’s feelings for Yang Xueyi.

Yang Xueyi felt Ying Ying was becoming more manageable.

Her previous help to him did not go unnoticed.

He also remembered the favor Zhong Tian did by giving him a job.

But surprisingly, even though Ying Ying praised Zhong Tian, Yang Meiying’s frown only deepened.

As soon as Ying Ying finished, she immediately slammed her hand on the table.

“This Zhong Tian is absolutely not acceptable.”

Huh?

Yang Xueyi was very confused.

Surprisingly, Ying Ying seemed quite calm about Yang Meiying’s reaction.

If not for the fact he had just wholeheartedly praised Zhong Tian, Yang Xueyi would have suspected he had said all those things as a cover.

“I trust your judgment. Your friend must be a good person, but a good friend doesn’t necessarily make a good partner.”

Yang Meiying’s tone grew serious as she explained: “You have to see the essence beyond appearances. He cares for young female subordinates, which means he’s too much of a ‘central air conditioner’—always keeping everyone comfortable. Even if he has good character, what if one day a female subordinate flirts with him? People are tempted easily, and he might not be able to resist.”

“As for his career ambition, once married with kids, who will take care of them? If he’s busy living in a hotel for months working on projects, who will be his wife? Life will be hard.”

“Sure, a successful entrepreneur gains a lot, but can he really succeed? What if he fails? Then you’ll be stuck with debts together.”

“Cutting ties with his ex so decisively is even worse. Yang Xueyi, do you really think dating him will definitely lead to marriage? If it doesn’t, when he breaks up with you and blocks you, you won’t just lose a boyfriend—you might lose your job too! Dating your boss is too risky!”

Yang Meiying laid down her stance clearly: “This Zhong Tian won’t do. Find someone else.”

***

After the meal and after seeing Yang Meiying off, Yang Xueyi was still puzzling.

Her only decent romantic prospect had been nixed so early.

But thinking it over, the uncertainty of dating her direct superior was indeed a big issue.

Her mother wasn’t entirely wrong.

Between career prospects and romance, Yang Xueyi naturally chose the former.

Of course, after rejecting Zhong Tian, Yang Meiying immediately wanted to arrange a blind date for Yang Xueyi. Fortunately, Ying Ying spoke up fairly.

“Aunt Yang, starting a relationship right after beginning a job will be distracting.”

“The medical translation market isn’t flooded with newcomers yet. If you can seize the market and establish stable clients now, the future will be easier. If you start dating, getting married, and having kids right away, you might waste your career’s golden period.”

Yang Xueyi’s mother wouldn’t listen to her, but Ying Ying’s words always had an effect.

Once he said that, Yang Meiying immediately excused Yang Xueyi from any matchmaking obligation and generously said she’d wait until her new job was stable.

Yang Xueyi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She had always hated how Ying Ying pretended to be harmless and well-behaved in front of her mother, making her mom trust him more.

Ying Ying almost always contradicted her, and she was fed up with him.

This was the first time Yang Xueyi felt she had been unfair.

Before, she only thought about fighting Ying Ying, but never about winning him over.

After all, Ying Ying wasn’t that bad.

Today, not only did he lavish praise on Zhong Tian as she wanted, he also quickly dispelled her mother’s matchmaking plans with just a few words.

She hadn’t treated him very well either, yet he reciprocated kindness so sincerely.

It showed that people are more clear-headed and grateful when they’re in trouble.

Such talent definitely needed to be valued!

Once she stopped seeing Ying Ying as a troublemaker, her mindset became calm.

No matter how difficult an employee is, aren’t they ultimately working for you?

Her previous vision had been too narrow.

Now, looking at Ying Ying, she found him pleasing in every way.

To better “win over” this employee, she swore to treat him better from now on.

And that opportunity came very soon—

“Ren Xue, the Spring Garden Festival—isn’t it? Are you going? I have tickets.”

Although Qiao Qianqian had been unlucky in love, her career was booming.

Not only was her private photoshoot fully booked, but she also landed the cultural tourism promotion project for Rong City, with the Spring Garden Festival being part of it.

“This Spring Garden Festival is organized by Rong City’s cultural tourism department to boost the suburban economy. It’s held at that amusement park in the suburbs. There will be various cultural and creative markets with stalls, plus many specialty brands brought in from outside. It’ll be almost like a themed park.”

Qiao Qianqian was very proud: “To control the crowd and ensure the event’s quality, tickets to this Spring Garden Festival are limited.”

Yang Xueyi wasn’t particularly excited at first, but after checking the date and seeing Ying Ying had a day off then, she had a sudden idea.

“Give me two tickets!”

“Two? Who else are you inviting?”

“First, Ying Ying.”

Qiao Qianqian immediately caught the playful vibe: “Be honest—do you like him now? You used to call him an annoying pest, but actually it’s love disguised as quarrels. Now you think of nothing but him.”

“No! I see him as my employee now!”

Yang Xueyi thought for a moment and said fairly: “You know my mom really likes him. It’s like she’s been hypnotized. I was foolish before, always opposing him, but now I realize that if you can’t beat them, join them. Why fight Ying Ying when I can get him on my side?”

“Turning a tough enemy into a trusted aide, making him one of your generals—that’s like adding wings to a tiger! I want to treat Ying Ying as an employee. Since employees are at a low point right now, shouldn’t I care about him in every way? This ticket is a free ‘team building’ opportunity.”

“Besides, I haven’t finished. Just because I’m inviting Ying Ying first doesn’t mean I’ll actually go with him!”

Yang Xueyi explained: “He probably won’t go. He’s so busy, it’s rare for him to have a day off, much less go out with me. But at least I have to offer the invitation, so if he refuses, he’ll know I’m thinking of him and hopefully will owe me a favor!”

“But the other ticket can’t go to waste either. I’ll ask Ying Ying first, and if he refuses after the usual back-and-forth, I’ll invite someone else…”

On the other end, Qiao Qianqian sighed in admiration.

Yang Xueyi felt proud: “Sometimes you just have to push yourself. Otherwise, you’ll never know how clever your brain really is!”

She was just about to brag a little more when someone knocked on the door.

Ying Ying stood expressionless at the entrance.

“Yang Xueyi.”

She didn’t know when he came back.

Ying Ying still carried a faint hospital disinfectant smell and looked a bit dusty.

He glanced at her lightly.

“Aunt Yang called you but the line was busy. She said it’s urgent and wants you to call back right away.”

Yang Xueyi felt a little embarrassed.

She hadn’t expected Ying Ying to come back early.

When she called Qiao Qianqian, she didn’t even close the door, so Ying Ying didn’t need to open it; his knock was just a formality.

Luckily, Ying Ying’s expression was calm, probably hearing nothing.

After hanging up with Qiao Qianqian, Yang Xueyi immediately called Yang Meiying back.

The “urgent matter” wasn’t serious—she just forgot a bank card password.

As soon as Yang Xueyi told her, Yang Meiying hurriedly ended the call, saying she had to get busy.

Yang Xueyi then left the room.

At that moment, Ying Ying was in the kitchen.

Yang Xueyi saw him pour a glass of plain water.

When he drank, he tilted his neck slightly, and she could see the subtle movement of his Adam’s apple.

His long, fair fingers holding the cup fit the stereotype of a surgeon.

It was undeniable—though poor, Ying Ying’s face didn’t look like someone who’d ever truly been poor.

His every gesture still carried the air of a high-class young master.

Even drinking water felt atmospheric.

Yang Xueyi cleared her throat.

“Ying Ying.”

He turned, put down the glass, and after a day of intense work, seemed to relax a bit.

His tone was a bit lazy, casual: “Hmm?”

Yang Xueyi didn’t know why, but suddenly felt a bit nervous, her voice stammering: “Qianqian gave me two tickets to the Spring Garden Festival. Tomorrow you have a day off. Are you going?”

Ying Ying’s gaze was always distant and indifferent.

Yang Xueyi was ready for a refusal.

Just as she was about to say, “No problem, maybe next time,” Ying Ying answered:

“Alright, I’ll go.”

What?

Now it was Yang Xueyi’s turn to be stunned.

“You sure?”

“Sure.” Ying Ying smirked and said, “Employee benefit. Would be a waste not to go.”

Under Yang Xueyi’s shocked gaze, Ying Ying leisurely looked at her and said, “Thanks, boss.”

His expression was calm and peaceful, and his words sounded like a truly grateful subordinate considering his boss’s feelings.

But Yang Xueyi felt she detected a hint of sarcasm.

Could she be misunderstanding?

Maybe Ying Ying didn’t mean it that way.

But the next second, Yang Xueyi knew he meant exactly that.

The man kept his expressionless face and added:

“Boss, next time when you call, remember to close the door.”

“Otherwise, me as an employee hearing business secrets is not good.”