Chapter 13
Xia Zhiruo was out getting her nails done. The moment she saw the notification, she immediately sent a voice note back. “Our little Yun Chu is in a tight spot? Then I absolutely have to help. Lay it on me.”
Yun Chu continued tapping on her phone screen: [Help me look up a patient. I want to know which hospital they are in and which ward.]
Xia Zhiruo was the sole daughter of the Xia family, and the Xia family was a leading titan in the medical industry. In the capital, tracking down a patient was as easy as a flick of their wrist.
Very quickly, Yun Chu received a reply: [Simple. Leave it all to me.]
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the thick layers of clouds slowly dispersed, casting sunlight across her desk. She set down her phone and lifted her eyes to look out the window. “After being blocked by dark clouds for so long, it’s about time to see the sun.”
At noon, Xiao He sent her a restaurant location. Since he had to head over early to reserve a table, they didn’t walk there together. The location was roughly one kilometer away from the corporate building, and Yun Chu followed the navigation right to the restaurant entrance.
It was a two-story establishment decorated in an elegant Chinese style. A server led her upstairs, walking all the way to the innermost private VIP room.
“Miss, we have arrived.” The server bowed slightly and departed.
Yun Chu pushed the door open, but just as she was about to step inside, she discovered that there were actually other people there besides Xiao Heâtwo very fashionably dressed men.
The occupants of the private room turned their gazes toward the door. Xiao He stood up, pulling out the chair beside him. “Come take a seat, Yun Chu.”
She gave a subtle nod to the people inside, walked in, and sat down, lifting her eyes toward Xiao He to prompt him for an explanation. Since there were other guests, why hadn’t he mentioned it beforehand?
Xiao He flashed a standard, hospitable smile commonly seen in professional networking. “Let me introduce you first. This is Yun Chu. She managed to make a name for herself in the design industry back when she was still in university.” He then turned toward Yun Chu. “These two are judges for this year’s Jewelry Design Competition, and they also happen to be Bvlgari Jewelry’s Art Director, Jason, and Design Manager, Annie.”
What? Yun Chu could hardly believe her own ears.
Bvlgari was a luxury enterprise she had desperately wanted to join back in university. Being able to design a piece of jewelry for them meant you had achieved the pinnacle level of the design industry. Honestly, who wouldn’t want to become a leading figure in their own field?
Jason raised his red wine glass, tilting it slightly toward Yun Chu. “I heard from Xiao He long ago that he knew a designer who was both beautiful and highly talented. Seeing you now, you are indeed stunning and extraordinarily refined.”
Being publicly praised by industry veterans made Yun Chu a bit bashful. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say, so she simply raised her glass in response.
Sitting nearby, Annie teased, “Next time you come to Bvlgari’s design department, let us witness your design capabilities firsthand to see if Xiao He was exaggerating.”
“That would be my honor,” Yun Chu replied, her happiness visibly apparent.
After a meal, she added both of their contact information and even agreed to join them the next time Bvlgari designed a new collection. Returning to the corporate building, Yun Chu still felt like she was dreaming. How had her dream suddenly come true? She had decided back in school to interview at Bvlgari upon graduation, but after a stain appeared on her life records, she had never dared to wish for it again.
Xiao He saw her smiling all the way back and felt genuinely happy himself. “This meal is my apology gift to you. Make sure to seize the opportunity. With your capabilities, jumping ship to Bvlgari in the future will definitely be no problem.”
When it came to her professional design abilities, she never doubted herself. However… Yun Chu’s eyes darted thoughtfully. “How do you know them? And they seemed to give you a lot of face.” Xiao He was merely the Art Director of the Mu Group; having been demoted, he was now a design manager. To put it bluntly, he was just another ordinary corporate citizen working for capital. Yet those two had treated him almost like a boss, behaving inexplicably respectful toward him.
Xiao He’s gaze faltered for a fraction of a second before he explained with a smile, “They ran into some trouble during a new collection runway show a while back, and I helped resolve it. They probably feel like they owe me a favor.” For a massive brand like Bvlgari, an accident during a new collection showcase would result in staggering losses.
Yun Chu pressed no further.
As they walked into the building together, the colleagues they passed all wore expressions of sheer astonishment. Hadn’t rumors been flying that their relationship was strained? How did they look so close?
“This gift of yours is a bit too precious. Thank you first.” Yun Chu’s eyes shone with absolute sincerity, reflecting in Xiao He’s gaze, looking exceptionally pure and bright. In that instant, a desire to claim her for himself surged within him.
After parting ways, Yun Chu hummed a little tune as she returned to the office.
Click.
She pushed open the door to the entrance. The fragrance of a hot meal suddenly drifted out, catching her completely off guard as it entered her nose.
“So you finally know to come back. Did you eat well?”
“…”
Mu Ze sat before the floor-to-ceiling window, resting one hand on the armrest of his wheelchair. The sunlight spilled generously behind him, appearing to drape a radiant halo over his silhouette. Expressionless, he wheeled himself over to the coffee table.
Yun Chu shifted her gaze to look over, finding a table packed with an abundant spread of dishes. If she hadn’t just eaten her fill, she definitely would have tried a few bites. She picked up her phone and sat on a single-seater sofa closer to him. “Go ahead and eat. I’ll clean up when you’re done.”
“No need! I’m full.”
Originally, he had wanted to have lunch with her at the company, only to end up watching the two of them return laughing and talking. How could he not be consumed by bitterness?
Mu Ze leaned over to snap the food containers shut one by one, his amber pupils exceptionally cold.
Yun Chu glanced at the chopsticks before him. He was lying; the chopsticks hadn’t even been touched. Did he eat with his bare hands? “Wait a second, I’m not full yet. Accompany me.” She firmly pressed her hand over his, instantly bringing the distance between them much closer.
The moment their eyes locked, a spark seemed to ignite invisibly, causing both of them to look away involuntarily.
“Oh, then I suppose I can reluctantly accompany you.” Mu Ze opened the food containers one by one again, lowering his head, an irrepressible smile playing at the corners of his lips.
She had finally figured him out; this uncle was just like a child. He needed someone to accompany him to the hospital, and he needed someone to accompany him for meals. Most notably, the two absolutely had to hold hands and walk together.
Mu Ze finished the meal in an incredibly good mood, while Yun Chu stuffed herself until her little stomach bloated as if she were pregnant.
In the afternoon, the summer sun blazed outside. Having recovered his vision, Mu Ze began handling official business, while she ate, drank, and amused herself. Neither disturbed the other.
Knock, knock.
“Come in!”
Mu Shenglen walked into the office dressed in a simple, long dress. She wore flat shoes, and her hair was casually pinned up with a claw clip. Aside from the residual aura of elegance surrounding her, it was hard to believe that this was once a woman who had shaken the foundations of the business world.
“Brother, what urgent matter is so pressing that it had to be discussed at the office?” She sat before his desk, exchanging a direct look with him.
Mu Ze pulled out a medicine bottle and pushed it in front of her. “The medication hasn’t been working for me lately. I want to redevelop it. Doing so at home will inevitably disturb Father, and there’s no need to make him worry.”
Mu Shenglan remained silent for a few seconds. “Alright, I’ll give you the previous formula and the research personnel. You can make improvements based on the existing one.”
Yun Chu’s eyes darted back and forth between the siblings. She couldn’t help but feel that something significant had transpired between them. To say their relationship was poor, this medication had been painstakingly developed by Mu Shenglan; to say their relationship was good, their manner of conversation was as rigid as a corporate partnership. In short, it was highly peculiar.
Before Mu Shenglan walked out of the office, she paused at the doorway. She said coldly, “The sudden change in medicationâdid someone tamper with it? Since I returned the position of Mu Group’s Vice President to you, I have never thought about taking it back. There’s no need to direct your suspicions toward me.”
“I know it wasn’t you, but it’s bound to be someone close to you.”
Mu Ze spoke these words with absolute certainty. She looked back at him once, departing in deep thought.
“Have you already guessed who it is around her?”
