Chapter Twenty: The Prospective Lady Boss

The company’s instant coffee was sickeningly sweet; this cup was clearly something Cui Jing had bought out of her own pocket.

At the thought of this, a warmth spread through her heart.

In the blink of an eye, it was lunchtime.

Yu Youchu stretched, working out her stiff shoulders, neck, and fingers.

With the exception of one remaining piece of copy that lacked inspiration, everything else was finished perfectly. Once she completed the temporary tasks Cui Jing had assigned over the next few days, her mission would be accomplished, and she would officially become a part of Huasheng!

However, inspiration was a fickle thing that could strike at any moment; there was no point in rushing it, so she would simply have to put it off for a while.

"Chef Yu, how have you been busy lately?"

Mu Chuan, as usual, carried his meal and sat down in front of Yu Youchu.

Before she could respond, a commotion broke out among the people nearby. They all began heading toward the elevators. Since Mu Chuan and Yu Youchu were close by, they found themselves on the front lines of the gossip.

Yu Youchu and Mu Chuan exchanged a knowing look and pricked up their ears.

"Miss Wen is here to bring soup to the boss again!"

"Really? That’s wonderful. Our boss is lucky once again." A female employee looked as if she were swooning.

"But the boss is really something. He never goes to greet her. It’s so ungentlemanly."

"That only highlights how understanding Miss Wen is," another male employee chimed in.

"You’re right, but I think the most understanding thing about Miss Wen is—"

"Afternoon tea!" another female employee cut in.

Yu Youchu, a self-proclaimed foodie, couldn't help but ask, "What afternoon tea?"

The woman glanced at Yu Youchu’s staff badge, caught sight of the word "Intern," and understood.

"New to Huasheng? You’re in luck."

"This Miss Wen is named Wen Ya, the daughter of the Wen family. Word is she’s been fond of our boss for a long time and has been pursuing him for ages! Why, just a while back, it was leaked that they were about to enter into a marriage alliance!"

Yu Youchu listened intently, occasionally interjecting, which only made the employee more enthusiastic.

"So, isn't this Miss Wen our future boss's wife?"

"Exactly, that’s the idea."

"And the afternoon tea?"

The woman smiled. "You really are a foodie."

"Every time Miss Wen comes, she treats the Huasheng staff to milk tea or coffee. If the orders go through in time, we even have a chance to eat desserts from Taozhai!"

Yu Youchu smiled. This was a classic case of the big fish fighting, and the little fish... reaping the benefits.

"Miss Wen is certainly paying a steep price to win over the boss."

The woman laughed, lowering her voice. "Rumor has it that this marriage alliance is Miss Wen forcing his hand."

The three of them shared a smile.

"But who knows? Maybe they’ve been sweet and inseparable for a long time, and we’re just a part of their game."

She waved her hand in a gesture of helplessness and walked away with her tray.

Yu Youchu was always one to just enjoy the show; she couldn't be bothered to judge, and was already secretly looking forward to the afternoon tea.

Taozhai’s desserts were incredibly expensive, and as someone who adored Chinese-style pastries, she had a love-hate relationship with them—she simply couldn't resist.

Regrettably, when she was with Shen Wang, he had never discovered this preference of hers; whenever he brought home pastries, they were invariably strawberry cakes.

Later, when she saw Lin Qingwan’s social media post featuring her own birthday cake, she finally understood.

It wasn't that Shen Wang couldn't tell she liked Chinese pastries, nor was it that he liked strawberry cake; it was that Lin Qingwan liked them.

So, every time he bought a cake home, he must have been hoping that the person waiting for him at home was Lin Qingwan, right?

Thinking about how she had acted pleasantly surprised every time she took the cake from Shen Wang’s hands...

It was truly... sickening.

As Yu Youchu mused, the food in her mouth suddenly tasted like wax.

Mu Chuan noticed the shifting expressions of the distracted Yu Youchu and waved his hand in front of her.

"What’s wrong? Are you so anxious to eat Taozhai’s desserts that you can’t even finish your lunch?"

Yu Youchu tugged at the corners of her mouth, offering a strained smile, but she stubbornly retorted, "How could that be?! Though, Taozhai’s desserts are indeed quite attractive to me."

She polished off her rice in a few quick bites. "Let’s go, back to work."

"You really are a workaholic." Mu Chuan curled his lip, looking at her with disdain. "On such a great lunch break, instead of slacking off and resting, you choose to be a high-achiever."

Yu Youchu narrowed her eyes dangerously. "I don’t know who it was that made me start working this hard in the first place. I wanted to just lie flat."

Mu Chuan deflated like a punctured balloon and said miserably, "My dear lady, I didn't know even the weekends wouldn't be spared. If I had known, I certainly wouldn't have followed you here."

"Oh, you! Finally letting the truth out, are you? You’re just trying to set me up."

The two began to bicker playfully.

Not far away, Wan Ninghe’s gaze drifted over the crowd, fixed firmly on Yu Youchu.

*Yu Youchu, let’s see how long you can keep smiling.*

In Pei Jiayin’s office:

Tang Qingli had been Pei Jiayin’s secretary for a long time and possessed enough skill and social awareness to know he couldn't stop Wen Ya—and wouldn't dare to. Estimating the time, he had slipped off to the cafeteria for lunch first.

That way, neither of them could blame him, and he got a nice meal to boot.

Anyway, Wen Ya knew Pei Jiayin’s fussy habit of refusing takeout, so she would definitely bring him food and seize the chance to have lunch together. He had nothing to worry about.

"Tang Qingli, refill my tea. Also, have you confirmed this afternoon’s flight? Remember to remind me to board later."

Soon, someone entered from outside and took the cup from his side.

Pei Jiayin was focused entirely on his documents and didn't notice that his capable secretary had been replaced.

It wasn't until the second cup of tea was set down that he noticed the hands serving it belonged to a woman—slender and fair, with white rose nail art that looked incredibly lifelike.

He snapped his head up and met Wen Ya’s gaze.

"Why are you here?"

Pei Jiayin clearly hadn't expected to see Wen Ya.

"Jiayin, where are you going this afternoon?"

Wen Ya turned and stepped out of the office to retrieve the food container she had left outside. She was dressed casually in a beige knitted sweater dress; the tailoring made the loose fabric drape elegantly over her slender frame. Carrying the food box, she looked every bit the gentle, doting wife.

"Just a business trip."

Pei Jiayin’s expression remained stony, his mind already calculating how to punish Tang Qingli.

Sensing the low pressure around him, Wen Ya didn't look awkward. Instead, she smiled and said to him, "Don't blame Secretary Tang. He told me you didn't have time today."

She brushed back her hair, her brownish-tea-colored wavy locks fanning out across her back like a flower.

Pei Jiayin’s expression grew even stiffer.

Regardless, Tang Qingli should not have let anyone in without his permission.

"This is his dereliction of duty."