bought several boxes of yogurt.

Long Yejue took her to Yushiyuan, the restaurant that Tang Miannian loved the most. It was usually a place that required a reservation.

In the private room, Long Yejue ordered a bunch of her favorite dishes and raised his hand, saying, "My hand is injured. Shouldn't you be feeding me?"

Tang Miannian was caught off guard for a moment but still picked up her chopsticks and fed him bite by bite, occasionally feeding herself as well.

When Fu Ranran's call came in, they had almost finished eating. She took the call outside into the corridor, which caused Long Yejue's expression to darken a little.

"Tang Miannian, you actually took leave on the second day of work? What's going on?" Fu Ranran had originally planned to join her for a meal, but she hadn't expected that Tang Miannian had taken leave!

This was uncharacteristic of the usually diligent "little lamb."

"Speak quietly! Do you want everyone to know about this?" Tang Miannian said nervously. "I'm with Long Yejue right now!"

"Long Yejue? The boss? Didn't he not come to work today?" Fu Ranran sounded confused for a moment, then seemed to understand something. Lowering her voice, she teasingly asked, "So, you two… last night… Ah, I get it now! The boss is really something!"

Tang Miannian: "…"

Last night?

What happened last night?

What did Fu Ranran mean by that?!

"Are you imagining things? It's not like you think. His hand is injured, and he was so tired after I gave him a bath last night…"

"Ahh! I think I'm going to get a nosebleed!" Fu Ranran shouted.

"..."

Why did it seem like the more she explained, the worse it got?

Tang Miannian was almost in tears. "Fu Ranran!"

"Okay, okay, I won't laugh. I was just asking. You're the one who said all of that," Fu Ranran immediately quieted down, her curiosity flaring. "So, are you still, you know, 'doing stuff' now?"

"..." Tang Miannian was almost collapsing. "Fu Ranran! We're eating! Eating! It's not what you think!"

The little lamb was truly upset now.

Fu Ranran quickly changed the topic, "Are you eating at home or out?"

"Out. He drove me here," Tang Miannian answered. Of course, she dared not tell Fu Ranran that she had fallen asleep in the car.

Who knows what else Fu Ranran might imagine about that scene.

"He drove?" Fu Ranran squinted her eyes. "Didn't you say his hand was injured?"

"Yes, it's injured, but he said it's no big deal. He just needs to be fed during meals."

"..."

Fu Ranran's expression turned dark.

Was her best friend actually helping someone who had sold her out?

The big boss was really devious!

Of course, as someone receiving a salary from the big boss, Fu Ranran wouldn't reveal anything to her friend.

Clearing her throat, she said, "Alright, you two continue. I won't interrupt. Bye!"

Once the call ended, Tang Miannian realized her face had heated up.

It was all Fu Ranran's fault for leading her down the wrong path, always thinking of all sorts of crazy ideas.

Shaking her head, she entered the private room.

However, she was a bit surprised. She had clearly closed the door earlier, so why was it that when she pushed the door, it opened easily as if it wasn't locked?

"Let's go, back to the company," Long Yejue had already stood up, picked up the car keys, and walked out first.

Tang Miannian responded with an "Oh" and obediently followed behind him.

Back at the company, she arrived just in time for the afternoon shift.

What relieved her was that neither the finance department nor the team leader mentioned anything about her taking leave on the second day of work.

Moreover, the tasks assigned to her were very few, leaving her feeling rather bored.

She absentmindedly picked up a blank sheet of paper and started drawing.

Strangely enough, whenever she tried to design something on a normal day, she often felt uninspired.

But now, in this relaxed state, she was able to capture many ideas.

Her colleague, Meijia, peeked over curiously at Tang Miannian's sketches and said in surprise, "Wow, Miannian, you can design things too?"

Tang Miannian felt a little embarrassed. "I just doodled a little. I studied design before."

"Oh, you're really talented. No wonder Assistant An likes you."

Meijia smiled teasingly and left with the file in hand.

Meanwhile, Tang Miannian sat there in a daze.

Assistant An liked her?

She was stunned.

Back in the president's office, Long Yejue's mood remained good. The usually cold, hard lines of his face had softened into a slightly upward curve.

His previously gloomy, icy eyes now had a warm gleam in them, adding even more charm to his already magnetic presence.

This caused everyone in the CEO office to nearly go crazy.

How could they work with such a handsome boss?

Fu Ranran glanced at the secretary pool, now filled with pink bubbles, and shook her head in pity.

If they knew Long Yejue was already taken, would they all just head to the rooftop?

Looking at Yoyo beside her, clearly smitten, Fu Ranran nodded seriously. There was indeed a real possibility of them going to the rooftop!

Cindy gently cleared her throat to remind the others to pull themselves together, casting a cautious glance at Fu Ranran before saying, "It's working hours, people! Stay focused! We can't have the outsiders thinking that all we do is fangirl!"

Only then did the others snap out of it, nodding and getting back to work.

Cindy entered the CEO's office, where Long Yejue was flipping through a project proposal.

"Boss, here are the details of the adjustments from JR. Please take a look," Cindy pushed the file toward him, then glanced at the document in his hands, surprised.

Was JueShi planning to enter the jewelry industry?

If she wasn't mistaken, this was a risk assessment report for setting up a jewelry department.

She hadn't heard anything about this.

Still puzzled, she was suddenly interrupted by Long Yejue saying, "Go buy this brand of yogurt for me, get a few boxes, and put them in the lounge."

Cindy froze for a moment, staring at the paper he handed over, which listed a particular brand of yogurt.

She was a bit confused. When did the CEO get interested in yogurt?

"What are you still standing there for?"

Noticing Cindy zoning out, Long Yejue frowned and shot her a cold look.

Cindy hurriedly took the paper and replied, "I'll go buy it right away."

"Make sure to check regularly. If we're running low, remember to replenish it, and have An Yi send a batch to my residence too."

Cindy: "…"

Just how obsessed is the boss with this yogurt?

She couldn't even begin to imagine! If outsiders found out about this peculiar habit, the "cold-faced CEO" title might no longer fit.

Though Cindy was curious, she followed his instructions and left. When she returned to the CEO's office, she saw Fu Ranran drinking yogurt.

Tang Miannian had said this brand of yogurt was delicious, helped with gut health, and provided nutrition for babies, so she drank a box every so often.

But what was the meaning of Cindy's look?

Fu Ranran, puzzled, stared at Cindy. Was she hoping for the yogurt in her hands?

Bending down, Fu Ranran took another box from her cabinet and offered it, "If you like it, here's a box for you."

Cindy shook her head vigorously, "No, no, I don't like it. I just thought you seemed to really like this yogurt."

"It's not bad. It's tangy and sweet, quite tasty," Fu Ranran casually replied.

Cindy seemed to understand, and walked off mysteriously.

Fu Ranran was left confused. What was going on with Cindy?

Later that evening

Just before leaving work, Tang Miannian received another call from Yan Youlan.

She was almost driven crazy by these constant interruptions.

What exactly did this woman want?

She had no intention of picking up, but seeing her colleagues' curious glances, she reluctantly answered and lowered her voice, asking, "Yan Youlan, what do you want from me?"

"Tang Miannian, please let me go, okay?"

Tang Miannian was completely puzzled. She looked at her phone, confirming it was indeed Yan Youlan's number, but the tone—what was going on?

Every other time they spoke, Yan Youlan had been so arrogant.

"What do you mean?"

"Tang Miannian, for the sake of our many years of friendship, please let me go. Don't take the life of the child in my belly. He's innocent!"

Yan Youlan continued begging.

Tang Miannian was utterly stunned. "What are you talking about? I don't understand."

Could this white lotus really be up to something again?

But it didn't seem like it… she wouldn't use her pregnancy as leverage.

Yan Youlan repeated, "Tang Miannian, I truly love Shi Jie. Please, let him go to me. Don't steal him from me, and don't take away the happiness I've worked so hard to achieve, okay?"

"Yan Youlan, are you dreaming? What nonsense are you saying? I don't understand. Don't call and bother me anymore!"

With that, she coldly hung up the phone, feeling baffled.

She even considered changing her number.

Being constantly harassed was really annoying!

Later that evening, at home

When Tang Miannian and Long Yejue arrived, they found several unexpected guests in the living room.

Zhu Wenyi was sitting there, her face cold, with barely concealed anger simmering beneath the surface.

As soon as Tang Miannian and Long Yejue walked in, she immediately felt a chilling gaze scanning her like an X-ray.

She felt her legs almost give way under the intense pressure.

Zhu Wenyi's aura was simply too overwhelming.

Tang Miannian had done some research before; Zhu Wenyi was the pearl of the Shuanghai Group, once the top socialite in the city.

After marrying Long Fengteng, she had entered Jiangcheng's first noble family, and over the years, she had maintained an elegant and aloof image. A person like Tang Miannian, a small-town girl, could never be her equal.

The last time she was at Long's family estate, Zhu Wenyi had openly snubbed her, and Tang Miannian knew she would return eventually.

She just hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

"Mom, what brings you here?" Long Yejue asked in surprise.

Zhu Wenyi shot him a cold glance, her voice low and filled with frustration, "Last time you left in a hurry without explaining anything. I've been waiting for an explanation from you for so long, and you've never bothered to explain. I had no choice but to come ask you—do you even regard me as your mother anymore?"

"Mom, what are you saying?" Long Yejue shook his head helplessly, taking a step forward, but then noticed Tang Miannian hadn't followed him.

He paused, then took a couple of steps back, taking her hand and glancing at her with narrowed eyes.

His deep eyes seemed to soften, giving off an unspoken message to reassure her.

Tang Miannian lowered her head and squeezed his hand tightly to show that she was okay.

Only then did Long Yejue lead her toward Zhu Wenyi.

Seeing this frustrating scene, Zhu Wenyi's anger flared up like a spark catching fire. "Looks like you don't care about me anymore, Long Yejue. After all I've done for you, helping you get to where you are today, this is the thanks I get?"

"Auntie, have you eaten yet?" Tang Miannian didn't want to cause a scene, so she quickly let go of Long Yejue's hand and asked in a hurry.

Zhu Wenyi, clearly annoyed by the long-winded conversation, sneered coldly. "Seeing you makes me lose my appetite!"