Xu Qingqing knew that her mother's words were meant for Jing Zhen to hear, so she agreed.
"Sure thing!"
"In this cold weather, if my brother wanders around the street in a short - sleeved shirt, the worst that can happen is that he'll catch a cold and have a high fever. He'll get through it."
The mother and daughter played good cop and bad cop.
Jing Zhen was worried and concerned about Xu Yan's health.
"Auntie, I'm also responsible for this. I'll go and bring Xu Yan back."
Xu Qingqing couldn't help laughing and grabbed Jing Zhen. "Sister Jing Zhen, no need to look for him. He's already been taken in by Chuan Bai."
Only then did Jing Zhen realize that the two of them wanted her to forgive Xu Yan. She smiled and gently hit Xu Qingqing.
"You guys are just teasing me."
"Sister Jing Zhen, my brother is just bad at expressing himself, but he's really worried about you."
Xu Qingqing giggled and pulled Jing Zhen back.
"I know," Jing Zhen said shyly as she sat down.
After resolving the matter between Jing Zhen and Xu Yan, Xu Qingqing cooked the meal. Finally, the family of four could sit down and have dinner.
Xu Qingqing came out with the pot and saw Lu Chuan Bai wearing disposable slippers. She asked, "The slippers I bought for you?"
The slippers in their family were a parent - child set. It was a sense of ritual for a family.
"Your brother took them," Lu Chuan Bai said glumly as he distributed the chopsticks.
He hadn't even worn those slippers for long before Xu Yan took them.
"I'll buy you another pair then," Xu Qingqing said casually and continued to serve the rice.
Lu Chuan Bai said silently, "I still want the parent - child set."
Xu Qingqing finished serving the rice, sat down, and checked the store where they had bought the slippers last time. She said to Lu Chuan Bai regretfully,
"Can't buy it. They don't sell them individually."
"Ah..."
There was a strong sense of disappointment in Lu Chuan Bai's tone. He pursed his lips and stared at Xu Qingqing, looking a bit like he was acting coquettishly.
"But I just want that pair."
"Then I'll go home and get the slippers back tomorrow," Xu Qingqing said helplessly. "I'll disinfect them for you. That should be okay, right?"
Xu Qingqing knew that Lu Chuan Bai had a cleanliness fetish and must dislike her brother.
"I don't want the ones that others have worn," Lu Chuan Bai turned his head away and picked up a mouthful of rice.
"I want a new one and it has to be the same style." There was a hint of stubbornness in his tone.
Xu Qingqing thought that Lu Chuan Bai was just as willful as a child when he threw a tantrum.
However, it was rare for the CEO to have a demand that she could meet, so of course she couldn't ignore it.
Xu Qingqing coaxed him gently like she was talking to a child.
"Okay, I got it. I'll just buy a set for four people."
Anyway, they were going to change their cotton shoes.
"Okay," Lu Chuan Bai nodded slightly.
Although his tone didn't change much, Xu Qingqing could tell from his expression that he was secretly happy.
Not bad. She had managed to make the CEO happy.
The next day, Jing Zhen got up early to go to work.
Xu's mother also got up early to make a sandwich for Jing Zhen. She said to Jing Zhen with a smile as the latter came downstairs,
"Have breakfast before you go. You won't have enough energy if you're hungry."
Looking at the colorful sandwich, Jing Zhen felt a warm feeling in her heart. "Thank you, Auntie."
"What are you thanking me for? Come and eat quickly, or it'll get cold."
Xu's mother called Jing Zhen over quickly and filled her a glass of milk.
Jing Zhen took a big bite and squinted her eyes happily as she praised, "Auntie, it's so delicious! Your cooking skills are really good. It's even better than the ones sold outside!"
"If you like it, I'll make it for you every day," Xu's mother said with a big smile as her cooking skills were praised.
"That's not okay. I'll feel bad if you get tired, Auntie," Jing Zhen said sweetly and considerately.
"Is it really that delicious?"
A hoarse male voice sounded rather inappropriately.
Xu Yan was tying his tie as he came downstairs. He shouted to his mother, "Mom, I want one too."
Xu's mother quickly put away her smile and turned into the kitchen. "My cooking isn't good. If you want one, go buy it outside."
"Then I'll just go hungry," Xu Yan said as he poured himself a glass of milk and sat opposite Jing Zhen, watching her eat.
Jing Zhen suddenly lost her appetite. She lowered her head to avoid Xu Yan's gaze.
Why did this guy have to sit opposite her!
Although Xu's mother said she wouldn't care about Xu Yan, she still brought out a sandwich and placed it heavily in front of him.
"I'm really in debt to you!"
"Thanks, Mom," Xu Yan said casually as he picked it up and started eating.
How did she ever fall for Xu Yan!
Jing Zhen looked at him in disgust, finished the milk in one gulp, picked up the sandwich, and stood up.
"Auntie, I'm leaving. I'll eat the sandwich on the way."
"Let Xu Yan take you. He's got nothing to do anyway..."
Xu's mother poked her head out of the kitchen and gave Xu Yan a look, hinting that he should seize the opportunity.
Xu Yan finished the sandwich in one bite and held out his empty plate to his mother. "Mom, do you have any more?"
"No need. I can take the bus by myself," Jing Zhen said as she shook her head and left.
He didn't even know how to seize such a good opportunity!
Xu's mother glared at Xu Yan in frustration and said angrily, "No more!"
Then she brought out another plate of sandwiches and threw them in front of Xu Yan.
"Son, what on earth are you thinking? If you want to chase after her, can't you just be more proactive and nice to her?"
Xu's mother said huffily.
If he was like she was when she chased after Xu's father back then, he would have won her over long ago!
Xu Yan ate the sandwich slowly. "I'm going to fight later. Of course I need to eat enough."
Jing Zhen took the bus to work. Her company was quite large, with a two - story office building. Her office was on the second floor.
After her father got sick, Jing Zhen stopped working and took care of her father all the time.
Now that she was finally back at work, Jing Zhen was curious about everything.
The boss even greeted her at the door and took her to meet the senior who would be mentoring her.
As they walked through the first - floor office area, Jing Zhen could feel the other colleagues pointing at her.
What are they looking at? Haven't they seen a new employee before!
Jing Zhen complained in her heart. She followed the boss up to the second floor, and the uncomfortable looks finally disappeared.
The first floor was full of people. On the second floor, besides the accounting studio and the boss's studio, there was no one else.
"This is Sister Sun. She's in charge of the accounting business. If you have any questions in the future, just ask her," the boss said as his hand casually rested on Jing Zhen's waist and pushed her forward. He rubbed her waist through her clothes.
Jing Zhen felt someone touching her. She immediately turned around and saw the boss withdrawing his hand. She blamed herself for overthinking.
Maybe he just wanted to push her forward.
"Hello, Sister Sun," Jing Zhen greeted Sister Sun sincerely.
Sister Sun was a middle - aged woman with thick glasses. She didn't even look at Jing Zhen properly. Her eyes were always on the computer as she nodded perfunctorily.
"I know. Go and stay out of the way."
"Sister Sun is very busy. She'll teach you when she has time," the boss said with a smile. His hand rested on Jing Zhen's lower back again, gently rubbing it before taking it away.
Jing Zhen couldn't figure out the boss's real intention and didn't want to make a scene. She just took a few steps forward to keep a distance from the boss.