Chapter 14: Mocha

During this period, both Guan Ying and Guan Xi were quite diligent. Guan Ying was diligent in studying and understanding, while Guan Xi was diligent in teaching and explaining. Whether at home or in the company, Guan Xi spent a considerable amount of time explaining to Guan Ying why the project location was chosen in that area, the target audience for the project, specific service methods, and so on.

On a regular day, if someone came to her with such basic questions, she would probably either scold them or delegate such brainless tasks to subordinates. However, this person happened to be Guan Ying, her sister who spoke kindly and softly, saying, “I really like you.”

As Lang Ningyi mentioned, Guan Ying was the standard female lead in “The Overbearing CEO Fell in Love with Me,” while she, in her position, was equivalent to the malicious supporting female character hiding a needle in her sleeve.

So, if she ever showed an impatient expression, it was considered bullying. She couldn’t afford to be openly villainous. On this day, the entire work team of Guan Xi was going to a meeting at “YouTu Travel” at the South Mountain Resort.

YouTu Travel Business Co., Ltd. was a company under the Jiang Family Guangyi Group, managed by Jiang Suizhou. The South Mountain project was a collaboration between YouTu Travel and the Guan family. The meeting location had been decided a few days ago, and today the team set out for YouTu Travel.

Guan Xi arrived relatively early and, after sitting down in the meeting room, casually flipped through the content to be discussed at the meeting. At this moment, there were already several YouTu Travel employees responsible for this project sitting in the meeting room. They were well aware that the girlfriend of their boss was the young lady from the Guan family.

According to rumors, this young lady didn’t have a good temper. However, it was just a rumor because today was their first time meeting her in person; they had only seen her in photos before. As for why they saw her in photos, it was because Guan Xi was one of the popular bloggers on their YouTu Travel website, and all the guides she had posted before were bestsellers, well-known throughout their company.

“Miss Guan, the travel guide for your recent trip to France topped our website’s hot list. You are truly amazing,” said a person in a gray shirt in the meeting room, smiling.

He had finally met the main character, the boss’s girlfriend, and naturally wanted to flatter her. Guan Xi took a sip of coffee, her eyebrows slightly furrowed; it was truly bitter… she didn’t like it. Seeing her frowning, the person in the gray shirt pursed his lips, suddenly feeling a bit nervous.

A colleague beside him pulled him and said, “Miss Guan, I am Lin Hao, the person in charge of the entertainment facilities part of the South Mountain project. The proposal sent over a couple of days ago, do you have any modifications needed?”

The guy in the gray shirt who spoke earlier broke into a slight sweat, realizing that he unconsciously called her Miss Guan instead of Manager Guan. In this context, such a title sounded like he was underestimating the other person’s position… I wonder if this young lady will be unhappy about it…

However, Guan Xi, who was busy mentally complaining about the coffee in front of her, didn’t even notice the myriad thoughts she provoked with just a furrowed brow. Regaining her focus, she looked up and said, “Ah, it’s you. I think it’s pretty good. If there are specific modifications needed, we can discuss them during the meeting.”

“Oh, okay.”

“By the way, what were you saying just now? About the guide?”

The guy in the gray shirt was momentarily stunned, realizing that Guan Xi was talking to him. “Uh… I was talking about the travel guide you published last time about France. It was very popular among users, and you wrote it very well.”

“Oh, just so-so,” Guan Xi smiled, “Thank you, though.”

The guy in the gray shirt felt his heart blossom with her smile. Ah, the rumors about Miss Guan having a bad temper made him so nervous. Actually, it wasn’t entirely true; she seemed quite gentle in her words.

Just as he was thinking this, he heard Guan Xi’s disdainful voice echoing in the meeting room, “Jiang Suizhou, what terrible taste do you have? This coffee is so awful. Are you trying to torture your employees?!”

The guy in the gray shirt was shocked and looked up. The four words “Miss Guan is gentle” suddenly got stuck in his throat, neither going up nor down.

“…”

But fortunately, she was on the phone and not scolding him directly. He stole a glance at her. The person on the other end of the phone was their boss… This was quite a novelty. It was the first time he saw someone talking to their iron-blooded boss like this.

“Bitter, extremely bitter. Isn’t coffee supposed to be bitter? I know, I mean, the bitterness here is undrinkable,” Guan Xi propped up her chin lazily and pointed, “If you reach a place that serves good coffee, I saw one near your company. Um… could you buy me a mocha? Iced, yes, iced… No, not that one… No, you must hurry and get it… Hmm, you’re really conscientious—”

**

The man had strong strength, and he pulled her arm painfully, making it impossible for her to break free. By now, there were already onlookers nearby, and Guan Ying’s face turned red, feeling both embarrassed and awkward.

“Let go.” Just then, a voice came from behind her.

A clear and cold familiarity, like a shot of adrenaline to her heart.

Guan Ying turned her head, looking at the newcomer with anticipation. “Mr. Jiang, please help me.”

Jiang Suizhou glanced at her and then looked at the man, coldly saying, “Call the police, release her, choose one.”

His voice wasn’t loud, but his gaze exerted immense pressure. Guan Ying noticed that this kind of pressure, when not directed at her, gave a sense of security.

The man stared at Jiang Suizhou, “Who are you?”

Although he spoke like that, his grip loosened slightly due to the other’s imposing manner and gaze. Seeing this, Guan Ying forcefully broke free and immediately hid behind Jiang Suizhou. “Mr. Jiang, he’s from my foster parents’ side, but I don’t know him well. I don’t know what he wants to do…”

The man spoke harshly, “Cheng Yingying!”

“You go into the car first,” Jiang Suizhou said.

Worried, Guan Ying glanced at him but thought that staying here might cause more trouble. She turned and walked to his car, opened the door, and sat inside.

The man, seeing her out of his sight, became angrier. “Who are you? What? Her new lover?!”

Jiang Suizhou furrowed his brows, “Quite imaginative.”

“…Then don’t meddle in our business. Let her come out!”

Jiang Suizhou really didn’t want to interfere, but considering the situation just now and the relationship between Guan Ying and Guan Xi, it seemed inappropriate to stand by.

“You can resort to force, I won’t stop you,” Jiang Suizhou calmly said, “But you might have to spend a few days at the police station.”

The man hesitated, “…”

Seeing him remain silent, Jiang Suizhou knew he wouldn’t dare to act recklessly. He didn’t say anything more and walked back. The man stood still, not leaving but also not daring to approach rashly, especially since the car in front of him seemed quite extraordinary.

“Thank you,” Guan Ying said after Jiang Suizhou got in.

Jiang Suizhou nodded slightly and casually asked, “Miss Guan should be in the meeting room, shouldn’t she?”

Today’s meeting involved people from the Guan family, and since Guan Ying participated, she should be there.

Guan Ying explained, “The driver dropped me off, and on the way, I saw a coffee shop, so I asked him to stop. I thought it was still early, and it’s just a short walk, so I let the driver go back first… but I didn’t expect that person to follow me all the way. After I bought coffee, he rushed over.”

“This matter, you’d better inform your parents.”

Guan Ying: “I don’t want to tell…”

Jiang Suizhou glanced at her.

With lowered eyes, Guan Ying whispered, “My foster parents have already invested a lot of effort into matters concerning him. I don’t want to trouble them with this again. I’ll be more careful next time and won’t let him catch up. Mr. Jiang… um, thanks for today, but can you not tell my parents?”

Jiang Suizhou didn’t show much interest in this request and simply said, “Noted.”

Guan Ying’s eyes lit up slightly, “Thank you!”

After a while, Zhou Hao returned. When he entered with coffee and saw Guan Ying in the back seat, he paused and looked at Jiang Suizhou.

Jiang Suizhou said, “Go to the company.”

Without further words from the superior, Zhou Hao didn’t ask more, “Okay.”

The car started, heading towards the company. Due to the short remaining distance of two minutes, the car quickly came to a stop. After getting out of the car, they entered the company lobby and took the elevator. The elevator was spacious, with only her, Jiang Suizhou, and his assistant Zhou Hao.

Guan Ying stood at the back, raising her eyes to look at the man in front of her, her thoughts a bit chaotic.

She thought he was tall, at least 185 cm or above… when she lowered her eyes, she saw the coffee he was holding, and thought, this seemed to be the mocha he asked Zhou Hao to buy just now. So, he likes mocha… he didn’t seem as unapproachable as he appeared on the surface. He just helped her get rid of that man, and promised to keep it a secret…

Ding—

The time in the elevator was brief, and it quickly arrived. When Guan Ying snapped back to reality, Jiang Suizhou and Zhou Hao had already walked out. She paused for a moment and hurriedly caught up. When the door to the meeting room opened, Guan Xi looked over. Suited and well-groomed.

Arrived—

Guan Xi supported her head and glanced at her watch. After asking him to buy coffee, it seemed to perfectly satisfy the habit of this location-obsessed fanatic, stepping into the meeting room at the last second according to the agreement. Just as she chuckled in her heart, she saw Jiang Suizhou followed by Guan Ying.

Huh? Why are these two together??

Probably influenced by Lang Ningyi, Guan Xi’s mind suddenly made a thud, as if hearing an emotionless mechanical sound in this world: the mainline love story of the novel slowly started.

Guan Xi: “…………”

Pah! What mainline? I am the mainline!

Guan Xi shook her head and dismissed those absurd thoughts!! By the way, she silently cursed Lang Ningyi with a dog-blooded head!

“Let’s begin.” Jiang Suizhou walked over, pulled out the chair on Guan Xi’s left, and sat down, giving instructions to the entire room. Then the sporadic sound of turning pages began. Guan Xi also sat up straight, withdrew her gaze, and tapped the space key on the computer. After the computer screen lit up, she saw Guan Ying sitting in the position to her right.

“Cough.” Guan Xi’s eyes glanced sideways at Jiang Suizhou.

Jiang Suizhou noticed and asked with his eyes what was the matter.

Guan Xi turned her head, her voice so low that only the two of them could hear, ominously said: “Such a coincidence, you two came together.”

Jiang Suizhou nodded: “She was there when buying coffee, so I asked her to join the ride.”

Guan Xi slightly widened her eyes, damn man! Are you starting this?!

Jiang Suizhou ignored her murderous gaze and said indifferently, “There seems to be a guy who is apparently related to her foster parents. They had a dispute, and she got on my car to escape from that person. Oh, you don’t have to look at me like that, I couldn’t help it. I wanted to pretend not to have seen it, but failed.”

Guan Xi fell silent, furrowing her brows, “What were they arguing about?”

Jiang Suizhou replied casually, “I don’t know. She also said not to tell your parents about this. I think she probably doesn’t want others to know about it.”

Jiang Suizhou spoke nonchalantly, almost criminally forgetful of the confidentiality she had requested.

Guan Xi paused, “Then why did you mention it?”

“She only mentioned parents, not you.”

“…”

Fair point.

“Okay, let’s start the meeting.” After Jiang Suizhou finished speaking, he signaled the employees to give a brief introduction first to set the stage.

Guan Xi stopped making a fuss. After all, the situation with Guan Ying’s foster parents seemed complicated and unresolved. After all, they were her foster parents, and having raised her for so long, there must be emotions involved that couldn’t be easily severed.

“Guan Xi.” Guan Ying suddenly called her in a low voice.

Guan Xi looked at her, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, can this meeting be recorded? I think if I can’t keep up, I can review it at home later.”

“No need to record, someone will be making meeting records throughout. Don’t worry, you’ll get a copy later.”

“Okay, that’s… good.”

“When people are talking later, if there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask Yang Qing.” Guan Xi pointed to the person next to Guan Ying. Yang Qing was her assistant, and although called an assistant, she actually knew much more than Guan Ying.

Guan Ying nodded.

“Hey.” Guan Xi suddenly made another sound.

Guan Ying looked at her, “Hmm?”

“Oh, it’s fine, I’ll talk to you later,” Guan Xi lightly tapped the table and said to the person on her left, “Coffee.”

Jiang Suizhou glanced at her and pushed the coffee from the other side.

Guan Xi reached for it, and as soon as she touched it, she glared at Jiang Suizhou and suppressed her voice, “I said I wanted it iced!”

Jiang Suizhou looked down at the documents on the table, “Really? That must be a mistake from Zhou Hao.”

Zhou Hao behind them: “…”

Caps lock confusion.

Guan Xi didn’t believe that Zhou Hao, a cautious person, would make a mistake, “Jiang Suizhou—”

“Drink less cold drinks, okay?” Jiang Suizhou glanced at her discontentedly, “I don’t want to hear you sobbing every month during those days.”

Those days? Which days? Is he talking about her menstrual cycle? Guan Xi rolled her eyes solidly. Wasn’t there just one time when she was in pain, and he happened to be nearby? She doesn’t experience it every month, and even if she did, he wouldn’t necessarily know. Where is Jiang Er Gou during her period? Probably can’t even see his shadow!

Guan Xi angrily tapped on the computer. Trying to be tough, she decided not to drink this coffee. However, the aroma of the mocha was too tempting, making the residual bitterness on her tongue even more apparent.

Slowly, her determination dissipated in the wafting fragrance… in the end, she reluctantly reached out and took it, forcing herself to sip the hot mocha that didn’t meet her satisfaction. Jiang Suizhou took in her little conflict, and as she let out a soft sigh after two sips, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

The meeting had started, and Guan Xi, as the overall person in charge on the Guan side, gave a brief overview of the project’s direction first. After she finished, the heads of various modules took turns to go into details. The meeting lasted for an hour and a half, and Jiang Suizhou didn’t say much throughout. Clearly, he was more of a hands-off manager, just here to check on the overall progress.

Guan Xi, on the other hand, listened attentively and occasionally expressed her own opinions. Her level of focus could be said to be the highest in history, surprising even Jiang Suizhou. After a moment of surprise, he vaguely understood. Lazy Guan might not say much, but the appearance of Guan Ying still added pressure to her.

At five in the afternoon, the meeting ended, and everyone got up to leave.

Guan Ying found it somewhat difficult to comprehend what was discussed in the meeting. She slowly packed up her things, and as her eyes swept over the empty cup of mocha next to her, she happened to catch Guan Xi’s gaze.

When Guan Xi turned her head, she saw her staring and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Guan Ying was taken aback, retracting her gaze, “Nothing, are you going home?”

Guan Xi said, “I have plans, won’t be going home for dinner. Do you have someone coming to pick you up?”

Guan Ying nodded, “Yes, the driver should be here soon.”

“Alright.”

Guan Xi didn’t say much. After handing over the documents and computer to her assistant Yang Qing, she casually walked out of the meeting room, carrying a small bag. When they went downstairs, everyone took the same elevator, and Jiang Suizhou was also there. Earlier, he heard Guan Xi telling Guan Ying that she wouldn’t be going home due to a prior engagement.

However, he didn’t ask much. Between the two of them, there was very little daily interference. But as they exited the lobby and saw someone waving at Guan Xi by the entrance, a person who had parked the car there, he couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

The person was Wei Xiuyang, Guan Xi’s cousin.

Jiang Suizhou knew that Wei Xiuyang didn’t like him, just as he didn’t think highly of him.

“Going ahead,” Guan Xi greeted him casually and slipped into the passenger seat of Wei Xiuyang’s car.

Jiang Suizhou exchanged a distant gaze with Wei Xiuyang and walked towards his own car seat. Those two were close, he had always known.

Previous

Next