Chapter 8: and

Yuan Xi frowned slightly: "Chu Yan, the land in the Jiangcheng CBD where you are standing was still farmland fifteen years ago."

"Also, Chu Yan, you should hurry up and find a job. Don't spend all day thinking that normal professional interactions are attempts to steal your man."

Chu Yan looked at Yuan Xi and said, "Men and women in the workplace should still maintain some professional distance, shouldn't they?"

Yuan Xi felt helpless. Ignoring Chu Yan, she stepped into the executive elevator.

Once in her office, Yuan Xi began replying to emails and opening the OA system to handle approvals. Yesterday was essentially a day off, so today’s workload was quite heavy.

After she had been busy for half the day, Gu Hanchen finally arrived fashionably late.

Yuan Xi carried a thick stack of documents into Gu Hanchen’s office. "President Gu, these are the documents that need to be signed. I have already reviewed them; there are no issues."

Gu Hanchen picked up his fountain pen and signed them briskly. After a while, he began to check the documents he had previously signed, carefully reviewing their contents.

Yuan Xi smiled faintly. "Does President Gu not trust me?"

Gu Hanchen raised his eyes to look at Yuan Xi. "What if you secretly slipped your resignation letter in there too?"

Yuan Xi: "…Even if you don't sign a resignation letter, according to the procedure, I can still automatically resign after a month."

Gu Hanchen asked, "Why didn't you bring me wontons yesterday?"

Yuan Xi felt extremely helpless. "President Gu, I am pregnant. Do you think it’s appropriate to ask a pregnant woman to get up in the middle of the night to cook wontons and deliver them to you?"

Gu Hanchen said, "What will it take for you not to resign? I’ll give you half of my shares in Michen."

Yuan Xi looked at Gu Hanchen. "Huo Shiyan currently holds 51% of Michen’s shares, and you only have 33%. After the IPO, your shares will be diluted further. How can you give me half of Michen?"

Gu Hanchen said, "I’ll give you 10% of mine, so you’ll have 11% total. Once Michen goes public, you will be the largest shareholder besides Huo Shiyan and me. Just don't mention resigning again."

Yuan Xi thought for a moment and looked at Gu Hanchen. "No, I still want to resign."

"Why are you so stubborn, woman?" Gu Hanchen frowned. "So what if you’re the true daughter of the Chu family? Even if you go back to the Chu family to be a wealthy young lady, you’d still have to work, right? What job could be better than Michen?"

Yuan Xi gently stroked her lower abdomen. "I’m pregnant. I can’t work as hard as I used to. I need a more relaxed job. I’ve had enough of getting off work at midnight or 1:00 AM, starting at 8:00 AM, working all year round, and even having to stay at the company on New Year's Eve."

Gu Hanchen gritted his teeth and said, "Then from now on, you work nine-to-five, you get weekends and statutory holidays off, no overtime, and I’ll still give you that 10% stake. You are not allowed to resign."

Yuan Xi thought about it and said, "I’ll consider it."

Gu Hanchen frowned. "You still need to consider this?"

Yuan Xi nodded. "Yes. You should hurry up and sign these; there is another meeting to attend at one o'clock."

Gu Hanchen said, "I’ve lowered my bottom line this much, what else are you considering?"

Yuan Xi: "President Gu, the nine-to-five schedule and normal weekends and holidays you proposed aren't a 'bottom line'—they are what a normal boss should provide."

To think Gu Hanchen acted as if granting a two-day weekend was an act of charity.

Gu Hanchen frowned tightly as he signed the documents.

Yuan Xi was busy all day. When it was time to get off work, not a single person in the secretary's office had left, but Yuan Xi was the first to pack her things and clock out.

"Sister Xixi, you're leaving? It’s only five-thirty!"

Yuan Xi smiled faintly. "Michen’s working hours are eight hours, from nine-thirty to five-thirty. It’s five-thirty now, so it’s time for me to get off work."

When Gu Hanchen walked out and saw Yuan Xi packing her bag to leave, he widened his eyes. "You're leaving now? What time is it?"

"It's five-thirty, President Gu."

Gu Hanchen glanced at the watch on his wrist and reluctantly let Yuan Xi leave.

Yuan Xi went downstairs to the underground parking garage, only to realize she hadn't driven today.

Just as she was about to call Huo Shiyan, she saw a black Maybach parked beside her.

Huo Shiyan rolled down the window in the back seat. "Get in."

Yuan Xi got into the back of the Maybach. "How did you know I would get off work at this time today?"

Huo Shiyan smiled faintly. "Even if Gu Hanchen didn't let you leave at this time, I would have had you come to report the data to me."

Yuan Xi pursed her lips. Although she was off the clock, her work wasn't finished, so she continued to work in the car on her laptop.

Huo Shiyan closed Yuan Xi's laptop. "There’s no need to work overtime for Gu Hanchen for free after hours. You didn't seem very satisfied with the clothes I bought you yesterday; shall we go to the mall now?"

"Okay."

Yuan Xi did want to go to the mall, but not to buy clothes for herself—she wanted to buy things for the baby.

Although the baby wouldn't be born for another half a year, she worried about the formaldehyde and wood odors in items like cribs and play mats, so it was best to prepare early to let them air out.

Hengfan, a high-end luxury mall in Jiangcheng, was about a fifteen-minute drive from Michen, surrounded by numerous other malls.

It happened to be the evening rush hour, and the traffic was heavy.

By the time they arrived, there weren't many people at Hengfan.

Hengfan was a property of the Bo family. The Bo family started in real estate, and after building a film studio, they pivoted to the entertainment industry. However, this largest high-end luxury mall in Jiangcheng remained one of the most profitable assets in the Bo family's portfolio.

Yuan Xi couldn't remember the last time she had gone shopping; the last time was a year ago when she accompanied Gu Hanchen’s little girlfriend.

Huo Shiyan followed behind Yuan Xi. Seeing her enter a store specializing in baby products, he glanced at her flat abdomen and smiled slightly.

A clerk walked up to Yuan Xi and asked, "Hello, what are you looking for? Is it a gift?"

"No, for personal use," Yuan Xi smiled softly. "We’ll just look around for now."

"Certainly."

Yuan Xi looked at the baby clothes and socks inside; everything was so cute and interesting. The feeling of soon becoming a mother grew stronger.

Huo Shiyan stood beside Yuan Xi and said, "This one is nice."

Yuan Xi nodded. "It is nice, but unfortunately, when our baby is born, they will be about two months old. Such thin baby clothes won't be suitable. Let’s look at cribs and such first."

Yuan Xi immediately took a liking to an oval-shaped crib. "Is this solid wood?"

"Yes, you can rest assured. This is solid wood without any formaldehyde."

Yuan Xi asked Huo Shiyan, "What do you think of this one?"

Huo Shiyan took a brochure from the side and looked at the specifications with Yuan Xi. "This one is indeed quite good."

The clerk smiled from the side. "This is the best crib on the market right now. Would you two like to order it now? If you do, I can apply for a Mother's Day promotion and offer you a discount."

Huo Shiyan said, "Okay, let's order it now. We need two."

After buying quite a few baby items, Yuan Xi planned to head back.

Huo Shiyan looked at Yuan Xi and said, "Don't you plan to pick something out for yourself?"

Yuan Xi remembered the homecoming banquet the Chu family insisted on throwing for her; she did indeed lack a gown to wear. "I’ll just look around casually. Will it delay you?"

Huo Shiyan said, "No."

Just as Huo Shiyan said that, his phone rang. He spoke in a string of German that Yuan Xi couldn't understand.

Yuan Xi saw a red strapless dress displayed in a nearby shop; it would be quite nice as a gown for a banquet, so she signaled to Huo Shiyan that she would go into the shop first.

As soon as Yuan Xi entered the store, she saw Bo Fan.

"President Bo."

"Secretary Yuan, what a coincidence." Bo Fan looked at the deep blue teardrop diamond on Yuan Xi’s ring finger, his narrow phoenix eyes narrowing. "Secretary Yuan, this diamond ring..."

Chu Yan walked out of the fitting room. Seeing Yuan Xi, she frowned slightly and walked over to hook her arm through Bo Fan’s, clearly declaring her territory.

"Bo Fan, this one of my sister's is a fake. It’s not the Charlotte Blue diamond you failed to win at auction last time."

Bo Fan: "Is that so? The fire of this diamond is enough to pass for the real thing."