Yan left her sentence trailing. Han Muzi could tell that she had something to say, but it was hard for her to voice it out. However, she was determined to resign from her position and apologized to Han Muzi profusely before she left.
Mulling over it, Han Muzi felt that something was not quite right. Based on Yan’s personality, she would not resign at a time like this, so there must be an underlying reason for her actions. Therefore, Han Muzi decided to visit the company. When the company was first established, it had been thriving due to the famous brand name it carried, so many came to them for designs.
The elite team Han Qing recruited for her had been dissatisfied in the beginning, but after a while, they had gradually settled down. They worked together to discuss and come up with new ideas, then created designs and products which would satisfy their clients. Although she had been abroad at the time, she continued to personally check and approve their designs and products. Moreover, she would inform Yan to let the design team know about her thoughts, key points, and important matters related to their previous designs and products.
Now that Yan wanted to resign, she would lose her strongest right-hand man. Unfortunately, not everything can be forced. Yan was a free individual. She couldn’t force Yan to remain by her side forever; perhaps Yan had only continued working for her out of pressure or a sense of responsibility.
When Leng Yueyue saw Han Muzi at the company, she was overjoyed, and she proudly presented her latest designs and products to Han Muzi.
“How is it?” Leng Yueyue looked at Han Muzi expectantly; three words were practically written across her face—please praise me!
Unable to resist breaking out into a smile, Han Muzi lightly praised, “Not bad; it’s much better than before.” Afterward, she asked about Yan. “How has the company been doing? During the time I was not here, was Yan… performing well?”
At the mention of Yan’s name, Leng Yueyue’s expression became slightly odd—she looked as if she had something to say, but was hesitant to mention it. Han Muzi frowned. So, there really is a reason then? “What’s wrong? That expression…”
Leng Yueyue raised her head at Han Muzi’s words and met her gaze, hesitating for a long time before she said, “Erm… I know you have a great relationship with Yan, but since you asked me, I’m not trying to badmouth her or anything, okay? Yan has been in terrible condition recently. She has already botched several client orders just in the past few days.”
“She messed up?” Han Muzi narrowed her eyes, not understanding the situation. “How did she manage that?”
Afterward, Leng Yueyue explained what had happened recently. In the meantime, Han Muzi remained frowning, and it was impossible to tell whether she was angry or not. When she finished explaining, Leng Yueyue carefully added, “I really wasn’t trying to badmouth her; I only told you because you asked me.” Otherwise, she was not the kind of person to talk behind someone’s back.
Coming back to her senses, Han Muzi nodded and flashed a smile at Leng Yueyue. “I understand. You’re only telling me all these because I asked; I know you’re not the type of person who talks behind others’ backs. Happy?”
Being stared at like that, Leng Yueyue’s ears reddened and her expression became bashful. “Erm… Please don’t tease me. To be honest, Yan has always been serious about her work. I may not be easy to get along with, but I can tell that she hasn’t been looking too good. I don’t think she messed up those client orders intentionally.”
Han Muzi grunted in agreement. “I’ve worked with her for many years; I know what kind of person she is.”
“I see. So, you’re just asking because you want to know how she has been doing recently, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then, let me tell you a little more about what she had been doing lately.”
Thereafter, Han Muzi learned a lot about how Yan had been doing recently from Leng Yueyue. It turned out that Yan had been depressed and in despair all day long ever since she returned to the company. She couldn’t seem to focus on her work, and would carelessly spill water on their clients during meetings. She would also make other mistakes which resulted in the clients leaving in a huff, refusing to work with their company anymore. Additionally, Leng Yueyue had also noticed several other small incidents.
Han Muzi’s gaze became worried. It seemed like Yan’s relationship issues had been a huge shock to her. In the past, even when she had been hurt, she would soon cheer up because she had not given up on Han Qing, and she always found something to fire herself up.
Now that she was reacting like this and no longer trying to fire herself up, had she given up on Han Qing? However, on the surface, she looked as she usually did—as if there were no problems at all. It turned out that her emotions would spill out while she was working. Perhaps, she was feeling guilty from losing several large client orders, and that was why she wanted to resign.
Han Muzi wasn’t sure whether she should persuade Yan to stay or to simply let her go. It was not clear whether Yan had stayed with her all these years willingly, or out of a sense of responsibility. However, no matter the reason, she was grateful to Yan. Anyhow, if Yan had stayed by her side out of a sense of responsibility, she should set Yan free to do whatever she wanted to do. After Han Muzi made her decision, she decided to talk to Yan.
Seeing Han Muzi at the company, Yan paused in astonishment for a moment. “Why are you here? You can’t be thinking of working in that condition of yours, right?”
Smiling lightly, Han Muzi responded, “What’s wrong? Is there a problem with working in my current condition?”
“Of course! You’re pregnant, and your baby isn’t stable yet. It’s best if you rest at home. There are too many things to handle at the company; I’m worried you would be overwhelmed by it all.”
Han Muzi continued to smile. “If you’re worried that I’d be overwhelmed now, what happens when you leave?”
Yan kept quiet and their surroundings fell into silence. A long while passed before she scratched her head and said, “Then, shall I stay and help you manage the company for a little while more?”
The smile on Han Muzi’s lips slipped away at Yan’s words. Without responding with a yes or a no, she crossed over the desk and stood in front of Yan. “All this while, staying right by my side and working together in the company, did you do all that with this kind of mindset?”
“I…” Yan began.
“We met five years ago. At that time, you told me that Meng Xueyou was a scheming and manipulative woman who was pretending to be sweet and innocent. When you later found out about the troubles I was facing, you accompanied me all the way overseas. Afterward, we began living together, along with Little Bean. I thought you were living happily every single day. I treasured the closeness we had between us. However, I just found out that… it has always been a burden to you.”
“No, no, no.” Yan hurriedly waved her hands about, diligently trying to explain herself. “It’s not a burden to me. Muzi, don’t misunderstand. Just as you said, I was very happy while I was with you. It’s an honor, so how could it be a burden?”
“How is it not a burden? Just like how you were determined to resign, but after hearing about my physical condition, you decided to stay on. Are you telling me that you’re not sacrificing yourself by putting someone else’s needs first?”
Yan was rendered speechless for a moment. She wasn’t sure how she should respond to Han Muzi. After a short while, she responded in a voice so soft it was almost a whisper, “I-I just don’t want you to have a hard time.”
