“This is?” Luo Huimei had probably never seen such a big diamond ring before, so she grabbed her hand with a bedazzled expression. “Yan?”
Yan’s expression showed that she was feeling a little shy. She explained in a soft voice, “Mom, don’t ask.”
“Han Qing gave this to you?”
Yan nodded.
“He proposed?”
Yan nodded again.
Luo Huimei felt her breathing becoming frantic. “Then, my baby girl, did you say yes?”
Hearing this, Yan’s face flushed all the way down to her neck, making her look like a ripe apple. Her eyes shifted around as she glanced to the right, then to the left. “I… I haven’t agreed to it yet. I have to think about it.”
“Think about it?” Luo Huimei raised her eyebrows and teased her, “Oh, when did my daughter learn to be so reserved? Why didn’t you think about it first before mindlessly chasing after a certain someone? Now that he has proposed to you, you want to think about it?”
Yan snorted and pursed her lips. It was because he had caught her off guard with his sudden proposal, and there was nothing special about it either. Although she did not mind the ceremonial element in it, he should not be rushing things so soon. He did not say much before and just put a ring on her finger. Of course, she would not accept it easily. “Of course, I have to think about it first. If I just say yes to him without even thinking about it, wouldn’t I cheapen him?”
After the train incident, Yan knew that Han Qing’s tolerance for her was much higher than she had imagined. She also wanted to try being a little reckless and enjoyed the feeling of being pampered by him. Just thinking about it was enough to make her excited.
“Silly girl, do as you wish then. Anyway, your dad and I are already happy enough to see you like this.”
Yan smiled and went forward to hug Luo Huimei by wrapping her arms over her mother’s shoulders. “Thank you, Mom and Dad, for your understanding. I’ll always love you.”
“Could you be less clingy?” Luo Huimei patted her hand. Although she had said something to show her disgust, her eyes were warm and full of bright smiles.
It had been nearly a week before Han Qing returned to the company. As he had pushed back a lot of work, he did not have much free time after coming back. After settling all the important things that were put off from before, two days had passed.
He was indeed tired, but if he did not take the lead in this matter, there was no one else around him or a trusted relative of the Han family whom he could hand over this task to. As such, only he could handle the affairs of the company. After the incident with Yan, he recalled something she said although she had only said it out of anger. However, these words were probably hidden in her heart for a long time, so she was likely feeling aggrieved when she said them out. He needed to take it seriously. As such, Han Qing told Su Jiu that he would only handle matters of utmost importance from now on while general tasks would be handled by his subordinates.
After hearing this, Su Jiu was a little stunned. “Leave these matters to others? Will you be fine with this? Those old fellows from the board are…”
“Keep your eyes on them. As long as they’re not making any big moves, let them be.” The company was huge, so it was inevitable that some would make petty moves, but in the workplace, these sorts of things were common. As long as one did not poke a big cheese in the company, or treat the employees from the lower rungs poorly, or take money without contributing anything, Han Qing would not take the matter seriously. In short, one would have to put in the same amount of effort to the pay they were receiving.
Su Jiu looked at his determined gaze and understood that she could not say anything else. As such, she simply nodded. “Okay, then I’ll keep my eye on things. But if it’s like this, then my workload has increased once more, President Han. I still have babies to feed at home. Will you increase my salary?”
“I will.”
Su Jiu had always been a courteous person. Even if she previously liked Han Qing, she would never act hypocritically with him. If she thought that she was working hard to the point of exhaustion, she would ask to receive a raise. Han Qing trusted her, and she was capable of doing things. She had been working with him for so many years, so he accepted her request.
This time, Han Qing even said, “In addition to a raise, I’ll give you a big red envelope when I get married and there’ll be a considerable bonus for the Lunar New Year.”
Hearing these words, Su Jiu felt that she could smell the money. However, as soon as she smelled something else, she raised her eyebrows. “President Han, are you getting married? You successfully proposed?”
Han Qing furrowed his brows a little while pursing his lips. He said, “Not yet, but I will succeed.”
Hearing this, Su Jiu smiled lightly. “Okay. I’ll be waiting to hear the good news from you, President Han. When the time comes, I’ll ask you for a big red envelope.” After the matter was resolved, Su Jiu suddenly remembered something and said, “By the way, President Han, Miss Muzi came to the company to look for you a few days ago. When she heard that you weren’t here, she left.”
“Alright, I’ll give her a call later.”
“Oh, by the way, she met Xu Yanwan. And they didn’t seem to have a pleasant conversation together.”
Xu Yanwan. Hearing this name, Han Qing’s eyes sank a little. He had planned to deal with this matter after all the company’s affairs were in place. Regarding the incident of him and Xu Yanwan suddenly becoming an engaged couple in the company, he really wanted to know how such a rumor came to be. His young lady had felt so aggrieved because of the misunderstanding that made her out to be a mistress that she hopped on a train by herself and threw her phone card away.
Although it turned out to be a misunderstanding in the end and the young lady had returned to his side, she did not misunderstand for no reason. If no one had said this to her or added fuel to her jealousy, she would not have lost her mind due to anger in the first place. Thinking of this, Han Qing turned on the computer with his fingertip. “Understood. I’ll deal with this matter.”
Soon, Xu Yanwan received news that Han Qing wanted to meet her after she got off work at the cafe outside instead of the company. After she received the news, her heart thumped hard as a vague premonition rose from within her. He did not want to meet her in the company and instead asked her to meet him outside. According to her understanding of Han Qing, it was probably because he wanted to talk to her about serious matters. What would be discussed…
Han Qing had disappeared for a week and only returned to work a week later, which showed that he already resolved his matter. He had probably found out all about it. Thinking about this, Xu Yanwan kept feeling like her heart was sinking. Her head started to hurt from squeezing the mouse in her hand too tightly. Suddenly, she thought of the words Han Muzi had said to her before. She said that if she wanted to, she could have a better life in the future.
Really? Will I really be fine in a life without Han Qing? She had liked him since she was a child, and she continued to like him when she went abroad. She was the daughter of the Xu family, and many men were lining up for her. However, she only ever had eyes for Han Qing, who was like a god in her heart. Her love for him spanned countless days and nights, accompanying her for a long time. This love already ran deep in her heart and was flowing through her bloodstream since long ago. If she wanted to give it all up, could she really do it? With this in mind, Xu Yanwan slowly closed her eyes as two streams of tears slid down from the corners of her eyes.
