Xia Yuan’s cooking class was a one-on-one session. Her cooking instructor, Cui Manman, was a gentle woman with a soft voice and a constant, faint smile on her face.
Xia Yuan had a good impression of her.
Cui Manman had taught many young and beautiful gidrls how to cook. Except for a few, most of them were learning for their significant others. This pure and beautiful intention was something she had once shared. Looking at the bright and beautiful Xia Yuan in front of her, she asked with a light smile, “Miss Xia, what dishes would you like to learn?”
Without thinking, Xia Yuan listed a few dishes. These were the ones Meng Xiyue often ate the most. She decided to learn these first and take her time with the rest.
The dishes were not complicated; they were the most common home-cooked meals.
Cui Manman put on an apron and watched with a smile as Xia Yuan clumsily tied her own apron. She didn’t offer help, and it was clear Xia Yuan didn’t need it.
Once Xia Yuan was ready, Cui Manman began the lesson. The first step was selecting ingredients. With a gentle voice, she explained while her slender fingers picked out the ingredients.
Xia Yuan noticed a ring on Cui Manman’s ring finger. It was simple but well-maintained, the band polished to a bright shine, showing it was cherished.
This also indicated that her married life was very happy.
Xia Yuan’s expression shifted slightly. “Has anything changed after getting married?”
From the first day she was with Meng Xiyue, Xia Yuan never thought about separating. Since they had openly started living together, the marriage certificate seemed like just a formality.
But seeing the ring on Cui Manman’s hand, Xia Yuan felt it might be different.
Cui Manman didn’t expect this question, but she answered Xia Yuan seriously, “There have been many changes.”
After saying this, she smiled warmly and brightly at Xia Yuan. “But one thing remains the same: we still love each other.”
Seeing the love in Cui Manman’s eyes when she talked about her partner, Xia Yuan didn’t expect to be fed dog food one day. At the same time, she began to look forward to her married life with Meng Xiyue.
Xia Yuan didn’t seem to have a particular talent for cooking, but Cui Manman patiently taught her. However, there was one thing that puzzled her: Xia Yuan had a specific obsession with cutting vegetables. They had to be perfectly even, and the plating had to follow a specific order.
She understood the latter for aesthetic reasons, but the former was quite troublesome without certain knife skills.
She mentioned it briefly, “Miss Xia, you don’t actually need to cut them so neatly.”
In her opinion, as long as the thickness was moderate, it was good enough. After all, they weren’t professional chefs.
Xia Yuan aligned the pieces perfectly, her breath lightening as she made the final cut. She then exhaled and smiled, “My girlfriend likes them cut this way.”
So, I want the same.
Cui Manman understood the subtext, but the term “girlfriend” still had a significant impact. She actually knew Xia Yuan; she had seen Xia Yuan’s movies and knew Xia Yuan was a star. She also knew that the public was very harsh on celebrities, not tolerating any flaws, especially when it came to same-sex relationships. There had been actors who were driven to depression and suicide because of it.
She didn’t expect Xia Yuan to be so straightforward and openly tell her that she had a same-sex partner.
From their recent conversation, Cui Manman also inferred that they would be getting married soon. Looking at the bright smile on Xia Yuan’s face, a smile that showed she was loved, Cui Manman smiled gently and carefully shared some tips on cutting vegetables.
…
Compared to Xia Yuan’s ease, Gu Yan’s days were not going well. His scandals had fermented overnight and were now known all over the internet.
Although the company had done some public relations work, it was of no use. Gu Yan had to beg his agent for a long time before the agent reluctantly agreed to take him back.
The agent’s plan for him was to stay silent and avoid the limelight. Netizens have short memories, and after some time, he could reappear. For now, he should focus on filming.
Although Gu Yan was dissatisfied, he had to admit that this was the best way to handle the situation at the moment.
He never expected Xia Yuan to be so ruthless, leaving no room for mercy and directly exposing his scandals, catching him off guard.
There was nothing he could do but endure it. Xia Yuan was the eldest daughter of the Xia family, and she could crush him with a single finger. No one would go against the Xia family for a minor celebrity like him.
Last night, he contacted his former patrons, but they all turned their backs on him.
He regretted provoking Xia Yuan. When Xia Yuan had clearly expressed her dislike for him earlier, he should have stopped. But unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret in this world.
However, fortunately, she didn’t completely destroy him. As long as he could get through this period, he could rise again.
Gu Yan still came to the set with a smile, as if nothing had happened. He ignored the sarcastic remarks from other actors and the disappointed and disgusted looks from the staff.
But the director’s reaction made it impossible for him to stay calm.
“Director, what is this?” The director had cut most of his scenes, and he was the lead actor in this drama.
The director thought he shouldn’t have taken on this drama; everything was going wrong. Now, the newcomer he had high hopes for, Gu Yan, turned out to have poor character. If he continued to let him play the lead, the ratings for this drama would be doomed.
Moreover, the Xia family had also withdrawn their investment, so there was no hope for this drama to make any splash.
Now, where could he find another investor?
Seeing Gu Yan still daring to come over and ask, he instantly exploded like a firecracker: “With such a big scandal on Weibo, who would dare to hire you?”
Gu Yan’s face darkened, and he eventually stopped talking.
He could only turn to his manager for help. The manager had just answered a call and didn’t look too good either. “Gu Yan, you should take a break for now.”
Gu Yan panicked: “Brother Li, what’s going on?”
Manager: “All your upcoming schedules have been canceled. Every partner is clamoring to terminate their contracts.”
Gu Yan lowered his head: “…I understand.”
At the same time, he knew very well that this break would be the end of him. In the fast-paced entertainment industry, without screen time, no one would remember him after a while.
He regretted it, he really regretted it.
…
Although today was Saturday, there were still many internal matters at the company, and some people at N.S were working overtime. Secretary Gao was one of them.
The Weibo incident involving Gu Yan was handled by him, though the orders came from his superior, Meng Xiyue.
He heard many people in the company discussing whether Gu Yan had offended someone. Secretary Gao just smiled without saying a word.
After delivering the documents to the president’s office, he saw that Meng Xiyue was also working overtime. However, Secretary Gao knew that President Meng would only be busy for a short period. After all, she had openly delegated her authority.
Once the company’s senior management gradually took over, Meng Xiyue could also relax.
In the future, it would be them, the corporate drones, working overtime, while President Meng would leave work on time every day, free and easy.
Thinking of the senior executives who were working tirelessly out of gratitude for Meng Xiyue’s promotion, Secretary Gao adjusted his glasses.
He was looking forward to seeing their reactions when they found out the truth.
Meng Xiyue flipped through the documents, signed her name, and discussed some business matters, which Secretary Gao noted down one by one.
After he left, Meng Xiyue checked the time. Xia Yuan should be arriving in half an hour.
Her fingers tapped the desk, producing a crisp sound.
Xia Yuan kept her schedule a secret today.
Thinking back to this morning, Xia Yuan’s hesitant demeanor, Meng Xiyue pursed her lips slightly. After being together for so long, their schedules had always been transparent to each other.
She didn’t necessarily need to know Xia Yuan’s schedule, but Xia Yuan’s smiling secrecy made her curious.
She went over all of Xia Yuan’s relationships in her mind and recalled everything about Xia Yuan from the book, but still couldn’t come to a conclusion.
Lowering her eyes, she glanced at her phone.
There were no messages. Meng Xiyue’s fingers twitched, and during work hours, she sent a personal message.
“Are you busy?”
No response.
When Assistant Li came in, he saw Meng Xiyue, her long eyelashes lowered, motionless.
He coughed, finally drawing her attention to him. But why did he feel that their CEO seemed a bit lonely?
After dutifully reporting his work, Meng Xiyue responded as calmly and coldly as ever.
But Assistant Li still felt that something was off with CEO Meng.
As soon as he left the CEO’s office, Assistant Li slipped into Secretary Gao’s office. “Did you notice anything off with the CEO?”
Secretary Gao glanced at the curious and gossipy Assistant Li. Thinking of how Meng Xiyue, despite maintaining a perfect facade, had unconsciously revealed a few clues during the work report, she asked, “What do you think is off?”
Assistant Li said, “It must be related to Miss Xia, right?” After so many instances, Assistant Li had come to understand that if the CEO’s mood was off, 80% of the time it was related to Xia Yuan.
Secretary Gao: “Hmm.”
Assistant Li continued, “Do you think the CEO had a fight with Miss Xia?”
Secretary Gao looked at him calmly, “Do you think that’s possible?”
Recalling how Meng Xiyue usually indulged and pampered Xia Yuan, he immediately denied it, “Of course not.”
Secretary Gao didn’t want to engage with him further, but then Assistant Li’s next topic piqued his interest.
“Do you remember Gu Yan, the one who had those rumors with Miss Xia? Last night, I was woken up by my girlfriend. Who did he offend? I didn’t get a good night’s sleep because of him.”
While others were just gossiping, Assistant Li immediately saw that someone was manipulating things behind the scenes.
Secretary Gao calmly looked at him, “Yes, I arranged it.”
“…???” Assistant Li was stunned, “You have a grudge against him? No, wait…” Seeing Secretary Gao’s indifferent eyes, he instantly understood everything, “What did Gu Yan do to offend our CEO?”
Secretary Gao: “Nothing much, just leaked some information to the gossip media.” The deeper reasons, Secretary Gao was still unclear about.
Assistant Li instantly got it. After discussing some work matters, he left. As he stepped out, he saw Xia Yuan carrying a food box.
Assistant Li was already used to this. He thought for a moment and still called out to Xia Yuan, “Miss Xia, the CEO seems to be in a bad mood today.”
Xia Yuan was anxious, “What happened?”
Assistant Li: “…Not sure.”
Xia Yuan didn’t linger and went straight into the CEO’s office. As she pushed the door open, Meng Xiyue was sitting at the computer desk, her long eyelashes slightly lowered, her slender fingers rhythmically tapping on the keyboard.
The bright light outside the window gave a very serene feeling.
She looked Meng Xiyue up and down from her hair to her upper body, finding nothing amiss.
Excluding stomach pain.
Then it must be work-related. Usually, when she came in, Meng Xiyue would look at her immediately. This time, it seemed there was indeed something urgent. She lightly coughed.
At the sound, Meng Xiyue’s hands immediately stopped, her eyes slightly lifted, and a pair of clear, serene eyes locked onto her.
It was as if she had been waiting for her all along.
