◎Who Will Protect the Emperor?◎
9
Ning Ye, along with all the employees, watched the boss.
After swiping his card, the boss didn't eat the food himself but handed it to Assistant Zhang.
Assistant Zhang was taken aback. As he took the simple meal of three dishes and a soup, for some reason, he perceived from President Bian's calm yet sharp gaze a complex mix of gravity, trust, commendation...
As if what he received wasn't a plate of food, but a million-yuan year-end bonus.
Assistant Zhang: "?"
"Take your time eating," Bian Xun said lightly, his gaze sweeping over the employees eating their meals, imperceptibly lingering on a certain point before he turned and strode away with an indifferent expression.
He passed by Ning Ye's table again, aloof and not looking sideways, the hem of his suit jacket stirring a faint, cool sandalwood scent that heavily brushed against her face.
Ning Ye picked up her spoon, thinking: Weirdo.
Anyone who didn't know better would think he gave Assistant Zhang a plate of cash. What's he so proud about?
The colleagues around, however, were envious: "Assistant Zhang truly is the most trusted person by the Boss, he even swiped his card personally to buy him a meal!"
At a distant table, female colleagues huddled together excitedly, their faces flushed with exhilaration. "So handsome, ahhh."
Ning Ye focused on eating her own meal. After lunch, she said goodbye to Sister Zhou and Jiang Xinghe, cleared her own tray, and walked out of the cafeteria.
Her Little Genius watch had sent a voice message earlier. She walked to a corner and raised her phone to listen.
—"Hello? Mommy."
Even though it was a voice message, Ning Zhitao kept saying "hello, hello" as if she were on a phone call. The child's voice, already soft, sounded through the audio like a sweet, sticky little marshmallow.
"Mommy, have you eaten? I had fish, chicken, vegetables, and strawberry yogurt for lunch!"
Ning Ye moved the phone away from her ear. The kindergarten group chat she was in had already posted lunch photos, but a slight, unconscious smile still tugged at the corner of her lips.
Good, the kid ate better at lunch than her dad did.
She walked slowly up the stairs, head bowed, and switched to a voice message, afraid the child couldn't read text: "I ate too. Are you full?" Her voice even mimicked a child's tone.
A tall, dark, and sharply dressed figure stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at her with detached coldness.
So sickly sweet.
Chatting already, right after adding him on WeChat at lunch?
The smile on the girl's face, in his eyes, looked irritatingly gentle.
She exuded an aura different from before, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed... Bian Xun's gaze fell on Ning Ye's phone screen, but she happened to lock it just then.
Assistant Zhang stopped behind Bian Xun. After quickly finishing his lunch (a waste of good food), he came to report the latest progress on the fund leakage case: "President Bian, all married employees with children within the group have been flagged. We will soon screen for employees using the Little Genius app or showing sales activity on other platforms—"
Bian Xun gave a faint "Mm." Ning Ye also happened to walk right below him at that moment.
She looked up, meeting his narrow, sharp black eyes looking down at her with sarcasm, displeased about something again, it seemed.
Bian Xun thought of the male subordinate she had exchanged WeChat with at lunch—thin and frail.
Six years had passed, and her taste had deteriorated this badly.
The young president looked down at her from his height, a glance from the corner of his sharp, beautiful eyes as venomously cutting as if dipped in poison, his voice a cold mist. "I suggest you read the company regulations more carefully."
Ning Ye was utterly confused. Assistant Zhang, however, with his high emotional intelligence, grasped the implied meaning and kindly whispered a reminder, "Miss Ning, company policy states that employees within the same department should not develop overly close relationships."
Ning Ye: "?"
Assistant Zhang offered an apologetic smile, then strode after Bian Xun, continuing his report. "...President Bian, but the number of married employees with children within the company is very large. Implementing this might actually be quite..."
Ning Ye quickly pricked up her ears. Wait, was he really going to pursue the matter of that Little Genius smartwatch?
? I find you to be an extremely nitpicky person.
Ning Ye nervously clutched her phone as she walked back to her workstation, unconsciously tapping her toes on the floor. After a while, she suddenly snapped out of it.
She was neither married nor a parent. Why was she nervous? ^^
...
Evening.
Today was the first day picking up the child after school. Ning Ye left work on time, not even taking her bag, just holding her water cup as she left, giving the illusion she would return, but in reality, she was at the gate of Xialu Kindergarten five minutes later.
Ning Ye followed the local custom, standing among the eagerly waiting parents. Everyone seemed to be waiting for their own little cake to come out of the oven. Soon, the first wave of children came out hand in hand with their teacher, two by two.
The parent group immediately erupted with joyful cries, various nicknames rising and falling.
After the first wave of children were claimed, the second wave quickly emerged.
Ning Ye spotted Ning Zhitao in the crowd at a glance. She was holding hands with a little girl, her eyes smiling into round crescents, looking like she'd had a very good day.
Only then did Ning Ye completely let out a sigh of relief.
"Mommy!" As soon as Ning Zhitao saw her, she immediately let go of her little friend and bounced over to throw herself at her.
Ning Ye now had some experience; she knew to squat down in advance to catch her, otherwise the child's momentum would knock her over.
Each child was holding a paper bag. Ning Zhitao presented hers to Ning Ye like a treasure. "This is the 'Return-to-Kindergarten' gift bag!"
The Xialu Kindergarten logo happened to be a crystal grape, made into a bag charm. Ning Ye casually clipped it onto her bag strap. Ning Zhitao was delighted—this way she could accompany her mom to work.
Holding her mom's hand with one of hers, she turned to say goodbye to her friend from the day.
"Goodbye, Zhang Sijie~"
"Goodbye, Ning Zhitao~" her little friend replied cheerfully.
Ning Ye then looked at the mother opposite. The two exchanged a smile. The other mother's eyes held a flash of admiration and surprise, but she tactfully didn't ask further. Each leading their child away, they seemed to both live in the Xialu residential area.
"How did you get along with the other kids today?" Ning Ye asked, holding Ning Zhitao's hand, their arms of different heights swinging together like a seesaw as they walked slowly towards the neighborhood.
"Great! Mommy, Zhang Sijie's daddy also works at Daddy's company!" Ning Zhitao looked up at Ning Ye. "Zhang Sijie said her daddy's position is very high-level. So impressive. Is it higher than Mommy's and Daddy's?"
Ning Ye felt a slight pang, but she answered very honestly, "Her daddy's position is indeed probably higher than mine."
...But probably not higher than your daddy's.
Ning Ye led the child across the street when, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a pitch-black car silently driving into the kindergarten grounds through a side gate. That type of car wasn't common; all its windows were tinted with frosted black privacy film, the kind usually used for transporting celebrities.
Ning Ye's steps faltered. Out of instinct, she silently memorized the license plate number.
...
The next day at work, the promotion of the AD600 Cloud Sound Pro indeed became the focus. Their business unit was different from the market sales team dealing with celebrities; they targeted government and enterprise sectors, focusing on large-volume cooperation.
Ning Ye reported on the small gaming company she had cooperated with at the branch office before, expressing willingness to visit them. The team leader looked it over and shook his head, "Qiong Xin? Their scale is too small, and the location is too far away." Clearly not believing they had any cooperation potential.
But the team leader didn't outright reject it either. He just said no company car could be provided and expenses wouldn't be reimbursed; she'd have to figure it out herself.
Ning Ye thought it over and still decided to go. She had just transferred to the headquarters and hadn't been assigned many clients yet. Qiongxin Games, however small, was a familiar resource, and besides, their email invitation had been sincere.
After informing her team leader, Ning Ye grabbed her bag and left the office, only to find someone else following her. She turned around and saw Jiang Xinghe from yesterday—the one whose family owned a children's hospital.
Meeting her clear gaze, his fair face paused slightly as he explained, "They emailed me too."
Ning Ye nodded. Seeing he was about to hail a taxi, she said, "Let's take the subway? I know the way."
So Jiang Xinghe followed her onto the train. The young man seemed to have something on his mind. After a long silence, he suddenly spoke softly, "I'm sorry. I was driving past the kindergarten and saw you."
Ning Ye was startled. Looking up in the swaying subway car, she saw a pair of gentle, apologetic eyes with inner double eyelids, holding no malice. This was the first time someone she knew had seen her with a child, but explaining that the child wasn't hers would be hard to believe—Taotao looked too much like her.
"I won't tell anyone. I just didn't want to hold onto your personal privacy without you knowing," Jiang Xinghe explained calmly, his gaze peaceful.
Ning Ye nodded. "Thank you."
After a moment, as if having mustered enough courage, he asked, "So you are... now?"
Ning Ye replied calmly, "I'm single." She stated her status promptly to avoid further curiosity about the child's father.
Hearing this, Jiang Xinghe's reserved, gentle eyes lit up. "You've had it tough."
That day in the crowd, the girl in the white cardigan and light purple cotton shirt had been too striking, her features delicate and dreamlike. When she tilted her head down to talk to the little one, even the cool autumn breeze seemed to soften.
After this conversation, Ning Ye unexpectedly became more familiar with him. She also discovered that Jiang Xinghe had graduated from Jinghua University, a year ahead of her in the Computer Science department. He had been on an exchange program since sophomore year, which was why they'd never crossed paths on campus.
It's just... this profile of a fellow Jinghua graduate, working at Wujiang, and being a year older... why did it sound somewhat familiar?
Ning Ye also asked Jiang Xinghe which children's hospital his family owned. After learning the name and searching it online, "!" she silently put her phone away.
So not only was the Boss from an elite background, but even a random colleague around her came from such a prominent, wealthy family.
Tears.
The visit to Qiongxin Games went smoothly. Ning Ye, like an old friend, toured their latest development progress and then actively promoted Wujiang Group's new CloudSound Pro. She was thorough in her work, having done comprehensive research, and gave an extremely detailed presentation during the meeting.
Back at the company, Jiang Xinghe looked at her with nothing but genuine admiration in his eyes.
They had just returned to their department's floor when they heard the entire level buzzing with excitement.
Sister Zhou, sharp-eyed, spotted them and quickly waved them over. "Come quick, come quick! A famous actress is here at the company, handing out gifts from her endorsement!"
Ning Ye looked up, unsurprised, and saw the woman from her dream-like premonition. Xu Lanyi, with her exquisite makeup and looks, seemed to belong to a different world than the office workers, yet she was very approachable, handing out small gifts to each employee.
Not far behind her, Bian Xun coldly lifted his gaze, watching her and Jiang Xinghe walk in together. He saw the grape charm on her canvas bag swaying back and forth, unconsciously brushing against the sleeve of the person beside her.
Bian Xun's expression darkened.
Xu Lanyi's eyes almost instantly recognized Ning Ye.
She had seen a photo at Old Master Bian's place, but she had to admit, spotting the real Ning Ye in a crowd was effortless.
It was a subtle kind of aura, not overpowering, but lingering like morning mist around youthful dew, possessing a unique beauty... no wonder she managed to swindle money from Bian Xun.
The actress's gaze swept over Ning Ye from head to toe. This girl wasn't wealthy; her clothes were simple, looking like they cost no more than two hundred yuan, with no accessories on her neck or wrists.
Of course, to extort more money, one naturally had to live a bit miserably to highlight the hardships of a single mother.
Xu Lanyi sneered inwardly. She was here today to give this person one more push.
The girl looked young but was quite composed, not having yet revealed the secret of the illegitimate child to Bian Xun. She clearly understood the art of waiting for the highest bidder.
But someone like Ning Ye, craving Bian Xun's wealth yet unable to obtain it, yearned even more for a luxurious life. Everything Xu Lanyi possessed was enough to easily provoke her.
Xu Lanyi put on the warm, amiable smile of an award-winning actress as she moved among the employees. "Don't be shy, everyone. This is a French-brand moisturizer I endorse. It's safe for mothers and infants, so those with little ones at home can use it too."
Sister Zhou searched the price online and gasped. "Over a thousand for this tiny jar. No wonder celebrities are rich."
The office workers were naturally thrilled, starting to interact with the actress. Many could even recite lines from her films and TV shows.
As Xu Lanyi passed Ning Ye, she got a close-up look at those quiet almond-shaped eyes beneath long lashes, certain that Ning Ye was straining to hold back.
So young, raising a child alone, yet Bian Xun hadn't given her a single cent. She must have endured countless hardships, warping her mindset.
When she finally couldn't hold back and went to Bian Xun for money, Xu Lanyi's wish would be fulfilled.
So Xu Lanyi deliberately placed two extra boxes in Ning Ye's hands. "It's fine, they're not expensive. As long as everyone's happy~"
"Noble Consort is mighty! Long live the Noble Consort!" someone shouted, referencing her classic role from a palace intrigue drama.
Xu Lanyi smiled, her eyes briefly sweeping over Ning Ye, before elegantly returning to Bian Xun's side, her eyes sparkling.
Ning Ye looked down and searched for the brand on her phone. She was genuinely intrigued.
Truly a celebrity, their ability to promote products is strong.
Ning Ye clicked into the flagship store and saw the brand also had a special baby cream. She immediately placed an order for one jar: 998 yuan.
Of course, she used Bian Xun's card.
After the purchase, Ning Ye, in excellent spirits, put the items in her bag.
The colleagues around her were also in high spirits. Chang Qi, who loved to liven things up, was standing on the other side and led everyone in shouting another classic line from Xu Lanyi's palace drama, "There's an assassin! Protect His Majesty!"
Colleagues burst into laughter. Xu Lanyi smiled and glanced up at Bian Xun — a gesture that even seemed a little too familiar — instantly sparking a wave of gossip among the employees.
Amidst the clamor, Bian Xun lowered his gaze to his phone.
Everyone was receiving gifts.
And he had just had 9,980,000 yuan deducted from his account.
"There's an assassin, there's an assassin—protect His Majesty!" someone else was getting into the spirit.
Xu Lanyi said with a smile, "Everyone's just joking around..."
Bian Xun looked up. "Get lost."
Xu Lanyi's face paled. The surroundings fell instantly silent.
Bian Xun looked at everyone expressionlessly. "All of you, shut up."
Who was protecting him?
