After Becoming a Full-Time Employee, I Signed a Romance Contract with My Ice-Cold Boss - Chapter 27

Are you asleep?

The moment the eye drops fell into her eyes, Jiang Fengyi felt a surge of coolness, as if a clear spring had flowed through her body, thoroughly washing her eyes.

Unable to control her physiological blinking, the excess liquid in her eye sockets brushed past her eyelashes and slipped from the corners of her eyes, crashing onto Xu Que’s arm, icy and cool.

“Are your eyes any better?”

Jiang Fengyi subconsciously closed and then opened her eyes; the world became bright and clear again, as if everything before her had been washed clean by rain.

“Much… much better.”

Hearing the response, Xu Que finally withdrew the hand that had been cradling the back of Jiang Fengyi’s head. She packed up her things and sat back in her dining chair to eat.

Xu Que had already moved away, but the sensation on Jiang Fengyi’s face seemed to linger—especially on the skin below her eyelid where a small mole resided; it was still faintly burning now.

Two clouds of crimson bloomed on her cheeks.

Jiang Fengyi gave a light cough, feeling she had to do something to divert her attention.

She brought up: “Your workload seems to have increased today.”

“Not really.” Xu Que, her appetite wide open, looked up from the table full of dishes. “The work content is about the same every day. The reason I’m off late today is, first, to wait for you so we could leave together.”

“And second, to look up some information.”

Jiang Fengyi’s face grew even redder, warning herself to focus elsewhere: “What information?”

Xu Que answered honestly: “I wanted to learn more about prosthetics. Yuanyuan said that after getting her new prosthetic, she hasn’t adapted well yet, and the socket area is prone to friction and compression pain.”

“Children’s skin is more delicate compared to adults’. A new hard socket and the residual limb need a period of break-in to reach the most optimal state.”

“But the problem is, children’s bones develop rapidly. Unlike adult prosthetics, which have a longer service life, theirs need timely adjustments and replacements.”

“This way, every replacement brings new pain, yet they must be replaced frequently.”

Xu Que lowered her voice: “I want to know if there are any methods to alleviate their pain.”

Jiang Fengyi didn’t ask if she had found a method, only saying: “If there’s anything you need help with, tell me directly.”

“You’re so good to me~”

Sometimes Xu Que wished Jiang Fengyi wouldn’t be too good to her, because she would surely be loath to part when the agreement expired three years later.

Forget it, she’d just treat it as a beautiful dream.

The Zhao Family Villa

Returning here, Jiang Xuan felt as comfortable as if she had returned to her own home. She moved into the suite the Zhao family had specially prepared for her, fully stocked with all her daily necessities.

Zhao Ruofei said with a smile, “This room is just the same as when you left, and the things are all what you’re used to using. Aunt Jiang, see if there’s anything else you need to add?”

Jiang Xuan laughed heartily from the bottom of her heart, without a hint of the gravity she showed in front of Jiang Fengyi; at this moment, she had become a kind elder.

“Good child, I am most at ease with the way you do things. Whatever you arrange will certainly suit my heart!”

The two seemed to be performing a drama of deep mother-daughter affection, though it was a pity one was surnamed Jiang and the other Zhao—they were “relatives” with absolutely no blood relation.

Jiang Xuan couldn’t help but sigh: “If only Jiang Fengyi were half as sensible as you!”

“How can you say that,” Zhao Ruofei chuckled softly, “Fengyi is much more capable than I am.”

“I should say, if I had half her ability, I’d wake up laughing in the middle of the night.”

Jiang Xuan gave a cold snort: “Aside from her work ability being a bit outstanding, in what way does she compare to you? She goes around with a cold face all day, like a block of wood.”

She looked at Zhao Ruofei and was satisfied with everything she saw. The thought hidden deep in her heart slipped out without hesitation: “If only you were my daughter.”

At this point, a bit of sadness involuntarily leaked into her eyes.

“When your mother was alive, she used to joke often about letting me take you as a goddaughter.”

She sighed.

“In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed, and you’ve grown so big.”

Zhao Ruofei took hold of Jiang Xuan, who was trapped in her memories, and brewed the most sincere tone: “You can treat me as your daughter.”

As she spoke, she lowered her eyes, her silhouette exuding an aura of sorrow.

“Actually, I have always relied on you to fill the maternal love missing in my heart.”

“As you know, I lost my mother when I was young. It was you who came to my side to enlighten me, take care of me, and cherish me.”

“Before I even understood the meaning of the word ‘mother,’ you let me know of its existence.”

Hearing these words from Zhao Ruofei, the heartache in Jiang Xuan’s eyes became almost tangible.

It was as if her maternal instinct had suddenly awakened, a heart full of affection wanting to do something for her daughter. It was just that the object of this released maternal love was not her biological daughter, but an outsider.

“Don’t worry, I will definitely let you have your wish and be with Jiang Fengyi.”

During this period, Jiang Fengyi discovered that Xu Que, as her subordinate, was even busier than her as the superior. Every day she left early and returned late. Although they still lived under the same roof, the number of times they sat at the same table for a meal grew fewer and fewer.

That day, Xu Que walked in holding a project proposal for Jiang Fengyi to review. When she put down the document and turned to leave, Jiang Fengyi called out to stop her.

“You’ve seemed very busy lately?”

She tried her best to keep her tone calm, as if it were just a casual question.

“You didn’t come home for dinner last night; the housekeeper even asked where you went.”

“I remember I told you in advance that I wouldn’t be back for dinner,” Xu Que repeated. “Yesterday after work, I went to a factory that specializes in producing prosthetics for an on-site visit.”

“You did seem to mention it; I forgot.”

“Then tonight…”

Xu Que immediately picked up the thread: “I’m going to another factory to take a look today. You don’t need to wait for me for dinner; tell the housekeeper not to make my portion.”

“Oh.”

The thick-skinned Xu Que didn’t notice the coldness in Jiang Fengyi’s tone; her brain was already occupied by which various materials and models of prosthetics had which advantages and disadvantages.

After Xu Que came out, He Shuyi, who also needed to bring documents for President Jiang to review, immediately came forward and asked hurriedly: “How is President Jiang’s mood right now?”

She had been dragging out the document in her hand until now, nearly time to get off work, and hadn’t sent it in yet.

Xu Que replied: “Her mood is pretty good.” After all, she even asked if she was coming back for dinner.

“Good!” He Shuyi clutched the document and went to knock on the door. “I’ll send it to her while President Jiang is in a good mood.”

Inside the office, He Shuyi walked slowly toward Jiang Fengyi, feeling that the temperature here was several degrees lower than outside. Although she couldn’t see joy or anger on President Jiang’s face, she clearly felt that President Jiang was radiating cold air from all over.

Damn it, Xu Que, you’ve actually set me up!

Where on earth did Xu Que get the idea that President Jiang was in a good mood?

Jiang Fengyi, in front of her, had her lips pressed tight and her brow furrowed, looking as if she had encountered a difficult problem at work. When she saw her come in, she only gave a faint glance before quickly withdrawing her gaze.

There wasn’t a hint of warmth on that iceberg-like face.

He Shuyi mustered the courage to step forward: “Pre—President Jiang, there is a document here for your review.”

“Put it there, I’ll look at it later.”

“Uh—uh, okay.”

He Shuyi respectfully backed away: “Pre—President Jiang, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.”

“Mm.”

As if a heavy burden had been lifted, He Shuyi left quickly.

After coming out, she wanted to settle the score with Xu Que, only to be told at the same time that Xu Que had left as soon as she finished work.

“Why has she been so mysterious lately? Not a shadow of her can be seen as soon as it’s time to get off.”

Xu Que arrived at a factory building in the suburbs before the appointed time; this was an OEM factory for a prosthetic brand she was quite optimistic about.

The staff member who was supposed to interface with her hadn’t arrived yet. She checked the time, and when she looked up again, a young lady appeared before her.

“Hello, may I ask if you are Ms. Xu?”

Xu Que reached out her hand toward her: “Hello, I am Xu Que.”

The young lady also reached out: “Hello, I am the intern, Ou Kelin, who will be showing you around today.”

Their company was not large. Xu Que followed her inside. At this hour, the factory masters had already finished work; only some equipment and machines could be seen running automatically.

Accompanying Ou Kelin’s explanation, Xu Que noticed that most of the resin prosthetic models displayed in the public area were for adults; she saw almost no children’s models.

She asked about it.

“It’s like this. Pediatric prosthetics require attention to adjustability in terms of dynamic fit, which is different from the static fit philosophy pursued for adult prosthetics.”

“Adult bones and bodies are basically fixed and won’t undergo significant changes; once the values are determined, production can proceed. However, children in a rapid growth phase are different—their bones, bodies, and limbs are constantly changing, so constant adjustments are needed.”

“Plus, our company receives fewer orders for children, so we haven’t launched a pediatric prosthetic business.”

After learning this, Xu Que nodded in silence.

Next, Ou Kelin continued to introduce other processes in the production line.

…

When Xu Que came out of the factory, the sky was already so dark she couldn’t see.

She hadn’t had dinner yet and was planning to find a shop that was still open to grab a quick bite, when Ou Kelin, who had finished work with her, drove over.

The car stopped, she rolled down the window, and asked with a smile.

“I know a place nearby that’s not bad. How about we go for dinner together?”

Xu Que refused outright: “No.” She skillfully brought out Jiang Fengyi, “My girlfriend is still at home waiting for me to come back for dinner.”

As she spoke, she looked down at her phone: “My ride is almost here, I’ll be going now.”

Under the streetlights, Xu Que walked to the other side of the road to wait for the arrival of the ride-hail driver.

After getting into the car, Xu Que looked at the various neon signs of the dining establishments along the street. Even though her stomach was already empty, she didn’t have much of an appetite.

Eating out was nowhere near as good as sitting and eating with Jiang Fengyi. It was just that she herself didn’t know how late she would be busy until it was over; she couldn’t bear to let Jiang Fengyi stay up until this hour just to eat.

As for herself, she would just eat something casual to fill her stomach.

Passing a familiar intersection, Xu Que quickly spoke up.

“Master, please stop at that cake shop ahead.”

On the day she and Jiang Fengyi got their marriage certificate, she had bought a strawberry mountain cake from that shop. She hadn’t expected the cake she bought on a whim to suit Jiang Fengyi’s taste so perfectly; she had eaten several bites in a row.

After entering the shop, Xu Que asked the clerk to pack one for her.

After paying with her phone, she tapped on Jiang Fengyi’s avatar.

“Are you asleep?”

The nickname at the very top of the screen changed several times; the words “typing…” flickered in and out.

Finally, the words that were successfully sent over were only two.

“Not yet.”

In the bedroom, Jiang Fengyi sat half-upright in bed with her long hair draped down. The main light in the room wasn’t on; only the wall lamp on her side was lit. Under the dim shadows, the expression on her face was unclear.

The sentence “When are you coming home?” that she had drafted in the dialogue box was deleted by Jiang Fengyi character by character. Because there had been no operation for a long time, the light on the screen slowly dimmed and finally went out.

At the same time, carrying the packed cake back into the car, Xu Que finally had a free hand to type.

“I’ve packed a cake for you. Do you want to eat it tonight or after you wake up tomorrow?”

Ding-dong—

The sound of the other party’s message notification easily plucked at Jiang Fengyi’s heartstrings in the darkness.