After Becoming a Full-Time Employee, I Signed a Romance Contract with My Ice-Cold Boss - Chapter 38

I Am Out of the Nursing Home

The breeze was gentle and the sun was warm; the sky stretched out for ten thousand miles.

Xu Que drove toward the nursing home with Jiang Fengyi. The buildings on either side of the road receded into the distance as rolling hills gradually came into view.

Along the way, Jiang Fengyi looked tense. She checked the map several times, calculating how much longer it would take to arrive.

“Don’t be nervous.”

Xu Que rolled down the window, letting the mountain breeze into the car to blow away the chaotic thoughts in Jiang Fengyi’s mind.

“I’m here with you.”

She held the steering wheel with one hand and placed the other over the back of Jiang Fengyi’s hand, lightly stroking it with her thumb to pass the warmth of her palm to her.

The breeze brought a refreshing coolness. Jiang Fengyi turned her head to look out the window; the frustrations and worries of the road were quickly left far behind the vehicle, unable to catch up.

“Mm, I have you with me!”

She turned her hand over to clasp Xu Que’s, feeling her heart filled with love.

At breakfast, Jiang Fengyi finally stopped making things difficult for the staff and quietly finished her meal.

If she didn’t eat her fill, how would she have the energy to deal with the impending arrival of… Jiang Fengyi?

During free activity time, Jiang Xuan did not go downstairs. She sat alone in her room flipping through magazines.

Jiang Fengyi and her companions arrived during this time.

“It seems the nursing home’s treatment is quite effective. Mother looks much more peaceful than before.”

Jiang Xuan looked up and asked only one thing: “When can I leave?”

Jiang Fengyi asked Xu Que and the bodyguards to wait outside the ward and walked in herself.

The door closed.

In the empty private ward, only the two of them remained.

One sat and one stood. Though they were close enough to touch, it felt as if the Chuhan border lay between them, with an invisible city wall erected in the middle.

Incompatible and clearly divided.

Jiang Fengyi spoke first: “When does Mother want to leave?”

Jiang Xuan snorted. “I want to leave right now!” She wouldn’t stay in this godforsaken place for another second!

To her surprise, Jiang Fengyi, standing by the door, actually nodded. “Fine.”

“I’ll have someone handle the discharge procedures for you.”

“I knew you were being hypocritical…” The words hadn’t fully left Jiang Xuan’s mouth when she felt as if someone had suddenly grabbed her throat. Her voice turned sharp. “What did you say?!”

“I said, if you want to leave, I’ll have the paperwork handled.”

Jiang Xuan stared at Jiang Fengyi suspiciously. “What exactly are you planning?”

“I don’t believe you’re being this kind-hearted.”

“What am I planning?” Jiang Fengyi let out a soft laugh. “Mother will find out what I’m planning once you step outside.”

She turned around, her hand resting on the doorknob. She left an ambiguous sentence behind before twisting the handle and leaving.

“Mother will soon find out what the Zhao family’s plans are for you.”

The subordinates were very efficient. Before Jiang Xuan could figure out the meaning of those words, the discharge papers were already finalized.

This time, Jiang Fengyi didn’t enter alone; Xu Que was by her side.

Seeing that familiar face again, Jiang Xuan was inevitably enraged. She had been locked in the nursing home all because of this person!

“You…”

Xu Que greeted her with practiced ease. “Auntie Jiang, long time no see. Your complexion looks much better than before.”

“It seems the Feng Shui of this nursing home is quite good,” Xu Que said, deliberately poking at her sore spots. “You should come and stay here more often in the future when you have nothing to do.”

Jiang Xuan was so angry she shouted at Jiang Fengyi, “Look at the kind of person you’ve chosen as a partner!”

She immediately stated her position: “As long as I am alive, I will absolutely never agree to let her enter our door!”

Before Jiang Fengyi could speak, Xu Que spoke up with a shy expression: “I have already entered Jiang Fengyi’s door; I never planned on entering yours.”

It was rare for Jiang Fengyi to see Jiang Xuan rendered speechless. she couldn’t help but watch for a few moments before stating her purpose.

“The discharge is handled. You’re coming out with us. Whether you want to go back to your own home or go to the Zhao family, just tell the driver in advance.”

“I hope you don’t regret today’s decision.”

Jiang Fengyi started saying those mysterious things again, making Jiang Xuan frown. She said sternly, “I will only regret not being able to leave sooner!”

Just before getting into the car, Jiang Fengyi glanced at Jiang Xuan’s expression. She turned to the driver in the front and said, “Send her back to the Zhao family.”

Jiang Fengyi and Jiang Xuan did not ride in the same car. After she finished speaking, she left and returned to the car with Xu Que.

Jiang Xuan, who had originally intended to return to the Zhao residence, suddenly said to the driver after the others had left: “Don’t listen to her. Go back to the Jiang residence.”

She was used to doing the opposite of whatever Jiang Fengyi wanted.

The driver nodded in agreement.

On the return trip, the driver took the wheel while Xu Que and Jiang Fengyi sat in the back.

Ever since getting into the car, the curve of Jiang Fengyi’s lips hadn’t dropped. Her pleasant mood was visible to the naked eye—vastly different from her state of mind when they arrived.

“So happy?”

Xu Que leaned in, her hand propped on the rear center console. Her finger accidentally pressed a certain button.

Zizizi—

The privacy partition slowly descended.

Xu Que turned her head stiffly. “Would you believe me if I said I didn’t do that on purpose?” Her finger continued to move, and the partition that had just lowered quickly retracted.

This commotion made the driver in front glance back curiously. Clearly, the two of them hadn’t done anything, yet the air seemed to be filled with pink bubbles.

If one were accidentally popped, it would release a sweet, sugary fragrance.

On the day Jiang Xuan arrived home, news of Jiang Fengyi’s car accident was still trending high on the search rankings.

The members of the Zhao family, unaware of the truth, sat around the meeting hall, constantly speculating about what was going on.

Zhao Ruofei thought the matter was suspicious. “The news of the car accident has been trending for several days. Even if Jiang Fengyi is injured and not lucid, Jingjiang’s PR department should have made a move by now.”

Zhao Ruxuan didn’t think much of it. “Maybe they haven’t figured out the public statement yet.”

“It’s been this long and they still haven’t figured it out?”

“Maybe because the boss is gone, their work efficiency is low.”

Zhao Ruofei refuted her directly. “Do you think a PR department has the same efficiency as you?”

She continued to point out the discrepancies: “Then why hasn’t a single photo of Jiang Fengyi’s injuries leaked out?”

Zhao Ruxuan looked at her sister in confusion. She couldn’t understand why her sister didn’t get something so simple. “That’s the Jiang family. Without their permission, where would photos come from?”

“Exactly!” Zhao Ruofei finally understood completely.

Now it was her younger sister’s turn to be confused. “Exactly what?”

“How could such serious news about the current person in power meeting with a car accident end up on the trending searches so easily? Was it that the Jiang family didn’t have time to stop it, or…”

Before she could finish, Zhao Ruxuan blurted out, “How could the Jiang family not have time to stop it? Unless the media doesn’t want to stay in the industry anymore.” Her voice grew smaller as she spoke, realizing that things weren’t right.

Zhao Ruofei finished her thought: “…Or did Jiang Fengyi release the news on purpose?”

“Are you saying Jiang Fengyi fabricated fake news about her own car accident?” Zhao Ruxuan covered her mouth in surprise. “Then what is she after?”

Zhao Ruofei went silent; she hadn’t figured out what Jiang Fengyi was after either.

After a moment of silence, the old Matriarch Zhao spoke slowly.

“Among the high-level executives of Jingjiang, many were personally promoted by Jiang Xuan. While they may not have the ability to compete with Jiang Fengyi, they can still trip her up occasionally in her work.”

“They are all pivotal executives; it’s impossible to fire them all at once.”

“Perhaps Jiang Fengyi is worried that we will inform them about her locking Jiang Xuan in the nursing home.” Old Matriarch Zhao gave a cold sneer. “So she could only use a car accident as an excuse to stall for time.”

Zhao Ruofei asked, “Why don’t we join forces with the executives of Jingjiang? That way, Jiang Fengyi will be isolated and without help in the company.”

She couldn’t help but fantasize: “We leak the news to them, they denounce Jiang Fengyi, they fight until both sides are wounded, and we sit back and reap the rewards.”

Old Matriarch Zhao interrupted her ruthlessly.

“Stay away from those people. They only care about eating from both ends. They want to get benefits from us and blackmail Jiang Fengyi at the same time. In their eyes, there is only profit, no friendship.”

“You must never let them catch you in a compromise. If they hold a handle against our Zhao family, they will surely strip a layer of skin off us.”

Zhao Ruofei immediately dismissed the idea.

“Then can we only wait?”

Old Matriarch Zhao nodded firmly. “We can only wait. As long as we confirm that Jiang Xuan holds shares, we will directly send people to ‘receive’ her from the nursing home.”

It was just a nursing home, not a prison.

Zhao Ruxuan then asked, “There’s no telling how long we’ll have to wait. Why not take a gamble? Let’s just bet that the shares are with Auntie Jiang!”

“What if they aren’t?”

Zhao Ruxuan said indifferently, “Then wouldn’t the result be the same as it is now?”

“At most, we lose a bit of blood and pay some money to the nursing home.”

Old Matriarch Zhao and Zhao Ruofei, who were discussing the strategy, both stopped. On careful thought, she actually had a point.

Rarely finding herself not refuted, Zhao Ruxuan became even more excited to plan: “When the time comes, I’ll take bodyguards and charge into the nursing home, directly taking her…”

Just as she was about to talk about showing off her skills, the servant, Xiao Xia, knocked on the door.

Only Xiao Xia stood at the door. Further away, several servants watched her back and whispered, “We have to thank Xiao Hong this time. Knowing that going in wouldn’t lead to anything good, she still went in for us.”

“When this month’s salary comes, I’m going to treat her to a meal.”

“Then I’ll wait for the salary and give her a dress.”

“Then I…”

Xiao Xia was only responsible for the garden. Seeing several sisters she usually played well with pushing each other away, she asked what was wrong. Upon hearing that no one was willing to serve in front of the employers, she stepped forward proactively.

In the meeting hall, Old Matriarch Zhao glanced at Zhao Ruxuan, who understood and immediately went silent.

“Enter.”

After entering, Xiao Xia held up a phone and spoke cautiously, “Old Matriarch, your phone is ringing.”

She bowed her waist, her lowered eyes taking advantage of her position to brazenly scan the room.

As expected, a harsh scolding from her employer met her ears.

“Don’t come in and bother me with such trivial matters in the future!”

Old Matriarch Zhao thought it was an unimportant call and was about to hang up. Zhao Ruofei, who was sharp-eyed, saw the name on the screen and quickly stopped her.

At the same time, she said to the servant, “There’s nothing for you here. Leave first.”

The door slammed shut again.

The ringtone continued. Zhao Ruofei hurried to signal the Old Matriarch to look at the screen.

“Grandmother, it’s a call from Auntie Jiang!”

“What?!”

Old Matriarch Zhao pressed the answer button without hesitation.

The stern tone used to scold the servant seamlessly transitioned into an amiable and kind voice.

“Child, you haven’t suffered in the nursing home, have you?”

She deliberately let out a heavy sigh.

“Alas, if only I could go to the nursing home to see you, I would be able to sleep more soundly at night. Unfortunately, Fengyi won’t allow it.”

“You know, she has always been a person of her word; we don’t dare disobey her.”

Old Matriarch Zhao seized the opportunity to drive a wedge between Jiang Xuan and Jiang Fengyi. She had put a lot of effort into the mother-daughter relationship reaching its current state.

She was prepared to add a few more lines when she heard Jiang Xuan speak on the other end of the phone.

“I am out of the nursing home. I am home now.”