After Becoming a Full-Time Employee, I Signed a Romance Contract with My Ice-Cold Boss - Chapter 39

I Don’t Have Any Shares

“Then I’m coming to find you right now!”

Old Mrs. Zhao assumed Jiang Xuan had sneaked out, so she didn’t dare ask too many questions; she only insisted on seeing her.

Jiang Xuan glanced at the pitch-black sky outside. “It’s too late today. Let’s make it tomorrow.”

The stunned Old Mrs. Zhao regained a sliver of her senses. “Then I’ll bring Ruofei and Ruxuan to see you tomorrow. Those two children haven’t seen you for days and won’t stop talking about you.”

Having traveled a long distance and grown accustomed to the healthy early-to-bed routine of the nursing home, Jiang Xuan began to feel drowsy after only a few words.

“I just wanted to let you know I’m out,” she said with a yawn. “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”

The moment the call ended, Jiang Xuan’s head hit the pillow and she fell fast asleep. With her excellent sleep quality and her habit of avoiding her phone, she completely missed the news about Jiang Fengyi’s “car accident.”

Young people didn’t go to bed that early.

In a rare moment of leisure, Jiang Fengyi was curled up on the sofa with Xu Que, watching a movie.

The main lights in the media room were off, leaving only the flickering glow of the film. The movie was one Xu Que had picked—a highly-rated romance—but the leads were moving slow, so the two of them couldn’t help but start chatting.

Xu Que looked sideways at Jiang Fengyi’s profile. “Why did you pick your mother up again?”

Jiang Fengyi kept her eyes on the screen. The light falling on her face gave her a soft, pearly lunar glow. As the scenes shifted and the light waxed and waned, Jiang Fengyi’s face remained vividly etched in Xu Que’s gaze.

Jiang Fengyi held nothing back. “Because Wu Qi discovered that the Zhao family is looking for a share transfer contract.”

Xu Que vaguely remembered. “The one from when I accompanied you to your mother’s house for dinner? The one she gave you?”

“No,” Jiang Fengyi turned to look Xu Que in the eye. “It’s the one from after your people took you away. I told her I was willing to exchange 10% of my shares to get you back.”

“I had the contract drafted at the time. She only had to sign it.”

Jiang Fengyi spoke nonchalantly, but every word landed in Xu Que’s heart with the weight of a thousand pounds.

On the screen, the two leads were sharing an intimate moment. Outside the screen, two figures were leaning closely against one another.

“Every time I think you’ve been good enough to me, I unexpectedly find out you’ve been far better than I ever imagined.”

Overflowing with love she couldn’t express in words, Xu Que could only resort to kisses to show her joy.

“Mmph…”

Jiang Fengyi reached out, covered Xu Que’s lips, and gave her a gentle push.

“No…”

Hurt immediately flashed in Xu Que’s eyes. “Why?”

Jiang Fengyi leaned past her, her gaze fixed intently on the movie screen.

“Because I want to see how the movie ends.”

Xu Que didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She sat back down and accompanied Jiang Fengyi until the credits rolled. Secretly, she vowed she would never pick a romance movie again.

When the movie ended, Xu Que received only a “goodnight kiss” from Jiang Fengyi, once again blocking any further intimacy.

“Sleep early. There’s a good show to watch tomorrow.”

The next morning.

Jiang Fengyi was still dreaming when she felt movement beside her. She vaguely heard someone calling her name.

But she was so sleepy…

Her eyes were too heavy to open. Her thick eyelashes only fluttered a few times at the sound of her name before falling still again.

The person in front of her rolled over to keep sleeping, so Xu Que continued her morning wake-up service. Last night, Jiang Fengyi had repeatedly instructed Xu Que to get her out of bed by any means necessary.

Xu Que placed her hand on Jiang Fengyi’s cheek and couldn’t help but give it a pinch.

“So soft!”

As she pinched, the cheek puffed up like a round, plump glutinous rice ball. When she pressed down, it left a shallow dimple. Xu Que couldn’t resist poking her in another spot.

The other woman’s skin was so tender it felt like it could bruise at a touch. Even though Xu Que didn’t use much force, a faint red mark remained where she had pinched.

Startled, Xu Que quickly pulled her hand back. But the red mark on Jiang Fengyi’s face seemed to stare back at her, accusing her of being the culprit.

Against her pale skin, which glowed like cool moonlight, the red mark began to fade and bloom into a larger, rosy flush.

White and pink—she looked just like a ripe honey peach. Moving closer, Xu Que could see the fine downy hair on her cheeks rising and falling with her breath.

She really wanted to take a bite.

Jiang Fengyi dreamed she had transformed into a glutinous rice ball. She had no arms or legs, just a round body. As a rice ball, she was tossed into a pot, and the surrounding heat made her break out in a sweat.

Just as she was complaining about the heat, someone suddenly bit her on the cheek.

Help! Someone’s eating the rice ball!

“Ah!”

Jiang Fengyi snapped her eyes open. Seeing Xu Que beside her, she lunged into her arms without a second thought, wailing, “I just had a nightmare!”

Xu Que patted her back soothingly. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Dreams aren’t real. You don’t have to be scared now that you’re awake. I’m here.”

Seeing Jiang Fengyi calm down, Xu Que asked curiously, “What did you dream about?”

“I dreamed someone bit me!”

The hand patting her back froze for a second. Xu Que’s whole body went stiff as she stammered, “That… that person is very bad.”

Jiang Fengyi, still shaken, chimed in, “Exactly! So bad!”

Because of her recent routine, Jiang Xuan woke up as soon as it was light.

Waking up fully rested felt refreshing. She jogged a few laps around the house for exercise, and by the time she returned, the housekeeper had breakfast ready.

Jiang Xuan took a bite of a shrimp dumpling and called out to the kitchen, “Prepare an extra serving for breakfast from now on.”

The housekeeper was confused. “Is Fengyi coming back to live here?”

“No, my appetite has just been better lately.”

It was strange; despite being angry every day at the nursing home, her health, sleep, and appetite had all improved. She could clearly feel that her body was much heartier than it had been a while ago.

Jiang Xuan finished off the breakfast on the table all by herself.

After the meal, she went to the garden to walk off the food. The early morning sun felt warm on her shoulders as she enjoyed the blooming flowers.

That was when the Zhao family arrived.

Leading the group, Old Mrs. Zhao saw Jiang Xuan living such a leisurely life. She had to grit her teeth to keep the envy and resentment from showing in her eyes. Regardless of what she felt inside, her face was plastered with a warm smile as she greeted Jiang Xuan from a distance.

“In such high spirits today? Admiring the scenery in the garden so early.”

As she got closer, she noticed Jiang Xuan’s complexion looked great. In contrast, Old Mrs. Zhao and the two younger ones hadn’t slept well last night; it took thick concealer to hide the dark circles under their eyes.

Jiang Xuan exhaled lazily. “I only realized this morning how well the flowers in the courtyard are blooming.”

She invited the three of them to sit. “It’s a pity for these flowers to bloom with no one to admire them. If you have time, come look at the flowers more often—and visit this ’empty-nester’ while you’re at it.”

Zhao Ruofei immediately chimed in, “How can Auntie Jiang be an empty-nester? So many people would jump at the chance to keep you company but can’t find the opportunity.” She sat down right next to Jiang Xuan. “If you don’t mind, we’ll come bother you every day.”

Jiang Xuan smiled and took her hand. “I should ask your grandmother how she raised you to be so considerate and charming.”

“Stay for lunch today,” Jiang Xuan added before they could decline. “I’ll have the housekeeper make whatever you like. It’s too lonely eating by myself.”

Old Mrs. Zhao agreed immediately. “Then I’ll gladly accept. As you get older, you just want to eat in a lively atmosphere.”

They sat in the flower-filled courtyard chatting and laughing, seemingly having a wonderful time. However, the Zhao family members all had their own agendas. Their eyes weren’t on the flowers; they were unified in their focus on Jiang Xuan, the center of the conversation.

In the entire garden, the only person who was actually, sincerely admiring the flowers was Jiang Xuan.

As the sun rose higher and the heat became stifling, the group moved indoors. Old Mrs. Zhao even said as they went, “Next time your flowers bloom, remember to call me over to see them.”

“Of course, of course.”

As soon as they stepped into the air-conditioned living room, Old Mrs. Zhao let out a deep sigh of relief. At her age, she finally didn’t have to sit outside in the heat feeding the mosquitoes.

Flattering Jiang Xuan was truly hard work!

Old Mrs. Zhao hadn’t forgotten the purpose of this trip. She didn’t even care to find out how Jiang Xuan had “escaped” the nursing home; she was solely focused on sniffing out information about the shares. She guessed Jiang Xuan had probably contacted some bodyguards in secret to pick her up—that wasn’t important. It didn’t compare to the shares.

Old Mrs. Zhao rehearsed her script mentally and then brought it up as if in casual conversation. “I really envy your life. You don’t have to think about anything, and you’re surrounded by people waiting on you.”

She meant those words with total sincerity—she truly envied Jiang Xuan’s luck.

Jiang Xuan gave her a strange look. “Don’t you live the same way? Does your house not have servants? Do you cook and clean for yourself? We’re both about the same; why are you envying me all of a sudden?”

Old Mrs. Zhao shook her head. “How can a retired old lady like me compare to you…” She watched Jiang Xuan’s expression, waiting for her to continue.

Jiang Xuan nodded. “True. I haven’t retired yet. I still have to find time to go to the company for meetings every week. Your life is much more comfortable than mine.”

The Zhao family: “…” Old Mrs. Zhao: Is that what I meant?

“I mean I envy that you can still work at the company. Dealing with young people helps keep the mind young.”

Jiang Xuan looked at her like she was crazy. She was about to argue, but then she thought about the project reports she heard at every meeting that could never be implemented. Her vision went dark just thinking about it.

“On second thought, you’re right. Seeing the project plans my subordinates hand in makes me so angry I feel like a grandson—doesn’t that just make you feel young?”

Old Mrs. Zhao was choked up again. She glanced at Jiang Xuan and decided to stop beating around the bush. She finally stated the goal of this trip.

“Even if you don’t work, the company’s dividends alone must be quite a lot every year.”

Jiang Xuan nodded. “That’s why I threw all the company matters to Jiang Fengyi. I only need to go to a meeting once in a while.” Her face held a genuine smile. “Living a life where you just lie down and collect money is truly great.” Her gaze swept over Old Mrs. Zhao. “But still not as good as you. You don’t even have to go to meetings to collect money.”

Old Mrs. Zhao struggled to pull the conversation back from where Jiang Xuan was steering it. “Stop teasing me. How can a pension compare to company dividends?”

“I don’t have any shares in the company.”

“What?!”

Old Mrs. Zhao stood up in sheer shock. The disbelief in her eyes was even more intense than that of the person involved.

“You’re a director of Jingjiang! How could you not have any shares?” She stared fixedly at Jiang Xuan, desperate to find a hole in the story to prove she was lying.

“I don’t believe it! You must be lying to me!”