Rose Manor: Tycoon's Relentless Chase
Chapter 26 - 23: Bringing a Female Companion

Chapter 26: Chapter 23: Bringing a Female Companion

Hu Yuzhi was overjoyed, one hand resting on her knee trembling slightly with excitement. Before coming, she never expected things to progress so smoothly.

"In that case, nothing could be better," Hu Yuzhi sipped her tea, her words sweet and smiling, "Our Yin Family is reaching new heights; it’s Yaoyao’s luck to marry into the Qin Family."

She knew Old Mrs. Qin was a reasonable person, and coming directly to her was the right move. If it were Qin Zhongtian in the living room now, it wouldn’t be so easy to handle.

Old Mrs. Qin smiled politely and said, "Since we will soon be one family, there’s no question of reaching or not reaching. How about setting a day for the two families to have a meal together and discuss the engagement details?"

Hu Yuzhi smiled with great satisfaction: "Everything will follow the Old Madam’s arrangements."

Qin Sang watched in amazement, never having seen someone change their expression so quickly; in such a short time, Hu Yuzhi’s face was a spectacle of worry, difficulty, joy, and excitement... seamlessly transitioning.

Disliking such behavior, Qin Sang rolled her eyes secretly and interjected willfully, "Grandma, you arranged the marriage without consulting my brother?"

Old Mrs. Qin’s face fell: "Parental orders and matchmaker’s words. As a grandmother, can’t I make this decision?"

"That’s not fashionable nowadays."

"Sang Sang."

Sensing her elder’s subtle displeasure, Qin Sang shut her mouth and said no more.

With her mother in poor health, all household affairs were managed by her grandmother. Raised by her grandmother since childhood, Qin Sang, though a bit arrogant and spoiled, respected her deeply.

Having achieved her goal, Hu Yuzhi found a moment to stand up and bid farewell: "It’s almost lunchtime, I won’t disturb the Old Madam’s meal, I’ll head back first. Take care, and we’ll meet another day."

"Stay and eat with us," Old Mrs. Qin offered politely.

"Thank you for your kindness, Old Madam," Hu Yuzhi apologized, "I’m not comfortable with Yaoyao alone at home, I have to go check on her."

Old Mrs. Qin did not insist, and called a servant to escort her out.

Once outside the Qin Family villa, Hu Yuzhi let out a long breath of relief. With no one around, she discarded her dignified and elegant social mask, the corners of her mouth curving to the fullest, her happiness almost soaring to the clouds.

Her daughter’s risky move was the right one.

Marrying into the Qin Family, Qin Zhongtian would no longer hassle them about Shen Jianian, and would have to support his son and daughter-in-law’s family, solving all the Yin Family’s issues.

Moreover, with the Qin Family matriarch chronically ill and hospitalized, Yaoyao wouldn’t need to serve a mother-in-law. Old Mrs. Qin was quite advanced in age; how many more years can she manage? As soon as the old lady closes her eyes, the whole Qin Family will be subject to Yaoyao’s decisions.

As a mother, she could sleep easy from then on.

No matter how you look at it, this marriage was a win-win deal. The more Hu Yuzhi thought about it, the more excited she became, her spirits continuously high, struggling to calm down.

Getting into the car, Hu Yuzhi instructed the driver to start driving, eagerly taking out her phone to share the good news with her daughter.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Upon answering, Yin Shuyao’s voice carried a complaint, clearly not well-rested, her voice thick with sleepiness, "How long have I been asleep when you’re disturbing me again."

"My good daughter, why are you still sleeping?" Hu Yuzhi couldn’t help but laugh as she spoke, pressing her fingertip to the corner of her eye, not wanting more wrinkles, "I just came out of the Qin Family and met with Old Mrs. Qin."

Upon hearing this, Yin Shuyao was instantly wide awake, eagerly asking, "What did she say?"

"When your mom takes action, nothing is impossible," Hu Yuzhi said smugly, "Old Mrs. Qin herself made the decision for you to marry Qin Fan."

"Really?!" Yin Shuyao gasped, covering her mouth, not quite believing her wish had come true so quickly. She repeatedly asked her mother for confirmation, "Did the old lady really agree?"

"We’re already talking about setting a date for the engagement. How could it be false?"

Receiving her mother’s firm answer, Yin Shuyao’s eyes sparkled brightly, an unfathomable joy swelling inside her.

Dropping the phone, she lay back on the bed, rolling twice with the blanket wrapped around her, feeling as if a butterfly inside her was about to take flight, making the whole world seem bright and colorful.

*

During lunch break, Shen Jianian sat alone in a corner of the company cafeteria, with a steaming hot bowl of soup noodles in front of her, too hot to eat since it had just been made.

A smartphone lay on the table, a social media app notifications lighting up with entertainment news.

Coincidentally, the protagonist of the news was someone she knew well.

Yin Shuyao and Qin Fan were photographed by the paparazzi at the hotel suite door, one with a neck imprinted with a kiss mark, the other in disarrayed clothing, the ambiance so ambiguous it seemed to burst through the screen.

Irrelevant to her, Shen Jianian paid no mind to the news, and in fact, deeply hated everything related to the Qin Family.

She turned off her phone, picked up her chopsticks, and lifted a portion of the noodles to her mouth. It tasted less appealing than it smelled, perhaps because the photos had spoiled her appetite.

Forcing herself to eat half the bowl, Shen Jianian returned to the secretary’s office.

The open office area already had people returning from lunch, napping on desks. Not far away was the private office belonging solely to Zhu Yilan, who had just finished eating and was throwing a takeout box into the trash can.

A tall, slender young man in an iron-gray suit walked in from outside, his posture straight and long, straight towards Zhu Yilan’s office.

Hearing a knock on the door, Zhu Yilan looked up to see who it was, raising her eyebrows in surprise, "When did you come back?"

"This morning," Song Fang put a few documents on her desk, replying with a faint smile, "Just finished reporting work, by the way conveying Mr. Chen’s instructions. There’s an important engagement tonight, and you need to prepare as his female companion. Also, these documents need to be delivered to other departments as soon as possible."

Hearing the first part, Zhu Yilan’s eyes lit up, losing her usually cold demeanor.

In previous engagements requiring a female companion, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Fu Jichen would take a female secretary along. Among the female secretaries, Zhu Yilan performed the best, be it in terms of drinking or socializing, no one could do better than her, so she was always the one to accompany Fu Jichen to various occasions.

The sudden appearance of Shen Jianian made Zhu Yilan think he no longer needed her, but the news brought by Song Fang gave her immense encouragement and confidence, making her internally jubilant.

"Have you seen that girl outside?" Zhu Yilan snapped out of her reverie, looking up to indicate Shen Jianian’s desk, "Go on a business trip and your position as a special assistant to the president is gone."

Song Fang glanced in the direction she indicated, able to tell just from a profile that the girl was beautiful and had a gentle demeanor.

"So she’s Mr. Chen’s new assistant? Not bad."

Zhu Yilan choked, having nothing to say.

Song Fang leaned against the edge of the desk, arms crossed, scrutinizing Zhu Yilan’s expression with a smile, "I’ll spend less time in Yicheng later, having someone to fill my work isn’t it relieving your burden? How come you don’t look happy."

Zhu Yilan did not admit her unhappiness, changing the subject: "What did Mr. Chen send you to Beicheng for?"

"Can’t say."

Song Fang’s smile faded from his lips, becoming enigmatic.

*

Before the end of the day, Zhu Yilan smoothly completed her tasks, opened the bottom drawer of her desk, where a black paper bag lay quietly.

A spare dress hung on a hanger in front of the locker, ironed to be smooth and sleek. In the evening, soft sunset light slanted through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting over the satin dress, giving it a faint golden hue.

Zhu Yilan went to the restroom to change into the dress, coming out to win a wave of admiring glances.

Her long hair was styled into a low bun, elongating her neck, the line graceful, with a simple diamond necklace as the only embellishment on the chest. Makeup, though subtle, was carefully applied, striking a balance between light and heavy, highlighting her elegant and graceful demeanor.

Seeing Zhu Yilan’s extraordinarily formal attire, the staff in the secretary’s office immediately understood: "Secretary Zhu, are you accompanying Mr. Chen to the banquet tonight?"

As they spoke, some glances were subtly cast towards Shen Jianian.

A colleague witnessed her getting into the president’s limited edition car, sitting with him in the back, indicating a close relationship. Why didn’t the president bring her to an important event, but instead had Secretary Zhu accompany him as before?

Shen Jianian wasn’t paying attention to what they were talking about, as she was too absorbed in the data and text in front of her.

Zhu Yilan’s gaze swept over Shen Jianian, uncharacteristically amiable: "Yes. I’m leaving first, finish up and leave early."

The sound of high heels moved away, and without turning back, Zhu Yilan heard someone behind her exclaim, "Our Secretary Zhu truly holds a place in Mr. Chen’s heart!"

Unknowingly, the corners of Zhu Yilan’s lips curled up, the curve evident, dispelling the gloom that had shrouded her heart for so long.