Chapter 57: Exposure

Xu Yan and Chen Yi had spent the night at the camping base. They woke up very early the next day and both changed into the clothes they had prepared in advance. Xu Yan then drove them to the company.

As the car was about to pull into the underground garage, Chen Yi suddenly remembered something very important.

“Sister, about us dating… what do you think? I mean, should we let people at the company know?”

Xu Yan had never cared about such things.

“Up to you,” she said.

Chen Yi counted off on her fingers. Her two-month internship was down to just a few days, and to avoid unnecessary gossip—not to mention the hassle of fending off questions from nosy coworkers—she suggested to Xu Yan that they keep it under wraps for a while.

Xu Yan had no objections.

When they rode the elevator up together and reached their floor, Chen Yi said her usual line: “Chief Editor Xu, I’ll get to work.” She headed to her desk and greeted Yu You’an. It was then that Xu Yan suddenly regretted agreeing to the idea.

Yu You’an spotted her and immediately asked, “Chen Yi, are you okay? I heard you got sick yesterday?”

Chen Yi coughed guiltily. “Ah, it’s nothing. I just felt a little off all of a sudden.” The truth was, she had gone off to start dating someone.

Yu You’an tilted her head. “How come you showed up with Chief Editor Xu today?”

Chen Yi’s gaze darted away.

Yu You’an pressed on. “Did you run into her downstairs again?”

Chen Yi nodded vigorously. “Yeah, yeah, exactly.”

Yu You’an handed Chen Yi a cup of coffee, along with a bread roll. “Brought these for you. No need to stand on ceremony—think of it as breakup consolation.”

Chen Yi hesitated, not taking them. “Um… You’an, I have to come clean about something.”

Yu You’an blinked. “Huh?”

“I’m dating someone again.” Chen Yi pushed the breakup consolation coffee back across Yu You’an’s desk. “So I’ll have to pass on the gesture for now.”

Yu You’an’s expression froze for an instant.

She no longer burst into dramatic reactions at the slightest hint of romantic drama from Chen Yi, like she used to.

Instead, she gazed at Chen Yi with pity.

“I get it. Sometimes when heartbreak hits rock bottom, people start hallucinating.”

Chen Yi shook her head. “No… that’s not it at all.”

“I really am dating someone!”

Yu You’an nodded. “Sure, I believe you.”

But her face didn’t sell the “believe” part for a second.

Yu You’an had been completely worn down by Chen Yi’s rollercoaster of previous announcements: “I’m dating!” “I broke up!” “I think I’m falling for someone again!” It was just like that famous fable, The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

“Though I have to say, your outfit today is totally different,” Yu You’an remarked. Fashion had always been her main focus. “It suits you perfectly. Did you put it together yourself?”

Chen Yi’s cheeks flushed bright red. “Nope. My girlfriend styled it for me.”

That did it—Yu You’an believed her.

She knew Chen Yi wasn’t the type to fuss over clothes without a good reason.

“Holy crap?!” Yu You’an grabbed fistfuls of her own hair, staring at Chen Yi in disbelief. “You actually did it?”

“Who’s the lucky one this time? Not another online thing, right?”

“Nope.” Chen Yi glanced around as more people trickled in. She leaned close to Yu You’an and whispered, “I’ll spill after work.”

She had cleared this with Xu Yan beforehand.

She didn’t have to tell anyone else at the company, but Yu You’an was her one true friend here. Chen Yi felt she owed her some honesty.

Xu Yan didn’t mind Chen Yi staking her claim like this—in fact, she rather enjoyed it.

Having slept at the campsite the night before, Chen Yi hadn’t been able to show off her cooking skills or prepare a loving homemade lunch. At noon, she went to eat with Yu You’an as usual and took the chance to ask Xu Yan what she wanted.

Xu Yan had little appetite; she tended to forget about food once she dove into work. Chen Yi decided on her own to pack back a few dishes. Xu Yan agreed.

Yu You’an was impressed by the gesture.

“Little Yizi, look at you—you finally get it.” She patted Chen Yi’s back. “No more picking fights with Chief Editor Xu all the time. She’s got that stern vibe, sure, but she’s actually pretty solid. No drama from her. And now you’re even getting food for her?”

Chen Yi grinned. “Yeah.”

How could she not feed her own wife?

Chen Yi scarfed down her lunch in record time, sweeping Yu You’an up in the rush. She polished off every grain of rice and scrap of food in her bowl and hurried back to the company with her.

The moment they stepped inside, Chen Yi sensed something was off. Yu You’an, who knew the front desk girl well, dashed over. “Sis, what’s going on?”

The receptionist whispered dramatically, “It’s huge trouble.”

“Headquarters sent someone.”

Chen Yi shrugged inwardly. Big deal—someone from corporate. Why was everyone acting like the emperor had shown up incognito? She brushed it off and followed Yu You’an into the elevator. But when they reached their floor, her carefree expression evaporated. She was still clutching the takeout bag for Xu Yan when her feet nearly slipped out from under her. She spun around to bolt.

Yu You’an stared dead ahead at the woman chatting with their colleagues, convinced she’d seen a ghost.

Chen Nanyun?!

The company’s founder and current CEO, Chen Nanyun?!

What was she doing here?!

“Chen Yi!” Yu You’an grabbed her clothes, stopping her escape. “Why are you running? Take a look—isn’t that Chen Nanyun? Am I seeing things?”

Chen Yi sighed helplessly. “Nah… you’ve got eagle eyes.”

The commotion caught Chen Nanyun’s attention right away. She spotted Chen Yi, arched an eyebrow, and beckoned her over with a curl of her finger.

Yu You’an nearly screamed. “General Manager Chen’s looking right at us! Ahh! She’s waving us over! What does this mean?!” She glanced behind them—nothing but empty space. Chen Nanyun was singling them out, plain as day!

Chen Yi had no clue what had gotten into her mom all of a sudden. With nowhere to hide, she trudged over, head bowed, and mumbled, “General Manager Chen.”

“No need to be so formal.” Chen Nanyun smiled. “Everyone, let me introduce my daughter, Chen Yi.”

Chen Yi’s jaw dropped. She yanked at Chen Nanyun’s sleeve. Chen Nanyun ignored it and added, “Little Yi, come on—let’s go say hi to your chief editor.”

Xu Yan was deep in work in her office, ears closed to the world outside, oblivious to the chaos. Someone had tried to notify her, only to be waved off by Chen Nanyun.

“Mom, what are you doing?” Jaws hit the floor all across the office—especially Yu You’an’s. She never would have guessed her laid-back, slacking buddy was the company heiress. Chen Yi’s face burned crimson as she huddled close to Chen Nanyun, whispering furiously. “Didn’t you tell me to keep my identity hidden?”

Chen Nanyun huffed. “What about that bet we made? I told you to take the job seriously, and what do you do? Fall for your boss.”

Chen Yi jolted. “How’d you find out?”

Chen Nanyun pinched her cheek. “How could I not?”

“Ren Zhouyu’s ex is a model, at least. You two confronted her right in front of a crowd—didn’t occur to you someone might snap photos? Su Dai’s big auntie buried the story, but the office gossips sent them straight to me. One look, and oh—there’s that boss who dropped your drunk self off last time.”

Chen Yi protested, “That doesn’t prove we dated! Can’t a girl just hang out with her boss platonically? Mom! That’s straight-up prejudice against lesbians!”

“Prejudice, my foot!” Chen Nanyun whipped out her phone and shoved a photo in Chen Yi’s face. “Those hands look awfully cozy.”

Chen Yi stomped her foot in embarrassment. “Mom!”

“So what’s your angle here? You said you wouldn’t meddle in my love life!”

“Afraid of something?” Chen Nanyun shot her a sidelong glance. “You stole away my top employee, and I haven’t even come after you for it.”

Chen Yi blinked. “…?”

Her brain spun. She was starting to wonder if she was actually adopted. By the time Chen Nanyun knocked on the office door and dragged her inside to Xu Yan, Chen Yi was still lost in a daze.

Xu Yan tugged her down onto the sofa.

Chen Nanyun claimed the office chair all by herself, looking every inch the judge presiding over a trial.

“So, spill—how’d this happen?”

Xu Yan was still piecing together how their secret had reached Chen Nanyun. She blanked out for a second. Chen Yi squeezed her hand tight, worried it might dredge up bad memories.

“We just clicked,” Chen Yi said.

“I pursued her,” Xu Yan replied.

Chen Nanyun raised an eyebrow. “You two rehearsing your lines or what?”

Chen Yi frowned, baffled. “Since when did you pursue me?”

Xu Yan shrugged. “The whole time.”

Chen Yi gaped. “??”

How had she missed that?!

“Clearly, I was the one chasing you!” she shot back.

Chen Nanyun itched to smack some sense into her dimwit daughter.

“Enough, enough—that’s not the point.” She waved it off, an idea sparking. “I’m craving coffee. Chen Yi, run downstairs and grab me a cup. What about you, Chief Editor Xu?”

Xu Yan caught on quick. “I’ll take one too.”

Chen Yi crossed her arms. “You’re just trying to ditch me for a private chat!”

Chen Nanyun arched a brow. “You know it—now scram.”

Outmatched by her ruthless mom, Chen Yi turned to her wife with a pout. Her wife patted the back of her hand and smiled softly. “Go get the coffee, okay?”

Chen Yi: …

Hmph!

“Fine, I’ll go.” She stood up. “Mom, play nice—don’t bully her.”

Chen Nanyun barked, “Out!”

Chen Yi pouted, blew Xu Yan a kiss goodbye, and stepped out of the office. The second she did, every eye in the place locked onto her.

A bold colleague sidled up and asked, “Chen Yi, is General Manager Chen really your mom?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Chen Yi replied.

The gossiping crowd buzzed with murmurs. Everyone had questions they wanted to ask, but since they weren’t close to Chen Yi in their day-to-day interactions, no one knew quite what to say.

Yu You’an muscled her way through the throng with sheer brute force. She grabbed Chen Yi’s arm and demanded, “How’d you even get out here?”

“Sent to buy coffee,” Chen Yi said.

“I’ll come with you!” Yu You’an declared.

The two of them bolted from the crowd like fugitives making a break for it.

Halfway down the hall, Chen Yi explained, “You’an, I didn’t mean to keep this from you on purpose.”

Yu You’an tossed her hair. “Say no more!”

“I knew it! I just knew one day I’d discover my bestie was a secret heiress! I knew it! Aah! I finally made it to this day! Oh God above, you’ve been too good to me!”

Chen Yi: …

Fine.

She’d worried for nothing.