Chapter 59: Going Home!

Yu You’an noticed that Chen Yi was especially reluctant to clock out today.

It wouldn’t have been a big deal under normal circumstances, but Chen Yi’s identity as the Chen Heiress had just been fully exposed. The colleagues on this floor used to stroll in around three or four in the afternoon, wrap up their work whenever they felt like it, grab their bags, and saunter out without a care. Now, with Chen Yi sitting there without budging, no one else dared to make a move.

Who would dare? If the Heiress quietly tattled to her mom, poof—a whole year slaving away as an office drone would go straight down the drain, wages and all.

Everyone subtly kept an eye on Chen Yi’s movements, each plotting to head out only after she did.

Chen Yi didn’t pick up on the vibe at first.

Ever since she’d left Xu Yan’s office at noon, her mind had been filled with all sorts of inappropriate thoughts that had no business popping up during work hours.

The reason she wasn’t rushing off was that she wanted to wait for Xu Yan so they could head home together.

No one else knew that, of course. They let their imaginations run wild, speculating that perhaps Chen Nanyun had given her precious daughter some secret mission to monitor everyone’s actual attendance.

Yu You’an’s work WeChat and personal WeChat were blowing up.

【Little Fish, why don’t you go ask your friend what’s on her mind today?】

【Little Fish, how long is she planning to stick around? I was hoping to line up for a bag.】

Yu You’an found the whole situation hilarious. She kicked Chen Yi lightly under the desk. When Chen Yi looked up in confusion, she forwarded all the questions people had been bombarding her with.

She capped it off with a teasing remark.

“Chen Heiress, what’s the verdict?”

Chen Yi snatched a crumpled wad of scrap paper from her desk and chucked it at Yu You’an, who dodged nimbly and picked it up off the floor.

“Just kidding!”

Chen Yi sighed. “My internship was supposed to wrap up peacefully in just a few more days. I have no idea what my mom’s playing at.”

She just had to stir things up! Just had to blow my cover!

Great, now Chen Yi felt like she was sitting on pins and needles in this office. Everyone here was sharp as a tack, each with their own bag of tricks.

Some were even nursing dreams of making a rags-to-riches leap, hoping to cozy up to her, climb the ladder, and soar to the peak of their lives.

None of that had ever touched Chen Yi before. She was just a slacker intern who loved goofing off, ignored by all. Now? Things were completely different. Chen Yi was on the verge of getting sucked right into the whirlwind’s eye.

“Ah, if I’d known this day would come, I should’ve taken your place back when we were picking our lots in the reincarnation lottery, just to shoulder some of that rich-kid agony for you,” Yu You’an said with mock solemnity.

Chen Yi laughed and shook her head. “Okay, okay, enough with the wisecracks.”

“I’ll head out now. Just tell everyone it’s business as usual—come and go on the regular schedule.”

Her mom wasn’t an idiot; she’d know exactly how things worked downstairs. The fashion world wasn’t like other companies with their rigid rules and boundaries. A bit of flexibility and looseness could even spark creativity. At least, that was Chen Yi’s half-baked theory—none of it actually came from Chen Nanyun.

Chen Yi packed up her things while firing off a message to Xu Yan to explain the situation.

Chen Yi: Wuuu!

Chen Yi: Can’t wait for my wife in the office anymore! Heading to the parking garage!

Xu Yan was tied up and didn’t reply right away.

Chen Yi hesitated for a moment. Remembering that Xu Yan was in a meeting, she made an excuse to Yu You’an about having some work stuff to discuss with Chief Editor Xu. She dawdled all the way to the door of the conference room where Xu Yan was, then stood quietly outside for a bit.

She occasionally peeked through the glass.

Each time, she marveled anew: This sharp, capable, no-nonsense Chief Editor Xu was her wife. No one knew that the woman who commanded the room like thunder now sometimes clung pitifully to her clothes, begging for affection. No one knew that the ever-cool Xu Yan would hold her close and whisper sweet nothings of love. These intimate fragments of memory, these glimpses of Xu Yan, belonged to her alone.

Xu Yan that no one else knew.

Chen Yi’s heart bubbled over with sweetness, like molten sugar fizzing from a pool deep inside.

Perhaps her gaze burned too intensely. Xu Yan, who had been focused on reviewing a proposal, looked up and met her eyes. Chen Yi froze for a second, then quickly held up her phone, gesturing for Xu Yan to check it when she could.

Xu Yan mouthed an “OK” and pulled out her own phone.

Soon, Chen Yi got a reply.

Big Wife: What happened?

Chen Yi: Nothing major! Just that the other colleagues are super tense about my identity. If I don’t leave soon, by the time you get off, you’ll probably see the whole floor frozen at their desks—like some epic standoff hhh

Xu Yan: Head downstairs and wait for me.

Xu Yan: Driver’s already here. I’ll text you his number—give him a call.

Chen Yi said sure.

With their phone chat wrapped up, they both looked up, gazing at each other across the conference room glass from afar.

Chen Yi glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then secretly blew Xu Yan a kiss with her fingers.

Xu Yan nearly cracked a smile at how adorable she was, but reined it in since they were still at the office. She raised a hand to cover half her face and let out a light cough.

The staffers seated below all stared in stunned silence.

The one presenting the proposal ventured cautiously, “Chief Editor Xu, is there a problem somewhere?”

Xu Yan shook her head. “No.”

She tapped the desk lightly, her expression clear and focused. “I’ve reviewed it. There are a few issues I need you to address. This proposal covers such a broad scope—how did you determine the target users? Does it overlap with our magazine’s current readership? Our goal with the New Year’s revamp is to launch a digital edition and expand our user base that way. In what specific ways does your proposal support that?”

The staff jumped right into their responses.

The conference room buzzed with tension, but down in the parking garage, Chen Yi was chatting animatedly with Uncle Wang.

Uncle Wang was sharing stories about his wife.

“Ah, she’s stubborn and won’t admit it. Take meals, for example—she wants me home to eat together but never says so outright. Instead, she’ll blow up if I don’t show one day.” There was a fond weariness in Uncle Wang’s tone. “See? She can’t do without me.”

“By the way, Little Yi, you’re so young—got a sweetheart yet?”

Chen Yi: “Uncle, I have a girlfriend.”

Uncle Wang: “Then treat her right. So many young folks these days start dating, hit a bump, and boom—breakup over being ‘incompatible.’ Where’s the truly perfect match in this world? People always clash. Heck, some days I can’t even stand myself! Love’s about sticking it out, getting better with time. Any issues? Talk it through. You give a little, she gives a little, and it’s water under the bridge.”

“Uncle, you’re spot on.”

Uncle Wang chuckled. “Little Yi, where’s your girl from? Maybe Uncle Wang can meet her sometime, give her the once-over.”

Chen Yi coughed lightly.

“No need for that.” Xu Yan descended in a hurry, her coat draped over one arm instead of worn, her high heels clicking rapidly. The height advantage let her close the gap effortlessly as she slipped an arm around Chen Yi’s shoulders from behind, drawing her close. “You’ve already met her.”

Uncle Wang’s eyes went wide as realization dawned.

He didn’t know what to say, so he ducked his head and hustled to open the car door.

Chen Yi nestled into Xu Yan’s embrace, giggling uncontrollably.

“You scared Uncle Wang.”

Xu Yan gently tugged her earlobe. “He was bound to find out eventually.”

“Get in the car.”

~~~

Today’s drive was faster than any Chen Yi remembered taking with them.

She could tell Uncle Wang was itching to clock out. No way was he sticking around in the car as a third wheel.

As the car approached the entrance to their residential complex, Chen Yi spotted someone at the gate peddling flowers from a tricycle. Bunches of them stood fresh in long water tubs.

“I’ll hop out and grab some,” she said.

Xu Yan went with her and told Uncle Wang to just park the car. He lit up with relief and agreed immediately. The two of them got out and strolled along the path. Sycamore leaves carpeted the ground in gold, scattered everywhere.

“You really like roses?” Xu Yan asked.

Chen Yi: “Not particularly. As cut flowers, they don’t last long—not the best value. But… they suit you.”

There was a sharp-edged delicacy to them.

“Oh, right—if you’re coming home with me later… what about Xu Yixiao?” Chen Yi hadn’t forgotten their scheduled lesson that evening.

“Her? She’s plenty old enough. She probably wishes I wasn’t around. Don’t worry about it—the housekeeper takes care of her daily needs. It’s just for one day.”

“Okay.” Reassured, Chen Yi finally picked out her roses.

Champagne-colored ones, thirty per bunch, two bunches total. She had the vendor remove the thorns and give them a quick trim before carrying them back.

A few steps in, Chen Yi remembered something huge.

Her face flushed pink as she turned to Xu Yan. “Sis, one more thing…”

“What?”

“You know.”

“Hm?”

“That!”

Xu Yan genuinely didn’t follow.

“The one from Su Dai!”

Now Xu Yan got it.

Head down, Chen Yi mumbled shyly, “We still haven’t gotten it.”

“Maybe we skip the lesson today,” she said. “Isn’t it a bit too soon?”

“Too soon?” Xu Yan took Chen Yi’s hand.

She’d been thinking about her for three years.

Too soon?

Like a little quail tucking in her head, Chen Yi murmured, “Kind of…”

“Then we’ll do whatever you want,” Xu Yan said accommodatingly. “Just dinner at your place?”

Even though it was exactly what Chen Yi had suggested, hearing Xu Yan agree made her feel a twinge of regret.

“Sure.”

It was too late after work to cook, so the two of them decided to order takeout.

But—

Chen Yi hooked her fingertip around Xu Yan’s and asked softly, “Just dinner?”

“I have two computers at home. We can play games together.”

Since meeting Xu Yan, Chen Yi hadn’t logged into her game for days. She hadn’t streamed either, taking a long vacation from her fans. The excuse she’d given back then was that she’d run into some trouble and wasn’t in the mood. But looking at things now, it was obvious she’d run into something all right—she’d started dating—and was feeling way too good…

How could Xu Yan not see what was on Chen Yi’s mind? When she spoke, her eyes didn’t dare meet Xu Yan’s, which meant her thoughts had wandered off to adult territory again.

Xu Yan asked gently, “And?”

“Anything else you want to do?”

If Chen Yi were the type like Su Dai, she could’ve just blurted out that one little word: “you.”

But unfortunately, she was far too innocent for that—innocent enough to only manage, “Um… I want hugs. I want kisses.”

With that out, Chen Yi gazed at Xu Yan, unable to hide her shy blush. “Is that okay?”

Xu Yan figured that, as the big sister here, she ought to give this little one a proper glimpse of the real adult world.