Xu Yan immediately understood what Chen Yi was up to. She had never messaged during work hours before, but today she had chosen the exact moment they were together. Chen Yi was testing her. It was the only explanation that made sense of her odd behavior afterward.
For a fleeting moment, Xu Yan felt like one of those silly puppies she teased on the street had suddenly gotten a bit smarter, learning to beg for treats from kind strangers.
Xu Yan hadn’t meant to hide it deliberately. Before this, she simply hadn’t found the right moment to come clean. Admitting that Fade was her while Chen Yi still disliked Xu Yan would have cost her the chance to see Chen Yi’s true self up close. She couldn’t bear to lose that. In her hesitation, things had snowballed into this mess.
Xu Yan’s fingertips tapped against the desk.
Tap, tap.
A restless, empty rhythm.
She stared at her computer screen.
Should she seize this chance to reveal her identity to Chen Yi? But Chen Yi’s unexpected cheerfulness that afternoon… Xu Yan strongly suspected it stemmed from confirming that Fade wasn’t her.
Sure enough, moments later, another message from Chen Yi pinged on her phone.
Chen Yi: Master! I have a confession to make!
Chen Yi: I went on a field trip with my boss today! I’ve actually thought her voice sounded a lot like yours for a while. I figured it was just a crazy coincidence!
Xu Yan’s fingers hovered over the on-screen keyboard as she pondered how to respond. Before she could type, another message arrived.
Chen Yi: Scared me to death! Good thing it wasn’t that much of a coincidence!
Xu Yan’s eyebrow arched.
Scared to death?
She leaned back in her chair, which creaked and swiveled slightly. Propping her chin lazily, Xu Yan typed back: Really?
Chen Yi: Yeah!
Chen Yi: If Master~~ were my boss… Aah! Can’t even imagine it! I’d probably die!
Chen Yi: ! Master~~, you replied!
Chen Yi: Done with work?
Just those few lines twisted Xu Yan’s thoughts in a new direction, sparking a mischievous impulse. Or rather, she had never been all that nice to begin with.
XYZ: All done.
XYZ: Wanna play games tonight?
Fade had the magic touch—her single line turned Chen Yi super happy. Fade was proactively inviting her to game. This had to be good news, a sign of something even better coming.
Chen Yi: Yay, sure!
Chen Yi: I can hop online after seven!
XYZ: You go ahead and play. I’ll be a bit later.
XYZ: Maybe eight-thirty.
Chen Yi: Got it! I’ll wait for Master~~ to come online!
Xu Yan sent a head-pat emoji.
Telling Chen Yi the truth right now felt like letting her off too easy.
By four in the afternoon, employees on the floor were starting to trickle out. The department wasn’t busy these days. In another two weeks, when preparations for the anniversary issue kicked into high gear, the entire floor would burn the midnight oil. The veterans knew this was coming, so they made the most of the downtime to recharge. The company only tracked clock-in times; there were no rules about leaving early. Four o’clock had become an unspoken norm.
Yu You’an had heard about it from the seniors and dragged Chen Yi along to clock out early.
Chen Yi wanted to say goodbye to Xu Yan first—after all, she was technically her direct superior now, and her recent tasks came straight from her. But a quick peek into Xu Yan’s office revealed it was empty. Chen Yi messaged her on the company WeChat and left with Yu You’an.
This was the first time she had contacted Xu Yan on the company app.
Xu Yan’s profile picture was completely different from Fade’s.
Seeing that put Chen Yi even more at ease.
At that moment, Xu Yan was deep in discussion with an editor about the write-up when she ran into HR on the way. HR suggested grabbing dinner later.
Xu Yan politely declined. “I’ve got something tonight.”
HR shrugged it off. “Handle it yourself then. Take care of your health.”
“Oh, right—Little Chen was asking about your birthday today,” HR added with a shake of her head and a grin. “I bet she tried every which way to find out and got nowhere, so she came to me.”
“What did she say?” Xu Yan wasn’t surprised.
She had anticipated this move the moment she realized Chen Yi was probing her identity.
HR: “What do you mean? She just wants to surprise you. Looks like she’s picked up a thing or two shadowing you these past couple days?”
“It’s going fine.”
“See you.” Xu Yan bid HR farewell.
The newbie trailing HR was still too intimidated by Xu Yan’s presence to speak. Only after her figure vanished down the hall did she exhale shakily. “Chief Editor Xu lives up to her reputation.”
“What, scared of her?”
“Who wouldn’t be!”
HR chuckled and patted the newbie’s shoulder. “Stick around long enough, and you’ll learn that leaders like Xu Yan—who seem aloof and keep everyone at arm’s length—are actually the rarest gems.”
“Some folks act all friendly and approachable every day. But when push comes to shove, they’re not so simple.”
“Alright, finish up those materials quick so we can head out for dinner.”
The HR department loved group meals—practically weekly. HR often invited Xu Yan, but she almost never joined. This time was no different.
Her excuse to HR wasn’t a lie; she really did have plans that evening.
It was Friday, and her little niece was getting out for the weekend. Xu Yan had some rare free time to pick her up. On weekdays, the girl managed school on her own—Xu Yan was too swamped to see her, and they had a housekeeper at home. Lately, their interactions felt like those of distant roommates, only overlapping on occasional free weekends.
Though Xu Yixiao was already in middle school, her face lit up with joy at the sight of her beautiful, cool little aunt waiting at the school gate. She bolted straight toward Xu Yan.
Xu Yan watched her from afar. As she drew near, Xu Yan took her backpack and led her to the car. “What about your friends? Want them to come along?”
Xu Yixiao: “No need.”
Xu Yan saw right through her. “No friends?”
Xu Yixiao flinched with a flash of girlish pride and denied it reflexively. “I just don’t like them.”
Little Aunt, you make it sound like you have friends.
Xu Yan reached out and tugged at Xu Yixiao’s cheek. “Getting bold, are we? Teasing your little aunt? No more games for you?”
Xu Yixiao froze, too startled to squirm free. With her face still pinched, she mumbled through squished lips: “Yay! I can play—”
Xu Yan let go.
Xu Yixiao rubbed her cheek, eyes sparkling. “Little Aunt, I can play games now!”
“Mm-hmm.”
“For real!!”
“Don’t want to?”
“I do, I do!!! Little Aunt, my dearest little aunt, can I interview you?” Xu Yixiao cupped her hand like a microphone and thrust it toward Xu Yan, playing reporter. “Tell me, Ms. Xu Yan, what made you change your mind so suddenly?”
Xu Yan: “Pang of conscience?”
Xu Yixiao: “Little Aunt!! I’m being serious!”
She was dying of curiosity.
Xu Yan: “Xu Yixiao, I’m serious too. You can play games, but not without limits. Right now—”
Xu Yixiao had heard the lecture a million times from her parents; she could recite it in her sleep. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m still a student. Studying comes first.”
Xu Yan sighed softly.
“You’re only thirteen or fourteen, Xu Yixiao. Your life is full of possibilities. It’s not just about school, or just games. Do you get what I mean?”
Xu Yixiao blinked, stunned.
“You’re luckier than most kids right now. For them, studying is the only option on the table.”
“Once you leave school, you’ll realize it’s the highest return on investment.”
“But you’re different, Xu Yixiao. You have choices. Try new things. Make friends. Who knows—you might meet someone who gives you strength for life.”
Xu Yixiao stared, dazed.
Xu Yan smiled helplessly at her expression. “Forget it. Pretend I didn’t say anything.”
It really did prove Chen Yi right.
Spending time with kids made her feel inexplicably maternal.
Xu Yixiao understood perfectly; she knew all this. Materially, she was luckier than most. But that wasn’t what she craved. Her parents’ love wasn’t something she could choose. Her eyes grew hot. She buried her face in Xu Yan’s chest and whined, “Little Aunt, I know.”
“Thanks.”
Xu Yan patted her back, then warned, “Don’t wipe snot on my clothes.”
Xu Yixiao huffed.
She hugged Little Aunt tightly, and after a moment, she asked in bewilderment, “But how am I supposed to know which one to pick?”
“That’s something only your heart can answer. Face it honestly, try everything that calls to you, and someday when you look back on the path you’ve walked, you’ll discover the answer was there all along.”
Xu Yixiao was utterly lost now. “Little Aunt, speak plainly.”
“You little rascal.” Xu Yan tapped her forehead, her thoughts drifting back to the first time she’d laid eyes on Xu Yixiao—a tiny infant wrapped in swaddling clothes. She’d cut off contact with her parents long ago and was studying alone far from home. Her sister had sent a photo, announcing the arrival of her niece and asking for help with a name. In that instant, as Xu Yan gazed at the picture, a quiet resolve formed within her.
“Xu Yixiao—just live happily. You don’t need to chase joy obsessively. If something brings you happiness most of the time, that’s more than enough.”
The childhood Xu Yan had never known, she wanted to give to her niece.
Xu Yixiao murmured her agreement and squeezed Little Aunt’s waist even tighter.
After a pause, she sighed wistfully. “Little Aunt, you smell so good.”
Xu Yan snorted. “Scram.”
Back at home, Xu Yixiao was buzzing with excitement. Xu Yan’s rules were ironclad: dinner first, weekend chores done before any gaming. Weekends meant two hours a day; weekdays capped at forty minutes.
Xu Yixiao wailed, “Little Aunt! You’re doing this on purpose!”
