When Ai Wei emerged, mirroring Li Wan's earlier demeanor, she pointed at Wen Ran's forehead and teased, "You… I can totally picture it now."
Wen Ran shot her a reproachful glance.
Unable to withstand the softness in her gaze, Ai Wei softened her tone, coaxing, "Earlier, I saw a little kid who tripped and fell flat on his butt, wailing his eyes out."
The three of them picked up their bags and headed toward the exit.
Ai Wei added, "You should've seen the parents. Instead of helping him up, they whipped out their phones to take pictures. High-definition blackmail material for the future, huh?"
She then pivoted the topic: "Was anyone around when you bumped your forehead? Did they laugh at you?"
Someone was.
Wen Ran uttered two words: "President Yan."
As for whether he laughed… He'd been wearing a mask, so it was impossible to tell.
Ai Wei spun around in shock. "President Yan???"
Li Wan interjected, "It really was him. If you'd come out earlier, you could've said hello."
Ai Wei's expression shifted repeatedly, disbelief etched on her face. After a long pause, she finally managed, "So… he really brought a young girlfriend?"
"No," Li Wan clarified. "It was probably the CEO's daughter. She called him 'Uncle.'"
Yan Xihe was fifteen years older than Yan Wangshu. Having a nearly twenty-year-old daughter wasn't far-fetched.
At this thought, Ai Wei shook her head and turned to walk ahead. "The CEO's forty-five, right? Getting pregnant at that age—advanced maternal age is so hard on the body. Women are pitiful. Why are we forced to have kids? One isn't enough, now a second?"
Ai Wei had long ago decided to be child-free. She refused to let responsibilities or obligations tie her down.
Her stance was firm: no children.
Li Wan countered, "Kids are adorable. So soft and sweet."
"Adorable?" Ai Wei scoffed. "My cousin was gorgeous before having a kid. After childbirth, she gained weight, lost hair, struggled to find work, and aged years overnight. Just as her kid got a bit older, she started stressing over kindergarten. In my hometown—a second-tier city—a decent kindergarten costs over a hundred thousand a year. Terrifying."
Mid-rant, Ai Wei caught herself, realizing how absurd it was to compare her cousin to Yan Xihe.
Yan Xihe, who had paused all work last month after confirming her pregnancy to rest at home.
She had access to top-tier nutritionists, elite medical teams, and her child would inherit the finest educational resources…
How could she possibly share the worries of ordinary people?
Ai Wei pursed her lips and changed the subject. "I heard the CEO won't return after the baby. President Yan will take over eventually. It's inevitable."
"Likely," Li Wan agreed, having heard the same rumors.
'Carlisle' would soon be entirely under Yan Wangshu's control.
The topic dropped, and the three visited a popular milk tea shop.
Only then did Wen Ran realize she'd skipped both breakfast and lunch.
She'd never had much interest in food.
Back in the U.S., someone had to call her downstairs to eat.
Now living alone in Shanghai, she paid even less attention to meals.
After sipping tea, they wandered toward the mall.
The fourth floor was a culinary hub, packed with global cuisines.
The aroma of food wafted through the air, and Wen Ran suddenly felt hungry.
The restaurant—an internet-famous spot—was packed on weekends. A server informed Ai Wei the wait would be two hours.
Holding the queue ticket, Ai Wei asked, "Two hours. Wait or not?"
Before the others could reply, she added, "This place is amazing. My friend came here last time."
Li Wan had no objections.
Though starving, Wen Ran didn't want to dampen the mood. "We can wait."
Two rows of red stools lined the waiting area. Servers circulated with rose tea and snacks, a thoughtful touch.
As the trio settled in, a tapping sound echoed from the glass wall behind them.
They turned.
Inside the red-toned restaurant, Yan Wangshu faced them, crooking a finger.
A clear invitation to enter.
But none of them believed it.
Yet he'd knocked twice on the glass, his gesture unmistakably directed at them.
Even the socially fearless Ai Wei froze.
They turned back, and Li Wan whispered, "Do we go in?"
"Can we say no?" Ai Wei retorted.
Refusing the big boss was unthinkable.
As they shuffled inside, Li Wan speculated, "Maybe he just wants a quick greeting?"
"..."
"Or… he's inviting us to join him?"
Ai Wei muttered, "A down-to-earth CEO? I can't handle that."
"If he really asks us to eat… do we accept?"
"We eat. Even if it's poison."
Here is the complete English translation of the document content without any omissions or alterations:
Wen Ran followed behind without making a sound.She disliked interacting with Yan Wangshu. He constantly reminded her that she was wearing a facade, someone with secrets that might be exposed at any moment.This sense of guilt had only disappeared when she resolved to resign. Later, when she decided not to quit, the feeling intensified.Could she pretend to have a stomachache?Would that seem too deliberate?Never mind. Just speak less.
The restaurant was somewhat noisy. They wound through several corridors before reaching Yan Wangshu's table.A rectangular dining table hung with a spherical metal pendant lamp overhead.On the table were a salad, honey-glazed lotus root, and two exquisitely carved bean curd soups floating with slender pale-yellow petals.
Yan Wangshu raised his hand in an inviting gesture: "Care to join us, if you don't mind?"Could they mind?Could they say they minded?
Ai Wei forced a stiff smile: "Thank you, President Yan.""Don't mention it." Yan Wangshu glanced at Lin Anyu, pushing the white ceramic bowl before her inward. "Move further in."Lin Anyu responded with an "Oh" and shifted inward. Ai Wei naturally took the seat beside Yan Wangshu, Wen Ran sat next to Lin Anyu, and Li Wan occupied the outermost position.
Seeing them seated, Yan Wangshu extended his phone toward Wen Ran: "Order more dishes.""..." Wen Ran waved in refusal, "Anything's fine."Yan Wangshu showed no intention of withdrawing his hand.
Ai Wei took the phone with both hands: "Let me do it, President Yan. I've researched this restaurant."Yan Wangshu's gaze lingered momentarily on Wen Ran's face before nodding.
Sitting directly across, accidental eye contact was inevitable. Unsure where to look, Wen Ran picked up the milk tea on the table and sipped twice through the straw, then pretended to rub her forehead.Had she known earlier, she would have volunteered to order rather than endure this awkwardness.
Lin Anyu spooned bean curd soup when Yan Wangshu suddenly reminded: "Introduce yourself."Suppressing irritation, Lin Anyu turned with a smile and waved: "Hello, I'm Lin Anyu, Yan Xihe's daughter."
Thinking she should reciprocate the introduction, Li Wan also waved: "I'm Li Wan, a jewelry designer at Carlisle."Wen Ran simply nodded at the girl: "Wen Ran."
After finishing the order, Ai Wei respectfully returned the phone to Yan Wangshu and greeted: "I'm Ai Wei. Your outfit is lovely."Lin Anyu responded dismissively: "Oh."
Ai Wei paused: "Will you attend tomorrow's XXX Expo at City Plaza?"Lin Anyu looked up: "You know about the XXX Expo?"Ai Wei's college roommate was an avid anime enthusiast. Through constant exposure, Ai Wei immediately recognized Lin Anyu's attire as characteristic of an anime fan. Coincidentally, she'd recently seen promotional videos for the XXX Expo reposted by her roommate.
Ai Wei nodded: "Yes. I like anime too, though work leaves little time for deeper involvement.""Busy even on weekends?" Lin Anyu's eyes curved mischievously. "Uncle, you're exploiting employees."
Ai Wei hurriedly flattered: "No exploitation. President Yan is exceptionally considerate to subordinates."Lin Anyu glanced at Yan Wangshu, emboldened by his amused expression: "Liar. You all must secretly despise him."
The blunt remark momentarily stunned Ai Wei, who thought teenagers truly disregarded social conventions.Ai Wei: "We deeply admire President Yan."
Fortunately, arriving servers broke the tension with new dishes.After two bites, Lin Anyu declared: "Uncle, I want to stay for tomorrow's expo. I'll return to Beidu afterward..."
Yan Wangshu didn't bother looking up, cutting her off crisply: "Forget it."Lin Anyu slammed her chopsticks down in protest. Yan Wangshu ignored her tantrum, continuing his meal unhurriedly.
With Lin Anyu sulking, Ai Wei found conversation difficult. As dishes kept arriving, silence prevailed until Yan Wangshu initiated: "What are your impressions of the new department head?"
All three women tensed, wondering if this was a trap.Ai Wei: "Quite positive. Mona is very approachable."Yan Wangshu nodded: "Will you participate in the commercial design competition?"
Li Wan shook her head: "Wen Ran will."Suddenly spotlighted, Wen Ran looked up with food-puffed cheeks and luminous eyes. She hastily swallowed: "Mona offered fair opportunities. I want to try." She immediately lowered her head to eat again.
Ai Wei's conversational skills gradually eased the atmosphere through reciprocal small talk. Though Li Wan occasionally chimed in, her responses lacked Ai Wei's adeptness at sustaining topics.
As tensions eased, Wen Ran ate more comfortably, even mentally critiquing dishes. Just as she relaxed, Yan Wangshu suddenly uttered heavily: "Wen Ran."
She looked up to find him staring intensely, his light-colored eyes narrowed and stormy - a gaze resembling angry interrogation.Yet she'd done nothing wrong.
Wen Ran blinked rapidly, eyelashes fluttering in confused unease.Meanwhile, Lin Anyu erupted from accumulated neglect: "I want to return to Beidu! Now!"
Yan Wangshu remained silent, gaze still fixed on Wen Ran."Let me through, sister." Lin Anyu demanded.
Li Wan stood first, followed by Wen Ran. As Lin Anyu stormed out, Yan Wangshu finally relaxed his brow. Wiping his mouth with a napkin and grabbing a mask, he said: "Continue your meal," before following.
Only after they disappeared did Ai Wei resume eating heartily: "Never imagined President Yan could be so approachable privately.""Better than expected." Li Wan exhaled deeply. "Wen Ran, move inward."
Wen Ran shifted to Lin Anyu's vacated seat, putting down chopsticks with a puzzled frown: "Why did he call me earlier?"The others then recalled Yan Wangshu's interrupted attempt to address Wen Ran before Lin Anyu's outburst.
"Probably had something to say."Wen Ran felt unsettled - that look had been distinctly odd.
Noticing Wen Ran had stopped eating, Li Wan asked: "Finished?""I'm full.""Naturally," Ai Wei teased. "You were the only one devouring food earlier."
Wen Ran: "???"What else could she do? Hunger demanded attention, and keeping her head down eating beat forced conversation.
After several minutes of satisfying their appetites, Ai Wei frowned at the disordered dishes: "Will President Yan return to eat?"She considered rearranging the food but thought better of it. Ultimately, the meal remained uncomfortable.
When Yan Wangshu returned, he didn't glance at the table: "Finished?"Their assent was inevitable.
After settling the bill, they exited together. Outside, crowds waiting for tables peered curiously at departing guests.Masked Yan Wangshu turned: "Travel safely."
Ai Wei thanked politely: "Thank you for your hospitality, President Yan.""Don't mention it."
He headed for the elevators while the women took the escalator. Li Wan whispered: "Was President Yan displeased?"Ai Wei: "Somewhat. Probably because of Miss Lin."
Wen Ran recalled Yan Wangshu's icy stare during dinner, a tingling unease spreading through her. She reassured herself - perhaps paranoia from her own guilty conscience.
Entering his underground parking spot, Yan Wangshu glanced at gray smudges on his trouser leg while getting into his car - marks left when Wen Ran had rubbed her foot against him during dinner.When he'd warned her by name, she'd blinked in confusion...and rubbed again.