Chapter Fifty-Two: Blossoms Along the Path

Now things were even more troublesome; she still had to follow the original procedure and record each answer one by one. It had taken so much effort to find this piece of information on that icy, stone-faced man’s desk, yet she still had to go back and finish the job because the documents hadn’t finished printing.

“Jin… brother, what on earth happened?” It was rare to see Jin Yuan in such a state—so flustered and urgent. If it hadn’t been for the meeting just now, which delayed him for ten or so minutes, Qing Jun wouldn’t have doubted that this man would have raced home in his car at once.

“Xiaowei ran into trouble. Someone surrounded him in the small park. If it weren’t for Housekeeper Hu protecting him, the one lying in the hospital now would be him.”

If it had been before, Jin Yuan would have dropped everything and rushed to Xiaowei’s side without a second thought.

But now, the benefit of having a fiancée—soon to be a legitimate wife—was evident. Yuan Xiangdie went ahead, since her own tasks had ended, while all the departments, including the design department, were still caught up in a sudden influx of assignments. Yuan Xiangdie was so frustrated she could have torn that man apart.

Housekeeper Hu seemed to have noticed these issues as well; it wasn’t hard to guess from Yuan Xiangdie’s expression.

“Is the master up to his pranks again?” The tone was calm, the words anything but. Yuan Xiangdie couldn’t help but admire him: “Honestly, who knows what’s going through that man’s head? Every department now has to hand in a file, and I’m still in the hospital.”

She was filled with complaints she wanted to voice, but Housekeeper Hu, with that ever-smiling face, made it impossible to lose her temper.

“Miss Yuan, you seem to have a lot of grievances against the master. That’s understandable—when I first met him, he was only sixteen.”

“Even at sixteen, he already had that arrogant temper.”

Learning all this, she realized how charmed his life had been; so many people struggled more than he ever had.

“That’s right, he’s always had things go his way—until now, he’d never faced anything truly complicated.”

Of course, he was referring to finding a wife—always a winding, convoluted business.

“That woman back then made a quick escape, leaving a pile of money on the bedside table. The master wasn’t angry at the time, but he erupted later. I knew there was something unusual about it. There were things happening back then, but all the information disappeared, and after that, nothing.”

Yuan Xiangdie began to feel she’d heard such a melodramatic story somewhere before.

Her expression grew slightly awkward, but Housekeeper Hu didn’t think much of it, only assuming that hearing such explosive news had made her wonder about the man she was about to marry. Housekeeper Hu himself had paid a heavy mental price for serving such a master.

Jin Yuan was a man who hid his passions well; the two of them would have much to adjust to as a couple. It was better to let Yuan Xiangdie know what kind of person her husband-to-be was, to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Yuan Xiangdie felt she’d heard things she ought not to have, and if anything went wrong in the future, she’d be the first to be silenced.

Jin Yuan sped all the way from the company to the hospital. Yuan Xiangdie was already waiting for him in the parking lot, just as she’d said in her earlier message.

“Is Housekeeper Hu’s injury serious? How is he?” Jin Yuan fired off a string of questions as soon as he arrived, but Yuan Xiangdie didn’t mind and answered them one by one.

Hearing that everyone was unharmed, it was clearly a false alarm, though there was still some confusion that needed to be sorted out.

“Are you really going to keep investigating this?” she asked.

“Yes!” Jin Yuan replied at once.

Qing Jun, puzzled, asked from the side. If he didn’t know better, he’d think that just seeing this woman would calm Jin Yuan down—if not entirely, then at least more than his previous frantic state.

“There’s no need to rush. The doctor said Housekeeper Hu’s injury was just from holding the child tightly, the weight pressing down, and staying in the same position for too long. With massage and rest, he’ll recover.”

Yuan Xiangdie, having let her mind wander for a moment, suddenly realized the two men were about to start digging into the matter. If they really got to the bottom of it, she’d be in trouble.

So she hurried to stop him from making things worse.

Jin Yuan couldn’t understand her reaction—Xiaowei had nearly been attacked. But seeing the flicker of panic in her eyes, he sensed there was more going on.

He wanted to bluntly ask if she knew something, but with Qing Jun present, he kept quiet.

“You go upstairs to check on the housekeeper. We’ll handle the rest later,” Jin Yuan said, turning to Qing Jun behind him.

“Madam, hello. My surname is Qing, Qing Jun. I’m Jin Yuan’s cousin. We met at the company earlier—please take care of me.”

Yuan Xiangdie never guessed that Qing Jun was Mr. Jin’s cousin. They’d hidden their relationship well, never letting it slip.

One had to admire Jin Yuan: back in school, he was a top student but kept to himself, always a loner. Qing Jun, naturally cold and aloof, gravitated to people like himself.

“Come on, Yuan Yao’er’s live streams have boosted the brand’s reputation these days. This incident didn’t really hurt the company. If anyone wants to bring him down, they’ll need to work a lot harder.”

Jin Yuan, still worried, muttered as he pulled Yuan Xiangdie along. Once the tension eased, he seemed about to collapse. Though he’d faced hardships before, never ones that threatened Xiaowei’s safety.

Yuan Xiangdie steadied him. If he fell now, tumbling down all those stairs, he’d end up in the hospital himself.

“Careful. Xiaowei takes after you—no doubt about it.”

Jin Yuan felt a pang of frustration. Did this woman really understand him at all? He was on the verge of falling, and she couldn’t spare a word of concern?

Of course, as the boss, he didn’t show it; his silence was protest enough.

Yuan Xiangdie assumed Xiaowei’s situation had affected him, that Jin Yuan was deep in thought about how to better protect him in the future.

So she said nothing, not wanting to disturb his thinking or later be blamed for interrupting.

“I’ve watched Yuan Yao’er’s live streams too. It’s always the same few sketches—my line drawings from five years ago,” Yuan Xiangdie said indifferently. No matter what Yuan Yao’er did, she never stuck with anything to the end. Especially in things that require hard work: drawing so many sketches daily, sharpening pencils every day.

Yuan Yao’er couldn’t stand it anymore. Why did she have to do all this?

“Mom, I don’t want to stream anymore. I don’t want to draw anymore. I have to hold this pencil every day, and my hand’s getting callused.”

Her hands, once soft and delicate, now had a faint yellow tint from gripping the pencil so much—a callus, as anyone familiar with drawing would know.

“Stop whining. This is not the time for it. Save your act for your livestream audience. If you want their support, you have to work for it.”

The words weren’t wrong, but they didn’t quite suit this pampered young lady.

Yuan Yao’er really didn’t want to continue streaming. These viewers weren’t worth her trouble, showing her face and coaxing them.

She was truly unwilling, growing petulant. In a fit of pique, she threw her streaming equipment to the floor—not that it was worth much.

The maids outside, seeing this, wisely withdrew. Who wanted to get caught between mistress and young lady quarreling? They weren’t foolish enough for that.

“Stop making a scene. This is a crucial period for Seeking Fragrance. If you keep this up, you’ll end up renting a flat and living off instant noodles. Let’s see how you like that kind of life.”

Zhang Xi evidently meant business, daring to say this to a girl who’d never known hardship.

“What’s that got to do with me? I’m living well now, aren’t I? I’m done with livestreaming. It’s always the same few drawings, and these people are so annoying, always asking for my contact info. Do they even know who they are, or what they’re worth?”

Yuan Yao’er had been complaining for a long time, but to no avail. Zhang Xi’s goal was to drum up hype for their new product before it launched. Since no one else would take the job, Yuan Yao’er had to do it herself.

Yuan Xiangdie was always there, waiting in the livestream room on time every day—so punctual it was hard to believe. This time, even Jin Yuan found a rare moment to watch for a bit in the car, but all he saw was a black screen.

On the forums, groups of people left comments, asking why the streamer was late today.

“Do you think the streamer is like the rest of us, just loafing around? She’s got a brand and a company; livestreaming isn’t even her main job.”

Some people were rational, but Yuan Xiangdie couldn’t agree with such comments at all.

But with a man beside her who hated gossip, Yuan Xiangdie could only grumble inwardly.

How could someone like Yuan Yao’er possibly live a life of early mornings and late nights? The only one who might do that was her own mother, who chased money with single-minded devotion, as if she’d rather die buried in it.

“You seem quite invested in this livestream,” Jin Yuan said, glancing at the account ID before stopping—there was nothing to see but a black screen.