A secretary, Luo Zhu, suddenly called out anxiously from behind, "Mr. Jin, you are here! Steve from the UK requests to speak with you immediately. There's been some situation on his end! Please hurry over!"
Jin Ye frowned slightly, changed direction, and followed Luo Zhu away.
As he passed the transparent conference room, his peripheral vision swept over the child inside again, fueling his confusion.
Xingfu Jiayuan.
Su Ding had just ordered takeout when she heard the doorbell ring. Xiao Rui ran to open the door.
Xiao Yuan entered, carrying several bags, and handed a newly bought Barbie doll to Xiao Rui. The little one cheered, hugged it, and ran back to her room.
Su Ding chuckled, invited Xiao Yuan in, and went to make a cup of tea.
Xiao Yuan sat on the sofa, her expression grave. "Ding Ding."
Su Ding rarely saw Xiao Yuan with such an expression and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xiao Yuan sighed and said, "Xiao Rui's kindergarten's opening ceremony is next week. I don't have any work scheduled for that day, so you can accompany the little one."
Su Ding nodded and smiled, "Thank you. I really owe you for the help with finding a school and a house."
Xiao Yuan nodded absently, her expression still solemn.
Su Ding looked at her curiously and asked, "Sister Yuan, what's the matter?"
Xiao Yuan finally gathered her courage, glanced at Su Ding, and said earnestly, "It's like this, Sister Hong asked me to inquire if you have any feelings for Mr. Jin?"
Su Ding didn't quite understand. "What feelings?"
Xiao Yuan's eyes flickered, and after a few seconds of thought, she said, "You know, *that* kind of feeling."
Su Ding's mind raced back to their meeting in the conference room earlier. She had stared at Mr. Jin for a long time, and it seemed Mr. Jin had also looked at her a few times. So...?
Su Ding's expression was difficult to describe. "I don't have any feelings like that. Don't you think Mr. Jin looks very much like our Xiao Rui? I only looked at him more because he resembled her, that's all!"
Xiao Yuan hadn't dared to look at Mr. Jin too closely and had already forgotten what he looked like.
She nudged Su Ding's shoulder and tentatively said, "Sister Hong's meaning is probably that Mr. Jin is interested in you, and she wants to know if you're interested, you know, in *that* way."
Su Ding twitched the corner of her mouth speechlessly. "On the first day, and they want to hook me up with him?"
That man was so handsome, and he still played such games? As expected, any man who could get involved with Shao Lin wouldn't be a good person!
Su Ding glanced at Xiao Yuan indifferently. "You know my temper. Just turn him down."
Over the years, people had tried to proposition her, but she had refused them all. However, this man was the helmsman of Huang Qi, and he might not be easy to deal with.
If she offended him, she probably wouldn't be able to make a living in Jiang City.
Her expression immediately soured, and she couldn't help but curse Jin Ye in her heart. He looked so distinguished, appearing to be a man of integrity with proper conduct, yet who knew he was plotting behind the scenes! What bad taste!
Xiao Yuan suddenly seemed relieved, saying with a sigh of relief, "That's good, that's good."
Su Ding looked up, confused. "What do you mean by 'that's good'?"
Xiao Yuan smiled and explained, "When Sister Hong mentioned it to me, I immediately turned her down. Actually, it was her idea. I was afraid she'd rush to tell Mr. Jin, so I rejected it on the spot. To smooth things over, I flattered her for half an hour and gave her a bottle of French perfume, just in case she held a grudge against you."
Su Ding glanced at her and said expressionlessly, "And you were afraid I'd regret it and blame you, so you tested my waters first?"
Xiao Yuan nodded. "After all, it's Mr. Jin."
Su Ding sighed helplessly. "My child is already this old. Why would Mr. Jin, who has plenty of options, come looking for me, a mother? But turning him down was the right move, it'll save trouble later."
Despite what she said, after that incident, Su Ding's impression of Mr. Jin had indeed worsened. As a high-level executive with a prominent family background, he couldn't possibly have never propositioned anyone.
Otherwise, how did the rumors between him and Shao Lin start?
Don't even talk about them being genuinely in love; that would be a joke!