The Slacker Stepmother and the Non-Domineering CEO

Chapter 141

"You're slandering Tang Yuan! How could the baby not be photogenic?" As soon as the video call connected, Nian Suian loudly protested.

She then deliberately made a disdainful expression at Gu Junxing's face in the camera,

"I think you're the one who's not photogenic! Move aside, point the camera at Tang Yuan."

Nian Suian unceremoniously treated Gu Junxing as a human phone stand.

However, Gu Junxing didn't follow Nian Suian's instructions to turn the phone camera. Instead, he scooped up the cat in front of him and immediately began a very professional eighteen-step cat petting technique, making Tang Yuan as content as a purring motorcycle—purr purr purr purr purr.

Watching Gu Junxing's skilled technique, Nian Suian wondered if this fellow had secretly gone for advanced training.

"Meow~"

As soon as Gu Junxing stopped, Tang Yuan let out a dissatisfied cry.

"Looks like I won't be getting any rest," Gu Junxing pretended to grumble, then resumed petting the cat.

"Hmph! Gu Junxing, don't think I can't see what you're doing. You're just showing off." He was deliberately flaunting how obedient and well-behaved Tang Yuan was with him.

Nian Suian was mentally calculating that when she got home, she'd give Tang Yuan extra food, making sure it knew who truly treated it the best in this family.

"I've been thinking, since we're coming over for New Year's Day anyway, why don't I just stay here until then? I'll wait for you guys to come."

Of course, Nian Suian was saying this on purpose. It was still quite a while until New Year's Day, and she couldn't stay that long.

"It's still more than two weeks until New Year's Day. Can you really stay there that long?"

Nian Suian replied without hesitation: "Of course, I'm having a great time here. I've even made new friends."

This wasn't exactly a lie; she was indeed quite happy right now.

Hearing this, Gu Junxing sighed.

"What are you sighing about?"

"I'm thinking that if you stay away for so long, Tang Yuan might forget who you are when you come back."

"Hmph!" Nian Suian retorted, "Don't try that 'using the emperor to command the feudal lords' trick on me." The sarcasm was practically dripping through the screen.

"How long have you been in the hot spring? Your face is so red. You should get out for a while, don't soak for too long."

Thanks to Gu Junxing's reminder, Nian Suian suddenly realized she had indeed been soaking for quite a while. The steam from the hot spring had made her entire face flush.

"Ah... I guess it has been a while. I'll hang up now. Bye-bye, Tang Yuan!" Nian Suian hurriedly ended the video call and quickly got up.

On the other end, Gu Junxing looked at the suddenly disconnected video and chuckled softly.

"Why did your mom only say goodbye to you and not to me?"

"Meow~" The little cat indicated it didn't understand.

After dealing with Wang Xiangui's matter, Zhao Yue returned to Liu Jian's office to report.

"I've told Wang Xiangui to leave immediately, but he seemed reluctant and said he wanted to see you." Normally, it wasn't permissible to dismiss an employee so casually. If it were any other employee, they would have followed the proper procedures and given some compensation.

However, Liu Jian was so disgusted with him now that he was restraining himself from beating him up. As for compensation, he didn't want to give a penny.

—Bang!

—Ouch!

Liu Jian couldn't help but slam the table, then shook his hand in pain.

"He still dares to say he wants to see me?! He's lucky I didn't give him a thrashing. What a piece of work."

Zhao Yue then briefly recounted Xin Yuchun's situation, though she didn't say everything, just mentioning a few key points.

When Liu Jian heard that she was only sixteen this year, he angrily slammed the table again.

"Do I look like a beast to you?"

Zhao Yue carefully examined Liu Jian's face and honestly replied, "No, you don't."

Compared to his three friends, Liu Jian's appearance was only ordinary, but he always had a smile on his face. To those who didn't know him, he would appear to be a... good-natured person with a pleasant temperament.

Zhao Yue's earnest answer caught Liu Jian off guard for a moment.

"I was originally thinking of transferring her to another department, but since she's so afraid of people, it's better for her to stay in the kitchen. You take care of her a bit more, alright? Poor thing, it's not easy... As for the bonus, I'll just give her ten thousand yuan from my personal account. It'll save us from having to go through the finance department."

Liu Jian had initially thought about not letting her work in the kitchen anymore, fearing she might have psychological trauma or something. But after hearing what Zhao Yue said, he guessed that the young girl was probably very afraid of people now, especially men. The previous time when she saw him outside and didn't dare to look up was probably for this reason.

But the hotel was in the service industry, and there were few positions that didn't require interacting with people, so it was better to keep her in the kitchen.

As for the extra five thousand yuan he was giving her, it was barely a drop in the bucket for Liu Jian. He wanted to give more, treating it as charity, but he was afraid that giving too much might make her uncomfortable accepting it.

As Liu Jian's assistant, Zhao Yue could immediately handle the transfer from his personal account.

When Xin Yuchun heard that she was going to be given ten thousand yuan, she jumped up from the sofa in shock. She had only walked Sister Nian a few steps, how could that warrant so much money?

"Just take it since it's being given to you. Use it to get your grandmother's leg checked again. If there's any left over, save it. Try to go back to school if you can, you're still young." After saying this, Zhao Yue added jokingly, "Our Boss Liu has too much money and nowhere to spend it. If you really want to thank him, just vote for him in the online poll for Jinjiang City's Top Ten Outstanding Youth next time."

Zhao Yue said this just to prevent Xin Yuchun from feeling too much pressure. As for the Top Ten Outstanding Youth, there was indeed such an selection, and there was indeed online voting.

However, her boss had no real chance of winning; every year he was just an honorary participant.

Xin Yuchun, unaware of the situation, immediately nodded seriously, "Sister, just tell me when it's time to vote. I'll get everyone in our village to vote for Boss Liu."

Zhao Yue was so amused she couldn't help but reach out and squeeze the young girl's cheeks with both hands. "You're too adorable." Mobilizing the whole village to vote, it seemed that their Boss Liu's votes would be a bit higher than in previous years.

There was no help for it; he wasn't as good-looking as the others, and while others had started some company or published some paper, when it came to Boss Liu, he was just the owner of some building in some district.

Wasn't that just asking for people to dislike him? It would be strange if anyone voted for him.

Xin Yuchun's face turned slightly red. No one had ever been this close to her before.

Her grandmother was old and, apart from caring about whether her granddaughter had enough to eat and wear, couldn't make such intimate gestures.

From a young age, her grandmother had protected her like a mother hen guarding her chicks, so the other children in the village didn't really like to play with her.

Now, Xin Yuchun couldn't help but fantasize in her heart—

"If only I really had a sister like this..."