Volume 1, Chapter 56: This Little Assistant Has Some Wild Ambitions

"Pardon me, who are you?" Wen Ying asked with bright eyes, offering him a faint smile.

Duan Mingrui only then remembered that after talking for so long, he had completely forgotten to introduce himself.

"I am Duan Mingrui, a doctor at the affiliated hospital of Q University."

Bathed in the warm winter sunlight, Wen Ying’s exquisite facial features seemed to radiate a natural glow, and his gaze was involuntarily drawn to her.

"Doctor Duan, you didn't see anything today." Wen Ying spoke calmly, a hint of an ambiguous smile hidden in her eyes. Her demeanor was as warm as jade, yet her gaze carried a somewhat compelling pressure.

Duan Mingrui was momentarily taken aback, and he tugged at Lu Congzhi. "Master Lu, you took her pulse on the Laba Festival, but now—"

Lu Congzhi took a step forward, his gaze slowly falling upon Jiang Yunyun, indifferent yet cryptic.

Jiang Yunyun’s body stiffened slightly, her clear eyes colliding precisely with his ink-black pupils.

She did not know Duan Mingrui well; if he were to blow this matter wide open, her entire plan would collapse.

Yet Duan Mingrui idolized Lu Congzhi. If Lu Congzhi were willing to help cover for her, perhaps the situation could still be salvaged.

Whether Lu Congzhi understood her intent or not, he withdrew his gaze without a trace and spoke with a straight face, "I didn't see anything."

The hopeful anticipation frozen on Duan Mingrui's face made him turn to Lu Congzhi in absolute disbelief. "..."

Are you serious? Such a big person is standing right in front of you, and you're spouting nonsense with your eyes wide open. Doesn't your conscience hurt?

"You'll understand why soon enough. But before that, I hope you can keep this confidential. Today, you have never seen me." Jiang Yunyun walked up to Duan Mingrui with an open and unpretentious demeanor. She wore a loose down jacket, which made her look somewhat slender. Her delicate face was entirely serene, and her tone carried no ripples.

Duan Mingrui frowned. From his standpoint, he did not welcome Duan Yixiao's family into the Duan household. As Duan Yixiao's wife, Jiang Yunyun belonged to his opposing camp. Thus, he dared not trust her lightly. After all, anyone who could catch his father's eye was no simple character.

Who knew what games they were playing? He dared not easily make promises to her. Although he had no interest in the Duan family business and could be of no help to Duan Mingxian, he could not afford to hold her back either.

Jiang Yunyun fully understood his reservations.

"How about this? You only need to give me two weeks. Within two weeks, just keep today's matter to yourself." Jiang Yunyun carried a resolute air, her expression meticulous, appearing both steadfast and composed.

Duan Mingrui could hardly find a reason to refuse. Instead, his inner curiosity was thoroughly piqued—he actually wanted to see what would happen in two weeks.

He raised his eyes to glance at Wen Ying, then turned back to Lu Congzhi. Both women wore expressions that clearly communicated "watch your words," exuding an innate sense of pressure.

Under such circumstances, how could Duan Mingrui possibly say the word "no"? He nodded like a pecking chick, "Right, I really didn't see anything today."

"In that case... safe travels, Doctor Duan." Wen Ying made it clear he could leave without a single trace of hesitation.

Duan Mingrui's expression nearly cracked. "..." He had seen people cross a river and burn the bridge behind them, but never had he seen anyone dismantle the bridge quite this fast.

After Duan Mingrui and Lu Congzhi left, Lu Shenashen reluctantly pulled her gaze away from Lu Congzhi. "Was that guy just now your younger brother? He's insanely handsome! Why didn't you introduce such a stunner to me sooner?"

Wen Ying gave her an eye roll. "Does Captain Fu know you're so fickle?"

Lu Shenashen tossed her head with a haughty air. "Appreciating handsome men isn't breaking the law. Besides, if you had introduced your brother to me earlier, there wouldn't even be a place for the other guy."

Jiang Yunyun gently tapped her on the head. "You'd better stick to your Captain Fu. Those handsome men are all taken."

Wen Ying lifted the outer corner of her eye, revealing a trace of surprise. "How do you know?"

As Jiang Yunyun walked with them toward the parking lot, she recounted what she had witnessed at the police station that day. "The young lady is pretty and has a lot of personality. I could tell Lu Congzhi was quite indulgent toward her. Besides, for him to rush over to the police station so late at night just to clear things up for someone, their relationship must be out of the ordinary."

"Didn't you know?" Jiang Yunyun shot a sideways glance at Wen Ying.

The biting wind howled, turning even the sunlight into a desolate and bleak greyish-white, hiding in the clouds, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

Wen Ying hurriedly pulled open the car door and climbed in. Once settled inside, she couldn't help complaining to Jiang Yunyun, "Him? He has eight hundred different schemes running through his head. How could I possibly guess what he's thinking?"

At that moment, Lu Shenashen squeezed into the car as well, hurriedly turning on the air conditioning and seat heaters. "So annoying! I suddenly realized that being pretty is completely useless; this howling wind is still freezing cold."

Wen Ying couldn't help being amused by her. She stretched her hands toward the air conditioning vent, her light voice laced with laughter. "So true, and the weather is such a hooligan, always trying to freeze my hands and feet."

Jiang Yunyun wrapped her thick down jacket tighter around herself. "Others laugh at me for dressing thick; I laugh at them for freezing through."

"Hahaha—"

The pink Porsche was packed to the brim with laughter.

That evening, with the addition of Li Yu, the gathering became even livelier.

"I heard you went to your dad's company as his assistant earlier. How's it going?"

When dinner was finally served, the four of them passed the time at a nearby mahjong table. Jiang Yunyun casually discarded a tile and asked nonchalantly.

"Not bad. It basically boils down to this: while I binge-watch dramas, he peels fruit for me, serving tea and bringing water. A few days ago, when a business partner came over for a meeting, they happened to catch my dad holding a fruit pick and offering fruit right to my mouth. That scene... everyone looked like they had just swallowed some earth-shattering gossip yet had to pretend to remain calm, standing there awkwardly not knowing whether to advance or retreat..." Recalling it even now, Li Yu couldn't help but laugh.

The other three looked at her simultaneously, each wearing an expression that defied description.

Lu Shenashen: "I can picture it now. Only, the imagery is too breathtaking—I barely dare look."

Wen Ying was equally speechless. "Chairman Ji's lifelong reputation has been completely ruined in your hands."

Li Yu laughed heartily, exuding a casual, roguish charm. "What's even funnier is that someone actually went behind my back to hint to my older brother that I, as an assistant, had wild ambitions and told him to guard against me."

Jiang Yunyun laughed so hard her stomach hurt. "For a second, I don't even know who to feel sorry for."

Just as her voice trailed off, a mood-ruining phone call came through. It was from Zhou Manhua. "You left home this morning and still aren't back. What on earth are you doing outside? Does a prenatal checkup really take this long?"

The smile vanished from Jiang Yunyun's lips in an instant, her brows darkened with a cold chill. "I'm out having dinner with friends. Is there a problem?"

Zhou Manhua: "What friends? Male or female?"

Unwilling to waste another single word on her, Jiang Yunyun hung up and blocked the number in one swift motion.