Volume One, Chapter Four: The Daughter as the Rival in the CEO Romance Novel
After tucking Jiang Ruoxue in, Shi Yan turned off the light and quietly left her room.
"President Jiang," Nurse Chen nervously rubbed her hands, standing outside Jiang Ruoxue’s room for a while.
After Nurse Chen left, she noticed that all the staff at the Jiang residence had been replaced.
After a few inquiries, she learned what had happened. Now, she was the only veteran employee left at the Jiang household.
Upon discovering the reasons for the dismissals, Nurse Chen felt uneasy. After all, she had concealed information and feared Shi Yan might fire her too.
“As long as you know I’m keeping you on because you’ve been genuinely caring toward Ruoxue. Otherwise, you’d be packing your things with the others today,” Shi Yan said.
“Thank you, President Jiang. I will take even better care of the young lady from now on,” Nurse Chen promised.
After learning from Assistant Tang about Shi Yan and Jiang Ruoxue’s dietary restrictions and preferences, the newly hired chef prepared five dishes tailored to their tastes.
Jiang Ruoxue especially loved the Typhoon Shelter Shrimp and eagerly ate several pieces.
“Do you like this dish?” Shi Yan offered her two shrimp.
“Yes,” Jiang Ruoxue nodded, stuffing the two shrimp into her mouth. Her cheeks moved adorably as she chewed, resembling a figure from a traditional New Year painting.
After finishing the shrimp, she glanced at the plate several times, clearly wanting more, but picked other dishes instead.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you want more of this dish, Ruoxue?” Shi Yan noticed her hesitation.
“I…” Jiang Ruoxue instinctively looked around, searching for Butler Li.
Besides her clothes, Butler Li had taken ingredients from the refrigerator home with her. They cooked themselves, but not as well as the Jiang family’s chef.
To ensure her granddaughter ate enough, Butler Li set strict rules: no picking a single dish more than five times, and never taking too much at once, so there’d be leftovers to pack home.
Butler Li also told Jiang Ruoxue that eating too much was unbecoming of a lady, and that Shi Yan and Grandmother Jiang wouldn’t like it. If Ruoxue disobeyed, Butler Li threatened to punish her with a ruler.
When asked why she didn’t pack the food before Ruoxue ate, Butler Li said she wanted to send photos of Ruoxue eating to Grandmother Jiang and the original owner, showing they liked that dish so they’d order more ingredients.
---
“Ruoxue, listen to your father,” Shi Yan shifted Jiang Ruoxue’s chair so she faced him.
“You can eat whatever you want. You don’t need to restrain yourself, just don’t overstuff yourself,” he said seriously.
“But Grandma Li said that if I eat too many tasty things, I won’t be ladylike, and then you and Grandma won’t like me,” Jiang Ruoxue said, tears beginning to fall.
Shi Yan’s heart ached. He lifted Jiang Ruoxue from the high chair, placed her on his lap, wiped her tears with a tissue, and spoke softly.
“Daddy and Grandma will always love our Ruoxue because we are family.
Grandma Li is no longer with us, and she won’t come back. If she ever hurt Ruoxue, anyone who does that is a bad person.
The police have taken Grandma Li away, so you don’t need to be afraid anymore. Daddy will always be here for you, to protect you.”
“Really? Daddy will always be with me and protect me?” Ruoxue stopped crying and looked up at Shi Yan.
“Of course. I’m your little princess’s personal knight, and I’ll always protect Princess Ruoxue. And Ruoxue, girls can be many things—they don’t have to be just ladylike. But if you want to be a little lady, Daddy will support you too.”
“Daddy, pinky promise. Whoever lies is a little dog.”
“Okay.”
Shi Yan’s big hand linked with Ruoxue’s small one. “Pinky swear, a hundred years, never change. Whoever changes is a little dog.”
They pressed their thumbs together to seal the promise.
To ensure Jiang Ruoxue’s mental and physical well-being, Shi Yan took her to see a professional child psychologist.
The results showed Ruoxue had indeed suffered some trauma, but it wasn’t severe. With Shi Yan’s care and guidance, she would recover.
Thanks to Shi Yan’s presence, the latest follow-up showed no significant issues.
“Thank you, doctor.”
“It’s all part of my job.”
---
Shi Yan and the doctor watched Jiang Ruoxue smiling happily in the children’s play area of the pediatric hospital.
“President Jiang,” Assistant Tang approached and whispered in Shi Yan’s ear.
After Butler Li was arrested, the items she took from the Jiang family were missing. However, their value was converted into money, which would be recovered and returned to Shi Yan.
Over the past year, the value of what Butler Li took was substantial. After the money was reclaimed, the Li family’s quality of life plummeted. Their spacious apartment turned into a shabby old place, and their food changed from imported meat, fruits, and vegetables to discounted supermarket items.
Especially for the female lead, whose quality of life had sharply declined after enjoying the best food and goods all year. She couldn’t accept it and caused trouble at home daily.
Butler Li’s son and daughter-in-law planned to bring the female lead to Shi Yan’s company lobby to beg for sympathy, hoping to pressure him into paying off some money through public opinion.
Fifteen thousand was still unrecovered.
“President Jiang, they’re trying to contact reporters.”
“Find some people to teach them a lesson. If any reporter dares to twist the facts, release what I sent you earlier,” Shi Yan said mercilessly. He had countless ways and means to deal with the female lead’s family. Compared to their empty threats, Shi Yan held solid evidence.
He would never let them off just because they were now suffering. In the original story, they had trampled on Jiang Ruoxue for years.
“Yes,” Assistant Tang went to handle it.
“Ruoxue, let’s go home!”
“Okay, I’m coming, Daddy!” Jiang Ruoxue put her toy back in its place and ran toward Shi Yan.
“Ruoxue, good job putting the toy back where it belongs.”
“Teacher Xiaohua taught me. Teacher said finished toys should be returned to their original spots.”