C14 To Attack His Selfesteem

Shu Ann felt a bit uneasy after hearing that, though she couldn't quite pinpoint why.

She asked Xiaoya, "Do you really like Lih Jingyan?"

"Like him? I'm not sure. The old man keeps telling me I should be his granddaughter-in-law, and I've never argued. Over time, I just got used to the idea that I should like Lih Jingyan. Honestly, I admire him more than I like him," Xiaoya replied.

Shu Ann took a sip of her wine and said, "Xiaoya, maybe you shouldn't overthink it."

"Shu Ann, to me, Lih Jingyan is like a fancy meal—structured, rigid, and formal. It's delicious but distant. For you, he's like comfort food—flexible, varied, and close, putting you at ease. I like comfort food too, but all I have is the fancy meal," Xiaoya said.

Shu Ann didn't know what to say. She was impressed by Xiaoya's upbringing, evident even in her analogies.

"Xiaoya, have you considered that Lih Jingyan might not be the right person for you? Maybe you've just convinced yourself you like him. The comfort food you want might not be him," Shu Ann suggested.

Xiaoya pondered this. "Maybe you're right. Perhaps I'm just trying to repay a kindness. I'll think it over and figure it out eventually."

Xiaoya knew Lih Jingyan liked Shu Ann. She also understood why—she enjoyed talking to Shu Ann too. But Xiaoya didn't plan to tell Shu Ann about Jingyan's feelings. It was their issue to resolve, and her interference might not help, possibly even making things worse.

Shu Ann watched Xiaoya's thoughtful expression, thinking, "Jingyan, you've really stirred things up..."

Little did Shu Ann know, Xiaoya was contemplating the situation between Shu Ann and Lih Jingyan.

"Xiaoya, stop overthinking it. The foie gras is getting cold," Shu Ann reminded.

"Alright," Fu Xiaoya replied, ending her train of thought as they both started eating.

"Xiaoya, I have to say it again, this foie gras is absolutely delicious," Shu Ann said with a cheerful smile.

"Shu Ann, you're just too adorable," Fu Xiaoya responded.

Shu Ann blushed, thinking to herself that in all her years, no one had ever called her adorable before. It seemed her ladylike persona was really working.

In the President's office at Jingtai Company, Lih Jingyan was immersed in work when a sudden hunger hit him. He wondered why Shu Ann hadn't brought his meal yet. When she arrived, he planned to give her a piece of his mind.

As he continued working, he heard a knock on the door. Assuming it was Shu Ann, he didn't bother looking up and simply said, "Come in."

When the person entered, Lih Jingyan continued, "Shu Ann, what's going on? Why are you so late with my meal?" He looked up and realized it was Assistant Zhou, Zhou Yang, holding the food.

"Zhou Yang, why is it you? Where's Shu Ann?" Lih Jingyan asked, surprised.

"Sir, Shu Ann had something to attend to and asked me to bring your meal," Zhou Yang explained, silently grumbling to himself about the disdainful tone. He thought, "I didn't even want to bring you food, Lih Jingyan."

Lih Jingyan felt uneasy, wondering why Shu Ann had left without telling him and who she might be meeting.

"Bring the food over. Zhou Yang, you've been here long enough to know better than to be this late," Lih Jingyan said, venting his frustration on Zhou Yang.

Zhou Yang placed the meal on the desk. "Sir, it's really not my fault. Shu Ann only told me to get your meal when it was already late, and the cafeteria was crowded," Zhou Yang defended himself.

"You always have an excuse. Did Shu Ann mention what she was up to?" Lih Jingyan asked, still displeased.

"No, Shu Ann just said she had something to do and went out for a bit," Zhou Yang replied.

Lih Jingyan felt even more uneasy upon hearing this, wondering who Shu Ann had gone out with.

"Zhou Yang, who do you think Shu Ann went out with? What could she be doing?" Lih Jingyan asked worriedly.

"Boss, I really have no idea. Why are you so concerned about this?" Zhou Yang responded.

Lih Jingyan opened the lunchbox, absentmindedly picking at the food. He began to complain, "Look at this rice, it's so hard. How can anyone eat it? These potato strips are cut so thick, and the shrimp haven't been cleaned properly. What's going on? Is the cafeteria staff really this careless? Why does the company keep such slackers around?" Lih Jingyan fumed.

Zhou Yang didn't know what to say, so he mumbled quietly, "Telling me won't help; I didn't make the food. If you're that picky, maybe you should eat out."

"What did you say, Zhou Yang?" Lih Jingyan glared at him angrily. Zhou Yang didn't dare argue back and quickly said, "Boss, I'll go and talk to the cafeteria staff right away." He thought to himself that he needed to get out of there quickly before the boss found something else to criticize.

Lih Jingyan thought for a moment and said, "Go ahead, but as soon as you see Shu Ann return, bring her to me immediately."

"Sure thing, Boss," Zhou Yang replied, hastily exiting the office, relieved to escape what felt like a hellish situation. He silently wished Shu Ann well.

In the restaurant, Shu Ann was eating when she suddenly felt a chill. She thought maybe the air conditioning was too high.

"Shu Ann, I'm really glad to have met you. Talking to you makes me feel so relaxed and happy," Fu Xiaoya said.

"Xiaoya, why do you say that?" Shu Ann asked, puzzled.

"Shu Ann, you don't know this, but my previous friends were impossible to connect with on a deeper level. They were only interested in my background and never shared anything genuine. It was all flattery or business talk, which was so stifling. With you, I can talk about life and share what's on my mind. It's incredibly freeing," Fu Xiaoya explained.

"Really? Then you can come find me often. I'd love to chat with you," Shu Ann thought, feeling pleased that someone other than her brother had called her cute.

Just as Fu Xiaoya was about to say something, her phone rang. She quickly answered it; there was an issue at work that needed her attention. Hanging up, she turned to Shu Ann and said, "Xiaoya, it's such a shame. There's an emergency at the office that I need to handle. I was really looking forward to chatting with you all afternoon. I've had such a great time today. Don't forget our plans." Fu Xiaoya gathered her things and prepared to leave.

"Alright, Xiaoya, just come find me whenever you have the time," Shu Ann thought to herself, imagining how Lih Jingyan might scold her for chatting all afternoon.

"Goodbye, Shu Ann."

"Goodbye, Xiaoya."

After seeing Fu Xiaoya off, Shu Ann also prepared to head back to the office.

At Jingtai Company

Shu Ann returned to the office and ran into Zhou Yang as soon as she walked in. Seeing her, Zhou Yang grabbed her arm and said, "The boss wants to see you right away. Good luck, Shu Ann. He's in a really bad mood."

In the CEO's Office at Jingtai Company

Lih Jingyan had just finished his meal and was in a particularly foul mood. Hearing a knock, he assumed it was Zhou Yang and was about to ask why Shu Ann hadn't returned yet. But then he saw Shu Ann standing there casually next to Zhou Yang, and his temper flared.

"Shu Ann, come here." Feeling puzzled, Shu Ann walked over. Seeing that she wasn't planning to explain herself, Lih Jingyan couldn't hold back his anger.

"Shu Ann, do you know what mistake you've made? Why didn't you bring me lunch? Are you trying to starve me?" Lih Jingyan began his interrogation.

"What did I do? I asked Assistant Zhou to bring you lunch," Shu Ann replied confidently.

"Yeah, that's right," Assistant Zhou chimed in quietly, immediately regretting it.

"Assistant Zhou, why are you getting involved? Get out, and I'll deal with you later." Hearing this, Assistant Zhou quietly exited but couldn't resist eavesdropping from around the corner, enjoying listening to someone else get scolded.

"Shu Ann, you still haven't realized your mistake. You left your position without permission, had someone else cover for you, and didn't even inform me before leaving the office," Lih Jingyan said, his tone leaving no room for Shu Ann to defend herself.

"With that kind of attitude, how can you do this job well? You lack responsibility, discipline, and teamwork. If you don't want to be this secretary, then just leave. The company doesn't keep slackers. Do you still want to be this secretary?" Lih Jingyan vented his frustration.

The CEO's office fell silent for a moment. Outside, Zhou Yang was listening intently, finding the situation entertaining but feeling that the CEO was overreacting. It was such a minor issue to be so harsh about.

The silence stretched on for several minutes, leaving both Lih Jingyan and Zhou Yang puzzled as to why Shu Ann wasn't responding.

Shu Ann felt a sting from his words. To her, it was a small matter, yet Lih Jingyan was so aggressive. No one had ever criticized her like that before, and she felt her self-esteem take a hit. She thought to herself that if she didn't need this job so badly, she would have quit already.

Lih Jingyan started to worry. Usually, no matter how much they argued, Shu Ann would always talk back. Why was she silent today? Was she really upset and thinking of quitting? He had only meant to joke around and hadn't even asked why she left. Suddenly, he realized that he hadn't gotten to the point of asking her reason for leaving.

Lih Jingyan had no idea that his jokes were never funny. Zhou Yang was outside, anxious from the silence, itching to barge in but knowing that doing so would only get him into trouble.

Unable to bear the silence any longer, Lih Jingyan cleared his throat and said, "Ahem... um... yeah, that was my bad earlier. I was just joking. Don't take it to heart, okay?"