You two really have quite the tacit understanding!

No matter what Xu Fengnian said, Xu An'an remained completely unmoved. All she wanted right now was to crawl back into bed and catch up on her sleep, but Xu Fengnian kept chattering away endlessly.

It wasn't until Xu Fengnian mentioned that Mother Jiang had come over to discuss marriage between the two families that Xu An'an finally picked up her phone.

"Discuss what marriage? There is nothing left between Jiang Yu and me. Go on and ask her for me: didn't they use to look down on me? Why are they so desperately crawling back to my doorstep now? Isn't this just being utterly shameless?"

On the other end of the line, Mother Jiang stared at Xu Fengnian and asked, "In-law, what did An'an say?"

Beads of sweat the size of peas oozed from Xu Fengnian's forehead. How could he possibly dare to repeat what Xu An'an had said, unless he had completely lost his mind?

"An'an, you have to understand, it was all just a misunderstanding."

"He already got Ning Xiyue pregnant, and you call that a misunderstanding? In short, there is no possibility whatsoever between Jiang Yu and me. Tell his mother to show some self-awareness; if she has any shred of dignity left, she should stop bothering me."

With that, Xu An'an hung up the phone.

Careless about the consequences, she rolled over and went right back to sleep.

Xu Fengnian hadn't expected Xu An'an to hang up so decisively and cleanly. There were still several pairs of eyes staring right at him behind his back, especially Mother Jiang's.

He was breaking out in a cold sweat.

Even though the call had already ended, Xu Fengnian still put on an act and said, "As long as you understand, that's fine. What? There's a very important interview? All right then, you can contact Young Master Jiang yourself later. Whatever the issue is, it's better to sit down and talk it through properly."

Learning that Xu An'an would take the initiative to contact Jiang Yu, Mother Jiang let out a sigh of relief, feeling that there was still room for a turnaround.

No matter how much she disliked Xu An'an, Xu An'an possessed a destiny of supreme fortune that brought prosperity to her husband. Winning the favor of the Great Old Madame was more than enough to help Jiang Yu.

She absolutely could not stand idly by and watch Jiang Li firmly secure his position as the president of the Jiang Corporation.

...

Because Fang Nini's embezzlement of public funds involved a large number of people, even the editor-in-chief was dragged down with her, leaving the magazine office in absolute chaos.

Xue Shengnan and other senior executives held an emergency meeting.

The conclusion reached was that the entire magazine office needed a thorough overhaul.

Everyone was given three days off to rest first.

Xu An'an spoke with Xue Shengnan over the phone, discussing matters concerning the magazine.

"I'm sorry, I never expected things to blow up like this."

"This isn't your fault. In fact, all the senior executives are very grateful to you. If those parasites had been allowed to keep gnawing away at the magazine, it probably wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway. Given the circumstances, the current outcome is actually quite acceptable." Xue Shengnan rubbed her temples.

Sensing the deep exhaustion in Xue Shengnan's voice, Xu An'an didn't say much more: "Remember to balance work and rest. The magazine isn't just your responsibility alone. Let's just do what we are supposed to do with a clear conscience."

"Sometimes, when you do too much, people won't necessarily thank you. Instead, they might think you're just meddling in other people's business."

Xue Shengnan's ability was obvious to everyone, but she still lacked a bit of cunning when it came to playing power games, often doing things too by-the-book.

Before hanging up, Xue Shengnan dropped a hint to Xu An'an.

"If nothing unexpected happens, our magazine office will be getting a new boss."

"I heard he's very young and quite handsome, except that he's a playboy."

As for what kind of person the new boss was, Xu An'an didn't care much. As long as the man paid their salaries on time and didn't stir up trouble, that was fine.

Even while resting at home, Xu An'an had plenty of things to keep her busy.

She was contemplating the idea of starting her own business; after all, working for others could never compare to being your own boss.

However, given the current macroeconomic environment, starting a business was extraordinarily difficult.

Moreover, her starting capital was still insufficient, and she was even more afraid that subsequent funding would dry up, which would mean losing her bottom line entirely.

She still needed to find a partner, someone to invest in her.

The first person who came to Xu An's mind was Jiang Li. After all, he was her financial backer, with thighs thick enough to rely on.

The crucial point was that Jiang Li was also extremely generous with his money, though his temperament was somewhat erratic and unpredictable.

One second the sky could be clear and sunny, and the next it could be pouring rain with thunder and lightning!

Dealing with someone like Jiang Li was no different from pulling teeth from a tiger. If you did well, fine, but if you accidentally made a single mistake, you were completely finished!

Thinking back to the Xu family banquet last time, when Jiang Li had suddenly done that kind of thing to her, anger flared up in her chest again.

Out of nowhere, why did he suddenly go crazy?

Knock, knock.

The bedroom door was suddenly knocked upon.

Xu An'an turned her head to look and saw Jiang Li lazily leaning against the door frame, holding the chubby cat in his arms: "The sun is already high in the sky, and you're still not up."

Xu An'an hadn't expected Jiang Li to still be at home at this hour.

"Is the chubby cat feeling better?"

"It looks a bit more spirited, but it still refuses to move."

"What should we do then?" Xu An'an got out of bed and went over to tease the chubby cat: "How about we take it out for a walk? Force it to get some exercise."

"Alright, waiting for you downstairs."

Xu An'an wanted to say she hadn't eaten anything yet, but realizing she didn't have much appetite anyway, she hurriedly washed up, changed her clothes, and went downstairs.

Dressed in casual wear with a simple ponytail and a face free of cosmetics, she looked pure, lovely, and brimming with youthful energy.

Jiang Li's gaze flickered slightly.

He couldn't help but steal a couple more glances.

"正好我们去郊外" (Just in time, we're heading to the outskirts.)

With that, Jiang Li handed a food box to Xu An'an, picked up the chubby cat, and started walking outside: "There are shaomai inside. Eat a little bit in the car to cushion your stomach for now, and we'll have lunch when we get there."

Xu An'an took the food box, and just smelling the aroma made her mouth water.

Realizing the car had gotten onto the highway, Xu An'an finally understood they were heading to the outskirts. However, with the weather so wonderful, there was nothing better than a trip to the countryside.

Xu An'an rested her head against the car window, closing her eyes to feel the sunlight falling upon her face.

At that moment, the car window slowly rolled down.

The fresh breeze from outside swept through the car, bringing a wave of coolness intertwined with the subtle fragrance of wildflowers. The corners of Xu An'an's lips curved upward as she continued stroking the chubby cat in her arms.

It would be even better if there was some music right now.

No sooner had this thought crossed her mind than a very upbeat and cheerful tune began to play, causing the corners of her lips to naturally curl into a soft smile.

They actually had pretty good chemistry!

Jiang Li focused on the road ahead, steering the wheel with one hand while resting his elbow on the window frame, looking both dashing and domineering.

A closer look revealed that his eyes were filled with smiles.

He deliberately maintained a steady speed, savoring the present moment.

"We're passing by the seaside."

Hearing this, Xu An'an quickly opened her eyes. What came into view was a vast expanse of azure blue, sparkling in the sunlight, while the wind blowing in carried a faint, salty scent of the sea.

Since they were on higher ground, they could easily see many people playing and enjoying themselves on the beach.

Though Xu An'an was still inside the car, her heart had already flown to the beach.

"So many people aren't wearing shoes; the sand must be really soft, right?"

Jiang Li didn't speak, but he turned the steering wheel at the upcoming fork in the road and headed toward the coast, which utterly delighted Xu An'an.

"Wow, summer is meant for playing at the beach!"

Seeing Xu An'an as happy as a child, Jiang Li couldn't resist reaching out to ruffle her hair: "You know how to swim, right?"

Xu An'an smiled dryly.

"If there's a swim ring, I suppose I can manage."

"I'll teach you."

"Will it be very difficult?"

"As long as you're willing to learn, anything is simple."

Imagining herself soaking in the cool sea water, Xu An'an willingly drank down Jiang Li's cup of inspirational pep talk.