Today was the day of the company meeting, and Jiang Zhilan, as one of the managers, naturally was also one of the participants. However, she came early. Although her interactions with Tang Hua had not been made public, it was because before the situation was settled, no one wanted to speak too definitively, lest this relationship come to nothing, which would be embarrassing, especially for a woman.
But her close colleagues and superiors had seen everything. So her early arrival at the headquarters would not surprise anyone.
Her dates with Tang Hua had always been low-key and not frequent. They were both busy, and Tang Hua was not the type to pursue someone with excessive passion. So she wouldn’t become a clingy, lovesick girl. Loving him meant following his preferred way of expressing love. He liked her agility and sharpness, so she couldn’t have a procrastinating personality. She knew in this lifetime, it was impossible to meet someone more outstanding than Tang Hua, let alone that such a person would pursue her. Therefore, she tried her best to show the side of herself that would make him appreciate her, not like those vulgar women who would call constantly or barge into the office under the pretext of surprise inspections.
The feeling of longing for him and thinking of him was torment in her heart, but she had to appear calm in front of him—a woman’s dignity!
For the past week, the company’s private gossip was that the real daughter-in-law candidate for the Tang family had returned; if it weren’t for the sudden appearance of the CEO’s wife who snatched him away, the Zhou family’s daughter would have been the young mistress of the Tang family long ago. Miss Zhou had been heartbroken and gone to America for seven years, never forgetting Tang Hua for a day. Until recent years, hearing that Tang Hua and his wife were living separately, she began following the hint of Madam Tang, coming to the headquarters daily to date Tang Hua, taking up a lot of his time…
Seeing the ethereal Xiao Susu recently was like encountering a celestial being, instantly shattering her confidence… It had nothing to do with ability. As a woman, appearance would always be the first point of comparison. She had always known she was beautiful, attracting numerous suitors during her student days, with talent scouts constantly promising her stardom. But there are people beyond people, skies beyond skies. If someone could be so beautiful as to make her feel utterly defeated, it would be far beyond just a little.
So recently, she had been wallowing in self-pity and self-doubt, unable to comprehend why Tang Hua would divorce such a beautiful woman.
Recently, rumors from the headquarters spread that a stunning beauty was seen intimately accompanying the big boss to and from work every day, which was unprecedented.
This was absolutely extraordinary. Because Tang Hua had never been one to mix personal and professional life or go around with women.
One rumor following another, she had to come and see for herself. Using a meeting as an excuse to appear before Tang Hua wouldn’t seem out of place, would it?
The elevator reached the top floor. She strode into the imposing office area, noticing the reception and executive secretary were not at their posts, with only five or six busy figures in the secretary’s room. She didn’t bother with an announcement, taking a deep breath and walking toward the slightly ajar CEO’s office door.
In a separate rest room, a mother and son were playing happily. Thanks to the weekend, Tang Xuexian only attended school five days a week, perfectly spending Saturday with his mother.
“Mom, just carefully guard the hole and don’t let the magnetic ball enter. Remember to quickly hit it back with the board,” Tang Xuexian earnestly instructed his mother in playing with a new toy.
Among the many toys bought by Tang’s mother-in-law, Tang Xuexian was particularly fond of those that could train intelligence, like building blocks, 3D puzzles, or this magnetic ball. He never played with toy guns, robots, or war machines, had no interest in dolls, and even when reading, he avoided fairy tales, only absorbing practical knowledge.
“Wow, the ball can float!” This table tennis-like two-player game was designed to train reflexes. She had already been defeated twenty-six times, meaning they had played twenty-six rounds.
They played five more times, with Xiao Susu losing quickly. Tang Xuexian, worried his mother might tire, declared a break.
“Mom, are you still afraid of Grandma?”
“Not anymore, just a bit nervous. She no longer demands I meet relatives, so I’m gradually less worried.” Previously, upon entering the Tang family, his mother-in-law had hoped she would take on the role of family matriarch, getting to know all relatives and becoming a opinion leader or mediator. But this was one of Xiao Susu’s nightmares after marrying into the Tang family. She could never be a social queen leading group discussions. Even now, while she could relax and moderately acquaint herself with some people, that was her limit. The only people she truly trusted completely were her husband and son, plus Du Feifan, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time—
—She had heard on a recent phone call that she had fallen in love with a pickpocket girl, determined to tame the little rascal, leaving her with no energy to drop by—”Take care,” she had said.
Tang Xuexian poured two cups of cocoa, handing one to his mother:
“Grandma is happy you’ve become more open. She says everyone’s personality can’t change, and you can’t force things that don’t suit you. As long as we’re doing well, nothing else matters.”
“She’s a good person.” She smiled softly, unable to understand why she had been so unreasonably afraid of them before, when they had been so tolerant and understanding. She had been so immature.
Tang Xuexian looked at his mother’s face and softly said:
“If you like Dad, I think we could all live together.”
“I don’t know if your dad would want that. He’s been very good to me, but… I’m not sure…”
“Isn’t it good if everyone gets along? Mom, what else do you want?” He was still young, unable to understand that adults needed more than just loving and living happily together. Dad only had Mom, Mom only had Dad—wasn’t that enough?
Xiao Susu smiled softly, hugging her son, finding it difficult to explain her stagnant state to such a young child. She truly had no experience in pursuing someone. Accompanying him to and from work, eating together, visiting scenic spots, working together in the study, occasionally sharing a small kiss… She felt she had completely integrated into his life and was trying to pursue him. Initially, she was truly delighted, discovering he seemed to enjoy her company. But as time passed, she realized he treated her like “family” rather than a “lover”.
If he were a “lover”, he wouldn’t be so polite, so measured, so caring yet lacking that bit of… passion…
Like the intensity that had frightened her seven and a half years ago, or that night a month ago in Shanlinxi—without deliberate provocation, yet erupting like a blazing flame, burning wildly…
She had thought familial and romantic love were the same, but this was clearly a wrong conclusion. Otherwise, why would her heart feel so empty? Living together, receiving his care, yet somehow feeling an underlying unease?
With Feifan not around, her doubts remained unresolved, left only for her to explore. Always wanting to repay his kindness, she found herself constantly seeking more from him.
Could he see she was pursuing him? Or did he see it and deliberately ignore it, deciding to treat her like close family, providing a complete home for their son, having already decided he no longer needed love? Or… no longer needed her?
