Chapter 22: The Child Took After His Father

Gao Ge was also intimidated by Xia Xi's aura, but the words had already been spoken, like spilled water that cannot be taken back; she instinctively straightened her spine, as if saying, "Bring it on," she had nothing to fear.

Xia Xi stood before Gao Ge; they were about the same height, but Xia Xi's presence was stronger, giving her a lofty, disdainful air.

Gao Ge held her breath.

Xia Xi slowly spoke: "Senior Engineer, as a woman you should better understand the difficulties women face in the workplace; how could you say such baseless things? Could it be that your current position is also thanks to selling your body?"

"You!" Gao Ge's face turned ashen.

She had achieved today's success solely through her own effort, fighting alongside a group of men in the workplace; at thirty-six, unmarried, she had sacrificed her prime youth to get here! How could Xia Xi's flippant sentence invalidate all of that? This was character assassination! Seeing her furious expression, Xia Xi curled the corner of her mouth and gave a light smile: "You see, I'm just applying your logic to judge you, and you can't take it. If so, why not put yourself in others' shoes and think before speaking whether they can bear it?"

Gao Ge: "How can you compare yourself to me?"

"I'm just a few years younger than you; besides that, what's different between us?" Xia Xi said. "Just because I'm young, does that mean I deserve to be looked down upon? I think a person's ability shouldn't be measured by age and experience. There aren't many people in this break room today, but if there were more, rumors would spread, and tomorrow the whole company would think, because of your words, that I'm a designer who sleeps her way to the top—people's words are fearsome; are you trying to ruin me?"

She pressed step by step, unyielding, and Gao Ge's heart raced, unable to utter a word.

She hadn't imagined the consequences would be so serious…

"As for whether I'm actually a fool, time will tell." Xia Xi said calmly.

"Who can't say nice things?" Gao Ge knew she had been losing from the start; she had been gossiping behind people's backs, caught red-handed by the person concerned, which was already in the wrong, and now she was just holding on, not wanting to be laughed at.

But having said this much, she couldn't back down: "You're so confident—let's make a bet. Two months: if you can't land a major project, you get out of Broad and Elegant Design, and don't blame me for bullying you. If you succeed, you set the terms, and I won't go back on my word."

Jiang Tian silently raised his cup and took a sip of coffee, thinking to himself, "The war between women is truly terrifying—no smoke, yet the killing intent fills the air."

If Xia Xi were impulsive, she'd likely be forced into a fight right now, but she isn't; she's always clear-headed, able to move a thousand pounds with four ounces: "Whether I get the project or not isn't up to me to say."

She turned her gaze to the sole onlooker in the break room—Jiang Tian.

It was her first day at the company, and she didn't know many people, but she knew this one: "I'm not the one handling client liaison; I only do the design part."

Jiang Tian, inexplicably drawn in, broke into a dry smile after wiping sweat from his brow: "I'm working hard to land a big project so that Xia Gong's abilities can be put to use; I look forward to seeing Xia Gong shine at Broad and Elegant."

Seeing them sing in harmony, Gao Ge felt a tightness in her chest, said nothing more, and walked away.

Jiang Tian shouted from behind: "Senior Engineer, you forgot your rose tea—"

Gao Ge halted, her face dark, turned back, picked up the cup on the table, and left.

Only Jiang Tian and Xia Xi remained in the break room; Jiang Tian lifted his cup and, making small talk, said: "Do you drink coffee, Xia Gong? Though it's instant, the taste is not bad."

Xia Xi: "Thanks, but I don't drink it."

Jiang Tian stepped closer, catching a faint fragrance from her, kept a polite distance, and said: "Senior Engineer Gao Ge has a rather arrogant personality; don't take her words to heart. I think highly of you. If a big project comes up, I'll prioritize recommending you."

Xia Xi still said: "Thanks."

Jiang Tian rubbed his nose, thinking, "Beautiful women just have personalities—aloof and hard to approach."

*At quitting time, Xia Xi took the elevator to the parking lot, got into her car, didn't start the engine, and first called Su Jinru.

"What should we have for dinner? Want me to pick up some dishes on the way home?" She had just finished asking when Xia Xi heard slight noise from the other end of the phone: "Are you out?" Su Jinru didn't answer whether she needed dishes, but first explained: "I went to the kindergarten to pick up the two kids after school; they were clamoring for KFC, so I brought them to the mall. After eating, they headed straight for the children's playground in the mall and started playing there…"

Xia Xi pressed her brow: "No need to ask—it's definitely Youyou's idea."

The two children's personalities are worlds apart: Youyou is older, lively and active, like a little monkey, sweating through her head all day, taking care of her takes a lot of effort; Zi Heng is younger but much calmer and steadier, often making people feel he's not a little kid, possibly having inherited his father's traits.

Su Jinru: "You know them best—it's indeed Youyou who egged Zi Heng on."

"Which mall? I'll drive over to pick you up."

"You must be exhausted after a day at work—no need to come pick us up." Su Jinru said with a laugh, "Once the kids have had their fill of play, I'll take a taxi home and we'll have dinner later."

It's her first day on the job, there's not much to do, so she's not tired.

Su Jinru couldn't win against her daughter, so she just told her the mall's name.

It's probably a newly opened mall; Xia Xi had never heard of it before, she entered the destination into the navigation and drove out of the parking lot.

Inside the mall, Su Jinru hung up the phone and watched the children behind the barrier.

The children's playground was filled with blue-and-white balls, like an ocean; in the middle stood a five-story castle, with children wearing knee pads and hard hats, safety ropes tied to their bodies, led by professional staff as they explored the castle.

Su Jinru immediately saw Youyou panting as she ran ahead, having a blast, while Zi Heng was much steadier, gripping the handrail beside the stairs, taking small, firm steps.

After a round, the two children were let out, and Su Jinru took out a tissue from her bag to wipe their sweat: "Look at your dirty little faces, like little kittens; later your mom might not even recognize you."

Youyou's hair was soaked with sweat; she lifted her head and asked, "Mom, are you coming to pick us up?"

Su Jinru nodded: "Exactly, so let's dry our faces quickly."

Zi Heng took a wet wipe from his grandmother's hand, wiped his face, and his dark, shiny eyes gazed at the tall man in the distance, who seemed to have been staring at them for a while. The man's face looked somewhat familiar; Zi Heng tilted his head, wondering if he'd seen him before, perhaps in his mother's phone album?

So, he probably isn't a bad person.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, the man stepped toward them.

The man's gaze fixed on Zi Heng's face; last time at the hotel he had only seen the little girl, not him.

The man's eyes were deep; Zi Heng thought there was still dirt on his face and rubbed it hard with the tissue.

Su Jinru was bending over to fix Youyou's hair when the little girl's braid came undone, her hair splaying out like a madwoman's. Suddenly, a warm, deep male voice came from behind: "Aunt Su."

Su Jinru turned around, and Xu Yanfeng's handsome face came into view; she blinked, surprised, and exclaimed: "Little... Mr. Xu, what are you doing here?"

Xu Yanfeng naturally couldn't say; ever since they left the kindergarten, he had been following behind, never finding a suitable chance to approach.

He lowered his gaze, closely observing the two kids: the girl resembled Xia Xi a bit, the boy not so much, and based on appearance alone he couldn't tell much. After a moment's thought, he echoed Su Jinru's words in a roundabout way: "Xi Xi has already told me, the child is…"

Xu Yanfeng deliberately remained vague, and Su Jinru fell for it, exclaiming: "You already know everything?!"

(End of chapter)