Nothing happened in the next few days following Yan Shuyuâs conversation with the boss, so she was all the more certain that they had agreed to an amicable split.
She was, naturally, quite happy about the outcome. She was confident that she and her instant son were now completely rid of the male lead and his dad and would be able to march toward their nice, new lives. She was dumbfounded when she suddenly received a call from the boss on Friday night.
That was right. Yan Shuyu, in addition to friending the boss on WeChat, had also exchanged her cellphone number with him. Except that she was a passive participant when that took place, so she had a hard time calling that an honor.
Looking at the call, Yan Shuyu told herself to remain calm. She had turned him down explicitly and the boss had accepted reality as well. There was no way the boss was the stalker type, so perhaps, he was calling her for some legitimate reasons. As much as that possibility was slim to nil, it wasnât against the law for her to fantasize about it for a bit. After all, the boss already knew the building and unit that they lived in. Should he turn into a stalker, whether she picked up his call or not wouldnât make too much of a difference.
That being said, after her experience of opening up to the boss, Yan Shuyu had seen a whole new side of him. The male leadâs father might seem like a very by the book kind of person, but there was certainly a wicked side of him. For example, she had looked for so many excuses earlier to turn him off, including but not limited to ruining her own image, and he knew from the very beginning that she was just making them all up to turn him away. Even so, he played along the entire time just to mess with her until she finally gave up and bluntly told him that she was no longer interested in him and did not want to pursue a relationship with him. He had accepted that calmly.
Perhaps that was just a common issue with those in leadership roles. They could toy around with others, but they wouldnât allow others to do the same to them. Thatâs the stubbornness of a boss. And the biggest lesson that Yan Shuyu had learned from this incident was that truly to beat around the bush with the boss with her limited intelligence would simply never end well. She might as well just be open and honest from the very beginning.
After she was done preparing herself mentally, Yan Shuyu finally decided on avoiding it and bravely picked up the call before it stopped ringing. âHello?â
To her surprise, it wasnât the bossâs voice that came from the other end, but a familiar milky voice that said to her, âHi, Aunty Yan.â
Oh, it was the little male lead. Yan Shuyu let out a sigh of relief right away and her tone became cheerful. âOh hi. Itâs you, little Zhou Yi.â
Yan Shuyu had always referred to the male lead as a little kid, even though the male lead and his dad had introduced them on the very first day. Yan Shuyuâs thought process was that she was just the cannon fodder stepmother, so she should know better than to refer to the male lead intimately and had always been politely distant with him. But now that the male lead had called her up, it wouldnât be right for her to call him little kid anymore.
âYeah, itâs me,â replied the little male lead seriously. âYou can call me Xiao Yi, Aunty Yan.â
Yan Shuyu, being in a good mood, was very agreeable. âOkay, Xiao Yi. And why are you calling me?â
Zhou Yi didnât respond to her question right away but properly exchanged pleasantries with her. âHave you had dinner yet, Aunty Yan?â
âYes, I have.â Yan Shuyu was very cooperative when she wasnât talking to the boss. âHow about you?â
Normally speaking, Zhou Yi was just a 4-year-old child, so there must be an adult next to him. Plus, he was calling her from his fatherâs cellphone. Technically, Yan Shuyu should ask about his guardian just to be polite, but she didnât want the boss to take over the phone, so she never brought up a word about him.
She may not have asked, but the little male lead, on the other hand, replied very properly, âMy dad and I had steak and salad for dinner. What about you?â
âWe had fried rice at Sunshine House.â
âWas it good?â
Yan Shuyu realized that the boss had no intention of taking over the phone, so feeling more relaxed, she smiled and said, âIt wasnât bad. You can come and try it next time too.â