When the two walked out of the store, Chen Gaonan was waiting for them outside. Seeing the woman with bags in tow, he figured his boss probably indulged in her shopping spree, a bad taste on his tongue when he saw the other bags in the trunk of his car. This woman, she really knew how to spend money!
Zhao Lifei caught Chen Gaonan's dubious glances her way, especially the bags she carried. She could practically envision him branding a "gold digger" sticker on her forehead, the glaring red ink standing out against her fair skin.
She knew he did not like her since their first encounter. Cavalier by nature with the heart of a woman who did not care for the opinions of those insignificant to her, Zhao Lifei did not spare him a second glance. So what if he disliked her? It's not like she owed him anything.
However, the little angel on her shoulders scolded her for this behavior. As much as she hated to admit it, having his iceberg of a man on her side would heavily benefit her. He was Yang Feng's right-hand man, the most trusted person he knew. Chen Gaonan was here to stay. She should not clash with him further one in her life.
Yang Feng took the gifts from her hand and placed it into the car. He saw she was deep in thought and decided not to question it. He helped her into the car before shutting the door.
"You're dismissed for today." Yang Feng said to Chen Gaonan. It was not rare for his secretary to always know where he was, it was part of his job.
Chen Gaonan specifically came here to deliver the files that his Boss wanted, but also because he heard an alarming message from Su Meixiu. "The reports are finished, this is a physical copy—"
"Send it to my email."
Chen Gaonan nodded, pulling out his tablet to send it on the spot. Once completed, his eyes trailed to the tinted window where he could not see a single thing. "Boss, are you heading home?"
"It's time to bring her to visit my parents."
At this, Chen Gaonan's collected composure cracked. Professionalism tossed aside, his eyes grew wide. He was beyond incredulous upon hearing the news and could not help but blurt out, "You're taking her back to the Yang Main Mansion?"
W-was he going to take her to visit Old Master Yang?! The Elder was a fearsome man whose presence was even more overwhelming than Yang Feng.
In Old Master Yang's previous rule over the underworld, the man was a tyrannical dictator. Anyone that went against his words would lose their head. With the people he had slaughtered, it would be enough to create a human mountain of skeletons and skulls. The figurative throne he forged was made of iron and blood, a crimson river flowing from the foot of it. He was not a person that just anyone could visit!
Yang Feng glowered Chen Gaonan, displeased at his foolish question. He knew what his secretary was implying. Not bothering to answer the question, he was about to get inside the car when Chen Gaonan spoke up.
"Boss, it would be dangerous to bring a random woman to visit Old Master Yang, the consequences that would fall on you will be dire—"
"A random woman?" Yang Feng snapped his head to Chen Gaonan, belittling the man with his eyes.
Chen Gaonan flinched, his legs trembling on the spot. He realized his mistake, but in the heat of the moment, he had blurted out the first thing that came into mind. He was so frightened by Yang Feng's lethal stare, his soul left his body.
"B-Boss, I-I apologize, it was a slip of the tongue—"
"Will it still slip if I slice it off?"
Chen Gaonan resisted the urge to wipe the sweat off of his forehead. "N-No…Wait, I mean yes—"
"Silence."
Chen Gaonan's entire body shook like a brittle leaf in the wind, awaiting the wrath of Yang Feng.
"First was that foolish rumor; second was Su Meixiu…now it's you." Yang Feng's swift and calm delivery scared his secretary even more. "I wonder what I should do with you fools." He leaned on the car, his arms crossed, his dark eyes looking up towards the sky.
Chen Gaonan sucked in an unsteady breath and nearly collapsed onto the floor to beg for his mercy, but could not swallow his pride to accept the position. If it was for his other mistake, he would gladly grovel for forgiveness, but his mistake was just calling Zhao Lifei by a suitable nickname! What was wrong with that?!
"Boss, I was wrong—"
"Your days-off for the next three months are revoked. You will start working earlier and end later for the next three months. Handwrite a one hundred page apology letter. I expect to see it on my desk tomorrow morning"
Chen Gaonan would rather face a physical punishment than this psychological one. At least the physical one would hurt for a few weeks and he could heal from it, but the latter could not. His relationship with his wife might suffer and he would get less sleep, which meant he would always have to be on his toes.
He wanted to protest, but knew it was one of Yang Feng's more lenient punishments. Three months was showing mercy.
Previously, Chen Gaonan had made a greater offense and the consequence was dragged out for half a year that drained his entire body and soul. It was absolute torture for him to be sleep-deprived, haggling with an angry wife, while juggling his overly demanding boss. At the least, his pay was not getting cut, but with how much he was overworked, it might as well have been!
Nevertheless, Chen Gaonan bowed his head in respect. "Understood."
Yang Feng wordlessly turned around and opened the car door where an anxious Zhao Lifei was waiting inside. She was wringing her fingers together, her nails digging into her precious flesh while she wrestled the doubtful demon inside of her mind.
"They'll love you, relax my dear." He motioned for Hu Wei to start the car, leaving Chen Gaonan in the dust, standing there to repent on his mistakes and regretting every second of it.
"But what if I say the wrong thing or I answer their questions wrong—"
"You won't." He reassured her, patting her head, guiding it to lean on his shoulder, but she was so overly energetic, her nerves skyrocketing out the roof, she refused to rest.
"But there are always what ifs—"
"There are positive ones as well. What if they love you to bits, what if they demand grandchildren, what if they want you to hurry up and set the wedding date, and so on."
Zhao Lifei peered at him, a doubtful face. She heard Mrs. and Mr. Yang were hard people to please. With everything they could ever want in this world, there was nothing they lacked. Kicking his son's lover to the curb would be as easy as taking a sip of tea.
"You'll do fine." He continued to soothe her fears, content that she did not object to his talks about their near-future. Perhaps it was because she was too busy overthinking, or perhaps she had finally accepted the idea that he was hers forever, but she was very obedient in the car and she was listening to his every word, not once objecting it.
