Chapter 530: Chapter 528 No no no, boss, I’m just kidding

After hanging up with Ming Yue, Cui Hao turned to Xue Yang and said, "Godfather, I’ll head over now."

"Alright, go ahead," Xue Yang replied.

Cui Hao happily scampered off. His mind was completely filled with thoughts on how to revitalize the supermarket, so much so that he had already forgotten half of what happened last night.

Xue Yang glanced at the time. It was almost one o’clock.

He picked up his phone and saw several missed calls from the company, most of which were from Yu Kexin. She had recently been dispatched to the LoL Company to assist with software development. Probably because she was in unfamiliar territory, she called Xue Yang several times a day. It was as if hearing his voice was all she needed to steady her nerves.

Wu Xiaoya had also called him several times. The number of calls from the two women was almost a fifty-fifty split.

There were also many messages on WeChat. Xue Yang’s gaze settled on a kitten avatar. While his other chats had multiple new messages, this one showed only a single notification. The sparseness was conspicuous, yet it made his expression soften.

He tapped on it, and the words leaped out at him: "Xue Yang~ Si Wen and I are off to class. I’ll come back and cook dinner for you tonight~"

It was a simple sentence, yet brimming with warmth. You could even picture the sender’s cheerful expression as she typed it. It soothed the throbbing in his temples, which had been aching from staying up late to deal with Cui Hao’s affairs.

He washed up, changed his clothes, and dialed Yu Kexin’s number.

"Boss, you finally called me back," she wailed as soon as the call connected.

"What’s wrong?" Xue Yang asked.

"Nothing, I just wanted to hear your voice."

Xue Yang was perplexed. Do you even hear yourself right now?

Yu Kexin laughed. "Boss, the treatment here is amazing! Not only do I have a private office, but my schedule is also completely flexible. I can do whatever I want, and no one says a word. I can even go to class and let them handle things on their own, and they don’t have a problem with it."

Xue Yang opened the driver’s side door, got in, and placed his phone on the dashboard mount, switching to speakerphone. "Not bad. It sounds like you’re living quite comfortably."

As he spoke, Xue Yang started the engine, and the car pulled smoothly onto the road. Today, he needed to go to a trendy clothing company for a winter-themed photoshoot. He expected to be running back and forth for the next couple of days, which was why he had decided to drive.

Yu Kexin continued, undeterred, "Boss, it’s so nice here that I’m worried I won’t be able to get used to our own company when the project is over."

Keeping his eyes on the road, Xue Yang said, "How about this? I’ll have someone pack up all your things and send them over. You can focus on working there, and I won’t even have to pay you a salary."

Yu Kexin panicked at his words. "No, no, no! Boss, I was wrong! I’m not used to it here at all. I can’t eat or sleep well; I’ve slimmed down a lot. I was calling to ask when I could come back." Her voice was tinged with a sob, making it clear she was truly miserable.

"That depends on the project’s progress," Xue Yang said.

"Honestly, they don’t need me. Their progress wouldn’t be affected even if I’m not here."

Yu Kexin gave Xue Yang a detailed account of her experiences at the LoL Company, finally asking, "Boss, they can clearly handle the development themselves, so why did they insist on having me come over? I feel like there’s some kind of conspiracy afoot."

"What kind of conspiracy could there be?" Xue Yang asked.

"Do you think they’re actually trying to poach me? If they succeed, our company will lose a key talent, our operations will stall, and they can continue to dominate the market." The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. "Boss, you have to find a way to get me back. I don’t want to be stuck here! Commuting to school from here is inconvenient, for one. But it’s also the people. They all seem to be wearing masks, and you can hardly get a straight answer out of them. Sometimes I feel like I lose brain cells just talking to them."

Yu Kexin had been admitted to Yanbei University on an exception due to her incredible computer science skills. In simple terms, her mind was far more straightforward than those of the old hands who had been through the wringer in major corporations. As a result, she came off as naive and out of her depth. One could only imagine her predicament.

Her daily calls to Xue Yang were her way of telling him that she didn’t want to leave her real "home." TM was where she truly belonged.

"I’ll call General Jiang and ask," Xue Yang said.

"Boss, you’re the best!" Yu Kexin was on the verge of tears. Indeed, at critical moments, she had to rely on her boss. And he was such a good person, immediately trying to find a solution the moment he heard she wanted to come back.

After hanging up, Yu Kexin returned to her office, where a woman in a professional uniform was waiting for her.

"Kexin, did something good happen?" the woman asked with a professional smile as soon as she returned. Her smile could be described as exceedingly "amiable." Most people would have instinctively warmed to her.

However, Yu Kexin’s mind was set on returning to TM. Furthermore, when she had first arrived, she had been too naive and had been tricked a few times into inadvertently revealing some of her company’s information. Since then, she viewed everyone here with suspicion and found it impossible to get close to them.

"Huh?"

The woman’s smile didn’t waver. "You just look very happy."

"Oh, it’s nothing. I just thought of something funny, that’s all."

"What was it? Care to share it with Sister He?" He Yan coaxed gently. "Speaking of which, I also graduated from Yanbei. Technically, you should call me your senior."

"You probably wouldn’t find it funny. Senior, my cup is empty. I’m going to get some water." With that, Yu Kexin picked up her cup and made to leave.

"I saw your cup was empty, so I already filled it for you."

Yu Kexin froze in place, cup in hand, screaming internally. Can’t you just leave me alone? I just want to be left in peace!

"Thanks, Senior. I need to get back to work," Yu Kexin said. She returned to her seat, turned her attention to her phone, and immersed herself in her work, pointedly ignoring He Yan.

He Yan stood there for a moment, looking a bit awkward. "Well, if you’re busy, I’ll get back to my work too." With that, she exited the office.

The moment He Yan left, Yu Kexin’s body went limp, and she slumped onto the desk as if all her energy had been drained.

Boss, please get me out of here. I’m begging you...

「」

On the other side, just after Xue Yang ended his call with Yu Kexin, another one came in from Wu Xiaoya.

"Boss, someone got into an accident while driving one of our new energy vehicles. The news circulating now is very bad for us."

Wu Xiaoya got straight to the point the moment the call connected. She knew Xue Yang was busy, so she always cut to the chase.