My Aloof Husband Can't Stop His Devoted Affection-Chapter 600 - 009:
"Don’t do this, don’t cry! If you cry, you’ll lose that deputy director position!" Seeing Jiang Xinrui on the verge of tears, Yun Xi couldn’t stand it. She herself wasn’t one to cry easily; seeing others tear up, unless it was genuinely heart-breaking, she might feel sympathetic. But tears over something like a separation, she inexplicably found a bit pretentious.
Jiang Xinrui immediately held back her tears upon hearing this: "It’s not that... I’m just a bit surprised. Why would Director Yun suddenly want to leave Yun Group to go to Germany?"
Yun Xi smiled and raised an eyebrow: "Don’t you... know that I’ve basically lived in Germany since I was little?"
Jiang Xinrui was taken aback. She had heard a few things about Yun Xi within the company, but because she was Yun Qi’s sister and he doted on her so much, people in the company didn’t dare to gossip about her openly. But everyone knew well enough that Yun Xi’s parents divorced very early, and both remarried later. Yun Xi lived with her mother, while the young master of the Yun family lived with his father.
This news was quite the buzz at the time, but Yun Group managed to suppress the rumors, and it was seldom brought up again later.
"But... Director Yun, ever since I joined the company, I’ve been working under you. Now that you’re leaving, I feel... a bit insecure, and..." Jiang Xinrui was genuinely anxious, not because she doubted her own abilities, but because she was really reluctant to part with Yun Xi. Her progress over the past three years was all thanks to Yun Xi’s guidance, and she did learn a lot from Yun Xi.
Yun Xi’s temper could sometimes be a bit capricious and spoiled, a bit difficult to deal with, to put it bluntly. But her professional abilities were definitely not to be underestimated, and her attitude towards work differed from her attitude in life. Although she was somewhat arrogant and willful, she never used her status and abilities to exploit anyone. Instead, she was considerate, able to empathize, and easy to talk to. Everyone in the design department liked her a lot. She was the backbone of the department; without her, they always felt insecure, and no design seemed complete.
"What’s there to be insecure about? You’ve made a lot of progress these past three years, and you can totally work independently now. Even my brother has praised your abilities, so don’t feel any pressure. Just continue doing what you’ve always done, and everything will be fine. Besides, it’s not like I’m leaving forever. I’m just going back to Germany for some further studies and to take a break. I might be back next year! It’s uncertain anyway. You know that I do things based on my mood and interests, so this is not definite yet. It has to wait until the collaboration with Lu Group is over."
Jiang Xinrui nodded: "I understand. You’ve indeed been working hard recently, Director Yun. Your face looks a lot thinner, and your dark circles are much heavier."
Yun Xi raised her hand to cup her cheeks, blinking her eyes: "Really? Ah, collapsing. It seems that daily skincare and face masks are still very important. I’ve been so tired these days that I don’t even want to move."
"But Director Yun is so pretty, it doesn’t affect you at all."
"Alright, stop flattering me. It’s so obvious, I’m afraid I wouldn’t notice." Yun Xi interrupted her, pretending to get goosebumps, and waved her hand: "Go on, get busy! Try to get off work early today. By the way, how’s my brother’s schedule? When will he be back this afternoon?"
"He’s already back, about half an hour ago."
"He came back so fast?" Yun Xi was a bit surprised: "Didn’t he leave at nine? It’s only eleven-thirty! I thought he would have lunch with the other party before coming back!"
"I’m not really sure about the details. Do you want me to go ask?"
"No need, I was just about to go find him to discuss something. I can go over myself. You get busy! There’s only half an hour left before you can get off work and have lunch."
"Okay." Jiang Xinrui nodded slightly, then took two steps back and turned to leave her office.
Yun Xi tidied up the documents in her hand, picked up one of them along with her phone, got up, and left the office, heading straight to Yun Qi’s president’s office.
Upon reaching Yun Qi’s office door, Yun Xi casually knocked on the door and, without waiting for any response from inside, pushed it open and walked in, seeing Yun Qi sitting on the office chair, propping his chin with one hand, apparently deep in thought.
"Hey! Brother, what are we having for lunch? Can I join you for a free meal?" Yun Xi sauntered over to the desk, placing the document on the table, leaning on the desk with both hands, a bright smile on her face as she playfully blinked and asked. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
"It’s only eleven-thirty and you’re already thinking about eating?" Yun Qi broke from his thoughts and looked at her with amusement, asking.
"Hey, I’m just hungry! I wanted to have something good with you!" Yun Xi sighed, leaning against the edge of the desk, patting her face: "I’ve been working overtime so much lately that I’m wearing myself out."
"Your complexion doesn’t look as good as usual, and your dark circles are so heavy. Today’s Friday; why don’t you get off work early and go home to rest? Don’t wear yourself out; work’s never-ending, and there’s still some time left for this project. You don’t have to push yourself too hard." Yun Qi, looking at her complexion and dark circles, couldn’t help but feel a bit concerned.
Yun Xi tilted her head and poked beneath her eyes: "I was just thinking, I should go home early today and do some facial care or something. But, it’s about to go to print, and delaying any further wouldn’t be right. This afternoon, I’m planning to go over to Lu Group to discuss the progress with Mu Lezhu."
"As long as you take care of yourself, that’s what matters. You just need to know that no matter what, I’m here to clean up any mess for you."
"Hehe, really?"
"What? Haven’t I cleaned up enough messes for you before?"
"Quite a lot, indeed." Yun Xi thought for a moment, then grinned: "After all, you’re my brother! And you only have one cute little sister, me!"
Yun Qi smiled warmly, picked up the document she just put down, and asked while flipping through it: "What’s this?"
"The spring series sketches, I’ve put them together these past few days. Take a look, and if everything’s alright, just sign at the back. I’ll start preparing at the factory next week. I’ll have Jiang Xinrui take over this afterward, and I’ll set an example for her."
"Are you really planning to go back to Germany?" Yun Qi hesitated for a moment but still asked.
"Yeah, probably after the New Year! I’ve been working for so long, it’s time to relax and give myself a chance to learn and improve." Yun Xi was quite straightforward about this, not intending to hide it from anyone. She nodded, smiled reassuringly, and said, "Oh, brother, don’t act like you’re so reluctant to see me go. Besides, it’s not like I’m not coming back. Maybe in half a year, a year, or even two, I’ll be back!"
"Since it’s your decision, I respect it. Anyway, I’m quite confident about leaving the entire design department in your hands."
"Yeah, I know. I won’t disappoint your expectations of me, just like three years ago, and it’ll be the same three years later." Yun Xi said with a smile, then added playfully, "So where are we going to eat for lunch?"
"What do you want to eat?"
"I want everything: steak, hot pot, barbecue, and so on."
"You pick one yourself then!"
"Then steak it is! I feel like it’s been almost a month since I’ve had it, I really miss it. After eating and resting for a while, I’ll head straight to the Lu Group. Brother, when can you leave?"
Yun Qi raised his wrist to check the time: "In twenty minutes, I still have some matters to handle here."
"Alright, I’ll go back to the office to organize some things as well. After we eat, I won’t feel like going back to the company again. I’ll find a nice place and send it to you, see you in half an hour."
"Okay, got it."
After Yun Xi returned to the office, she organized all the materials and notebooks needed for the afternoon, stretched, and tilted her head to loosen her neck. After checking the time, she carried her bag and laptop and took the elevator to the company’s first-floor lobby.
As soon as she exited the revolving door, Yun Xi saw Yun Qi’s car parked at the entrance. She jogged over, opened the front passenger door, and got in, fastening her seatbelt naturally.
"Brother, do you know the location of the restaurant I just sent you?"
"Yeah, I just looked it up, I have a general idea. Why did you suddenly want to eat there?" Yun Qi started the car and nonchalantly asked.
"I heard their steak is pretty good, so I wanted to try it."
"Who told you that?"
Yun Xi was taken aback for a moment, then grinned and said, "I got it from recommendations on Weibo. Let’s give it a try! I’ve never been there, and it doesn’t seem too far from here."
"Alright, if you want to go, then let’s go. You’ve been working hard lately."
"Hehe, you’re welcome, you’re welcome."
After arriving at the restaurant, Yun Xi ordered their signature dish along with two steaks. There were about seven or eight small dishes on the table, not in large portions but still quite delicate, and the taste was pretty good. Yun Xi enjoyed her meal thoroughly.
Due to the smaller portions, Yun Xi ordered two more items after finishing, but she ended up feeling about seventy to eighty percent full.
After the meal, it was already past one o’clock. Yun Qi settled the bill, and Yun Xi followed him out of the restaurant, enjoying the warmth of the winter sun, which relaxed her body and mind considerably.
Sometimes, going out for a walk and having a meal is much more comfortable than staying in the company.
"When are you going to the Lu Group?" Yun Qi asked, tilting his head as soon as they left the restaurant.
"I have an appointment with Mu Lezhu at two, so it’s about time to head over now."
"How will you get there? Do you want my car?"
"No need, you can drive it back. I’ll just take a taxi."
