Hearing this, Xue Yang’s brows furrowed tightly as he asked, "Is it serious?"

"There have been casualties. The families are causing a scene in the store now, claiming our new energy vehicles are unsafe and have killed people. I’ve already had the insurance team follow up on this, but the impact on our reputation is terrible. We’ve had fewer orders lately." Wu Xiaoya’s face was filled with worry.

"Don’t worry. Accidents can happen with any vehicle. Just let the professional team handle it. You focus on your work."

"Okay, Boss."

Even though Wu Xiaoya had been thinking the exact same thing, hearing it from Xue Yang still put her mind at ease. He was a few years younger than her, yet he gave off an incredibly composed and seasoned vibe. It was as if with him around, no problem was truly a problem.

Wasn’t Xue Yang worried? Of course, he was, but he knew worrying was pointless. Since the incident had occurred, it simply had to be dealt with. It was a matter of facing challenges as they came. Being afraid served no purpose.

However, while Xue Yang wasn’t afraid, he didn’t know that his parents were so worried they couldn’t sleep at night. Though anxious, they didn’t dare let him know, not wanting to add to his troubles. His parents were already getting on in years, and with the added stress, it wasn’t long before Zhong Hailan fell ill.

Meanwhile, after getting off the phone with Wu Xiaoya, Xue Yang called Jiang Wei. Since he had promised Yu Kexin, he would follow through. He wasn’t oblivious to whatever LoL Company was plotting. His trust was in Yu Kexin; he believed she wouldn’t be misled by them. Theirs was not merely an employer-employee relationship, but a partnership. To be precise, Yu Kexin was also one of the owners of TM.

The call connected quickly.

"Sister Jiang," Xue Yang said.

The woman on the other end joked, "President Xue, to what do I owe the pleasure? How does such a busy man have time to call me?"

"Something urgent has come up at the company, and I’d like to have Kexin transferred back. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?" Xue Yang didn’t beat around the bush, stating his intentions directly.

Jiang Wei was taken aback, caught completely off guard that he would bring this up.

"It’s not my call to make. I’ll call you back later, is that okay?"

"Okay, Sister Jiang. I’ll wait for your call."

After hanging up, Jiang Wei took a deep breath.

"Mommy, what’s wrong?" Jiang Sisi, her face pale, gazed at her mother.

At this time of day, she should have been in kindergarten. Instead, she was in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV. She had a fever approaching 40 degrees Celsius. When Jiang Wei received the call from the kindergarten teacher, she nearly panicked. She dropped everything, rushed to the kindergarten to pick her up, and brought her straight to the hospital.

Jiang Wei gently stroked her daughter’s hand and asked, "It’s nothing. Does your hand hurt?"

"Sisi doesn’t feel any pain. Don’t worry, Mommy."

Hearing her daughter’s mature words, Jiang Wei’s heart filled with guilt. A child her age should be free to act spoiled in her parents’ arms. Yet here was her daughter, thinking of comforting her mother even while running a fever. She wasn’t a qualified mother. If she had known it would be like this, she should have thought more carefully before deciding to bring her into this world.

"Mommy, was that Brother Xue Yang on the phone?" Jiang Sisi’s eyes, clear and bright, sparkled as she looked at Jiang Wei.

Jiang Wei smiled. "Yes, it was."

"Sisi hasn’t seen Brother Xue Yang in a long time. I miss him."

Jiang Wei comforted her, "When you’re better, Mommy will take you to see him, okay?"

"Yay! Thank you, Mommy! Mommy, I love you!"

Jiang Wei hugged her daughter tightly. What was I just thinking? Sisi is so happy, so content... And yet I just regretted bringing her into the world! At this thought, Jiang Wei hugged her daughter even tighter.

Jiang Sisi was used to her mom suddenly hugging her like this. Usually, she would hug her back, but she couldn’t today with the IV in her hand.

Yu Kexin had waited anxiously through the entire afternoon. She still hadn’t received a call back from Xue Yang, and she felt completely listless. She was sprawled on her desk like a puddle of slime, so dejected that even a feast of delicacies wouldn’t have interested her.

"Kexin, we’re planning to go for karaoke tonight. You should come with us."

Just then, He Yan walked in. Ignoring Kexin’s obvious lack of enthusiasm for work, she made the cheerful suggestion. Though she called it a suggestion, it was really more of a notification.

Yu Kexin’s expression froze. I don’t want to go!

He Yan ignored the resistance on her face, walked over, and affectionately linked arms with her. "Oh, come on. We’ve arranged this specially to welcome you."

Anyone who didn’t know better would think they were the closest of friends.

"I haven’t finished my work... I won’t... I won’t be going." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"If you don’t go, everyone will be really disappointed. Come on! At worst, I’ll come back later to keep you company while you work overtime."

Please, no.

Yu Kexin kept backing away, but He Yan had already started to pack up her things, finishing quickly.

Yu Kexin gripped the edge of her desk. She was too embarrassed to refuse outright, but her entire body language screamed that she didn’t want to go.

"Come on, everyone is waiting for you at the door. Let’s go. The more you hang out with us, the more familiar you’ll get. Don’t worry, we’re just going to sing. We won’t make you drink."

He Yan dragged Yu Kexin toward the door, just in time to bump into Jiang Wei as she arrived.

He Yan immediately linked her arm with Yu Kexin’s and greeted the newcomer, "General Jiang! You’re here. Has Sisi’s fever gone down?"

The others also called out, "General Jiang."

Jiang Wei nodded, her gaze shifting to Yu Kexin as she smiled.

"Kexin."

"General Jiang."

Jiang Wei looked at her intently for a moment before speaking. "You can go home now. There’s no need for you to come in tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Yu Kexin shot up straight. "Really?"

"Of course."

"Long live the boss!" Yu Kexin couldn’t help but shout in elation. Only then did she belatedly realize that a crowd of people was gathered at her office door.

"Uh, seniors, I have to pack up and head back now, so I won’t be joining you for karaoke. Maybe our paths will cross again sometime."

I hope not. This place is a veritable dragon’s lair and tiger’s den, totally unsuitable for a Xiao Bai like me, Yu Kexin grumbled internally.

Conveniently, He Yan had already packed all her things. Grabbing her bag, Yu Kexin fled the office, dashed to the elevator, and rapidly pressed the button. Anyone watching would have thought a ghost was chasing her.

Down on the ground floor, breathing in the fresh air, Yu Kexin felt like she had come back to life. She immediately called Xue Yang.

"Boss, how did you do that? You’re incredible."

"I just mentioned it to Sister Jiang."

Okay, I guess I read too much into it.

But regardless, she could finally "go home."