Chapter 344: Chapter 343: Are You Saying I’m Old?

Once the children were asleep, Xue Yue quietly slipped out of bed. After closing the door, she returned to find He Lang sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing a shirt.

"Why did you change?" Xue Yue asked him.

He Lang raised his hand to show her.

Xue Yue smiled. "You saw it? Do you like it?"

He Lang asked her, "Does it look good?"

Xue Yue looked him over. "It looks great."

He Lang raised an eyebrow. "As long as it looks good. I like anything you buy for me."

Xue Yue smiled.

He Lang walked over to Xue Yue. Staring into his dark eyes, she suddenly felt a little nervous.

"Weren’t you going to sleep with the kids? Why did you come back?"

Xue Yue smiled. "I was worried someone might feel a little left out."

He Lang finally kissed the red lips he had longed for. After a long moment, he pressed against her and asked, "Did you miss me?"

Xue Yue blushed and hummed in assent. After that, things escalated quickly.

The next morning at breakfast, Shiyi was still pouting. "Mom, where did you go last night?"

Xue Yue glanced at the others and whispered to him, "I slept with you guys. I just got up early this morning, so you didn’t see me when you woke up."

Shiyi was skeptical. "Really?"

Xue Yue’s eyes darted away. "Ah, really."

He Lang ate his breakfast without a change in expression. After the meal, he once again took the children to school first before coming back to drop off Xue Yue.

"You were abroad for so long. Aren’t you taking any time off now that you’re back?"

Xue Yue said, "My supervisor told me to come in today, so I guess not."

When they reached the entrance to her workplace, Xue Yue got off the motorcycle and winked at He Lang. "I’m heading in."

He Lang nodded.

Xue Yue gave a small smile and walked inside.

She had been gone for nearly three months, and her desk was covered in dust. Xue Yue grabbed a rag and started wiping it down. Just then, Zhao Li walked in. She froze for a second when she saw Xue Yue, but neither of them spoke.

When Ding Ruzhi came in and saw Xue Yue, she walked over in surprise to greet her. "You guys are back!"

"Mhm."

A moment later, Feng Yujie came in. "Meeting in the conference room."

Today’s meeting was unusual. It wasn’t to discuss work, but mainly to commend the staff members who had been working abroad.

However, it was also announced that some of them were getting promoted, including Feng Yujie.

Feng Yujie was promoted from deputy head to head.

After returning from the conference room, Zhao Li immediately followed Feng Yujie into the inner office, closing the door behind her.

Xue Yue saw it but paid it no mind. Zhao Li’s intentions were simple and easy to read. With Feng Yujie’s promotion, the deputy team lead position was now vacant. According to past practice, the role was filled by internal recommendation, which was why Zhao Li was so eager to make a good impression.

Ding Ruzhi must have noticed it too. She scoffed, then called out to Xue Yue, "Hey."

Xue Yue looked at her. "What is it?"

Ding Ruzhi nodded toward the inner office. "Why aren’t you worried? Look at her."

Xue Yue’s lips twitched. ’It’s not like worrying will do any good,’ she thought. ’Zhao Li started here earlier than us, so it’s very likely going to be her.’

Xue Yue asked her teasingly, "Then why aren’t you worried? You have a chance, too."

Ding Ruzhi pointed at herself in astonishment, her eyes wide. "Me? Someone like me? A chance? Are you kidding me?"

Xue Yue laughed.

Ding Ruzhi rolled her eyes and said to Xue Yue, "I knew you were joking. I’m just here to waste time. Can you imagine if I became a manager? It would be a disaster. I know my own limits, and I’m not about to inflict harm on the general public."

Xue Yue now found this beauty-conscious Ding Ruzhi rather interesting.

Xue Yue stared at Ding Ruzhi curiously for a few moments.

Ding Ruzhi’s gaze faltered. "What are you looking at me for?" She then touched her face. "Oh no, is my makeup smudged?"

"Hehehe," Xue Yue laughed again.

"I just think you’re pretty cute. You don’t look very old, either, I’d guess?"

Ding Ruzhi fiddled with her hair and said in an affectedly delicate voice, "I’m only twenty-one."

Xue Yue was taken aback. "You’re only twenty-one?"

Ding Ruzhi’s expression changed in an instant. "What do you mean by that? Are you saying I look old?" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Xue Yue quickly waved her hands. "No, no, it’s just that it makes me feel a bit old."

And it was true. For Xue Yue, who had just entered her thirties this year, it was quite a surprise to hear that Ding Ruzhi was only twenty-one. Then again, Ding Ruzhi did dress quite maturely. With her red lipstick, big wavy hair, and high heels every day, people would have believed her if she’d said she was around the same age as Xue Yue.

Ding Ruzhi glanced at Xue Yue a few times. "You’re only a few years older than me, and you’re talking like that?"

Xue Yue held up a finger toward her. When Ding Ruzhi saw it, she froze for a moment.

’She doesn’t look it,’ she muttered to herself.

Xue Yue had delicate features and a clear complexion, making her look very young. Ding Ruzhi had always assumed there were only a few years between them; she never expected the gap was a full ten years.

Ding Ruzhi grabbed a mirror and stared at her face. Suddenly, nothing about it seemed right anymore. She tugged at a lock of her wavy hair and plopped down in her seat in a huff.

Xue Yue raised her eyebrows. ’She really is just a young girl. Her mood changes faster than the weather.’

When Zhao Li came out of the office, she saw the two of them working quietly outside. She gave a smug little shake of her head, feeling certain that her promotion was in the bag.

’Xue Yue has been here for less than two years, and Ding Ruzhi isn’t even worth mentioning. I, on the other hand, am an eight-year veteran. Even if it’s just a matter of seniority, it should be my turn.’

Zhao Li was ecstatic. She hummed a song as she left work, already thinking about how she would celebrate. ’Once I’m the deputy team lead,’ she thought, ’my in-laws will definitely look up to me. Maybe I’ll finally be the one calling the shots at home.’

Xue Yue could only give a helpless smile when she saw this.

When she got home that evening, she saw her older brother was there.

"Big Brother."

Xue Xingzhou looked her over a few times and said with a smile, "It’s been a while. I heard you were back, so I came to see you. Looks like you haven’t lost any weight. The food in Country A must be decent."

Xue Yue nodded. "It was okay. I got used to it."

Xue Xingzhou smiled, then looked at her.

"It’s been a long time. Why do I feel like you’ve grown up?"

Xue Yue laughed helplessly. "Big Brother, you still see me as a kid? I’m already thirty. How much more can I grow up?"

"We haven’t seen you in ages. Your sister-in-law has mentioned you several times. We should all get together on a day off."

"Sure. It has been a while since I’ve seen Sister-in-law and Tun Tun."

Then Xue Xingzhou said to her, "I’ll head back for now. We’ll see each other on Sunday."

Xue Yue nodded.

Later that evening, when He Lang came home, Xue Xingjun came with him.

"Sis, I heard from my brother-in-law that you were back, so I came to see you."

Xue Yue smiled and nodded. ’So this is what it feels like to be cared for,’ she thought. It felt pretty good.

After checking in on her, Xue Xingjun left.

Xue Yue asked He Lang, "That kid hasn’t gotten into any trouble, has he?"

He Lang looked at her. "No. Why do you ask?"

Xue Yue said with a smile, "I’m just not used to seeing him act so concerned about me."

He Lang, on the other hand, thought that Xue Xingjun was usually very good to Xue Yue, though it was also true that he was a little afraid of her.