Chapter 205: The Change at Carefree Island

Wen Qianyi was initially puzzled by Zhang Yurong’s words. Although she considered Hai Fu a friend, their familiarity was still limited, especially regarding personal privacy. However, her analytical skills were strong, and combining what Zhang Yurong said — ’finally taking off the mask and letting go of invisible pressure’ — with Hai Fu’s professional background, it wasn’t hard to guess the key to it.

Clearly, Hai Fu’s usual image of stern authority at the company was also a mask. Due to her lack of formal education and low starting point, she climbed up to the role of director through years of hard work. To prevent others from looking down on her, she not only continually honed her skills but also kept her distance from others. Her rigid style was a form of defensive posture; her exterior and interior influenced each other, making her increasingly powerful. It wasn’t just about isolating herself anymore but proactively countering potential rivals.

Hai Fu was aware of this aspect too, but realizing it and changing it are two different things, with varying degrees of difficulty. Li Yan had also seen her other side long ago and advised her to make some changes. Doing so would certainly make her more popular and attract more friends.

Today, she gathered her courage. Such opportunities are rare, and she didn’t take gradual steps but made a significant appearance change at the company. Being recently confronted by everyone was a tremendous psychological pressure for her. The protective and defensive posture formed over years from insecurity made her maintain her usual confidence.

As Hai Fu, Zhang Yurong, and Wen Qianyi began chat softly, others felt a bit of relief and recovered from their shock, couldn’t help but quietly discuss amongst themselves, wondering if they had been seeing things.

As the scheduled time arrived, the administrative staff responsible for organizing the trip began to confirm the list and arrange for everyone to get on the bus.

Li Yan and Sun Hui had been chatting when Jiang Xueyin pulled him aside. She had a list for the Heavenly Film team, indicating which bus they should board.

Xu Ping was really considerate; indeed, they were with the business department. But plans never go as expected; Wen Qianyi didn’t get on that bus, instead opting to join Zhang Yurong and Hai Fu. Consequently, Li Yan ended up seated next to Jiang Xueyin.

Li Yan was formerly with the business department; although his relations were average, most knew him. Now, Li Yan was somewhat different from when he was just trying to get by in the business department, so everyone was quite courteous to him.

Jiang Xueyin sitting next to Li Yan was also an inevitability; they had only a few people, and apart from Li Yan, the team wasn’t familiar with the business department. They sat with colleagues they knew when boarding. Li Yan was their supervisor, which was intimidating, so no one sat with him. After confirming the list, Jiang Xueyin happened to be left alone and couldn’t swap seats with anyone, so she had to sit next to Li Yan.

A week earlier, while organizing the trip, Li Yan jokingly said he should be added too, but it would be best to ask if Zhang Yurong was going. If she wasn’t attending, he wouldn’t either, to avoid being pestered by other departments’ beauties, which would be awkward. His narcissistic comment made Jiang Xueyin scoff, saying she’s never heard of any beauty pestering him, and those rumored affairs were about Hai Fu, adding his taste was quite heavy.

Upon hearing her talk about Hai Fu like that, though understanding she merely viewed Hai Fu as Master Extinction like most people, Li Yan was still a bit displeased and teased her by saying that someone like her wouldn’t even compare to Hai Fu in terms of assets.

The remark angered Jiang Xueyin, so aside from necessary work interactions, she hadn’t been friendly. Even during the three-day break, at Zhang Yurong’s place, she hadn’t seen him.

Nevertheless, she was ultimately young, easily angered but also quick to cool down. Initially sitting with Li Yan felt slightly awkward, but she relaxed after a while and found a topic, saying, "Seems like your judgment is quite sharp!"

"What do you mean?" Li Yan was puzzled by why she suddenly said this.

"About women, you have an eye for them!"

"..." Li Yan was speechless; was this a compliment or a jab? "Of course, how else could I have found your cousin?"

"I was talking about Hai Fu!" Jiang Xueyin whispered, "Did you notice Hai Fu’s appearance today? Have you seen her look like this before?"

Li Yan calmly said, "I see through appearances to the essence." Without admitting or lying.

Jiang Xueyin wasn’t satisfied with this answer, thought for a moment, and whispered even lower, "Have you been secretly watching her often?"

After asking, she blushed slightly, realizing the impropriety of the question and fearing that if others overheard, it’d be even more awkward.

"Have I... secretly watched you?"

"Get lost!" Jiang Xueyin angrily replied.

"There you go! It was just a metaphor, intentionally teasing you, and you got genuinely upset." Li Yan chuckled quietly and added, "Strictly speaking, don’t spread this around."

...

The travel bus arrived at the pier; everyone got off, carrying their luggage onto the ferry, heading towards the Carefree Island on the sea.