Chapter Twenty-Five: Hm? Would You Like to Try?

"Fine, if you won't agree, then how many days do you need to consider?"
What? Is this something to consider? Did she say she needed to think about it?
"I won't agree! And I won't consider it either." She shouldn't have come out tonight.
She walked to the side of the road, squatted down, and rubbed her foot. She had walked so far that her feet were aching.
Huangpu Deeply Affectionate walked up to her, squatted down too, and checked her foot—it was a little swollen, truly delicate.
"Come on, I'll carry you."
"I don't need you to. Rubbing it a bit is enough." She didn't want him to carry her; after all, they barely knew each other.
"Really? You don't need help?" Huangpu Deeply Affectionate pressed on her ankle.
"Ouch, you—" He pressed right where it hurt. This damned man.
Huangpu Deeply Affectionate slid his hand under her legs and lifted her in his arms.
"What are you doing? Put me down! I don't need—"
"Shut up."
Damned man, his attitude was terrible. He just confessed to her, and now he was acting like this.
He carried her to a small park and set her down on a bench, gently took off her shoes, and held her struggling feet in place.
"Sit here for a while. I'll go buy some ointment."
"I don't need it. I can handle it myself when I get home." She wasn't incapable—why did she need him?
"And how are you going home? Walking?"
"I..." She could take a cab, couldn't she? She wasn't disabled.
"Just stay here. I'll be right back. If you dare to leave, I'll visit Uncle Shangguan at home tomorrow."
"You wouldn't dare!" What was their relationship—what was the point of a visit?
"Really? Want to try me?" He actually wanted to go; he was curious about what kind of environment the young lady lived in.

"I'll stay, alright?" She wanted to leave, but her foot was aching.
Seeing she agreed, Huangpu Deeply Affectionate went off to buy the ointment.
Shangguan Enran sat alone on the bench, surrounded by greenery and flowers.
The small park was empty and very quiet. Autumn was a season that intoxicated, with a special kind of crispness.
There was a small clinic nearby. After buying the ointment, Huangpu Deeply Affectionate drove over in his car.
Watching her wait quietly for him filled his heart with contentment.
He gently squeezed out some ointment and carefully applied it himself.
"I can do it myself," Shangguan Enran said awkwardly, trying to pull her foot back.
Her little toes, rosy and wiggling, looked adorable. Her skin was smooth as jade, her legs slender, making his throat tighten.
He quickly stood up to cover his reaction. "I'll take you home."

——

When Huangpu Deeply Affectionate sent Shangguan Enran home, her father Shangguan Xing had already returned.
"Miss, would you like anything to eat?" Aunt Zhang greeted her.
"No, Aunt Zhang, I ate outside. You should rest early."
"Alright. Master came home early today and is in the study. I’ll go to my room now." Aunt Zhang left the living room for her room on the first floor.
She had been hired when Madam was pregnant and had watched Miss grow up. Ever since the accident, Miss seemed like a different person.
Though she was still close to them, she was no longer as lively and active as before.
"Father, why are you home so early today?" Shangguan Enran brought a cup of coffee to the study and saw her father still reading documents.
"Aunt Zhang told you?" Shangguan Xing took the coffee and sipped it.
"Yes. You should rest early, don’t tire yourself out. Your daughter worries about you," she said with concern. Work was over—why keep reading?
"I know, but I want to finish things up so I can visit your mother." He hadn’t seen his wife for a long time. She didn’t even answer the phone; what was she busy with?

"Mother is so busy, if she knew you were coming, she’d scold you." Every time, her father would go see her mother and come back scolded, without even exchanging a word. “‘You left your company duties just to see me? What will people at the company think of you? What will they think of me? Go! I don’t want the media to disturb my work!’”
"Still, I want to go. I don’t know why your mother loves designing so much, running all over the place, never complaining of being tired. I worry about her—does she eat on time? Does she..."
"Alright, Father, save that for Mother. Your beloved daughter is going to bed." Shangguan Enran pouted, waved her sleeve, and left without a trace.
"Mischievous girl."
...

She knew her mother loved design.
She remembered that when she was little, their home was filled with design sketches, and her mother rarely had time for her.
She also knew her mother had sacrificed so much for her work.
Most of the items in her jewelry box, dressing room, and shoe cabinet were designed by her mother, just for her.
From her awkward childhood, to cheerful youth, to the fine days of young adulthood, and now to maturity—every design was a wish for her daughter’s happiness.
She cherished them all.

The next day, Shangguan Enran went to the company, made Hu Ya a permanent employee, and handed her the theme for the next issue.
She believed in merit rising to the top.
"Miss, is this really okay...?" Ye Xin worried, afraid that Shangguan Miaomiao would try to trip up their Miss.
"Don’t worry about her. Do what you have to. If she tries to interfere or overstep her bounds, report to me immediately," Shangguan Enran said, cold as ice. She had already given her a chance.
If she dared to treat company business like a joke again, she would strip her of her position.
Even if she was Uncle Yang’s daughter, it wouldn’t be tolerated.