Chapter 71: She Didn't Want To Be A Stepmother! & Double the Trouble ( Three POVs )

Ying Yue He knew that this wasn't her business and yet the words came out of her mouth, her cheeks burning. "Miss Luo Ju Di?" The man in front of her had asked everything to be kept private and had even come out of the office yesterday and interacted with the child like he was a father!

She could look past their date as something that happened on a whim, and perhaps he was unaware of having a child before… but this was? Did he really have interest in her? She tried to make him jealous with Mou Gu but it didn't work and that was probably her own fault. Why couldn't she just be honest and ask him directly instead of indirectly asking him by suggesting the other woman?

He raised a brow, looking befuddled. "It never crossed my mind to ask her—I wanted to ask you, Miss He. However, I'm not really someone who enjoys these kinds of events, but you made a good point about actually attending it."

Ying Yue He averted her gaze and pursed her lips together. She had paid more attention to the first sentence than the last one. The secretary crossed her arms over her chest. This was probably the reason why she wasn't direct… she wanted him to take charge and announce that it was she that he was more interested in and not someone who had literally just arrived yesterday. 

The woman bit on her inner cheek, and finally looked back at him.

He may actually just be one of the epitome bachelors in the entire country, or possibly in the world! So it was a little embarrassing that she was acting a bit childishly. These were new times after all, so what if the man was a divorced one with three children? If you were interested in someone then something like this wasn't a troublesome thing! Maybe her boss wasn't just used to romance being the workaholic that he is, but she could work with it and whatever actually happened. 

… except for one thing.

She had already confirmed that he preferred her more than Luo Ju Di, but if she wasn't going to be a nanny—did that mean she would have to become the wicked stepmother to that child?! Even if she didn't intentionally mean it, any kind of child would wish for a complete family and being a stepmom would surely be weird!

"Miss He?"

"Huh," She blinked and looked up back to her boss. She wasn't Mrs. Li yet or anything—she got to get her wits together, girl! "A-ah, yes, Mister Li?"

The man took a sip of his tea and then asked again, "Would it be alright with you if you were the one I took to the concert?"

… ah, it was that tea again. She was the one who brought it for him, but when she tried it, the taste was really weird, but it did wonders for her skin. But she looked back at her boss and smiled, "Definitely—I mean, my schedule is clear and I'm looking forward to it. Is the concert during the weekend, boss?"

"Yes, a day after the board meeting."

She was almost tempted to say that they should go watch Pandas before it but… Ying Yue He managed a sheepish smile, "Mister Li, do you remember what you told me before during our date?"

"Was it something about the iced coffee?"

"Oh, no." She scratched her cheek. Was she the only one who remembered it? "You mentioned your recent love for pandas and I actually took some time to check on available schedules for you to visit a zoo." He also mentioned that it was more enjoyable if she were there—

.

.

.

"Ah, I remember. Will we schedule it on the same day then?" Li Yang asked.

[ You Have Gained 30 Charm Points ]

His secretary looked up with a blushing face and nodded, "I'll make sure to get it in order, Mister Li."

"Thank you, I'm looking forward to it." he said. The CEO would watch her leave with something akin to a leap to her feet, no doubt overjoyed at the thought. His Charm Points notification was a good indicator. Neither of them have made any confirmation as to what to call this weekend activity they would be having though… perhaps it didn't matter.

And yet once the door closed, Li Yang wondered what exactly he did this time. He had made a decision to not involve her in his life, but he just invited her to go out with him this weekend. He didn't feel quite as sorry as he thought it would be, but even then… the man sipped his tea to calm his mind.

[ Root Blossoming Tea Is Nourishing Your Spiritual Roots ]

[ Efficacy Is Medium ]

[ Drink More To Strengthen Roots ]

In the sudden change of his life to someone that became a System Holder, something like this was normalcy. A sense of calm in the storm, and he didn't want to find fault in it—and returned back to his seat. There was no news yet about his brother, no reply since he came back home yesterday and returned with Liang not around.

Perhaps he should worry about it and should have asked the Panda to look for the man instead of checking on Luo Ju Di and her child? Either way, if he sent his DNA and it didn't match with his during the actual testing in the appropriate percent for him to be a father and only related by a certain amount  then he could infer that it was his brother.

This. That. And then another thing. Li Yang thought he had his schedule down pat but he had already begun to find some entertainment for some of the activities that he had to do. The CEO poured himself another drink of the tea, and he took another sip.

Drinking tea was the easiest of his activities.

He no longer felt sick when he came out of his car with no evil-qi dispelling talisman. The meditation he did to cultivate qi properly into his meridians before work was also non-intrusive, if only had him waking up earlier than usual. Both were something he could add into his schedule as activities to improve his personal health.

However, for this other thing… it was almost addictive. The man drummed his fingers on the table and then tried to return back to work. His gaze was already on the emails that were already sifted through. But the urge to open the Mystery Boxes returned back with vengeance. Li Yang sighed—he was someone who did his best to not have compulsive hobbies. 

[ Would You Like To Open The Mystery Boxes Now? ]

And yet he was becoming a tad more willing for a brief taste of hedonism. The least he could do while being under a contract that held him as an entertainer was to take advantage of the benefits it afforded him.

.. .

In the streets of the bustling city, a small child ran amidst the foot and car traffic and earned a little trouble due to her size. Luo Chunhua would get pushed around and even knocked over by people busier than her but she had her eyes on the prize—the Panda.

The creature floated above them all and was separate from the troubles of the daily lives of men and women. The Panda only trying to locate the child's mother… because while it was easy to pick out the humans who had something special about them: be it psychic powers, being a cultivator who didn't shroud their presence or regular people with very strong life forces that practically became a beacon, other people tended to blend in the background.

Might as well be ants. 

The Panda could only wonder if the mother would be a 'Target' once the free duration of the CEO was over. It glanced over through the crowd and grumbled underneath its breath. Wherever they were, it was better to dig some dirt about them if it could find some. It suddenly blinked and glanced to over 300 meters away from its current position, the traces of the psychic energy of the child also happened to rub off on her mother.

It moved faster to its destination.

And subsequently left the child alone in the street, possibly because it thought that the child could keep up with it. Surely it could fly and use something like telekinesis right? The Panda would arrive in front of a very respectable establishment. A two-story boutique that resembled something that might have been a combination of a modern take on a historical french palace, complete with elegant letters soft gray atop its large see-through window and entrance.

The Panda crossed its furry paws and saw that the kid's mother was inside and was talking with both young and mature women and even some men, and yet they all had something in common—they were all drop dead gorgeous or at least more attractive than usual. 

"Huh… what is this?"

It didn't exactly meet with the description of the child saying that his mother was working with bad men. Until it frowned, "So when do the bad men arrive to hire them? Oi kid, did you just lie to me or is this a fancy escort place…?" The Panda blinked and rubbed its eyes, "Where'd that kid go?"

Luo Chunhua was lost.

She was like any ordinary child and with the Panda not giving it any kind of direction… she started to look wildly around and tried not to cry. Until two people stopped in front of her and gave her a smile.

"Are you lost, kid?"