Unexpected Changes

Suddenly, with the arrival of a foreign grandmother, everything became chaotic for me and Ren Han.

Because I unintentionally lied about the pregnancy to the foreign grandmother, I started feeling restless and filled with doubt. There were many things that made me afraid and suspicious. For example, whether Ren Han's parents accepted me because of the baby, whether I should agree to Ren Han's hope for me to resign or change jobs after marriage, whether Jiao Jiao's fan club would come and cause trouble at the wedding, and whether my mother would boldly demand that I tell Ren Han there must be an elevator in any apartment he buys before agreeing to marry her daughter.

Under the weight of these worries, I gradually began paying attention to family dramas like "Double-Faced Glue," "Mother-in-law's 72 Showdowns," "Dating My Ex-Wife," and others.

On this Saturday, Demon King Ren was sitting next to me, watching an episode of "Very Hot Topics: Inside Story of Mother-in-law Driving Up Housing Prices." We were discussing whether we should spend the Dragon Boat Festival at my house or his when the phone rang. Hearing the pleasant ringtone, I remained calm, nestled on the couch, continuing to eat potato chips. We had already agreed that Uncle Ren would handle important matters like answering phone calls, cooking, and cleaning after we got married.

Although we hadn't officially registered our marriage yet, Ren Han seemed very willing to take on these "duties." However, after a while, when Uncle Ren returned from answering the phone, he had a mischievous look on his face as if it were about to rain. Seeing this, I held my breath, furrowed my brow. Could it be that in just a few days, Uncle Ren no longer wanted to be the "chore head" of the family?

I turned my eyes around. In dramas, this kind of situation usually involves the mother-in-law calling and scolding the daughter-in-law as soon as she realizes it's her own son running errands to answer the phone. She would berate the daughter-in-law relentlessly, pointing out all her flaws, and then successfully sow discord between the couple, leading to a quarrel when the son returns home.

Feeling anxious, I cautiously asked while holding a bag of potato chips, "Is it your mom calling?"

Without looking up, Demon King Ren responded with a gloomy face, "Mm." That was the end of it. I reflected on it. No, no, we're about to get married, so I shouldn't refer to her as "your mom." I saw how happy Chairman Bai and his wife were yesterday when Demon King Ren called them "Dad" and "Mom" while visiting my home.

I composed myself and decided to speak in a gentle and soothing tone, trying to please him, "What did she call for?"

Demon King Ren completely ignored me.

I choked up and wished I could slap myself. It was a big taboo, how could I ask about the content of their mother-son conversation? That would be invading my husband's privacy!

"Or how about this, I cook tonight?" Compromising with Demon King Ren once wouldn't count as a compromise, I was just being a good woman and avoiding immediate losses.

After I finished speaking, Demon King Ren still pursed his lips and remained silent. After a while, he took out a cigarette from his bag and lit it with a click of the lighter. I was greatly surprised by this scene.

Ren Han rarely smoked except when writing articles or doing planning work. He hardly ever did it in front of me. To prevent me from inhaling second-hand smoke, he would always go to the balcony to smoke.

I was wavering between getting angry and scolding him like the aunties in dramas, saying, "How dare you smoke in the living room," or continuing to be weak and compromise. Then I heard Demon King Ren's soft voice saying, "Xiao Fu's planning to have a baby."

I was stunned for a moment, then yelled, "Why does it matter to you that she's having a baby?!" Seeing Demon King Ren's expression of entanglement, annoyance, and frustration, I couldn't help but feel jealous. What is this? It's common knowledge that Xiao Fu is already married, but it's quite unbelievable that someone would call specifically to inform Ren Han that she's planning to have a baby.

I pretended to be angry and interrogated, "Speak! Do you two have an affair?"

Ren Han pinched my cheek, casually knocked on my head, and scornfully said, "Is it only strange images pop up in your head all the time?"

I held my head and silently shed tears. How could this happen? It was clearly Demon King Ren's pitiful appearance that tempted me to have wild thoughts... While complaining and drawing circles, I heard Ren Han sigh, "Liu Zong just called, asking me to persuade Xiao Fu to resign."

I was shocked and remained silent.

In the magazine company, apart from managing the journalist department, Ren Han also held the title of "Vice President." Asking him to persuade employees to resign on behalf of the big boss and HR was a sign of respect and following the protocol. But, to put it bluntly...

Big boss, you are so... so... shameless!

As I calmed down, I finally understood why Ren Han looked so sorrowful.

Xiao Fu was planning to have a baby, and as soon as the big boss heard the news, he immediately asked Ren Han to intervene, clearly afraid of keeping a non-productive pregnant employee for a year. Naturally, the big boss wouldn't personally handle such a thankless and infamous task, so he handed it over to Demon King Ren.

I was astonished. "But Xiao Fu is a long-standing employee and performs so well. How could the big boss bear to do this?"

Ren Mo Wang sneered, "The big boss is also a person, he needs to eat too. If someone is kept on the payroll for a year without working, what can they do with their abilities? Moreover, plans can change. What if Xiao Fu has the baby and doesn't want to come back to work? Liu Zong would truly end up empty-handed."

I pouted and summarized it in two words, "Unscrupulous businessman!"

Ren Han patted me and said, "Forget it, I'll handle this. Just don't talk about it to anyone."

"Okay."

Upon hearing that, Demon King Ren got up. Just as I was about to cheer, "I'm starving, let's go cook," I saw Ren Mo Wang turn back mysteriously with a wicked smile. "Did someone just say they were going to cook?"

A small oversight. So you heard it earlier...

-------------------------The Dividing Line of "I Don't Want to Cook"-------------------------

On Monday, although I tried my best to appear calm on the surface, I couldn't help but steal glances at Xiao Fu. As women, as individuals with family responsibilities, I fully understand Xiao Fu's feelings. In many industries nowadays, women are unable to reach high positions or, in other words, they are unable to reach positions that match their abilities.

Because in the Big Boss's mind, women are always considered unstable. After they get married, their focus will shift more towards their families, which inevitably affects their work progress. Occasionally, they may bring their quarrels with their husbands' into the office, displaying their emotional state.

In the future, women may also face challenges related to having children, such as concerns about computer radiation, childbirth, and postpartum recovery. Therefore, even though Xiao Fu and my boss, Li Ziru joined the company together, it didn't take long for Li Ziru to obtain the position of the editor-in-chief, despite Xiao Fu's outstanding judgment and sharp writing skills. As for Xiao Fu, until today, she is still just a senior editor.

Women are often underestimated. Bosses only see the efforts and progress of male employees, but they fail to see that male employees also have many flaws, such as gambling or lack of attention to detail, which require women to coordinate. As a result, despite Xiao Fu's hard work, she still ends up being persuaded to resign.

Thinking about this, I felt a little disheartened.

Perhaps all along, Ren Han has been trying to make me quit because he's afraid I'll face the same fate?

My hand rested on the keyboard, and I was deeply lost in thought when I suddenly felt a slight pain in my arm. I turn my head and saw Can Can holding a triangle ruler, grinning at me, "Have you fallen in love with Xiao Fu? Why are you staring at her so absentmindedly?"

I'm at a loss for words. I didn't realize I zoned out... What should I do? How do I explain this to everyone? I panicked, thinking that Xiao Fu, being so astute, must have seen through to my grandmother. What excuse should I come up with? Just as I was frantically searching for a reason, I see her raise her head from reviewing manuscripts and smile, "Xiao Ningzi, isn't this a bit too much? Is it necessary to stare at me like you're trying to collect a debt just because we didn't have that tea after we agreed to it last time?"

I fell silent, staring at Xiao Fu speechlessly.

Xiao Fu has never invited me for tea, let alone canceled a meeting. Suddenly, she tells this lie in front of everyone. Could it be that she already knows the truth?

Xiao Wei stammered, "G-Guess... no wonder. B-But Xiao Fu, why did you want to have tea? Is there some reason?"

Xiao Fu lightly raised her lips and rests her chin on her hand, contemplating, "Well... I'll tell you all when we come back in the afternoon. Xiao Ningzi, it's almost lunch break. Let's go and make up for that cup of tea we missed last time."

At the tea house, Xiao Fu jie opened the door and got straight to the point, "Bai Ning, did Ren Han tell you something?"

Sure enough, she came to pry for information. I fell silent and lowered my head, stirring my coffee.

Xiao Fu jie seemed to see through my thoughts and chuckled, "It's okay, I'm not here to inquire about your news. The news of you and Ren Han getting married has spread like wildfire. I'm not naive enough to think you would help me."

I gritted my teeth, wanting to say something, but in the end, no words came out. I couldn't help but feel that Xiao Fu jie was different today, with a prickly demeanor and an intimidating presence.

Xiao Fu jie raised an eyebrow, "Bai Ning, don't be nervous. I won't make things difficult for you. I asked you to come out just to pass a message to Director Liu and Ren Han. You don't need to persuade me."

I was dumbfounded, "Xiao Fu Jie, are you resigning?"

Xiao Fu Jie curved her lips, smiling confidently and calmly, "No, I'm already pregnant."

MiraiSaesang's notes: sigh....this Boss...