Boss, Please Go Easy On Me (GL) - Chapter 15
An Yao’s normal working hours were from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but this day, due to a problem with a major client, she spent nearly two hours on the phone and finally resolved the issue through communication.
Yan Xiaomi waited beside her, watching her tired expression and slight frown. Yan Xiaomi really wanted to grab the phone and curse the other person, Go to hell! Who cares about you, you menopausal old woman!
After hanging up, An Yao breathed a sigh of relief. Dealing with an old woman was indeed annoying, but she always separated work from personal emotions; she wouldn’t lose a major client for personal reasons.
“Let’s go eat.”
An Yao touched her head and walked ahead. Yan Xiaomi followed behind and also touched her own hair, suddenly realizing that An Yao seemed to like touching or rubbing her head and hair. Yan Xiaomi pessimistically wondered, Could she be treating me like a pet?
“President An, why do you always rub my hair?” Yan Xiaomi asked, walking beside her.
An Yao turned her head and looked at her, thinking for a moment. “Your hair feels comfortable to touch.”
She truly felt that way. Yan Xiaomi’s hair was very soft, slightly fluffy after a perm at the salon, like fuzz. It felt very comfortable to the touch.
“Comfortable?”
Yan Xiaomi played with her hair, felt it carefully, then reached out to touch An Yao’s hair, comparing them. “Hey, it really is. My hair is softer than yours, President An.”
“Just like you,” An Yao smiled.
Yan Xiaomi guessed she was referring to her temper. Soft is soft, a soft temper won’t offend people or cause me to suffer.
Exiting the company, the sky was already darkening, and the streetlights had turned on. The city’s night view was beginning to emerge, but unfortunately, they couldn’t see the panoramic view from the ground. Yan Xiaomi suddenly asked, “President An, have you ever been to the Bailey Tower to see the night view? I heard the 69th floor is the best spot for viewing; you can see the whole city, and it looks beautiful.”
“You want to go?” An Yao looked at her.
The two walked straight along the street. It was still a bit hot, but bearable.
“Mhm, I’ve always wanted to go, but I thought it wouldn’t be as fun alone without company.”
“So you want to ask me to go with you?”
“No, that’s not it,” Yan Xiaomi quickly explained. “I originally planned to ask Tong Xi, but she’s too busy and you can barely see her. President An is also very busy, I wouldn’t dare take up your time.”
“I have a lot of free time at night,” An Yao said, looking ahead. “I can go with you.”
Aside from occasionally having to work overtime, An Yao was usually very free in the evenings. She often didn’t know what to do, sometimes reading a book, watching a movie, or doing yoga. She slept whenever she felt tired, ignoring the time.
She had a cold personality and no interest in evening activities. She was always alone when she went home, bored and idle. She used to feel she was resistant to loneliness and wanted to stay in her own world at home, but recently, she hadn’t felt like returning to her solitude.
Professor Yan had a new boyfriend. She should be happy for Professor Yan; it was bound to happen sooner or later. But the thought still made her a little sad and troubled. When will I finally let go of this fruitless relationship?
An Yao glanced at the sky. The streetlights were dim, and the sky was getting dark. The restlessness of the summer night still clung to every living thing. She was a little distracted.
“President An,” Yan Xiaomi called out to her. Watching her distracted look, as if preoccupied with some faintly sad thoughts.
“What did you just say?” An Yao snapped back and asked.
“I asked, if you have time, President An, would you like to go see the night view together?” Yan Xiaomi stared at An Yao. As if infected by her, her voice carried a slight melancholy.
“Okay.” An Yao smiled at her, but when she turned her head, she froze.
The two people walking toward them… before An Yao could confirm, Yan Xiaomi had already confirmed it for her.
“Auntie!” Yan Xiaomi called out happily, then turned to An Yao. “President An, what a coincidence, we…” An Yao’s stunned expression made Yan Xiaomi pause before continuing, “ran into Auntie…”
An Yao didn’t respond but kept looking at the woman who was smiling and walking toward them, her slender hand holding a handsome man’s.
“Xiaomi, An An, are you two also coming here to eat?” Professor Yan happily took their hands and glanced at the restaurant next to them.
Only then did Yan Xiaomi realize they had walked up to an Italian restaurant. Yan Xiaomi looked at An Yao and heard her say, “Yes, what a coincidence.”
Yan Xiaomi didn’t know if An Yao was answering her previous question or her aunt’s, but she felt that An Yao was somewhat different now, having become softer. In front of her aunt, she truly resembled a sensible student, with a gentle smile, and a much softer tone and expression.
They entered the restaurant, each ordering a meal. An Yao didn’t have much of an appetite, and her movements while eating were very slow. She would glance at Professor Yan across the table, then look down and eat slowly.
“An An, why does your complexion look so bad?” Now that the light was brighter, Professor Yan finally noticed An Yao’s somewhat pale face. She reached out and touched her. “You need to take good care of yourself, even though work is important.”
“Mhm,” An Yao responded softly. The sensation of Professor Yan’s touch seemed to linger. She was always so easily affected by Professor Yan, and instantly felt a little… blush?
Yan Xiaomi wondered if she had misread it. Was An Yao blushing a bit? Or was it just because she had walked and felt hot?
“Xiaomi,” Professor Yan suddenly called her.
“Ah? Auntie, what is it?” Yan Xiaomi smiled.
“You’re An An’s assistant, and you are both people who can’t take care of yourselves. Why don’t you look out for each other?” Professor Yan smiled.
Professor Cheng beside her also smiled, watching her with quiet, gentle indulgence.
“Mhm, mhm, I will. Oh, right.” Yan Xiaomi suddenly remembered something and said, “Auntie, President An and I are going to the Bailey Tower to see the night view later. Would you like to come? I heard the scenery there is very beautiful.”
Yan Xiaomi spoke excitedly. An Yao silently glanced at Professor Yan’s smiling face, listening to her gently ask Professor Cheng, “Shall we go?”
“If you want to go, of course, I’ll accompany you.”
The two exchanged a deep look, and the flow of emotion between them made one truly envious.
Yan Xiaomi felt completely overwhelmed. What a wonderful man! So, so affectionate. Ugh, ugh, ugh… Yan Xiaomi was so affected by their public display of affection that she wanted to find a hole to crawl into. She regretted suggesting they come along. She was definitely going to suffer more emotional abuse!
Yan Xiaomi looked over at An Yao. She was quietly eating, not speaking. In front of her aunt, An Yao was truly… so strange.
On the way to the Bailey Tower, they passed a bubble tea shop. Professor Yan wanted an iced lemon water, and everyone followed to order a drink. Yan Xiaomi ordered a warm red date milk for An Yao, which Li Weisa had said she liked.
An Yao glanced at Yan Xiaomi, said nothing, but felt much warmer inside.
“An An, are you feeling unwell?” Professor Yan suddenly took her hand and held it. “Your hand is so cold?” She warmed it, sighed softly, and then turned to Yan Xiaomi. “She really is worse at taking care of herself than you are.”
Yan Xiaomi felt a surge of pride now, smiling and saying, “President An takes care of me a lot at work. Isn’t it nice if I can take care of her a little in daily life?”
“True,” Professor Yan reached out and lightly poked Yan Xiaomi’s nose. “Very nice.”
Yan Xiaomi ordered a blueberry smoothie. Professor Cheng ordered the same iced lemon water as Professor Yan. Yan Xiaomi specifically asked the clerk to put a white straw in the red date milk.
“An An likes white, too?” Professor Yan suddenly asked.
“Mhm, President An always only takes white straws,” Yan Xiaomi answered for her, then turned and saw An Yao’s expression was a bit off. Yan Xiaomi was puzzled. She heard Professor Cheng smile and say to Professor Yan, “You two, student and teacher, are really alike.”
Yan Xiaomi looked at Professor Yan’s straw, which was white. As if something clicked, she asked, “Auntie, do you only use white straws too?”
“Mhm, I don’t know why, but I’ve always had a soft spot for white.”
Always had a soft spot for white… Yan Xiaomi thought of An Yao’s white office, white desk, and the white decorations, and her white phone…
An Yao cared so much about her aunt. Yan Xiaomi suddenly felt that the color white was very likely related to her aunt. She tentatively asked again, “Auntie, we left in a hurry on your birthday and didn’t get to eat the cake. Was the white chocolate good?”
“Better than dark chocolate,” Professor Yan said. She turned and saw An Yao had walked ahead. Professor Yan was about to call her when she saw Yan Xiaomi call out and run to catch up, “President An, wait for me.”