Devil or Angel (GL) - Chapter 20

After warning the gossipy and endlessly curious Xiao Mei, Yiyang walked into her office carrying the stack of signed documents and model information left over from yesterday.

Recently, their studio had been collaborating with a modeling agency to produce a new series of posters and photo albums for in-store promotion. She now had to start selecting models for the shoot.

After reviewing and signing the necessary documents, she picked up the model profiles. Not to say anything against this post-90s Xiao Mei, but her aesthetic sense was decent—mostly tall, delicate-looking girls, which suited Yiyang’s taste (and probably her personal preference in everyday life too).

Looking at the male models, although they mostly fit Xiao Mei’s preference for tall, muscular types, they all had sharp features and looked excellent on camera. Overall, their quality was definitely acceptable. Yiyang was satisfied, but the challenge was that she could only choose two pairs from all these options.

This time, their studio’s focus was on couples and best-friend series. Nowadays, you didn’t need to be married to shoot “wedding-style” photos; young couples or friends could do a photo shoot for keepsakes. Years later, it would be meaningful to look back at these memories.

Having slept poorly the night before, Yiyang soon felt her eyes grow sore after staring for a while. Unable to decide immediately, she stood up, took a cup of coffee, and walked to the window, looking out at the lush green leaves and the bustling crowds.

Seeing groups of students walking hand in hand, chatting and laughing, she was reminded of her college days. Of course, Lin Wei’s shadow inevitably came to mind, leaving Yiyang with a bitter taste—not from the coffee, but from the pangs of memory.

Just as her thoughts drifted back to those unpleasant days, a knock on the office door broke her reverie. Xiao Mei walked in, smiling. “Boss, the agency called. Their models’ schedules are full this week. We need to finalize things quickly; otherwise, next week might also be booked.”

“Mm, got it,” Yiyang replied, setting down her coffee cup indifferently.

“Boss, are you upset about something lately? Or maybe having romantic troubles? You can tell me—I’ll help you sort it out!” Xiao Mei had a faint sense that her boss seemed troubled.

“Comrade Xiao Mei!” Yiyang almost roared at her.

“All right, all right! I won’t say another word. I’ll disappear immediately!” Xiao Mei wisely decided to leave.

After Xiao Mei left, the office returned to quiet. Finally, Yiyang focused again on the materials in front of her. After careful comparison, she painstakingly chose two male-female pairs that looked compatible.

Having made her decision, she noticed it was nearly the end of the workday. She called Xiao Mei upstairs to hand over the selected list and instructed her to negotiate with the agency.

The shoot was scheduled for next Saturday. In the meantime, they would meet this week to finalize contracts and see the models in person, since photographs didn’t always reflect real-life appearance accurately.

Once everything was settled, Yiyang let everyone leave and called Liu Ma, preparing to go home for dinner. Since being injured in the bar encounter with that bizarre woman, she thought it best to avoid going out too much.

On her way home, an unexpected call came from her uncle, Wang Wei, someone she rarely contacted since her mother’s passing. Curious, she let it ring a few times before answering.

“Yiyang, how have you been?”

“I’m fine.”

“I called to tell you something. Your father recently hired a young woman as general manager. She’s favored greatly, and the two are constantly together. Everyone in the company suspects their relationship is unusual. I’m worried your mother’s efforts might be taken over by this woman.” Wang Wei, a company board member, had felt threatened from the first time he saw Zhiyu.

“What he does is none of my business. You don’t need to tell me.”

“But this affects the company’s interests. Do you want to watch your mother’s hard work slip into a stranger’s hands? Don’t forget, this is her life’s work.”

“Even so, what can I do? He’s making the decisions now. As the largest shareholder, if he wants to hand it over, no one can stop him.” Yiyang felt powerless.

“Others may not be able to, but you can! If you say you’ll come back to work, Zhang Guodong will surely pass the company to his biological daughter…”

“Wait, did he tell you to say this?” Yiyang sensed someone was giving instructions behind the scenes.

“No one told me. I just feel it’s unfair to your mother. Without her efforts, Zhang Guodong wouldn’t be where he is today…”

“That’s enough, uncle! I get it. Whether someone told you or not, I promise: as long as I’m around, I will never hand over my mother’s company to anyone!” With that, Yiyang decisively hung up.

Yes! She would not let that woman’s schemes succeed. But that didn’t mean she would return to work. Sitting in the office, working formally alongside that woman, was absolutely out of the question.

Soon Yiyang got home. Liu Ma was delighted to see the eldest daughter return on time, happily bringing out her meal.

“Yiyang, eat first. Master is in a meeting and won’t be home. Zhiyu is sick.”

Hearing about the meeting, Yiyang wasn’t concerned. But when Liu Ma mentioned Zhiyu was sick, her heart skipped a beat. Normally uninterested, she couldn’t help but ask, “That old woman—what’s wrong?”

“She probably drank too much last night, caught a bit of a chill, and seems to have a fever. I’ll make her some congee shortly.”

“That old woman really is fragile,” Yiyang muttered.

Though she said it casually, a flicker of worry appeared in her heart. Then she shook her head—what business was it of hers? Still, chewing her food felt strange. Had Liu Ma’s cooking declined?

After Yiyang finished eating, Liu Ma brought up the congee and medicine. Yiyang stood and blocked her. “I’ll take it upstairs!”

“When did my eldest daughter become so considerate? Have you and Zhiyu improved your relationship?” Liu Ma asked with hope.

“My relationship with her hasn’t changed. I’m myself, she’s herself. I’m helping you, that’s all. You still need to tidy up, and I’m just giving you a hand,” Yiyang explained.

“All right, thank you for your thoughtfulness,” Liu Ma said.

Yiyang awkwardly smiled and went upstairs. She didn’t knock, just pushed the door open. Only a faint bedside lamp was on.

Quietly, she set the congee on the nightstand. Seeing the woman with furrowed brows and closed eyes, Yiyang sighed and sat, taking a thermometer. 38°C—not too serious.

Since it wasn’t severe, she had delivered the congee and medicine, ready to leave. Yet she hesitated, finally deciding to ensure everything was done. Leaning down, she whispered beside the unresponsive woman, “Old woman, get up and eat your congee and medicine!”

Zhiyu didn’t respond. Exhausted from work, drowsy, she was in a near-sleep state and naturally didn’t hear her.

Seeing this, Yiyang lifted her up, letting her lean against her, gently patting her face to wake her.

Zhiyu finally sensed something amiss and reluctantly opened her eyes, only to see a face she didn’t want to see. Weakly, she said, “Why are you here again? To mock me or enjoy my pathetic state? If so, you’ve seen enough—now leave.”

Surprisingly, Yiyang didn’t argue. In Zhiyu’s eyes, she was just someone who enjoyed teasing others. Thinking about it, she had indeed always responded to this person with sarcasm, though she was friendly to staff and Liu Ma.

Yiyang ignored all that, scooped some congee, cooled it, and brought it to Zhiyu. “I don’t want to argue. I have principles—I won’t bully a patient. Eat your congee, take your medicine!”

Zhiyu wondered if she was delirious from fever. Could this sharp-tongued Zhang eldest daughter really be standing here taking care of her?

Zhiyu widened her eyes to confirm, but before she could, Yiyang, for the first time ever, became impatient while caring for someone. Even Lin Wei had never received such attention. “Hey, old woman, stop refusing medicine! I’m feeding you congee, and you still don’t appreciate it!”

“I don’t care!” Zhiyu stubbornly replied.

“Oh, Zhiyu, I really don’t know what to say. Eat it! My hands are getting tired!” Yiyang felt like she had transformed into a completely different person—did she have a split personality?