Chapter 655 - 291: Sometimes the Person is More Fragrant Than the Tea, and Some People Aren’t Inviting Me for Tea

"Of course, President Xu."

The instructor from the agency smiled. "I’ll make sure she gets training at the best institution in Jiangcheng."

"We’ll be going now."

Xu Yun and Jian Shiwai stood up to leave. As he passed by Wang Qing, he paused for a moment and said with a smile, "Study hard for the next few days. Really apply yourself. If you make even a single mistake at work after this, I’m firing you."

"..." Wang Qing was speechless.

After leaving the recruitment event, Xu Yun checked his watch. It was already past dinnertime.

So, the two of them went to grab a meal together.

During the meal, when the waiter was bringing them water, he accidentally gave Jian Shiwai a glass of ice water.

Xu Yun was about to ask the waiter for a hot one, but Jian Shiwai interrupted him.

She smiled and said, "It’s all right, President Xu. I can drink something cold today."

"Alright, then."

Xu Yun paused for a second before saying, "Still, it’s probably best to avoid cold drinks in the winter."

After dinner, Xu Yun drove her home.

When they arrived, Xu Yun said, "You worked hard today. Get some rest."

"Okay."

Jian Shiwai unbuckled her seatbelt but didn’t get out of the car right away.

She hesitated for a moment before saying tentatively, "President Xu, I’ve recently learned some new tea-brewing techniques. It’s still early... would you like to come up? I could brew you a cup to try."

"It has been a while since I’ve had your tea."

Xu Yun smiled and asked, "Would it be convenient?"

"It’s not inconvenient at all. I live alone."

Jian Shiwai smiled. "As long as you don’t find my home too small, President Xu."

"Alright then. I’ll come up and sample your skills."

After Xu Yun parked, Jian Shiwai led him into the residential complex and up the elevator to the 23rd floor.

Unlike Xu Yun’s building, where each unit had its own private elevator landing, her complex wasn’t bad. There were four units per floor, each over 150 square meters—considerably larger than a typical apartment.

Jian Shiwai only called her place small in comparison to Xu Yun’s home, which spanned several hundred square meters.

She opened the door, and they went inside.

The first thing Jian Shiwai did was bend down, retrieve a pair of men’s slippers from the shoe cabinet beside the door, and move to help Xu Yun take off his shoes.

"No need, I can do it myself."

Xu Yun saw what she was doing and quickly stopped her.

He wasn’t quite used to this level of service.

Xu Yun glanced over and noticed another pair of men’s slippers nearby. "You always keep men’s slippers at home?" he asked curiously.

"It’s a little safety tip I learned online."

Jian Shiwai smiled and explained, "It can be dangerous for a woman living alone. Sometimes, when you order takeout or something, if the delivery person gets any bad ideas, seeing men’s slippers by the door makes them subconsciously assume there’s a man in the house. It deters them."

"Oh, I see."

Xu Yun nodded in agreement. "You do need to be more careful when you live by yourself."

"President Xu, please wait a moment."

Jian Shiwai said, "I’m just going to my room to change, then I’ll be right out to make you tea."

"No rush."

Xu Yun waited alone in the living room. After watching a little TV, Jian Shiwai emerged from her room, having changed her clothes.

She wore a loose, mid-length, pink t-shirt dress that just covered the bottom of her hips, revealing a pair of long, porcelain-white legs.

Xu Yun noticed something.

It seemed all beautiful women had flawless, fair skin.

No wonder the old saying goes, "a fair complexion can hide a hundred flaws."

Jian Shiwai walked over, looking rather apologetic. "President Xu, did I keep you waiting long? I couldn’t resist taking a quick shower. I’ll make your tea right away."

With that, she brought out her tea set, retrieved a prized green tea from her cabinet, and began to boil water and prepare the tea in front of Xu Yun.

This time, Jian Shiwai’s technique wasn’t a traditional brewing method, but a stylish one that was popular online.

She even incorporated some physical flourishes.

It was a delightful and captivating performance.

Xu Yun, sitting across from her, watched with great concentration. Whenever she bent down, he had a completely unobstructed view down the wide, round collar of her loose pink dress.

’Do women just not like wearing bras at home?’

Meanwhile, Jian Shiwai seemed completely unaware that she was exposing herself.

Or perhaps she knew and was just pretending not to.

Then again, maybe it was intentional.

Amidst this charged, rosy atmosphere, Jian Shiwai placed a cup of green tea in front of Xu Yun.

"President Xu, care to try?"

"Alright."

Xu Yun blew on the tea and took a small sip.

"How is it?"

Jian Shiwai asked with concern, "Is it any better than the last time I made it for you?"

"I don’t know how to describe it."

Xu Yun set down his cup and smiled meaningfully. "Sometimes, the person is more fragrant than the tea. And sometimes, what people offer me isn’t really tea."

"..."

Seeing that he had read her intentions, Jian Shiwai blushed slightly but didn’t act coy.

She stood up, threw herself into Xu Yun’s arms, and whispered softly in his ear, "Then tonight, I invite President Xu to have a proper taste."

"No regrets?"

Xu Yun said, "You know how many women are in my life."

"No regrets!"

Jian Shiwai knew that if she missed this opportunity, she might never get another chance to get closer to him.

’Only by truly becoming his woman will I have security, both in my career and in my personal life!’

’Otherwise, we’ll always just have a professional, friendly relationship.’

’And a relationship like that isn’t reliable at all to me.’

Hearing this, Xu Yun wasted no more words.

’Having a bank director for a woman would be a nice experience, too.’

He swept her into his arms and walked straight toward the bedroom.

There was no need to even shower.

Because Jian Shiwai had already gotten everything ready the moment she got home!

This "tea tasting" lasted the entire night.

The first brew was not the best, a little astringent.

But after brewing it a few more times, the flavor grew much smoother. The fragrant aroma of green tea filled the air, intoxicating the senses.

「...」

Meanwhile, in the large apartment 1902 on the 19th floor of Su Mu’s building, Yu Xuan had just returned from Jiang Peiyao’s. She watched Ning Qian packing her things alone, her expression complex.

After asking what had happened, she fell silent.

She never imagined that their defiant act of loyalty that night would have truly angered Xu Yun!

Just like Su Mu, she never expected Xu Yun would make an example of Ning Qian to warn the others.

Having been roommates for several months, living together day in and day out, it was safe to say the two had grown close.

She couldn’t believe Ning Qian had to leave so soon, all because of one mistake.

But there was nothing she could do!

She didn’t even have the courage to call Xu Yun and ask him about it.

She was afraid that if she did, his next words would be to tell her to leave as well.

Yu Xuan had thought about leaving Xu Yun one day, but that day was definitely not today.

Just then, Su Mu knocked on the door and came in.

She looked at Ning Qian, whose packing was almost finished, and asked, "When do you plan on leaving? I can give you a ride."

"I don’t know."

Ning Qian answered, "When Xu Yun left today, he just told me to wait at home for his instructions."

"Then don’t go anywhere for the next few days. Just stay home."

Su Mu comforted her. "Maybe in a couple of days, he’ll have a change of heart and won’t hold it against you anymore!"

"Right."

Yu Xuan also offered some comfort. "Our boss is a really nice person. I’ve rarely seen him get truly angry with anyone."

Ning Qian gave a bitter smile; she didn’t see it that way.

She was one of the first women to be with Xu Yun, so she felt she understood his temperament quite well.

He might seem nice and easygoing to everyone, but once he made a decision, he almost never changed his mind.

「In the dead of night.」

In her bedroom, Ning Qian sat alone on the bed, hugging her knees as she stared blankly into the darkness.

’Am I, Ning Qian, really content to be cast aside like this?’

Of course not.

’Do I feel wronged?’

Of course I do.

’I wasn’t the only one who rushed in back then.’

’But in the end, I’m the only one bearing the brunt of Xu Yun’s anger.’

’Do I hate Xu Yun for his unfairness?’

’No.’

’On the contrary, I’m grateful to him.’

’Because in all the time I’ve been with him, he has been genuinely good to me.’

’He never mistreated me, whether in terms of money, material things, or respect.’

’Even if I leave now, the money in my bank account is more than I could have earned in decades.’

’Those are real, tangible benefits.’

’So if there’s anyone to blame, it’s me for acting rashly and doing something to displease him.’

’I can only blame my own bad luck for not being as fortunate as the other women.’

’As an adult, I have to take responsibility for my own actions.’

In truth, what Ning Qian felt more than anything was regret that she could no longer stay by Xu Yun’s side.

If she could, she truly wanted to be with Xu Yun forever.