The Crippled Boss Loves Me

810 Don’t Dream for Anything Not Yours

Shen Hanxing furrowed her brows at Qiao Xi’s reaction, but she hid it immediately and smiled. “When did you come, Qiao Xi? How are you doing at the foundation? Are you adapting to the job?”

“I’m fine. Everyone there is nice… I’m thrilled to join the team.” Qiao Xi stammered. Her face flushed red when she finished speaking, and her forehead was covered in sweat. She wished she could turn back time and swallow her words. How could she be so stupid? She didn’t even know how to speak properly. Would Ji Yan find her ridiculous? Initially, she was like a joke before him, so humble that she was about to sink into the dust. However, the more anxious she was, the worse her performance was, and she couldn’t even speak clearly.

Qiao Xi secretly pinched her thigh and used all her strength without mercy. It was as if only this heart-piercing pain could give her the courage to continue standing there and not run away. Her eyes were wet as she forced herself to finish her sentence. “I have a day off and am here to visit grandma.” Her entire body was tensed up, and she was so focused on not revealing her flustered side that she didn’t notice that grandma, who had been smiling happily at her arrival, had a complicated look in her eyes.

“Qiao Xi even used her salary to buy a gift.” It wasn’t clear if it was an explanation or something else, but grandma said, “This kid is so kind. I’m delighted she came to visit, and I asked her not to spend money getting gifts.”

“It’s only a gift…” Qiao Xi’s face turned even redder as she fidgeted with her fingers. She had been fine when she arrived and bought a gift within her means. She only wanted to express her gratitude and did not dare to have extravagant hopes. However, now that she was standing here, facing Shen Hanxing and Ji Yan, she suddenly felt like a joke. The Ji family was so wealthy. It made her wonder if they would think the gift she had carefully chosen was a pile of trash. She shouldn’t have come. What was the point of coming other than making her feel ashamed?

Qiao Xi stood under the sunlight in embarrassment. She felt her dirty thoughts were exposed to the sun, making her feel suffocated.

“It’s a gift from Qiao Xi. She will be happy if you accept it, grandma,” Shen Hanxing said with a smile. Then, she stepped forward to help her grandma. “Mr. Ji, Ji Qian, and I brought back a lot of ingredients. We’ve already sent them to the kitchen for Sis Chen to cook. Grandma, you can try the food we brought back later.” She helped grandma to get into the house first, and Ji Yan followed behind. He bent down to pick up the tools grandma had left on the ground. The joints of his fingers were distinct, and the lines of his palm were hard and white. At a glance, it was obvious that it was a man’s hand, but it was too good-looking that it did not look like a hand that should be picking up the small shovel stained with mud.

Ji Yan’s hands could hold a gun, a pen, or even tap on the keyboard to do something charming, but he shouldn’t be holding this mud-covered shovel. Qiao Xi’s heart felt like it was being scalded. She quickly stepped forward and snatched the shovel away, saying nervously, “I’ll do it…”

Ji Yan straightened his back and remained silent. He glanced at Qiao Xi indifferently. There was no emotion in his eyes, and his gaze was so deep that they seemed to be able to see through one’s heart. Qiao Xi, who was already nervous, was even more at a loss. As if she had done something wrong, she lowered her head and dared not make a sound.

“Miss Qiao.” Ji Yan retracted his gaze and said coldly, “one shouldn’t covet things that don’t belong to them. Otherwise, they’ll have unnecessary emotions, don’t you think so?” He seemed to have said it casually and did not care about Qiao Xi’s reaction. He left after he finished speaking without any reluctance.

Qiao Xi gripped the small shovel tightly, her knuckles turning white from using too much force. She bit her lip in embarrassment. Tears fell uncontrollably. She felt as if a huge hole had been torn in her heart, which was painful. It hurt her feelings, and she felt pathetic as she thought, “Ji Yan, he… did he see through it?” He could see her extravagant hope and overestimated her ability, trying to covet his love. She was like a clown who didn’t know her place. It was too ridiculous.

Qiao Xi sniffled, heartbroken, as she thought, “But why couldn’t I? Why was I the one who didn’t recognize my position? Didn’t Mrs. Ji come from the slums and grow up in a quagmire? Since Ji Yan didn’t care about family backgrounds, why couldn’t Mrs. Ji be me?”