Wife Takes the Reins: The Calm CEO

Chapter 31: President Yu’s Tenderness

After Li Xiaowan entered the inner room, Yu Feilan merely glanced at her casually without saying much. He silently took some cotton swabs and iodine from the cabinet beside him, then said gently to Li Xiaowan, “Xiaowan, come stand a little closer.” Li Xiaowan obediently stepped closer. She didn’t know exactly what Yu Feilan was going to do; perhaps she could guess, but she didn’t dare to be certain. Yu Feilan reached into the cotton swab packet, took one out, unscrewed the cap of the iodine bottle, dipped the swab into the solution, and then leaned slightly toward Li Xiaowan. He gently placed the swab on her bleeding lip. Once the blood had stained the swab red, he replaced it with a fresh one. During this time, Li Xiaowan really wanted to say something to President Yu Fei Lan like, “No need to trouble you, President Yu,” or “I can handle this myself,” but President Yu simply said, “Xiaowan, just stand there quietly.” This instantly froze Li Xiaowan in her tracks, and she could clearly feel her heartbeat accelerating, as well as the faint scent of perfume that occasionally wafted from President Yu. In the eyes of many seasoned players in the game of love, someone like Li Xiaowan was essentially a naive rookie—perhaps not even quite at that level. And since everyone has human desires, how could such an inexperienced person remain unaffected when placed in an environment filled with such intense ambiguity? Yet Li Xiaowan was, in fact, an exception. Although her face was flushed and her heart was racing, she never once harbored any improper thoughts toward the warm-hearted man before her; at most, it was simply innocent admiration. Everything Li Xiaowan was thinking was clearly evident in her eyes at that moment, which made Yu Feilan look at her with newfound respect. In Li Xiaowan’s eyes, he saw clarity and purity; he realized he could no longer find a girl like her—one so free of desire and ambition—anywhere around him. “All right, the ointment is applied. Avoid eating anything too spicy for the next few days; otherwise, it won’t heal quickly.” Yu Feilan handed the ointment back to Li Xiaowan and kindly advised her. “Thank you, President Yu. Aren’t you even going to ask me what happened?” Li Xiaowan finally voiced the words she’d been keeping to herself; she’d always felt that Yu Feilan must have known. “I’m not as nosy as most girls. Besides, whether I know the reason or not doesn’t affect a boss showing a little concern for a subordinate every now and then, does it?” ” Yu Feilan said nonchalantly. After all, for a time, he’d frequently navigated the dating scene due to the demands of his work. If he couldn’t even figure that much out, it would mean he’d wasted all that time in the dating world. However, he felt there was no need to spell it out, and he certainly didn’t want to hurt Li Xiaowan again. “President Yu, I feel deeply honored to have a warm and considerate boss like you. I had planned to learn from you in the future, but recently I’ve suddenly realized that I might not be cut out for working in a large corporation. As the saying goes, ‘survival of the fittest.’ Rather than waiting to be laid off, it’s better for me to resign on my own—that’s the best outcome for both the Company and myself.” ” Li Xiaowan clenched the resignation letter tightly in her palm. After a moment’s thought, she handed it to Yu Feilan without hesitation. “Xiaowan, are you really set on leaving?” Yu Feilan looked pensive. She made no attempt to dissuade her, merely asking Li Xiaowan a simple question. “Yes, I hope you’ll grant my request, President Yu,” Li Xiaowan said without a hint of hesitation. “All right. However, the Company has its policies. Before you leave, there are many procedures that need to be completed step by step. Most importantly, there are some documents that require your personal signature. Would you prefer to stay at the office for a couple more days, or go home and wait for further notice?” Yu Feilan did not speak to Li Xiaowan in a commanding tone but instead sought her opinion. “Thank you, President Yu. I’ll stay at the Company until all the procedures are completed!” Li Xiaowan replied. Although she didn’t want to stay at the Company another moment, she knew she had some tasks to hand over, and she had to see them through to the end. “All right, then just carry on with your work as usual these next two days!” Yu Feilan said, then turned and sat back down at her desk. Seeing this, Li Xiaowan politely excused herself and closed the door to the inner office. Once upon a time, she had regarded this place as where her dreams began. Now, after just a few short months, she was about to leave. To say she wasn’t reluctant would be a lie, but if she didn’t leave, she wouldn’t even be able to get past her own mental barrier—let alone carve out a place for herself here. At this point, overthinking it was pointless. She’d better check in with Xin'er first—she wondered how things were going on her end. “Hey, Xiaowan, did you get it sorted out?” As soon as Qi Xin'er saw Li Xiaowan’s call, she hurriedly grabbed her phone and ran to the break room, pressing the answer button. “I’d say it’s mostly settled. President Yu agreed. We’ve arranged that as soon as the resignation and handover procedures are complete, I can leave. Xin'er, how’s it going on your end?” Li Xiaowan asked. “Things aren’t going so smoothly on my end. I dropped my resignation letter on the director’s desk this morning, and he said he’d get back to me later, but it’s almost noon now and I still haven’t heard a thing,” Qi Xin'er said irritably. For some reason, hearing Qi Xin'er say this, Li Xiaowan actually thought it was a good thing. She hadn’t planned on having Qi Xin'er resign with her in the first place, so this worked out perfectly for her. “Xin'er, since the director hasn’t replied yet, just wait patiently. And whatever you do, don’t even think about walking off the job. We signed contracts with Company—leaving without permission would make us legally liable, and we’d face a hefty penalty for breach of contract.” Li Xiaowan explained the pros and cons to Qi Xin'er one by one, hoping to dissuade her from fixating on quitting. It didn’t matter if she quit herself, but she absolutely couldn’t be a liability to Qi Xin'er. “Xiaowan, didn’t we agree on this? What’s going on with you now? Why do I feel like you’re trying to talk me out of quitting?” Qi Xin'er immediately understood the implication behind Li Xiaowan’s words. “Xin'er, since you’ve already guessed it, I won’t keep it a secret anymore. I’m quitting because I just can’t stand it here anymore, but you’re different from me—you should just stay at the Company with peace of mind!” At that moment, Li Xiaowan had a lot she wanted to say to Qi Xin'er, but she thought it wasn’t convenient to discuss it over the phone, so she decided to wait until she got home later to tell her! “I don’t care. If you’re leaving, why should I stay at the Company? Xiaowan, you can’t go back on your word. This time, no matter what, I have to leave.” Once Qi Xin'er’s stubborn streak kicked in, not even Li Xiaowan could talk her out of it. “All right then. I hope you don’t do anything you’ll regret,” Li Xiaowan said with a sigh of resignation. “Xiaowan, you know me well enough. Once I’ve made up my mind about something, I’ve never regretted it afterward. Let’s leave it at that for now—I’m going to ask the Director.” As soon as Qi Xin'er hung up the phone, she rushed into the Administrative Director’s office. “Qi Xin'er, shouldn’t you think this through a little more? You must realize that, given your current qualifications and experience, it’s already unprecedented that you’ve been able to stay on at the Company this long,” the Administrative Director reminded her kindly. Although he knew that many people—including Qi Xin'er—referred to him behind his back as the “Psycho Director,” he was by no means a narrow-minded person who sought personal revenge. “Director, there’s no need to try to talk me out of it. I’ve already made up my mind. Thank you for all your help and patience over the past few months,” Qi Xin'er said with genuine sincerity. Although the Director of Administration was usually extremely strict with subordinates like them, everyone knew he meant no harm. After all, under the intense work pressure of a multinational Company, if you didn’t possess outstanding professional skills, you were very likely to be weeded out by the Company. “All right, I hope you have a bright future ahead of you,” the Administrative Director sighed. Deep down, he regarded each of his subordinates as if they were his own children—and who wouldn’t want their children to have a bright future? “Thank you, Director. I’ll head straight to the Human Resources Office to process my resignation. But before I go, I’d like to share something from the bottom of my heart: Director, I’ve actually always looked up to you. I used to call you ‘the Weird Director’ behind your back, but please believe me—I never meant it.” After saying this, Qi Xin'er scratched the back of her head sheepishly. “Silly girl, how could I possibly hold that against you? Actually, you’re right—I can be pretty crazy sometimes.” The Administrative Director smiled. He admired Qi Xin'er’s honesty; she was quite capable at her job. It was just that comparisons can be painful, but as long as she put in a little more effort, she certainly wouldn’t end up as a mediocre employee. “Take care, Director!” It wasn’t until it was time to leave that Qi Xin'er realized she was actually a little reluctant to go. Although her time at this Company had brought her mostly nothing but gossip and rumors, she had also learned a great deal of professional knowledge and had grown significantly through it all. “Xin'er, you’re so silly, you know that? You’ve given up two great career opportunities for my sake.” Upon hearing that Qi Xin'er had told her the Administrative Director had already signed off on her resignation paperwork, Li Xiaowan said with a sense of guilt. “Really? I don’t remember that at all!” Qi Xin'er said nonchalantly. “Xin'er, you really are silly—utterly silly. During the college entrance exams, your scores were well within the range for top-tier universities, yet you insisted on following me and applying to a second-tier one. And now you’re doing this again—how am I supposed to bear it?” Li Xiaowan knew she owed Qi Xin'er’s family far too much; she could only repay them with a lifetime of hard work. “Xiaowan, you’re the silly one. That’s all ancient history—why bring it up now?” Qi Xin'er knew Li Xiaowan was overthinking things again. She’d done all this of her own free will. In Qi Xin'er’s heart, no matter how prestigious the university or how promising the future, nothing could compare to the simple bond of sisterhood. “At this point, I know it’s no use saying any more. Xin'er, see you tonight.” At the same time, Li Xiaowan couldn’t help but wonder: why had Xin'er’s resignation been processed so quickly, while hers still had to wait another two days?