On the other side, news that Zhao Sili had joined Yunlu Hotel quickly reached Ying Huaishan. He put down his tablet, a hint of cold calculation flashing in his eyes.
The last incident had already revealed that Ying Jingsheng was helping Tao Xinrou; he needed to be more careful. But the Zhao family—what were they playing at?
"Fourth Miss? Wasn't she always uninterested in family business and only cared about her art? Why did she suddenly go under Jingsheng's nose for training?"
His assistant cautiously added, "It's said that the Zhao side requested it, wanting the Fourth Miss to get familiar with operations from the grassroots. They arranged it with the old man to place her in Yunlu Hotel. Additionally, preliminary observations show that Fourth Miss seems to have a close relationship with Tao Xinrou, with a deep connection. On her first day, she even had a minor argument with President Ying over this person in public."
"Interesting." Ying Huaishan curled his lips into a sinister smile. "Fourth Miss is simple-minded and doesn't like complex things. Was her sudden insertion by the Zhao family an unintentional move, a deliberate chess piece, or some other scheme?..."
He stood up, paced to the window, and looked down at the bustling traffic below. Even slight changes in Yunlu's structure could affect his arrangements and influence.
"Intentional or not, we have to use it. This Tao Xinrou now seems more important than I thought. Perfect—let Jingsheng deal with how to place his cousin. When the water is murky, it's easier to fish."
He pondered for a moment, then turned to give orders: "Tell Zhang Hongbin to hold steady for now. No more open contact or pressure. Moving against her now could provoke the Zhao family and might even give Jingsheng more reason to dig deeper. Wait and see what the Zhao family is really up to."
"Yes." The assistant acknowledged and left.
*
In the following days, whether Zhao Sili had come to understand or not, she did tone down a bit—no longer grandly seeking out Tao Xinrou directly. But their chance encounters increased noticeably: eating at the same table in the cafeteria, coincidentally grinding coffee in the break room, leaving work together when convenient.
Tao Xinrou handled all this carefully, not wanting to reject Zhao Sili's goodwill while always being wary of causing more gossip, especially afraid of it reaching Ying Jingsheng's ears and provoking his reprimand.
But Zhao Sili, having just returned from abroad, had no one familiar around except Tao Xinrou, and she was quite bored.
That weekend, she called Tao Xinrou: "Xinrou, are you home? Still living in that old neighborhood near the school?"
At the time, Tao Xinrou was wearing rubber gloves, fiercely scrubbing stubborn stains in the corner of the living room. She softly replied, "Mm, still at the old place. What's up, Sili?"
"Nothing, just wanted to ask. You go ahead." She hung up.
Tao Xinrou couldn't figure it out and didn't think much of it, continuing her battle with the floor.
About half an hour later, the doorbell rang.
"Who is it?" she muttered, taking off one glove and opening the door.
There stood Zhao Sili, a bag in front of her made-up face. Then she moved it away, exclaiming, "Surprise inspection! Ta-da! I brought your favorite mango egg tarts and other snacks. Surprised?"
Tao Xinrou was genuinely surprised: "Sili? Why are you here suddenly? You didn't say anything."
Before she finished, Zhao Sili had already squeezed in like a chirping bird, grinning as her gaze swept over the slightly messy living room. "Wow, you're deep-cleaning? No wonder you sounded so breathless on the phone."
But halfway through her sentence, her voice cut off, her smile froze, and her eyes widened as she stared directly behind Tao Xinrou.
"C-cousin? ... What are you doing here?!"
Tao Xinrou turned in alarm and saw Ying Jingsheng, wearing light gray loungewear with slightly damp hair, holding a document in his hand. He had just opened his bedroom door, his hand still on the doorknob, equally stunned to see Zhao Sili.
After saying that, Zhao Sili stepped back to check the door number. "I didn't get the wrong address. This is Xinrou's home, right? Xinrou, you two? You him? ..." She pointed at them in shock, utterly bewildered.
Ying Jingsheng clearly hadn't expected this visitor either. His brows immediately furrowed, and he instinctively tried to close the door, but it was too late.
Zhao Sili's eyes swept across the living room like searchlights. Though she didn't see anything specific, the air seemed to carry an indescribable hint.
"I get it! I totally get it! So that's it! No wonder you told me not to get too close to her, claiming you were afraid I'd be used or in danger. I bet it was all an excuse—you wanted to keep your hidden beauty away from prying eyes at the company!" She wiggled her eyebrows, wearing an expression that said, "I see through it but won't say it, yet I know it all."
"Zhao Sili, what nonsense are you talking?" Ying Jingsheng barked.
"I'm not talking nonsense! Xinrou, am I wrong? You two are in a secret relationship, right?"
Seeing Zhao Sili's blinking eyes, Tao Xinrou's face flushed bright red. She waved her hands repeatedly. "No, Sili, you've got it wrong. It's not what you think. He's just a tenant in my house."
"A tenant? Dressed like that? At this time? Handling work at the landlord's place? Xinrou, don't kid me. Would he leave his own mansion to rent a room in your house? Oh—I get it. You two are playing some role-play game, huh? That heavy breathing earlier makes sense now. Okay, okay, I'll leave. I won't disturb you."
Seeing Zhao Sili about to retreat, Tao Xinrou quickly grabbed her, continuing to explain, "Sili, he really just rents an empty room in my house."
"Just let her go. She shouldn't be here anyway," Ying Jingsheng suddenly interjected.
He might as well have said nothing, because his words sent Zhao Sili's imagination into overdrive.
She nodded vigorously. "Mm-hmm, Xinrou, enjoy your time together. I won't bother you." She patted Tao Xinrou's arm. "Don't worry, I won't leak a thing. You two carry on."
With that, afraid of hearing more useless explanations, she giggled and nimbly slipped away.
Inside the door, an awkward silence descended.
Tao Xinrou stood rooted to the spot, her face nearly smoking. She turned to look at Ying Jingsheng with tearless eyes, cursing inwardly: Great president! Wasn't that remark just deepening the misunderstanding?
Ying Jingsheng rubbed his brow, feeling only exhaustion.
After a few seconds, Tao Xinrou heard him sigh. "If I hadn't said that, she wouldn't have left. She's always had a vivid imagination. Don't mind her."
How could she not mind?
Tao Xinrou took a deep breath, then another, trying to force herself to stay elegant.
But her eyes betrayed her as she shot him a sharp glare before watching him walk into his room and close the door.
Mr. Ying Jingsheng, next time a guest comes to my house, could you please hide in your room and play dead? If not, jumping out the window is fine—the third floor isn't that high, really.
*
Tao Xinrou was really bothered by this. She decided she must either get Ying Jingsheng to move back to his big villa soon or establish house rules.
But even sooner than that idea came Zhao Sili's wild speculations. She kept sending messages asking Tao Xinrou about their progress, when she'd become her sister-in-law, insisting she'd dutifully protect the secret romance.
Tao Xinrou held her forehead.