MBMS Chapter 6

A chill was felt by everyone, emanating from Ai Siyuan’s office.

One by one, they were called in for a private talk. When it was Liang Hui’s turn, she took three deep breaths before daring to push open the door.

After discussing some official matters, Ai Siyuan added, “I feel like you’ve been a bit too relaxed lately. Don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because of my relationship with your brother.”

Unfortunately for him, Liang Hui wasn’t as pliable as her brother and was the type to rise to a challenge.

“Really? Is my brother that bad? Ha.”

Before Ai Siyuan could express any astonishment, Liang Hui had bolted from the room.

Feeling exhilarated, Liang Hui thought, he wouldn’t dare fire me anyway. Her confidence stemmed from an important project she was handling, and her brother was a safety net, after all.

“Do you think Xiao Ai Tongxue got dumped by his girlfriend? He’s being so ruthless with us.”

“Probably not. Heh.” Liang Hui said expressionlessly, based on the latest information she had.

“Wasn’t his girlfriend the model who visited him yesterday? She was stunning.”

“That wasn’t her.”

“You know who his girlfriend is?”

“No idea. Heh.”

“You’ve been acting strange lately.”

The situation was getting complicated, and Liang Hui regretted her standoff with Ai Siyuan earlier that morning. Normally, she could have easily sought his help now. After all, isn’t a boss supposed to clean up his subordinate’s messes? But that would be admitting defeat.

Never mind. A wise man does not eat the loss before him.

“There’s still…” Ai Siyuan checked his phone for the time, “twelve hours and forty-seven minutes until the 10 AM report tomorrow. We can make it.”

“Really?” Liang Hui looked at him gratefully.

“Just the two of us might not be enough,” Ai Siyuan put his signing pen down with a click, “Ask your brother if he’s busy.”

“Why not call someone from the department to help? You’ve done it before…”

Ai Siyuan let out a deep sigh, looking at her, “Do you want the whole company to know you messed up and then get grilled about it repeatedly at the year-end review?”

Liang Hui paused, then slyly retorted, “Seems like you do quite like my brother.”

Ai Siyuan stood up, closed his laptop without a word, and walked out.

“Hey wait for me! Where are we going, my brother’s place? Wait!”

Ai Siyuan sighed slightly with relief, glad she had the sense to ask.

At Liang Su’s front door, the two of them stood, each unwilling to knock.

“Open the door,” Ai Siyuan said.

“As if you can’t,” Liang Hui muttered under her breath and scanned her fingerprint.

Ai Siyuan redefined the framework of their work—Liang Hui handled the industry content, and Liang Su was tasked with data collection and organization.

Liang Hui and Liang Su sat side by side at the dining table, Ai Siyuan sat alone to the side, discussing occasionally. At 2 AM, Liang Su stood up to stretch, “I’ll make coffee, what do you guys want?”

Ai Siyuan gave him a cold look.

Liang Su immediately shrunk back down, “Guess I’m not that thirsty after all.”

While Ai Siyuan was in the bathroom, Liang Su whispered to Liang Hui, “I’m beginning to see why you don’t find him cute.”

Liang Hui responded with a “respect and bless” smile. It wasn’t just about not finding him cute; she actually found him extremely un-cute.

When Ai Siyuan returned from the bathroom, they both sat up straight, pretending not to have been whispering.

By 5 AM, their work was mostly done. Everyone went to their rooms for a quick rest. At 7:30 AM, two panda-eyed figures and one slightly less tired panda gathered in the living room.

After buying breakfast at a convenience store at the complex entrance, Liang Hui switched to Ai Siyuan’s car and said goodbye to Liang Su.

Sinking into the plush passenger seat, Liang Hui seemed distracted. She had been confident about today’s presentation until a last-minute hiccup, although they managed to salvage the situation after some frantic efforts, her confidence was shaken.

Ai Siyuan sensed her unease.

Liang Hui glanced at Ai Siyuan uncertainly, thinking his presentation would probably be more effective than hers…

“If you make a mockery out of the all-night effort we put in, I won’t let you off easy.”

“Uh,” Liang Hui choked on her response.

“Choose between you and your brother, I’ll pick you. On a professional level.”

That was typical of Ai Siyuan—delivering both a slap and a sweet date; Liang Hui was not swayed.

“Because we’re a fashion magazine?”

“Because your strengths are more suited.”

“Uh, my brother is that bad?”

Ai Siyuan reached for the center console, presumably to make a call.

“Don’t, don’t, I was wrong, only primary school kids tattle.”

Ai Siyuan shot her a dismissive look, “In your brother’s eyes, you’re hardly different from a primary school kid.”

“So, when he hypothetically asked me if I would jump ship, I immediately said no. I’ve decided to shine and dedicate my life to this magazine.”

“If you don’t mess up the presentation later, you’ll have a chance.”

“Uh.”

How did Liang Su manage to deal with such a tough character? Liang Hui resolved to find out next time.