Perhaps it was because he heard Rong Qian's inner thoughts that Ye Sihan became even gentler towards her. Compared to his previous forceful demeanor, his current attitude gave Rong Qian the illusion that Ye Sihan might have changed.
"Miss Rong, Mr. Ye asked you to come over," Liu Dong informed Rong Qian at her workstation.
Rong Qian hesitated, as she still intended to keep her distance from Ye Sihan.
"Mr. Ye said it's imperative that you come over. It concerns the old madam."
Rong Qian was taken aback. The old madam? It had indeed been a while since she last visited her. She finally stood up and followed Liu Dong out.
"Oh my god, did you see that? Isn't the old madam Mr. Ye's grandmother? Why is she connected to Rong Qian?"
"Looking at it this way, their relationship is quite unusual."
"What are you talking about? Rong Qian's fiancé is Xi Cheng. Thinking about it... is Rong Qian related to Mr. Ye?"
Rong Qian had already left the room. Fortunately, she didn't overhear their discussion, or she would have felt compelled to clarify everything.
Rong Qian pushed open the door to Ye Sihan's office. Liu Dong wisely excused himself.
"Come in," Ye Sihan said calmly.
Rong Qian walked in, always feeling a strange sensation when she was in the same space as Ye Sihan. She couldn't quite explain it. There was a sense of pressure, yet also a hint of security, but at the same time, it created a distance.
"Sit down," Ye Sihan gestured towards the sofa. "Don't be nervous. I'm just here to relay a message from Grandma."
As Ye Sihan spoke, he stood up and surprisingly poured Rong Qian a glass of water.
"Grandma said she hasn't seen the children in a long time, so she wants you to bring them over this week."
Rong Qian nodded. "Okay, I understand." Although she didn't want to visit the Ye family at this time, she couldn't refuse the old madam. After speaking, Rong Qian prepared to leave.
"Since Mr. Ye has delivered the message, I'll be going now."
However, Ye Sihan stopped her. "You can stay a while longer. I heard you have many projects on hand lately, so it's okay to slack off a bit."
Ye Sihan's expression was no different from usual; it seemed like a perfectly ordinary suggestion. But in Rong Qian's eyes, it was far from ordinary. Ye Sihan was known for his strictness at work, let alone allowing employees to slack off.
"Why are you looking at me?" Ye Sihan suddenly asked.
Rong Qian snapped back to attention. "No, it's nothing. Slacking off is probably not a good idea. Rather than taking a temporary break and extending work hours, it's better to finish things early, and then all the remaining time can be used for rest."
Upon hearing Rong Qian's words, Ye Sihan curved his lips. "Mm, you have a point. But still, pay attention to balancing things, understood?"
Rong Qian nodded. "I understand." With that, she strode out of the office.
Yet, Ye Sihan still caught a glimpse of Rong Qian's slightly flushed cheeks.
Outside the office, Rong Qian took a deep breath. What was happening to her? Ye Sihan had merely made a casual remark, but why did she find him, who cared about her, so attractive? Moreover, Ye Sihan's actions and words today were different from his usual self. Had he truly changed, or had he changed just for her? Rong Qian's thoughts became increasingly tangled. A subtle emotion enveloped her entire being, and she even felt a hint of ambiguity in their interaction.
"Perhaps I shouldn't go then?" Rong Qian murmured. Maybe reducing her ties with the Ye family was the most sensible thing to do. But she quickly shook her head. "No, even if Ye Sihan and I have issues, it shouldn't involve the old madam." Rong Qian sighed, realizing she couldn't resolve this internal conflict anytime soon.
However, amidst these back-and-forth thoughts, the weekend arrived, and Rong Qian, as planned, visited the Ye family with the two children.
"Grandma!" Ya Ya hugged the old madam and kissed her on the cheek. The old madam kissed her back. "Grandma's little darling, did you miss Grandma?"
Chuan Chuan replied, "Of course we missed Grandma. Ya Ya is always asking to come see Grandma."
Hearing this, the old madam looked at Rong Qian with a hint of helplessness. "Qian Qian, I know you're both busy with work, but don't forget you have a home here. You should come back more often." The old madam had directly categorized Rong Qian as part of the Ye family. Although Rong Qian understood the underlying meaning, she pretended not to. "You're right, old madam. I'll bring the children back more often from now on, please don't worry."
"That's more like it," the old madam nodded with satisfaction.
"Oh, right, there's something I wanted to ask you today," the old madam suddenly said. "I already know about you and that young master from the Xi family. Honestly, although I hope you can return to our Ye family, the Xi family is indeed quite good, and I can't be so selfish as to delay your marriage." She glanced at Ye Sihan purposefully. "You and our Sihan ultimately missed each other. But I still wish you a better life in the future."
For some reason, when Rong Qian heard the old madam's blessing, it felt different from others. Other people's blessings would fade away after a while, but the old madam's words seemed to have settled the matter completely, as if, with the old madam's approval, nothing could ever change. She clenched her fist secretly but maintained a composed expression.
However, Ye Sihan interjected, "Grandma, since it's an engagement, as long as the marriage hasn't happened, nothing is settled, right?"
"And what if?" the old madam retorted, looking somewhat petulant. "Are you waiting for you to slowly come around? By then, Qian Qian will have already married Xi Cheng." Ye Sihan finally understood that the old madam was intentionally saying these things to provoke him. Ye Sihan took a deep breath. "I know what I'm doing, and I know what I want the most right now." He then looked at Rong Qian. "I believe I will change everything that is happening now in the near future."
Rong Qian was drawn in by Ye Sihan's gaze, and after a long moment of eye contact, she came back to her senses. The old madam and the children, seeing their interaction, smiled. The old madam had originally thought that their relationship had made no progress after so long, which was why she had arranged this meeting. But now, it seemed things were going much better than she had anticipated.