Xin Xuanlai frowned and stepped forward decisively, his tone laced with a touch of seriousness. "Miss Xie, our Master Wen is temporarily unavailable. Perhaps you could wait here for a moment? I'll go in and request his permission."
"Didn't your meeting just conclude for today?" Xie Wanqing said with a smile. "As the chairman, Zhiyan shouldn't be that busy, especially since it's lunchtime."
"That I cannot say. However, the chairman has instructed that anyone wishing to enter his office must have me inform him first. Only after Master Wen makes a decision can we, his employees, carry out any tasks."
Xie Wanqing's polite smile faltered slightly, but she quickly recovered. "Assistant Xin, you might not be aware, but the meal prepared inside was personally made by the Old Madam. She mentioned that Zhiyan has been injured recently and needs proper nourishment."
Xin Xuanlai shook his head. "It doesn't matter who it is; I must report first."
Xie Wanqing's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. "With your personality, it's no wonder the Old Madam dislikes you."
"It's alright. My boss is Master Wen."
The one who paid his salary was also Master Wen. In other words, if it weren't for the Old Madam being Master Wen's mother, neither she nor Xie Wanqing would likely have gained entry to the Wen Group.
Xie Wanqing naturally understood the implication and relented. "Then I'll trouble Assistant Xin to inform him."
"Certainly."
He entered the office.
"Sir, Miss Xie from the Xie family has arrived."
"What does she want?" Wen Zhiyan's chopsticks paused mid-air as he was serving food.
Xin Xuanlai cautiously glanced at Fang Miaomiao.
"You don't need to look at me. Just say what you have to say directly."
"Miss Xie said she was ordered by the Old Madam to deliver a meal to you, Master Wen."
Wen Zhiyan let out a snort. "Since when did the esteemed Miss Xie take up the profession of a food delivery person?"
"Sir, I did try to tell her directly that you didn't need a meal delivered, but she acted as if she didn't hear me. I had no choice but to ask for your decision."
Although he knew the Old Madam held little power and was unpopular, she was still the Old Madam of the Wen Group, Master Wen's mother. If he were to hear the Old Madam's name and forcefully dismiss Xie Wanqing, the Old Madam's next target of anger would be him.
"Miaomiao, Xie Wanqing and I truly have no relationship," Wen Zhiyan said, thinking of something and immediately playing the victim. "It's just that my mother particularly favors her."
His mother had always disliked him, even going so far as to oppose him. Anything he liked, she would invariably dismiss with a look of disdain, telling him how bad it was. Conversely, anything he disliked, his mother would place directly in front of him. It could be said that if the original Fang Miaomiao hadn't been in his debt for saving her father, his mother would never have allowed her to marry him.
"Of course, I know you don't like Xie Wanqing. I'm just curious why the Old Madam suddenly sent Xie Wanqing to deliver food this time."
Fang Miaomiao had a nagging feeling she was missing something. Yet, sometimes, when you tried hard to recall something, it would stubbornly resist, like a rebellious child, refusing to be remembered.
"Then, Miaomiao, what are your thoughts?"
"Let her in."
"Miaomiao, don't worry, I won't eat a single bite of the meal she delivers."
"Dad, you're amazing." Wen Yanan gave him a thumbs-up.
Xin Xuanlai opened the office door and let Xie Wanqing in.
"Brother Zhiyan."
Xie Wanqing's expression shifted slightly as she looked at the food on the coffee table. "Zhiyan, your body has just recovered, how can you eat such heavy-flavored dishes?"
Fang Miaomiao, right in front of Xie Wanqing, provocatively placed the last bite of the Mao Xue Wang into Wen Zhiyan's mouth.
"Miaomiao, what are you doing?" Xie Wanqing's eyes narrowed with a hint of disdain as she watched the scene. "How can you use your own chopsticks to serve Zhiyan? Don't you know it's unhygienic and impolite to serve someone with chopsticks you've already used?"
"Oh, I apologize." Fang Miaomiao didn't miss the disdain in Xie Wanqing's eyes. "I'm just an uncultured and vulgar person. Compared to Miss Xie, I'm certainly nothing."
"Zhiyan, that's not what I meant." Xie Wanqing panicked and quickly turned to Wen Zhiyan, whose expression had soured. "Zhiyan, please don't misunderstand. I'm just... I'm not used to it yet."
"You don't need to get used to it. This is between Miaomiao and me. Miss Xie, perhaps you could state your purpose for coming here." Wen Zhiyan then placed a chopstick of the same dish into Fang Miaomiao's bowl.
"Dad, I want some too."
Wen Zhiyan continued to serve.
Watching the three of them interact harmoniously, to the point where it was impossible to insert oneself, Xie Wanqing's expression contorted several times before she managed to resume her standard smile. "Old Madam Wen said that Zhiyan, you had a car accident recently and need to recuperate, so she specially had the kitchen prepare nourishing dishes for you and asked me to deliver them."
"No need, we've already eaten."
"But this is the Old Madam's instruction."
"Since when do the Xie family need to take orders from the Wen family?"
The smile on Xie Wanqing's face finally broke. "Zhiyan, you've misunderstood. I was merely delivering the meal for you as a favor."
"In that case, I'll thank Miss Xie on behalf of my husband for her tireless effort in delivering this meal." Fang Miaomiao said with a smile and stood up, reaching for the thermal container in Xie Wanqing's hand.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Fang Miaomiao chuckled. "Since it's a meal, it's naturally meant to be eaten. Why is Miss Xie holding the thermal container so tightly? You don't think I'm going to do anything to you, do you?"
"I... that's not what I meant." Xie Wanqing, unwillingly, handed the thermal container to Fang Miaomiao.
She opened it.
Inside, the first thing that met her eyes was a broken bone.
Fang Miaomiao's expression instantly turned cold, and she closed the lid of the thermal container.
"What now?"
"I suddenly don't feel hungry anymore. I'll save it for when I get hungry later."
Although Fang Miaomiao closed the lid quickly, Wen Zhiyan, sitting opposite, saw it. He smiled at Fang Miaomiao and said, "Miaomiao isn't hungry now, so we'll eat it later."
"Zhiyan, isn't that a bit much?" Xie Wanqing hesitated for a moment, then looked at Wen Zhiyan with a seemingly concerned expression. "This is, after all, a gesture of kindness from the Old Madam. Besides, if these dishes go cold, they won't taste as good."
"Miss Xie, I don't think our relationship is close enough for you to address me as Zhiyan."
Xie Wanqing's face turned pale, and her body trembled slightly. "Zhiyan, I apologize. I spoke out of turn just now. This is a matter between you and the Old Madam; I shouldn't have interfered so much. I was merely assisting the Old Madam with a small task. As for how to resolve this... that is your matter, Zhiyan."
"I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now. Please enjoy your family meal."
With that, Xie Wanqing turned and left without looking back.
This left Fang Miaomiao, who had been preparing for an all-out battle, stunned. Why had she retreated without a fight?