He could only take the blame. Although this wasn't his order, he couldn't let her know that it was Lu Shaoting's. She would hate him to death. They couldn't afford any form of conflict at such a time.

He pulled her into his arms. "I'll explain everything later, okay?"

She ignored him to throw a small tantrum. "You are not allowed to hug me."

When she saw that he remained silent for a while without withdrawing his arms, she kissed his arm and said timidly, "But if you allow me to go out, I will forget about this matter."

Lu Aotian chuckled. So it was about this. "Fine, you can go anywhere you want." He would make sure to protect her wherever she was. Although it was safer for her to only go to work and back home, he didn't want her to feel trapped.

___

The next day, in Elite Fashion World.

In elegant business attire and her hair in a neat ponytail, Wan Jia made her way to her former office.

Since she didn't want to disclose the location of her new brand yet, she was using her former office at Elite Fashion World for the interviews.

Lin Zhou's godson wasn't the only one coming to this interview; some other designers were coming too. All Wan Jia had to do was give interviews. Before recruiting anyone, Lu Aotian would check their backgrounds to ensure no one with ill motives got close to his wife.

Realizing that she was a bit early, she took a business magazine and started reading through it.

Soon, her temporary secretary came to report. "Madam, there's a woman surnamed Xia here to see you. She said she's come for the interview."

"Let her in." Wan Jia said and thanked her, then continued looking through the magazine. Lu Enterprises was really becoming more and more powerful. At this rate, even if the next CEOs were mediocre, it would still never go bankrupt. The share value had once again doubled.

In a few seconds, the footsteps brought Wan Jia back to reality. Miss Xia was here.

"Mom?" Wan Jia was surprised when she saw who this Miss Xia really was.

Xia Rou was wearing goggles which she took off. "Boss Wan, may I take this interview?"

Wan Jia thought she was seeing things. "You've got to be kidding me. You're here for an interview?"

Xia Rou looked very serious, as though she was not joking at all. "What? I don't qualify?"

Wan Jia didn't know what to say. "Does Mr. Lin know that his wife is right here trying to take an interview from their daughter?"

Xia Rou looked at her daughter and took out her portfolio. "Of course my husband is aware. Boss Wan; take a look at my portfolio. Although it has been years since I worked for any studio, my talent is still as great as it used to be."

Wan Jia stood and touched her mother's forehead. She withdrew her hand then touched it again. A while later, she touched her neck too.

Xia Rou held her hand. "I don't have a fever, okay? I just want to support my daughter, if I qualify to do so. Is there something wrong with that?"

Wan Jia still wasn't convinced that this was normal. "But you still don't have to take an interview. I inherited my ability from you. Wouldn't I be slapping myself in the face if I claimed that you don't qualify?"

Xia Rou still didn't give in. "Although I'm your mother, you are much better than me. You are more like your grandmother, my mother. She was so insanely talented that she almost broke Elder Qian's record. I believe my little Wan will be able to break that record."

Wan Jia had not heard much about her grandmother. All she knew was that supposedly, her eyes looked exactly like Xia Rou's mother's.

Wan Jia looked through her mother's portfolio just for the sake of it. Still, she was impressed by her mother's designs. No wonder she was so good. It was because her mother was a rare gem in the fashion design industry. If her mother claimed to not be as good as her late grandmother, just how good was her grandmother?

"Mom, will you really be safe?"

"Why not? Doctor Qiao said my heart is stable enough. Are you rejecting me because you think I'm no good enough?"

Wan Jia was shocked by the sudden question. Why did her mother have to make things so difficult for her? Did she not love her anymore? She sighed. "It's not that you're not good enough…"

"Then you will employ me, right?"

Wan Jia massaged her temples. "Since you insist so much, you are accepted. But can you not call me 'boss'? Please and thank you." It would be very awkward if her own mother were to address her so politely. In fact, she was already thinking of the most suitable position to give her mother. It would still be fine if she was employing Lin Lihua but her mother… she still felt it was wrong.

Xia Rou smiled after successfully getting into her daughter's brand. "As you wish."

Before she left, she put Wan Jia into a tight spot yet again. "When does the training period start?"

Wan Jia was momentarily stunned then looked at her. "Where on earth is CEO Lin? His wife is giving me a hard time."

Xia Rou chuckled at her defeated expression. "Fine, I won't tease you anymore. But surely you're not going to deliberately make things easy for me just because I'm your mother, right?"

Wan Jia was speechless. "Please do as you please. On another note, the blueprints for the brand's main store are ready. Could you help me take a look?"

"Sure." Xia Rou agreed with no hesitation.

Wan Jia selected a file on her laptop and showed to her.

Xia Rou looked through it carefully before complimenting, "My daughter's aesthetic taste is quite nice. Your stores will definitely be the most beautiful of EFW."

___

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