Yan Shuyu would never have thought that the boss would be the one who “put aside their differences” and stepped out to help her out. Her son was giving her a deadly stare, and she was so nervous and embarrassed that she did not know what to say.

Of course, she knew that knowing how the boss normally behaved, there was no way he was trying to help her out here out of the kindness of his heart – his chuckle was so abrupt because he couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next!

But the timing of his chuckle was impeccable and immediately captured the attention of the two boys who were staring at each other. Yan Shuyu, holding on to the proverbial live-saving straw, immediately explained to her instant son, “Yuanbao, this little buddy is Uncle Zhou’s son. The Uncle Zhou whom you have met at the hotel before, do you remember him?”

Yan Shuyu totally used the boss as the excuse for her innocence. But the little kiddo, upon hearing her explanation, looked at “Uncle Zhou” seriously for a few seconds, nodded in certainty. Who was it that said kids didn’t have good memories? How was it that her son was able to remember a man that he had only met once two months ago?

Was it the power of the storyline? Yan Shuyu was a little worried now.

As the saying goes, what you worry the most would surely come. As she was secretly sweating over it, “Uncle Zhou” wasn’t done yet. He got up and strolled forward as though walking through a garden toward Zhang Yuanjia and said, “Hi, Yuanbao, long time no see.”

Had she known the boss was such a troublemaker, she would have just grabbed her son and dashed the minute that he walked inside. The explanation of why she did what she did could wait. The most important point here was to avoid contact between her villain son and the male lead’s dad. Yan Shuyu regretted deeply, but the fleeting opportunity had come and gone.

If she was to grab her son and dash now, one of two things would happen. One, she would attract the boss and the male lead’s attention further. Or, everybody else there would think she had lost her mind.

Neither one was the outcome that she’d want. Naturally, she didn’t dare to act rashly. Consequently, it was now her turn to watch them like a hawk. With her hands balled into fish, she stared closely at her instant son without even blinking.

As “Uncle Zhou” approached him, Zhang Yuanjia cooperatively looked up at him and focused all his attention onto him. A smile appeared onto his little face and he said, “Hi, Uncle Zhou.”

Uh oh, that’s not good. Thought Yan Shuyu to herself. Her instant son was, indeed, most interested in other people’s dads, especially the male lead’s. Now that the boss was approaching him, he had forgotten about her own mother.

Yan Shuyu wasn’t going to just stand by and watch the plotline take over. She must do something to alter its course.

But before she could make any moves, little kiddo Zhang Yuanbao seemed to have sensed something and suddenly turned to look at her, then turned back to look at “Uncle Zhou” standing in front of him. His white and smooth little face struggled for a little as though he had a hard decision to make before he finally moved his chubby little legs and shoveled toward Yan Shuyu one step at a time with great determination.

The male lead’s dad might be good, but he still wasn’t as good as his own mother. The twists and turns in the development were certainly very touching. Yan Shuyu wasn’t someone who was good at hiding her feelings. When her son decided on giving up on the male lead’s dad and walked toward her, she couldn’t help but give the boss man a glance.

It so happened that Zhou Qinhe was also watching Zhang Yuanjia’s activities and saw every single look from Yan Shuyu.

As smart as Zhou Qinhe was and as much of a thorough planner as he was, he never would have guessed that Yan Shuyu, as a full-grown adult, would be so childish as to compete with him over an issue as tedious as who her son chose to stand next to – how was that any different that the two kids staring at each other?

Zhou Qinhe had overestimated Yan Shuyu and totally misunderstood her look. After he thought for a few seconds, he raised his brows at her meaningfully. Except that, by this time, Yan Shuyu had already shifted her attention away from the boss.

In all actuality, Yan Shuyu’s gloat lasted all of two seconds.

Sure enough, her son had decisively chosen her over the male lead’s dad. In fact, his little body was glued to her leg and he had no plan of letting it go. But Yan Shuyu noticed that the little male lead was also planning to glomp onto her. What was going on? The male lead and the villain were no longer fighting over the Boss Daddy, but were now fighting over the evil stepmom?

Yan Shuyu was dumbfounded.

She looked down at the little male lead who was getting closer and closer to her and looking like he was about to wrap his arms around her other leg just like little kiddo Zhang Yuanbao. Yan Shuyu opened and closed her mouth. She wanted to encourage him to go to his own dad, but looking at the little male lead’s face that was cuter than Lolita, she couldn’t get herself to say anything.

Even though Yan Shuyu had been referring to Zhou Yi as “little male lead” all the time, she didn’t really associate him with the male lead. After all, “she” was sent to jail by the male lead personally in the book. If she really associated Zhou Yi with the male lead and as timid as Yan Shuyu was, she would have peed herself the first time she met Zhou Yi at Sunshine House no matter how young or how pretty he was. She might not be able to afford to move, but she’d have at least changed a job to draw the line between her and the male lead!

The fact that she could still work there gleefully and even play with the little male lead was evidence that deep inside her mind, she clearly distinguished Zhou Yi from the male lead.

Removing the “male lead status”, Zhou Yi was a very likable little boy. His face that was as pretty as a little girl alone was enough for someone as superficial as Yan Shuyu to not be able to walk away. More importantly, even though this little kiddo was also always expressionless like an iceberg in front of others, whenever he was in front of Yan Shuyu, he’d turned into this quiet and shy little boy. How could anyone resist a kid that was as cute as him and also has such a cute personality?

Unfortunately, that’s a side effect of being such a young mother. Two months ago, Yan Shuyu was a cold, heartless woman who could say “no” to any terrible children – after all, she felt that she was still a child herself so it didn’t matter how cute or pretty the child was. But now, her motherly instinct had already expanded to a point that she couldn’t say no to others’ children.

Just when Yan Shuyu was sighing and had no idea what to do, Yang Zifeng, who was carrying her cello in its case, and Lin Shuwen came upstairs as well. It was obvious that little kiddo Zhang Yuanbao was eager to get back to his mother and ran ahead of the two of them as soon as he got out of the car.

Manager Yang missed the development earlier. He just walked in and saw the two boys clutching onto Yan Shuyu’s two legs left and right, each claiming their stakes. He assumed that the two hit it off right away and were already the best of buds, so he suggested, “Alright, kiddos. Let’s not just stand around. Go find a spot that you like and take a seat. Big brother will get you some food, what do you say?”

Given Yang Zifeng’s age or generation, he really should be the two boys’ uncle, except that little kiddo Zhang Yuanbao has a mouth that was sweeter than honey. He had been referring to his mother’s colleagues as “big brother” or “big sister”, including Yang Zifeng, which was how he had become the two kids’ “big brother” now.

How he referred to himself was the least problem right now. The fact that Manager Yang popped out during the most heated moment between the two little boys was doomed to bring out an awkward outcome. As mature as Zhang Yuanjia was, he paid him no attention and continued to hold onto his mother’s leg quietly. Zhou Yi also didn’t respond to this “big brother” who came out of nowhere.

Yang Zifeng gave them a curious look but didn’t think too much of it. He assumed the two kiddos were just being shy so he went head and call Yuanbao out directly, “Hey, Yuanbao, you are a little host now. Why don’t you bring your little buddy to play elsewhere? Don’t bother mommy, okay? She has some business to take care of.”

As he was talking, he purposefully waved the cello case in his hand toward the kiddo as a reminder.

Zhang Yuanjia was a smart kid, and his mother wasn’t like an ordinary parent either. As soon as they had arrived at Sunshine House, Yan Shuyu had already told her son that she wanted to become an instructor at a musical institution when the opportunity arose. And, she had been quite open with him the last few times this matter was discussed. Zhang Yuanjia was well aware that his mother had her eyes set on Instructor Lin’s musical institution and that Instructor Lin brought another instructor with her today to see whether his mother was a suitable candidate for the role.

Truth be told, Zhang Yuanjia also wanted his mother to become an instructor at the musical institution, for the simple reason that she’d always be there when he was there practicing.

As such, the kiddo processed all the information quickly as soon as Manager Yang was done talking. He turned his head and looked at the other boy, who was fighting over his mother with him. He wasn’t happy about it. For some reason, he felt a natural animosity toward the other boy. But since it was for the sake of his mother’s business, Zhang Yuanjia finally nodded at Yang Zifeng. He was the first to let go of his mother’s leg, then he reached out to the kiddo across from him and said in a friendly and poised manner, “Come play with me, hmm?”

Zhang Yuanjia had already demonstrated his outstanding social skills at Hotel Dorsett previously. He wasn’t intimidated at all by the slightly distant male lead and was able to lure him off of his mother’s leg with just a few words.

Even though Zhou Yi did not hold his hand and the atmosphere wasn’t exactly lively, the two archnemesis in the novel were already showing signs of shaking hands with each other. They introduced themselves to each other and looked for a spot to sit down as Yang Zifeng had asked.

Little kiddo Zhang Yuanbao was a smart boy. The spot that he led Zhou Yi to was the couch that Yan Shuyu was sitting at earlier, meaning that he had no intention of entertaining his little buddy at all.

The two little boys sat down on the couch properly and they locked eyes as though wanting to see who’d be the first to give in and break the silence.

Seeing the scene, Yan Shuyu’s eyes beamed and she gave Yang Zifeng two thumbs up.

She felt that Manager Yang was a genius. The male lead and her son were archnemesis that wished for the death of each other, so she had no interest in becoming the male lead’s stepmother. Still, the little male lead was still friendly with her, at this rate, he just might become the best of buds with her son. She didn’t really need to overthink it and see him as an enemy that needed to be avoided!

The scene that her instant son and the male lead was getting along allowed her to let out a sigh of relief. Her mood had improved instantly. Before Liu Ci and Instructor Lin said anything, she took the cello from Yang Zifeng and said, “Now that we have the cello, I’ll play a little bit of it. Please pardon my unskillfulness.”

She opened up the case and took the cello out skillfully. She gave it a little bit of tuning. The other adults also returned to their original seats. The two little boys’ views were blocked by Zhou Qinhe’s tall and large built, even his own son wasn’t spared, so the two of them had to compete to stick their heads out from behind him as much as they could.

Zhou Yi was, after all, a little bit young and a little bit shorter than Zhang Yuanjia. In order to find a spot where he could watch, most of his body was leaning up against the table, even his feet were off the ground. His little face turned beet red shortly – Zhang Yuanjia at least had his feet still somewhat touching the ground, it was much easier for him.

Yan Shuyu positioned herself, smiled at her two biggest, young kiddo fans, and started playing a light-hearted minuet.

She wasn’t lying when she told Liu Ci earlier that she had played the cello in a while, but now the situation has changed. Liu Ci’s attitude toward her had grown notably livelier after her performance. If it wasn’t the boss’s untimely visit, she would have a much more cheerful conversation with Male God Liu.

Even so, Yan Shuyu knew fully well that as talkative as Liu Ci was, she had already passed the initial screening. Her cello skill didn’t really matter that much. If she was good at it, that’s an added bonus. If not, she could already be a pretty decent piano instructor.

As such, Yan Shuyu felt no pressure and could perform however she liked. She picked a piece that didn’t have very much difficulties and also catered toward the kids.

Perhaps, because of her positive mentality or this body was quite talented, Yan Shuyu performed as well as on the first day she walked into Sunshine House asking for a job even though this was her first time playing the cello since her transmigration.

As soon as she had concluded her performance, Liu Ci, with a face full of surprise, said, “And you kept emphasizing that you aren’t so good at the cell. That was such an understatement! As an amateur who hasn’t been practicing a lot, this was already quite talented.”

Lin Shuwen looked Yan Shuyu approvingly. As she was the one who referred Yan Shuyu to her colleague, she naturally felt much more relieved now that she found out that Yuanbao’s mother did have actual qualifications.

Hearing the approving words from the professionals, Yan Shuyu was very proud of herself, but of course, she still had to remain humble superficially. She was too busy with everything that was going on to have noticed the interest that had arose in Zhou Qinhe’s eyes.

As much as Liu Ci and Lin Shuwen approved of Yan Shuyu’s ability verbally, they never did explicitly say whether or not Yan Shuyu could go work for them. Now it was time for Yang Zifeng to step up. He smiled and asked, “Instructor Liu, do you think Yanyan’s qualification was sufficient as an instructor at your institution?”

Before Liu Ci was able to respond, Zhou Qinhe, who had been sitting quietly up to this point, interjected suddenly, “You wanted to go work at a musical institution?”

Of course, by “you” he was referring to Yan Shuyu.

Yan Shuyu was getting goosebumps from being stared at by the boss and even her anticipation lowered. Before she was able to make up anything to placate him, Yang Zifeng couldn’t wait to chime in, “Well, it was like this. Instructor Liu and Instructor Lin manage a musical institution. They liked Yuanbao a lot and wanted to cultivate him. We feel that it’d be best if Yanyan could also go to work there. Yuanbao is still young after all. It’d be best to have his parent there with him…”

Zhou Qinhe had been to the shop a few times, mostly on the weekends. Yang Zifeng was mostly there as well, and he had heard a little bit of the gossip between them.

Yang Zifeng might be a TRH and a winner in life in many people’s eyes, but he knew where he stood. His family might be well off, but they didn’t even make the rank of nouveau riche, let alone networking with the super wealthy. So, his attitude toward Zhou Qinhe was more or less like the other little buddies at the shop. People like Zhou Qinhe with god-like status was to be worshipped from afar. He had no particular intention to socialize with him.

However, socializing or not socializing, chitchating with the boss man occasionally was still an honor. Which was why Yang Zifeng held nothing back and rambled on in front of Zhou Qinhe. Yan Shuyu couldn’t even stop him even if she had wanted to.

Luckily, he was on her side after all. He had added plenty of filters during his speech and made her out to be a loving mother who’d sacrifice anything for her child.

As much as Yang Zifeng had shared, the big boss still only has one takeaway. He gave Yan Shuyu a smile that didn’t look like a smile and asked, “You wanted to change jobs?”

Yan Shuyu had a bad feeling. While she was hesitating whether she should just suck it up and nod, the big boss continued on nonchalantly, “That wasn’t my takeaway when I asked you whether you’d like to join Zhou’s Corporation a few days ago.”

“What?! Boss Zhou asked you to go work for Zhou’s Corporation?!” Yang Zifeng was shocked by that.

Liu Ci chimed in right after him, “You mean the Zhou’s Corporation?”

Yan Shuyu, “……”

Welp. That was a little awkward.