The amount of workload that was waiting for Su Xiaofei the next day was astonishing. It was like she hadn't done any work for weeks and it had accumulated during her absence, although she kept working at the hospital as she stayed next to her mother.
She couldn't blame her assistants either because the Zhang sisters had done their part to make sure that she would be able to deal with the most pressing matters in the company. Still, Su Xiaofei knew that she wouldn't be able to finish it at her usual pace, not when her mind was still on her mother's wellbeing.
Meanwhile, Lu Qingfeng was also occupied with his work while keeping up with his master's degree. His schoolwork didn't take so much of his time, as he treated it merely as a refresher and was taking it out of formality.
Everyone at Lu Corporation and the new company he established with Song Yiran's help, Lu Conglomerate, knew that he really didn't have to take it as he was capable and had already proven his business acumen.
"Miss, Lingling just called, and she wants to inform you that Miss Xiao refused to leave the Yan Mansion. Miss Xiao insisted that she would be resuming her work as usual." Zhang Lan announced, earning a groan from Su Xiaofei.
Su Xiaofei sometimes hated it when her assumptions turned out to be correct. She knew that Yan Xiuchen had a thing with her talent, but she had no rights to poke her nose in their affairs. However, she wasn't sure if this arrangement would be favorable for Xiao Rufeng.
"I'll give her a call and ask her about what's happening myself."
It didn't take too long for Su Xiaofei to get connected to Xiao Rufeng through a video call. The actress looked nervous and fidgety at the same time, and it seemed to Su Xiaofei that her talent had really chosen to stay longer at Yan Xiuchen's place.
"Zhang Ling informed us that you have decided to stay. Why?"
Xiao Rufeng didn't answer her manager's question immediately, as if she was trying to find the right words to explain herself clearly.
Su Xiaofei narrowed her eyes dangerously at that. Xiao Rufeng had committed a lot of mistakes in the past, and Su Xiaofei had no plans to deal with a possible heartbreak in the future.
"Did Mr. Yan convince you to stay there?"
Xiao Rufeng gasped and shook her head vehemently. She knew that Su Xiaofei was concerned about her safety, but there was no way Yan Xiuchen would force her to make such a decision.
"No! Mr. Yan didn't do such a thing. It was me who asked him if I could stay longer here to accompany him." She blurted out.
"If he needed a companion, surely he could find another one and not you." Su Xiaofei probed, knowing that her talent wasn't telling her everything.
"I came to like him." Xiao Rufeng finally admitted. "I want to get to know him better."
"But that doesn't mean you need to live in his house." Her manager pointed out.
"I know that, but how am I supposed to meet him, see him if my schedule wouldn't allow me?"
Su Xiaofei didn't say anything about that. She reminded herself that there were no clauses in any of her talents' contracts that prevented them from having a relationship. She wasn't as heartless as Mo Yuchen who imposed such terms over Golden Star's newcomers. However, that didn't mean she could ignore any of it. As their manager, she had to make sure that their relationships wouldn't affect their careers and reputation in public.
"I know that I might regret this later, but please try to understand, Su Xiaofei…" She heard Xiao Rufeng say.
Since she didn't regard her as her manager or President Su and instead called her by her given name, this only meant that Xiao Rufeng was treating this seriously. Xiao Rufeng wasn't merely a talent to her, she was also a dear friend. This was why she was strict over her compared to the other talents she managed.
It wasn't like Su Xiaofei was against Xiao Rufeng pursuing a relationship with Yan Xiuchen, but Xiao Rufeng had a hard time moving on from her first heartbreak, and she had been a crying mess for some time.
"Fine, but what would you do if the public found out about your relationship with him?"
"Does it matter?" Xiao Rufeng asked, and she instantly regretted saying that when she saw Su Xiaofei frown on her screen. She pursed her lips and sighed.
"If Yan Xiuchen and I ended up being in a relationship, I wouldn't deny it." She decided.
"That's easy for you to say, Xiao Rufeng, but others would perceive it as you hugging his golden thigh to get a favor from him." Su Xiaofei reminded her.
"That's ridiculous. At the end of the day, we are still human beings just like the rest, so why can't they respect us?" She retorted, a little upset because she knew that what her manager said held some truth in it.
After all, Yan Xiuchen wasn't a simple man. He was loaded with a lot of money, and she should expect that many would raise their brows at her for choosing to be with him. However, Xiao Rufeng didn't give a damn of what others thought about it, as long as she and Yan Xiuchen knew the truth.
"Well, you are a public personality, of course people would have some opinions about you." Su Xiaofei already knew that her talent was stubborn and tended to stick to her decision once she made up her mind.
"How about your dear little sister? Have you decided yet?"
At those questions, Xiao Rufeng's face fell and even without her answering, Su Xiaofei knew that she wouldn't be pleased with her talent's decision.
"I hope you won't regret this decision someday."
"I hope so, too." Xiao Rufeng solemnly agreed with her.
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