Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Ye Xue was stunned when she heard this. She had not expected Jiang Yu to ask her a question like that so suddenly. Her house was indeed far from the office. She had to get up early every day to catch the first bus and then board a train to get to work.

  It was not as if she had not considered renting a house closer to the office; it was just that the rent in the area was too high. Half of the money she earned from her internship would go to rent alone if she chose to board closer to the company. It was too great a sum for her to bear.

  She would rather get up early to catch the bus and squeeze with everyone else on the train than tie up her money with rent.

  “It is a little far, but it isn’t so bad if I take the first bus and board an early train.”


  “You have to get up early to catch the bus, and It’s easy to meet those who can’t keep their hands to themselves on board the train. I happen to own an apartment nearby. Have you heard of Ming Lan Apartments? It’s quite close to the company and is currently empty. You should move in, or it’ll go to

  waste.” Jiang Yu said.

  Ye Xue knew of those disgusting perverts alluded to by Jiang Yu. It had been all over the news. She and her mother were watching television when it made the headlines.

  Her mother was not surprised by the news and had said that many more cases went unreported. Beautiful women were always victims of these evil men.

  Ming Lan Apartments was not far from the company. Even if she slept until eight o’clock every morning, it would not be a problem for her to make it to the company on time. She could probably walk at a leisurely pace and still reach the office without trouble.

  Ye Xue subconsciously said, “You can rent it out. A flat in Ming Lan Apartments fetches at least five thousand yuan in monthly rent. I’m sure plenty of people would be willing to rent it from you since it is close to the company. It is worth a lot of rent… money…”


  Speaking up to this point, Ye Xue remembered Jiang Yu’s current status and family situation. He did not lack money; five to six thousand yuan in monthly rent was paper money. It would not be a stretch for him to ask for more since the apartment was practically brand new.

  An apartment’s value is determined based on several factors: its type, age, and occupancy being the most common. Jiang Yu’s apartment was very likely worth more than the average on the market.

  ‘What had she said or done to convince a dignified president of a company to offer her a perfectly good apartment rent-free?

  If there were a hole in the ground, she would have crawled into it long ago. She did not know what to say.

  Jiang Yu could not contain his laughter when he heard Ye Xue mumbling up a storm. “You’ve always been good at housekeeping. I’ll let you stay in the apartment. You need only pay for your monthly utilities.”


  Ye Xue immediately rejected his proposal. “How could I do that?”


  “The apartment will only be collecting dust if you don’t move in. It’s not like I have any intention of letting it to anyone at the moment. It’s settled then. You should return home and inform your aunt and uncle that you’ll be moving into Ming Lan Apartments tomorrow. “Jiang Yu declared.

  “President, t-this, t-this isn’


  It was not appropriate.

  Before she could find the words, she was interrupted by Jiang Yu. “Bring me lunch at noon. That’s all; you may return to your work. I have an important meeting to attend soon.”


  Jiang Yu returned to the work that he had left unfinished. It was a dismissal, if nothing else.

  Ye Xue wanted to protest and reject him but could not bring herself to do so now that he had returned to his work. Helpless, she excused herself, carrying the cup of cold coffee out with her.

  She closed the door behind her.

  After Ye Xue exited his office, Jiang Yu picked up his cell phone and called Xiao Qi. “Tingyan.”


  Two are minds are better than one, or so the saying goes. Tingyan’s input would broaden his options.

  “Is the method you told me reliable?”


  Fu Tingyan had never been in a relationship before, so he could not say if his method was reliable or not. Nevertheless, he cooked up a scheme because Jiang Yu was his good friend. As someone he was close to, he wanted to help Jiang Yu.

  “Why don’t you give it a try? You’ll know if it’s reliable or not based on the results. Besides, you kissed her that day.”


  “I didn’t do it on purpose! I couldn’t help myself,” Jiang Yu retorted.

  There was a reason he had lost control.

  “Well, why can’t you ‘not help yourself’ again? Maybe it’ll work this time.”


  “,. Your method isn’t reliable at all.”


  Fu Tingyan rubbed his chin. He, too, felt that his scheme was not very reliable. Bo Ye had not been averse to kissing, yet hadn’t he still rejected him in the end?

  An important question came to mind just then. “Has Ye Xue broken up with Zhou Yizuo?”


  “I’ve been observing the situation for some time, but I haven’t seen Zhou Yizuo. I don’t know whether they’ve broken up, but I’ve asked her to move into Ming Lan Apartments.”


  “You mean the apartment you bought just yesterday?”


  “Yes.”


  “Why don’t you have her move in with you? Your villa is so big it could fit ten of Ye Xue.

  “She won’t stay with me.” Jiang Yu knew Ye Xue’s temperament well. Asking her to move in with him would be more difficult than having her move into an apartment in the vicinity.

  Fu Tingyan thought about it and agreed. “What you need to do, then, is make sure she’s single. Pursuing her will be difficult if she is already dating someone else.”


  Of course, he knew that, but how would he confirm it?

  “Should I take the initiative and ask her?”


  “Perhaps drink some wine to boost your courage?” Fu Tingyan suggested.

  “What do you mean ‘drink some wine to boost your courage” Please don’t give me bad ideas. What if it only makes things worse and scares her away? Are you going to let her know of your involvement?”


  “Lwon’t chase her if she runs, but I can make sure she never runs in the first place. What do you think of me tying her up for you?” Fu Tingyan offered seriously, doing his best to hold back his laughter.

  “Forget I said anything.”


  “If worse comes to worst, then we’ll poach her from him. As long as we swing the hoe well, there’s nothing we can’t pry open.”


  Jiang Yu hung up the phone and stared at his cup of coffee. It was still hot. What should he do?

  While working at her desk, Ye Xue remembered Jiang Yu’s instruction to bring him lunch.

  Wasn’t this the job of the president’s secretary?

  Could it be that Secretary Lin had other things to do?

  Should she get food from the cafeteria, or would a fast food joint work?

  Did Jiang Yu even eat food from the cafeteria or fast food in the first place?

  Neither seemed to fit his image.

  Ye Xue always ate at the company’s cafeteria for lunch, but now that Jiang Yu had asked her to bring him food, she had to go out and order it instead.

  Fast food was out of the question.

  From what she could remember of Jiang Yu’s preferences, he always ordered his food from restaurants. However, that was when they were in university together.

  Since then, a few years had passed, and she did not know if his tastes had changed.

  Ye Xue ordered fast food herself. It cost her twenty yuan.

  She stopped by a local restaurant and ordered three dishes and a soup for Jiang Yu. It cost her two hundred yuan.

  She carried the two bags of food back to the company, heading straight for Jiang Yu’s office. She was worried he would be hungry.

  She knocked on the door first and heard Jiang Yu’s voice from inside. “Come in.”


  She entered once she received permission. Jiang Yu was hard at work, so she walked up to him as quietly as possible and placed his food on a table beside his work desk. She did not forget to remind him, “I’ve brought your lunch. Eat it while it’s hot.”


  Once she had completed her task, she excused herself with her lunch in hand.

  She had not even taken a step when Jiang Yu stopped her, “Wait a minute.”


  “president, is there anything else you need?” She asked.

  President? Jiang Yu frowned. “We’re old classmates. It feels strange being called ‘president’ by you. Let’s eat together. I never have much of an appetite when I eat by myself.”


  “It’s not proper.” Ye Xue rejected tactfully. It was not the done thing. The president of the company eating with an intern? She could not imagine what everyone would think.

  Jiang Yu got up. He held his lunch in one hand and grabbed Ye Xue’s lunch bag with his other. Afterwards, he sat on the sofa as if what he had done was only natural. “Think of it as a meal between classmates. I’d also like to hear your thoughts on and experiences you’ve had o far during this internship.”


  Ye Xue felt like the world had turned on its head, and she did not know what to think. Was there something wrong with her, or had she stepped into a parallel universe? She could not tell. Staring blankly at her empty hands, it took her a moment to realise where her lunch went. Jiang Yu had it.

  No matter how meek and gentle Ye Xue was, she could not help but complain in her heart. Jiang Yu had swiped her lunch! There had to be a limit to a person’s bossiness!

  The old Jiang Yu would never have done such a thing to her.

  No matter what he did, he would always ask for her opinion. He would ask if she was willing. If she were not ready, he would not press her…