Love Across Decades: Misunderstood Happiness

After returning to the office from the supermarket, Ling Rouxing and her team members took off their coats and hung them on the back of their chairs. Then Ling Rouxing poured herself a cup of coffee. They had been standing all afternoon, and everyone was exhausted.

Outside the curtain glass of Qiaochu Food Group's building, an afternoon drizzle brought a refreshing weather, sweeping away the morning's sultriness. It was already past 5 o'clock in the evening. The autumn heatwave at the end of October was still fierce, with no sign of the sun setting. The sunset was glaringly bright.

Under the table, Rouxing skillfully took off her high heels and sipped her coffee contentedly. She opened the folder containing thick opinion survey forms and carefully analyzed them one by one. She planned to finish reading all the questionnaires before leaving work.

"Team leader, today's tasting session received rave reviews. I believe it will definitely be a success this time," Baoqi said confidently, holding today's tasting report.

For this, Xiaogu, who had only been with the company for a year but was passionate about this industry, fully agreed. "If it doesn't succeed this time, it would be unreasonable. Where else can we find such convenient, delicious, affordable, and nutritious frozen meatballs? Don't worry, I guarantee that they will sell like hotcakes once they hit the market."

"Yes, this amazing product will surely make our competitors' jaws drop. Even my picky boyfriend said it tastes great. It will definitely be among the top ten bestsellers on Qiaochu's ranking list next year," Cailing said with a smile.

Yang Yi was relatively calm. "Don't get too excited, you ladies. Don't forget, the food market is always looking for something new. Have you forgotten the lesson from earlier this year?"

At the beginning of the year, they developed frozen seafood porridge using premium ingredients, believing it to be incomparable in taste and able to defeat their competitors. However, Qiaochu Food's biggest rival, Master Liu's Food Group, launched a healthy organic porridge at that time, coinciding with the rise of health and wellness trends. Needless to say, they suffered a miserable defeat. The planning department was like a mourning dog for a whole month, devoid of any laughter.

"Come on, don't drag me into this. I am not one of you 'ladies'!" Xiaogu passionately thumped her own chest. "I am objectively and rationally analyzing these meatballs. Looking at it from any angle, it's a top-quality product. Is there any reason why such a product won't sell well? Team leader, am I right?"

Ling Rouxing raised her eyes and smiled at her team members. "You have all worked hard for a month. The director said that they have already allocated a development bonus for us. After the product is launched, we will have a dinner gathering at Tokyo House."

"Yeah!" Cheers erupted. Tokyo House was known for its top-notch Japanese buffet, just thinking about it made their mouths water!

Ling Rouxing smiled and buried herself back into the questionnaires. She had been with Qiaochu Food Group for eight years, starting as a junior member of the R&D team and working her way up to become the team leader of the planning department. For her, Qiaochu Group was inseparable from her life.

"Speaking of which, team leader, is it true that our company has been acquired by Liyao Group?" Cailing asked worriedly. "Will this have any impact on our year-end bonuses? I heard that Liyao Group's shareholders are quite tough."

Ling Rouxing looked up again. This topic had been circulating within the company for a month, and as their supervisor, she seemed to owe everyone an answer to put their minds at ease.

"It seems so," she carefully chose her words, speaking calmly and gently. In this troubled economic period, she didn't want everyone to be overly anxious. "However, it's only what I've heard. The company hasn't received any official document confirming it."

The CEO, due to personal investment mistakes, incurred a huge debt and had to reluctantly sell off Qiaochu Food. It was a shocking blow to all the colleagues in the company. Qiaochu had been an established brand for twenty years, well-known to every housewife. Its market share in frozen food reached 50%, and there were over two thousand direct-owned and franchised stores in the province. The annual revenue was quite substantial, so giving it away like this was truly a pity.

However, as a mere team leader in the planning department, she couldn't change anything. She just hoped that after the new owner took over, there wouldn't be too many personnel changes. It had taken her a lot of effort to climb up to the position of a team leader, and as the breadwinner of her family, her salary was important to her.

"Team leader, your phone is ringing," Baoqi shouted.

She snapped out of her thoughts and suddenly saw Yang Yi standing with his arms crossed, looking thoughtful. She blushed and quickly took out her phone from her bag.

"Hello, I'm Ling Rouxing."

"Hello~ I'm Ling Shenger." A sweet childish voice.

Heavens, it was her precious baby!

She quickly lowered her voice and stood up, walking towards the office. "Are you hungry, dear? Have you eaten?"

"No, not yet~" The child's voice became even sweeter and softer. "Mommy, when will you come back? We're waiting for you to cut the cake. Did you forget?"

Rouxing smiled. "No, Mommy didn't forget. Mommy will probably be home around seven o'clock."

"Remember to bring the cake! And drive safely."

Hearing her daughter's mature reminder, she laughed. "Yes, Your Highness."

Back then, she concealed the fact that she had children when she entered the company because the company's recruitment requirement was "unmarried." And she was indeed unmarried because she had gotten divorced and had two children. If she didn't deliberately hide it, she would never have gotten this job.

She never expected that she would stay at Qaiochu Food for eight years. Since she didn't reveal this secret back then, she certainly couldn't say it later. She never mentioned her hidden pain to anyone in the company, except for a few close friends who knew about it.

In everyone's eyes, she was a single workaholic who lived with her widowed mother and had no interest in the opposite s*x. She never had a boyfriend.

If they knew that the blushing girl over trivial matters was already a mother of two children, they would be shocked. Perhaps she would even lose her job because of it. Therefore, this secret must be kept forever.

Li Yao Group's acquisition of Qaiochu Group, which had dominated the frozen food market for twenty years, had become a certainty.

Although Qaiochu Group was a profitable cash cow, no one expected that Li Yao Group, as the leading technology giant, would acquire a food company that had no connection to its own industry. It surprised many experts in the industry.

Guan Shengxun also didn't expect that he would undergo such a transformation and become the president of a food company. Was he set up by his elder brother? Well, that question remains to be discussed.

He took a glass of champagne from the waiter's tray and sipped it slowly, calmly observing everyone in the venue until Lin Yifan approached.

Today was a welcome dinner for his appointment as the president of Qaiochu Group. He would deliver a speech on stage later, and the company's CEO would formally introduce him.

Everything he saw with his eyes were his future subordinates, the department heads of Qaiochu Group, the store managers and assistant managers of the directly-operated stores, and the franchisees of the franchised stores.

But he didn't think he could run a food company well. To be honest, he was an outsider.

However, he knew that Qaiochu was a healthy company. As long as the operator didn't engage in unrelated investments, it would be difficult to ruin it. So he wasn't worried, and besides, he had Lin Yifan, the beautiful general, by his side. In the future, he only needed to occasionally attend meetings and listen to reports. He didn't need to put too much thought into this company.

"General Manager Lin, how is it going? Have you greeted your subordinates?" He put on a charming and cheerful smile, asking happily.

Lin Yifan's eyes sparkled. "I have greeted most of them. Qaiochu is a great company, and I believe it will be even better in the future. I have confidence."

She loved this job too much! If it weren't for using work to entice her, she wouldn't have agreed to Guan Shengxun's request to become the general manager of Qaiochu Group. After all, she was no longer a member of the Guan family, and by doing so, wouldn't it complicate things even more?

However, Qaiochu was a frozen food company that she had been fascinated with since her student days. She often admired the ingenuity of the researchers and even tried to make delicious frozen food herself. Although it was impossible to mass-produce, it was her pleasure.

Now, her dream from her teenage years was right in front of her, and she couldn't resist this temptation. So she convinced herself that work and personal relationships were two different things. Accepting the position of general manager of Qaiochu didn't mean she would return to the Guan family, although that was a bit far-fetched...

"You have confidence? That's great," he grinned happily. "Because I have absolutely no confidence."

Lin Yifan gave him a glance. "It's best not to let others hear such words. You are the president of Qaiochu Group now, and a single word from you can shake the stock price."

He blinked and looked at her warmly with his s*xy eyes. "Dear sister-in-law, then do you think I am suitable to be the president of a food company?"

"It's ex-sister-in-law," she immediately corrected him.

Based on the principle that a good man doesn't compete with a woman, Guan Shengxun was very willing to agree with her.

"Alright, dear ex-sister-in-law, do you think I am suitable to be the president of a small food company?"

"Not suitable," Lin Yifan said without hesitation, "You are too beautiful and dazzling. You should become an idol, a model, or a political star. It doesn't match with a food company at all."

Guan Shengxun looked at her and revealed a big smile, a captivating smile that could easily disarm people. "Thank you for your praise, it's very objective."

She gave him a disdainful look. "You're welcome, arrogant one, the typical Guan family member."

"Hahaha!" He burst into laughter, and after laughing, he continued to look at her with his shiny, smiling eyes without blinking. "To get back to the point, if I'm not suitable to be the president of a food company, why did I take up the position? It's all because Big Brother wants to please you, so I became the victim. What do you think about this?"

Lin Yifan, who had excellent culinary skills and a clever mind, didn't have any arrogance despite her father being a shipping magnate. It was her older brother who didn't know how to cherish her, causing her divorce before realizing that his wife was the person he loved the most.

After the divorce, her older brother tried his best to buy Qaiochu Food and wanted to run it for his ex-wife. However, he had a terrible car accident and although he survived, it would take him a year of rehabilitation before he could stand up again.

If it wasn't for her older brother's pleading for him to help manage the Liyao Group until he could walk again, he thought he would never set foot in that heartbreaking place again. Unexpectedly, not only did he take over the Liyao Group, but even the small company Qaiochu Food was also under his management?

Later, he learned that the only reason he was asked to manage Qaiochu Food was to lure Lin Yifan into a trap. His older brother pleaded with him to take care of his ex-wife until he could walk again, and not to let any other man take her away.

As a younger brother, he would lack sympathy if he didn't agree to that romantic man who only realized his love after losing her.

"Do not mention that idiot in front of me!" Lin Yifan coldly suppressed her laughter. "I never want to see him again. I'm busy and don't have time to think about him."

"Can't you forgive that idiot?" he tentatively asked. "He has already been taught a lesson, at least he needs to lie in bed for a year. Have some sympathy for him."

She was unmoved and snorted coldly. "Just watch, as soon as he can get out of bed, the first image the reporters will capture is him leaving the hotel with a s*xy girl."

Regardless of the reason, she would never trust men again.

Guan Shengxun was not impatient either and changed the topic by raising his glass. "Alright, I won't force you. Anyway, I'm glad that you came over despite the past grievances. I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation as siblings-in-law and make Qaiochu Group better than yesterday."

Lin Yifan raised her glass and clinked it with his, their eyes meeting. She put away her cold words and sincerely said, "I believe you will make Qaiochu Group better. You will definitely not disappoint the investors of Qaiochu."

Guan Shengxun had the characteristics of a Guan family man, with thick and handsome black hair, bright black eyes, tall stature, and elegant and confident demeanor, which could easily attract the attention of every woman. His appearance was full of masculinity, and the mischievous smile at the corner of his mouth was as charming as a pirate.

When he was still a boy, he was quite adorable and had a childish nature that attracted everyone. His pure heart made her treat him sincerely like her own younger brother. And now--

He has been to America for eight years. After the passage of time, he seemed worldly-wise. Although his distinctively handsome features and confident gaze remained unchanged, traces of time were left on his s*xy handsome face. He closed off his heart and played games with the world as if he didn't care about anything anymore.

However, she, who used to be a part of the Guan family, had seen those beautiful eyes clouded with pain from losing his child. She had also witnessed his s*xy lips tighten in anger as his wife left him. After seeing him suffer for a whole year, he finally pulled himself together and move to America, resulting in a strained relationship with his parents.

Now, it seemed that he had completely overcome the dark period.

Whether she had truly forgotten or was pretending to forget, they would spend a lot of time working together, and she would find out.

"I hope to work with you and make efforts together," he said with a smile.

He gave a smile that no woman could resist, drank the champagne in his glass with enthusiasm, and turned to return the glass to the waiter. As his gaze inadvertently glanced over, he was startled by a delicate and gentle figure.

Was it her?

It couldn't be...

As someone moved away, he was able to see more clearly.

That slender figure definitely wasn't her...

But he was wrong. He saw it clearly, and the other person also noticed him. His heart immediately felt a heavy blow, and the blood in his temples surged and vibrated crazily.

How could he have such a similar excited reaction? Did he still miss her? That little star who deviated from his orbit?

He stared at her intensely, beyond the crowd, with pain and longing.

Hadn't it all passed? Why did he meet her again, and his heart still raced like this?

And why was she here? It was a question worth exploring. He had to start doubting whether his elder brother asking him to temporarily take over the Qaiochu Group was another conspiracy.

He walked towards his ex-wife, his eyes shimmering with danger.

The banquet hall of the restaurant was luxuriously decorated, with soft music, constant laughter, and the sound of glasses clinking.

Rouxing was not a drinker, and a small amount of alcohol in a few sips of champagne made her face blush.

She shouldn't have drunk champagne, there was juice available, and she should have chosen juice instead.

At first, the manager of the planning department handed her a glass of champagne without asking for her consent and insisted on toasting with her. Then people from different departments came to chat with her, and she could only force herself to drink.

"Did you drive here yourself? I can give you a ride back," Yang Yi, who had been playing the role of a flower protector, was around her all evening.

"It's okay, I can drive myself." She quickly declined his offer.

Yang Yi had been in the planning department longer than her and was her senior. According to common sense, he should have been promoted to team leader or director a long time ago, but he said he didn't like managing people and only enjoyed the work of planning and the environment of Qaiochu, so he had turned down several promotion opportunities.

He was very good, a really good person. He was tall and exuded masculinity, like the kind of reporter who covered social news. It was because he was too good that she made an effort to keep a distance from him.

She knew her own situation. As a woman with two children, what qualification did she have to pursue a romantic relationship? Besides, there was no room in her heart for another man.

"If you insist, I won't force you." Yang Yi looked at her intently. "But I will follow you in my car until I see you safely enter your home."

Rouxing looked at him helplessly.

Couldn't he stop caring about her so much? She truly couldn't handle it.

"It's really not necessary, I can drive myself. If it doesn't work, I can hitch a ride with Cailin's boyfriend. He will come to pick her up, and it's on the way..."

"Ling Rouxing, do I make you feel pressured?" Yang Yi interrupted her and stared directly into her eyes, asking quite directly.

She was stunned.

Was it necessary for him to be so straightforward? Now she couldn't avoid it anymore, right?

Instantly feeling deflated, she nodded helplessly. "To be honest, yes! You make me feel pressured, so can you please just treat me as a colleague? I beg you."

Yang Yi looked at her without confirming or denying, and raised an eyebrow slightly. "Do you have high standards for your potential partner? Do I not meet your requirements?"

"It's not like that." She spoke earnestly. "You are really good, the ideal type for many girls, but it's me, I'm not worthy of you."

"Why do you think you're not worthy of me?" He smiled playfully at her. "Besides the necessary work contact, you haven't really gotten to know me as a person, and you don't know anything about my background, right?"

She couldn't express her bitterness at this moment. Should she say that it was because she didn't have that kind of interest, that's why she didn't want to know him?

Furthermore, she was a woman with children. What did she need to know about him?

"Or do you have a boyfriend?" He had a favorable impression of her, which was public knowledge in the planning department, and she had been avoiding it, something everyone tacitly understood.

"No, it's not like that." She forced a smile. "Please stop asking, Yang Yi. Go find another girl, I'm really not what you think, it's impossible between us."

"How do you know what I think about you?" He smiled meaningfully. "Okay then, since you refuse to give a reason, I won't insist on asking anymore. But I want to tell you, I will never give up on you. Just wait and see, I will show my determination through action."

She didn't know how attractive she was. As a team leader, she appeared shy like a little girl. During meetings, if he looked at her a bit more, she would become flustered and her face would turn red. He often caught her lost in thought, and that expression of indulgence in the past made him even more eager to understand and protect her.

No need to ask, she must have been hurt by a man before, and it must have been very painful. That's why she closed herself off and threw herself into work, and this kind of woman attracted him even more.

"I'm hungry. I'll go get something to eat. Excuse me." Rouxing stammered and quickly escaped.

Her lying skills were not very skillful, but she didn't care. She just wanted to escape. Yang Yi suffocated her, standing next to him made her nervous, let alone the fact that he openly declared his pursuit of her. She really didn't want things to become like this.

Fortunately, he didn't follow her. She thought she should find Cailin to talk about it, hitch a ride with Cailin's boyfriend, so that Yang Yi wouldn't really follow her.

Her place of residence was also a secret that absolutely couldn't be known by others. If Yang Yi found out, it would be bad if he rang the doorbell and discovered the existence of Sheng'er and Xun'er.

Sigh, why did things become so complicated? She believed that she hadn't given him any hints or response, didn't she have the right to reject his pursuit? She didn't want Yang Yi to get involved in her life at all.

Having experienced the heart-wrenching past, her thoughts were now focused on her two children. They were her only comfort, and she would change jobs if necessary to protect them!

Hurriedly heading towards the entrance of the banquet hall, she wanted to go to the hotel garden for some fresh air. The new CEO would not take the stage to give a speech for another half an hour, so she had enough time to come back.

However, a familiar male figure caught her eye, and her heart skipped a beat. She didn't believe she saw the person she was thinking of.

The last news she received was that he went to America and never returned. Today was a welcome party hosted by the PR department of Qaiochu Group for the newly appointed CEO and general manager, and there would be no outsiders attending.

So it definitely couldn't be him. She must have been mistaken.

Rouxing remained steadfast in her thoughts, but somehow, she found herself fixedly staring at that familiar figure among the crowd. She saw the familiar silhouette engaged in a lively conversation with a beautiful and elegant woman. The manager had introduced her to that beautiful woman named Lin Yifan, the newly appointed general manager of Qiaochu. And as for that man...

After finishing his conversation with Lin Yifan, he turned around, placed his champagne glass on a waiter's tray, and looked up with a smile in his eyes. Rouxing stared in astonishment at his handsome face, and her heartbeat thundered in her ears.

Oh my... It really is him!

She blinked her eyes, trying to adapt to the fact that he was right in front of her. Though lost in a daze, it was indeed him. His lips were unique, a perfect work of art. His lower lip was plump, exuding an air of elegance when he smiled and possessing a bewitching allure when he kissed.

Now, those attractive lips were right in front of her. Despite the distance between them, she could still feel the strength of his muscles beneath his black suit.

The man in her memory had perfect chest and abdominal muscles. But the man before her seemed even taller than she remembered, with a broader chest, and his legs...

D*mn it! What was she doing? Analyzing his physique? She must have gone crazy!

However, she couldn't move; she could only stare at him until he also noticed her. His expression instantly became extremely shocked as he stared at her, as if unwilling to believe that he was seeing her.

Rouxing felt her heart squeeze tightly.

Does he not want to see her?

Their eyes locked for a long time. When she realized what she was doing, her whole body slowly entered a state of alertness, even her breathing became short.

Still, she kept looking at him, witnessing the shock fading from his handsome face and transforming into a calm and composed expression. His black eyes sparkled with a deliberate smile as he walked towards her.

Why was he coming over? Did he want to find her?

She could hardly breathe, her heart beating faster and faster, and she had to bite her lip to restrain herself.

Nevertheless, he came closer, and where could she escape to? It was just like eight years ago when she felt helpless and didn't know where to go.

Memories surged within an instant, and tears blurred her vision.

Rouxing enjoys summer because she loves swimming and is talented at it. No matter what style, she excels at it and finds a lot of confidence in swimming, despite being shy. Every summer, she wakes up early in the morning and swims for an hour, indulging herself in the large pool of the mansion where she lives. It's the most undisturbed moment, and no one can see her.

Her mother works as the housekeeper in the mansion, and her grandfather used to be the head housekeeper. In other words, the position of housekeeper is hereditary, and after her grandfather retired, her mother took over. There is also a saying that the master of the mansion sympathizes with her mother, who is a widow and has no special skills, yet still has to support her daughter. That's why they let them stay in the mansion. Moreover, after her grandfather retired, her mother took on the heavy responsibility of being the housekeeper.

Regardless of the reasons, she is grateful to the CEO and the l