Julia Yu couldn't help but smile.
People always say that a successful woman must have plenty of suitors.
Actually, that's not always true.
But in reality, hardly anyone genuinely pursued Julia Yu.
Of course, that doesn’t count the ones who casually professed affection for her without sincerity.
In junior high, Julia Yu was focused on her studies and had no time for dating.
After starting university, she juggled coursework, part-time jobs, saving for living expenses, tuition, and two years of exchange student fees. She was so busy she barely had time to breathe, much less think about dating, which felt like a luxury.
After graduating from university, she was busy with her internship.
During the day, she ran around with her mentor; at night, she buried herself in study materials for her graduate exams.
Once she got into the graduate program, she was juggling studies and working to earn money at the same time.
Then she met Max Mo and became an employee at the Mo Consortium, which made her even busier.
So, those with poor prospects didn't dare pursue her, and those with good prospects weren't interested.
That's how Julia Yu ended up single.
And once she was left single, she stayed single until now.
So, strictly speaking, Stephen Song is the very first person to seriously pursue Julia Yu.
Normally, when a woman is formally courted for the first time—especially by someone she doesn't dislike—she would be shy.
But Julia Yu didn't feel any shyness. She just felt warmth.
Maybe it's because of all she's been through, or maybe it's because of her profession.
She's seen too many situations where people turn against each other under a facade of affection, so she's always much calmer and steadier than the average woman.
And it is exactly this steadiness that attracted someone like Stephen Song, a true elite heir.
Women come in all shapes and sizes, each with their own unique beauty, and their personalities are just as varied.
You can't say that one personality is good and another is bad.
What matters is that it's the right fit.
For Julia Yu and Stephen Song, their timing was just right.
If they'd met a few years earlier, Stephen Song might not have appreciated a strong woman like Julia Yu, and Julia would have been too busy with her life to consider romance.
If they'd met a few years later, both might have been too worn out by life's hardships to have the courage to pursue love.
So there's no good or bad in love, only too early, too late, or just right.
Julia Yu and Stephen Song were having dinner together, while Julia's assistants gathered to gossip about their boss.
Hey, do you think our Chief Assistant Yu is dating now? That guy is so handsome!
I think so too! Remember last time when Xiong Xiong gave flowers to Chief Assistant Yu? She just tossed them into the trash without a second thought! But when this man gave her flowers, she seemed genuinely happy!
Chief Assistant Yu has had it tough. If she's really in love, I'm happy for her. Being a strong woman is inspiring, but also heartbreaking. As a woman myself, I know how hard it is to fight for your career.
But does he like Chief Assistant Yu for her position, or for who she is? That's the million-dollar question.
If you ask me, you're all overthinking.' A male assistant chimed in as he walked in, 'None of you recognized who that guy is?
Who? Who?' Everyone started gossiping, eyes sparkling as they looked at the male assistant.
He's Vice President Song's nephew!' the male assistant said. 'I saw him at Chief Assistant Yu's celebration dinner last time, he came with Vice President Song! You know, Vice President Song is Mo's right-hand man. If you can't trust him, who can you trust? Plus, this nephew has a family fortune to inherit.'
Oh, now that you mention it, he does look familiar. Tell us more!' The group grew even more excited.
This goes back to the previous generation. The Song family built their fortune on dairy, thanks to Vice President Song's father. Mr. Song Sr. founded a dairy empire, then moved most of the operations to Australia for strategic reasons. Now, much of the popular Australian milk powder comes from their family business! Mr. Song Sr. had two sons: the eldest is now chairman of Song Dairy, and the younger manages a subsidiary for the Mo Consortium. The eldest inherited the business, while Vice President Song got shares and struck out on his own, eventually joining Mo. The brothers are harmonious, with no drama over inheritance, and the chairman's family is equally harmonious.
Mrs. Song is a very talented and low-key person. Even though she's the wife of a famous dairy chairman, she lives in a villa where the price per square meter is 30,000 yuan. That's rare for someone in her position.
And the young Mr. Song, who's having dinner with Chief Assistant Yu, came back from Australia to inherit the family business. He's set to become the next chairman of the dairy company. So when he pursues Chief Assistant Yu, it's a match of equals—status and prospects. There's no question of anyone social climbing. Even though he's about to join the board, compared to the Mo Consortium, it's still small potatoes. So, even though Chief Assistant Yu is just a chief assistant, her status is on par with the young Mr. Song—they're evenly matched.
Thanks to the male assistant's explanation, everyone suddenly understood.
When they thought about it, it really was true!
But this is good, it's only fair to Chief Assistant Yu.
Chief Assistant Yu, who is diligent, smart, and hardworking, truly deserves to be cherished.
Julia Yu and Stephen Song had no idea their assistants were gossiping about them.
After finishing her last bite, Julia Yu said, "You picked some great flavors. Too bad I don't have time to treat you in return right now. But once I'm less busy, I'll make sure to thank you properly."
Sure.' Stephen Song took Julia Yu's words seriously, replying, 'I won't be traveling for work anytime soon, and even if I do, I'll come back as soon as possible. Just call me whenever you're free! I promise I'll be there.'
Julia Yu laughed, "Alright!"
Although Julia Yu hadn't officially agreed to Stephen Song, it was clear to anyone watching that she was starting to take him seriously.
Stephen Song was a smart man.
He understood boundaries and the distance between two people.
After dinner, Stephen Song didn't linger. He cleaned up the table and said goodbye.
In the days that followed, whenever Julia Yu was free, Stephen Song would make time to join her for a work meal—even if it was just a quick bite.
At first, no one thought much about Stephen Song's actions.
But after a week of this, everyone understood what it meant.
Some just watched for fun, while others truly wished them well.
Stephen Song's friends even called to ask if he was serious about Julia Yu.
When Stephen Song confirmed it, everyone was so surprised they felt dazed.
Turns out, the high-and-mighty Chief Assistant Yu wasn't as hard to pursue as they thought.
So a lot of people regretted not making a move first. They'd all assumed Chief Assistant Yu would be impossible to pursue, so no one dared try.
After a week, Julia Yu finally found what she was looking for, organized the information, and submitted it to Max Mo.
Max Mo was very satisfied with Julia Yu's efficiency and quickly dealt with the troublemakers hidden in the subsidiary, cleaning up the company atmosphere.
Max Mo gave Julia Yu two days off so she could rest well.
Over the past week, Julia Yu and her assistants ate, drank, and slept at the office; they didn't leave once.
This break was their reward and recognition.
So when Julia Yu announced that all assistants would get two days off and double their monthly bonus, everyone went wild with joy!
Julia Yu watched them leave the office like wild horses, grinning as she calmly took out her phone and called Stephen Song: "Hey, I have good news. I got a special two-day break, plus the weekend, so I have four days off. Want to grab a meal together?"
Stephen Song had been waiting for this moment forever, and immediately agreed, "Sure! Where should we eat?"
Julia Yu chuckled, "I have an idea, but it's not fully formed. Want to hear it?"
"Okay." Stephen Song replied, his voice gentle, "Whatever you say."
Julia Yu's idea was for the two of them to drive out to the countryside and explore.
About 200 kilometers southwest of N City is a county where 60% of the area is mountainous.
Because it's close to N City, the county has been fully developed.
All the forests have been planted with ornamental trees. If you drive along the highway, you can see all kinds of beautiful groves.
It's a real feast for the eyes.
The mountains are full of guesthouses and farm stays, and many visitors come just to enjoy the scenery and local food. It's become a popular destination.
The scenery is especially beautiful when viewed from above.
Many film crews even come here to shoot scenes.
Stephen Song had just returned from overseas and wasn't familiar with the area.
So he gladly accepted Julia Yu's suggestion.
Julia Yu went home and slept soundly. Once she was fully rested, she called Stephen Song, and the two of them went shopping for everything they might need for their trip.
By noon, they'd had a bite to eat and hit the road.
They didn't drive separately, but took Stephen Song's Range Rover.
For Stephen Song, it was a pretty cheap car.
But Julia Yu liked it.
The car was spacious and powerful, perfect for mountain roads.
With all these advantages, they packed up their things and set off.