Cecilia Gu slowly turned around and saw Ethan Yin approaching from behind.
"Mm." Cecilia smiled and said, "It's rare to see you up so early."
Ethan Yin's face seemed to flush slightly. He suddenly lowered his head and quickly said to Cecilia, "Among those people are Second Uncle Yin's men. Be careful."
After blurting this out, Ethan Yin immediately straightened up, returning to his usual lazy demeanor as the second young master, and said nonchalantly, "It's New Year's Eve. Even if I don't want to get up early, I have to. Otherwise, Grandma Yin will get angry again."
Cecilia blinked quickly at Ethan Yin's words.
Why did Ethan Yin suddenly warn her like that?
Could it be...
Cecilia's eyes instantly darkened.
Second Uncle Yin really still wants to make a comeback?
If he can't win against Charles Yin, does he want to target my son instead?
Heh heh heh...
Cecilia's mind raced, and she immediately responded, "Since you don't have anything to do, why not come with me? It's time to choose a chief assistant for the child."
Ethan Yin hadn't expected Cecilia to invite him. He was briefly stunned, then a flash of excitement appeared in his eyes.
Does this mean he's earned the approval of Senior Mrs. Yin?
Wendy, Cecilia's assistant, quickly glanced at Ethan Yin, her face expressionless.
As a competent assistant, she must never let anyone guess her employer's thoughts from her expression.
Cecilia led the way and stepped through the door first.
Once inside, she saw many people standing in the side hall.
Some held infants wrapped in swaddling clothes, while others, like Cecilia, were pregnant, waiting with their bellies showing.
When Cecilia entered, everyone greeted her in unison, "Good morning, Senior Mrs. Yin."
Cecilia nodded and smiled, "Thank you all for your hard work."
The women's eyes were full of anticipation. If chosen as the chief assistant to the next heir of Yin Enterprises, it would mean stepping into the upper echelons of the company.
Their entire family would bask in immense glory as well.
Even ordinary employees at Yin Enterprises start with annual salaries in the hundreds of thousands.
Let alone the position of chief assistant at the very top of Yin Enterprises.
A ten-million annual salary is just the baseline, not counting bonuses and profit sharing.
No wonder so many people are eyeing this position.
Especially those whose due dates are close to Senior Mrs. Yin's—everyone is scrambling to recommend themselves!
Cecilia knew these candidates had been carefully screened, but there was still no guarantee of absolute reliability.
Ethan Yin's warning at the door made her extra vigilant—she had to carefully evaluate everyone.
Cecilia said to the group, "Alright, no need to keep standing—let's all sit and talk. We're all carrying babies; it's not easy."
The group sat down one after another, their expressions unreadable.
Cecilia picked topics everyone liked, chatting with them but never mentioning the chief assistant position for her child.
These ladies had looked down on Cecilia at first.
But Cecilia kept dodging the main topic, making them increasingly anxious!
After chatting for a while, Cecilia deliberately glanced at Ethan Yin.
Ethan Yin's eyes flickered briefly. He immediately understood Cecilia's meaning and said, "Sister-in-law, Grandma Yin is still waiting for you."
Cecilia quickly put on an apologetic expression and said, "Oh no, I totally forgot! Sorry, everyone—Grandma is looking for me, so I need to go greet her. Please make yourselves comfortable."
Although they didn't get a definite answer from Cecilia, the group couldn't stop her from leaving. They could only watch her go, frustrated.
Once out of the side hall, Cecilia asked directly, "Who are Uncle Ben Yin's people?"
Ethan Yin shook his head and said, "I'm not sure who it is either. I just overheard someone manipulating those people when I was in the restroom."
Cecilia's expression instantly grew much more serious.
She could disregard her own safety, but she would never ignore her son's!
She feared that one day she would have to leave the Yin family, unable to protect him anymore.
So before she left, she absolutely couldn't leave any safety risks for her son!
Cecilia walked ahead slowly, her expression shifting from grave to fierce.
A mother's strength.
No matter how much Cecilia had endured before, when her son was threatened, her fighting spirit was completely awakened!
If anyone tried to harm her son, they couldn't blame her for being ruthless!
Ethan Yin followed behind, clearly sensing that Cecilia walking ahead seemed like a different person.
Despite her pregnant belly, the aura she gave off made Ethan Yin's eyes flicker in surprise.
It really felt like Cecilia had become someone else.
Full of fighting spirit, bold and unrestrained.
Word of Cecilia's performance in the side hall quickly spread to others.
Mrs. Yin lifted her teacup, her smile unwavering: "It seems she's really grown. She reminds me of myself back in the day."
For the sake of their children, any woman, any mother, can grow rapidly in the shortest time.
Mrs. Yin was a mother herself. Back in those dangerous times, her first thought was to protect her child.
Cecilia must be the same.
She would never allow anyone to hurt the child in her belly.
That child was her life.
Grandma Yin heard about Cecilia's actions and nodded slightly, a hint of melancholy flashing in her eyes. "She's becoming more and more like the Yun family. Bloodline really can't be explained by common sense."
Grandma Yin's assistant carefully took the item from her hand and asked in confusion, "She's already a member of the Yun family, so what's there to compare?"
[Irrelevant system message, skip translation.]
"I mean she's becoming more like that legendary Qing Dynasty princess from the Yun family who saved thousands single-handedly." Grandma Yin shook her head. "Compared to Yun Nuo, Cecilia is even more like that ancestor."
Grandma Yin's assistant clicked her tongue in surprise. "Madam, you're really giving Senior Mrs. Yin a lot of credit."
"Whether it's credit or not, we'll see in time." Grandma Yin smiled gently. "I'm curious to see how she'll handle the ancestral rule between the Yun and Mo families."
Cecilia had Wendy report everything she'd learned to Charles Yin, asking him to investigate each person.
After giving her instructions, Cecilia said to Ethan Yin, "Thank you for this. I'll make sure Charles knows about your help."
Ethan Yin gazed at Cecilia's profile, momentarily lost in thought.
During his days as a playboy, Ethan Yin had met all kinds of women.
Some were pure, some seductive, some cute, some manipulative, and some openly disdainful.
But none were as calm, poised, and unflappable as Cecilia.
Even when she learned Uncle Ben Yin was trying to plant spies near her child, she didn't show her anger. Instead, she chatted graciously with the other women.
After leaving, she didn't rashly drive those women away, but calmly reported the situation to Charles Yin.
Only after finishing all this did she allow herself to show a hint of emotion.
A woman like this... was truly extraordinary.
When Ethan Yin heard Cecilia thank him, his gaze sharpened and he said, "Sister-in-law, there's no need to be polite. Since I've decided to support my brother, your concerns are naturally... my concerns too."
Cecilia looked up slightly, giving Ethan Yin a half-smile.
The morning sunlight softly lit up Cecilia's delicate face.
Her features were fine and gentle, but at this moment, she seemed to radiate a new sense of strength and wisdom.
Ethan Yin knew that Cecilia had already changed.
He just didn't know if this change was for better or worse.
Ethan Yin didn't dare meet Cecilia's gaze and continued, "I'll never be a match for my brother, and neither will anyone else. Uncle Ben Yin is only relying on the family's protection, thinking my brother is easy to control. I'm not that foolish—I won't join forces with Uncle Ben Yin to hurt my brother and sister-in-law. I know where I stand."
Cecilia smiled, nodded, and said, "Looks like Charles was right. Your playboy years were just an act. It's impressive that you thought that far ahead at such a young age. If Mom finds out the truth, she'll probably be furious."
Ethan Yin's expression grew a bit awkward.
"Don't worry, I won't tell Mom," Cecilia said with a gentle smile. "You played the fool just to protect your sister. You have ambition and perseverance, but you also have a weakness."
Ethan Yin's eyes flickered, but he didn't reply.
"So, consider this my way of repaying your warning today." Cecilia rubbed her forehead, unable to hide her exhaustion. "The Yin family's waters run deep—be careful yourself."
With that, Cecilia continued walking forward, never looking back at Ethan Yin.
Ethan Yin didn't follow, just stood there in the morning sunlight, watching her silhouette for a long, long time.
Today was New Year's Eve, and the weather was unusually clear.
But inside, Cecilia's heart was full of dark clouds.
Would her child really be able to grow up healthy without her by their side?
She gently stroked her belly, and as if sensing her mood, the baby kicked her happily.
Cecilia, with her assistant, arrived at Grandma Yin's residence.
As soon as she entered, she saw a large crowd in the room.
No need to guess—on a day like this, everyone who could come from the Yin family was here.
Not just the Yin family, but several related families had come too.
Eric Jiang and Huiyin Jiang were naturally among them.
As soon as Cecilia entered, she was surrounded by the crowd.
Cecilia smiled and said, "Ah, I really am late. I've kept the elders waiting."