Cherry Miller shook her head and said, "There are already two boxes of these. It should be enough for Madam to try some."
Ethan Yin deliberately leaned closer to her and teased, "You only think about letting my mom taste them, but not me?"
Cherry Miller casually scooped up a handful of cherries from the basket and stuffed them into Ethan Yin's hand. "Here, have some."
Ethan Yin: "..."
"Pfft." A soft laugh sounded from behind, followed by Yina Yin's playful voice: "Wow, wow, wow, my brother actually begged someone for food!"
Ethan Yin saw Miles Gu diligently helping Yina Yin finish picking and returning, then straightened up, pretending to glance at Cherry Miller casually. He said, "We're here to have fun, no need to be so uptight about rules."
Yina Yin walked over to Cherry Miller, glanced at her basket, and said, "I was worried you couldn't reach the cherries at the top, so I picked an extra basket for you. Take some home and let Mrs. Miller try them."
"No need, I have plenty here." Cherry Miller declined.
"Just take it. It's not like it's anything expensive." Yina Yin refused to argue and said bluntly, "Mrs. Miller is the housekeeper of the Grant Family. A basket of cherries is the least she deserves."
"Alright then, I'll be sure to tell my mom these were picked by the young lady herself." Cherry Miller finally accepted with a smile.
Someone nearby brought over a cardboard box. Mi Xiaoying quickly put all the freshly picked cherries into the box, snapped it shut on both sides, and sealed it perfectly.
Mi Xiaoying glanced at the nearly finished lunch and said, "When I was picking cherries just now, I saw a lot of bitter greens in the garden over there. I'll dig some up, dip them in sauce, and eat them to cool off."
After saying that, Mi Xiaoying grabbed a basket and headed over, clearly showing she didn't want to get involved with Yin Yuhang.
Yin Yinuo waited until Mi Xiaoying left before speaking up: "Bro, don't make things hard for Xiaoying, or Mom will definitely chew you out."
"Would I dare!" Yin Yuhang exaggeratedly pinched Yin Yinuo's cheek. "I'm your real brother! You always take someone else's side!"
Yin Yinuo struggled to slap away her brother's mischievous hand and retorted confidently, "Xiaoying is family too."
Gu Miao chimed in, "That's just how Xiaoying is. The more you push, the more she avoids you. You're too anxious!"
Yin Yuhang raised an eyebrow.
It's true.
Isn't it all because Mi Xiaoying has been avoiding him for the past four years?
Otherwise, why would he be so anxious?
Gu Miao pulled Yin Yuhang over to a lounge chair to rest. An assistant brought them some refreshing drinks.
Sipping drinks under the sun, looking at the blue sky and white clouds, breathing in the sweet air—couldn't be more enjoyable.
"After watching these past two days, I think Xiaoying might have her own troubles she can't talk about. You can try to make your presence known, but don't cross the line, or she'll just avoid you even more." Gu Miao reminded her buddy and brother-in-law, "I heard Tang De is pursuing Xiaoying, but she doesn't seem interested in him."
"That Tang De..." Yin Yuhang chuckled, "No threat at all. What I don't get is, what could possibly make Xiaoying keep her distance from me? My mom obviously won't stand in our way, and Butler Mi promised me years ago he wouldn't interfere with Xiaoying's relationships. So who else could affect Xiaoying's mood?"
"I really have no idea," Gu Miao replied. "She's your girlfriend, how would I know?"
"So, can't get close, can't stay away," Yin Yuhang sighed, biting his straw. "It's a real headache. Anyway, enough about that. When will you finish your work over there?"
"Why?" Gu Miao shot back.
"There's a project that needs to be handled. If you're free, can you take care of it? It's Yinuo's dowry, so as her husband, it's your responsibility!" Yin Yuhang shamelessly pushed the work onto his buddy.
Gu Miao laughed in exasperation, "And what about you?"
"Of course I have to stay in the country," Yin Yuhang said matter-of-factly. "You saw it yourself—Xiaoying's avoiding me. If I keep running around outside, I'll see her even less."
Gu Miao was speechless. "You're the CEO of Yin Enterprises!"
"And you're the Vice President of Yin Enterprises!" Yin Yuhang scoffed. "As CEO, I'm assigning you this job! Are you going or not?"
"Fine, fine, I'll go," Gu Miao shook his head helplessly. "Guess I'm scared of you!"
"Thanks! When you head out, I'll keep an eye on Yinuo for you—promise she won't get into trouble!" Yin Yuhang grinned cheekily.
"Mm." Gu Miao shot him a look and closed his eyes to rest.
Meanwhile, Mi Xiaoying carried her basket and small shovel and actually started digging for wild greens.
The ground had just been watered, so the newly sprouted bitter greens were especially tender and juicy.
Mi Xiaoying was really into it.
As she dug, footsteps sounded behind her. Mi Xiaoying didn't think much of it and kept digging.
"Assistant Mi." Jiang You's voice rang out behind Mi Xiaoying, interrupting her.
Mi Xiaoying politely stood up and looked over. "Miss Jiang, do you need something?"
"It's nothing urgent, I just wanted to talk to you." Jiang You looked at the delicate, petite girl before her and subconsciously clenched her fists.
She'd just witnessed Yin Yuhang hovering around Mi Xiaoying the whole time.
Jiang You was really not happy about it.
What was so great about Mi Xiaoying anyway?
She was just the child of a servant, only got to be Chief Assistant because of the Yin family's favor.
Why did Yin Yuhang fall for a girl like that?
Clearly Jiang You was the most outstanding one!
Why couldn't anyone see her worth?
Since Assistant Mi was her rival in love, she had to eliminate the threat before it grew!
"What does Miss Jiang want to talk about?" Mi Xiaoying asked calmly. "If it's about work, sorry, I'm not discussing work today."
"It's not work. I want to talk to you about Yin Yuhang." Jiang You wasn't one to beat around the bush. "I'll be honest—I like Yin Yuhang."
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Mi Xiaoying wasn't surprised at all.
Yin Yuhang was so popular, it'd be strange if nobody liked him.
"And then?" Mi Xiaoying calmly asked back.
"And then? You seriously asked me 'and then'?" Jiang You rolled her eyes. "Are you really that clueless, or just pretending?"
"I don't get what Miss Jiang means." Mi Xiaoying replied with a professional smile. "First, I'm not Yin Shao's assistant, so what you're saying has nothing to do with me. Second, my boss is Yin Yinuo, so who Miss Jiang likes is none of my business. Third, Miss Jiang came at me like she was interrogating me—why? Just because you paid for this meal today? If that's the case, tell me how much, and I'll pay you back."
"You! Stop pretending! You're just a lowly assistant dreaming of becoming a phoenix! Let me tell you, Yin Yuhang is only playing with you. He'll never marry you!" Jiang You snapped, unable to hold back.
"Oh? Then I have to argue back." Mi Xiaoying still wore a smile, but her eyes were icy cold, without a trace of warmth. "Yes, I'm just a lowly assistant, but the branch I climbed onto was the Yin family's eldest daughter. I don't need to become a phoenix, and I don't want to—I've always been human, so I don't care about being a phoenix! As for my relationship with Yin Shao, I don't think Miss Jiang has the right to question it, does she? Instead of threatening me here, why don't I call Yin Shao over so you can say all this to his face?"
"Besides, who Miss Jiang likes is your business, I have no right to interfere. Likewise, who I associate with is my freedom, and you have no right to ask. If Miss Jiang is truly talented and exceptional, wins Yin Shao's favor, and becomes the next Mrs. Yin, I'll sincerely congratulate you. But if you don't become Mrs. Yin, it's none of my business. Have I made myself clear?" Mi Xiaoying said calmly. "I may be just an assistant, but every cent I spend is earned by me. Anyone can look down on me, but Miss Jiang, who waits for food and clothes to be handed to her... you don't have that right!"
She'd dealt with plenty of people who failed to win over Yin Yuhang and turned around to threaten her.
It happened all the time.
So when Jiang You tried to show off, Mi Xiaoying fought back without hesitation.
What a joke!
She was the chief assistant handpicked by Madam herself, not just any ordinary assistant. She represented the Yin family's reputation—who was Jiang You to criticize her?
Absolutely ridiculous.
"You!" Jiang You hadn't expected such a sharp tongue from the petite Mi Xiaoying, and was too stunned to reply.
"I get that Miss Jiang wants to find a pushover, but sorry, I'm not one." Mi Xiaoying stared at Jiang You, expressionless. "I can pretend nothing happened today. But if there's a next time, I won't be so calm. If you embarrass your family, don't blame me."
"I..." Jiang You was left speechless by Mi Xiaoying's comeback.
"If there's nothing else, please go. I still have wild greens to dig." Mi Xiaoying didn't bother being polite and simply dismissed her.
Jiang You had come full of confidence to threaten Mi Xiaoying, but ended up so flustered by the retort that she left in a daze.
Not far away, Jiang Yunchen smiled at Yun Shuang and said, "Sister Xiaoying is so tough!"
Yun Shuang's pale face showed a faint smile. "Yeah. So you don't have to worry about Sister Xiaoying being bullied. She looks soft and cute, but she's got sharp teeth."
"Let's go find Mo Yu and Mo Shuo, and not bother Sister Xiaoying anymore." Jiang Yunchen carefully led Yun Shuang away.
After Jiang You left, Mi Xiaoying, who'd just been full of fighting spirit, lost her enthusiasm for digging wild greens.
Honestly, if Jiang You really could catch Yin Yuhang's eye, that wouldn't be so bad.