"I feel like my status is being threatened too," Charles Yin sighed, "When I was a kid, I never got this kind of treatment."
Cecilia Gu looked at the father and son sighing together and couldn't help teasing them, "If you don't want to feel threatened, that's easy. How about I go back to my family and have the baby there?"
"No way!" Charles Yin and Ethan Yin objected in unison, "Absolutely not!"
Cecilia Gu burst out laughing, "Alright, it's all yours! So, do you guys have any better ideas?"
"What ideas? About Ethan and James Jing's wife selection contest?" Charles Yin quickly caught on, his eyes fixed on Cecilia Gu. "What was your original plan?"
Cecilia Gu rested her chin in her hand and said, "Originally, I planned to bring all the candidates to our villa to observe their daily habits. But today, I suddenly changed my mind. This isn't a beauty pageant—the most important thing is whether they actually like each other. So, I want them to live with Ethan and James Jing for a week, see how they get along, and then decide."
Charles Yin looked at Cecilia Gu with doting eyes. "As long as you like it, that's all that matters. The rest doesn't need your attention."
Cecilia Gu continued, "By the way, I heard the villa over there is cultivating a new variety of black chrysanthemum. Coincidentally, Rona Muir told me the company is about to launch a new product and ordered several kinds of flowers from me to extract their essences. We can kill two birds with one stone."
Charles Yin nodded, "Alright, I'll have Alex get everything ready right away."
With that, Charles Yin was about to call Alex in.
Cecilia Gu reached out and grabbed Charles Yin. "Wait a moment."
Charles Yin looked at Cecilia Gu in surprise.
"You! As the boss, you should think about benefits for your team. Wendy and Alex have been working together for so long, but they've never had a proper vacation." Cecilia Gu gave Charles Yin a playful glare and said, "Since we don't have anything urgent these days, give them a few days off. Henry Shaw is back, right? Let the three of them go home for a visit."
Charles Yin looked at Cecilia Gu warmly. "Alright, whatever you say."
Ethan Yin couldn't help but interject, "I want to go too!"
Just as Charles Yin was about to agree, Cecilia Gu shot him a look. "I heard your Judo teacher said you've been slipping in your classes lately?"
Charles Yin immediately took his wife's side and lectured Ethan Yin, "When I was your age, I was practicing both Judo and Aikido. You're only doing Judo now! If your grades don't improve, you're not allowed to go!"
Ethan Yin felt like crying inside.
Why, why do I always have to eat my parents' dog food? (Note: In Chinese internet slang, 'eat dog food' means witnessing parents' affection and feeling left out.)
After a week of rest, Cecilia Gu and Charles Yin, along with Little B and other assistants, set off in grand style for the villa.
This villa isn't exactly remote—it's right in the city.
It's not too big or too small, probably covers about ten acres.
The Yin family originally bought this land to develop, but since they didn't really need the money, they turned it into a villa and garden instead.
Honestly, we hardly ever come here. Only the housekeeper sends people to clean and maintain it regularly, but most of the time, it's just left unused.
The Yin family has plenty of places for cultivating flowers—the estate in the south of the city is one of the biggest.
But that estate is so huge, it's not really suitable for bringing strangers over.
This villa is different.
It's small, but sleek and elegant.
It's perfect for entertaining guests—everyone can stay comfortably, and you don't have to worry about disturbing anyone.
When Cecilia Gu and Charles Yin arrived, a coach had already dropped off the eight finalists—each with their suitcase, ready to stay here for a whole week.
Ethan Yin and James Jing were already waiting at the door.
When they saw Cecilia Gu, both of them lit up and quickly came forward to greet her. "Big Brother, Sister-in-law!" (Or: "Young Master Yin, Madam Yin!")
Cecilia Gu saw that both of them were neatly dressed today and nodded in satisfaction. "The scenery here is nice, so treat this as a little vacation for yourselves. I heard James Jing holds a mid-level position in his family's company and works a lot, so he rarely gets time off. Since you can relax this time, don't be too uptight. I've created this opportunity for you—what happens next is up to you. If you meet someone you like during this week, just let me know and I'll ask for her opinion too."
Charles Yin just stood beside Cecilia Gu, smiling and staying silent.
"Yes, understood," Ethan Yin and James Jing replied together.
Ben came over and said, "President, Madam, everything is arranged. The eight ladies have all moved into their rooms—two to a room, in the white villa on the right side of the main building. Second Young Master and James Jing are staying on the first floor; the ladies are on the second."
Charles Yin nodded.
He was determined that his private time with Cecilia Gu would never be interrupted by outsiders!
"Alright, gather everyone for a meeting," Cecilia Gu said, now sounding every bit the leader. When you're in charge, you have to act the part.
As Cecilia Gu walked ahead, Charles Yin fussed over her like a mother hen, "Slow down, the doctor said the second pregnancy isn't as stable as the first."
Cecilia Gu shot him a look, "I listen to everything the doctor says, okay? Stop nagging! This pregnancy is going just fine."
Ethan Yin and James Jing both smiled.
Cecilia Gu entered the white villa. The eight ladies had already changed clothes and were standing in a neat line.
"Hello, Madam Yin!" the eight women greeted in perfect unison.
Ben quickly brought over a chair for Cecilia Gu, but she waved him off and instead addressed the eight ladies, "Hello, everyone! The reason I called you here is to let you know that we'll be spending a week together. You all joined the selection for a clear purpose. You're all outstanding, and I'd be happy for any of you to become my sister-in-law."
"I've created this opportunity, but who makes it to the end isn't up to me—it's up to you." Cecilia Gu continued, "Over the next few days, Ethan Yin and James Jing will be living here too, so you'll have plenty of time to get to know each other. If you find that Ethan or James isn't the one for you, feel free to withdraw at any time. If you fall for someone, just come and tell me."
"I'll do everything I can to help and support you. But as you can see, I'm pregnant with my second child and it's a bit of a strain, so I might not be able to keep up all the time. If anything comes up, you can always report to Ben."
As soon as Cecilia Gu finished, Ben straightened up and puffed out his chest.
The eight ladies smiled at Ben.
"Ben will notify you about the daily schedule and arrangements," Cecilia Gu added. "That's pretty much it. And one more thing—don't feel like you have to impress me. After all, I'm not the one you're marrying."
As soon as Cecilia Gu finished speaking, someone started laughing.
Just then, Chris came in from outside and whispered to Cecilia Gu, "Madam, the President asked me to tell you that Ms. Rona Muir and Ms. Zixuan Mo will be coming over today as well."
Cecilia Gu nodded.
It's no surprise that Rona Muir is coming, but Zixuan Mo probably just wants to keep an eye on things here.
Makes sense—if James Jing doesn't get married, she can't either.
"What about Jing Rong?" Cecilia Gu asked.
"It seems he can't make it," Chris replied.
Cecilia Gu instantly understood.
Cecilia Gu immediately told the eight ladies, "Alright, that's settled. You can explore anywhere except the main building. The staff will bring snacks and fruit soon. If you need anything special, just let Ben know."
The eight women escorted Cecilia Gu out.
As soon as Cecilia Gu stepped outside, she saw Rona Muir driving up.
Rona Muir was wearing a light trench coat, but it couldn't hide her charm.
Looks like she's been well taken care of lately.
"Cecilia!" Rona Muir waved at Cecilia Gu as soon as she saw her. "I have something to tell you."
Cecilia Gu laughed, "You don't have another idea, do you?"
Rona Muir got out of the car, tossed her keys to someone else, and strode over to Cecilia Gu, "You guessed right! Let me tell you, Pingshan has been developing a new line lately, coincidentally a repair series. Don't mess up your flower fields—I still need them."
Cecilia Gu rolled her eyes, "You really know how to use resources. My family's flowers are all being claimed by you, the bossy CEO."
Rona Muir threw her arm around Cecilia Gu's shoulders, "You're a general manager too, so raiding your private stash is no big deal!"
While the two were chatting and laughing, another car arrived.
No need to guess who it was.
Zixuan Mo got out of the car, tossed her keys to someone else, and complained as soon as she saw Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir, "Give me some water first, I'm dying of thirst!"
Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir exchanged glances and asked in unison, "Did you just come back from Africa? Is there a water shortage there again?"
Zixuan Mo shook her head helplessly, took the water handed over by a servant, and chugged it down before replying, "It's even worse than that!"
"How so?" Cecilia Gu asked curiously.
"I was in a meeting when my mom sent me over," Zixuan Mo said helplessly, spreading her hands. "My mom said, even though James Jing is an illegitimate child of the Jing family, he's still Jing Rong's brother, so I have to come and keep an eye on things. If James Jing suddenly changes his mind and tries something forceful, at least there'll be a woman here to deal with him! He won't have anywhere to hide!"
Pfft... Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir spit out their water!
Who would've thought!
The Mo family is really eager to marry off their daughter!
Zixuan, what have you done that's so outrageous?
Who could've guessed!
With your delicate and sickly appearance, you've fooled a lot of people!