As she took out the contents, she froze and tensed up. Panic surged through her as she put it back into the envelope and stuffed it in her bag, trying her best to hold on to her last shred of calm. The joy in her had dissipated replaced with the growing feeling of dread in her stomach.
Noticing her uncharacteristic reaction, Shen Ru spoke up again, her eyes slightly flickering with concern. "What was in the envelope? Why are you acting like that?"
She sat on her chair pulling off the best tight-lipped smile she could manage, "Nothing too important. Just ignore me"
Shen Ru gave her a once over and then went back to work. Albeit not convinced, she decided not to pry. There was still an unspoken tension between them, and knowing Liling, asking would never elicit an answer, so she stayed silent not wanting to worsen their relationship.
Liling on the other hand was more disoriented. The contents of the brown envelope were pictures of her and Li Hao standing together on the balcony on the day of Grandpa Li's banquet as she discussed the deep-seated hatred that had stayed with her since childhood.
She resisted the urge to run her hands through her hair as alarm bells in her head went off. She couldn't tell what their motive for sending her the pictures was. Blackmail? But even more alarming was how they had gotten this close to her and managed to evade her yet again.
She shut her eyes as she massaged her temple with her index finger. She couldn't let herself spiral yet. She tried her best to push her thoughts to the back of her mind as she began the rest of her work, but failed, always catching herself starting to analyze the person's motives.
The silence in the room stretched on, the sounds of paper flipping and tapping on screens the only thing breaking the awkward stretch of silence between them. 6 P.M soon arrived and she could feel the entire floor begin to quiet down as people packed up as usual. Shen Ru had barely said anything to her after their brief exchange earlier and was now clearing up her things in a deliberate yet distant manner. She muttered a small "Goodbye", as she walked out the door, her voice devoid of any warmth and her eyes avoiding Liling's gaze.
Liling let out a sigh, leaning back in her chair and massaging the space between her brows. She had wanted to ask Shen Ru out for dinner, but her throat had tightened at the last second, denying her words any chance of escape.
Her mind inadvertently went back to the pictures in her bag, figuring out who had sent them should be her priority, but she still needed to carry out the task that evening. She sighed exhaustedly, she would just have to push the feeling of fatigue out of her mind.
Glancing up at the clock, she began to pack up. The idea of seeing Little Bun turned her lips up in a slight smile and motivated her to move quickly. She went down to her car and sat in the driver's seat. Normally, she would be going back with Li Hao, but he had a board meeting that would last another hour.
Starting her car, she pulled out into the glowing evening lights.
************************************
As she pulled into the wide driveway of the large mansion she had started to call home, she spotted Mrs Choi standing outside near the entrance. Automatically assuming something bad had happened, anxiety bubbled up in her chest as her mind raced to the worst possible scenarios.
She hurriedly made her way out of her car and crossed the driveway. "Mrs. Choi, is everything alright? Is little Bun okay?" Her voice came out more frantic than she had intended, reflecting her internal state of worry.
" I assure you Miss Liling, Little Bun is perfectly fine". She let out a breath of relief. The woman's state of composure and her gentle smile had done well to reassure her.
Mrs Choi continued, "However, someone is waiting for you inside. She says she's been hired as a nanny for Little Bun"
Liling brows furrowed in confusion. 'A nanny? But we didn't hire one' She searched her memory for any mention of getting a nanny for Little Bun, but there was none. So what was going on?
"I can't recall ever hiring a nanny"
Mrs Choi nodded, her face mirroring Liling's expression. "She arrived not too long ago, stating she was hired to work here. She was very adamant and said she would wait for you to return"
She shook her head, "I'll go speak to her then".
They made their way to the sitting room where the woman was waiting. The first thing Liling noticed was how young the woman looked. She looked just a few years younger than her, with black shoulder-length hair and the same shade of blue eyes as her.
The woman turned as Liling stepped in, a polite smile forming on her lips. She dipped her head as she stood up in greeting. "Good evening Mrs Li"
Liling nodded in acknowledgment taking in the woman's presence. She looked calm, poised, almost comfortable, as if she belonged.
"Not to be rude, but I don't remember hiring a nanny"
"That's okay" she replied, her smile still plastered on, hands clasped in front of her "I was hired by Grandma Li. My name is Yang Huan"
A feeling of unease penetrated her senses. This wasn't going to end well, she could already tell. This was a calculated move on Grandma Li's part, but the reason behind it remained oblivious to her.
"Grandma Li hired you?" Liling asked not bothering to conceal her tone of skepticism as she took a few steps forward to close the distance between them.
Despite Liling's clear disbelief, her voice remained unfaltering as she responded nodding, "Yes. She thought it would be best to have someone permanent and dedicated to look after Li Qiang given you and Mr Li's demanding schedules. She wanted to ensure he was getting proper support"
"I see"