"Mommy!"
A soft and sweet voice called out. Little Xiong, with his short legs, clambered onto Xiong Miao's leg like a koala, gripping her clothes as he tried to climb up.
"Mommy, Mama hit me, and he took my toy." Following closely, Lele, the fifth child, came running out. Standing not too far away, tears welled up in his innocent, dark eyes, looking pitiful.
Mama, the fourth child who had already climbed onto Xiong Miao, looked defiantly at Lele complaining, not afraid at all.
He seemed to think that as long as he was clinging onto his mother, he could create all the mischief he wanted.
Xiong Miao roughly figured out what was happening.
"Mama, what should you say when your little brother is crying?" Placing the squirming child properly on her lap, Xiong Miao gently and seriously looked at him.
Mama was a playful and naughty child, while Lele was inherently slow and timid.
If Lele was complaining, it must have been because Mama had really bullied him.
Mama blinked at Lele and said, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, brother, let's go play." After receiving an apology, Lele quickly forgave him, his wide smile returned as he wiped away his tears.
Mama wriggled to get down, Xiong Miao squatted down to put him on the ground.
The two little ones, hand in hand, cheerfully headed back into the playroom. Xiong Miao felt both relieved and burdened.
Raising six children on her own was a huge pressure.
Just the cost of milk powder alone was something most people couldn't handle.
While a can of milk powder in an average home would last a week, in their home, it barely made it through the day.
Over the years, despite having a regular job as a designer, Xiong Miao had to take on additional jobs to earn money. Only by working hard to earn money could she maintain the household expenses.
This time, it was also because Su Mumu had landed a children's clothing ad. To fulfill the dreams of Qianqian and Junjun, she brought the children back to shoot this ad.
But she never expected to encounter such an troublesome situation.
Although before returning to the country, she had anticipated that she might run into Su Hongyi, she never thought the encounter would be so terrible.
However, the past was smoke and clouds to her. What she urgently needed to do now was to earn money to support the family and protect her six adorable children.
Their family of seven was already having a hard time; they could not be taken advantage of anymore!
The next day, Xiong Miao arrived at Rich Corporation and approached the receptionist, "Hello, I'd like to speak to the person in charge of your children's clothing advertisements."
"Please wait, our executives are in an urgent meeting." The receptionist finished speaking and immediately answered a phone call.
From the receptionist's careful words and friendly tone, Xiong Miao could tell that she was fearful of making a mistake.
"Sorry, ma'am, our CEO is about to arrive. He's been in office for only a few days, and he's making some big changes. Everyone in our company is busy preparing to welcome him. I'm afraid the advertising manager doesn't have time to see you."
Just as the receptionist finished speaking, a few women in professional black suits hurried over.
"Quick, quick, quick, the CEO's car is here. The hostess, come over!"
In the ensuing chaos, Xiong Miao was mistaken by the head of the welcoming committee as the hostess, and was pulled to the company's entrance, standing neatly.
She was about to explain when a black Rolls Royce slid to a stop in front of them.
The car door opened, and a glossy leather shoe stepped out confidently onto the ground, followed by wrinkle-free suit trousers.
Then, the man exited the car, dressed in a black, hand-tailored suit. He was tall and had a commanding presence.
His face was well-defined, features deep-set, masterfully crafted, with drawn eyebrows and eyes as deep as a pond, cold and noble.
His appearance seemed to freeze the air around him.
Like everyone else, Xiong Miao was amazed by the man.
He was handsome, but why did she find him familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before?
As she tilted her head, a flash of light suddenly crossed her mind.
It was him!
Xiong Miao's heart skipped a beat.
Four years ago, although it was a fleeting encounter, such a handsome face was hard to forget.
That night four years ago was full of passion and wildness. The memory of the man's strong physique seemed to have happened just yesterday.
And now, he was right in front of her.
As she stared at the man in surprise, he had already walked past her. In that instant, his gaze shifted to her.
That look was cold and oppressive.
Her heart fluttered, and she quickly lowered her head.
Zhan Yeling only glanced at her momentarily before he shifted his gaze, and, surrounded by his bodyguards, walked into the exclusive elevator.
Phew...
Fortunately, she reacted quickly and buried her face in time. He probably didn't recognize her.
Xiong Miao relaxed her tense shoulders, feeling relieved.
Was he the new CEO of Rich Corporation?
Wasn't he previously a special model who frequented hotels?
Could it be that he climbed up to the CEO's position step by step using his looks, enticing wealthy women?
While she was deep in thought, the receptionist came to find her: "Miss, Mr. Gu's assistant just said that the company is undergoing restructuring these few days. Anyone who has complaints or wants to report something can find the person in charge."
"Okay, I'll look for the General Manager of the Advertising Department." Despite her surprise, Xiong Miao hadn't forgotten her purpose for being there.
She followed the secretary all the way to the top floor.
"Miss, please wait here." The secretary instructed her to sit in the waiting area, then quickly left under the weight of the oppressive atmosphere.
Xiong Miao heard a woman's voice coming from the office and curiously walked over.
Through the crack in the door, she saw a woman kneeling in front of a man.
The man was seated. All she could see was a slightly raised leg, smooth suit trousers, and shiny black shoes. His aura was noble, somewhat familiar.
"President. Zhan, although our sales department's performance isn't outstanding, I am beautiful. I'm willing to be your woman, to satisfy your needs every day. I am very good at serving people..." The woman crawled forward, trying to cling to the man's leg.
"Get out!"
The woman was kicked to the floor by the man.
"Gu Yi, take care of this!"
At the man's command, screams rang out from the office.
Xiong Miao's heart fluttered with unease. The woman had attempted to flatter her way to safety, but instead, she was reprimanded.
"Who's out there!" A cold, angered voice resonated from within the room.
Just as Xiong Miao thought about escaping, the door behind her swung open. A forceful hand grabbed her by the collar and unceremoniously hauled her into the office.
When she lifted her gaze, she found herself face to face with the extremely handsome yet frosty-faced man.
She took a sharp intake of breath, burying her head instantly. It's him, but where is the advertising manager?
Before she could process this, she noticed that the woman who had tried to seduce the man earlier was now missing two teeth.
A bodyguard dragged her away and with a "thud" threw her out the door.
The forceful demonstration had terrified Xiong Miao, leaving her speechless.
"Can I help you?" The man's voice was deep and lazy, as if the person who'd just been violent wasn't him.
"I was just passing by, nothing else, hehe..." Xiong Miao forced a smile, "You must be busy, Mr. President. I'll be on my way..."
"Stop."
His voice trailed behind her. Slow and steady, it was a low, pleasing sound. But it held an authority that left no room for dispute.
Upon hearing these words, Xiong Miao's feet felt as if they had been nailed to the floor.