While chatting over dinner, Song Yan learned that Bai Yucheng had previously studied jewelry design. Bai Yucheng himself enjoyed crafting these accessories, and some of his parents’ jewelry pieces were handmade by him.
This revelation gave Song Yan a different perspective on Bai Yucheng. It explained why he was so invested in the company’s design studio and offered such pertinent suggestions. He had also worked hard to promote the designers’ rights, which others had previously overlooked.
“The earrings I’m wearing now were made by him,” Lin Mei said, gently pursing her lips.
Cheng Tian’s eyes lit up. “May I take a look?”
The earrings were made of garnet, with a simple cut that cleverly utilized the small imperfections in the stone. From different angles, one could see the light refracting inside. The overall design was suitable for both everyday wear and social gatherings.
It was evident that a lot of thought had gone into them.
Song Yan, who rarely spoke up, asked, “Did you make all of these?”
“Yes, I tried making them when I was in school,” Bai Yucheng nodded, smiling shyly.
“How did you come up with the idea?”
Bai Yucheng seemed surprised but explained earnestly, “The raw stones I could afford at the time weren’t of the best quality, so I had to work with the flaws.”
Impressive, Song Yan thought, though he didn’t say it aloud. His gaze shifted to Bai Yucheng’s hands—they were fair and delicate, with good proportions and clean nails.
Song Yan couldn’t help but imagine: those hands gently holding a gemstone, drawing a few lines on the raw stone, then slowly cutting, grinding, and polishing it with machines, creating a silver setting, and carefully embedding the finished gem.
Amidst the mineral dust, this person…
“Ah Yan, what are you daydreaming about?”
His mother’s words interrupted his reverie. He responded with a slightly embarrassed, “Nothing.”
Bai Yucheng hadn’t noticed Song Yan staring at his hands and was focused on eating. It was evident that he had good manners, like his mother. He didn’t make strange noises while eating, didn’t talk much during meals, and had no unnecessary movements when picking up food.
Moreover, one’s work often reflected their thoughts at the time.
Those earrings dangling from Lin Mei’s earlobes were full of her son’s love and care.
After the meal, Song Yan couldn’t resist asking a few more questions, but Bai Yucheng still seemed guarded around him.
Cheng Tian, observing her son’s initiative to engage in conversation, was pleased. She liked Bai Yucheng from their first meeting and felt that Song Yan would appreciate this thoughtful young man. Song Yan had always been patient, but for years, he hadn’t had someone caring by his side.
“You were so talented in school. Why didn’t you pursue design after graduation?” Song Yan asked.
Bai Yucheng looked somewhat helpless. “I did for a while, but later… my health… wasn’t very good.”
“I see,” Song Yan said, feeling a bit sorry for him. “Well, you could still join the masters during the summer activities if you’d like.”
Bai Yucheng shook his head. “No, thank you. I’d rather just continue as an assistant.”
Song Yan sighed, lost in thought. “But I find gemstones truly captivating, especially the process of how they slowly arrange themselves, creating all sorts of colors. It’s magical.”
Hearing Song Yan’s words, Bai Yucheng’s face softened. His smile was faint and fleeting. “It is magical, especially when polishing them. But it’s been so long since I’ve done it, I’m a bit rusty.”
Though Song Yan could tell that Bai Yucheng hadn’t given up due to poor health, it was clear he was avoiding the topic, so Song Yan didn’t pursue it further.
“By the way, we’ll be inspecting two stores on Tuesday. On Monday, I’ll need you to pick up some items for them.”
Work-related matters seemed to put Bai Yucheng at ease. He agreed with a nod.
After that day, Song Yan trusted Bai Yucheng more. It wasn’t just his work capabilities, but also their shared love for gemstones and willingness to invest time in them. In just three months, Song Yan genuinely grew fond of him, thinking that dating Bai Yucheng wouldn’t be a bad idea—they had many common interests and similar passions and worked well together.
Just as Song Yan was planning to formally pursue Bai Yucheng, he discovered Bai Yucheng’s [suppressants].
At first, Song Yan thought his eyes were playing tricks on him when he saw the prescription, but the name on it was unmistakably Bai Yucheng’s. The small bottle indeed contained Omega suppressants.
But wasn’t Bai Yucheng a Beta? There were plenty of Alphas here, so why hadn’t he been affected all this time? Song Yan had heard that both of Bai Yucheng’s parents were Alphas. He was truly confused.
Over this period, Bai Yucheng had gone from his initial reserved demeanor to getting along well with everyone, but…
“Boss Yan, please confirm next week’s schedule.”
As Song Yan pondered, Bai Yucheng entered. Noticing Song Yan’s odd expression, he didn’t ask anything, just confirmed the schedule and left the office.
“Assistant Bai, your coffee.”
He accepted it, saying, “Thank you.”
“Is something wrong with Boss Yan?” The young woman delivering the coffee asked curiously. “He seemed different this morning.”
“Really?”
“Yes, and everyone’s saying Boss Yan has changed a lot lately. It must be because of you, Assistant Bai.”
Surprised by this office gossip, Bai Yucheng asked, “How is it because of me?”
“Boss Yan rarely smiled before. Ms. Lu even said he was like a stone.” She smiled and lowered her voice. “But since you came, Boss Yan started to smile from time to time.”
“It’s because everyone’s been working hard lately, and all the stores are performing well.”
“You’re so kind, Assistant Bai. No wonder several people say they like you.”
“What?” Bai Yucheng laughed awkwardly. “Don’t tease me.”
“It’s true. We’ve never had someone as friendly as you here before. Everyone from top to bottom was a workaholic.” She was stating facts. Song Yan had high expectations for everyone, keeping the entire company on edge. It was because of this that the company was thriving.
Bai Yucheng had observed all this, but he was thinking it might be time to leave this place.
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