Madam Yuan was about to explode with anger.
What was going on here? Bai Ji and Shishi weren't even the same kind of assistant… Bai Ji could only help Huo Shiqing with work, but Shishi was different—Shishi could take care of his daily life!
Mu Beiyin blinked. "Aunt, why aren't you saying anything? Could it be… being an assistant is just Miss Yuan's excuse? Her real goal is to get close to Huo Shiqing? But I'm already married to him, and she still insists on going home with him—what's that supposed to mean?"
"You!" Madam Yuan tried her best to explain. "Our Shishi is a personal assistant! Of course she has to go home with Shiqing—how else is she supposed to take care of his daily needs?"
Yuan Shishi's eyes filled with tears. "Miss Mu, there's no need for you to target me like this. I'm just an assistant. I would never threaten your position. Please don't overthink it."
Mu Beiyin sneered. Oh, personal assistant, follows the man home, then turns to the woman and says: "Please don't overthink it."
She'd seen green tea behavior before, but never this blatant.
Just as Mu Beiyin was about to speak, Huo Shiqing suddenly looked back and casually said, "Assistant?"
Everyone froze. Madam Yuan reacted instantly. "Shiqing, Shishi wants to be your assistant. Could you do it for your aunt?"
Huo Shiqing's expression remained cold, a trace of mockery flashing in his eyes. "Perfect. I am in need of an assistant."
Mu Beiyin widened her eyes. What was Huo Shiqing doing? She had been trying to help him reject Yuan Shishi, and yet he was actually saying he needed one?
Could it be that Huo Shiqing had taken a liking to Yuan Shishi?!
A wave of irritation suddenly surged in Mu Beiyin's heart. She wasn't even sure why she felt that way. She immediately averted her gaze, refusing to look at Huo Shiqing.
Madam Yuan didn't catch the mockery in his eyes and was overjoyed. "Shishi! Did you hear that? Shiqing agreed!"
Then, she gave Mu Beiyin a contemptuous look, her eyes full of pride.
"Miss Mu, it seems Shiqing thinks Shishi is better. I don't mean to say this, but you're too jealous. You twist everything our Shishi does with your dirty mind."
A country bumpkin like her? Competing with Shishi?
Madam Yuan grew more excited. "Shishi, don't be afraid. If Shiqing really falls for you, that only means Mu Beiyin wasn't good enough. How can that be your fault? Go pack up—go home with Shiqing."
Yuan Shishi's cheeks flushed, her eyes coy. "Brother Shiqing, I'll go pack now…"
"Miss Yuan, who said I gave you permission to go home with me?" Huo Shiqing suddenly turned to her.
The room fell into silence. Madam Yuan stammered, "Shiqing, didn't you just agree?"
Huo Shiqing looked indifferent and glanced at Yuan Shishi. "Which university did you attend abroad?"
Yuan Shishi was caught off guard. Her face stiffened.
Huo Shiqing asked again, "What degree did you complete? How many years of work experience?"
Yuan Shishi bit her lip, casting a seductive glance at him. "Brother Shiqing, I…"
Huo Shiqing stared at her and cut her off mercilessly: "How many foreign languages do you speak? What's your relationship with Eisen Group in the UK? How many academic papers have you published? What's your perspective on the theory released by the Hoshin Consortium last quarter?"
Yuan Shishi's expression turned uglier by the second.
Madam Yuan became anxious. "Oh my, Shiqing, why ask so much? Shishi… she's just here to be your assistant and look after your daily needs!"
Huo Shiqing replied lazily, "Those are the minimum qualifications for being my assistant. I figured, since she came recommended by you all, I wouldn't apply Bai Ji's full standard. But what, she can't even meet this?"
Mu Beiyin: "..." That was savage.
"This… this…"
Madam Yuan was at a loss. Did Huo Shiqing even understand what a personal assistant was supposed to do?
Serve him, warm his bed—who needed all those qualifications?
Huo Shiqing's expression remained icy. "Since Miss Yuan lacks all the necessary skills, she'd better go back and study more. Beiyin, let's go."
Mu Beiyin felt a rush of satisfaction.
She quickly followed after him—he was impressive. Just a few lines, and he'd shut down Madam Yuan and Miss Yuan completely.
"Shiqing!"
Madam Yuan panicked. She had worked so hard to send Yuan Shishi to Huo Shiqing—if he left now, everything would be in vain!
She couldn't understand. "What's wrong with Shishi? She's beautiful and knows how to serve others—much better than that country bumpkin!"
"Shiqing, you're the head of the Hoshin Consortium! If you marry a country girl, people will gossip. Why not choose our Shishi…"
Yuan Shishi feigned shock, eyes full of disdain. "What? Miss Mu is from the countryside?"
Huo Shiqing suddenly turned to look at her.
Yuan Shishi thought she'd caught his attention. Her cheeks flushed as she tried to display her elegance:
"Brother Shiqing, I'm just a little surprised. After all, I've only ever been around noble ladies. Someone like Miss Mu is really…"
Huo Shiqing interrupted, "So, Miss Yuan, you've been a noble lady since childhood?"
Trying to emphasize the contrast between her and Mu Beiyin, Yuan Shishi softened her expression and said gently:
"Yes, before I was adopted by my parents, I was from one of the most prominent families. Since I was little, I've studied music, chess, calligraphy, painting, flower arranging, and tea ceremony—things I'm sure Miss Mu doesn't know."
A country girl like Mu Beiyin probably spent her days worrying about food and clothing. How could she know the refined skills of a noble lady?
Just that alone should be enough to outshine her!
But the praise she expected never came.
Huo Shiqing sneered, his eyes like ice. "My wife may have grown up in the countryside, but she skipped grades and was admitted to the top university in the country—Ancheng University—with the best grades. She double-majored, was recommended for graduate school, and participated in numerous national and international competitions."
Yuan Shishi suddenly had a bad feeling, her face frozen.
Huo Shiqing's voice was hoarse. "If someone from the countryside could achieve all that, then why is Miss Yuan, raised as a noble lady, not even qualified to be my assistant?"
Dead silence.
Everyone's face turned pale.
Mu Beiyin was stunned, looking at him in surprise—only now did she realize.
So everything he said… was to defend her!
Yuan Shishi's tears fell. "Brother Shiqing…"
Madam Yuan almost choked from frustration. She blurted out:
"Oh Shiqing! Our Shishi is a noble lady. Why would she need to go out and study all that useless stuff? What's the point of education? Miss Mu spends all day reading books—she'll never know how to take care of you the way Shishi can. Please reconsider!"
Mu Beiyin nearly laughed out of anger.
Education is useless? So seduction is more important?
Yuan Shishi clung to Madam Yuan and cried, sobbing:
"I'm simple-minded, not as cunning as Sister Beiyin who knows how to win a man's heart. Mom, stop trying to persuade them."
"Sister Beiyin can study and still marry Brother Shiqing. I could never do that. If I married him, I'd have eyes only for him—no one else in my heart."
Madam Yuan wiped her tears. "Shishi, it's our fault for raising you too naively. I've heard country girls are best at seducing men. Miss Mu must've picked up all sorts of bad habits in the countryside—you can't compete with that."
Huo Shiqing's face suddenly darkened.
Just as he was about to speak, Mu Beiyin beat him to it—