The Cunning CEO's Contract Wife

Chapter 14 Assistant Lin, aren't you being too sensitive?

next morning.

Lin Ran reached out and turned off the alarm clock, glanced at Xiao Jingchen who was still sleeping beside her, and quietly left the bedroom.

The salary at the Xiao Group is indeed high, but it's far from enough for her; she needs to work more to earn money...

"Auntie, are you still hiring?"

Inside the breakfast shop, a busy woman looked up and paused when she saw Lin Ran's fair face. She then responded in somewhat broken Mandarin.

"Hey girl, your clothes don't look cheap, do they? I'm asking for a waiter, so I won't pay much."

After saying this, the woman lowered her head and continued working, seemingly convinced that Lin Ran would leave just like that.

"I can do anything, but I can only work until eight o'clock. Is that alright with you?"

Lin Ran spoke with a hint of pleading, her watery eyes filled with determination.

When the woman heard her say that, she frowned, stopped what she was doing, looked Lin Ran up and down, and hesitated before speaking.

"Here's what we'll do, Nizi. You try it here. If it works, I'll let you stay."

"Okay, thank you, auntie."

Lin Ran breathed a sigh of relief, gave the woman a sweet smile, casually placed the bag she had brought out on the table beside her, put on a greasy apron, and stood beside the woman, busy working together.

"Not bad, girl. I didn't expect you to be so skillful. The pancakes you made are fragrant and crispy, even better than mine."

The woman initially doubted that a delicate girl like Lin Ran could endure hardship, but now, seeing her skillful movements, she felt a surge of pride, as if she had struck gold.

"Really? As long as you're satisfied."

Lin Ran's eyes lit up, and she smiled a little shyly. Although she was a little tired, she felt very satisfied.

As long as she can earn money, she can endure any kind of hard work.

"Nizi, you can just call me Aunt Zhang from now on. As for your salary, we'll calculate it by the hours, how about that?"

"If there are more people, I'll raise the price for you, I guarantee you won't lose out."

Looking at Lin Ran's obedient appearance, Zhang Ma felt an indescribable fondness.

"Okay, thank you, Aunt Zhang, but I probably won't be here for too long..."

"It's okay, girl, I'll pay you for every day you do it!"

Zhang Ma wasn't surprised to hear her say that. After the two agreed on the wages, they got busy. It wasn't until eight o'clock that Lin Ran took off her apron, picked up her bag, and left the breakfast stall.

Downstairs at the Xiao Group building, Xiao Jingchen stared at the approaching figure, his eyes deep and unreadable.

"Notify the secretariat to hold a meeting, everyone."

Zhou Qing had gotten used to Xiao Jingchen's unusual behavior over this period of time, so she was only surprised for a second when she heard the notification before sending it out.

Lin Ran ran upstairs like a 100-meter sprinter, swiped her card at the last second, and then sat down in a chair, panting.

Before she could even soothe her aching back, she received a message on her phone about a meeting.

"A meeting so early in the morning, and it's all the secretariat staff, could something have happened?"

Hearing her colleagues' chatter, Lin Ran didn't dare to waste any more time and followed the group to the top floor, the floor reserved exclusively for Xiao Jingchen.

At the conference table, Xiao Jingchen was already seated. Lin Ran wondered if it was just her imagination, but she felt that the man had glanced at her several times.

But when she tried to take a closer look, the man turned his face away again.

"Mr. Xiao, do you have any important information to share?"

As the secretary-general, Song Nuan stood at the front and asked softly, her tone tinged with nervousness.

"It's nothing, just a random check. I hope some people in your department won't be late or neglect their duties."

Xiao Jingchen specifically mentioned the words "Don't be late," and Lin Ran was now certain that this man was clearly warning her!

Song Nuan couldn't even hide the surprise in her eyes, staring blankly at Xiao Jingchen for a long time before she came back to her senses.

"Don't worry, Mr. Xiao, I will definitely keep them in line and make sure they are not late."

"Okay, you guys go ahead. Bring the documents I asked for over later."

"Okay Mr. Xiao."

As expected of Xiao Jingchen's secretary, Song Nuan was able to adjust her state in the shortest amount of time, even after such a shocking event.

Lin Ran didn't go down with everyone. She made an excuse to slip away and only cautiously returned to Xiao Jingchen's office after everyone had left.

Although she wasn't late in the morning, she arrived right on time and caused trouble for other people in the department, so she wanted to talk to Xiao Jingchen to explain things.

But what if Xiao Jingchen's problem wasn't because of her at all?

Wouldn't that be incredibly awkward?

Lin Ran awkwardly circled around Xiao Jingchen's door.

Xiao Jingchen's voice came from inside, "You came here to be a doorman?"

Lin Ran had been discovered and had no choice but to stop talking. She stepped into the office and said, "I didn't mean to be late today."

Xiao Jingchen retorted without any hesitation, "Oh, what does that have to do with me?"

"I thought..." Lin Ran's voice trailed off as she lowered her head nervously, "that it was because of me that everyone was implicated..."

"Really? Did I mention your name?" Xiao Jingchen tapped his finger lightly on the table twice, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Assistant Lin, aren't you being too sensitive?"

"I," Lin Ran said, becoming even more flustered, "I'm sorry..."

Xiao Jingchen said calmly, "It's working hours now. My Xiao Group didn't hire you to apologize."

Lin Ran looked up and met Xiao Jingchen's cold gaze. "I...I understand, Mr. Xiao. I'll go to work now!"

Lin Ran fled the office.

She was probably overthinking it.

There are plenty of ordinary girls like her in the Xiao family. If you had to say she was the worst one, why would Xiao Jingchen pay special attention to her?

I'm so dizzy!

As Lin Ran walked, she regretted her foolish mistake.

Back at her workstation, Lin Ran quickly got to work, trying to forget the embarrassment of the morning.

Just as she was about to leave work and breathed a sigh of relief, she received a message from Ye Minghua.

"Remember the money."

Also included was a photo of her mother in her hospital bed.

Lin Ran pursed her lips. She had contacted all the part-time jobs she had worked for yesterday, but she still hadn't found a suitable one.

Besides... working as a bartender.

That job might bring in money quickly, but what's the difference between that and selling yourself?

And what if Xiao Jingchen found out...

Thinking of this, Lin Ran hesitated for a moment, but only for a moment.

Now, does she have any other choice?

Are we just going to stand by and watch our mother die?

She can't do it!