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Chapter 219 Brush up Presence

Chapter 219: Chapter 219 Brush up Presence

Yan Han, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly took a leap of faith and said,

"Could I take a look at the ring you designed?"

Lady Yan immediately glared at him, yet Zhu Qianying took it in stride, simply smiling and replying,

"So didn’t I mention this to you Auntie? I’ll design a few rings first, and send you the drafts. If there’s anything you don’t like, or if you feel something is not quite right, you can let me know."

What got Zhu Qianying to the position of Chief Designer at Ying Jewelry at just twenty-three years old was her impressive portfolio of popular works, not support from her mentor or Cheng Ye.

And when it came to grace and composure, she had it in abundance.

From the day she started as a designer at Ying Jewelry at eighteen, she had faced countless criticisms. But she always responded through her work.

As for wasting words in defense, she was too lazy to engage and felt it beneath her.

Even when her customers were as critical and nit-picky as Lady Yan and the fastidious Eldest Young Master Yan here, she thought the same.

Those who understood would understand, and nothing she could say would make a difference to those who didn’t.

That’s how she thought about her work, and probably about everything else too.

As for Yan Han’s comment, it was just a desperate attempt to make his presence felt.

Since her arrival, had Zhu Qianying even spared him a single glance?

But when Zhu Qiangying responded with a warm smile, he was left tongue-tied, unsure of what to say.

He never considered himself a poor conversationalist, but when it comes to Zhu Qianying, he was always at a loss for words.

Zhu Qianying calmly shifted her gaze away from him. Then Lady Yan asked, "How’s your mother’s health right now?"

"She’s doing quite well. Her mental health has improved significantly compared to before. She works part-time as a food consultant at a Chinese restaurant in M country, just two or three hours a day. The rest of the time she helps me take care of our baby boy. She’s quite occupied."

When Chen Jing first came to M country with Zhu Qianying, Cheng Ye introduced her to a famous local Chinese restaurant as a chef.

Her culinary skills soon won the approval and admiration of the Restaurant’s owner and customers.

Later, when Zhu Qianying went on maternity leave, Chen Jing quit her job to take care of Zhu Qianying and her grandson.

The restaurant owner tried his best to hold on to her, making many concessions. Eventually, Chen Jing agreed to be the food consultant for the restaurant, with a generous salary and flexible working hours.

As Zhu Qianying talked about this, Lady Yan couldn’t help but feel moved.

"Your mother seems like a completely different person now, doesn’t she?"

Like Chen Jing, who got rid of that sleazeball Zhu Zhizhou, she appears truly free and unencumbered.

It’s a reminder that women should care for themselves. If they stake everything on a man, they only belittle their own abilities and risk their happiness in life.

"She is quite cheerful these days. She even told me some time ago that someone has been courting her. I told her Xiao Yu and I wouldn’t mind having a foreign stepfather!"

Zhu Qianying looked quite relaxed and carefree when she spoke about her mother.

Lady Yan gave her son a meaningful glance, as if to suggest that he learn Zhu Qianying’s conversational skills, without launching directly into the main topic. Even worse, his tone and manner of questioning were off.

"It’s good to see you and Xiao Yu so understanding. It’s natural for a daughter to be particularly tolerant and understanding of her mother, especially after having experienced motherhood yourself. You comprehend the hardship that comes with it."

In fact, what Lady Yan really wanted to say was, "I understand many of your troubles because I’m a woman too."

But she was afraid to be too explicit, fearing that she might scare off Zhu Qianying, who was like a startled bird.

"Exactly, it was only after becoming a mother myself that I truly understood how hard a mother’s life is."

As Zhu Qianying kept talking, her guard naturally lowered bit by bit.

"You must have suffered quite a bit while pregnant with baby boy, didn’t you?"

Lady Yan smoothly steered the conversation towards Zhu Qianying and baby boy’s experience. Not only did she want her son to be aware of this, but she was curious to know as well.

After all, there was no chance of getting this information directly from the baby boy.

"It was really quite okay. My baby was quite well-behaved before he was born."

On this matter, Zhu Qianying didn’t want to say too much.

After all, her relationship with the Yan family at the moment was quite delicate.

Ever since she left five years ago, leaving behind that letter and severing all ties, she had considered herself a stranger to the Yan family.

Yet, just moments ago during their conversation at the coffee shop, she learned that the Yan family had always presumed her to be a daughter-in-law of the family.

If she were to start complaining about how hard things were, the Yan family might just interpret it as her trying to fish for their sympathy.

Besides, what she said was the truth.

At that time, she thought her hormonal imbalances were simply due to not adjusting well to a new environment, and paid it no mind. By the time she realized that she was pregnant, the baby was already almost four months old.

She had not experienced any typical early pregnancy symptoms like nausea or vomiting, and thanks to her mother’s diligent care after she found out, she was largely comfortable. Only close to her due date did she start her maternity leave. Three months after the birth of her baby, she started going back to work gradually.

Moreover, courtesy of Cheng Ye’s understanding and care during all these years, she was able to maintain both her family and her job.

However, there was no need for her to share any of this with the Yan family, and she didn’t want to either.

Lady Yan realized that Zhu Qianying was not willing to share more, and understood that she saw the Yan family as strangers.

However, even with that knowledge, she was powerless.

After all, her own son was the one who wronged Zhu Qianying first; it would not be excessive for her to be hostile towards them.

Moreover, her attitude now was actually quite pleasant!

"The child was born naturally, right?"

After testing Zhu Qianying a few times, Lady Yan had a pretty good idea about her boundaries and hesitations. Therefore, she tried to steer away the topic to the baby.

"Yes, that’s correct!"

"No wonder then. They say children born naturally tend to be particularly bright! When he was born, he must have been a big fat baby, right? Yan Han was over eight pounds at birth. I’m guessing your baby was not much smaller."

Lady Yan had been curious about this for a long time.

"Yes, he too was over eight pounds, a plump, fair, and chubby baby."

While talking about her baby, Zhu Qianying had a sudden thought. She took out her iPad from her bag, opened a certain folder, and handed it to Lady Yan.

"You might want to take a look at this, Auntie. Here are photos sorted by date. Feel free to browse and copy any that you like."

Lady Yan looked at her, "I can look at all of it?"

Zhu Qianying nodded, "Of course. There are no trade secrets in here."

She deliberately misinterpreted Lady Yan’s words. Seeing her response, Lady Yan could not help but smile.

If she could freely view all her pictures, could it mean that Zhu Qianying didn’t have a boyfriend all this while?

However, her hopes were quickly dashed after she started viewing the pictures. Yan Han, who came over to look at the pictures with her, went through a similar emotional journey.

Only, his emotions were more intense than Lady Yan’s.