The Epoch of Miyu

After returning to the executive level, Xu Miyu quickly settled back into her work routine.

Everything seemed unchanged from before, yet everything had become different.

She felt her transformation was both internal and external. Her perspective on problems and herself had shifted fundamentally from the past.

She wanted to thank Ji Feng. During her time with him, she had developed the habit of reading and studying. This habit continued even after she left the penthouse.

Now she worked during the day, and after returning to the dormitory and having dinner in the evening, she would take out books to read, constantly learning and improving herself.

She increasingly discovered that reading not only expanded knowledge but also built inner confidence. Before, she had drifted through life muddle-headed, timid and lacking self-assurance, never daring to refuse anyone or say "no" to their demands. Day after day passed without any clear purpose.

But now, she seemed to have gradually defined goals.

Previously, she merely lived day by day, content with survival. Now her mindset had changed—she wanted to live better, more like a complete person.

She needed to work harder in her career, achieve some accomplishments, and become more assertive in life. She would no longer live as a blood supply for her natal family, nor seek validation and praise from others. From now on, she would live for herself and be her own person.

With goals came motivation. It wasn't until she reached thirty years old that she suddenly found the strength to strive diligently.

Reading alone could no longer satisfy her thirst for knowledge. She privately sought out academic offline training courses and online classes, pursuing learning through both channels.

She had expected such a packed schedule to be exhausting, but to her surprise, she found herself more energetic than during her student days. With clear life goals, even drizzling skies appeared blue to her. She felt every day was full of purpose now. No matter how busy, such days never felt tiring.

She rarely thought about the penthouse anymore. She knew that, relative to her, it represented another world beyond her reach—an unreal world for her. Having left that world, she should let it go and avoid dwelling on its details.

For instance, this year's autumn rainy season had extended its stay, refusing to retreat easily, and the rains persisted without interruption. During such continuously damp and drizzly days, had Ji Feng's insomnia improved recently? Was he finally able to sleep?

—Such concerns only crossed her mind briefly before she let them pass.

Everyone has their own way of living. Just as Ji Feng couldn't help her forever—she ultimately had to rely on herself for salvation, independence, and self-respect—she similarly couldn't assist his sleep forever. He needed to find his own methods for falling asleep. When he eventually married and had a wife, it would be his wife's role to read English to him for a lifetime, lulling him to sleep.

As for her? She wasn't that important. It didn't have to be her reading English to him. During all those autumn rainy seasons in the past when she didn't read to him, hadn't he managed to live perfectly well? So his insomnia wasn't something for her to worry about unnecessarily.

Thus, she decided to let go of the people and matters of the penthouse.

Only, Ke Wenxue and the others remained very curious, constantly trying to pry information from her about the penthouse.They were always eager to find out how she had managed to spend so many days with that Mr. Ji from the top floor—the one who kept everyone at a distance, who didn’t even allow the hotel butlers into his room, the one who was cold and aloof toward everyone, his handsome face always etched with mockery and disdain. How had she managed to come and go so calmly from the top-floor suite under his watchful eye without being kicked out ahead of time?

And after spending so many days up there, she had returned without missing any limbs, without having her legs broken, and without developing any psychological issues. In fact, she seemed even more radiant and spirited, her eyes shining with energy. None of this seemed to make any sense.

"So, Mi Yu, how did you manage to enter the tiger’s den and come out completely unscathed?"

Xu Miyu listened to Ke Wenxue and the others’ probing questions and skepticism, then smiled.

She told them with a laugh, "Actually, it’s nothing much. It’s just that some of the descriptions about Mr. Ji are rumors."

Ke Wenxue immediately asked, "So the part about Mr. Ji being difficult to get along with is a rumor?"

Xu Miyu shook her head calmly. "No, that part is true."

"..." Ke Wenxue and the other girls were left speechless.

"But the part about him possibly causing someone to lose limbs or break their legs—that’s the rumor," Xu Miyu added.

"So, in the end, he’s still a good person!" Ke Wenxue concluded once again.

"Well... I wouldn’t go that far. After all, the part about him easily causing psychological issues is very true," Xu Miyu supplemented.

"…………"

The twists and turns of this conversation left Ke Wenxue and the others so stunned they almost forgot what they had been curious about in the first place.

After a moment, Ke Wenxue said, "Mi Yu, I think this Mr. Ji is even more terrifying now!! Even though he doesn’t resort to physical violence, he can destroy people with his mind!" She patted her chest and continued, "Thank goodness you’re strong-willed and came back in one piece, both physically and mentally. Don’t worry, from now on, we’ll unite to protect you and make sure that terrifying Mr. Ji never gets another chance to summon you to the top floor to suffer his toxic influence!"

Xu Miyu knew that Ke Wenxue’s words were mostly exaggerated slogans. Still, she felt a bit touched and thanked her.

However, the "toxic influence" from the top floor arrived soon enough.

The next day, while Xu Miyu was at work, an unexpected visitor, Xue Rui, suddenly appeared in the office.

After exchanging a few words, Xu Miyu learned that Xue Rui had come downstairs specifically to find her.

As for the reason—

"Mi Yu, I need your help. Mr. Ji has been suffering from persistent insomnia these past few days. I’ve screened a bunch of people who read English like they’re chanting sutras, but none of them could lull him to sleep. Mr. Ji said their English reading was irritating and not at all hypnotic, so he sent them all away. In the end, there was no other choice, so I had to come to you for help."

"..." Xu Miyu thought to herself, so her English reading was the most hypnotic in the entire world?

For a moment, she didn’t know whether to be angry or amused.

"But I’ve returned to the executive level and am working normally now. I’m afraid I don’t have time to go upstairs anytime to hypnotize that picky gentleman."

After saying this, Xu Miyu felt a slight shock internally.

When had her courage grown so much that she dared to speak like this?

Still, it felt pretty good to joke about her true thoughts like this.Xue Rui quickly pulled an exquisite voice recorder from his suit pocket and handed it to Xu Miyu. "We've thought of that issue too, so Mi Yu, you don't need to go up personally. Just record some audio of you reading English in this, and that'll be enough!"

Xu Miyu widened her eyes as she accepted the recorder.

These top-floor VIPs really had their ways—it seemed insomnia hadn't made him foolish after all.

That evening when Xu Miyu returned to her dorm, she recorded several hours of English reading into the voice recorder.

The next day at work, Xue Rui came downstairs to collect the recorder.

Within half an hour of taking it, Xue Rui came back downstairs excitedly to tell Xu Miyu: "President Ji finally fell asleep! Mi Yu, you're truly the unique secret weapon that can make President Ji sleep!"

Xu Miyu listened and shook her head with a smile.

She hoped Ji Feng, who relied on her English reading audio to fall asleep, would now settle down. She hoped there would be no further connections between them.

She had a feeling—a woman's intuition—that continuing to be associated with the top floor and getting constantly involved would be a dangerous thing.

As for exactly how it would be dangerous, she couldn't explain. But she vaguely felt that everyone had their own boundaries. His boundary was above, hers was below. Forcing two different boundaries to cross and intersect felt forced and went against the natural order.

What good outcome could come from going against the natural order?

So she hoped there would be no further special connections between her and the person on the top floor.

However, her wish wasn't granted. Although Ji Feng no longer had trouble sleeping, he developed new peculiarities regarding meals.

It started when Xu Miyu overheard Ke Wenxue chatting with everyone during work break: "I heard from Li Kunlun that the biggest Buddha in our hotel's food and beverage department is retiring to rest at home."

Yin Xiang asked her: "The biggest Buddha? Who, Chef Chen?"

Ke Wenxue nodded: "Yes, Chef Chen. Apparently, he feels his body can't take it anymore—can't handle wok tossing—and absolutely refuses to continue working."

Yin Xiang said: "If it's health reasons, then we really can't force him to stay. But the other chefs in our F&B department are quite skilled too. If Chef Chen wants to go home, he should. It probably won't have much impact on the hotel."

Ke Wenxue wagged her finger: "Nonono, that's because Chef Chen's departure won't affect you, but it'll have a huge impact on certain people!"

The others quickly asked who would be affected and how it would be significant.

Ke Wenxue pointed upward and said: "Have you forgotten that distinguished Mr. Ji on the top floor?"

Xu Miyu, who had been looking down and flipping through forms, couldn't help but look up at this.

"That distinguished VIP among VIPs, Mr. Ji—I heard the reason he stays long-term at our hotel is because of Chef Chen's cooking skills. They say he's extremely picky—he'll only eat dishes prepared by Chef Chen, and nobody else's. Especially Chef Chen's signature braised beef—I heard Ji Feng once claimed that after tasting Chef Chen's braised beef, no one else in the world could get him to eat braised beef again unless they were a god."

Xu Miyu listened quietly, slightly stunned.

But he had eaten quite a lot of the braised beef she made, and seemed to really enjoy it?

Did that make her a god?

"So now that Chef Chen is retiring, this Mr. Ji will probably have to check out and leave too, right?" Yin Xiang asked.Ke Wenxue nodded: "Most likely, since there's no reason left to stay. I heard from Li Kunlun that Chef Chen has been busy with the handover these past two days and hasn't been cooking—the meals upstairs were prepared by other chefs. And that picky Mr. Ji, he's so particular that he literally couldn't eat a single bite. Li Kunlun said he used to be a good-looking, cool guy, but now he's practically starving himself into a gaunt, haggard state. It's really quite pitiful!"

The others clicked their tongues in sympathy, chiming in about how awful it was that he couldn't even eat.

Xu Miyu was immediately swayed by their words and started to feel sorry for this Mr. Ji too.

Luo Qingping spoke up from the side: "Pitiful? Have you all been brainwashed by capitalists? He's being served delicacies—if he chooses not to eat, whose fault is that? Here you are, eating pickled vegetables and radishes, worrying about someone feasting on crab and lobster. Don't you have anything better to do?"

Xu Miyu snapped back to reality.

Right—why would a commoner like her need to worry about an upper-class VIP? Was she really that idle?

She refocused and got back to work.

Everything returned to normal.

But just as her shift ended and she clocked out to head back to the dorm, Xue Rui intercepted her again.

The pleading on Xue Rui's face was even more intense than when he'd come asking for the audio last time: "Mi Yu, sorry, but I need to ask for your help again!"

Xu Miyu asked what he needed. She had a vague feeling she already knew—Ji Feng probably sent Xue Rui to request some Braised beef.

She looked up, listening as Xue Rui spoke with clear embarrassment: "It's... could you please come with me to buy a few pots?"

"..."

Xu Miyu never expected the request to be something like this.

Unable to resist the sheer desperation in Xue Rui's eyes, and remembering how this assistant had always looked out for her—often stepping in to deflect Ji Feng's sarcastic remarks—Xu Miyu agreed to his request.

Xue Rui took Xu Miyu into Ji Feng's car, the Rolls-Royce that exuded both class and exorbitant value. He instructed the driver to head to a members-only shopping supermarket.

Sitting in the car, Xu Miyu couldn't help thinking: if this vehicle knew it was being used to transport pots, it might feel a bit underutilized and displeased.

At the supermarket, Xue Rui fully revealed his incompetence in domestic matters. He had Xu Miyu choose every single pot, repeatedly emphasizing: "Mi Yu, make sure you pick ones that feel comfortable in your hands!"

Xu Miyu had no choice but to select a full set of cookware based on what felt right to her.

After buying the pots, she assumed the task was over and they could head back.

But once the pots were purchased, Xue Rui took her to buy rice, vegetables, meat, and various seasonings.

Looking at the overflowing shopping cart, Xu Miyu couldn't help asking: "Are you planning to start cooking? Is all this for you or for Mr. Ji?"

Her question seemed to fluster Xue Rui: "Neither..."

After a pause, he added almost sheepishly: "...It's for you."

"...???" Xu Miyu was stunned.

No wonder everything had to be bought according to what suited her.Xu Miyu asked with a mix of helplessness and amusement, "Do you want me to cook for your General Manager Ji? But doesn't he only eat Chef Chen's dishes?"

Xue Rui quickly explained, "Currently, aside from Chef Chen's meals, General Manager Ji can only eat your stewed meat. But Chef Chen was poached by another hotel, and General Manager Ji hasn't been able to eat properly for two days."

"Poached?" Xu Miyu asked in confusion. "Didn't he retire and go home?"

"That's what Chef Chen told the Siwei Hotel, but actually, he was lured away by another hotel with an absurdly high salary."

Xue Rui continued, "Sigh, General Manager Ji had just started sleeping decently thanks to your audio recordings, and now Chef Chen suddenly leaves. He's gone from not sleeping well to not eating well."

Xu Miyu was somewhat dismissive: "After all, General Manager Ji has been staying at the Siwei Hotel mainly because he loves Chef Chen's cooking. Since Chef Chen has been poached, why doesn't General Manager Ji just move to the hotel that poached him?"

Pushing the shopping cart with Xu Miyu toward the checkout counter, Xue Rui explained as they walked, "General Manager Ji can't leave the Siwei Hotel just yet. He's been staying there not only because of Chef Chen's skills but also because of other, more important matters."

Xu Miyu casually asked, "What other matters?"

As soon as she asked, she realized she might have overstepped and quickly added, "I was just asking in the flow of conversation, I didn't really mean to pry. You don't have to answer."

Xue Rui replied, "Hey, it's fine. We're asking for your help, after all—we want to keep you happy. The reason General Manager Ji needs to stay at the Siwei Hotel is a pretty big matter, but it's not the right time to talk about it yet. When the timing is right, General Manager Ji will step forward and announce it."

Announce.

That was quite a weighty word.

Xu Miyu wondered what kind of major event it could be, but if it warranted the word "announce," its revelation must be waiting for a very special, perhaps even solemn and grand, occasion.

Xue Rui pushed the shopping cart and joined the queue for checkout.

While waiting in line, Xu Miyu picked up two boxes of chocolates from a nearby shelf.

Xue Rui told her to put them in the cart so he could pay for them together.

Xu Miyu politely declined, "These are for me to eat, so I'll pay for them myself."

Seeing her insistence, Xue Rui didn't press further and simply said, "Most girls these days are afraid of gaining weight and don't dare eat high-sugar, high-calorie chocolates like these, but it seems you really enjoy them, Mi Yu."

Xu Miyu smiled and said, "They're amazing. They taste a bit bitter when you eat them, but there's sweetness in the bitterness. After eating them, I feel like I have more energy and become happier. And sometimes, when I don't have time to eat, having a bit of this quickly restores my energy."

Xue Rui enthusiastically responded, "That incredible? I'll have to let General Manager Ji try some sometime."

As they stood in line, Xue Rui said to Xu Miyu, "I'm currently trying hard to find a chef who cooks well, but until we find a new one that suits General Manager Ji's taste, we'll have to trouble you, Mi Yu, to cook for him for a few days. Don't worry, you won't be working for free—we'll pay you a daily wage at the chef level!"

The offer made Xu Miyu a little tempted."But am I really capable? Aside from making braised beef, I only know how to cook some home-style dishes. Your President Ji is used to eating top-tier delicacies—will he even be able to stomach the food I cook?" Xu Miyu asked with some uncertainty.

Xue Rui vouched for her cooking skills: "As long as your home-style dishes are made with the same level of care as your braised beef, the flavor will definitely be fine."

After the big shopping trip, Xu Miyu followed Xue Rui back to the hotel by car.

As soon as they arrived at the penthouse suite, Xu Miyu came face to face with Ji Feng, who was pacing restlessly in the living room.

When the two of them saw each other, they both seemed momentarily stunned.

It had been quite a few days since their last meeting. Seeing Ji Feng’s face again, Xu Miyu suddenly felt… like laughing.

Li Kunlun from the food and beverage department was absolutely right—Ji Feng, who hadn’t been eating properly, really did look a bit haggard now.

He was so hungry his eyes looked sunken.

His current state—pacing around irritably because he couldn’t get enough to eat—was exactly like a picky, bad-tempered little dog she had once raised when she was a child.

Thinking this, Xu Miyu suppressed a laugh.

She thought she had hidden it well, maintaining her usual expression—humble, cautious, and flawless.

There was a kitchen in the suite. Holding back her laughter, she prepared to carry the groceries in with Xue Rui.

But Ji Feng abruptly stopped her.

He began sarcastically, "Looking at your radiant appearance, it seems you’ve been doing quite well since leaving me and moving to the executive level?"

Xu Miyu quickly replied, "Thanks to your blessings, Mr. Ji."

Ji Feng ignored the pleasantry and suddenly changed his tone, his voice turning cold as he asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Xu Miyu was slightly taken aback, surprised that Ji Feng had seen through her calm expression to the laughter she was holding back. She quickly denied it: "I wasn’t laughing."

Ji Feng frowned. "No, you were laughing."

Xu Miyu continued to deny it: "I really wasn’t."

"I say you were laughing, so you were laughing," Ji Feng raised his voice, continuing to accuse her, his tone carrying an overbearing, authoritarian pressure.

Pushed to the edge by his unreasonable attitude, Xu Miyu couldn’t help but resist: "Do you have any evidence? Any video or photos to prove it? If not, then I wasn’t laughing."

But Ji Feng let out a mocking laugh, as if he had heard something ridiculous, and sneered coldly, "If I say you were laughing, then you were laughing. Why would I need evidence?"

Xu Miyu was almost genuinely angered into laughing. How could someone become so unreasonable when they were hungry?

"Fine then. If you insist I was laughing, then I was laughing. I was laughing at you—your eyes are sunken from hunger, yet you’re still picky and looking for trouble everywhere, just like a bad-tempered, picky little dog I once raised. So what?"

She said it all in one breath, and immediately felt a twinge of regret—afraid she had gone too far. But that was quickly overwhelmed by a wave of satisfaction.

She expected Ji Feng to fly into a rage at her words, but instead, he just chuckled and said, "Interesting."

For a moment, Xu Miyu couldn’t tell if he was being sincere or sarcastic.

"Truly interesting," Ji Feng said, curling his lips into a smile and clapping his hands lightly. "Just as expected—you only tell the truth when you’re provoked."

"…" So he had deliberately pushed her to the edge, forcing out her true thoughts.

Watching Ji Feng’s smug, triumphant smile, the corners of his mouth curved in their usual faint mockery, Xu Miyu really felt like hitting him over the head with a frying pan.Xue Rui had been standing by the door, watching the commotion with amusement, until a book thrown by Ji Feng smacked him in the face, abruptly ending his spectator mode.

"Enjoying the show that much?" Ji Feng asked Xue Rui irritably. "Was it entertaining?"

Xue Rui took the book with an ingratiating smile and said, "It's just that I've never seen anyone dare to banter with you like that and still be alive afterward!"

I just find it novel and amusing.

But seeing Ji Feng's icy expression, he didn't dare say this aloud, swallowing the words just in time.

Ji Feng gave him a cold sneer and suggested, "Why don't you try bantering with me too, and see how you end up dead afterward?"

Xue Rui quickly insisted he wouldn't dare, then hurriedly dragged Xu Miyu with him to hide in the kitchen.

While washing vegetables, Xu Miyu asked Xue Rui, "Is your boss always this moody?"

Xue Rui waved his hand. "To be precise, he's unpredictably angry, never happy." After a pause, he added, "Anyway, I've never seen Manager Ji truly laugh heartily over anyone or anything."

Xu Miyu's hands stilled momentarily at this.

There was actually someone who had never truly laughed heartily? Wasn't he even worse off than her?

Xu Miyu cooked a few of the most ordinary home-style dishes.

She brought them to the coffee table in the living room, arranging them one by one.

Ji Feng looked at the plain dishes with clear disdain.

"Why do they all look so ordinary?"

"..." Xu Miyu was speechless.

Did everyday food need to be so flashy?

Xu Miyu thought to herself, Do you want to hold a beauty contest for food or something?

Just then, the doorbell rang at the suite entrance.

Xue Rui said to Ji Feng, who was sitting on the sofa by the coffee table, "That should be the catering department with your meal, boss. I'll get it."

Xue Rui went to open the door, and sure enough, it was the routine delivery from the catering department.

For some reason, Xu Miyu didn't want to be seen by the delivery person, so she quickly retreated to the kitchen.

Li Kunlun pushed the meal cart inside and noticed several home-style dishes laid out on the coffee table before Ji Feng.

He whispered to Xue Rui, "Manager Ji won't even eat delicacies. Would he really eat those plain and unremarkable things?"

Xue Rui shrugged, but before he could speak, Ji Feng had already risen from the sofa, gesturing for Xue Rui to hand him a pair of chopsticks.

Then he sampled each of the exquisite delicacies Li Kunlun had brought, one by one.

But he only took one bite of each dish.

Then he frowned in clear distaste.

"All show and no substance. Not a single dish tastes good."

With that, he turned and walked back to the sofa, sat down, and studied the modest-looking home-style dishes.

He sighed, as if resigned, and picked up his chopsticks to try them.

Once the food entered his mouth... his brows unconsciously relaxed.

He took another bite, then another...

He actually began eating, one bite after another.

Watching this scene, Li Kunlun looked puzzled and surprised as he pushed the meal cart away.

Xue Rui observed Ji Feng's conflicted expression—trying hard to maintain his look of disdain while unable to stop himself from eating heartily—and felt exhausted on his behalf.

This man was so dishonest with his own feelings, pretending to be picky and disdainful when he clearly liked it. Sooner or later, he would suffer the consequences of being untruthful to himself.

That evening, Xu Miyu prepared some braised beef before leaving. The braised beef was for Ji Feng's breakfast and lunch the next day, and she would return after work to cook dinner personally.

The next day, as soon as Xu Miyu started her shift, she heard Ke Wenxue spreading gossip from Li Kunlun, saying that Ji Feng on the top floor was actually willing to eat now.

Someone immediately asked what kind of delicacies had finally awakened VIP Ji's taste buds.Ke Wenxue exclaimed, "You'd never guess—this Mr. Ji is actually eating ordinary home-style dishes! He's probably had his fill of delicacies and now finds simple meals delicious."

Someone teased, "It's like the emperor traveling incognito. After eating so many exquisite palace dishes, even a bowl of porridge cooked by a village girl tastes wonderful."

Another chimed in, "Exactly! And following that storyline, the emperor would surely take the village girl into his harem. By the way, who's cooking these home-style dishes for Ji Feng? Is he going to take her in?"

At this point, the group burst into giggles.

Though it was all in jest, Xu Miyu felt a shiver of anxiety hearing these jokes.

How could an emperor take a village girl into his harem just because of a bowl of porridge? Any village girl worthy of an emperor's attention would have to be beautiful and clever—certainly not someone whose only merit was basic cooking skills. Would an emperor be interested in an older, divorced woman?

The whole idea was utterly ridiculous.

These past few days, Ji Feng had been eating well and sleeping soundly, which greatly improved both his mood and energy levels.

Seizing the opportunity while his boss was in good spirits, Xue Rui asked, "Boss, we've been staying at Sway for quite some time now. When do you plan to officially announce the real reason we're here—that you're planning to acquire this hotel?"

Sipping his after-meal tea leisurely, Ji Feng replied, "Not yet. Let Wei Siyuan sweat a little longer. The more problems Sway reveals, the more bargaining power I'll have to drive down the price, won't I?"