"Well, you men must prefer someone like Anne, right? Independent and strong at some times, but
weak and fragile at other." Rose curled her lips, seemingly convinced of her own opinion.
"Not exactly." Mark turned to look at Rose seriously.
"You're right. Different people think differently. Let's go," Rose said.
At the baby products shop.
The shelves were packed with milk powder for babies, baby clothes, and feeding bottles.
The shop was decorated in a way that gave it a childish look.
"Hello, what can I do for you?" the shop assistant asked with a smile.
Anne walked very carefully. It was her second pregnancy, so she knew what to buy.
"Can you direct me to the newborn area? Specifically related to babies younger than a year old," Anne
said gently.
"Oh, you already know what to buy? Good! You are already doing better than most of our customers
who have no idea what to buy." Anne felt a little embarrassed when she heard the shop assistant's
compliment.
"I already have a son, so I know a little. Before him, I was also clueless," Anne said.
The shop assistant's mouth was wide open in surprise. Then she quickly said, "I see. I didn't expect
that you already had a child. You look so young! You must love your husband very much."
"Why do you say so?" Anne asked in confusion. Did she love Kevin very much?
Or was it just because she was pregnant with his child?
"Look, you are still so young, but you're willing to give up your career for him and give him another
child. So, you must love him very much, right?" the shop assistant said enthusiastically.
Hearing this, Anne was at a loss for words. She unconsciously touched a cute hat for babies, and a
faint smile appeared on her lips.
"I'd like to buy this one." Anne saw a pink baby pajama. It had a pleasant pink color and felt soft and
smooth.
However, the shop assistant suggested, "You still don't know if it's a boy or a girl, right? You shouldn't
buy this in a hurry. Why don't you buy toys or something else?"
"No, I want this." Anne was adamant.
"All right. Remember, this is only for girls. I'll pack it up for you."
At this time, Anne was lost in thought. When she saw pink clothes, she thought it would be great if she
had a daughter.
Having children felt life-extending one's own life.
"I'm sorry." When Anne was lost in thought, someone bumped into her accidentally. The man
apologized and broke her trance, bringing her back to reality.
"Be careful! This lady is pregnant. What if you hurt her?" the shop assistant complained.
A faint smile appeared on Nicholas Si's lips, and he reached out his hand to Anne.
Anne looked at him carefully. She found his smile aggressive and unfriendly. So she didn't take his
hand.
"What? Are you unwilling to forgive me, madam?" Nicholas Si asked.
He looked sad. It seemed like he was sad because Anne refused to forgive him.
"No, It's not that. I just don't like physical contact with strangers," Anne said bluntly.
"I... see," Nicholas said, feeling a little off guard.
After saying that, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and put it in Anne's palm. "Madam, can
you shake hands with me now?"
"Sorry, I'm not feeling well. I'm leaving now." Anne turned around to get the pajama that the shop
assistant had just packed.
Then she went straight away.
Nicholas Si stared at her back for a long time before walking in the completely opposite direction. The
shop assistant looked at them and murmured, "What's going on?"
The road was filled with people going on about their business. No one was aware of what was going on
in Anne's mind. Clutching the bag tightly in her hand, she did not look very well.
Anne's intuition told her that meeting that man was no coincidence. And her guts had never lied to her.
A car followed her as she walked down the street. She was so preoccupied that she didn't notice until it
stopped right in front of her.
She could faintly see Kevin's silhouette from the window.
His lips were curled. Clearly he was vexed with her. His eyes were full of concern, though.
"Why are you here?" asked Anne. She opened the door, sat on the seat, and fastened the seat belt.
"I finished the work early, so I came to see you after work," Kevin said and started the engine.
"I see." Anne lowered her head and seemed like she was in deep thought.
"Are you feeling sick recently?" Kevin asked.
"A little." Anne wanted to say that she was fine, but she suddenly began feeling sick again.
"Then let's eat fish. Fish is good for pregnant women." Without asking for her opinion, Kevin stepped
on the gas and directly drove towards a seafood restaurant.
In the fish restaurant.
The restaurant was tastefully decorated with light colors. The scent of oceanic breeze, blooming
flowers, and hot food intermingled together and gave the restaurant a distinct fragrance.
The smell was good enough to awake Anne's appetite. For the past few days, she felt that her appetite
kept on declining. But the smell from the restaurant, unexpectedly, awoke the once sleeping hunger
inside.
"This way, please." The waiter led the way.
After Kevin helped Anne sit down, the waiter handed them the menu.
"Two fish soups." After ordering, Kevin put down the menu.
"Okay."
"How's the company doing?" Anne always pretended not to care about Kevin and the company;
nevertheless, she remained worried.
"Fine. Your last check-up was a few days ago as I was busy and couldn't take you. So, we will go for
another check-up this Sunday," Kevin said in an irrefutable tone.
Anne laughed and said, "Kevin, you are too nervous. I'm fine, really. I should just stay at home; a
check-up this frequent is unnecessary."
"No, I want to make sure our baby is fine." As Kevin spoke, he reached out and took Anne's hand.
His hands had a particular warmth to them, the kind that made Anne feel warm inside out.
She knew that she couldn't dissuade Kevin. She also hoped for the baby's wellbeing, so she didn't
insist.
"I met a strange man today." Thinking of Nicholas Si's eyes, Anne frowned.
"What's wrong?" Kevin was instantly alarmed.
"I met this weird guy at the shop today. He came to a baby products shop without his child or even his
wife. He just bumped into me and walked away without buying anything."
"I'll check it out." Kevin's cold tone was quite the contrast with his warm face.
"Don't bother. It's not like I'm going to meet him again," Anne said calmly.
Even if that man had bad intentions, it wouldn't matter as Anne wasn't planning on leaving the house
often with her pregnant belly. So the chances were thin.
In the CY Group.
The CEO's office had a transparent glass with a bluish tint. The tint reduced the transparency
significantly, and one could only see silhouettes.
Inside the office, a man oozing with arrogance faced the window, and behind him stood another man
reporting something.
"The weakest part of the AN Group is their raw material supply chain. They re-check every raw material
shipment when it goes out for sale. Getting our people inside would be nearly impossible. Do you want
to reconsider? Are we really gonna fight the AN Group? I suggest giving up for now and targeting
someone weaker."
After listening to the report, Nicholas Si nodded slightly. He turned his face, and the man reporting to
him could only see the side of his face.
Nicholas Si was studying an abstract painting and smiled after hearing the report.
"Go and call the director over. I want to have a talk with him about the company's work."
Five minutes later, the director came in. When he saw Nicholas Si, he greeted respectfully, "Mr.
Nicholas."
"Well, you know that I'm going to deal with the AN Group, don't you?" Nicholas Si asked.
"Yes. I'm well aware of the operation. But I would suggest placing it on hold for now. Even though our
company is expanding at an incredible pace, we are still not powerful enough to take the AN Group on.
For now, we should only focus on those new companies with a lot of loopholes to take advantage of."
The director gave his analyzed opinion.
Nicholas Si smiled and said, "I know what you mean. What you are trying to say is that I'm being too
greedy, right?"
"No, Mr. Nicholas!" The director looked up, with a flash of panic in his eyes.
"No point denying it. I don't think there's anything wrong with that analysis." Nicholas Si gave him a
mystery filled smile.
Then he continued, "But if we don't work hard, our company will end up in the red. When my
grandfather established this company, he had only had butt-loads of courage in his pocket. He made a
move, and here we stand about to fight with a company perceived as the nobility of this era. This
company doesn't need those who back off at the slightest problem, but those who dare. Am I clear?"
Nicholas Si's tone became harsher and steadier with each word he said. It was almost like he was
daring them to refute.
Like an ophidian, he stared at the director, watching, waiting for him to flinch, so that he could bite him
out.
The director was frightened and nodded like a chicken. "Yes, Mr. Nicholas."
"I know that you don't have a good plan now. It doesn't matter. I will think about it. After all, not many
people in the company have the guts. You can go now," Nicholas Si said.
He watched the director go out with disdain in his eyes.
In fact, he knew that the people in the company were unreliable. He just wanted to frighten them, and
he had work out the plan himself.
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