Although it wasn't Ni PingSen who paid her salary, he was Jason's father-in-law, and Aunt Qian had been here long enough to see how much Jason cared for Emma. With how much he spoiled his wife, Aunt Qian didn't dare to neglect Ni PingSen.
Emma was a bit surprised: "Is Dad the one cooking?"
"Yes, these past few days I've wanted to cook, but Mr. Ni insists on finding something to do, not wanting to be idle. Jason pays me, how could I let your dad cook for me?"
Aunt Qian wasn't the type of nanny to shirk work; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to work here for so long.
Emma chuckled and whispered, "My dad used to run a restaurant; his cooking must be delicious, right?"
Aunt Qian was amused by her expression but still nagged, "I know Mr. Ni's cooking is good, but I can't keep letting him cook for me."
"Okay, I'll talk to Dad," Emma said with a smile.
At that moment, Jason came downstairs, his hair damp, looking like he had just taken a shower in the morning. Seeing him enter the kitchen, Aunt Qian quickly found an excuse to leave.
Once she was gone, Jason embraced Emma from behind, kissing her neck, his voice a bit hoarse from a hangover as he asked, "Why didn't you stay in bed with me longer?"
"Can't you sleep without me?" Emma looked back at him.
Jason, fresh from his shower, carried the light scent of body wash, even his lips were rosy, somewhat resembling a strawberry glistening with morning dew. Soft and tempting, just begging to be bitten.
If Jason knew what she was thinking at that moment, he would have been both amused and exasperated. But Emma not only thought it, she actually wanted to take a bite.
Seeing her silent, Jason asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Emma chuckled softly, shaking her head gently in his arms, "Nothing."
As Jason was about to look at what she was frying, Emma quickly leaned in, first kissing his lips and then biting them gently but not too softly.
Jason was caught off guard by her bite.
But Emma seemed not to have had enough teasing, actually reaching out to touch his lips, "They're a bit soft."
Now Jason's eyes darkened.
Emma was completely unaware at this moment, finding the sensation truly comfortable, and couldn't help but want to touch them again.
One shouldn't touch a tiger's behind, but what about Jason's lips?
As her finger touched them again, suddenly Jason's lips opened, gently biting and licking her finger.
That gentle lick was incredibly sensual.
It was then that Emma realized something was amiss; what were they doing so early in the morning? She quickly turned around to continue frying the bacon in the pan.
"I'm making breakfast for you," Emma said dryly.
They were standing so close that Emma could feel the rising heat from him. As Jason leaned down to kiss her, his tongue lightly swept over her lips and tongue, carrying a scorching breath.
Emma was a bit anxious because there was still food frying in the pan beside her. She managed to squeeze out a few words from her mouth, "Pan... the pan."
Jason's tongue lightly entwined with her lips and tongue, while his other hand calmly reached over and clicked off the gas stove.
Then came the meticulous and lingering kiss, tenderly and teasingly as if weaving a net around Emma, from which she couldn't escape. She tilted her head back, enduring this sweet and bone-melting kiss.
A morning kiss.
Yet it was gentle, passionate, and carried an impure flavor.
When Jason finally licked her corner of the mouth, their lips finally pulled away a little, his nose tip gently touching hers. Both of their breaths were a bit disordered. When he spoke, his voice was even hoarser than before, "But I want to eat you..."
Emma looked up, her eyes now a bit red, whether from the kiss or something else, she looked at him and said, "How can you be so..."
So sensual.
"The fried eggs you made taste good," Jason said calmly, seeing her blush.
Emma's eyes widened instantly.
Jason was amused by her reaction and kissed her again.
Emma lifted her chin towards the outside, "You go out first, don't disturb me."
This time, Jason really went out obediently and waited outside for breakfast.
Actually, Emma didn't make much, just simple things like fried eggs, bacon, and sandwiches, as they were easy to make and time-saving.
"Are you going to work today?" Jason asked her, sitting across the table.
Emma nodded, "Yes, my vacation is over, I'm officially going back to work."
He picked up the glass of milk in front of him and raised it towards Emma, his voice filled with warmth, "I hope your first day back at work is pleasant."
Seeing him holding the milk glass so ceremoniously, Emma was instantly amused.
She picked up her glass and clinked it with his, "Thank you."
Afterward, the two finished breakfast, changed their clothes, and prepared to leave for work. Emma still drove her Audi A4, which had been taken out by the driver, Old Xu, for maintenance and was in perfect condition.
Before leaving, Jason hooked her waist, leaned down, and kissed her, "Call me if anything happens."
As he was about to let go, he suddenly turned back and added, "You can call even when there's nothing."
Emma laughed out loud.
Emma was going to report to the Shanghai branch of Xinhua News Agency this time. The agency had given her a half-month vacation upon her return to the country, which was also because she had come back from abroad. Otherwise, a regular vacation wouldn't be this long.
Although it was a transfer arranged by the agency, Qiao Muheng still personally wrote a letter of recommendation for Emma. After all, she had initially succeeded in the interview in Beijing, and now coming to the Shanghai branch was like parachuting in.
When she arrived at the newspaper office, Emma was delayed at the entrance for a while because she didn't have a parking pass, and then she drove in.
She entered the lobby and told the receptionist that she was looking for Team Leader Xue Yujie.
He was the head of the economic team, and Emma was still joining the economic team, which was her old profession. The receptionist quickly contacted Xue Yujie and then told her that Team Leader Xue was waiting for her on the sixth floor.
When Emma took the elevator to the sixth floor, as soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she saw a huge open office area, very similar to the office she used to work in at the Huimin Daily.
It was not yet office hours, and there were quite a few people walking around.
Emma looked around, about to ask someone where Team Leader Xue was, when suddenly a relaxed voice called out, "Jingxi."
She turned her head and saw a man wearing a light pink shirt, waving at her with a smile.
Emma had to admit that there was definitely a hint of surprise on her face.
The man walked over, stretched out his palm in mid-air, and said, "Hello, I'm Xue Yujie."
Emma immediately reached out and shook his hand, "Hello, I'm Emma."
After Xue Yujie released his hand, he put his hands in his pockets, looking very dashing and asked with a smile, "Didn't expect me to look like this, did you?"
Emma slightly raised her eyebrows, feeling genuinely speechless for the first time.
After all, Xinhua News Agency is perceived by everyone as a heavy and historical institution, exuding a sense of seriousness and maturity. Yet, the deputy head of the economic team at the Shanghai branch, such an important position, was actually held by a delicate and handsome young man.
Emma indeed didn't expect that.
"I understand, everyone is always surprised when they first see me," Xue Yujie's face revealed a faint smile, and there was even a hint of melancholy, "A bit too unique, can't blend in with the crowd."
If Emma was just surprised by his appearance a moment ago, then she was genuinely astonished by his shamelessness at this very second.
"Let's go, I'll show you around our newspaper office first," fortunately, Xue Yujie didn't continue to show off but said seriously.
Emma didn't say anything and followed him.
Xue Yujie was indeed interested in her experiences in Israel, and as they walked and talked, it was Xue Yujie who kept asking Emma questions.
"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you, the agency really values your photo. This year, whether it's domestic or international journalism awards, you have a great chance to compete," Xue Yujie looked at her with a smile, his face full of "I really believe in you."
Emma, however, nodded indifferently, "Thank you."
Seeing no excitement on her face, Xue Yujie asked with a light smile, "Why, aren't you excited?"
"I am," Emma said earnestly.
She wasn't someone who was detached from worldly affairs; if she could achieve significant success in her work, she would definitely be very happy and excited. But whenever she thought about the story behind that photo, her excitement would come to an abrupt halt.
After all, it was a life drenched in blood.
Xue Yujie asked with interest, "I think if you keep going, you will definitely become a world-renowned journalist in the future. Why didn't you keep going?"
Although these words were not pleasant to hear, they were the truth.
Compared to ordinary journalists, war correspondents are much more likely to gain significant attention in the midst of war, whether because of the dangerous nature of their work or the content they can report, which is more likely to attract people's attention.
And for someone like Emma, who took a photo like "LIVE" that attracted worldwide attention, it was a dream for some war correspondents.
Not everyone cares about those tragic fates and the suffering that ordinary people have to endure. Perhaps they just want to achieve themselves by consuming such suffering.
Emma thought about it, she didn't necessarily have to answer this question, but she still said, "When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."
Xue Yujie was stunned.
Emma slowly walked forward; in fact, she had been suffering from terrible insomnia for a while, and every time she closed her eyes, her mind was filled with the immense noise of explosions.
When she was up close with war, the war also planted a shadow in her heart.
Soon after their tour, Xue Yujie took her back.
"The editor-in-chief is not in the office today. I'll take you to meet him when he's back. For today, you'll just meet the other colleagues," Xue Yujie said.
When he led Emma to the economic group's office area, he clapped his hands.
"Everyone, this is our new colleague Emma. I'm sure you've all heard of her. We're all colleagues now. Although Jingxi is very capable, she's new here, so you all need to help her out."
After he finished speaking, Emma took the initiative to greet everyone: "Hello, everyone."
Everyone greeted her one by one. Although they hadn't heard the news, they were all familiar with her. After all, her previous photo had caused a great sensation, with the photo's global views already exceeding hundreds of millions of times.
Moreover, Emma's background was also very eye-catching, being the crown princess of Hengya Group.
Just this alone made countless girls envious, jealous, and resentful.
Working with such a celebrity, it was inevitable that everyone would be curious and scrutinizing.
Until Emma sat down at her desk, a young girl next to her whispered, "Hello, my name is Song Yu."
She was the youngest girl in the entire group and looked to be about the same age as Emma.
Emma smiled at her, and just as she was about to speak, Xue Yujie called them into the conference room for a meeting, and everyone grabbed their notebooks and went in.
Xue Yujie looked around and was about to ask when the door was suddenly pushed open.
Standing at the door was a slender and graceful woman, who smiled softly at everyone in the conference room the moment she opened the door: "Sorry, there was traffic on the road."
Emma looked up and was immediately stunned.
Wen Tang was originally smiling, but when her gaze met Emma's, her expression immediately darkened.
She didn't expect to see Emma here.
Both were a bit surprised, but Wen Tang quickly composed her expression and found a seat by the door. Emma, holding a pen, twirled it around her notebook and suddenly shook her head with a smile.
Xue Yujie called the meeting because there was an Asian Economic Joint Forum in Shanghai the day after tomorrow, and they needed to send someone to cover it.
"This is a forum about the Asian economic situation. It's the first large-scale forum meeting held in Shanghai this year. Not only are there many participating departments, but there are also many big names, with economic leaders from various countries in attendance. Our agency naturally has a quota, and this time we can not only follow up on the report but also do a special report."
Anyway, it was a great opportunity, and everyone was very excited.
However, such major events were usually given to senior journalists in the newspaper office, and everyone couldn't help but look at a male journalist in his forties and Wen Tang. Although Wen Tang had just arrived last year, she had always been at ease in the Shanghai news circle.
Although everyone had heard about her situation at the Huimin Daily, her family's connections were strong, and without the Huimin Daily, she directly entered Xinhua News Agency.
On the contrary, it was a step up, because Wen Tang's style in the newspaper office was as high-profile as ever.
She really didn't expect that after all the twists and turns, she would end up in the same newspaper office as Emma again.
This time she sneered, even if Emma had someone to back her up, how could she, Wen Tang, be easily bullied? Wen Tang thought of her boyfriend she had just started dating at the beginning of the year.
She couldn't help but puff out her chest; she was not afraid of Emma.
Wen Tang had already gotten the news about this forum and had always thought it was in the bag, just waiting for Xue Yujie to announce it.
Everyone was discussing until Xue Yujie casually threw out a sentence: "I think this opportunity is rare. Many of the older members of the group have been there before, so let Jingxi take the lead this time."
There was a trick to this interview group because they would participate in the journalist Q&A, so the journalist who asked the questions was the leader.
Generally speaking, this was something Wen Tang would do.
So when everyone heard Emma's name, they didn't know whether to look at Emma or Wen Tang first.
Someone next to her said, "Team leader, I don't have a problem, but Emma just started reporting today. She's new to the newspaper office. For such a big event, it shouldn't be arranged for her to go, right?"
This complaint, it's not clear who it's for.
Xue Yujie anticipated that someone would be (discontented) and said calmly, "Newcomer? When she was interviewing on the battlefield, you were all sitting in the office. Afraid her voice recorder won't be steady?"
His words made everyone shut up.
In the end, it was Xue Yujie who made the final decision and settled on Emma.
As for the others, a few more people were selected to form an interview group with her.
When the meeting was over, Emma was walking at the back, and Xue Yujie said with a smile, "You want to ask me why I'm sending you, right?"
Emma looked at him.
Until Xue Yujie said, "I heard that the president of Hengya Group will also attend the forum. If our agency can do an exclusive interview with him, wouldn't that be getting the first-hand news?"
Emma then realized that Xue Yujie was really showing how thick-skinned he could be.
"What if I don't want to?" Emma asked indifferently.
"Sometimes having connections isn't shameful. As long as you have a good interview, that's all that matters," Xue Yujie didn't get angry but instead stopped in his tracks.
He looked at Emma with a smile and said, "If Jason were my husband, I'd go."
Emma felt for the first time like she was being outplayed by someone. After Xue Yujie left with a smile, she turned to head to her desk. Unexpectedly, Wen Tang was waiting for her along the way.
Wen Tang took a deep breath, forced a smile onto her face, and greeted her proactively: "Jingxi."
Seeing Emma again stirred up a whirlwind of complex emotions within her; of course, she couldn't possibly like her, but she was no longer the same Team Leader Wen who had once overshadowed Emma.
Emma nodded indifferently: "Hello."
She might not like Wen Tang, but since they had crossed paths again, she wouldn't deliberately target her, even if she couldn't call this unexpected encounter fate.
Wen Tang looked at her, slightly lifting her chin: "Let's talk."
Her gaze swept over Emma without any reservations. Although she knew she couldn't ( means "suppress" or "dominate") Emma anymore, she was still unwilling to let go of her so-called dignity.
Beneath her smiling facade, she remained as condescending as ever.
After hearing this, Emma couldn't help but let out a derisive laugh. She looked at Wen Tang: "I don't think there's anything for us to discuss. Let's just be ordinary colleagues from now on."
Wen Tang's face immediately showed a hint of annoyance. She glanced back and lowered her voice: "Ordinary colleagues? But as soon as you arrived, you took away my interview opportunity. Isn't that a bit immoral?"
Wen Tang had already gotten wind of the economic forum and had been vying for the opportunity in front of Xue Yujie.
However, although Xue Yujie was not old, he was extremely meticulous in his actions, neither promising her the opportunity nor outright refusing her. At that time, Wen Tang thought about it and felt confident in her chances, as the only other competitor was a male journalist, but she had the advantage in appearance.
For such a large event, the journalist sent out had to be presentable in both looks and ability.
Wen Tang felt she had the best chance.
But she didn't expect Emma to report in today, and Xue Yujie didn't care that she had just started working, directly handing her such an important task.
Really, Wen Tang was still fuming inside.
However, Wen Tang didn't dare to treat Xue Yujie the way she had treated her former boss, Old Liu, at the Huimin Daily. Xue Yujie appeared amiable on the surface, but his methods of controlling his subordinates were extremely effective.
When Wen Tang first arrived, she still put on a high-and-mighty attitude, relying on her strong background and some fame.
But Xue Yujie didn't indulge her in this behavior and eventually brought her to heel.
"Immoral..." Emma repeated the word, then suddenly smiled at Wen Tang: "So did Team Leader Xue promise you the interview before?"
Wen Tang remained silent.
Of course not; if he had, she would have exploded right there in the conference room.
Emma raised an eyebrow and let out a light laugh: "Wen Tang, do you know what your biggest problem is?"
Wen Tang looked at Emma, the fake sweet smile she had managed to maintain just moments ago now completely gone.
"You're still so unteachable, relying on nothing but your family background. You think this interview opportunity is naturally yours, but have you ever considered that we're not your parents, and we don't have to indulge you."
Emma looked directly at Wen Tang; setting aside their past grievances, just this interview opportunity had once again put the two of them at odds.
Emma certainly wouldn't give up the interview just because of a few words from Wen Tang.
But she also didn't want to carry the burden of blame.
Wen Tang's face turned ashen: "How dare you say that?"
Emma looked at her coldly: "Based on everything you've done all along."
Wen Tang, relying on her family's connections and deep background in the news circle, had managed to rise in status even after the scandal at the Huimin Daily. Instead of being affected by the scandal, she thrived even more.
It was this family background that gave Wen Tang the audacity to act as if everything was hers by right.
Emma glanced at her and then turned to leave.
Wen Tang's face was livid. She had previously wondered why she hadn't gone to a bigger newspaper and had insisted on staying at the Huimin Daily. It was because she wanted to quickly rise to the position of team leader, which was easier to manipulate at a newspaper like the Huimin Daily.
But she never expected everything to be ruined by Emma.
If it weren't for trying to outshine Emma, why would she have taken on that follow-up report on campus food?
Wen Tang looked at her retreating figure with a gaze full of resentment.
Emma returned to her seat and took a deep breath. She felt that her temper had indeed become more tolerant; she had actually managed to talk to Wen Tang for that long without losing her cool.
She was never the kind of soft and pliant person, to be kneaded and manipulated by others at will. She knew the principle of not offending petty people, but if someone really dared to do something, she would make them understand this time.
The world is not a place where everyone is her father, indulging her every step of the way.
At noon, when Emma went to the cafeteria for a meal, she had just finished getting her food and was about to sit down when Hua Zheng's call came through.
Emma sat down and answered the call.
Hua Zheng on the other end was already anxious to speak: "Jingxi, do you know? I just heard today that Wen Tang is also at Xinhua News Agency now."
"I've already seen her."
Hua Zheng was about to ask if she had seen Wen Tang, but Emma's words stopped her from speaking.
Hua Zheng let out a long breath: "No wonder they always say Wen Tang has deep family connections. If an ordinary person had committed such a thing, they wouldn't just be blacklisted by the media circle, they definitely wouldn't find a good job. Yet she can still go to an even better newspaper."
This was really unjust.
Emma chuckled lightly: "Did you call just to tell me this?"
Hua Zheng nodded: "Yes."
Emma knew she was concerned about her, said thank you, chatted for a while, and then hung up the phone.
Fortunately, in the afternoon, Emma was busy preparing materials for the economic forum interview. There were indeed many important figures attending this time; it was a grand event for the entire Asian region.
It wasn't until she returned home in the evening that she noticed the house was brightly lit.
After changing her shoes and entering, she found that Jason had arrived home before her. As she was about to speak, the man brought out a bouquet of flowers from behind his back and slowly walked towards her.
Emma was momentarily stunned, her mind racing to think if today was some kind of anniversary.
His birthday? It hadn't arrived yet.
Her birthday? Neither.
Their wedding anniversary? Definitely not.
Seeing her eyes slightly turning, as if she was troubled by something, Jason guessed her thoughts and smiled: "To congratulate my star on her first day at work going smoothly."
He presented the flowers, and when Emma reached out to hold them, she finally realized.
It was just to celebrate her first day at work.
Jason glanced to the side, quickly leaned down and pecked her on the lips, then immediately straightened up and called out towards the kitchen, "Dad, Jingxi is back."
Emma watched him stealthily kiss her and almost laughed.
He looked like he was afraid of being caught by Ni PingSen.
At that moment, Ni PingSen came out of the kitchen, wearing thick gloves and holding a small casserole, which seemed to contain soup.
Emma walked over and looked at the table full of dishes that were already prepared, asking in surprise, "Dad, did you make all this yourself?"
It was restaurant-level quality.
Visually appealing, fragrant, and delicious.
Ni PingSen looked at her with a smile: "Your dad used to run a Chinese restaurant."
After all, he had run a successful Chinese restaurant in Chinatown for so many years, so his culinary skills were definitely trustworthy.
Emma looked at the two of them, "It's just my first day at work, and you're making such a big deal out of it. I feel embarrassed."
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, it's just a meal," Ni PingSen took off the gloves he was wearing.
Jason proactively went into the kitchen to get the bowls and chopsticks. Emma watched him being obedient and sensible in front of her father-in-law and couldn't help but chuckle inside.
After the three sat down to eat, Emma realized that they hadn't had a meal together like this since they returned to their home country.
Ni PingSen sat next to Emma, constantly serving her dishes, as if afraid she wouldn't eat.
Until Emma said helplessly, "Dad, it's really enough, let me finish eating first."
After Emma said this, Ni PingSen stopped serving her.
In a short while, Jason looked up and slowly said, "Dad, my parents have known you returned to the country and have always wanted to meet you. So this weekend, if you're available, would you like to..."
Ni PingSen was, after all, Emma's biological father and had a proper affinity relationship with Jason's family.
As soon as he returned to the country, Jason told his parents. Zhong Lan was also happy for Emma, after all, there was finally someone in this world who shared her bloodline.