He immediately bent down, scooped Wang Yuyan into his arms, and carried her over to the single sofa in the living room.
Jiang Cheng swept his gaze across the room and quickly formed a rough picture of the apartment Wang Yuyan had rented.
It was a classic one-bedroom, one-living-room layout, the space feeling a little cramped.
Though small, the place was spotlessly clean.
Every item inside was arranged with obvious care.
She had turned these few dozen square meters into a stylish little haven.
In the living room, a simple sofa sat in the corner, draped with soft cushions.
Beside it stood a small coffee table holding a few magazines and a remote control.
Next to the living area was the dining space; a single-place table, covered with a crisp white cloth, looked neat and tidy.
Beside the table, a sideboard displayed various utensils and wine glasses.
In the bedroom, a large bed took center stage, fitted with a plush mattress and cozy bedding.
A wardrobe stood in the corner.
The whole apartment was simple yet tasteful; every detail reflected Wang Yuyan's thoughtfulness and refinement.
Jiang Cheng couldn't help but sigh—worthy of a senior concierge at a luxury hotel.
That day, the outdoor temperature in Shanghai fluctuated between 4 °C and 10 °C.
Fortunately, it was noon, the warmest part of the day.
The city had not yet entered the coldest stretch of winter.
Located on the coast, Shanghai enjoyed a distinctive maritime climate.
Compared with the biting cold of the north, its winters were relatively mild.
Still, even here, flurries of snow could drift down.
Wang Yuyan's rented flat clearly had no under-floor heating, and the surrounding buildings offered no windbreak.
At sixteen floors up, when deep winter arrived, the icy wind would slice straight through the walls.
Wang Yuyan hugged Jiang Cheng tighter. "I… don't want to work anymore."
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng's heart sank, and he opened the Character Scanning System on her.
[Name: Wang Yuyan]
[Age: 24]
[Height: 165 cm]
[Appearance: 89]
[Figure: 94]
[Privacy: 1]
[favorability value: 92]
Although her role as a senior concierge was somewhat like property management, it was still within a hotel; coupled with what she had just said, Jiang Cheng couldn't help overthinking.
Seeing that her privacy value hadn't changed, Jiang Cheng exhaled in relief.
Thank goodness it wasn't that kind of problem.
The moment such a thought crossed a man's mind, his metaphorical blade was already half-drawn.
Patting her back, Jiang Cheng said softly, "I asked you before—if you don't want to work, then don't. Don't forget, you still have me."
They had discussed her career before.
Back then, Jiang Cheng had made it clear he could find her something better—or simply support her.
But Wang Yuyan couldn't imagine what else she could do.
She sighed inwardly; she knew how good Jiang Cheng was to her, yet she had her own pride and persistence.
She didn't want to depend on him completely; she wanted a job of her own, something that proved her worth.
With a gloomy expression she murmured, "I know, but what can I actually do?"
"If you don't know, then don't. Stay with me—why would you need to work?" Wang Yuyan went on, "It's my Stepmother… she says she's coming to see me."
That made Jiang Cheng frown. "You and your stepmom don't get along?"
Wang Yuyan nodded, a bitter taste welling up inside.
Before she could continue, Jiang Cheng knew it would be a sad story.
Divorce itself was already painful.
Even worse when children were involved and a parent remarried.
Could two broken families, four wounded hearts, really form a happy one?
While some blended families did thrive, most children raised in them carried psychological scars into adulthood.
Wang Yuyan parted her lips and spoke slowly, "Our situation is complicated. All these years, my Stepmother and I have never gotten along; she never liked me…
At that, her eyes glistened with tears, her voice catching: "When my parents divorced I wasn't even three. Grandma said they fought every other day, smashing the house apart, until they finally split. My brother was still little, so Mom took him and I stayed with Dad."
By now tears were streaming down her cheeks; she could barely speak.
Jiang Cheng said nothing, but the arm holding her tightened instinctively.
He gently stroked her silky hair, then bent and pressed a soft kiss to her smooth, jade-like forehead.
"For the first few years I lived with Grandma. When school started, Dad took me to the town and I learned he'd remarried and had another son. Life became hard from the moment I entered my Stepmother's house."
"She had her own child and treated me coldly, sometimes even hitting me. From first grade on, she made me wash my clothes by hand while theirs went into the machine—she said she was afraid I wasn't clean enough…"
The memory ignited a blaze of anger in Jiang Cheng's chest.
He could understand a Stepmother favoring her own child, but such blatant cruelty was nauseating.
"Your dad didn't know?" Jiang Cheng frowned, eyes flashing with disbelief.
Wang Yuyan gave a small nod. "He knew. He left early for work and came back late, so he had little time. Even when I told him, he just told me to endure and listen to my Stepmother."