Zhang Ling looked toward the car in the distance and said to Tang Xiaoxu, "Brother Xu, let’s chat again when you have time. Your boss is waiting for you."
Tang Xiaoxu did not want to keep his boss waiting too long, so he replied, "In a while, when we aren't quite so busy, I’ll take some time off and come back. We’ll meet up for a meal and catch up properly. It would be even better if you could bring your husband along."
"Alright."
The two bid each other farewell, and Tang Xiaoxu walked quickly toward his car. As he climbed into the driver's seat, he said to Mu Lingfeng, who was sitting in the passenger seat, "Boss, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting so long."
Mu Lingfeng said gently, "It’s fine. The clothes are bought. You can drive me home, then go home and check on your family before heading back to the farm. The fruit in the orchard is starting to ripen and ready for market; thank you for your hard work over the two days I’ve been away."
"You're too kind, Boss. That’s just part of my job."
Tang Xiaoxu responded as he started the engine.
"You can spend more time with your family while you're home, Boss."
"Mm, I expect I’ll stay for a few days. I still need to visit my other companies."
Mu Lingfeng figured that since he was going to be in the city for a few days, he might as well check in on his other businesses. Although all the companies under his name were under his control and the management teams were loyal, he had been an absentee boss for a while; he couldn't stay away forever.
If he didn't show his face for too long, people in the companies would forget he was the one in charge.
His father also wanted him to pay a visit to the Mu Group.
It was a family business, after all, and he couldn't just ignore it if they were running into trouble. In Mu Lingfeng’s view, whenever his father invited him to sit in at the Mu Group, it meant they had encountered a problem that required his help to resolve.
*Sigh*, being the eldest son and grandson meant an endless amount of worrying. And endless work.
"Don't you have to go on any blind dates, Boss?" Tang Xiaoxu quipped.
He knew that every time his boss returned to the city, he was hounded to go on blind dates.
"My grandmother and my mother have been very quiet lately. They haven't been pushing me to go on dates. I… oh, Xiaoxu, I think I forgot something."
"What is it?" Tang Xiaoxu was quite curious.
His boss had a great memory, except when it came to recognizing people—a mild case of face blindness. If the boss didn't see someone every day for three consecutive months, he couldn't remember their features.
He still remembered when he first met his boss: he would see him one day, and the next day, the boss would ask who he was. Sometimes, when they ran into each other, he would greet the boss, and the boss would look completely blank, wearing an expression that said, "Do I know you?"
It wasn't until they started seeing each other daily that the boss finally remembered what he looked like.
"I think... I got married."
Mu Lingfeng had truly forgotten he was married. The day he registered his marriage, his favorite horse—Cotton, a mare—was giving birth to a foal. He was so preoccupied with Cotton’s labor that after signing the papers, he rushed back to the farm and immediately got caught up in various matters. He had completely forgotten he even had a wife.
The couple hadn't even exchanged contact information.
Thinking about it now, he couldn't even remember his wife’s name; he only knew she was the daughter of the President of the Zhang Group.
His uncle and aunt had strongly recommended her, and his mother had finally relented and agreed to the match. He had been so annoyed by his family’s pressure to marry that, just to have some peace and quiet, he had brought his household registration book to the blind date that day.
As for what Miss Zhang looked like, Mu Lingfeng truly couldn't recall. In his eyes, she just had all the right facial features—not missing eyes or a nose. Whether she had any specific characteristics or was beautiful, he couldn't tell.
Blame his face blindness.
The blind date led straight to the marriage registry.
Later, his mother had told him he’d made a mistake, saying that although his wife was the President of the Zhang Group’s daughter, she was the eldest daughter from a former marriage and was not favored. Nobody in high society had ever even seen the President’s eldest daughter, and his mother claimed that marrying her would be of no help to him.
What kind of help did he need? He had inherited all of his great-grandmother’s wealth, and his own ventures were extremely successful. Even if he didn't inherit the Mu Group, his personal assets were nearly a hundred billion, almost on par with the entire Mu Group.
What he needed was peace and quiet, not to be squeezed and pressured into going on blind dates. As long as there was a name in the spouse column, that was enough.
The President of the Zhang Group’s eldest daughter was still his daughter. His mother had wanted him to marry the President’s daughter, and so he did.
Whether it was the eldest or the second daughter, it made no difference; they were both the President’s daughters.
Tang Xiaoxu was so shocked he nearly rear-ended the car in front. He steadied his nerves and asked, "Boss, you’re married?"
Mu Lingfeng looked quite troubled. "I remember I’m married, but I can’t recall my wife’s name for the moment, and I didn't memorize what she looks like either."
Tang Xiaoxu burst into laughter. "For you, Boss, that is perfectly normal."
Mu Lingfeng wasn't offended by his subordinate’s laughter. Yes, not remembering faces was indeed normal for him.
"Since you're married, Boss, you won't be pressured by your family anymore. You can focus on your business, which is great. Still, if there's a chance, you should bring the Madam over so we can all meet her, just so we don't end up passing each other on the street without knowing who she is."
Mu Lingfeng’s expression turned cold. "She might not be willing."
Tang Xiaoxu fell silent.
He knew his boss had grown up in the countryside. Even though he was the young master of the Mu family, people secretly called him the "country bumpkin boss," and the heiresses in the city were rarely interested in marrying him.
The farm was full of horses, cattle, sheep, chickens, dogs, ducks, and pigs; he feared a young socialite would find it all repulsive.
Mu Lingfeng didn't give his wife a second thought. His sudden marriage was purely for the sake of peace and quiet. If he didn't remember her, so be it. They hadn't left contact details, so she wouldn't bother him. That was actually quite ideal.
At the very least, he had achieved his goal: his elders stopped pressuring him because he was married, and his wife wouldn't reach out to him. Married as if unmarried—neither disturbed the other.
Zhang Ling didn't know that Tang Xiaoxu’s boss was her own husband. After watching Tang Xiaoxu leave, she walked toward Secretary Qi’s car.
Seeing her approach, Secretary Qi unlocked the car and let her in.
"Miss Zhang, who were those people?"
So handsome!
Secretary Qi was President Zhang’s secretary and often followed him to business meetings. She had seen her fair share of handsome men, including the sons of various CEOs.
But the man she had just seen was the most handsome she had ever encountered in her life. The man with the glasses who had been talking to Zhang Ling was also very refined; while not as stunningly handsome as the other, he was still very charming.
"My best friend’s older brother and his boss."
Secretary Qi gave a knowing "oh" and complimented them, "They are both so handsome."
Zhang Ling looked at Secretary Qi and asked, "Secretary Qi, your children are in kindergarten now, right?"
Secretary Qi laughed as she drove. "Yes, my son is in kindergarten. But being a mother doesn't stop me from appreciating a handsome man."
If she weren't already married with children, she wouldn't be able to serve as the President’s secretary; the President’s wife did not allow young, single women to work as his secretary.
Zhang Ling said nothing more. Brother Xu’s boss was indeed very handsome, and gentle too. He looked like a gentleman with excellent breeding.