Chapter 175: Forbearance Is Not Necessarily a Virtue

"Promise me you'll keep this up. No matter what problem you run into, the first thing you raise should never be your voice, but your head. That's the only way to make sure no one can ever walk all over you!" Nina said sincerely. Seeing that Xiaoxiao was no longer the easiest pushover in the entire company, how could she not be happy?

Xiaoxiao smiled as well. "Alright! But come to think of it, you've been warning me all along, and it was my own fault for refusing to listen."

Refusing to take any credit, Nina brushed it off with a smile. "No matter how resourceful I am, I can't look after you every second. Be sharper from now on. Tolerating things isn't necessarily a virtue; often, it just feeds bad habits."

"Got it." Xiaoxiao teased her for nagging so much she was starting to sound like a mother. Nina sighed, saying she still had some matters to attend to back at the office. For no apparent reason, she gave Xiaoxiao a hug and told her to take good care of herself. Xiaoxiao was left completely baffled, though Nina departed with her usual casual flair.

After visiting her father with Lin Shuo, Xiaoxiao had gradually grown to accept his condition; there had been no improvement whatsoever since the faint reaction he showed during the proposal. Once they returned home, Lin Shuo buried himself straight in the study. Not daring to disturb him, Xiaoxiao kept to herself and didn't mention the scene Cai Yirou had caused at the company.

In the middle of the night, Xiaoxiao woke up with a start. Reaching out, she found the space beside her empty. She draped a coat over her shoulders and stepped out of the bedroom. A thin sliver of light streamed through a crack in the study door. Deciding to warm up some milk, Xiaoxiao pushed the door open on tiptoe.

"Can't sleep?" Lin Shuo didn't even turn around, yet his tone remained gentle.

Xiaoxiao placed the warm milk on the desk. Pausing what he was doing, Lin Shuo drank it appreciatively, showing he thoroughly enjoyed it. "Alright, go on back to sleep. I'll be done in a little while."

"Have you been very busy lately?" Xiaoxiao walked behind Lin Shuo to massage his shoulders. Lin Shuo closed his eyes in enjoyment and said in mock flattery, "With a considerate wife like you, I'm happy no matter how busy I am."

Xiaoxiao merely smiled faintly, then asked again, "You used to have plenty of downtime. Suddenly becoming this busy feels a bit unusual to me."

"That's just how business is. You use the quiet times to prepare for the rushes, and then you can rest easy once the busy period passes. There's a balance between work and rest. You can never finish making all the money in the world, and things won't always sail smoothly either. All I can do is eat well while I still have the appetite." Having said that, he suddenly realized something. "You aren't upset because I haven't been spending much time with you lately, are you?"

"Of course not!" Xiaoxiao said playfully. "How can you not know that I worry about you too?"

Knowing full well what was on her mind, Lin Shuo couldn't help chuckling. After turning it over in her mind, Xiaoxiao asked, "Has the nursery project been put on hold?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Brother Han hasn't contacted me anymore, so... I was just guessing."

"Alright, alright." Lin Shuo shook his head to clear it up a bit, patted the hand Xiaoxiao had resting on his shoulder, and coaxed her gently, "Go to sleep, be a good girl."

Leaving the study, Xiaoxiao felt a bitter knot in her stomach. Cai Yirou was right; she knew nothing about business. The only thing she could do to help Lin Shuo was pour him a glass of milk and massage his shoulders. If she were willing to spend money, plenty of professionals could do those things even better. It seemed she really was entirely useless.