Making money isn’t that easy.
Since the Young Master was born, he has never had to worry about money. To him, money was even something dispensable.
He had a car to pick him up whenever he went out, didn’t need to worry about tuition or living expenses, and at home, whatever he wanted to eat, he simply told the butler. If he needed to buy something, all he had to do was ask his Dad for it.
Xie Heng only now understood why he always felt inferior in front of his Dad. It was because the financial control lay in his Dad’s hands. No matter how arrogant he was, he could only reach out to his Dad for money.
The bed he slept on, the clothes he wore, even treating Ms. Lu to dinner, were all paid for by his Dad.
What was he so arrogant about?
He couldn’t be arrogant at all.
That night, the Young Master couldn’t sleep again.
He searched on his phone for a long time, and the conclusion was pretty much the same as what Xu Jiaming had said that day.
Minors can’t work. Even if he wanted to, no boss would hire child labor.
If he were someone like Xu Jiaming, a top student, he could privately tutor classmates and make money.
But with his grades, that path was obviously closed off.
The remaining ways to make money were all worse than the last.
Half-asleep, he woke up the next day still feeling defeated.
A few days ago, Xu Jiaming had tutored him, and it had already been a blow.
Today, he was even more disappointed in himself.
It seemed like he really wasn’t that smart, or that outstanding. Could it be that, as some people said behind his back, apart from being born into a good family, he was actually useless?
The Young Master fell into self-doubt.
When he went downstairs for breakfast, even his flashy, eye-catching blue hair looked a bit droopy.
Lu Xi, holding a delicate spoon in her hand, stirred her blueberry oat milk, glancing at the downcast boy.
This kid was different every day.
Teenage boys are just so sentimental.
However, Lu Xi had been through that age herself. She knew that kids have their own thoughts, and not every matter should involve adults. This was also a necessary part of growing up.
If he wanted to worry, let him worry on his own.
Lu Xi had her own things to take care of today.
In the morning, an assistant named Lin Yun came to the house.
She was assigned by Xie Yizhao to be responsible for all the work that Lu Xi didn’t want to handle.
“Hello, President Lu, I’m Lin Yun. I was the head of the administrative department at the Xie Corporation. From today onwards, I will be your assistant.”
Lin Yun looked to be about 26 or 27 years old, full of energy, dressed in a black professional suit, appearing very competent.
Lu Xi was momentarily stunned when she was addressed as “President Lu” but then found it a bit amusing.
She hadn’t even gotten started, and she was already called a boss…
It was quite refreshing.
But she didn’t correct Lin Yun and let Lin Yun call her whatever she wanted.
When discussing work, Lu Xi directly took Lin Yun to the study.
Lu Xi had no psychological burden when facing the big boss, Xie Yizhao, and was even more at ease with Lin Yun. “To put it simply, I only handle the design aspect. As for the rest of the studio’s work, I’ll leave it to you.”
Her words didn’t mean that Lin Yun had to take on everything herself—things like finance and HR simply required hiring the right people. They also needed to rent an office space. It sounded tedious, but since Lin Yun was someone Xie Yizhao had assigned to Lu Xi, Lu Xi had reason to believe in her abilities. After all, if Xie Yizhao valued her, she had to be highly capable.
Sure enough, after listening, Lin Yun’s expression remained unchanged. She nodded efficiently and said, “Understood.”
She then took out a document she had prepared in advance, listing several office spaces with suitable locations and prices.
She had even thoughtfully noted down the rental costs and the unique features of each office, presenting the information in a clear and logical manner that was easy to understand at a glance.
Lu Xi took the document, sat down, and carefully reviewed it.
In the end, she chose a 150-square-meter office with a monthly rent of 20,000 yuan.
Having never worked in an office before, she had no concept of rental prices, but 20,000 yuan wasn’t expensive to her. More importantly, the location was close to home, which was what she valued most.
She knew how frustrating it was to waste time commuting.
As for the studio’s expenses, she planned to cover them herself. While Xie Yizhao wouldn’t mind such a small cost, Lu Xi didn’t want to rely on him completely. After all, it was her own studio.
The one who funds the business has the final say.
Lin Yun smiled slightly, unsurprised by her choice.
Before starting this job, she had felt a little anxious, unsure of what kind of person her new boss, Xie Yizhao’s wife, would be.
Luckily, Xie Yizhao’s trusted assistant, Li Xiao, was well-liked in the company and got along well with her. She had asked him about it, and he assured her that Mrs. Xie was easygoing and wouldn’t make things difficult for her, provided she did her job seriously.
Most importantly, she must never try to fool or slack off in front of Mrs. Xie.
Mrs. Xie could be quite formidable at times. When displeased, she wouldn’t even give Mr. Xie any face.
At first, Lin Yun found it hard to believe. That was the Mr. Xie they were talking about!
He was the man who had been unanimously voted by the female employees of the Xie Corporation as the ‘Most Desirable But Absolutely Untouchable’ executive.
She admitted that Mr. Xie was incredibly attractive and exuded an overwhelming charm, but his aura was also downright intimidating.
And yet, she had heard that Mrs. Xie was just a young woman. How could Mrs. Xie possibly hold her own against him?
But after meeting Lu Xi and chatting for only a short while, Lin Yun believed it.
Lu Xi had a beauty that was unforgettable at first glance. But more than that, she was composed and completely at ease in this household, carrying the unmistakable presence of the Madam of the house.
Lin Yun even noticed that, at times, Lu Xi’s subtle expressions bore a striking resemblance to Mr. Xie’s—calm, confident, and unwavering.
Was this what they called a matching aura between husband and wife?
“Oh, right. We’ll need to register the studio soon. Has President Lu decided on a name?”
Lu Xi : “……”
She was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t thought about it at all.
She had never planned to create her own brand before, so naturally, she hadn’t given it any forethought. Now, with the decision upon her, her mind was completely blank.
She was absolutely terrible at coming up with names.
Even her son, Xie Heng’s name, had been chosen by Xie Yizhao, which was elegant and distinctive.
Lu Xi frowned slightly. “No rush. Let me think about it.”
If all else failed, maybe she could ask Xie Yizhao to name it for her? He was the true academic genius of the household.
While Lu Xi was troubled by this, Young Master Xie was equally distressed.
This made the atmosphere at home rather gloomy for the entire day.
That was until the afternoon, when Xu Jiaming came over to give Lu Xi a guitar lesson.
Just like last time, the lesson took place in the greenhouse. Partway through, dessert was being made in the kitchen, and a servant was about to bring it over. At that moment, Xie Heng happened to come downstairs. He eagerly volunteered, quickly carrying the tray of treats toward the greenhouse.
He didn’t hold back—on the way there, he grabbed a piece for himself.
Lu Xi had just learned a new chord and was practicing it repeatedly. Hearing movement, she looked up and saw Xie Heng standing in front of her, holding a cookie between his teeth, looking rather well-behaved.
Her heart stirred slightly, and she smiled.
The little goose with a cookie in his mouth did look quite cute.
Lu Xi suggested taking a ten-minute break to have some snacks together. Xu Jiaming nodded obediently and put down his guitar. Seeing this, Xie Heng simply sat down to join them.
Only then did Lu Xi bring up what had happened yesterday.
“You want me to design an outfit for you? Men’s clothing?” She asked because Xu Jiaming didn’t seem to care much about fashion, much like Xie Heng.
The only difference was that Xie Heng preferred dark colors, while Xu Jiaming wore more light shades. Fortunately, both of them had good figures—tall, long-legged, and upright—so they looked great in anything.
Xu Jiaming replied, “Women’s clothing. I want to give it to my Mom as a Christmas gift.”
He paused for a moment, then smiled politely with a hint of shyness. “But if you have time to design one for me too, I’d be happy. Your sense of style is really amazing.”
Coincidentally, today he was wearing the outfit she had picked out for him last time.
Lu Xi was delighted!
Being complimented was naturally nice, and it was even better when the praise came from a handsome, young boy who had an innate sincerity to his words, it was simply heartwarming.
Other people’s son, huh…
She glanced at her own rebellious one. He was holding a cookie in one hand, his expression like a fierce little wolf cub, scoffing disdainfully, “Bootlicker.”
Lu Xi : “……”
Truly, what misfortune had befallen this household?
As soon as the lesson ended, Xie Heng immediately dragged Xu Jiaming outside the villa.
Scratching his head, looking thoroughly conflicted, he asked, “You actually give your Mom presents for Christmas?”
Xu Jiaming nodded. “Of course. My Mom loves celebrating Christmas.”
Xie Heng was at a loss for words.
In his limited life experience, he had never given anyone a gift. Even most of the ones he received, he had thrown away.
The idea of giving Christmas presents had never even crossed his mind.
But now, could he not give one? Xu Jiaming was preparing a gift for his Mom, and Lu Xi had that unmistakable ‘look at how good other people’s sons are’ expression on her face. It made his toes curl with secondhand embarrassment.
Besides, his Dad would definitely give a gift too.
If he didn’t at least make an effort, he’d have no face left in front of Lu Xi.
For the entire afternoon, Xie Heng locked himself in his room, racking his brain.
There were still a little over two months until Christmas. If he was going to give a gift, he had to use his own money. That meant he needed to earn some within these two months.
Given his nonexistent money-making skills, he didn’t dare hope for too much.
He opened a shopping app and searched for ‘Christmas gifts,’ sorting the results from lowest to highest price.
There were plenty of options, and cheap ones, at that.
A few yuan for an essential oil diffuser, a dozen or so for a lipstick, a handbag that costs less than a hundred…
Xie Heng was annoyed and tossed his phone onto the bed.
If he dared to give those cheap things, his dear Ms. Lu would have them thrown out on the spot.
She was always delicate and picky—there was no way she’d use such cheap stuff.
After thinking for a moment, Xie Heng sat back down on the bed, picked up his phone, and opened another app.
This one allowed users to ask questions, and if he was lucky, someone would answer quickly.
He thought for a bit before typing out his question at lightning speed:
[I’m male, looking for a Christmas gift for my Mom, but I have a small budget. Any recommendations for something affordable yet meaningful?]
After sending it, he started a game and played for half an hour before getting a notification—three replies.
Excited, Xie Heng clicked to check them.
The first response was a step-by-step guide on folding a rose out of tissue paper, complete with pictures.
[Trust me on this. Find out your Mom’s birthday, then fold that many roses. Just use regular tissues. Practically zero cost!]
Xie Heng’s pupils shook slightly.
You can do that?
Isn’t that way too stingy?
Sure enough, the second reply was someone cursing out the first commenter—and roasting him in the process.
[Unbelievable. Seriously? If you’re going to be this cheap, just don’t give anything at all. If you’re giving a gift, make it real! What a cunning broke man.]
Xie Heng : “…”
If he really gave tissue-paper roses, would Ms. Lu curse him out the same way?
After scrolling through, he found only the third response somewhat useful.
[A meaningful gift for your Mom should be something you come up with yourself. But if you’re really stuck, try paying attention to things she’s been using for a long time. Things that are old and might need replacing. Buy her a new one to swap it out. Thoughtful and practical.]
Xie Heng thought this was a good idea.
The problem was, no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t recall anything Ms. Lu owned that fit the description.
Her clothes were all the latest styles, and everything she used was the newest model.
That was until dinner, when Xie Heng saw his Dad, Old Xie, sitting at the dining table as usual.
An idea struck him—his eyes lit up at first but then turned a little strange as he let out a sigh.
Used for a long time…
Might need replacement…
Something old…
His Dad was the only one who fit that description.
Too bad he couldn’t swap his Dad out.