Chapter 13

　　He was lost for a moment. The feeling of holding her hand in his...it was so familiar. 　　Sean let go of her hand. 　　Something flashed in Sean’s eyes, then it was gone. 　　“If you have the ability, show it. If you don’t, I'll definitely send you back. I warn you, focus on your work and don’t provoke me as a man. You can’t afford the consequences.” 　　“Why you--” 　　“Get off the car.” 　　Vera Qin angrily got out. She just wanted to be on the same page as him. Was there a problem with how she communicated, was it her fault? One thing was for sure, he was obviously trying to bend her to his will. 　　... 　　Vera drove to the kindergarten and was surprised to see Luna coming out with Sean Qiao’s son. 　　“Mummy.” 　　Luna happily threw herself into Vera's arms. Thomas Qiao had a jealous expression on his face. 　　“Hello Auntie.” 　　“Tommy, good to see you! I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. Auntie is very happy you’re here.” 　　Vera was genuinely happy. She let go of Luna’s hand and squatted down to give Thomas a big hug. 　　“I’m also very happy.” 　　Thomas hugged her back, his movements a little awkward, as though he rarely hugged anyone. 　　“Mommy, Brother Tommy is in the same class with me. He helps me.” 　　Luna explained, seemingly very excited. 　　“Oh, such a coincidence. Thank you Tommy--” 　　Compared with his father who was colder than a bowl of shaved ice, Thomas was a very warm little man. 　　“Auntie, I like taking care of Luna.” 　　Thomas spoke like a young adult in a little child’s body. For the first time, he felt important. And the hug that Auntie just gave him, it was so warm and happy. 　　“What a brave little boy. Auntie is so glad you’re here.” 　　Vera touched his chubby little cheeks. Suddenly, someone spoke from behind her. “Little Master, we should go home.” 　　Vera Qin turned around to see who it was, and when she turned to look at Thomas, there was no smile on his face. She felt a pang of sadness as he said goodbye. 　　“Auntie, I should go home. Goodbye, Auntie, see you and Luna.” 　　“Take care. See you tomorrow.” 　　“Goodbye, Tommy.” 　　Thomas Qiao followed the man. She noticed that he had slumped as he walked away. Vera felt an indescribable sadness. 　　In the car, Luna said innocently, “Mommy, I want a brother. I want Tommy to be my brother. He can protect me.” 　　Vera’s suddenly felt a sharp pain in her heart. 　　“Tommy will protect you.” 　　If her child hadn’t been sent away, he would be about as old as Thomas Qiao. 　　The next morning, Vera sent Luna to the kindergarten and waited for a while, but she did not see the little boy. Maybe he had come earlier. 　　Today was her second day of work, and she regarded this as the formal beginning of work. 　　The first batch of mobile phones ready to go on the market has already taken shape, and now the conference is discussing the configuration of each software and chip. 　　Today, Sean Qiao wasn’t here. No one was there to second-guess her, and she felt more at ease. 　　“According to the data you’ve given me, I have made some recommendations on the configuration of various mobile phones,” she said to Director Hao. “I have included some detailed configurations for the processor, memory, camera, and even sensors and screens. I also included the user interface and application software. It’s all in the detailed professional opinion document I’ve submitted to you for President Qiao to review. If there is any dissatisfaction, I’ll be more than happy to improve it.” 　　From the beginning to the present, Vera Qin was almost the only person explaining. Her professional knowledge made everyone look at her with admiration, and she was no different from yesterday. 　　“Okay, I’ll go to the president’s office after the meeting.” 　　Impressed, Director Hao also looked at Vera Qin. She really knew what she was talking about. 　　“Director Hao,” Vera added, “my opinion is that not only must the configuration be high, but also the performance must be strong, and the price must be affordable. If these points are achieved, our first batch of mobile phones will definitely lead the market.” 　　She was very pleased to be speaking with Director Hao. She really didn’t want to see Sean Qiao’s icy face. 　　“I’ll pass it on. Miss Qin, there is one last item. This testing unit was just sent by the design department,” he said as he handed her a sleek mobile phone in a blue case. “It’s a high-end phone. Please look at the design drawing. It’s best to reduce the cost.” 　　Vera Qin took the information sheet in Director Hao’s hand and looked through it, then her eyes scanned the design drawing. 　　“This type of mobile phone is already on the market by other manufacturers, and we are imitating it in production. Without our own innovation, it would be difficult for consumers to remember us.” 　　“This phone is not novel enough, my opinion is that either the configuration should be maximized, or it should not be put into production.”