Chapter 396

Layla forced a smile. "Mr. Evans, you've misunderstood. I'm tired, hungry, and dizzy right now. I don't have the energy to scold you."

Brian remained calm. "I heard you're the top designer at Brightness Design Company and previously worked at the Holland Group. Yet, you can't handle this level of work intensity. I'm disappointed."

"I'm a designer, not an athlete," Layla emphasized immediately.

She wanted to roar. Did he even know how many steps they had taken today? Fifty thousand steps!

Brian could take her to run a marathon.

"Physical fitness is also part of a designer's abilities," Brian added.

"Mr. Evans, my dad is a martial arts teacher. I've been practicing martial arts with him since I was young. My physical fitness surpasses the majority of women. If I can't handle today's intensity, then other women definitely can't," Layla said.

Brian sneered. "My previous assistant didn't say that."

Layla continued, "I value work greatly, but health is equally important. Being a designer isn't about physical labor. It's about mental work. Without giving the brain proper rest, good designs cannot be created. Working hard while maintaining good health is the proper way to work."

Seeing her serious expression, Brian responded indifferently, "This is just a weak person's self-defense."

Layla closed her eyes, holding back the urge to slam the entire plate of food on Brian's face. He was too self-absorbed, making communication impossible with such a person.

"Mr. Evans, you don't have a girlfriend, right?" Layla asked.

Brian coldly chuckled. "Without energy to work, but you have plenty of energy to care about my personal life."

Layla pinched her fingers under the table, fearing she might lose control and pinch him.

"Let's eat," she said. Talking to him was exhausting.

After a simple meal, they returned to the hotel at half past twelve.

Layla, feeling dizzy, fumbled for her room key.

"We leave at seven tomorrow." Leaving these words, Brian entered the room next to Layla's.

Layla lay down and fell asleep. Just as she was about to drift off, her mind jolted, and she sat up abruptly, grabbing her phone.

There were twelve missed calls from the same person.

The phone rang again, and she hurriedly answered, "Hello?"

"Why haven't you been answering your phone? If you don't pick up, I'll send someone to find you," Samuel said.

Layla hurriedly explained, "I'm fine. I'm on a business trip with my boss in P City."

"A business trip?" Samuel was surprised.

"Yes, it was a last-minute decision," Layla explained.

"Just the two of you?"

"Yes."

"Boss's gender?"

A chill ran down Layla's spine.

A bit flustered, she tried to change the subject. "It's not important. How's everything in Stellaria?"

"Gender!" Samuel continued.

Layla remained silent.

"Male," Samuel stated definitively. Her silence was answer enough.

"It doesn't matter. He's just the boss. No difference." Layla added.

"There's a big difference. I'll arrange for you to change hotels," Samuel said.

"No need, I've been out all day today, I'm exhausted. I don't want to move. That person is super annoying, treating me terribly, so you don't need to worry about any..." Layla continued.

"He's treating you terribly?" Samuel interrupted Layla.

"Not really. He's a workaholic and forgets to eat and rest, but he's not a bad person, really, much better than my difficult female bosses before. Don't be angry."

"I'm not angry but concerned. How can my woman be bullied?" Samuel asked.

"He's not bullying me, as he said, he's a traditional man, solely focused on work, so he gets tired. But it's normal work, he's working hard himself, not targeting me," Layla explained.

"I don't care about him. As long as my woman is tired, it's his fault," Samuel added.

Layla swallowed nervously. How could she calm Samuel's anger?

"We're all working. Don't be like this." she coaxed softly. "I'm really tired today, I want to rest early. Please forgive me."

After a few seconds of silence, he sighed and compromised. "Take care of yourself, don't overdo it. You're two now."

"Okay, got it," Layla replied.

"Do you miss me?" Samuel asked.

"Of course."

They continued chatting for a while, and as Layla drifted off, she fell asleep. When she woke up, she realized the call was still ongoing, English meeting sounds coming from the other end.

Looking at the time, the call had lasted six hours, and Samuel hadn't hung up.

"Bye." Layla mouthed to her phone, then hung up. She quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face. She rushed out of the room, bumping into a solid wall of a person.

"Ouch." Layla held her forehead, taking two steps back.

In front of her, Brian, dressed in a suit, maintained his poker face, staring disapprovingly. "You're late."

"Not really? I was just..." Layla checked her phone and held it up to show him. "Seven o'clock, right on time."

Layla checked her phone and held it up to show him. "Seven o'clock, right on time."

But Brian raised his wrist to show his watch. "One minute past seven."

"Phones are more accurate than watches," Layla replied.

"My watch is accurate to the second," Brian said.

"I only slept six hours last night," she explained.

"That's enough."

Layla was exasperated. It might be enough for a work machine, but not for a pregnant. Besides, she usually went to bed early and rarely stayed up late, so her head was spinning now, and her whole body felt weak.

Brian didn't say anything more and walked away.

"What's our schedule for today?" Layla put on her coat and tried to keep up with his long strides.

"I'm not your assistant," he said.

"But you only mentioned the business trip, without telling me anything else," Layla added.

"Do I have to explain everything? Can't you use your brain? I don't have time to explain everything."

This sentence left Layla completely speechless. His impolite words made him not just a traditional man but someone exhibiting gender discrimination!

Passing by the hotel's small shop, Layla suggested and said, "Shouldn't we have breakfast first? I'll go buy. It'll be quick and won't delay work."

"I don't have the habit of eating breakfast," he said.

"But I do," she asserted.

"Then you should have prepared in advance last night." Brian kept walking, and after a second of hesitation, Layla gritted her teeth and caught up.

The car drove into the largest building materials factory in the area, where they were received by a manager named Brooks.

Wearing a safety helmet, Layla took out her notebook to make notes while ensuring she didn't get lost. Both mentally and physically challenged, she was stretched to her limits.

The morning passed like a spinning top, and Layla had no energy left to think about whether she was hungry or not. When Brian slowed down a bit, she realized she was feeling extremely dizzy.

"You've worked hard, Miss Adkins. Have some milk," Mr. Brooks said.

"Thank you." Layla gratefully took the milk. At this point, it was life-saving milk for her.

"You work for Mr. Evans, I don't know if I should sympathize with you or congratulate you." Mr. Brooks shook his head. "Mr. Evans is a standout in our field, very talented, but he sets high standards for himself and is quite... cruel to subordinates. Most people can't endure it."