What was she apologizing for? Lin Xi's mind was a mess; all she could see were Duan Yiheng's deep, unfathomable eyes.
"Duan Mingxuan is angry, and you know how to coax him. I've seen that before."
Duan Yiheng said, "I was just testing you out. I didn't expect you to say 'I'm sorry' to me." Lin Xi curled her hand, slightly avoiding his gaze, and whispered, "That's silent indulgence. Even though I have no say, I shouldn't always have to listen."
Duan Yiheng tightened his grip: "You think I care?"
Lin Xi misinterpreted his meaning: "I know you don't care. Except for Grandpa, you look at everyone else in the family the same way you look at roadside flowers and stones."
Duan Yiheng suspected there was something wrong with Lin Xi's gaze. He chuckled softly: "Do I treat you like that too?" Lin Xi's ears inexplicably burned. She looked at Duan Yiheng, remembering her childhood.
After a long pause, she said, "When we were little, the way you looked at me was like it was filled with ice."
"Who told you to spend all your time with Duan Mingxuan? It's one thing for him to be messing with dogs and cats, but he always seems to like provoking me. You're inseparable from him, so naturally I don't give you a friendly look." Duan Yiheng didn't argue. "But we're always the ones who suffer," Lin Xi muttered.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing." Lin Xi mustered her courage and looked into his eyes. "Can you let go of me? I... I'm not used to this."
Duan Yiheng smiled faintly, removing his hand from her waist and letting her go.
Lin Xi scrambled onto her pillow, pressing her left palm against her chest, afraid to move. Duan Yiheng covered her with the blanket, and she instinctively shrank back.
Both of their phones rang almost simultaneously; it was a text message from the airline, informing them of the new departure time.
Lin Xi was delighted: "Our flight takes off at seven tomorrow, I can make it to work!" Duan Yiheng found it amusing. Did she really enjoy going to work that much?
He said, "Then why don't you go to sleep? We have to be at the airport by five."
Lin Xi replied, "I'll set an alarm." Duan Yiheng: "I've set it, you go to sleep." Lin Xi wasn't actually sleepy, but she felt incredibly awkward in front of Duan Yiheng, so she forced herself to close her eyes.
The room fell silent. Duan Yiheng dimmed the bedside lamp to its lowest setting. Lin Xi's arm was numb from being pressed down, but she didn't move an inch.
With her eyes closed, her mind was filled with the image of Duan Yiheng looking at her.
She felt a sense of familiarity mixed with strangeness, yet she couldn't quite grasp the precise feeling. Gradually, she fell asleep. She didn't know how much time had passed when someone touched her cheek. Lin Xi couldn't open her eyes, and made a muffled "mmm" sound.
"Lin Xi, wake up." Duan Yiheng patiently called her to get up. "We have to go to work soon." Lin Xi's mind cleared instantly. She opened her eyes and saw that Duan Yiheng was already dressed.
"What time is it?" she asked, her face still blank.
"4:20. Get up and get ready." Lin Xi got out of bed, grabbed her clothes, and went into the bathroom. Washing up and getting ready took twenty minutes.
The hotel was close to the airport, so Lin Xi wasn't in a hurry. Still feeling sleepy and without makeup, she took a black baseball cap from her suitcase and put it on. Outside the hotel, she saw many people traveling together.
Some of them were even live-streaming on their phones: "Family, we're heading to the airport with the group!"
Lin Xi glanced at it curiously, then at the scrolling comments, and was completely astonished. At this hour, the speed at which the comments were scrolling was astounding. There were still quite a few people. Maybe one of them was a blogger with followers.
The two eventually met again in first class, confirming Lin Xi's suspicions. Lin Xi suffers from severe airsickness and can never sleep on a plane, but she has to go to work in two hours, so she forces herself to close her eyes and rest.
The plane arrives in City B on time, where Duan Yiheng's driver picks them up.
Lin Xi's face is very pale. Duan Yiheng asks with some concern, "Are you sure you're okay?"
Lin Xi shakes her head: "Airsickness, it's always like this. I'll be fine after a short rest."
Seeing her insistence, Duan Yiheng tells the driver, "To the company." Lin Xi is preoccupied with work messages in the office system.
She turns to Duan Yiheng and asks, "I heard the relocation date has been set?"
Duan Yiheng hums in agreement: "Today is Monday, there are a lot of meetings, so we're moving tomorrow."
Lin Xi: "So we'll be working in the Taihe Road industrial park from now on?"
Duan Yiheng: "That's right. You'll come with me; the company's internal system explains it all."
"So I'll only be responsible for your work at Yinfan Technology?" Lin Xi asks.
Duan Yiheng: "That's right, Qin Yang is with the group." But Qin Yang was also involved in Yin Fan Technology's off-site project.
Lin Xi couldn't help but ask curiously, "Did Assistant Qin accompany you on this business trip to H City? Is he also in charge of Yin Fan Technology's project?"
Duan Yiheng: "Because you just took office, you haven't fully taken over many things yet. He's temporarily assisting on this trip. After this project, he'll focus on the group's business."
A hint of envy flashed in Lin Xi's eyes. Qin Yang was exceptionally capable, serving as Duan Yiheng's chief strategic advisor. His responsibilities and authority were extensive; he could attend many important business meetings in Duan Yiheng's place.
Outside the office, others could address him as "President Qin." Upon arriving at the company, Lin Xi quickly changed into the clothes brought by the driver and applied light makeup in a very short time. As soon as she logged into the internal office system, various messages popped up.
Lin Xi processed them one by one, and then organized the documents and meeting materials that needed Duan Yiheng's review. She hurriedly knocked on Duan Yiheng's office door, and he opened it himself.
Lin Xi was taken aback. Duan Yiheng straightened his tie and said, "Qin Yang has already gone to a conference room. Take the documents with you and roughly check them with me on the way."
"Okay." Lin Xi stared at his tie. "It's a little crooked." Duan Yiheng frowned. Going back to the lounge to straighten it in front of the mirror at this point would be a waste of time.
He asked, "Where is it crooked?"
Lin Xi handed him the documents: "I'll straighten it for you."
Duan Yiheng usually wore a classic, dignified, symmetrical Windsor knot for work, and today was no exception. However, the tie was pulled a little tight, and one side of the knot was slightly dented, breaking the symmetrical elegance.
Lin Xi reached out and pinched the tie, saying, "Look up."
Duan Yiheng, holding the folder, tilted his head slightly, and Lin Xi's knuckles accidentally touched his Adam's apple. Lin Xi, oblivious to his tense posture, deftly adjusted her tie and bow tie.
The small indentation on one side of her neck became more pronounced. She gently smoothed it, tilted her head back, and smiled, "All done."
Duan Yiheng calmly opened the door. "To the conference room." Lin Xi turned and followed, discreetly taking the documents from his hand.
Inside the conference room, Lin Xi met the legendary Jiang Hulin—the business department manager. Zheng Jizhong wasn't there today, but Chen Liangyi was. Compared to before, she was sitting at the very end.
The H City project was assigned to Jiang Hulin's business development department. Duan Yiheng barely spoke, but occasionally offered Lin Xi pointers when Qin Yang got to the key points. Lin Xi, eager to learn, listened attentively, ignoring Chen Liangyi's thoughtful, scrutinizing gaze.
Last time, someone had followed Lin Xi, but hadn't obtained any useful information. Because her driver was very vigilant, Brother Shan had to give up to avoid being caught. Later, she came up with a plan: she had Brother Shan wait outside the company to see who she interacted with.
By investigating these people, Lin Xi's network of connections would be revealed. Then, they could find weaknesses to exploit.
And she actually succeeded. Brother Shan, at the company entrance, photographed her getting into a dark purple supercar.