"Wow, why is President Duan down here?" "Just a random inspection?" "Where is he going? It looks like he's going to sit down for lunch." "Experiencing employee life is part of the president's job."
"..." Sun Wenxin excitedly grabbed Lin Xi's arm and whispered, "I can't take it anymore, President Duan is so handsome." Lin Xi silently prayed, "Don't come any closer, please don't come any closer." Just as Duan Yiheng passed by her, Lin Xi breathed a sigh of relief.
But life always has a twist. Han Zicheng stood up like a clueless idiot: "Hello, President Duan." Lin Xi: "..." Duan Yiheng paused, smiled at him, and said, "Hello." "President Duan, I'm from the R&D center—" "I know."
Duan Yiheng said, "Old Zhang's subordinate, Han Zicheng." Han Zicheng was even happier: "You remember me?" Duan Yiheng glanced at Lin Xi, who lowered her eyes guiltily.
She didn't remember him originally, but Qin Yang had mentioned him to Duan Yiheng, so Duan Yiheng naturally remembered him. Sun Wenxin pulled Lin Xi to her feet. With the president standing to the side, what kind of order was it for them to sit there? Duan Yiheng finally noticed Lin Xi:
"Secretary Lin, you're here too?" Lin Xi forced a professional smile: "Why did you come down? Do you need me to get you some food?" Duan Yiheng said, "Qin Yang has already gone. I came down for a stroll, just doing some random inspections." Han Zicheng said:
"Assistant Qin is here too, so... shall we eat together?" "Sure." Duan Yiheng replied, then politely asked Lin Xi and Sun Wenxin for their opinions. Sun Wenxin dared not object, her face turning ashen.
Qin Yang brought over the food, and Duan Yiheng sat down next to Han Zicheng. The leader had just started eating, so Sun Wenxin and Lin Xi didn't dare leave first, and could only leisurely accompany him. Qin Yang and Han Zicheng were quite familiar with each other. After chatting for a few minutes, Duan Yiheng asked with concern, "How old are you this year, Engineer Han?" Han Zicheng was flattered: "You can just call me Xiao Han, I'm 25." "That's the time to strive for success." Duan Yiheng's gaze swept over Lin Xi, "Are you married?" Han Zicheng shook his head vigorously: "I don't even have a girlfriend yet, and my family is pressuring me." Duan Yiheng said "Oh," and then asked, "Where are you from?" Han Zicheng replied, "From a small town, you probably wouldn't know." Duan Yiheng said, "Work hard, and you'll establish yourself in this city." Han Zicheng excitedly nodded. Duan Yiheng smiled: "What were you two talking about? You seemed to be having a good time?" Han Zicheng glanced shyly at Lin Xi: "I just told Secretary Lin a couple of jokes." "Secretary Lin is quite the laugher." Duan Yiheng chuckled. Lin Xi understood his unspoken meaning and her heart tightened. The meal seemed harmonious on the surface, but only Lin Xi knew how agonizing it was. At the end of lunch, Han Zicheng asked for her personal contact information in front of Duan Yiheng, which Lin Xi refused.
After leaving the restaurant, everyone said their goodbyes, except for Lin Xi, who was stopped by Duan Yiheng. The two took the elevator to the rooftop garden, a large recreational area divided into two sections. The area Duan Yiheng brought her to was reserved for company leaders.
A few people did encounter them along the way; they greeted Duan Yiheng and then passed by. "What are you doing here?" Lin Xi couldn't help but ask. Duan Yiheng sat down on a lounge chair and gestured for her to sit with him. Lin Xi remained standing:
"It doesn't seem good if others see us." Duan Yiheng gestured for her to turn around: "Look again, is anyone else here?" Lin Xi turned around; their section of the recreational area was completely empty. "...How can you be so domineering?" Lin Xi sat down speechlessly. Duan Yiheng:
"It's after get off work now, so I brought you here to get some fresh air." Lin Xi rested her chin on her hand, looking at the flower beds and water features in the landscaped area. "Then thank you." "Thank me for what?" Duan Yiheng said, "I didn't tell you any jokes."
Lin Xi almost laughed, but held it back. "The jokes were pretty good, though. Should I tell them to you?" "They told you the jokes, and now you're telling them to me? What's going on?" Duan Yiheng seemed to have swallowed the sourest lemon. "Consider it a debt I owe you."
Lin Xi said speechlessly, "You've been acting all hostile ever since we left the restaurant." "I wasn't talking to you," Duan Yiheng said, "I was talking to the person who was fawning over you. 25 is the age to be striving, what are you doing dating?" "Only the magistrate is allowed to set fires."
Lin Xi retorted, "You have to interfere when someone's dating?" "Why should I interfere?" Duan Yiheng said, "Don't you know who I want to interfere with?" Lin Xi snorted:
"They were all all smiles, were I supposed to kick them out? I didn't even give them their contact information." "That was when I was there, wasn't it?" Duan Yiheng said, "If I wasn't there, would you give it to them?" "How would I know if nothing happened?" Lin Xi retorted.
Duan Yiheng glared at her: "Come here." "I don't want to," Lin Xi said, "Don't forget what you promised me." Duan Yiheng: "…" Lin Xi was too easily alarmed; he didn't know what to say for a moment.
For a long silence, Lin Xi glanced at Duan Yiheng's expression. Seeing his furrowed brow, she couldn't help but look away. Before she knew it, she was arguing. This wasn't her intention; it was just that her relationship with Duan Yiheng made her paranoid.
She was actually happy inside, but a feeling of insecurity lingered. One moment she wanted to laugh because of his words, the next she wanted to cry because of his frown. "I—" "Go back to your office first," Duan Yiheng said. "I'll make a call, I'll come down later." Lin Xi's words caught in her throat. She slowly let out a sigh, got up, and left. All afternoon, aside from a few words about business, they didn't exchange a single glance.
That evening, Duan Yiheng didn't come home for dinner either. Lin Xi couldn't eat, only taking a couple of bites before returning to her room. Her feet seemed to have a mind of their own, constantly urging her to go to the balcony. An hour passed, and Lin Xi was completely dejected.
She hadn't slept well the night before and was exhausted, so she went into the bathroom. After showering, she went downstairs for a walk and asked Sister Mei, "Is Big Brother back?" Sister Mei shook her head: "He has a dinner party tonight." Lin Xi frowned: "He won't be drinking again, will he?"
"It's unavoidable in business," Sister Mei sighed. "He's 30 already. When did he get married and have a wife, and then he knew how to take care of himself?" Lin Xi lowered her head and said, "Sister Mei, I'm going upstairs to sleep."
Back in her room, Lin Xi picked up her phone to call Duan Yiheng. She hesitated for a long time, but didn't dial. Was he still angry? Lin Xi couldn't stop her wild thoughts. Suddenly, Duan Yiheng's voice came from outside the door: "Is she asleep?" Sister Mei:
"Probably not, she just didn't eat much for dinner." "Go prepare some late-night snacks, I'll go in and check on her." "Okay." Lin Xi hesitated for a moment, then quickly went to open the door. Duan Yiheng's raised hand paused, and as he was about to speak, Lin Xi suddenly rushed into his arms.