Lin Xi awkwardly tucked the condoms into the bag. Duan Yiheng reached out, took the bag, and pulled them back out. "I'll put these on the nightstand in the bedroom." Lin Xi blinked. "…When did you grab those?" Duan Yiheng replied, "While we were checking out." Lin Xi was speechless. *How did I not see that?* "We ran out once before, and I asked the housekeeper to buy some, but you weren't too pleased about it," Duan Yiheng said with a smile. "For personal items like this, I'll just buy them myself from now on." Lin Xi blushed. "…Say no more. Buy whatever you want; I'm going to eat my ice cream now." Duan Yiheng ruffled her hair affectionately. "Don't eat too much." Then he stood up and carried the condoms into the bedroom. Lin Xi hadn't had ice cream in ages; the very first bite sent a chill straight to her core. When Duan Yiheng returned and saw her reaction, he chuckled softly. "Brain freeze?" Lin Xi scooped up a spoonful and, with her mouth still full, mumbled an invitation for him to have a taste. Duan Yiheng grasped her wrist, bent down to cup her chin, and leaned in to—quite literally—lick the still-unmelted ice cream right out of her mouth.
Lin Xi was momentarily rendered speechless; she pulled her hand free, resolving not to offer him another bite. Duan Yiheng sat down beside her and, out of habit, reached out to wrap his arm around her. Lin Xi leaned into his embrace and asked, "How did your meeting with Chairman Zhao go today? Does he support you?" Duan Yiheng hummed in affirmation. "He and Duan Zheng don't exactly get along, but what I'm really worried about is Ke Yu's influence." According to the corporate bylaws, the formal transfer of leadership at Silver Sail requires an initial confirmation by the Board of Directors, followed by final approval from the General Meeting of Shareholders.
Ke Yu served as the Board Secretary; moreover, her father-in-law was a major shareholder who shared close ties and aligned interests with several other investors. If she chose to obstruct the process, Duan Yiheng would face an uphill battle. Lin Xi placed her hand over Duan Yiheng's. "You still have Grandpa on your side—and you have me, too. You're going to pull this off." Duan Yiheng draped his arm across the back of her neck and gently pinched her cheek with his free hand. Glancing down, he noticed she had already polished off half the container; he picked it up and set it aside on the coffee table. "That's enough—no more for you." Lin Xi tilted her head back and planted a quick kiss on his lips, her eyes sparkling with playful mischief.
"Was it cold?" Duan Yiheng cupped her chin in the crook of his hand and leaned in to kiss her deeply. Things just got even chillier. With a shift of his gaze, Lin Xi found herself swept up into a bridal carry. The poor ice cream—a whole container's worth—had melted completely away.
And just like that, Duan Yiheng moved into Tiandu Yuxi; his clothes began to take up more and more space in Lin Xi's wardrobe. On the evening of the 15th, Lin Xi received a phone call from home; the Old Master wanted everyone to come over for dinner that Friday night. Lin Xi hung up and relayed the news to Duan Yiheng.
Duan Yiheng was just wondering why he hadn't been notified himself when his own phone rang—it was Sister Mei calling. The message was exactly the same. Lin Xi bit her fingertip, glancing sideways at Duan Yiheng as she asked, "Is Grandpa planning to make an announcement?" Duan Yiheng shook his head:
"It's just to put everyone's minds at ease; he wouldn't make a formal announcement at night. If it were a matter of testamentary succession, it would certainly take place during the day—with the executor, lawyers, and notaries all present. However, I suspect the transfer of equity will be handled via direct assignment."
Succession through a will was simply too cumbersome—it could even spark unnecessary family disputes. Lin Xi, naturally, understood this logic as well. Noticing that she seemed preoccupied, Duan Yiheng offered her some reassurance:
"Don't worry. Go to work as usual, eat your meals as usual. The day for these matters to unfold will come eventually; whether the outcome is good or bad, we'll face it together." Lin Xi nodded solemnly. "Okay." She knew that overthinking things was pointless, so the next day, she once again put on her high heels and headed off to work.
Halfway through her drive, she received an urgent call from the company: someone was causing a disturbance right at the entrance to the office park. Lin Xi paused in surprise: "Who's causing a disturbance?"
"She says she wants to see Chen, the manager in the Sales Department—by the looks of it, she's her mother. She also insists on seeing our President Duan. Secretary Lin, I'm at my wit's end; she's quite elderly, and our security guards don't know how to handle her." Lin Xi's brows furrowed tightly: "Has the HR manager arrived yet?"
"We've already called them; they're still fifteen minutes out." The light turned green, and Lin Xi stepped on the gas: "I'll be there in five minutes. Just hold the fort until then, and do your best to calm the employee's family member down."
"Also, notify Chen—the Sales Manager—and the Director, Xu Yu. Keep calling them repeatedly; they might have been working late on a project last night and could still be asleep." The person on the other end hurriedly acknowledged the instructions. Lin Xi's gaze turned steely; she absolutely had to resolve this situation before Duan Yiheng arrived at the company.
Three and a half minutes later, Lin Xi's car came to a smooth stop right at the park's main entrance. Upon seeing her, the security guards rushed forward to greet her. Lin Xi handed her car keys to one of them: "Park my car for me. Where is the person causing the trouble?" The guard pointed toward the security booth: "She's inside, wailing away." Lin Xi nodded: "I'll go take a look."
From a distance, Lin Xi could hear the loud, dramatic wailing: "What's the point of raising a child to adulthood? I ask her for a little money, and she acts like it's the end of the world—it's not like I'm asking for her life!" "I raised her from infancy, cleaning up her messes every step of the way; why does your company even keep such a heartless, ungrateful wretch on the payroll?"
"I want to see your superiors! I want to see your superiors! I'm not going to waste my breath talking to a lowly security guard like you. Hurry it up!" "..." Lin Xi let out a long, deep breath and pushed open the door. Upon seeing Lin Xi, the elderly woman suddenly lunged toward her, startling the security guard into quickly grabbing and restraining her:
"Ma'am, please calm down." "Are you their boss?" the elderly woman asked Lin Xi. Lin Xi stepped forward and signaled for the guard to release the woman, then turned to her and said: "I'm not exactly a 'boss,' but I do have some authority here. May I ask if you've had breakfast yet?"
The elderly woman's eyes darted around suspiciously: "I've already eaten. Don't try to use those smooth-talking tricks of yours to placate me—I want to see your superiors!" "Very well. In that case, why don't you tell me first: why exactly do you want to see our superiors?" Lin Xi asked. "Why else?
Chen Liangyi works for your company, doesn't she? My family is short on cash, so I came to ask her for some—is there anything wrong with that?" Lin Xi smiled faintly. "And who exactly are you to Manager Chen?" "I'm her mother." The old woman cast a triumphant glance at Lin Xi. "In any case, I'm not leaving until I get the money today."
Lin Xi invited her to sit down and have some tea. "Let's talk this over calmly. Why don't you tell me a bit about your situation with Manager Chen?" The old woman was just about to speak when the HR Manager rushed into the security booth. Upon seeing Lin Xi, he breathed a sigh of relief and gave her a grateful look.
Lin Xi tilted her head, signaling for him to step in and handle the situation. To her surprise, however, the old woman grabbed hold of Lin Xi, refusing to let her go. "I've noticed that everyone here treats you with great respect—you're not allowed to leave." Lin Xi frowned, and the HR Manager immediately stepped forward to intervene:
"I'm the Human Resources Manager. Would you be willing to come to a conference room with me to discuss this? Manager Chen will be arriving for work shortly, and we can clear everything up face-to-face then." The old woman refused to budge. "I want to talk right here." "In that case, please let go of me first."
Lin Xi grimaced; the old woman's grip was surprisingly strong. The old woman remained completely unreasonable; terrified that Lin Xi might slip away, she actually tightened her grip even further. Lin Xi took the initiative to step back inside, gently pulling the old woman along with her. "I'm not leaving—could you please let go of me now? You're squeezing my arm so hard it hurts."
The old woman finally loosened her grip slightly and turned to the HR Manager. "Don't try to feed me a bunch of sweet-sounding nonsense just to string me along. I want to see Chen Liangyi, and I want to see your superiors, too." No sooner had the words left her mouth than Chen Liangyi came rushing onto the scene.