After finishing their meal, Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng hurried back to the company. Making use of the time during the drive, Lin Xi asked Duan Yiheng:
"Why did Grandpa give Uncle Duan and Aunt Wei the overseas assets?" Duan Yiheng turned the steering wheel, guiding the car slowly through the park gates, and replied, "It was a fallback plan left for Duan Zheng. If he has the capability, he can thrive just as well overseas." Sure enough.
The conjecture Lin Xi had harbored in her mind was confirmed by Duan Yiheng. Duan Zheng could leverage the overseas projects to expand his business empire, while also ensuring that he and Duan Yiheng would not interfere with one another. With Duan Yiheng taking the helm at Yinfan, Duan Zheng's departure was inevitable.
Otherwise—as Duan Yiheng's father—he would inevitably use his seniority to overshadow Duan Yiheng, attempting to meddle in every matter; this would inevitably lead to complications in Duan Yiheng's management. Furthermore, given that there were factions within the company loyal to Duan Zheng, the organization would eventually splinter into "new" and "old" camps—a scenario even more detrimental to the company's growth.
"I suspect another part of the reason is An Qi," Lin Xi stated with conviction. "Duan Mingxuan certainly wouldn't tolerate her." Duan Yiheng gave a faint smile. "You're right." It wasn't just Duan Mingxuan who wouldn't tolerate her; Chen Baiwei felt the same way. It all came down to how Duan Zheng chose to make his compromises.
Upon entering the office building, Duan Yiheng spoke as he walked: "Go upstairs and summon everyone from the relevant departments for a meeting. This is our final internal briefing before the signing ceremony; no one is permitted to be absent." Lin Xi quickly acknowledged the instruction: "Understood. Is 2:00 PM acceptable?" Duan Yiheng replied:
"That works. Let's use the largest conference room on the 19th floor." Lin Xi confirmed: "Right." Before the meeting began, she still needed to draft the agenda. Since they were scheduled to hold detailed discussions regarding the signing with Likang the very next day, the afternoon meeting would likely run until closing time.
At 2:00 PM, Lin Xi followed Duan Yiheng into the conference room on the 19th floor. Duan Yiheng took his seat at the head of the table and swept his gaze across the rows of attendees on either side: "Is everyone present?" Lin Xi leaned forward slightly. "Everyone is here; we may begin." Duan Yiheng nodded:
"Very well, let's get started." With the Sales Department acting as the vanguard, Xu Yu was the first to take the floor. Duan Yiheng tapped his pen against the tabletop, interjecting with a brief comment or two from time to time. After Xu Yu finished speaking, Duan Yiheng said:
"Tomorrow, I will personally lead the team. The Sales Department plays the most critical role prior to the contract signing; Director Xu, you must be meticulous—not a single punctuation mark can be out of place."
"Everyone is well aware of Likang's actual requirements, so keep your presentation simple and direct. Regarding the fee structure, you must not only clearly explain its composition but also emphasize our cost-effectiveness advantage." Xu Yu immediately responded: "Understood."
The Technical, Finance, and Risk Control departments took turns speaking. Halfway through the proceedings, Duan Yiheng caught a glimpse in his peripheral vision of Lin Xi signaling to him that they could take a break in five minutes. He glanced at his watch; an hour and a half had already passed. "Let's take a half-hour break, everyone."
Duan Yiheng lifted his gaze slightly. "Go grab something to eat." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; their taut nerves instantly relaxed considerably. Lin Xi stood up and asked Duan Yiheng, "Shall I go get you some afternoon tea?" Duan Yiheng rose as well: "Bring it to my office—get two servings."
"Alright." After fetching two sets of afternoon tea from the lounge area, Lin Xi entered Duan Yiheng's office. The moment she stepped inside, she was greeted by the rich aroma of coffee. Duan Yiheng looked up and said, "Come over here; the coffee is ready." Lin Xi walked over and said:
"I brought you an egg tart and a sandwich, plus a cup of blueberries." Duan Yiheng gestured for her to sit down: "Let's have a bite together." Lin Xi sat down on the sofa and accepted the coffee Duan Yiheng handed her.
Even with sugar added, the hand-brewed coffee was still bitter—though that bitterness served as the perfect counterpoint to the sweetness of the egg tart. Lin Xi narrowed her eyes slightly and remarked to Duan Yiheng, "I was definitely full at lunchtime, yet somehow I'm hungry again now." Duan Yiheng replied, "You ate next to nothing back then; if you're not hungry, who would be?"
Lin Xi rolled her eyes at him. "How many sugar cubes did you add for me?" "Two," Duan Yiheng said. "Isn't that your usual preference? Is it too bitter?" Lin Xi looked at him and smiled: "That's how I used to drink it, and I never found it bitter. But ever since I started being with you, it tastes bitter to me now."
Were it not for the egg tart, she might not have been able to drink it at all. Duan Yiheng was so charmed that he laughed aloud: "Stop teasing me; I have a meeting to attend shortly." "Blaming me just because you lack self-control?" Lin Xi retorted. "Are you really going to start getting handsy after just a few words?"
Duan Yiheng set down his coffee and leaned in closer himself, slipping his arm around her lower back and pulling her tight with a gentle squeeze. "Now *this* is what you call getting handsy, isn't it?" he murmured into Lin Xi's ear, lowering his head. Lin Xi pulled away slightly: "We're still in the office; take it easy."
"I know," Duan Yiheng said, stroking her waist. "What good is such a short amount of time?" Lin Xi glanced back at the office door, then suddenly turned and planted a kiss right on Duan Yiheng's lips. "It's enough for *this*."
Duan Yiheng was genuinely taken aback for a moment; by the time he snapped out of it and moved to kiss her back, she was already pulling away. "Alright, alright," Lin Xi said, lifting her own coffee cup to Duan Yiheng's lips. "Drink your coffee." Duan Yiheng frowned. "I don't want any." Lin Xi kept pushing the cup toward him:
"Yes, you do." Duan Yiheng opened his mouth and took a sip, the bitter taste washing away the sweetness still lingering on his lips. Dissatisfied, he grasped Lin Xi's wrist and took the coffee cup out of her hand. Lin Xi thought he intended to drink it himself and was just about to speak when Duan Yiheng pressed her back against the sofa and began to kiss her passionately.
Lin Xi's eyes flew wide open; she felt as though they had both gone completely mad. Yet Duan Yiheng still maintained a shred of self-control, letting her go just before things spiraled out of control. Lin Xi's face was flushed crimson, and she couldn't bring herself to utter a single word of reproach—after all, she was the one who had done the teasing first.
Duan Yiheng gently brushed a stray strand of hair away from her cheek. "Everything that could possibly happen between us already has—how can you still be blushing like this?" *Because I love you.* Lin Xi bit her lip and whispered, "It's time for the meeting." "There are still five minutes," Duan Yiheng replied. "Can I come over to your place tonight?" Lin Xi instinctively recoiled: "Don't get any ideas; we have a meeting at the Likang headquarters tomorrow." "Who's getting ideas?" Duan Yiheng said. "I meant sleeping—and I mean *just* sleeping." Lin Xi let out a soft "Oh," then added,
"It's hard to say if I'll even be able to leave work on time today." Duan Yiheng gazed steadily at her for a moment, then said, "Once the Likang project is wrapped up, you should transfer to the Sales Department—start as a manager." Lin Xi was taken aback: "Why bring that up so suddenly?" Duan Yiheng reached out, cupped the back of her neck, and gave it a gentle pat:
"It's bound to happen sooner or later. I'll continue to serve as the concurrent President of Yinfan Technology, but from now on, I'll rarely be working out of this office—maybe just once or twice a week." If they didn't leave soon, they'd keep everyone waiting. Lin Xi took his hand and pulled him to his feet:
"Let's talk about that later; right now, we should focus on the meeting." "Alright," Duan Yiheng agreed. He adjusted his tie, turned around, and exited the office. The meeting resumed; the department heads, now fully recharged, looked bright-eyed and energetic.
Lin Xi switched on the projector once again; the cool blue light illuminating the dense array of data lent the meeting a distinctly more serious atmosphere. The meeting dragged on until seven o'clock, by which point Lin Xi's backside was aching from sitting for so long. When Duan Yiheng finally announced the meeting's adjournment, she discreetly rubbed her lower back.
Once everyone had cleared out of the conference room, Duan Yiheng walked over and gently pulled her to her feet: "Does your back hurt?" Lin Xi finished tidying up her files and replied, "It's just from sitting for too long." Duan Yiheng asked, "Do you want to eat here at the office, or head back home?" Lin Xi couldn't be bothered with the hassle of going out, so she said:
"I'll order some food now; it should arrive right around the time we get back." "Sounds good."