Lin Xi knocked on the door of Director Xu Yu's office. Xu Yu turned around and their eyes met. She froze awkwardly. Lin Xi waved her hand and said,
"Tell him I'm fine, tell him not to worry. I was just testing who his informant is." Lin Xi's voice came clearly into the phone, and Xu Yu heard Duan Yiheng laugh. She hung up and gave Lin Xi an awkward smile.
After all, she was her boss. Lin Xi simply waved her hand and said, "I came over to tell you I'm fine. I'll take the people to the scenic area myself." Xu Yu nodded: "Okay, go ahead then." Lin Xi smiled and let it go, pretending it didn't exist.
Leaving the office, she took two people with her. "Team Leader Tian, have you contacted the scenic area's operations manager?" Lin Xi asked the man who had been so attentive to her by driving. Team Leader Tian: "I've contacted them, the appointment is at 10:30." Lin Xi:
"We'll be there all day, so I'll treat you to lunch. Any restaurant except those requiring reservations is fine." The two in the car cheered, and she took the opportunity to flatter him for a while.
Upon arriving at the scenic area, the operations manager led Lin Xi and the others to the management office. The manager introduced her to the ticketing system, which Lin Xi carefully noted down, and she also asked some questions about ticketing.
The morning passed quickly. She took the project team to a well-known nearby restaurant, which was, of course, quite expensive. During this time, Duan Yiheng called, informing her that she would be conducting an on-site inspection of the scenic area in the afternoon, and repeatedly reminded her of the arrangements.
After a long day in the sun, Lin Xi felt dizzy when she got home. Sister Mei thoughtfully brought her some mung bean soup, smiling and saying, "I prepared this especially for you." "Thank you," Lin Xi said sweetly. As soon as she finished speaking, Duan Yiheng entered the living room and asked, "What are you thanking me for?"
"Why are you back so early?" Lin Xi put down her mung bean soup and greeted him. "That's great! Help me look at the report later." Duan Yiheng chuckled, exasperated: "I came back especially to have dinner with you, and you want me to work overtime with you?"
Lin Xi grabbed his arm and shook it: "Once we secure the scenic area project, I'll have dinner with you every day." "Just kidding," Duan Yiheng said, unmoved. "Then tell me, what do you want?" Lin Xi asked generously.
Duan Yiheng led her to the living room and sat her down, serving her mung bean soup. He said, "After the project is finished, you should meet with the villa renovation designer. We'll stay at Tiandu Yuxi for a while." Lin Xi was taken aback. "Me? What about you?" Duan Yiheng smiled.
"I'll go with you. But as the future mistress of this villa, your opinion will naturally prevail. If there are any flowers, plants, or trees in the yard that you don't like, just have them dug up and new ones planted." Lin Xi immediately thought of something and said, "Let's plant magnolias." "Okay." "..." Duan Yiheng fed her a sip of soup. "The fabric I brought back from the south is perfect for making cheongsams. The moon-white color goes well with magnolias, so I'll embroider magnolias on it. Later, I'll take a picture of you under the magnolia tree, using that old camera you gave me."
Lin Xi smiled sweetly at Duan Yiheng, saying, "You're quite romantic." Duan Yiheng replied, "It depends on the person. At least you're the first person to say that to me." With Sister Mei still there, Lin Xi felt embarrassed to be so affectionate, but she secretly tugged at the hem of Duan Yiheng's suit jacket.
Duan Yiheng liked her occasional clingy gestures and didn't call her out on them, taking it as a little playful gesture. After dinner, Lin Xi pushed Duan Yiheng into the study.
Duan Yiheng's abilities were undeniable. Lin Xi learned from Xu Yu during the day and from Duan Yiheng at night, perfecting a project for a scenic area. After numerous face-to-face discussions, Lin Xi and the technical team meticulously designed a plan.
The plan was naturally optimized to meet the needs of the scenic area, incorporating more convenient functions. A month later, with the bidding period approaching, Xu Yu delegated the entire task to Lin Xi, who was also the one giving the presentation that day.
This was Lin Xi's first project handled independently, and her first time presenting on stage. Lin Xi was a little nervous. Xu Yu told her, "Your hard work will make you feel confident and at ease on stage. Trust me, and trust yourself."
Lin Xi was excited, remembering how the project team and she had worked day and night. She couldn't afford to let them down. Before going on stage, Lin Xi's phone rang.
It was Duan Yiheng calling. Lin Xi's nervous heart calmed down. Duan Yiheng's gentle voice came through the receiver: "Nervous?" "Yes."
"Take two deep breaths before going on stage. Think about your preparation and hard work over the past month. I've been overseeing the project; there won't be any problems, okay?" Duan Yiheng had started from project experience himself. Hearing this, Lin Xi felt a surge of unstoppable confidence. "Okay."
It was Lin Xi's turn. Not at the beginning, not at the end, but in the middle. To be honest, the judges were a bit tired at this point, making it feel a bit like an interview. But Lin Xi's appearance was undeniably refreshing.
After greeting them, she got straight to the point, her expression remaining largely unchanged, a confident smile playing on her lips. Lin Xi's voice was clear and strong, her explanations professional, highlighting innovations in every detail of the ticketing system and financial services. She nodded repeatedly, looking up.
In just over ten minutes, Lin Xi's presentation became increasingly steady, emphasizing the client's needs and highlighting her technical advantages. Afterwards, she let out a long sigh of relief. Xu Yu patted her shoulder: "Not bad." Lin Xi asked her, "Do you think you'll win the bid?" Xu Yu said,
"Don't think about that. Take a few days off first, and you'll be notified when the time comes." Lin Xi nodded: "I've already told them we're going out for dinner tonight. Director Xu, come along." "Okay." Xu Yu said, "Do you want to invite Director Duan over?"
Lin Xi refused directly: "No need. If he comes, who can have fun?" Xu Yu: "True." That evening, the project team chose a specialty restaurant for their dinner. People kept coming to toast Lin Xi. Seeing Lin Xi's face flushed, Xu Yu laughed:
"You're all like monkeys when you're not at the company. When your Director Duan comes to pick up Manager Lin later, if you get her drunk, see how he deals with you." "Director, what are you saying? Who would dare to get Manager Lin drunk? We're just happy."
Lin Xi immediately spoke up for them: "It's okay, I only had a little, it just made my face flush." Lin Xi hadn't drunk alcohol for a long time because of her injury, and in her excitement, she accidentally drank too much. However, her mind was still clear. After a few rounds of drinks, someone suggested changing venues. Lin Xi waved her hand, "I won't go, otherwise President Duan will have something to say." The private room erupted in laughter. Xu Yu glanced at her helplessly; she was truly drunk now.
"Manager Lin, tell us, what does President Duan think?" Lin Xi thought for a moment, but before an answer could be given, the door to the private room opened. Lin Xi was approachable, and everyone dared to joke with her, but in front of Duan Yiheng, they all became timid.
Lin Xi caught a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye and pointed, "President Duan is here. Ask him."