Deepening Food Company's factory complex wasn't considered small in C City. After getting off the high-speed rail, Lin Zhi took a taxi to the factory gates, only to find the area surprisingly deserted. It was obviously a food processing plant, yet there were hardly any vehicles loading or unloading goods.
She frowned in confusion before walking over to the security guard to state her identity. The guard made a phone call and subsequently escorted her to the office.
The person in charge was a middle-aged man with a greasy face. Upon learning why she was there, he chuckled heartily. "The financial report for the first half of the year, right? No problem at all, I'll have someone fetch it in a moment. You've had a long journey, Miss Lin. How about this? It's almost noon, so I'll take you out to try some of C City's local delicacies."
As he spoke, he made a call to summon two young people—one man and one woman. They flanked her on both sides as they ushered her outside. Lin Zhi felt a bit uncomfortable, but finding it hard to refuse, she went along with them.
During the meal, this President Zhang kept prying into her background, asking if she had any relatives working at Dongning. Once he found out she had none, his warm and amiable attitude immediately turned arrogant, and his tone became dismissive.
"Since Miss Lin is so pretty, do you have a boyfriend yet?" he asked, raising his glass. "Come on, let's have a drink."
Lin Zhi felt a surge of disgust but offered a polite, fake smile in refusal. "I don't drink, President Zhang. The company needs this urgently. When do you think you can give me the documents so I can head back early and report on my task?"
She didn't plan on wasting more breath on a man like him. By now, she had recalled the meeting Zhou Congli held yesterday. Someone had brought up Deepening Food Company, mentioning that its profitability had been declining over the years and questioning whether it needed restructuring. However, another shareholder felt there was no need to keep a factory that wasn't making money.
It just so happened that Zhou Congli had set his sights on a major project that required substantial funding. Selling off the food company would perfectly free up the capital to invest in it.
The matter was only briefly touched upon during the meeting before they moved on to other topics, so no final decision had been made.
But from what she had seen earlier, despite the factory's massive size, the employees were slacking off, and no one seemed to actually be working. It was glaringly obvious that the factory's revenue was abysmal. As the person in charge, President Zhang was exceptionally well-fed and greasy; he had clearly been lining his own pockets. Upon seeing her, his first thought wasn't to get the work done, but rather to schmooze and build connections. Then, the moment he realized she had no background or backing, he did a complete one-eighty. One look at this factory was enough to tell it had no future.
President Zhang gave a superficial smile. "As expected of a talent from a big corporation, you sure do things with lightning speed. But Xiao Lin, navigating society means following the unspoken rules of every industry. You'll easily offend people acting like this."
Lin Zhi just smiled and said nothing.
Seeing her lack of tact, President Zhang lost his patience. "It seems Miss Lin isn't going to give me any face today. Heh, then I won't bother you any longer. I'll be taking my leave."
Seeing him storm off in a huff, the two assistants split up—one chased after him, while the other escorted Lin Zhi back to her hotel.
Lin Zhi tried to subtly ask the female assistant how long it usually took to complete the handover when staff from A City visited. The other woman, however, gave a vague response, saying it depended on upper management's intentions.
In the end, Lin Zhi waited the entire day to no avail. They claimed there was too much paperwork and that it was quite troublesome, telling her she just needed to wait.
She scrunched her face in frustration. That President Zhang was definitely doing this on purpose. Left with no other choice, she got ready to head out for dinner.
"Lin Zhi?" someone called out to her.
Lin Zhi turned her head and saw Assistant Zhang holding his luggage, getting ready to check in at the front desk.
Pleasantly surprised, she walked over. "Assistant Zhang, what are you doing here?" Glancing at his belongings, she smiled. "On a business trip?"
Assistant Zhang nodded. "I'm accompanying the president on a business trip. But why are you here? It's a workday today." He looked at her as if assuming she had actually taken time off to go on vacation.
Lin Zhi smiled bitterly. "I'm on a business trip too."
Assistant Zhang's eyes instantly widened in shock. Lin Zhi then explained how she was sent over to retrieve the report. Assistant Zhang thought back for a moment. "Manager Wang did mention this to the president. This food company is an old brand, but it seems to be failing. Its profitability has been consistently low, and the president's intention was to just shut it down.
"But to actually send an intern on a business trip... your supervisor must have lost her mind."
Lin Zhi just smiled at that. "Is the president here on a business trip as well?"
"There's a project here that needs inspecting," Assistant Zhang replied.
Blinking, Lin Zhi asked, "Then where is the president?"
"He's still talking with the other party. I came first to handle the check-in."
Just as Assistant Zhang finished speaking, a car pulled up to the hotel entrance. Three people stepped out of it, one of whom hurried over to open the rear passenger door, bowing and scraping. "President Zhou, please—"
A long leg stepped out, followed by the revelation of a narrow waist and broad shoulders. A perfectly tailored suit draped over his frame, and the handsome man's eyes were as clear and composed as ever.
Assistant Zhang quickly went over. "President."
Zhou Congli gave a hum of acknowledgment. Spotting Lin Zhi standing not far away, he watched as she walked over and greeted, "President."
Since she was traveling for work today, the clothes she brought were simple and elegant, accentuating her slender waist and full chest. She also wore light makeup. It was an entirely normal outfit.
But the moment those three people saw her, their gazes turned strange. They hastily offered their goodbyes and hurriedly said, "Then we won't interrupt your pleasure any longer, President Zhou. We'll come pick you up tomorrow to visit the factory."
The car arrived fast and left just as quickly. The three of them stood awkwardly at the entrance while Assistant Zhang rushed off to sort out the check-in.
As he walked into the hotel, Zhou Congli asked her, "Why are you here?"
Lin Zhi had no choice but to follow him. "A business trip."
Zhou Congli cast a glance at her, his brows knitting together. "You're an intern. Who authorized you to go on a business trip?"
Lin Zhi blinked her innocent eyes. "Sister Mei from our department. She probably saw that I was the most idle person in the office, so she made me come." Even though she wasn't sure if Zhou Congli would actually look into the matter, it didn't stop her from making a petty little complaint.
She was no longer just one person now. With all the running around she had to do all day, she was slightly worried that something might happen to the baby.
Zhou Congli nodded. "Which company?"
"Deepening Food Company."
Zhou Congli didn't say anything else. Upon entering the lobby, Assistant Zhang had just finished checking in and was standing there waiting with the bags.
Only then did he ask where Lin Zhi was staying. Hearing that it was a bit far from here—an utterly mediocre hotel—he had Assistant Zhang book another room. "Stay here."
Lin Zhi had no objections. Since she could stay in a five-star establishment, she wasn't foolish enough to stubbornly insist on sleeping in a cheap hotel. She went with Assistant Zhang to retrieve her luggage.
After everything was settled, Assistant Zhang heard that she was going out to eat, so he asked the president. Ultimately, all three of them went together. They chose a restaurant and ordered their food, while she followed Assistant Zhang's lead, bustling about rinsing the bowls and scalding the chopsticks with hot water.
Zhou Congli kept staring at his phone, only putting it away once the food was served. He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.
However, the moment Lin Zhi saw the fish on the table, the color drained from her face. Suppressing her nausea, she restricted herself to eating only the greens on the side.
"Not to your taste?" Zhou Congli asked calmly, looking over at her.
Assistant Zhang quickly chimed in, "Should I grab the menu and order something else?" As he spoke, he prepared to stand up.
Lin Zhi shook her head. "No need. My appetite hasn't been great lately." However, upon catching another glimpse of the pale, fleshy fish, she couldn't hold it back any longer.
"URGH!" Covering her mouth, she immediately bolted for the restroom, vomiting until she was practically dizzy.