After the plane landed, Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng walked out of the airport. The branch manager was already waiting at the exit, accompanied by Tian Han, whom Lin Xi had met once before.
Tian Han had been promoted from Duan Yiheng's assistant to a manager in S City, essentially acting as Duan Yiheng's eyes and ears here. The branch manager approached respectfully and said,
"Mr. Duan, you've come a long way, you must be tired. The car is ready. Let's go to the hotel and rest for a bit. We'll have the meeting again this afternoon?" Duan Yiheng nodded: "Okay."
The two got into the car and sat together. Lin Xi couldn't help but glance out the window; the climate here was completely different from B City. Duan Yiheng followed her gaze and saw only greenery lining the streets outside. He smiled slightly and asked gently, "First time here?"
Lin Xi subconsciously shook her head, then nodded. Duan Yiheng was confused: "You're shaking your head and nodding, does that mean you've been here or not?" "Several years ago," Lin Xi said somewhat guiltily, "Back then, before I went abroad, it was Duan Mingxuan's eighteenth birthday."
"Oh?" Duan Yiheng chuckled. "And then, where did you go?" Lin Xi: "I went out to sea with a bunch of rich kids from here." An eighteenth birthday was a grand affair; Duan Yiheng still vaguely remembered it. He glanced at Lin Xi and said:
"You weren't even eighteen back then, were you? They were singing, dancing, drinking, and bragging, and what were you doing?" Lin Xi: "...Sleeping, eating, and watching the sea." "You like watching the sea?" Duan Yiheng said, "If you like it, I'll take you sometime." Lin Xi thought: With someone I like, anywhere is fine. While they were talking, the car arrived at the hotel. After checking in, the two took their room keys and went back to their rooms.
Tian Han knew Duan Yiheng's habit: he would have lunch at the hotel after the afternoon meeting. So, before the person in charge could even speak, he turned away everyone blocking the hotel lobby. At 2 PM, Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng entered the branch office's conference room.
The conference room was filled with the person in charge and the project team. A young assistant handed Lin Xi some documents, and Lin Xi nodded slightly. Seeing everyone standing, Duan Yiheng glanced at them and said, "Sit down." He took the documents from Lin Xi and flipped through them, saying,
"Let's begin." Lin Xi took notes, supplementing details as Duan Yiheng listened to the project team's report.
Each department head explained the difficulties encountered in the project. After discussion, Duan Yiheng made some adjustments, the results of which would be shown to him the next day. The meeting went on until 5 PM. Duan Yiheng said to Tian Han,
"Tell them not to follow me. I'll take a walk around the company and check on everyone's work." Tian Han respectfully agreed, and Duan Yiheng left with Lin Xi. Half an hour later, as they passed the server room, Duan Yiheng pointed and said to Lin Xi,
"When I was 24, Yinfan Technology didn't have any branches yet. Sometimes I'd spend the whole day in the server room, no different from those technicians who stayed up all night debugging programs."
Lin Xi listened with curiosity, imagining what he was like working in the server room. Was he as adept as he was now? Thinking about this, she asked him aloud. Duan Yiheng smiled.
"It's not like I'm running around like a headless fly, but it's true I'm always staying up late." Lin Xi complained, "Even when you're busy, you don't sleep until two or three in the morning." Duan Yiheng said, "That only happens when there's a major project."
Before Lin Xi could say anything more, Tian Han caught up from behind and said that the company's leaders wanted to have dinner with Duan Yiheng. Since they were all high-level executives, Duan Yiheng couldn't refuse directly, so he agreed. The car was already prepared, and Tian Han invited them into the car.
The restaurant was Tian Han's suggestion—a seemingly unassuming Chinese restaurant with a quiet and elegant ambiance. Including Lin Xi, there were only two women present; the other was the marketing director, surnamed Xu.
Initially, everyone was a little reserved around Duan Yiheng, but fortunately, Tian Han mediated, as he was familiar with both sides, making it perfect for them. After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere in the private room gradually warmed up.
They were all seasoned veterans, with a decent alcohol tolerance. Seeing that Lin Xi hadn't drunk any, one of the vice presidents, surnamed Sha, smiled and said, "Secretary Lin, why don't you have a drink? If you're not used to baijiu, red wine is fine too." Lin Xi smiled politely, "I'm not feeling well, I'll have juice."
"What's so good about juice? Or—" Director Xu next to him coughed, "My throat hasn't been feeling too well these past few days either. This bowl of sea coconut and conch soup is quite good, Secretary Lin, would you like to try some?" Lin Xi smiled and replied, "Okay."
Tian Han broke out in a cold sweat, composing a message on his phone for Vice President Sha, who had tried to get Lin Xi to drink. However, he didn't read it, assuming it was a message from his wife. Tian Han:
"..." The table was big enough to fit two more people in the middle, and Duan Yiheng was still sitting in the head seat, so it wasn't appropriate to openly remind him. Some people knew Lin Xi's identity, while others naturally didn't.
Among them were those who didn't get along with Vice President Sha, their eyes darting around, waiting for him to embarrass himself. Tian Han knew Lin Xi's identity from a conversation with Qin Yang.
The news released by Duan Zheng a while ago only revealed the existence of this adopted daughter; unless one paid special attention, no one would know Lin Xi's true identity. Clearly, this Vice President Sha wasn't among those who had this intention.
Tian Han wouldn't allow him to offend Lin Xi, so he kept steer the conversation away. With Director Xu helping to divert attention, Vice President Sha remained quiet for a long time, though he kept glancing at Lin Xi out of the corner of his eye. Duan Yiheng smiled and downed a glass of baijiu.
Lin Xi frowned, leaned forward, and lowered her voice: "We have important business tomorrow, don't get drunk." Duan Yiheng nodded slightly; he understood. But tonight, it probably wouldn't be just a simple meal.
Another hour passed amidst the clinking of glasses, and some people's faces were flushed from the alcohol. Lin Xi glanced at Duan Yiheng; given the important business tomorrow, he would only drink a little, just a token amount. Now, with people openly and secretly getting Vice President Sha drunk, she felt something was amiss. Tian Han noticed something was amiss, exchanged a glance with Director Xu, and had done his part in giving reminders and hints; some people were practically courting disaster, and there was nothing he could do.
Duan Yiheng firmly believed that people with questionable character were just as bad when drunk. Sure enough, half an hour later, Vice President Sha's eyes darted towards Lin Xi, his tone flippant and frivolous:
"Secretary Lin is capable and beautiful; President Duan is truly blessed to have such a capable assistant." The words themselves weren't offensive, but combined with his expression and tone, it was clear he believed Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng had an improper relationship.
Lin Xi frowned but didn't reply. Vice President Sha, however, persisted, picking up his glass and swaggering over to Lin Xi. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw Duan Yiheng stand up, and Lin Xi instinctively hid behind him. "Secretary Lin, I... I'd like to propose a toast to you."
Lin Xi stared wide-eyed, completely unprepared for this turn of events. This Vice President Sha was incredibly audacious! She was brought along by Duan Yiheng, and was his official secretary; how dare he flirt with her at the dinner table?