As he answered the phone, Duan Yiheng drew Lin Xi into his arms and gave her a reassuring pat; thus comforted, Lin Xi began to calm down.
To prove his point, he switched the call to speakerphone and tossed the device onto the bed. "Mr. Duan, do you know who I am?" Duan Yiheng's fingertips drifted upward to gently pinch Lin Xi's earlobe.
Very few people possessed Duan Yiheng's private number; coupling this with the favor he had asked Tan Qi to handle, he immediately formed a guess: "Miss Xu?" Xu Minghui chuckled: "Mr. Duan, you really are clever."
Xu Minghui's voice was so alluring—the kind most men would find irresistible—that Lin Xi instinctively looked up to gauge his reaction. Duan Yiheng's lips curved ever so slightly, yet his expression remained utterly unruffled: "Miss Xu, calling me at this hour—my girlfriend might get the wrong idea."
It wasn't just Xu Minghui who was stunned; Lin Xi froze as well, her heart leaping right into her throat. Xu Minghui gave a light laugh:
"You and Tan Qi once discussed marriage, didn't you? I have no interest in men who have a history with my friends. I simply just got back from a nightclub, and since I had a spare moment, I decided to give you a call." Duan Yiheng replied:
"...Miss Xu, you really ought to be more precise with your words. I never discussed marriage with Tan Qi." Xu Minghui shrugged: "Whatever. My mother would like to meet with you; when would you be free, Mr. Duan?" Duan Yiheng responded: "If Ms. Zheng wishes to meet, I am at her disposal anytime."
Satisfied, Xu Minghui hung up the phone. Lin Xi asked Duan Yiheng, "Is she Zheng Jiayi's daughter?" Duan Yiheng gave a soft "Mm": "Meng Huaishan mentioned that she and Tan Qi are on good terms, which is why I went through Tan Qi to make the connection."
Having an intermediary involved right from the start helped establish a baseline of trust between the two parties. Her curiosity satisfied, Lin Xi covered her mouth as she yawned: "I'm really done for; I just want to go to sleep." Duan Yiheng placed his palm against the small of her back: "Go take a shower first; I'll go shut down the computer."
Lin Xi gave a soft laugh—and actually went to do just that. She took a quick shower, and when she emerged, Duan Yiheng happened to be taking off his shirt. His physique was truly impressive; with fully equipped gyms at both his office and his home—and a demanding work schedule that necessitated a healthy body—Duan Yiheng made sure to work out every single day. "Go on and take your shower," Lin Xi said, averting her gaze. "I'm heading to bed now." It was indeed getting late; Duan Yiheng acknowledged her words and headed to the bathroom. Lin Xi was terribly sleepy and assumed she would drift off immediately, but to her surprise, she lay there for quite a while without feeling the slightest urge to sleep.
Once Duan Yiheng had joined her in bed, the lounge fell so silent that the only sounds audible were the soft rhythm of their breathing. Duan Yiheng pulled Lin Xi into his arms. "Can't sleep?" he asked, his voice carrying a dreamy, hazy quality—low, deep, and pleasant to the ear. Lin Xi stirred slightly within his embrace. "Just a little."
Duan Yiheng pressed a gentle kiss to her brow. "I'll hold you while you sleep." Lin Xi closed her eyes and softly whispered, "Goodnight." Watching her docile demeanor, Duan Yiheng felt a tender warmth bloom in his heart. "Goodnight."
As the night deepened, Lin Xi drifted into a deep, peaceful slumber within the warm, safe sanctuary of Duan Yiheng's arms. The early mornings of April still held a lingering chill, and the air was dry; when Lin Xi finally woke up, her throat felt a bit parched.
Her waist was held in a tight embrace; whenever Lin Xi slept beside Duan Yiheng, she would wake up with the distinct—albeit illusory—impression that he was afraid she might run away. She carefully extricated herself from his arms and went to pour herself a glass of water.
Stirred awake by her movements, Duan Yiheng opened his eyes and reached out from beneath the covers to check his watch. Seeing that it was only seven o'clock, he spoke to Lin Xi in a husky voice: "Go back to sleep for a little while longer." Lin Xi shook her head.
"I'm already up, so I won't go back to sleep. You go ahead and rest; I'm going to head downstairs to walk around a bit, and I'll bring you back some breakfast while I'm at it." Before Duan Yiheng could offer a reply, Lin Xi had already changed her clothes and finished her morning ablutions; by then, Duan Yiheng had gotten out of bed as well.
For those accustomed to a busy, active life, lying idly in bed is simply impossible—they just can't stay put. Lin Xi was taken aback: "You're not planning to come downstairs with me, are you?" Duan Yiheng replied, "No, I'm not going down; I'm just going to make two cups of coffee. Don't wander around for too long." Lin Xi nodded: "Got it."
After going downstairs and walking a couple of laps, her mind finally cleared up a bit. Lin Xi headed to the cafeteria, where one of the staff members—an older woman who recognized her—smiled and greeted her: "Secretary Lin, were you working overtime last night?"
Lin Xi smiled and nodded. She then picked up two boiled eggs, two steamed buns, two *shaomai*, and a fruit platter, finally adding two packets of nuts to her tray. When she returned upstairs, Duan Yiheng had already finished brewing the coffee.
Lin Xi truly cherished the time she spent eating with Duan Yiheng. The two would exchange glances every now and then; even without speaking, the atmosphere around them remained warm and peaceful. "The egg-yolk *shaomai* here in the cafeteria actually tastes even better than the ones made at home," Lin Xi remarked casually. Duan Yiheng said,
"The company provides meals every day; if you want to eat, just go ahead." After eating leisurely for half an hour, Lin Xi said to Duan Yiheng, "I'm going to get back to work now." "Wait a minute," Duan Yiheng called out to her. "You had lunch with that young receptionist yesterday—what did you have her do?"
Lin Xi sat back down and said, "Chen Liangyi has a team leader under her named Zhang Hanwen. He happens to be from the same hometown as Sun Wenxin. I want to use him to gather information on Chen Liangyi, and at the same time, use him to pass messages along to her." Duan Yiheng looked at her:
"It seems you've already come up with a plan." Lin Xi nodded. "Xu Yu still has a fairly high tolerance for her. If I were to act alone—charging ahead without any support—my chances of success would be slim. Xu Yu needs to be the one to make a move." Duan Yiheng replied:
"Even though Xu Yu holds a high position, she's still a newcomer to the company. If she were to immediately oust the manager hand-picked by Grandfather the moment she arrived, who would ever respect her? Such intolerance would make it impossible for her to lead effectively." Lin Xi looked up at Duan Yiheng:
"However, a person's tolerance has its limits. Chen Liangyi insists on taking the lead in absolutely everything within the Sales Department. After finally landing a major opportunity, the department should be united in working on this project; instead, Chen Liangyi is forming cliques and starting to follow in Zheng Jizhong's footsteps." Duan Yiheng said:
"Grandfather is a man of his word; he promised her the position of manager, but he never promised to guarantee her that job for the rest of her life. Go ahead and do what you need to do—don't hold back." "In that case, I'll get back to work now," Lin Xi said. Just as she reached the door, she turned back around. Seeing this, Duan Yiheng smiled and asked, "Did you forget your good-morning kiss?"
Lin Xi rolled her eyes at him. "No, that's not it. I'm going out this afternoon to pick out a birthday present for Sun Wenxin, so I won't be joining you for dinner tonight." "Got it." Duan Yiheng took her hand, reached up to grab the remote control, and switched the smart glass from opaque to transparent. "Give me a kiss before you go."
Lin Xi felt too self-conscious to be affectionate at the office—and she didn't really want to, anyway—so she turned to leave. However, Duan Yiheng grabbed her by the wrist and pinned her against his desk. He leaned in and kissed her; knowing that the more she struggled, the harder it would be to get away, Lin Xi simply submitted and let him kiss her for a full minute. Once released, she instinctively rubbed the back of her hand against her burning face. "I'm really heading out now." Duan Yiheng smiled. "Go ahead." Upon returning to the secretarial office, she set to work on the tasks Duan Yiheng had assigned her the previous night. She spent the entire day bustling about, barely finding a moment to sit down.
After work, she headed straight to the mall. She browsed her way down floor by floor, eventually settling on a bottle of designer perfume. With her gift selected, Lin Xi had no time to linger; she left the shop and headed toward the elevators—only to unexpectedly run into the little girl she had nearly bumped into that night.