"Big sister." The little girl smiled sweetly, accompanied by her nanny. Lin Xi first nodded to the nanny, then crouched down to greet the little girl: "What a coincidence! Are you here to do some shopping?"
The little girl replied in a surprisingly grown-up tone: "It was too boring, so I came over to grab a bite to eat." Lin Xi didn't ask where her parents were; if they had been around, they wouldn't have let her stay at the Tianhong Residence alone with just her nanny. Lin Xi handed her a toy rabbit—a complimentary gift she had received with her purchases:
"We seem to be quite fated to meet; this is for you." The little girl accepted it, looking delighted: "Thank you! My name is Angie." "So your surname is An?" Lin Xi ruffled her hair gently. "That's a lovely name." "I don't have the surname An at all!"
The little girl pouted, just about to reveal her real name, when the nanny crouched down and coaxed her to head home. Lin Xi rode the elevator down with them, and then they parted ways. She glanced back over her shoulder—and at that exact moment, the little girl turned back to look as well. It was that single glance that left Lin Xi feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Yet, when she tried to pin down exactly who the girl might be related to, she drew a complete blank. Upon returning home, she asked the housekeeper to serve her meal. Lin Xi snapped a photo of it and sent it to Duan Yiheng: *Have you eaten yet?*
Duan Yiheng was currently in a meeting; hearing the notification chime, he glanced at his phone, then openly picked it up and replied: *Not yet.* Lin Xi: *It's seven o'clock—you still haven't eaten?* Duan Yiheng: *I'm heading to the cafeteria with a few department heads in a bit.* Lin Xi: *Then what are you guys doing right now?*
Duan Yiheng: *Meeting.* Lin Xi: *...You're in a meeting, yet you're still messaging me back and forth?* Duan Yiheng: *?* Lin Xi: *I'm going to eat now. You get back to work.* Duan Yiheng didn't reply again—because ten minutes later, he called her instead. The fact that he was able to call meant the meeting had finally ended.
Lin Xi answered immediately: "Are you guys heading off to eat now?" Duan Yiheng chuckled softly; the expression on his face—as gentle and warm as a spring breeze, yet tinged with unmistakable tenderness—left the group of executives staring in stunned silence. "Is President Duan... in a relationship?" Director Zhang from the Tech Department nudged Xu Yu with his elbow. Xu Yu:
"How should I know?" "I've worked with him for so many years, yet I've never once heard a single rumor about his love life," Director Zhang remarked. "Director Duan must be around thirty by now; it's high time he settled down and started a family." Xu Yu offered no definitive opinion; as the heir to Silver Sail, a marriage at this age was indeed a necessary step.
However, she found it hard to believe that a man could remain so completely chaste. Either he was a secret playboy who was simply excellent at covering his tracks, or he had a stable romantic life but was simply a private individual—someone who kept his professional and personal lives strictly separate and knew how to keep things under wraps.
Over the phone, Lin Xi faintly caught the sound of activity coming from Duan Yiheng's end. She asked casually, "Are you guys heading out for a meal? I thought I heard Director Zhang's voice—surely you aren't still in a meeting?" Duan Yiheng gave an answer that was half-truth, half-fiction:
"We're on our way to the cafeteria. Director Zhang and Director Xu are discussing the Likang project." Lin Xi let out an "Oh," adding, "They really are working hard." Duan Yiheng retorted, "They're the only ones working hard? What about me? Am *I* not working hard?"
Xu Yu and Director Zhang exchanged glances, both catching the look of cloying affection in the other's eyes. "You're the one working the hardest," Lin Xi said with a sweet smile—even though she knew he couldn't see her—adding, "Is that better?"
Duan Yiheng lengthened his stride, putting some distance between himself and Xu Yu's group, then deliberately lowered his voice: "Better. Though I'd be even happier if you saved the compliments for when we're in bed next time." "Duan Yiheng!" Lin Xi blushed furiously. "You pervert!"
Duan Yiheng let out two soft chuckles that vibrated through his chest: "My bad. Just teasing you." Flustered and annoyed, Lin Xi hung up the phone. She then sent Duan Yiheng a WeChat message: *We're not speaking for the rest of the night.*
Duan Yiheng didn't reply. After finishing her dinner, Lin Xi contacted Sun Wenxin and invited her out for a meal on her birthday. Sun Wenxin agreed immediately, saying, "I'll treat you—don't you dare try to pay before I do!" "Alright, I won't fight you for the bill." "Lin Xi, do you have any dietary restrictions?"
"Nothing in particular. Just pick whatever you like." "Got it." After hanging up, Lin Xi took a shower. Once she was done, she headed to her study, sat down at her computer, and began poring over the company's past bidding documents. These were all classic, instructive case studies—downloads that Duan Yiheng had personally selected for her. As she reviewed them, Lin Xi typed out key points in her notebook.
No matter the project, client needs and proposed solutions always lay at the core. Lin Xi worked diligently for over an hour; whenever she encountered something she didn't understand, she studied it; and for anything she couldn't quite grasp, she resolved to ask Duan Yiheng about it the next day. Time slipped away unnoticed as Lin Xi sat before her computer, rehearsing her bid presentation over and over again.
When she reached the technical details, however, she hit a snag once more. Thudding her head heavily against the desktop, Lin Xi let out a long, weary sigh. Just then, her phone rang. Lin Xi picked it up; seeing that it was Duan Yiheng, she answered—though she remained silent, for she certainly hadn't forgotten that she was still supposed to be mad at him.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Duan Yiheng asked. Lin Xi replied, "Why are you calling me? Didn't I tell you I was 'breaking up' with you for the night?" "Are you really going to cut me off?" Duan Yiheng asked, feigning vulnerability. "But I'm right here downstairs, baby. Won't you come see me?"
Lin Xi's heart gave a sudden leap of joy, though she immediately stifled her reaction. "How did you end up here?" she asked. Duan Yiheng explained, "It's getting late. I told my driver to head back to the villa, but as we passed *Tiandu Yuxi*—where you live—I simply couldn't bring myself to drive past it. I had no choice but to tell the driver to pull over." *Good heavens!*
His tone had been nothing more than a simple narration of his thoughts at that moment, yet why did those few brief sentences make Lin Xi's heart begin to race? How was she supposed to turn him away now? "Lin Xi, say something," Duan Yiheng urged from the other end of the line. "Are you going to let me in?
If so, just let the building manager know." Without a second thought, Lin Xi replied, "I'll have the manager grant you permanent access to the building. From now on, you can come and go whenever you please." Duan Yiheng hadn't expected such a delightful surprise; smiling, he asked, "Really?" Lin Xi felt a blush rising to her cheeks.
"Well... do you want it or not?" Duan Yiheng answered without a shred of hesitation: "I do." Lin Xi gave a soft huff. "Alright then. Come on up." With that, Lin Xi left her study and headed to the entryway to wait for Duan Yiheng.
Leaning against the entryway cabinet, Lin Xi felt a deep, indescribable stirring in her heart. She didn't crave grand, dramatic gestures; what she truly desired was a love that flowed gently and steadily, like a quiet stream. And that—that was exactly the feeling Duan Yiheng gave her. When it came to her, he shed all his cold, sharp edges; he would patiently teach her things, proactively attend to her moods, and demonstrate his affection through his actions.
Lost deep in thought, she didn't even hear the elevator doors open; it wasn't until Duan Yiheng stood right in front of her that she finally looked up, belatedly realizing he was there. Duan Yiheng watched her eyes light up, sparkling like a sky full of stars. Lin Xi stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, catching him completely off guard.
"Didn't you say you were cutting ties with me?" Lin Xi silently held him tighter. "Well, since you've come all the way up here, the 'cutting ties' period is officially over." Duan Yiheng cupped her face in his hands and planted a soft kiss on her lips. "I'm very glad to hear you say that." Lin Xi took hold of his wrist. "Come with me."
Duan Yiheng followed her silently. "What are we doing?" Lin Xi teased, "You'll find out when we get there." Usually, this kind of buildup meant a surprise was just moments away.
Lin Xi led him into the study. Upon seeing the table piled high with project documents and notes—all belonging to her—Duan Yiheng found himself utterly speechless. He had miscalculated; it seemed Lin Xi had ended their "cold war" early for one reason and one reason only: to get him to come up here and work overtime.