Duan Yiheng pinched Lin Xi's cheeks, tugging them outward slightly. "A secretary making her boss work overtime all day—is that any way to behave?" Lin Xi pushed him down into a chair and, with a theatrical air, began kneading his shoulders.
"You've worked so hard." Duan Yiheng gave a helpless smile, pulled her laptop toward him, and asked, "Are you practicing your bid presentation?" Lin Xi looked a bit deflated. "I keep getting tongue-tied when I hit the technical details." Duan Yiheng patted his thigh. "Come sit here."
Lin Xi turned sideways and sat down on his lap. Duan Yiheng said, "Run through it for me. Let me hear it." Lin Xi immediately started over from the beginning. When she finished, Duan Yiheng asked her, "What is the core objective of this bid?" Lin Xi replied, "To solve the client's problem."
"Exactly," Duan Yiheng said. "That's why your presentation is bogged down with too many technical details; you've shifted the focus away from the client and onto showcasing our own technology." Lin Xi glanced sideways at him. Duan Yiheng planted a light kiss on her eyelid and added:
"There's no need to go on and on about how amazing our technology is; anyone in the industry who has worked with us already knows." "In the first five minutes, you must cut straight to the chase—clearly demonstrate to them that you understand their needs, and that... you have a solution." Lin Xi nodded. "Got it."
Duan Yiheng picked up a pen from the desk and, on her open notebook, jotted down a summary of the proper flow and pacing for the presentation. "Opening: Client Pain Points + Solution."
Lin Xi read it aloud, word for word: "Technical advantages—brief and high-level... Implementation Plan, After-sales Support, Conclusion..." As she gazed at Duan Yiheng's handwriting—bold and strong, yet fluid and elegant—Lin Xi began to fully grasp the point he was making.
Clients aren't technical experts; they won't understand overly complex technical jargon. All they care about is whether or not you can solve their problems. "But if the technology itself *is* complex, how do I simplify it?" Lin Xi asked Duan Yiheng. Duan Yiheng said:
"Go to the office tomorrow morning and access the internal system. I recall the Tech Department shared some videos—specifically, tutorials on how to explain complex technical solutions."
"Take blockchain technology, for instance. Rather than describing it in terms of decentralized, distributed ledgers that ensure data immutability and transparency..."
"...it's better to frame it this way: the system acts like a public ledger where every single transaction is recorded, and no one can arbitrarily alter it." Lin Xi grasped it instantly; her eyes lit up as she gazed at Duan Yiheng, her affection for him surging back. Duan Yiheng gave her nose a playful squeeze:
"When it comes to work, you really do display two completely different sides of yourself—and you do it to perfection." Lin Xi swatted his hand away: "On the surface, I'm just working hard; in the short term, I'm aiming to get into the Sales Department; but in the long term... it's all for you." "Oh?"
Duan Yiheng was delighted to hear this grand promise. "Do tell—how exactly is it 'all for me'?" Lin Xi cleared her throat:
"I need to help you safeguard Silver Sail Technology. That entire sprawling campus represents your life's work; the people there are the very foundation of your standing within the Group. I promise I'll do a good job." She spoke every word with absolute sincerity. Duan Yiheng's gaze softened; he leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.
Lin Xi wrapped her arms around his neck and softly returned the kiss. Duan Yiheng held her close—one hand around her waist, the other cradling her head—kissing her with a tenderness and delicacy that felt like a warm spring breeze washing over her. After a long moment, they broke apart. Unable to withstand his intense, unwavering gaze, Lin Xi buried her face in the crook of his neck and nuzzled against him.
Duan Yiheng stroked her long hair, his palm resting gently against her head: "Once the bidding presentation is over, the client will likely ask questions regarding costs, timelines, and technical specifics. You must be prepared for those in advance."
"If you encounter a question you don't know the answer to, there's no need to stammer through a response. Since the questions will generally be technical in nature, you can simply say that you'll go back to verify the details with the technical team and follow up with them later." "In moments like that, the one thing you absolutely cannot do is show fear." Lin Xi nodded:
"I understand, Mr. Duan." Duan Yiheng let out a sudden, soft chuckle: "Are you trying to roleplay?" Lin Xi slid off his lap. "I just think you should probably be going now." Duan Yiheng stood up and braced his hands against the desk; caught between his chest and the tabletop stood Lin Xi. "Now, let's do a dry run," Duan Yiheng said, his gaze burning with intensity. "I'll leave only after I've heard it." Sensing he was up to no good, Lin Xi turned her head away: "I'm not saying it anymore." "Weren't *you* the one who was so eager to say it?"
Duan Yiheng wouldn't let her off the hook. "The moment you walked in, you dragged me straight into the study. Anyone who didn't know better would think I was here for a late-night tryst with my girlfriend; in reality, I'm helping my girlfriend work late into the night. Since I'm already here, shouldn't I at least stay until you've finished?" Lin Xi placed her hand on his arm: "Then get up, and I'll say it."
Duan Yiheng wrapped one arm around her waist and lifted her onto the desk. "Go ahead." Lin Xi: "…" What kind of company representative sits on the client's desk while delivering a bid presentation? *Oh well.* Sensing a hint of grievance in Duan Yiheng's demeanor, Lin Xi resigned herself to the situation and gave a dry little cough:
"Distinguished leaders, this is our…" "Stop." Duan Yiheng tapped her forehead with his own. "That opening is too stiff. Before diving straight into the proposal, you need to include a polite introductory remark." Lin Xi nodded and began speaking again.
This time, Duan Yiheng didn't interrupt. It wasn't until Lin Xi reached the project's implementation phase that he spoke up again: "That's too vague; you could be a bit more detailed right here." Lin Xi rephrased it, continuing all the way to the end. Once she was finished, she looked at Duan Yiheng: "Not going to stop me this time?" Duan Yiheng smiled and leaned in close:
"I'm afraid that in a moment, *you'll* be the one begging me to stop." "What are you trying to—*mmph*…" Duan Yiheng sealed her lips with his own. For every minute Lin Xi had made him work tonight, he now claimed three minutes of her time in return.
Wrapped in a bathrobe, Lin Xi felt drowsy and half-asleep. When Duan Yiheng approached her, she instinctively gave a little start: "You're coming back for more?" Duan Yiheng lifted her up and cradled her in his arms: "I'm just changing your clothes; your bathrobe is damp." Lin Xi pushed against him: "Then go get my pajamas."
Duan Yiheng began to slide the bathrobe off her shoulders: "I've already got them right here. Just cooperate." "I'll change myself," Lin Xi scrambled quickly off the bed. "You go change the sheets." During his early days studying abroad, Duan Yiheng hadn't known how to do a single domestic chore; eventually, however, he'd learned them all.
Changing the bedsheets was no trouble at all for him now. Lin Xi changed into her pajamas; seeing him bare-chested as he spread out the bedsheets—every movement surprisingly pleasing to the eye—she simply leaned against the wall and watched. Once Duan Yiheng finished making the bed, he turned around, spotted Lin Xi, and beckoned to her:
"Come here and help me straighten this out; stand at that end and pull." Lin Xi did as she was told, following Duan Yiheng's instructions precisely. She no longer had the energy to bicker with him; after all, she really was exhausted.
With the fresh set of sheets in place, Lin Xi naturally flopped onto the bed and rolled around for a moment. Duan Yiheng, having also changed into his pajamas, quite instinctively lifted the covers and pulled her into his arms. Lin Xi gave a soft huff; despite having insisted she was leaving, she had ended up being thoroughly devoured. "Wait a minute."
Lin Xi suddenly sat upright. "Where's the driver? Did you just leave him waiting downstairs this whole time?" Duan Yiheng gave a dry cough. "I sent him home ages ago." Lin Xi eyed him suspiciously:
"But I didn't see you make a call. From the moment you walked through the door, have we been apart for even a second?" Duan Yiheng replied, "...Let's just go to sleep." Lin Xi gave his neck a playful, light squeeze. "Did you have it planned all along—that you weren't going to leave?"