Duan Yiheng hadn't expected to be caught out at the very last moment; he lay on the bed, letting Lin Xi "pinch" him to her heart's content. Seeing that he was still able to smile, Lin Xi grabbed his ear and gave it a playful tug.
Duan Yiheng tilted his head back and smiled faintly, his sexy Adam's apple bobbing a few times. A mischievous glint flashed in Lin Xi's eyes, and she promptly sank her teeth into it. Letting out a sharp hiss of pain, Duan Yiheng wrapped his arms around her waist and sat up. He raised a hand to rub his Adam's apple, looking at Lin Xi in utter disbelief: "You actually went through with that?"
It really had been quite a hard bite. Feeling a twinge of guilt but trying to play it cool, Lin Xi insisted, "You can't even tell." Duan Yiheng rolled over, pinning her beneath him, and gave her earlobe a playful nip in return: "Do the collars on your shirts actually cover your Adam's apple?" Lin Xi instantly regretted her actions: "Oh no—what do we do now?"
Duan Yiheng rolled back onto his side and lay flat: "Nothing. If people see it, they see it." Who would actually have the nerve to gossip about *him*, anyway? Lin Xi still felt a bit vexed, but sensing her shift in mood, Duan Yiheng offered some reassurance: "It's fine. Who's going to be staring at someone else's neck all day? Just go to sleep."
It really was getting late. Lin Xi didn't possess Duan Yiheng's stamina—the kind that allowed him to function perfectly on just four hours of sleep a night—so she snuggled up against him and slowly closed her eyes. The next morning, Duan Yiheng suggested they head to work together, but Lin Xi turned him down: "I'll head to the office first; you wait here for your driver."
Left with no other choice, Duan Yiheng headed off to the gym. Sun Wenxin's birthday was just two days away—and the timing couldn't have been better. It fell on a Sunday, meaning no work and plenty of free time. As it happened, Duan Yiheng also had plans to meet with Zheng Jiayi that very day.
Mindful of Sun Wenxin's budget, Lin Xi suggested she choose a restaurant that was well within her financial means. Sun Wenxin didn't stand on ceremony; after all, even if she were to go all out and book the most expensive, high-end restaurant she could find, it would likely still seem like nothing out of the ordinary in Lin Xi's eyes.
In the end, she simply picked a local Shanghai-style restaurant near her home—one with a pleasant atmosphere. Lin Xi handed Sun Wenxin her gift: "I picked out a perfume that I thought would suit your personal style." Sun Wenxin took the box, glanced at it, and was absolutely thrilled—the gift alone was worth a whole month of her salary. "That thing you mentioned to me earlier—" "Let's eat first," Lin Xi interrupted her. "I'm not working today; we can talk at our leisure once we're finished eating." "Alright." It wasn't the first time the two had dined together, and they were quite familiar with each other's tastes.
To a certain extent, Sun Wenxin was a chatterbox who loved regaling Lin Xi with amusing bits of office gossip. "Your life at the front desk sounds truly exciting," Lin Xi remarked with a smile. Sun Wenxin laughed. "I'd better not let President Duan find out, though—he'd think I was slacking off!" Lin Xi didn't know whether to laugh or cry:
"Why on earth would I tell him that?" Sun Wenxin gave a dry cough. "Speaking of President Duan, could I ask you a little gossip question? Does he have a girlfriend?" Lin Xi froze for a moment, then averted her gaze. "Why do you ask?" "You don't know? It's already the talk of the office!"
Sun Wenxin looked astonished. "You're by President Duan's side all day long, yet you actually don't know?" Lin Xi was curious herself. "Know what?" Sun Wenxin tilted her head back and drew a finger across her neck:
"The new receptionist mixed up the time for a client meeting and got chewed out by President Duan. He actually went downstairs to greet the client personally—and someone saw him. Then, as these things go, the rumor spread like wildfire." Lin Xi felt both embarrassed and shocked. "I... I had no idea." Sun Wenxin replied:
"I assumed you must have seen it." Lin Xi gave a dry chuckle. Once they had nearly finished eating, she finally asked Sun Wenxin, "How did things go with that favor I asked of you?" Sun Wenxin replied, "I tested the waters, and I get the sense that he's fiercely loyal to Manager Chen." Lin Xi pressed on:
"Could you tell me a little more about him and his girlfriend—for instance, how their relationship is going, or when they plan to get married?" Sun Wenxin nodded, and the two of them chatted for nearly two hours. Around three o'clock that afternoon, Lin Xi said her goodbyes to Sun Wenxin.
No sooner had she arrived home than she received a phone call from Liang Yutong, inviting her out for dinner that evening. Lin Xi was just about to decline when Liang Yutong said, "Let's just go have a couple of drinks. I'm feeling really down, so please keep me company." Lin Xi asked, "What's wrong?" Liang Yutong replied:
"It's Mu Shuo. After I turned him down, he actually gave up—and now my heart feels all messed up again." Lin Xi shook her head:
"…You're just being dramatic." Liang Yutong persisted, "Let's hit up a lounge bar tonight and just talk." Lin Xi had no choice but to agree, though she wondered how things were going on Duan Yiheng's end.
Afraid that Duan Yiheng might come looking for her, she sent him a text letting him know she was going out for the evening. Duan Yiheng didn't reply until ten minutes later: *I'm with Meng Huaishan right now. Send me your location, and I'll come pick you up later.* Lin Xi replied: *Alright then, I won't drive myself.* She then asked Liang Yutong to come pick her up instead.
Since it was Liang Yutong who had initiated the outing, she naturally agreed with pleasure. Upon arriving at the lounge bar, Lin Xi immediately sent her location to Duan Yiheng. Liang Yutong insisted on squeezing into the same seat as her; catching a glimpse of the message, she teased, "Ooh, so someone's coming to pick you up?" Lin Xi gave her a playful nudge:
"If you want someone to pick *you* up, you could always just make a phone call yourself." Liang Yutong wore a conflicted expression:
"Tell me—do you think I was hurt too deeply by Zheng Jianian?" Lin Xi raised an eyebrow:
"…You still haven't gotten over a guy like that?" Liang Yutong protested:
"That's unfair! If I hadn't gotten over him, would I have let my dad go after his company?" Duan Yiheng had also played a part in that affair, so Lin Xi quietly asked, "What is Zheng Jianian up to these days?" Liang Yutong replied:
"He's trying to salvage his crumbling company—and occasionally harassing me every now and then, just for good measure." Lin Xi used to envy their childhood-sweetheart romance immensely; looking back on it now, however, she realized it was nothing special after all.
After they had gone through a few rounds of drinks, Lin Xi picked up her phone to check the time. There were no messages from Duan Yiheng; she figured he must still be busy. "Didn't Duan Yiheng say he was coming to pick you up? How come there's no word from him?" Liang Yutong glanced at the clock, knowing that Lin Xi had to be at work the next morning and wanting her to get home early to rest.
Lin Xi shook her head: "He's probably still tied up with work." Liang Yutong urged her, "Just give him a quick call and ask—look at how late it is already." Lin Xi hesitated for a few seconds—just as Duan Yiheng's call suddenly came through. Assuming Duan Yiheng had arrived, she instinctively glanced out the window: "You're here?"
"Apologies—I still have a bit of business to attend to on my end. Would you mind letting Miss Liang drive you home instead?" Duan Yiheng asked. Lin Xi replied, "It's fine; you go ahead and take care of your work." Duan Yiheng added, "If I finish before midnight, I'll come find you; if it's past midnight, I won't disturb you."
Lin Xi acknowledged this with a simple, "Okay." Seeing that she had hung up, Liang Yutong asked, "So, Duan Yiheng isn't coming?" Lin Xi picked up her bag and stood up: "Let's go. Looks like you'll be the one driving me after all." "Wow—you're not even a little bit upset?" Liang Yutong followed close behind, sounding genuinely impressed.
Lin Xi chuckled softly: "What is there to be upset about? He really does have work to do." Liang Yutong gave her a thumbs-up: "If that were me, I honestly can't imagine how I'd react." Smiling, Lin Xi gently nudged her toward the car: "Come on, let's get going."
At the first intersection, the two were halted by a red light. Both the northbound and westbound routes led to Tiandu Yuxi, though they followed different paths. Judging the traffic light situation, Liang Yutong positioned the car in the middle lane designated for straight-ahead traffic. That route involved driving straight to the very end before making a left turn—a path that happened to take them right past the Tianhong Pavilion.
Thinking of the little girl she had crossed paths with on two brief occasions, Lin Xi instinctively glanced inside. It was that very glance—that single fleeting look—that left her utterly frozen in stunned silence for a moment.