19
Give Me a Chance
Shen Mochen scooped the little girl up in his arms and opened the insulated container. “Uncle brought you strawberries and cherries. Do you like them?”
The little girl nodded. “They’re red—of course I like them!”
Holding her, Shen Mochen walked over to the mother and son and explained proactively, “Duoduo is my cousin’s daughter. She also goes to school here.”
Lin Yuxi had a rough understanding of the Shen family’s structure.
The elder Mr. Shen had two sons.
The eldest son had a daughter, while the second son had a son and a daughter—Shen Xiaoxiao and Shen Mochen.
That meant Duoduo was likely the daughter of Shen Mochen’s cousin.
Lin Yuxi praised sincerely, “Duoduo is adorable.”
“Great-grandpa says I’m loved by everyone and adored by flowers too!” Duoduo said, picking out a cherry and offering it. “Pretty auntie, this is for you.”
“Thank you.”
After Lin Yuxi accepted it, Duoduo selected another one and handed it to Lin Chenghao.
“Haohao, this is for you.”
Lin Chenghao rarely ate such fruits, but out of politeness, he accepted it anyway. “Thank you.”
Duoduo beamed, her smile brighter than flowers. “You’re welcome.”
Shen Mochen turned to Lin Yuxi. “I need to take Duoduo home. Would you like to come along?”
Lin Yuxi remembered she had an appointment with Director Lin and politely declined, “No, thank you. I have some matters to attend to at the company and need to head back.”
Shen Mochen asked, “What about Haohao?”
Duoduo chimed in eagerly, “Haohao can come with me!”
Lin Yuxi looked at her son. “Sweetie, what do you think?”
Lin Chenghao’s gaze lingered on her profile for a moment. “I’ll go back with Uncle Shen. But Mommy, remember to come home early tonight.”
Such affectionate words were something Lin Yuxi had never heard from Haohao before.
In this regard, Haohao took after Fu Tingchuan—not one to easily show emotion.
Still, Lin Yuxi agreed immediately, “Okay, Mommy will come home as early as possible.”
…
Watching the trio—one adult and two children—walk away, Lin Yuxi casually hailed a taxi.
The restaurant address Director Lin had given her happened to be the same one where their team had dined last time.
Pushing the door open, Lin Yuxi spotted a broad-backed figure seated across from Lin Fangfang from a distance. It looked like Fu Tingchuan.
As she drew closer, it was indeed him.
Noticing her, Lin Fangfang stood up to greet her. Compared to her disheveled state at noon, she now appeared completely free from the distress her marriage had caused.
“Yuxi, this is President Fu, the largest investor in Yuntu. We have some matters to discuss. Do you mind waiting for a bit?”
Lin Yuxi certainly didn’t mind. “No problem. Just call me when you’re done.”
Aside from the Fu family and a few close friends, very few people knew she was Fu Tingchuan’s wife. It was perfectly normal for Director Lin to be unaware.
Just as Lin Yuxi was about to find a secluded seat, she suddenly heard Fu Tingchuan say, “Join us.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Lin Fangfang’s eyes but vanished quickly. She explained, “We were just talking about you. It’s perfect—this will make it easier to discuss things.”
Seeing Lin Yuxi still frozen in place, she pulled out the chair beside her and waved her over. “What are you waiting for? Come, have a seat.”
Snapping back to reality, Lin Yuxi walked over and sat down. “Thank you, Director Lin.”
“Don’t mention it. Order whatever you like.” Lin Fangfang handed her the menu. “I’m sorry for what happened at noon. Is your face okay?”
“It’s fine. Thank you for your concern, Director Lin.”
Before picking up Haohao, Lin Yuxi reduced the swelling on her cheeks and touched up her makeup. Unless one looked closely, it was hardly noticeable.
A scorching gaze came from the side. Lin Yuxi lifted her eyes and met Fu Tingchuan’s dark, penetrating stare.
Before she could figure out what he was looking at, Fu Tingchuan had already averted his gaze and resumed his conversation with Lin Fangfang.
They were discussing internal management matters at Yuntu, and Lin Yuxi sat there almost invisibly, half-listening as she flipped through the menu with her fingertips.
“Regarding the new director of the R&D department, I recommend Yuxi,” Lin Fangfang said, jolting Lin Yuxi awake.
“Chairwoman Lin…” Not only had she been fired, but even if she hadn’t, jumping from an ordinary employee to a director was unprecedented in Yuntu’s history.
Lin Fangfang patted her hand earnestly. “I know Chen Qiang has been targeting you all these years. Without that obstacle, you might have already become the R&D director long ago.”
The statement was somewhat exaggerated. In terms of seniority, many others had better chances than Lin Yuxi—Li Junze, for one.
Seeing Lin Yuxi remain silent, Lin Fangfang turned to Fu Tingchuan. “What do you think, President Fu? Given how Chen Qiang has treated Yuxi all these years, compensating her with the director position would be more than appropriate.”
After asking, Lin Fangfang suddenly remembered something: there was a Miss Qin in the R&D department who had a close relationship with Fu Tingchuan.
Would Fu Tingchuan object to her recommending Lin Yuxi so abruptly?
Testing the waters, Lin Fangfang added, “President Fu, the R&D process can’t afford delays. It’s better to finalize this as soon as possible.”
Fu Tingchuan fell into deep thought, his fingers lightly tapping on the table. Each tap echoed in Lin Yuxi’s heart.
If Fu Tingchuan recommended Qin Ruoshi for the director position, she would resign immediately and never set foot in Yuntu again.
But opportunities had to be seized. With Chairwoman Lin present and on her side, why not give it a try?
Steeling herself, Lin Yuxi said, “Chairwoman Lin, if you give me a chance, I’m confident I can lead the research team to complete the new generation of YunAI. If the results aren’t satisfactory, you can always remove me from the position later.”
Lin Fangfang thought she hadn’t misjudged her, but she still needed Fu Tingchuan’s opinion. “President Fu?”
After a few seconds, Fu Tingchuan finally spoke. “I’m merely an investor in Yuntu. Personnel appointments aren’t my responsibility.”
“…”
Lin Yuxi wondered how he could say that so shamelessly.
Qin Ruoshi had been parachuted in earlier, and now Fu Tingchuan was feigning ignorance.
Lin Fangfang breathed a sigh of relief. “Yuxi, you’ll act as the R&D director for now. I’ll announce it publicly at work tomorrow.”
Lin Yuxi nearly stood up from her chair, overwhelmed with gratitude. “Thank you, Chairwoman Lin. I won’t let you down.”
Just when things seemed bleak, a new path had opened. There were still discerning people at Yuntu.
Lin Fangfang smiled. “No need for thanks. You earned this with your own abilities.”
That afternoon, she had carefully reviewed the R&D department’s documents and noticed that some of the work didn’t seem to be done by one person alone.
The only explanation was that Chen Qiang had taken credit for others’ research achievements.
Moreover, she saw a reflection of her younger self in Lin Yuxi.
Lin Fangfang reached out and patted Lin Yuxi’s back. “Do your best.”
Lin Yuxi nodded firmly. “I will.”
During the rest of the meal, Li Fangfang chatted with Fu Tingchuan about the development prospects of the domestic artificial intelligence industry and future continuous investments.
Lin Yuxi kept her head down, quietly sending the photos she had secretly taken earlier to Lin Fangfang.
Director Chen, who had suppressed her for years, had finally gotten his due retribution.
After the meal, Lin Fangfang received a phone call and left in a hurry, leaving Lin Yuxi and Fu Tingchuan alone at the table.
Lin Yuxi packed her bag, not expecting Fu Tingchuan to stand up first. As he left, he casually remarked, “I’ll take you back.”
At first, she thought he was talking to himself, but then a car pulled up at the restaurant entrance, and Fu Tingchuan stood waiting by the door.
Clearly, he was waiting for her.
Thinking she might as well save the two-yuan bus fare, Lin Yuxi didn’t hesitate. She walked past him and got straight into the back seat.
As a ride-hailing car sped by, Lin Fangfang caught sight of the scene through the window and was utterly astonished.
Had President Fu known Lin Yuxi all along?