Of course, if Ye Tong lacked confidence, she wouldn’t have risen to the position of director within a short three years. The principles of “heaven rewarding the diligent” and “accumulating strength before making a breakthrough” were not without merit.
By the time Lin Su finished her porridge, it was only eight in the morning. The business banquet was scheduled for five in the afternoon, meaning they still had plenty of time. Instead of returning to her bedroom, Lin Su casually pulled a business magazine from the shelf and sat down on the sofa directly opposite Ye Tong.
While Lin Su browsed her magazine, Ye Tong cast a brief glance at her before focusing back on her own work.
With both busy with their respective tasks, they coexisted in comfortable silence. When they weren’t speaking, their dynamic was actually quite harmonious, free of excessive politeness, stiff attitudes, or forced awkwardness. This peaceful atmosphere, however, was quickly shattered by a ringtone. The phone resting on the desk suddenly began to buzz.
Ye Tong glanced at the caller ID. As soon as she connected the call, the panicked voice of her assistant, Li Qian, rushed through the line. After listening to Li Qian’s report, Ye Tong massaged her temples to soothe an oncoming headache, staring at Lin Su in sheer disbelief.
Sensing her gaze, Lin Su looked up, puzzled. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Chen Shuru.” Ye Tong paused, her brow furrowing as a barely perceptible coldness touched her lips. “LT’s Design Director, Chen Shuru, has rejected XM Group’s apparel designs.”
“Why would she suddenly reject them? Did you two not communicate?” Lin Su asked as she turned a page of her magazine. Her eyelashes cast a soft shadow over her eyes, and though her heart stirred slightly, her face remained perfectly nonchalant, as if it were a trivial matter.
“Of course we did. I asked her directly, but she didn’t offer any feedback at the time. I took her silence as tacit approval.”
This was a serious matter, yet Lin Su acted completely indifferent. Ye Tong closed her laptop with a snap and stared straight into Lin Su’s eyes. “Before we moved into LT, President Lin, you clearly promised me that Project A would be driven primarily by XM Group’s marketing and planning. In other words, LT and Director Chen have the right to offer suggestions, but absolutely no veto power. Isn’t that correct?”
Lin Su set down her magazine, leaned back against the sofa cushions, and replied candidly, “That’s correct.”
“Chen Shuru vetoed the design drafts and demanded that XM Group redesign the clothing styles. The designs have already been finalized and are absolutely flawless. There is no way we are revising them to suit her demands.”
It was an obvious, deliberate provocation. With a single thought, Ye Tong knew exactly why Chen Shuru was targeting her, and Lin Su was just as aware. Yet Ye Tong kept her tone firm and unyielding, leaving absolutely no room for negotiation.
After all, Chen Shuru was the company’s design director. If they had a public falling out, it would cause a fair amount of trouble. Ye Tong had no desire to let someone intentionally drag out the project’s timeline; staying by Lin Su’s side was already torturous enough.
Seeing Lin Su sink into silent contemplation, Ye Tong crossed her arms, growing more irritated the more she thought about it. Handling projects wasn’t even her primary line of work. She had given up her perfectly comfortable position as Financial Director to be dispatched to LT Group by her company, only to come here and deal with this petty behavior it felt like she was actively looking for trouble.
Chen Shuru was young and accomplished, the leading figure of LT Group’s design department, and both a close friend and loyal admirer of Lin Su. In other words, long before Ye Tong and Lin Su had formally got together, Chen Shuru had been very close to Lin Su, persistently pursuing her. Back then, whenever Ye Tong saw them standing side by side, she thought they seemed like a perfect match in every aspect. She had never expected Lin Su to reject Chen Shuru and ultimately choose her.
For a perfect woman like Lin Su, Ye Tong had always known she never lacked suitors. Chen Shuru had never truly given up either. Perhaps seeing Ye Tong move into LT had triggered a sense of crisis, making her target Ye Tong just to find fault?
Whatever the reason behind Chen Shuru’s sudden veto of the design drafts, Ye Tong had no desire to get caught in the middle of their dynamic, let alone become collateral damage. Seeing Lin Su remain silent and unmoved, she couldn’t help but ask, “President Lin, how do you suggest we handle this?”
“It’s simple,” Lin Su said, picking up the magazine from the sofa. “We won’t change them. We will proceed with the subsequent work exactly as you’ve planned, Director Ye.”
Ye Tong asked, “What if she tries to obstruct us?”
“I will handle it,” Lin Su replied nonchalantly, not seeming particularly bothered. But seeing the solemn expression on Ye Tong’s face, she added with gravity, “I am the chairwoman of this company.”
The tension in Ye Tong’s brow smoothed out, and she offered a faint smile. “With those words from you, President Lin, I can put my mind at ease. I hope that once we are back at LT, you will handle this impartially.”
“Of course. Business is business, and personal matters are personal. They won’t interfere with work.”
“How wise of you, President Lin,” Ye Tong praised insincerely with her eyes closed. She didn’t believe for a second that Lin Su could draw such a clear line between the personal and the professional. Perhaps Lin Su could do so in other matters, but when it came to Ye Tong herself, she hadn’t seen a single shred of such boundaries.
Over the past few days of living together, Lin Su hadn’t brought up a single detail of their past. It was as if she had amnesia and had forgotten everything. Lin Su was someone who kept her emotions tightly under wraps; Ye Tong could never read her mind, nor did she know what Lin Su was actually plotting.
After taking that call, Ye Tong felt utterly restless. Unable to find her peace of mind in front of Lin Su, she picked up her laptop and stood to leave. Lin Su frowned and asked, “Director Ye, are you dissatisfied with me in some way?”
Ye Tong froze. “No.”
Lin Su pressed on, “If not, then why do you try to avoid me every single time you see me?”
“You think I’m avoiding you?” Ye Tong spun around to look at her, offering an amused suggestion. “President Lin, aren’t you overthinking things again? Why don’t you go back to sleep for a bit? You might speak more rationally once you’ve slept off the alcohol.”
Lin Su: “I am very rational right now.”
Ye Tong reacted lightning-fast. Offering Lin Su an apologetic smile, she said, “In that case, President Lin, it’s likely that I’m the one lacking rationality. I’ll head back to bed right away.”
“Ye Tong,” Lin Su called out, staring at her slender back. “Do you still not understand me?”
Ye Tong paused in her tracks. Without turning around, she replied coolly, “The past is in the past. I can understand you, but I must ask you to understand me as well. Indecisiveness was never your style.”
“I can be indecisive for you,” Lin Su said as she stood up, her voice laced with sincerity. “And I hope you can return to my side.”
“I’m sorry, but you’re bound to be disappointed. That is impossible.” Leaving those words behind, Ye Tong retreated to her bedroom. How could the agonizing pain she had endured be wiped clean with just a few simple words?
Lin Su watched Ye Tong close the door before finally sitting back down. Her expression was unreadable, but the magazine gripped in her hand slowly crumpled. After all these years, Ye Tong still possessed that same stubborn, unyielding temperament.
Loosening her slender fingers, Lin Su smoothed out the wrinkles on the pages of the magazine, her lips curving into a faint, subtle smile. As long as Ye Tong remained by her side, they had plenty of time. She would eventually melt that cold outer shell.
While the main culprit outside remained perfectly at ease reading her magazine, Ye Tong, back in her bedroom, lay on her bed. She tossed and turned, unable to quiet her mind as her heart fluttered and beat rapidly.
Giving up on her attempt to fall back asleep, Ye Tong sat cross-legged and picked up her phone to text Ji Huaiqiu: “You were right. Stay far away from the old fox. Protect yourself, and life will go smoothly.”
Ji Huaiqiu: What happened? Ji Huaiqiu: Did she provoke you again?!
Ye Tong: No. Ye Tong: I just agree with what you said.
Ji Huaiqiu: Bullshit, I don’t believe you. Ji Huaiqiu: That old fox went through so much trouble to get you into LT; she definitely has bad intentions! Ji Huaiqiu: Seriously, though, you’ve been single for so long. Aren’t you considering finding a partner?
Ye Tong hesitated for a moment. Reaching up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, she replied simply: “I’m busy with work and really don’t have the energy.”
Ji Huaiqiu: Have your parents not nagged you to get married?
Ye Tong: … Ye Tong: Go back to work.
Avoiding parental pressure was impossible. Once this final month of the year ended, Ye Tong would be twenty-eight. At this age, she had reached the point where relatives and friends would nag her about marriage during every holiday. Her parents were especially anxious about their daughter’s future.
Every few days, Ye Tong would receive a barrage of ten consecutive nagging calls from her parents. Though they pressured her constantly, she always used work as an excuse to brush them off. She wasn’t in any rush, but her anxious parents had already started looking for blind date candidates back in their hometown. Whenever she went home for the holidays, blind dates were unavoidable. They even forbade her from marrying someone far away, insisting she settle down nearby.
Be it from work or her family, Ye Tong carried a massive amount of pressure. Moreover, it was utterly impossible for her to ever fulfill her parents’ wishes of marrying a man and having children.
Ye Tong leaned her head back to stare at the ceiling, letting her mind go blank for a short while. Tossing aside all distracting thoughts, she reopened her laptop and got back to work.
Before she knew it, noon arrived. Deep in her work, Ye Tong suddenly caught the mouth-watering aroma of cooked food. She couldn’t help but look toward the door, assuming Lin Su had ordered lunch from the hotel kitchen.
Half an hour later, a knock sounded at her door, followed by Lin Su’s calm, gentle voice: “Director Ye, take a break from work. Come out and eat.”
Ye Tong touched her empty stomach, realizing she actually was quite hungry. After hesitating for a few minutes, she set aside her laptop and opened the door. Seeing that Xiao Ziyu was also at the dining table, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“Is it to your liking?” Lin Su asked, watching Ye Tong take her seat opposite her.
Ye Tong nodded. “I’m not picky.”
No one spoke during the meal. Xiao Ziyu feigned a cough to break the silence. “Director Ye, since you’ve worked in Z City for three years, you must be very familiar with it. The boss and I are newcomers here. If you have some free time, could you show us around?”
Faced with such a request, Ye Tong couldn’t bring herself to say no. “Of course I can.” If I even have free time, that is.
Once their somewhat awkward meal concluded, Xiao Ziyu stayed behind to report on some work matters to Lin Su, which included Chen Shuru’s stunt from this morning. Sitting nearby, Ye Tong listened in, gaining a clearer understanding of the specifics.
Time flew by, and soon it was four in the afternoon. With only an hour left until five, Ye Tong, being familiar with the city and the location of their rendezvous, took the wheel this time.
Over forty minutes later, as they parked and climbed out of the car, Lin Su watched Ye Tong unbuckle her seatbelt. Raising an eyebrow, she murmured softly, “Director Ye, if your alcohol tolerance is low, don’t force yourself. Secretary Xiao can drink on your behalf.”
Sitting in the passenger seat, Xiao Ziyu slowly turned her head, casting a deeply resentful look at her overbearing president…
“No need,” Ye Tong refused flatly and decisively. “I can handle it.”
Xiao Ziyu almost clapped at her bold, straightforward response. Back when Ye Tong had first become Lin Su’s assistant, the overbearing president loved dragging her along to business dinners. Ye Tong had shielded her boss from countless drinks, drinking both men and women under the table. How could her tolerance possibly be weak?
However, upon entering the private dining room, several unfamiliar men of various ages enthusiastically came forward to greet them, first exchanging pleasantries with Lin Su. Ye Tong didn’t focus on them; instead, her eyes locked onto the array of red and white wine bottles lining the table. Why did this feel like a Hongmen Banquet (a trap disguised as a feast)?
Xiao Ziyu was also dumbfounded by the sight. Still, with the overbearing president present, those in attendance didn’t dare act too out of line. Even so, negotiating business over a meal inevitably meant throwing back a few glasses.
Leaning in close to Ye Tong’s ear, she whispered, “Just have a couple of glasses for courtesy. Pace yourself.”