10. He Wouldn’t Fall for It.
The air conditioning was on in the car. After Ling Xi sat down in the passenger seat, cool air rushed toward her, easing the heat she had just felt.
Her phone screen was still lit. In the chat window was a video sent by the sales associate. While waiting outside earlier, Ling Xi had replayed and verified it several times.
Zhou Mingye had already started the car. At this moment, it was not convenient for Ling Xi to show him the video.
She turned her head to look at Zhou Mingye from time to time. After she had looked twice, she heard him say, “We’ll talk about this later.”
“Oh, okay.”
Zhou Mingye had gone straight to Chen Boyuan’s house after getting off the plane and had not eaten lunch yet.
After what had just happened, his mood was not particularly smooth either.
After driving for a while, he thought of how, when he picked Ling Xi up at noon, she had hurriedly run out of a glass building. He asked her, “Are you done with what you were doing this morning? Do you need to go back?”
“It’s already finished.”
“Have you eaten?”
Ling Xi shook her head.
“Then let’s just eat something.”
Huh? Did that mean eating together? He had not eaten at the client’s place just now?
Ling Xi glanced at the time. Zhou Mingye had only stayed there for twenty minutes. It really would have been tight to eat.
If he had not eaten, did that mean the client was unhappy?
All kinds of thoughts popped up in Ling Xi’s head. Then she thought again. It was rare to have a chance to interact with Zhou Mingye privately. Forget all that and go first.
The car followed the main road toward the city center. Near the old town area, it turned into a small alley and stopped in front of an antique-looking wooden door.
Zhou Mingye pulled over and asked Ling Xi, “Chinese food. Is that okay?”
Since they were already here, why wouldn’t it be? Ling Xi nodded and followed Zhou Mingye inside.
The courtyard was shaded by greenery, with a pond of koi fish in the middle.
Zhou Mingye seemed to be a regular. As soon as he entered, a server greeted him and led them to a private room.
Zhou Mingye handed the menu to Ling Xi. “See what you want to eat.”
Ling Xi did not know much about Cantonese cuisine. She preferred strong flavors and liked Sichuan food. She glanced at the menu, then handed it back to Zhou Mingye. “You can order.”
Zhou Mingye ordered a few signature dishes. The server poured tea for the two of them and then closed the door as she left.
Alone together, the atmosphere quieted down.
Eating alone with her boss, Ling Xi did not know where to rest her gaze. Her eyes wandered around the room. She carefully studied the patterns on the window frames and the teacups placed on the cabinet, and finally glanced at Zhou Mingye.
Zhou Mingye’s expression remained unchanged throughout. He was looking down and replying to messages. Ling Xi pretended to be calm, lowering her eyes to drink tea.
After a few sips, she put the cup down and finally could not help asking, “Was the client very angry?”
Zhou Mingye lifted his gaze. Seeing her look at him with clear, wide eyes, it was hard to tell whether there was worry or confusion in them.
She probably knew that she had not done anything wrong, so she was not afraid.
Zhou Mingye suddenly felt like teasing her. “Yes, very angry. They’ve canceled this year’s cooperation with the company.”
“What?” Ling Xi sprang to her feet. “That serious?”
Zhou Mingye gave a slight nod and did not speak.
“I have a video of the stock sorting here. The product really wasn’t packed wrong. There must be a misunderstanding somewhere.”
As she spoke, she opened her phone and held the video up in front of Zhou Mingye.
Zhou Mingye fixed his eyes on Ling Xi. “What do you plan to do?”
“I’ll go to the mall. The store has surveillance.” As she spoke, she reached out to grab her bag.
Zhou Mingye had thought Ling Xi was not the type to place great importance on work, especially since on her first day, she had openly talked about muddling through.
Seeing her voice grow more urgent and her face redden, Zhou Mingye found it quite amusing and stopped teasing her.
“I was joking. The client mixed up last year’s and this year’s gift boxes themselves.”
“……”
Ling Xi really could not figure Zhou Mingye out.
Why was he joking at a time like this?
Just now, she had already imagined herself being fired over this, then failing Su Wanwan’s expectations, and accompanying Su Wanwan to battle Han Zhao in court hundreds of times.
And he did this to her?
A storm raged in Ling Xi’s mind, but in front of her boss, she still kept her emotions in check. She slowly sat back down. “As long as it’s clarified.”
Zhou Mingye’s cup was empty. Ling Xi reached out to pick up the teapot, but as she lifted her arm, Zhou Mingye naturally took it from her and poured tea for her first.
She was instantly a little overwhelmed by the favor.
In private, Zhou Mingye did not put on airs, nor did he make female subordinates serve him. And he even joked?
When they met earlier, although Zhou Mingye did not look happy, he had not criticized her without distinguishing right from wrong.
Ling Xi thought to herself that maybe he was not actually that arrogant.
The server came in to serve the dishes. A plate of poached chicken was placed on the table. Zhou Mingye picked up a piece and put it into Ling Xi’s dish. “Eat.”
Now that there was nothing weighing on her mind, Ling Xi’s appetite opened up.
She, who usually preferred strong flavors, actually found the light Cantonese dishes very tasty.
After a few bites, Ling Xi heard Zhou Mingye say, “At work, it’s inevitable to encounter things like this. Remember to keep records of everything in the future. Otherwise, you might suffer a silent loss without even knowing who to reason with.”
Ling Xi nodded.
This time, it was because her boss was familiar with the other party and personally clarified things.
If it had been someone else, with sales saying there was no problem and no way to question the client, she would only have been able to consider herself unlucky.
There was too much work in the President’s Office that required communication and handovers. Ling Xi took it to heart. “I understand. Next time for this kind of work, I’ll record videos at every step to confirm, to avoid mistakes.”
After saying that, she ladled a bowl of fish soup for Zhou Mingye, her eyes curving into a smile. “Thank you for today.”
Zhou Mingye looked at Ling Xi. At this moment, the anxiety from earlier was long gone from her face, replaced by a bright smile.
He asked her, “Want me to order you a bottle of wine?”
“No need. Fish soup is fine.”
Zhou Mingye watched Ling Xi finish the large bowl of rice in front of her and drink two bowls of soup. She looked to be in very good spirits.
This girl said she was muddling through, but her mind was actually clear. She had almost been wronged and did not even get angry, and she knew to immediately review what happened.
Ling Xi indeed had one trait. She did not let negative emotions stay with her for long.
She had realized early on that everything that happened ultimately benefited her.
In the past, she resigned because she did not want to be transferred to another position, and her colleagues felt it was a pity.
Ling Xi, however, felt that she had gained a rare, long vacation, during which she could try things she had previously been interested in but never had time to do.
When she received Xu Jing’s call in the morning, her first reaction was to figure out which step had gone wrong.
After learning that the client had mixed up the gifts themselves and even called her boss to complain, Ling Xi was indeed a bit angry.
But it only lasted a few minutes. All she remembered was that she had gained work experience today.
After Zhou Mingye finished eating, his mood was also good. He said to Ling Xi, “Remember to submit overtime on Monday when you go to the office.”
“Huh?”
It took Ling Xi a few seconds to realize that Zhou Mingye meant that today would count as overtime for her.
“I delayed your weekend rest. It should count as overtime.”
“Okay.”
After finishing the meal, Ling Xi took the initiative to go pay, but Zhou Mingye stopped her. “I’ve already topped up here.”
From what Zhou Mingye said, this meal was his personal treat.
The two of them walked out one after the other and stood by the car. Ling Xi politely said, “Thank you.”
“Where are you going later?”
“Home. I’ll just take a taxi.”
“Enough. Get in the car.”
Since the boss had spoken, Ling Xi naturally did not stand on ceremony. After getting into the car, she said thank you again.
“Where do you live?”
“Boyue Residence.”
Zhou Mingye had heard of this residential complex before. He entered it into the navigation system and started the car.
After driving for a short distance, Ling Xi received a call from Xu Jing. She was still worried about whether Ling Xi had been scolded by Zhou Mingye.
“Xixi, how is it now? Did the boss lose his temper at you?”
The car was quiet. Xu Jing did not know that Zhou Mingye was sitting right next to Ling Xi, so her voice came through clearly.
Ling Xi glanced at Zhou Mingye. Seeing that he was looking straight ahead, she leaned slightly toward the side. “It was a mistake on the client’s side. Everything’s fine now.”
“That’s good. I was worried the boss would scold you.”
Ling Xi took a deep breath, thinking, please don’t keep talking. “How could the boss criticize someone without distinguishing right from wrong? Today, it was all thanks to the boss personally going to ask the client.”
Right in front of Zhou Mingye, Ling Xi calmly flattered him.
On the other end of the phone, Xu Jing froze for a moment, probably realizing what was going on. She gave two dry laughs. “As long as it’s cleared up. Then go on with your work.”
After hanging up, Ling Xi secretly glanced at Zhou Mingye, not knowing whether he had heard what was just said.
Zhou Mingye turned his eyes slightly and saw all of her little movements clearly.
At a red light, he suddenly spoke. “Were you bad-mouthing me just now?”
“How could that be!” Ling Xi immediately sat up straight. “Xu Jing was just checking on me.”
Zhou Mingye cast her a casual glance. She was quite nervous about her colleague.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly as he continued driving.
When the car reached the entrance of Ling Xi’s residential complex, she opened the door and got out.
Zhou Mingye was just about to make a U-turn when he saw Ling Xi run back over.
Outside the car window, she bent slightly at the waist. “President Zhou, didn’t you rest well?”
The faint bluish shadows under his eyes were really obvious.
Zhou Mingye’s sleep quality was not good to begin with. He had planned to go home and catch up on sleep after getting off the plane in the morning, but after receiving Chen Boyuan’s call, he had been busy all the way until now.
“What is it?”
Ling Xi took out a cake-shaped scented candle from her canvas bag. “I made this in the morning. It’s for you. Try it when you get home.”
Zhou Mingye glanced at it. “What is that?”
“A scented candle. The fragrance inside helps with sleep.”
Zhou Mingye lifted his head and looked at the person outside the car window. The afternoon sunlight slanted down, enveloping her entire figure in a soft, golden halo.
He suddenly thought of Ling Xi’s profile picture.
Zhou Mingye was startled by his own association and coldly refused. “I don’t need it.”
Ling Xi realized she really could not get a read on Zhou Mingye. Just now, he had been gentle and approachable. Why did he suddenly turn into a poker face?
Having finally managed to get a bit closer to her boss, Ling Xi was not about to back down.
From outside the window, she placed the delicate gift bag onto the seat beside Zhou Mingye. “Try it when you have time. Consider it a Mid-Autumn Festival gift.”
After putting it down, she turned and ran into the residential complex.
From Su Wanwan, Ling Xi had learned that men like Zhou Mingye tended to live rather refined lives.
She secretly felt that this gift of hers was simply perfectly chosen.
Zhou Mingye drove home. After parking, he glanced at the bag on the passenger seat. The transparent packaging allowed the glitter on the small cake to catch the light.
He brought it inside and tossed it by the entrance.
A faint, light fragrance drifted through the air. Zhou Mingye picked it up again and opened the bag. The cake candle released a very subtle woody scent. There was a label on the bag that read: Cedarwood & Apple Peel.
Zhou Mingye did not use it. He did indeed have sleep issues. He had seen doctors and taken sleep aids, but he had never used products like this.
Did Ling Xi want him to think of her every time he lit the candle? Zhou Mingye let out a short laugh. She really went to great lengths.
Treat her a bit better, and she started pushing her luck.
What kind of grown man fills his home with fragrance?
Zhou Mingye put the candle back into the bag.
He would not fall for it.