16. Ling Xi from the President’s Office Is Quite…
On the streets of a foreign city at dusk, the setting sun gilded the sidewalks into flowing strips of silver light.
Ling Xi and her companion walked toward the subway station. The two girls chatted nonstop along the way. After arriving at the bar, they took out their phones first to find good angles for selfies.
Midway through, a WeChat message popped up, but Ling Xi did not have time to look at it.
On the other end, Zhou Mingye was squatting in his yard watching the cat eat, occasionally replaying the content of his earlier chat with Ling Xi.
She even told him when she went out to have fun, and she had recommended a good restaurant to him.
The corner of Zhou Mingye’s lips tugged slightly. Did she not think this kind of behavior was a bit too intimate?
It must be because his recent attitude toward Ling Xi had been too good, which was why she had started acting without restraint.
If this continued, would he not end up falling into a carefully planned trap she had set?
After the cat finished eating and slipped away, Zhou Mingye stood up and coldly replied with three words: Got it.
*
Ling Xi returned on the fifth day of the holiday. She accompanied her family for a walk in the mountains, then immediately returned to her post.
On the first day back after the holiday, a visibly palpable sense of exhaustion floated through the office.
At the President’s Office work area, Ling Xi held several boxes of exquisitely packaged chocolate and handed them out to her colleagues. Xu Jing opened one and took a bite, then lifted her chin toward Zhou Mingye’s office. “The boss is in a bad mood today.”
Inside the President’s Office, the air pressure was so low it felt like it could condense into droplets.
Just after leaving home that morning, Zhou Mingye received news that Lingmou, the startup technology company he planned to acquire, intended to sign an acquisition agreement with Qichen Technology, a competitor of Ruisii Technology.
Ruisii had already gone through several rounds of negotiations with Lingmou in the early stages, and both sides had been inclined to facilitate cooperation.
If Lingmou signed with Qichen Technology, Ruisii would not only lose a key technological supplement, but its entire strategic layout would be disrupted.
The other side’s sudden change in direction meant something must have gone wrong in the middle.
On the way to the company, Zhou Mingye called Lingmou’s founder.
The two discussed acquisition terms again. Zhou Mingye understood this rising tech entrepreneur well. Besides price, what he cared about more was how much authority he would have in future research and development.
Zhou Mingye promised him that he would provide an R&D plan and technical support suitable for Lingmou’s development, and that this could be written into the contract.
They talked all the way there. Zhou Mingye showed maximum sincerity and finally shook the other party’s resolve, temporarily stopping the signing.
In the office, the executive in charge of this acquisition stood in front of the desk with his hands at his sides, his expression grave.
With such a problem arising in an acquisition that was about to be completed, he could not evade responsibility.
Zhou Mingye leaned back in his chair, his face revealing neither anger nor joy.
After a while, he slowly spoke. “Our quoted price was probably leaked.”
Zhou Mingye had been in contact with Lingmou for over half a year and knew them very well.
When he voiced this speculation during the morning call, the founder had not immediately denied it.
Investment Director Xu Lei spoke with a hoarse voice. “President Zhou, I will investigate as soon as possible.”
Zhou Mingye nodded. “All right. Move quickly and think of countermeasures.”
In less than half a day, the matter spread throughout the company.
In the cafeteria, Xu Jing held her forehead and sighed. “I don’t know how long Assistant Han’s leave will last. With him gone, it’s on us to coordinate work with the boss.”
She was most afraid of going to Zhou Mingye’s office. Now she wore a miserable expression. “I went to deliver documents to President Zhou before. That office feels like walking into an ice cellar the moment you step inside.”
Ling Xi picked up a bite of food and comforted her. “It’s okay. I’ll do more when I’m not busy.”
Jiang Huai raised his head when he heard that. “Let’s distribute work fairly. It’s just that the boss hasn’t been in a good mood lately, so be careful and don’t make mistakes.”
The others nodded repeatedly.
After lunch, Ling Xi sent Su Wanwan a message asking about Han Zhao’s situation.
Su Wanwan replied: His mother is sick. He’s accompanying her for examinations back in his hometown. I heard she needs surgery.
Ling Xi: Is it serious?
Su Wanwan: I’m not sure yet. I’ll go over in a couple of days too.
That afternoon, Jiang Huai received a call from Han Zhao. Han Zhao said the examination results for his mother had just come out. It was a malignant tumor, but fortunately, it was discovered early and could be controlled through surgery.
He would not be able to return to work until after the surgery.
Zhou Mingye approved one month of paid leave for Han Zhao.
People in the President’s Office chatted casually, sighing that the boss treated employees quite well.
At Ling Xi’s previous company, this kind of situation would have been classified as personal leave, and wages would definitely be deducted.
Then she suddenly realized something else. Toward Han Zhao, of course, he would be good.
The next morning, when she arrived at the company, Ling Xi saw that Zhou Mingye was already working.
She did not know how Zhou Mingye had been handling breakfast lately. He had not asked the President’s Office to prepare anything. Ling Xi thought to herself that she should seize the opportunity to perform well.
There were still twenty minutes before work started, so Ling Xi went downstairs to buy a beef bagel.
After coming back up, she went to the pantry and made a latte.
She had previously asked Xu Jing for the address of a coffee experience class and had attended one.
After returning home, she plugged in the coffee machine in her kitchen that had gone unused for a long time.
Using the methods she learned in class, Ling Xi practiced a few times at home. Her latte art skills were already close to a passing level.
Today she made a basic design. She placed the coffee on a tray, set the bagel beside it, knocked on the door, and carried it in.
“President Zhou, Assistant Han is on leave, so I prepared breakfast for you. I made the latte myself. I’m not sure if it suits your taste.”
Zhou Mingye was reading materials. He looked up and said softly, “Thanks for the trouble. Put it on the desk.”
After glancing at the breakfast, Zhou Mingye’s gaze locked onto the latte art. A heart almost filled the entire surface of the cup.
He stared at it for a few seconds, then lifted his eyes to examine Ling Xi.
Any adult knew what a heart symbol meant.
Was she now not even bothering to conceal her intentions?
Zhou Mingye could not help but feel a bit impressed with Ling Xi.
Since he founded the company, there had been no shortage of female employees deliberately approaching him, running into him in the parking garage, or using work as a pretext to probe his preferences. Someone who put in as much thought as Ling Xi was a first.
“You can make coffee too? I haven’t heard you mention it,” Zhou Mingye graciously took a sip.
Ling Xi smiled. “I can do a little. How does it taste?”
Zhou Mingye replied vaguely. “Not bad.”
He set the cup down. The heart shape had been distorted slightly by his sip.
Ling Xi saw that Zhou Mingye made no further move and asked him, “Aren’t you going to eat something?”
“I’m not very hungry.” This was, after all, the office. Even showing concern needed moderation. Zhou Mingye put on a deliberately serious air and replied in a flat tone.
Ling Xi lowered her gaze. As expected, Zhou Mingye only ate breakfasts made by Han Zhao.
After a few seconds of thought, Zhou Mingye suddenly spoke. “The pizza was pretty good.”
Ling Xi: “Huh?”
Zhou Mingye looked at Ling Xi. “That restaurant you sent me. I went to try it.”
On the last day of the holiday, Zhou Siheng got off the cruise ship and went straight to Zhou Mingye’s place.
Zhou Mingye did not want him messing around in the kitchen, so he took him to the restaurant Ling Xi had recommended.
Ling Xi showed a smug expression. “I told you. The freshly baked black truffle pizza is super delicious.”
When it came to food, her eyes curved into crescents, and Zhou Mingye followed suit with a small smile.
As Ling Xi picked up the tray, she heard a knock on the door. Xu Lei came in, holding an investigation report in his hand.
He turned to look at Ling Xi, his expression slightly hesitant.
Ling Xi quickly understood. She stepped aside. “President Zhou, Director Xu, you go ahead. I’ll head out first.”
After Ling Xi closed the door, Xu Lei handed over what he was holding.
“President Zhou, I’ve checked everyone who had access to confidential documents, meeting arrangements, and phone calls. So far, we haven’t found concrete results, but I did discover something worth noting.”
He paused, glanced out the window, and hesitated to continue.
Zhou Mingye took the report and casually lifted his coffee for a sip. “Go on.”
“When I reviewed the company’s surveillance footage from the past month, I found that Ling Xi from the President’s Office is quite suspicious.”
“Ling Xi?” Zhou Mingye’s hand holding the coffee stopped abruptly, and the smile from just moments ago froze on his face.
Xu Lei placed a USB drive on the desk. “I saw her frequently lingering near your office door, and also…” Xu Lei hesitated again. “You should see it yourself.”
Zhou Mingye was stunned for a moment and subconsciously looked toward the office area outside the glass.
Ling Xi stood at her workstation with her back to him, chatting and laughing with colleagues.
Countless images flashed through his mind in an instant.
Ling Xi running into him at the gym, giving him sleep-aid candles, and blocking drinks for him at the banquet.
Just now, she had even asked why he was not eating breakfast.
That look of hers, with all her thoughts written plainly on her face, was it all an act?
Xu Lei continued, “Several of the previous acquisition meetings were all arranged by Ling Xi… Of course, this is just my personal speculation. I’m only reminding you. We’ll continue investigating.”
It was not until his fingertips began to ache that Zhou Mingye realized he had been gripping the cup too tightly.
He set the coffee down and said nothing.
Seeing that the boss’s face had turned ashen, Xu Lei did not dare linger. After reporting on the progress of the acquisition, he left.
The door closed softly. Zhou Mingye leaned back in his chair, staring at the coffee cup in a daze.
The edges of the heart shape began to blur, then slowly fell apart.
The white milk foam was gradually swallowed by the coffee, spreading outward with soft crackling sounds. Zhou Mingye felt as though his own heart was doing the same, emitting crisp, shattering noises.
He suddenly felt that the coffee he had just drunk left a somewhat bitter aftertaste.
Zhou Mingye did not immediately open the folder on the USB drive.
Instead, he picked up his phone and opened Ling Xi’s Moments.
Her most recent post was a photo taken on a foreign street.
In the picture, she flashed a peace sign at the camera, with a brilliant sunset behind her.
There was nothing deliberately ostentatious in Ling Xi’s Moments, but from her usual words and behavior, Zhou Mingye could still tell that her family background was good and that her life was colorful and full.
Was there any need for her to do this kind of work?
Zhou Mingye found it hard to believe. He stared at the screen in silence for several minutes, then took a deep breath and opened the surveillance footage.