22. Her Palms Were Sweating. She Was Nervous.
At the end of October, it rained on and off for several days. The temperature dropped sharply, and the company had already turned on the central air conditioning.
Ling Xi touched her cheek with the back of her hand. “Maybe because it’s a bit warm.”
Her palms were already sweating. She was nervous.
The corner of Zhou Mingye’s mouth lifted, forming a smile with an indistinct meaning.
Then he brought up business. “I’ll trouble you to help me handle something this afternoon.”
“Go ahead.”
Zhou Mingye took out his phone and sent Ling Xi an address. “My younger brother’s restaurant is opening today. Help me order a flower basket to be sent over. Also, get a stored-value card for two hundred thousand.”
Ling Xi’s eyes widened. She thought, I’m really going all in against you rich people. Even stored-value cards start at six figures?
After saying that, Zhou Mingye took out a card and handed it to Ling Xi.
Ling Xi accepted it. “Okay, boss.”
*
Back at her workstation, Xu Jing was typing at her computer. After saving the file, she sent the document to Ling Xi. “Human Resources asked for you just now to send out an internal notice. I edited it for you already. Take a look.”
Ling Xi leaned over and pinched her cheek. “Sister Jing, why are you so good to me? How am I supposed to repay you?”
Xu Jing joked with her. “If you win the first prize at the annual gala, just take me along.”
During casual chats, Ling Xi had heard people in the company mention last year’s annual gala. The first prize had been a Maldives couple’s trip. With the end of the year approaching, everyone was especially looking forward to this year’s gala.
Ling Xi readily agreed. “Of course, no problem!”
She sat down, thinking to herself. Would she even still be here by then?
When she parted with Su Wanwan yesterday, Su Wanwan had told her that Han Zhao had specifically instructed her not to tell Ling Xi about what he had done. If there was a chance, he would personally explain it to Zhou Mingye.
Ling Xi also understood Han Zhao’s difficulty. “I won’t tell my colleagues. That’s his own matter.”
Su Wanwan assured her, “I didn’t tell him your reason for going to work at Ruisii.”
Seeing Ling Xi’s hesitation about this job, Su Wanwan comforted her. “Only the two of us know why you applied to Ruisii. You didn’t do anything excessive, so you don’t need to carry a psychological burden.”
Setting aside the misunderstanding with Han Zhao, Ling Xi reexamined this job and realized she was quite satisfied with her current situation.
She had long since gotten the hang of the work. The people in her department were friendly, and the company’s benefits far exceeded those of the same industry.
If she started working seriously now, with no ulterior motives, could that make up for that sense of guilt?
Thinking this, she looked up and saw Han Zhao walking over.
He had already returned to his post that morning and was gradually taking over his previous work.
Han Zhao’s gaze met Ling Xi’s, and he pulled out a smile. “Morning.”
“Morning. Is your mom doing better?” Ling Xi asked.
“Her condition is stable. Thank you.”
Others in the department also expressed concern about Han Zhao’s mother. He chatted with Jiang Huai for a bit, then turned on his computer and got to work.
*
During lunch break, Ling Xi took out her phone, found a flower shop she had patronized before, and ordered a flower basket, asking the shop to deliver it at five o’clock.
After finishing her work, she set off at four-thirty and headed to Zhou Siheng’s restaurant.
When she arrived, it was right at the peak of guest arrivals. The entrance was lined with flower baskets.
The one Ling Xi ordered had just been unloaded from the truck by the staff. The dark green rattan flower basket stood out as especially fresh among the row of congratulatory gifts.
Ling Xi took a photo and sent it to Zhou Mingye.
The restaurant’s exterior was a minimalist fair-faced concrete cube. Following the reception staff inside, she realized the interior was a whole different world.
The indoor space was extremely open, with a ceiling nearly ten meters high. Another area separated from the main dining area was a small hall, decorated today as a sea of flowers for the opening.
Ling Xi went to the front desk to handle the stored-value card. Upon hearing the amount, the staff member confirmed with her again, “Miss, you mean two hundred thousand?”
“Yes.”
Ling Xi saw the other party’s eyes light up. They were probably calculating this month’s commission.
Holding the membership card, Ling Xi looked around. Her gaze landed on a young man in a suit.
Ling Xi had seen Zhou Siheng in the family photo. His brows and eyes bore some resemblance to Zhou Mingye, though his aura was different.
Zhou Mingye carried a steady calm within his aloofness, while Zhou Siheng looked more flamboyant.
Ling Xi stepped forward to greet him and explained her purpose.
“Mr. Zhou, I’m Ling Xi from Ruisii Technology, President Zhou’s secretary. I’m here on his behalf to congratulate you on your opening.”
Zhou Siheng broke into a bright smile. “Thanks for the trouble. My brother didn’t come?”
“President Zhou has an important meeting this afternoon.”
There were many people on site. Someone kept coming over to ask about work matters, asking when the media Zhou Siheng invited would arrive, whether more seating was needed for the buffet, and several food bloggers wanted to go to the hall to take photos. Everything was crowded together.
Zhou Siheng was swamped.
After completing her task, Ling Xi was about to leave when Zhou Siheng suddenly called out to her. “Secretary Ling, could you help me with something?”
“Go ahead.”
“I’m too busy today. The store manager is over at the buffet. The influencers taking photos in the hall were invited for promotion. Could I trouble you to go over and help coordinate a bit?”
He pressed his palms together. “I really can’t manage everything.”
Since the boss’s younger brother had spoken, Ling Xi found it hard to refuse.
“Alright.”
The hall was indeed in chaos. Several bloggers were competing for the best shooting spots, with assistants holding dresses to the side. Ling Xi put down her bag and went around one by one to coordinate the order and timing for photos.
In the midst of the bustle, she saw Zhou Siheng’s parents arrive.
Liang Fangyue was wearing a light apricot cashmere knit dress. The cut was extremely minimalist, and the high quality of the fabric was obvious at a glance.
As soon as she came in, she hugged her son and spoke to him with a smile.
The family of three took photos together in front of the flower wall. The scene was warm and harmonious.
Ling Xi glanced at them a few times. Just as she was about to look away, a staff member mistook her for the on-site coordinator and pulled her over again to handle media sign-in matters.
*
After Zhou Mingye’s meeting ended, he drove home.
The aunt had just finished cooking and left. He ate a few bites and then opened his phone.
First, he saw the photo Ling Xi had sent. Then several group photos popped up in the family chat.
His fingers paused as he enlarged one of them. In the corner of the photo, a familiar figure was turned sideways, seemingly coordinating something.
Even though it was only a blurry side profile, he recognized at a glance that it was Ling Xi.
He had only asked her to deliver a gift. How did she end up working on-site?
Zhou Mingye dialed Ling Xi’s number. No one answered.
Ling Xi’s bag was left in the rest area.
She was holding up a food blogger’s phone, helping her find the right angle for photos.
Suddenly, she heard someone call out, “Brother, you’re here.”
Ling Xi turned around and saw Zhou Mingye.
He was wearing a black shirt and the same-tone trousers as he walked in, his expression still calm and indifferent. Against the cool white-toned space, he looked exceptionally refined and striking.
Ling Xi was a little surprised to see Zhou Mingye. She remembered that Zhou Mingye had said he had a meeting in the afternoon, which was why he had sent her on this errand.
Someone asked her to help take photos. She withdrew her gaze.
“Congratulations,” Zhou Mingye said as he raised his hand and patted Zhou Siheng on the shoulder. His tone was absent-minded, his eyes sweeping across the room before locking onto Ling Xi.
“Have you eaten? The buffet is in the back,” Zhou Siheng asked.
“I won’t eat.” Zhou Mingye had one hand in his pocket. It was hard to tell whether his tone was joking or not. “Why are you ordering my secretary around now?”
Only then did Zhou Siheng remember. He turned his head to look inside. “Things were a bit chaotic this afternoon, so I asked her to help with something small.”
Zhou Siheng had enjoyed smooth sailing since childhood and was also someone everyone catered to at his company.
In his view, Ling Xi was his older brother’s employee. Having her lend a hand temporarily was no big deal.
Zhou Siheng could not help complaining, “You’re that stingy? I’ll send her a red envelope later.”
It was his opening day, and Zhou Mingye did not want to dampen the mood.
He frowned slightly. “No need. I still have something to do later.”
He had come all this way and was leaving after only a few minutes.
Following Zhou Mingye’s line of sight, Zhou Siheng raised an eyebrow. “Did you come to congratulate me, or did you come specifically to pick her up?”
Zhou Mingye acted as if he had not heard. “I’m taking her with me.”
With that, he took a few steps toward Ling Xi. “Are you done?”
Ling Xi returned the phone to the blogger. “More or less. President Zhou, why are you here?”
“I was passing by for something, so I came to take a look,” Zhou Mingye said casually. “Let’s go.”
Ling Xi turned her head to look around, as if checking whether there was anything else she needed to help with.
She heard Zhou Mingye’s slightly lowered voice. “Don’t worry about it. You’re not an employee here.”
Ling Xi picked up her bag and followed Zhou Mingye out.
It was already dark outside. She had not expected that delivering a gift would keep her until evening.
After getting into the car, Zhou Mingye asked Ling Xi, “Is there anything to eat nearby?”
Ling Xi thought he had not eaten. She took out her phone to search. “There’s a commercial area ahead. Western food, Cantonese food, ramen… everything. What do you want to eat?”
“Ramen will do.”
Zhou Mingye followed the navigation and parked the car in a roadside space.
The ramen shop was not in the center of the commercial area but in a small back alley.
The two of them walked to the entrance.
After sitting down, Ling Xi handed the menu to Zhou Mingye. “Boss, take a look and see what you want.”
Zhou Mingye poured water for Ling Xi. “Just order one.”
“You’re not eating?” Ling Xi asked.
“I’m not hungry…”
When the steaming tonkotsu ramen was set in front of her, Ling Xi belatedly realized that Zhou Mingye had brought her out specifically to eat.
Could this be his consideration for employees working overtime? Even if the overtime was for his younger brother, it did not seem much different.
With her boss sitting across from her, Ling Xi felt a little uneasy.
“Are you sure you don’t want to eat something?” she asked again.
“I already ate in the evening.” Zhou Mingye looked at Ling Xi’s puffed cheeks. His gaze paused for a moment at the corner of her mouth, where there was a faint drop of broth.
“What is it?” Ling Xi raised her head and looked straight at him.
Zhou Mingye was stunned for a few seconds. He handed her a tissue. “Wipe your mouth.” Then he added, “You eat quite a lot.”
Since the boss was treating, Ling Xi ignored his teasing and grinned. “I was hungry.”
Then she waved to the shop owner and added an order of fried meat skewers.
After finishing the meal, the two of them walked back toward the car.
Two of the alley’s streetlights were broken, leaving only one emitting a weak glow.
Motorcycles passed by from time to time. Zhou Mingye moved to the outer side, and his arm accidentally brushed against Ling Xi.
Ling Xi glanced at him and saw that he was looking straight ahead, not at her.
Setting aside her former prejudices and interacting with Zhou Mingye again, Ling Xi felt that he was not as cold as he appeared. His words were not particularly pleasant, but his actions carried goodwill.
After Zhou Mingye dropped Ling Xi off at home, he drove alone back to Yunqi.
After parking the car, his nose caught an unfamiliar scent, something like light, sweet coconut milk.
Did she change her perfume?
The thought had just surfaced when he pressed it down.
Ridiculous. He was actually starting to notice details like this.
He subconsciously loosened his tie and saw his phone screen light up.
A WeChat message from Ling Xi popped up: President Zhou, thank you for tonight.
It was followed by a smiley face.
Zhou Mingye stared at his phone for a moment, then a faint smile played on his lips.