23. “Come to my room.”
After Han Zhao returned to his post, Ling Xi’s workload not only failed to decrease, but it increased instead.
Less than five minutes after she sat down in the morning, Zhou Mingye’s voice came from the President’s Office. “Ling Xi, come here for a moment.”
Ling Xi pushed the door open and went in. Zhou Mingye was lowering his head to review a contract and did not look up. “Adjust the blinds. The light is too harsh.”
Ling Xi did as instructed. Only then did he lift his gaze. His eyes lingered on her face for a moment before shifting to the vase on the coffee table. “Change the fresh flowers in my office.”
“Okay.”
Ling Xi carried the vase out.
Half an hour later, Zhou Mingye’s voice sounded again from behind her. “Ling Xi.”
Ling Xi put down what she was doing and hurried in. Zhou Mingye leaned back in his chair. “Tomorrow’s business dinner is booked at Jingyan. The client is very particular about ingredients. Go taste the dishes yourself.”
“Got it.”
All morning, Ling Xi felt as if demonic sound waves were drilling into her ears.
She began subconsciously paying attention to the President’s Office, afraid of missing Zhou Mingye calling for her.
Han Zhao gradually noticed that after returning from leave, the boss had not handed all previous tasks back to him.
Some of the work had been given to Ling Xi, and she was doing it very well.
For example, Ling Xi rearranged the office flowers for an entire week, matching the colors to Zhou Mingye’s outfit style for the day.
When she visited a company partner’s newborn baby last week, she not only brought baby clothes for the child but also gave the partner’s wife a beauty salon membership card.
Han Zhao did not feel jealous of Ling Xi. She was indeed more skilled than him in aesthetics and social etiquette.
Fortunately, before making certain decisions, Zhou Mingye still asked Han Zhao to retrieve details of the other party’s past collaborations, understand the client’s network of connections, and provide a preliminary analysis report.
When meeting clients, Zhou Mingye still brought him along.
One day after finishing a workout and returning to the office, Ling Xi saw Han Zhao alone at his computer, working intensely.
She sent Su Wanwan a message. “Your husband has been working like he’s been injected with chicken blood lately.”
Su Wanwan laughed. “He’s probably afraid you’ll take his job.”
“Huh? He’s overthinking it. Secretarial work is much simpler than being an assistant.”
Han Zhao usually also had to help the boss follow up on projects and accompany him to business negotiations.
“You’re not incapable,” Su Wanwan said bluntly. “You’re just too lazy to use your brain.”
Ling Xi smiled. “Don’t worry. I won’t steal my best friend’s husband’s job.”
*
Ruisii Technology had recently been busy with acquisitions and a new product launch, and the team had worked overtime for several days.
To reward the employees, Zhou Mingye specially approved a team-building trip.
The New Year’s team-building activity usually went to popular overseas destinations, but since the company still needed to maintain normal operations on workdays, the destination was set as a southern island, with employees traveling in batches.
Zhou Mingye had a client appreciation banquet to attend in November. Ling Xi arranged for him to be in the first batch, with the President’s Office staff traveling on the same trip as the boss.
In late October, the island’s temperature was pleasant.
During the day, the sunshine was abundant, and the scorching heat of summer had already faded from the air. In the early morning and evening, the breeze still carried a hint of coolness.
The group arrived at the hotel in the afternoon and first returned to their rooms to rest.
Ling Xi shared an ocean-view room with Xu Jing. After putting down their luggage, people in the group chat had already gone to the beach.
In the photos sent over, the sky was clear, and the sea looked like a stretch of blue velvet.
Ling Xi had not been to an island in over half a year. Seeing the photos made her restless, and she called Xu Jing to go out.
The two changed into swimsuits and walked along the hotel corridor toward the pool.
It was the first time Xu Jing clearly realized how good Ling Xi’s figure was.
She wore a green two-piece swimsuit. The halter-style top with a front clasp outlined her chest beautifully, and the lower half was a side-tie skirt that fully revealed her waistline.
Her snow-white skin glowed in the sunlight.
Xu Jing glanced at her own conservative one-piece swimsuit and pouted. “Xixi, that’s what you call a swimsuit.”
Ling Xi had brought an entire suitcase of pretty dresses on the trip. She put an arm around Xu Jing. “I told you to pick one from my suitcase earlier, but you wouldn’t.”
Hand in hand, they walked to the poolside, and the male colleagues’ gazes did not leave Ling Xi at all.
Ling Xi could feel the appreciative looks. She smiled openly and jumped into the pool.
In less than half a day, the more playful young employees had naturally formed a small team.
Someone suggested playing beach volleyball, and the group quickly split into teams.
Ling Xi had played a long time ago and was now a bit rusty. She had originally just been watching with a smile when a fair-skinned, handsome guy suddenly ran up to her. “Ling Xi, come join our team.”
Ling Xi looked up and remembered that this puppy-faced boy was named Dong Yihui. He had joined the company a month earlier than her and worked in the legal department.
“I haven’t played beach volleyball in a long time,” Ling Xi waved her hand. “I’m afraid I’ll drag you down.”
Dong Yihui grinned, showing his white teeth. “What’s there to be afraid of? If we lose, we lose. Participation matters.”
Before Ling Xi could speak, Dong Yihui reached out and pulled her onto the sand.
Ling Xi liked playing to begin with. She always wanted to try different activities, so she followed Dong Yihui over to his side.
She stood toward the back, nervously clenching her fists.
When the ball flew toward her, she instinctively closed her eyes and reached out. The ball slammed into her arm and bounced away.
“Sorry, sorry!”
Dong Yihui smiled and encouraged her. “It’s okay. Keep going.”
After a few rounds, Ling Xi completely let loose, jumping to receive the ball, laughing loudly, brimming with youthful energy.
It caught someone’s attention not far away.
During a break, everyone sat around on the beach. Xu Jing looked around. “Why don’t I see the boss?”
Song Yuan from the administrative department quietly pointed toward a lounge chair behind Ling Xi. “When we were swimming just now, he was over there, sunbathing.”
Ling Xi followed the sound and looked over. Zhou Mingye was wearing a white top and black shorts, and beneath the fabric were smooth, taut muscle lines.
Xu Jing asked, “Should we ask the boss to come play ball with us? After all, he’s over there by himself.”
Song Yuan hurriedly shook her head. “Better not. I heard him taking a call just now, and his tone wasn’t very good. Let’s not provoke him.”
As they were talking, Dong Yihui walked over, holding an iced drink, and handed it to Ling Xi first.
“Oh? I’m thirsty too. Why didn’t you get one for me?” Song Yuan teased him.
Another male colleague from the legal department also joked, “Pretty girls really do get different treatment.”
Dong Yihui smiled and sat down. “I ordered for everyone. The server will bring them over in a bit.”
Ling Xi took the drink, pretending not to understand her colleagues’ teasing. She smiled at Dong Yihui. “Thanks.”
The sea breeze brushed against her face. Ling Xi took a sip of the chilled watermelon juice, and her phone vibrated.
She opened it. It was a message from Zhou Mingye, just two words: Come here.
Ling Xi turned her head to look. Zhou Mingye was still in the same position as before, wearing sunglasses, and she could not tell whether his eyes were closed.
Ling Xi set the glass down. “The boss is calling me. You guys keep playing. Don’t wait for me.”
She took long strides toward the lounge chair. “President Zhou, you were looking for me?”
Zhou Mingye removed his sunglasses and looked at Ling Xi. His gaze lingered on her for a few seconds.
Ling Xi’s figure was too eye-catching. She had her hair braided into plaits, wore a straw sunhat, and her fair skin looked like creamy ice cream in summer.
Zhou Mingye suddenly forgot why he had called her over.
He put the sunglasses back on, concealing the turbulence in his eyes.
After a brief pause, Zhou Mingye handed her a room key card. “Go help me get my laptop.”
Ling Xi was surprised. “President Zhou, you came out on vacation and you’re still handling work?”
In truth, there was nothing urgent. He had merely found an excuse.
Zhou Mingye sat up. “I’m idle anyway.”
Ling Xi had asked casually in the first place. “Alright, I’ll get it for you.”
After taking a few steps, she heard Zhou Mingye say, “I’ll wait for you at the lobby café.”
After retrieving the laptop, Ling Xi went back to her room, threw on a light sun-protection shirt, and changed into athletic shorts.
When she returned to the lobby, she saw Zhou Mingye seated by the café window. He had taken off his sunglasses and was gazing out at the vast blue sea.
Ling Xi placed the laptop in front of Zhou Mingye and noticed two coconuts on the table.
Zhou Mingye pointed to one of them. “That one’s for you.”
Ling Xi picked it up and took a sip. The fresh, sweet coconut fragrance filled her lips and tongue.
Her eyes curved into a smile. “Thank you, President Zhou.”
Zhou Mingye opened the laptop but did not look at it. Instead, he asked Ling Xi, “Do you want dessert?”
Ling Xi shook her head. “You go ahead and work. I’m going back to the beach to keep playing ball.”
With that, she picked up the coconut and jogged outside.
Behind her, Zhou Mingye’s brows knitted together.
He had bought her a coconut because he wanted her to rest indoors for a bit, yet she turned around and ran off to play with others instead—how heartless!
*
In the afternoon, everyone had dinner at the buffet restaurant.
After some free time, they headed to the lawn by the beach.
Ling Xi had arranged a concert in the hotel garden in advance, scheduled to start at dusk.
After confirming that everything on-site was ready, Ling Xi went to the restroom.
When she returned, her colleagues had already arrived one after another. On the small stage in the center, the singer was testing the microphone.
The sea breeze was strong at night. Ling Xi was only wearing a tank top. She wanted to go back and get a jacket, but she did not want to miss the opening song.
Xu Jing saw her rub her arms and pick up a piece of clothing from the chair beside her. “Put this on for now. It’s probably one of our colleagues’.”
Ling Xi took it. It was a beige linen shirt. “Isn’t that inappropriate?”
“It’s fine. Our little group is all single dogs. No one will mind. Just mention it later.”
With that, she draped the shirt over Ling Xi’s shoulders.
In the corridor behind the concert area, Zhou Mingye finished a phone call and returned to the venue.
He took a seat on a chair not far from Ling Xi.
At eight o’clock, the pinkish purple at the edge of the sky gradually deepened into dark blue, and the concert officially began.
As Song Yuan listened to the music, she noticed Zhou Mingye’s line of sight and immediately sensed something was off.
When the boss arrived earlier, she had just gotten there herself. She had seen him take off his shirt and place it on a chair. Later arrivals probably assumed the chair was being used to hold belongings and piled their own coats and bags on top of it.
Seeing the shirt draped over Ling Xi’s shoulders, Song Yuan’s heart jumped into her throat.
Ling Xi was resting her chin in her hand, listening to the music, completely unaware of Song Yuan’s frantic signaling.
Song Yuan sent her a message, but Ling Xi didn’t see it either.
Song Yuan thought, look at me already. You’ve taken the boss’s shirt. What is the boss supposed to wear now?
When she turned back again, she saw Zhou Mingye leaning against his chair, and there was actually a smile at the corner of his lips.
When Zhou Mingye sat down, he had already noticed that the shirt he had casually taken off was gone. He assumed someone had moved it elsewhere without thinking much of it.
Then his gaze landed on Ling Xi, and it froze.
The wind lifted her hair slightly. There was a smile in her eyes, and she was completely immersed in the music.
Everyone present was from the company, yet Ling Xi was openly wearing his shirt.
Why was she always so unexpected? Was she using the team-building event to stake a claim?
Afraid others wouldn’t know that their relationship was anything but ordinary?
Since she liked wearing it, then let her wear it. It was just a shirt.
Zhou Mingye withdrew his gaze, and the faint irritation he had felt earlier in the afternoon dissipated completely.
*
The night breeze was gentle, and the concert was romantic and warm.
The singer performed mostly old songs, stirring up happy memories from Ling Xi’s student days. When it ended, she actually felt a bit reluctant for it to be over.
After the crowd dispersed, colleagues headed back to their rooms. Song Yuan rushed over to Ling Xi and said, “Why are you wearing the boss’s shirt? He was sitting right next to us just now. I couldn’t tell you.”
Ling Xi was stunned. She quickly took off the shirt. “His?”
She had assumed it belonged to someone in their small group.
Annoyed with herself, Ling Xi lowered her head and looked around, but Zhou Mingye was nowhere to be seen.
On the way back, Ling Xi’s phone rang. The food she had ordered had arrived at the entrance.
She turned back to get it. Just as she stepped out of the elevator, she ran into Zhou Mingye.
Zhou Mingye’s gaze fell on her hands. “Why aren’t you wearing it anymore?”
“I’m sorry, President Zhou. I just grabbed it casually. I didn’t know it was yours.” As she spoke, Ling Xi held it out with both hands, about to return it to him.
Zhou Mingye gave a faint smile. She really was stubborn.
He took the shirt and asked, “Where are you going?”
“To pick up my food delivery.”
“I’ll go with you.”
From the guest room area to the main entrance, they had to pass through a long corridor, about a five or six minute walk.
Ling Xi waved her hands. “No need, no need.”
Zhou Mingye was no longer fooled by Ling Xi’s half-push, half-pull routine. If she didn’t want him to go, he insisted on going.
The two picked up the food at the entrance and then walked back at an unhurried pace.
At ten o’clock at night, there weren’t many people in the hotel. The tree-lined path was quiet and still.
Zhou Mingye asked, “What did you order?”
“Barbecue.”
Zhou Mingye stared at her without speaking. Ling Xi had no choice but to ask, “Do you want some?”
“I’ll try it.”
At the elevator, Ling Xi looked left and right. There really wasn’t a suitable place. She couldn’t possibly invite him to her room. Xu Jing would be scared to death.
And it was even more impossible to have the boss eat skewers with her in the lobby.
Zhou Mingye seemed to see her hesitation clearly.
He slid his hands into his pockets and said calmly, “Come to my room.”