09. He Actually Didn’t Scold Anyone This Time?
After finishing her milk, drowsiness washed over Ling Xi.
She lay on the bed and scrolled through her phone for a few minutes. When she opened WeChat, there was no movement at all in the chat window.
Could Zhou Mingye have fallen asleep? Could he hurry up and give a definite answer?
She stared at it for a few seconds. Just like the lonely landscape in his profile picture, the other side was completely silent.
Forget it. Whatever.
Ling Xi wrapped herself in the blanket. Just as she closed her eyes, her phone vibrated once. She reached for it and opened the message.
She saw Zhou Mingye send a few brief words: Change to 2 p.m.
Ling Xi felt instantly relieved.
After changing the flight, she synced the information to Han Zhao and could not help but complain to herself that the company should really let people on business trips book their own tickets.
Although dissatisfied inside, Ling Xi still replied to Zhou Mingye respectfully on the surface: Okay, the ticket has been changed. Please rest early.
She leaned back and lay down. Finally, she could sleep well. Who would have thought that Han Zhao would choose this moment to reply with a single sentence: Got it. I’ll pass it on to President Zhou.
Damn it. Ling Xi almost wanted to curse him out. What was he doing earlier?
In the corridor, Han Zhao put away his phone and unlocked the door with the keypad.
Worried about waking Su Wanwan, he changed his shoes quietly, but saw that the floor lamp in the living room was still on.
Su Wanwan was leaning against the sofa, reading. When she saw him come in, she put the book down and stood up, her tone flat. “You’re back.”
“Mhm.”
Su Wanwan did not ask where Han Zhao had gone, and he did not say anything either.
The air pressure in the room was very low. This kind of atmosphere between them had already lasted for several months.
After changing into his pajamas in the bedroom, Han Zhao headed toward the bathroom, but Su Wanwan stopped him. “Can you take leave next Monday?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I made a doctor’s appointment. Let’s go take a look.” As Su Wanwan spoke, she moved closer. She had just showered after coming home, and the scent of body wash on her was strong.
She did not say what they were going to check, but Han Zhao understood.
Han Zhao subconsciously turned his head away. “There’s a regular meeting on Monday morning. I have to attend.”
“You can’t take leave?”
“I can’t.” Han Zhao walked around Su Wanwan and pushed open the bathroom door, never once looking at her.
In the bathroom, water from the showerhead poured down forcefully.
Outside the door, Su Wanwan stood in place, her gaze shifting from dim to reddened.
It had only been a year since their marriage, yet the two of them had gone from loving lovers to this state. Even after persuading herself countless times, Su Wanwan was still unwilling to accept it.
She stood there for several minutes, then turned and walked into the bedroom.
*
During the two days Zhou Mingye was away on a business trip, the President’s Office was no less busy.
When there was still one month left until the Mid-Autumn Festival, the company customized gift boxes for important partners. As the holiday approached, the sales associate called to say that all the gifts were ready and could be picked up at any time. Jiang Huai arranged for Xu Jing and Ling Xi to handle the matter.
Mr. Wang drove them, taking Ling Xi and Xu Jing to the store. After picking up the gifts, they delivered them one by one to the clients.
They were busy from Thursday until Friday night, finally delivering everything into the clients’ hands.
On Sunday, after breakfast, Ling Xi slung her canvas bag over her shoulder and took a taxi to a cultural and creative park in the city.
While she had been staying at home between jobs, she would occasionally look for activities she was interested in trying. This fragrance studio was something she had noticed during that period.
A few days earlier, the shop owner had sent her a message saying there would be an experience class on Sunday. It happened to be handmade scented candles, which Ling Xi liked, so she signed up decisively.
The studio was located at a relatively quiet corner of the park, a three-story glass building.
When Ling Xi arrived, several students were already seated around the wooden table.
After the class officially began, the instructor first explained the theoretical knowledge, then took out the prepared wax blocks, essential oil bottles, dried flowers, and other materials, guiding the students through the process.
It was Ling Xi’s first time making a handmade scented candle. She chose a simple, small cake shape.
She followed the instructor to mix the colors, pour the coating, and then cut it. When the finished product came out, the result was very good. Ling Xi felt that she was practically chosen by fate to do handicrafts.
Rubbing her shoulders, she went to the restroom to wash her hands and saw several messages pop up from Xu Jing, asking her to call back.
Xu Jing had never contacted Ling Xi on a rest day before. Now that she was reaching out, it was most likely work-related. The excitement Ling Xi felt from just finishing the candle instantly dissipated, and she dialed Xu Jing’s number.
After one ring, Xu Jing answered. “Xixi, are you busy?”
“I’m done. Go ahead.”
After Xu Jing briefly explained, Ling Xi understood. There was a small problem with the gift boxes delivered a couple of days earlier.
What the company sent were not ordinary gift boxes, but high-end gift boxes customized by first-tier brands. In addition to mooncakes, they also included a branded gift, usually something like a scarf or leather goods.
One major client said that the gift they received was last year’s old model and even called Zhou Mingye about it.
Zhou Mingye had high standards for work. In his eyes, this kind of low-level mistake was unacceptable.
The client’s family did not lack luxury goods. Giving an old model as a gift would sound bad as being perfunctory, and taken seriously, it would be a lack of respect for the other party.
Xu Jing said on the other end of the line, “The two of us split up that day. This client happened to be the one you delivered to. President Zhou will probably look for you later, so be mentally prepared.”
“Okay, thank you, Sister Jing.”
Standing by the sink, Ling Xi carefully recalled the pickup and delivery process. The gift had been an autumn new release that she and Xu Jing had selected together. When they picked it up, the sales associate had opened each item one by one for them to check. She had no idea at which step something had gone wrong.
She first pulled out the purchase list, then sent a message to the sales associate, asking him to confirm whether the wrong product had been packed.
While leaning against the sink waiting, Zhou Mingye’s call came through.
Ling Xi felt a flash of panic and pressed answer. “President Zhou.”
“Are you busy right now?” Zhou Mingye did not exchange pleasantries and asked her directly.
“Not busy, not busy.”
“Send me the address. Come with me to the client’s home later.”
Zhou Mingye’s voice sounded cold, but there was no obvious emotion. Ling Xi sent him her location and returned to the table to pack up her things.
*
As soon as Zhou Mingye got off the plane, he received a call from Chen Boyuan.
The two had known each other for many years. Since starting their businesses, they have collaborated every year. One could say he was a very important partner.
On the phone, Chen Boyuan mentioned the matter casually, jokingly teasing Zhou Mingye a few times.
“I’m just reminding you. If other clients were also sent the wrong thing, it wouldn’t be good for your company’s reputation, don’t you think?”
When giving gifts, sincerity was what mattered most. Even if the other party did not show displeasure, Zhou Mingye still had to figure out exactly what had happened.
If it truly was his employee’s mistake, he would apologize to the other party. That was his sincerity.
Chen Boyuan casually invited Zhou Mingye to come to his home for a meal, and Zhou Mingye agreed.
Ling Xi put her bag on her back and sat in the studio’s resting area, waiting for Zhou Mingye.
The sales associate sent over a video. While assembling the gift boxes, a colleague happened to be filming work footage beside him. The product packaging being placed inside was clearly visible, and the style had not been mixed up.
More than ten minutes later, Zhou Mingye’s car pulled over by the roadside. Ling Xi stood up and ran out.
After she got into the car, Zhou Mingye turned the steering wheel and drove out of the park.
Along the way, Ling Xi glanced at him from time to time. He leaned back against the seat, one hand gripping the steering wheel, his expression looking somewhat tired.
Ling Xi really wanted to ask what the situation was now, but since her boss had not even opened his mouth to scold her, why should she rush to ask for trouble?
Zhou Mingye turned his head and glanced at Ling Xi. All her inner thoughts after getting into the car were written plainly on her face, and at this moment, her brows were still knitted together.
“President Chen invited me to have a meal. I’ll ask what’s going on later.”
Zhou Mingye took the initiative to speak to her, and there was no reproach in his tone. This surprised Ling Xi a little.
She had thought that Zhou Mingye would definitely scold her first when he saw her. After all, previously, when she forgot to confirm that the meeting participants had arrived, Zhou Mingye had said she was just muddling through her days.
This time, he actually did not scold anyone?
Ling Xi took out her phone and waved it slightly at Zhou Mingye. “I’ve already confirmed with the sales associate that there’s no issue on our side. Director Jiang specifically reminded us that these were all major clients. Xu Jing and I checked several times.”
Zhou Mingye gave a low “Mm,” slowly turned the car, and drove into a quiet side road. A few minutes later, he stopped in front of a residential compound.
After the two of them got out of the car, Ling Xi stopped where she was.
The client had invited Zhou Mingye to eat. She felt it was not very appropriate for her to follow along. “President Zhou, how about I wait outside first? If you need me to go in, you can call me.”
Zhou Mingye looked at her and thought for a moment. “That works.”
*
When Zhou Mingye walked into Chen Boyuan’s home, Chen Boyuan was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea.
Seeing Zhou Mingye arrive, he waved at him. “Mingye, come sit.”
Zhou Mingye pulled out a chair and sat down, then heard someone speak behind him. “President Zhou is here.”
He turned around. It was Chen Boyuan’s daughter, Chen Yan. She was now working at her father’s company, and Zhou Mingye had dealt with her a few times before.
“It’s rare to see President Zhou come to our home,” Chen Yan said softly as she sat down on the chair beside Zhou Mingye.
Zhou Mingye took the teacup Chen Boyuan handed him. “President Chen is usually busy. I wouldn’t want to impose.”
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhou Mingye brought up the matter of the gift box. From what Chen Boyuan said, it was Chen Yan who had received the old model.
Chen Yan showed no displeasure at all and smiled at Zhou Mingye. “I was even thinking of thanking you. Even if it’s an old model, it’s still your thoughtfulness.”
Anyone could hear that this was polite talk. Zhou Mingye took a sip of tea. “Could it be that you received too many gifts and mixed them up?”
“It doesn’t matter. Which employee doesn’t make a small mistake now and then?”
Chen Yan raised her hand to tuck her hair back, the scent of her perfume heavy in the air.
“Could I trouble you to take a look? A photo would also do. I’ll have my employee verify it.” Zhou Mingye’s tone was calm. “When this kind of low-level mistake happens, we need to figure out which step went wrong.”
Chen Yan froze for a moment. She looked at Zhou Mingye, whose expression was very serious.
They had previously held project negotiation meetings together, and she understood how rigorous he was in doing things.
Any plan approved by Zhou Mingye would never have a single vague chart or piece of data. All information sources were clearly traceable.
Chen Yan knew he was someone with high standards for work. She suddenly smiled. “President Zhou, why be so serious? I don’t even mind.”
Zhou Mingye did not respond to her but instead looked at Chen Boyuan. “If we can even make a mistake when giving gifts, it also makes our company’s employees look severely lacking in ability.”
Hearing this, Chen Boyuan also felt that assigning blame without figuring things out clearly was inappropriate. His daughter had mentioned this matter to him coquettishly in the morning, and he had actually been a bit surprised himself.
Chen Boyuan looked at Chen Yan. “Yanyan, why don’t you check again? President Zhou is being sincere. Don’t wrongly accuse someone else’s company employees. If the store packed it wrong, they should be made to compensate.”
Seeing both her father and Zhou Mingye say this, Chen Yan stood up reluctantly. “Alright then, I’ll go take a look upstairs.”
The two chatted idly for a few moments, and the housekeeper brought the dishes to the table.
Chen Yan stayed upstairs for more than ten minutes before coming down slowly. She was holding a new-model handbag and gave an awkward laugh or two. “I’m really sorry. I have too many gift boxes in my room. I even forgot to open last year’s, so I mixed them up. I was just thinking, how could President Zhou’s employees possibly send the wrong thing?”
Chen Boyuan’s face darkened. He pointed at his daughter. “Too careless.”
Zhou Mingye’s expression remained unchanged throughout. Whether it really was a mix-up or not, he still had doubts in his heart.
Chen Yan walked over to Zhou Mingye’s side. “Sorry about that, President Zhou. I’ll make it up to you. I’ll toast you with two drinks later at dinner.”
“As long as it’s clarified.”
Out of regard for the many years of cooperation between Chen Boyuan and the company, Zhou Mingye said nothing more. He stood up to take his leave. “I won’t stay for the meal.”
“You’ve only been sitting for a few minutes. Mingye, stay and eat before you go,” Chen Boyuan urged.
Although Zhou Mingye’s expression did not change, his attitude was clearly displeased. He gave a polite smile. “I just got back from a business trip and still have things to attend to. I’ll take my leave.”
When Zhou Mingye came out through the gate, he saw Ling Xi standing under a tree with her head lowered from far away.
The midday sun made the air feel somewhat stifling. By the roadside, Ling Xi had her brows tightly furrowed and was sending messages to someone.
They had been in a hurry when coming. Now that the temperature had risen, Ling Xi’s face was slightly flushed. The braided pigtail she had neatly tied was also a bit messy, with strands of hair on both sides hanging loose.
Hearing footsteps, she quickly walked over to the car.
Before Ling Xi could ask how things had been handled, she heard Zhou Mingye drop three words. “Get in the car first.”