The air froze, and Lin Xi stood stiffly. "Auntie, I—" she began, but then stopped, unsure how to continue.
"How could you hit Mingxuan?" Chen Baiwei accused. "From childhood to adulthood, I've never laid a finger on him. What right do you have to hit him?"
"So that's why he talked to his father like that today. It's because of you." Lin Xi silently lowered her eyelashes.
She silently comforted herself, telling herself it was okay. Chen Baiwei wasn't her mother; she had no obligation to be kind to her.
"I raised you and Mingxuan from childhood. Although I wasn't as good to you as I was to Mingxuan, Mingxuan is my own son, you should understand that."
"I don't ask for anything in return. As long as Mingxuan is happy, likes to protect you and stay with you, I'll turn a blind eye. But how did you treat him?"
"He went to America for five years, and he came to see you every month. Two years ago, due to extreme weather, his flight was canceled, and he went through all sorts of trouble to transfer flights and trains. When he got back, he caught a bad cold and almost died."
"Don't you remember any of this?" Chen Baiwei's words were like cracks in ice, seeping with a bone-chilling cold.
Even though she was used to it, her heart still ached, and she felt like she couldn't breathe. Of course, she remembered the Duan family and Duan Mingxuan's kindness, but objectively speaking, she couldn't just blindly obey.
"Auntie, I understand, and I remember all your kindness to me. Whatever it is, just tell me, and I won't refuse."
"As for my relationship with Mingxuan, you should ask him. I have nothing to say." Chen Baiwei snorted coldly and turned to knock on Duan Mingxuan's door.
It seemed she was no longer needed here. Lin Xi returned to her room dejectedly and locked the door. Her pillow was soaked; she didn't even know when she fell asleep. She dreamt of her parents… and Duan Yiheng.
—Lin Xi and Duan Mingxuan had a falling out because of a slap.
This was the first time ever. Before, for small things, Lin Xi would coax Duan Mingxuan, and he would give her a way out. But this time, it seemed different. Because of her foot injury, she avoided eating with Duan Mingxuan.
Every night, she could hear the engine of a supercar. Duan Mingxuan didn't come to see her, and she didn't actively seek him out. Once her foot stopped hurting, she immediately canceled her leave and went back to work. The car she bought had been picked up, but the driver was waiting by it early in the morning, preventing her from driving.
"The young master said your foot isn't fully healed yet, so I'll drive for you first. Even after it's healed, I'll take you to familiarize yourself with the roads before letting you drive alone." Lin Xi was taken aback at first, then her eyes crinkled into a smile.
She silently called his name in her heart, a warm feeling welling up inside her. Unable to refuse his kindness, she reluctantly got into the back seat. As his secretary, she naturally had to be one step ahead of the president. Lin Xi arrived at the company half an hour early.
Since it was her first official day at work, there wasn't much for her to do, so she turned on the ventilation system and checked the office environment. There were no confidential documents on Duan Yiheng's desk, so Lin Xi asked the cleaning staff to clean it.
Her office was right next to Duan Yiheng's. Returning to her workstation, she suddenly realized a problem. She couldn't see Duan Yiheng at all. If Duan Yiheng wanted her to do something, the two enclosed spaces made communication inconvenient and hindered client reception.
Lin Xi noted this down, intending to mention it to Duan Yiheng when he came over. Duan Yiheng arrived at the company promptly at nine o'clock. Lin Xi glanced behind him but didn't see Qin Yang.
"He went to the hospital," Duan Yiheng said, seeing through her thoughts. His gaze shifted downwards. "Is your foot better?"
Lin Xi: "Anyway, it doesn't hurt anymore." Duan Yiheng smiled. "It wasn't for nothing that I asked Sister Mei to make you pig's trotter soup."
Lin Xi: "..." Whether it was actually nourishing or not, she didn't know, but she appreciated his thoughtfulness. She didn't refute his teasing remark.
"Is there a meeting this morning?"
"Yes." Duan Yiheng sat down in his office chair. "There's a weekly meeting for the business department at ten o'clock this morning. Notify them and prepare."
"Okay." Lin Xi replied, asking about the meeting details. After confirming the meeting room, she personally went to check the meeting equipment.
She also retrieved relevant information from the business department's internal system.
Lin Xi had familiarized herself with the materials beforehand and discovered that due to fierce market competition, Yin Fan's several financial products had suffered significant customer loss. She pursed her lips, remaining silent, unsure if she could enter the meeting room.
Thinking this, Duan Yiheng spoke up: "Come to the meeting with me." Lin Xi suppressed her joy.
"So happy?" Duan Yiheng asked. Lin Xi: "I thought you wouldn't take me to the meeting room." Duan Yiheng's gesture indicated he wasn't opposed to her involvement in the company's business.
Duan Yiheng smiled: "Don't overthink it. Learn carefully, observe carefully, and do carefully." Lin Xi responded.
Upon arriving at the meeting room, all relevant personnel from the business department were present. Lin Xi glanced up and saw Chen Liangyi. She pretended not to see her and distributed the meeting materials.
Duan Yiheng's face was ashen. He tapped the table: "Everyone, look at the performance data in your hands. What are your thoughts?" Everyone looked at each other, remaining silent.
The sales director glanced at Chen Jingyi, who was looking at the steadily declining sales chart on the projector. She explained, "The market competition is too fierce these days. Some competitors even resort to underhanded tactics, like price wars, which has led to an increasing rate of customer churn and hindered our acquisition of new customers—"
"Who are you?" Duan Yiheng suddenly interrupted Chen Jingyi. "Where's Jiang Hulin?" Chen Jingyi was startled, nervously pursing her lips. "I'm Chen Jingyi, from the sales department—"
"You don't understand me?" Duan Yiheng interrupted again. "Where's Jiang Hulin?" Chen Jingyi glanced at the director, who shook his head at her.
The others didn't dare breathe. Lin Xi looked at Duan Yiheng suspiciously, thinking he wasn't the type to make things difficult for employees in this kind of meeting. There must be something going on.
Lin Xi pondered for a moment, recalling her first meeting with Chen Jingyi; Duan Yiheng hadn't recognized her. During the meeting, the director and manager sat on either side of Duan Yiheng. Even with his poor memory, Duan Yiheng couldn't possibly not recognize Chen Jingyi.
Duan Yiheng glanced at the business department director—Zheng Jizhong. When Chen Jingyi had given Lin Xi a hard time, he had Qin Yang investigate her. They found she was quite capable, even surpassing Manager Jiang Hulin in the department.
Duan Yiheng immediately guessed that Zheng Jizhong was protecting her. Otherwise, how could a college graduate have almost replaced Jiang Hulin in just three years?
Zheng Jizhong smiled: "Manager Jiang's old illness relapsed, and the business department is short of talent, so I had Xiao Chen temporarily fill in."
Duan Yiheng also chuckled: "It seems this…acting manager is truly exceptionally capable, which is why you value her so much. In that case, I'll give her a chance."
Chen Jingyi's heart skipped a beat, her excitement overflowing. Lin Xi was genuinely taken aback. Chen Jingyi wasn't a full-fledged manager? She was just an acting manager?
Even Duan Yiheng didn't know his business department had such an acting manager, so the HR department probably hadn't registered or approved it, let alone issued an internal notice.
Then… Lin Xi glanced at Zheng Jizhong discreetly. It seemed this guy had some connections.
But what did Duan Yiheng mean by giving Chen Jingyi this opportunity?