Lin Xi didn't answer immediately; she seemed to be thinking. After a while, Lin Xi said:
"My matter with Duan Mingxuan is easy to resolve. No one cares who Duan Mingxuan marries, or even if it's me." She was also insignificant in the eyes of those directors. As long as it wasn't her with Duan Yiheng, they didn't care whether Chen Liangyi's evidence was real or not.
Only they, the parties involved, knew best that the photos Zheng Jizhong took were unmistakably real. "You underestimate Duan Zheng," Duan Yiheng said. "Once the share transfer is complete, he needs your shares to oppose me." "Impossible."
Lin Xi said, "I won't help him." Duan Yiheng looked at her: "He will definitely force you to marry Duan Mingxuan." She had already been forced once; did he want to force her a second time? Lin Xi composed herself and said:
"I'll handle it myself. Before the share transfer, be careful not to give him any leverage. And... don't come here anymore." Duan Yiheng naturally understood. For the next two hours, Lin Xi went to her room to put on makeup.
Her eyes were clearly from crying, and she had dark circles under them; she was almost unrecognizable. She hadn't driven her car back last night, so she naturally went to the restaurant with Duan Yiheng. However, she didn't sit in the back; instead, she sat in the passenger seat.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Xu Yu and the current sales director's car also arrived. Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng got out of the car, and everyone immediately crowded at the restaurant entrance. Xu Yu, dressed in a bright business suit, looked at Duan Yiheng with a beaming smile: "Yiheng, long time no see!"
Calling her by her first name, Lin Xi was taken aback and quietly sized up Xu Yu. She was tall, with a striking appearance, and her smile was like a flower blooming under the blazing sun. Duan Yiheng nodded slightly:
"This is my secretary, Lin Xi, and the other person is the current sales director, Chang Mingyuan. Shall we go inside and talk?" Xu Yu's gaze swept over Lin Xi: "Sure, let's go inside." A waiter appeared at the opportune moment and led the group to a private room. As soon as they sat down, Chang Mingyuan initiated the small talk:
"Mr. Duan and Director Xu know each other? You two seem quite familiar." Xu Yu smiled, "We were classmates, and we interacted a lot back in school, from business case analysis competitions to simulated investment trading—he never lost."
Chang Mingyuan then praised Duan Yiheng, before changing the subject to his project proposal for Yinfan Technology. Chang Mingyuan was already 50; he was quite capable, but his personality and approach to things were rather conservative.
Yinfan Technology's core competitiveness lay in combining traditional finance with technological methods. He excelled in the traditional area, but in the technological aspect, he was clearly lagging behind the younger generation.
Xu Yu had just mentioned customer segmentation and designing different service solutions for different needs when Chang Mingyuan immediately jumped in to discuss cost and adaptability issues. Lin Xi naturally knew that these were the very questions Chang Mingyuan was asking Duan Yiheng. This exchange was also a test of Xu Yu's abilities.
Lin Xi was completely captivated by Xu Yu, forgetting to eat. Duan Yiheng subtly tapped the table, reminding her, "Eat your meal. You'll have plenty to learn later." Lin Xi glanced sideways instinctively, "Can't I even listen?" "Do you understand?" Duan Yiheng whispered, "Theory and practice are different." "Were you practicing from the start?" Lin Xi couldn't help but retort. Xu Yu chatted with Chang Mingyuan, but her eyes kept drifting to Duan Yiheng and Lin Xi.
She sensed something subtle between them. The meal lasted until 1 PM. Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng went back to work, while Xu Yu went home to rest, preparing for her first day of work the next day.
Xu Yu needed to thoroughly understand the company's business model and customer needs. Besides leading her team to visit banks and private financial institutions, she also needed a large amount of data. Lin Xi spent the afternoon categorizing and organizing the sales department's existing materials and sending them to Xu Yu's email.
After get off work, she drove back to the Duan family villa. Duan Mingxuan saw Lin Xi and jumped down the steps: "Xiao Xi, you're back." He didn't mention at all that she had stood him up last night. Lin Xi glanced behind him: "Is Uncle Duan in?" "They're all waiting for you."
Duan Mingxuan reached for her arm, but Lin Xi dodged it. He seemed oblivious to Lin Xi's resistance and said again, "Come in and eat first, we'll talk after we eat." Chen Baiwei still didn't like her, but because of Duan Zheng's disapproving gaze, she didn't say anything.
Lin Xi ate a few bites casually, quietly waiting for Duan Zheng to finish. Chen Baiwei couldn't help but ask Lin Xi, "Did you really date your older brother?" Lin Xi's face paled, but she didn't deny it. Duan Zheng coughed: "Xiao Xi, come upstairs with me, Mingxuan too."
He didn't like women in his study, so Chen Baiwei could only sit there silently. Entering the study, Duan Zheng said,
"Xiao Xi, your grandfather has always doted on you. Mingxuan has now joined the group with me, and everything is on the right track. If you—" "I don't want to," Lin Xi said. "Uncle Duan, I was forced into the board meeting. You should understand that I did it for my brother's reputation."
"Then you should do everything for him." Duan Zheng's eyes were piercing. "The old man specifically set aside time for evaluation. Don't you understand?" She naturally understood. "Once Yi Heng makes a mistake, no one can save him," Duan Zheng added.
Lin Xi didn't believe he was genuinely considering Duan Yi Heng's best interests; she was probably still after her own shares, which her parents had left her, and she wouldn't give them to anyone. "Don't worry, he won't lose everything because of me again."
Lin Xi finished speaking and left. "I still need to see Grandpa. I'm leaving now." Duan Zheng immediately gave Duan Mingxuan a look, and Duan Mingxuan turned and followed her. "Don't follow me."
Lin Xi stopped in the courtyard. "I've made it perfectly clear to you, there's no future for us. Why do you keep haunting me?"
"I just like you, what's wrong with that?" Duan Mingxuan growled. "Your mistake is that I've already rejected you, yet you still cling to me." Lin Xi couldn't take it anymore. "Back when you were dating Zhang Mo, I liked you, but I didn't bother you. I respected all your choices. And what about you?
When will you ever truly respect me, even just once?" Duan Mingxuan: "Do you like Duan Yiheng? Don't think I don't know those photos are real." "Yes."
Lin Xi growled, "Those photos you saw are real; it's you and me who's fake. They pressured me once, and I gave up. Why are you pressuring me a second time?" Duan Mingxuan was furious:
"I'm trying to help you. Why don't you understand?" "I don't need to understand. I don't need to. How many times do I have to say it?" Lin Xi broke down. "I don't like you. I haven't liked you for a long time. Please, let me go."
Duan Mingxuan was bewildered by her barely concealed breakdown: "But you and Duan Yiheng can't be together anyway." "None of your business." Lin Xi regained some composure; she couldn't say another word to Duan Mingxuan.
Upon entering the north courtyard, she asked Uncle Deng and, upon learning that the old man intended to rest, went straight to his bedroom. With permission granted, Lin Xi went in and knelt at the head of the old man's bed.