Gently bite the jasmine

Chapter 177 What if I weren't there?

Duan Yiheng turned around and gestured for Lin Xi to sit in his seat.

Seeing that he was about to reprimand someone, Tian Han suddenly stood up and said, "President Duan, shall we go out first?"

"Watch out." Duan Yiheng glanced around. "Sit still and don't move."

Tian Han, covered in cold sweat, sat back down.

Duan Yiheng grabbed Vice President Sha's shoulder with his backhand and pressed him firmly into the seat where Lin Xi had been sitting.

The atmosphere inside the private room froze, and everyone held their breath, watching anxiously.

Duan Yiheng smiled, placing one hand on the round table and the other on the back of his chair, his tone very soft: "Vice President Sha, don't tell me that this is how you usually discuss projects."

Vice President Sha suddenly regained a sliver of clarity. Standing before him was not Lin Xi, but Duan Yiheng.

"Mr. Duan, I—"

Just as he was about to stand up, Duan Yiheng pressed his shoulders down again.

"You like drinking?" Duan Yiheng's gaze darkened. "The glass is too small and not satisfying enough. Use a wine glass instead."

"I...Mr. Duan, could I—"

"Drink," Duan Yiheng interrupted him.

Vice President Sha swallowed hard, not daring to disobey Duan Yiheng's order. He poured the baijiu into the empty red wine glass that Lin Xi hadn't touched, and shakily drank a third of it as if it were water.

The others instinctively felt a stomachache and dared not look directly at the camera, only glancing out of the corner of their eyes.

Unaffected, Director Xu said to Lin Xi, "I have a small bowl here that I haven't used. Shall I serve you some soup?"

Lin Xi's eyes widened slightly. "Sister, you're so relaxed."

"Do you want it or not?" Director Xu urged her.

Lin Xi couldn't refuse her kindness, so she smiled and said, "Half is fine."

Tian Han truly admired Director Xu's composure; while the next room was filled with breathtaking excitement, the two of them were enjoying their meal.

After downing a large glass of baijiu, Vice President Sha revealed a pained expression: "President Duan, I really can't drink anymore."

"You still recognize me," Duan Yiheng said in a deep voice. "It seems this alcohol is only for women."

Vice President Sha, his face deathly pale, pleaded for forgiveness, "I was just joking with Secretary Lin, I didn't mean anything by it."

"Really?" Duan Yiheng's eyes were devoid of any warmth. "I was just joking with you. Keep drinking."

Vice President Sha was almost in tears, but he could only keep pouring and drinking.

He drank until the very end, then burst into tears, begging for mercy and almost kneeling before Duan Yiheng, making a complete spectacle of himself.

Duan Yiheng finally let him off the hook, saying, "Tomorrow I will notify the HR department to remove you from all positions and thoroughly investigate all projects and accounts during your tenure. Any problems will be handed over to the legal department for handling."

Vice President Sha knelt down: "President Duan, you can't treat me like this! It's all my fault. I apologize to Secretary Lin..."

Tian Han immediately got up and dragged Vice President Sha out the door.

Just when everyone thought Duan Yiheng was about to give everyone a warning, he asked Lin Xi instead, "Have you eaten yet?"

Lin Xi nodded.

"Let's go."

Everyone stood up with the two of them. Duan Yiheng didn't even turn his head and took Lin Xi back to the hotel.

She knew Duan Yiheng was doing this for her sake, but Vice President Sha wasn't someone she deserved sympathy for.

Before returning to her room, Lin Xi thanked Duan Yiheng. Thinking of Director Xu, she smiled and told Duan Yiheng that she was very interesting.

Duan Yiheng nodded: "Were you scared tonight?"

Lin Xi shook her head: "With you here."

Duan Yiheng took half a step forward, stared at her, and asked, "What if I'm not here?"

"I'll just throw the wine in his face." Lin Xi made a "throw" gesture, almost hitting Duan Yiheng's face.

He dodged slightly, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

Seeing that he finally relaxed, Lin Xi said, "It's getting late, I'll go back to my room now, goodnight."

"Good night," Duan Yiheng said gently, and only turned to go back to his room after Lin Xi entered.

The following day, the matter concerning Vice President Sha was circulated internally within the company. Duan Yiheng was on a business trip, which many people knew about. This incident caused widespread panic.

Of course, it's the leadership who are afraid; it has little to do with ordinary employees.

Duan Yiheng handed a stack of documents to Lin Xi and said, "We'll have an internal seminar in half an hour. Take a look at the documents first; each department has adjusted the details of their plans."

Lin Xi took the document: "I'll prepare it right away."

Duan Yiheng's gaze fell on her face, and he suddenly asked, "Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Lin Xi was taken aback and subconsciously touched her face: "Didn't you cover your dark circles?"

Duan Yiheng: "...It's covered up. I just noticed you looked a little listless."

Lin Xi breathed a sigh of relief, looked down at the documents, and said, "I organized the meeting minutes, slept a little late, and also took a video call from Yu Tong."

Duan Yiheng: "...You girls never stop chatting."

Lin Xi snorted: "I didn't neglect my work."

Duan Yiheng: "..."

Half an hour later, the two entered the meeting room from yesterday.

It was the first time Lin Xi had ever seen a holographic projection that materialized the code stream into a blue waterfall of light. She stared in amazement, momentarily distracted.

Duan Yiheng tapped his pen on the table: "I need the actual stress test report, not the theoretical values. Secretary Lin, retrieve the circuit breaker parameters from last year's Singapore project."

Lin Xi snapped out of her daze, her phone flashing across the keyboard. The next second, the large screen switched to a comparison chart.

Everyone in the conference room was on high alert. Time passed slowly, and before they knew it, it was past lunchtime.

Fortunately, there has finally been some progress, and we will continue this afternoon.

Duan Yiheng was always in meetings when he was on business trips. The two of them grabbed a quick bite in the cafeteria, and after an afternoon of hard work, Duan Yiheng finally finalized the sidechain solution.

He stayed for two more days. Duan Yiheng didn't need to attend the signing ceremony; someone else would handle the follow-up matters. They planned to go to Lu Tong's farm tomorrow.

After spending four days in the office dealing with piles of documents and data, Lin Xi just wanted to lie down and clear her mind, but then she received a call from Duan Mingxuan.

At the same time, there was a knocking sound from outside the house.

Judging from the sound, it sounded like Duan Yiheng knocking on the door.

Lin Xi ignored her incessantly ringing phone and slowly got up from the sofa.

Duan Yiheng came in and heard the phone ringing. He asked suspiciously, "Why didn't you answer it?"

Lin Xi sat down on the sofa, exhausted, and showed him her phone: "I'll answer it now, don't say anything."

Duan Yiheng nodded.

As soon as Lin Xi answered the phone, Duan Mingxuan asked her, "Xiao Xi, when are you coming back?"

Lin Xi cleared her throat: "Sorry, I might not be able to make it back for your birthday. I'm still on a business trip at the branch office."

Duan Mingxuan: "When will you be able to come back?"

Lin Xi gave a very vague answer: "I'm not sure, it depends on the progress of the work."

Duan Mingxuan noticed the coldness in her tone and said, "My parents have been arguing these past two days, making a huge fuss at home. I couldn't stand being around them, and I didn't want to go out drinking with Yu Lang, so I came to S City."

Lin Xi: "..."