Looking at his broad, tall back, Lin Xi felt a lump in her throat. She quickly opened her mouth to calm herself and walked to Duan Yiheng's side. She didn't dare look him in the eye, her tone slightly nervous and flustered:
"The sales department is being reorganized, so there will inevitably be a shortage of staff. I...I—" "You want to go to the sales department?" Duan Yiheng interrupted her. Lin Xi nodded. "I want to work on the project." "As my secretary, you'll have access to the project," Duan Yiheng said.
"You suddenly tell me you're going to the sales department? Who's going to do all your secretarial work? Me?" "That's not what I meant," Lin Xi tried to explain. "I meant you can hire a new secretary, and I'll leave after the handover."
"You think secretaries are easy to find?" Duan Yiheng suddenly turned around, looking at her. "But it's not impossible. You and Duan Mingxuan are getting closer. Have him come to me. Considering he's my brother, I might agree to your request."
Lin Xi's face paled as she looked at Duan Yiheng. "Work is work. Don't mix personal feelings into it." "Fine," Duan Yiheng nodded. "Then let's be business. I disagree."
Lin Xi pursed her lips, knowing she couldn't reason with him for now. She put away her documents and was about to leave when Duan Yiheng pulled her back. Documents were scattered all over the floor. Lin Xi, suppressing her anger, tried to squat down to pick them up, but Duan Yiheng pulled her arm and pinned her against the conference table.
The moment their eyes met, Lin Xi felt as if she could see all the eyes in the boardroom. She abruptly pushed Duan Yiheng away and squatted down. For a moment, the only sound in the conference room was the soft scraping of her picking up the documents.
"I'm meeting with Xu Yu tomorrow at noon. Arrange a place; there will be four of us, including you," Duan Yiheng said, suppressing his emotions, casually assigning her a task before quickly leaving the conference room.
Lin Xi was stunned for a moment. A data sheet on the floor suddenly became wet. She quickly wiped her face, pretending nothing had happened, and got up to leave the conference room.
With half an hour left before the workday ended, she selected three restaurants and took them to Duan Yiheng for advice. Duan Yiheng told her to decide for herself, so Lin Xi had to search for information about Xu Yu online to find out where she was from before choosing a cuisine.
With three of the four people from different regions, Lin Xi had to choose a high-end fusion restaurant for dinner. She glanced at the screen; it was already fifteen minutes past her workday. She instinctively turned her head; Duan Yiheng was still there.
An unwritten rule in the workplace is that employees can't leave until the boss does. Besides, she was Duan Yiheng's secretary; her time revolved around him. She could only leave when he said it was time to go home.
The phone rang abruptly in the quiet secretary's office. Lin Xi turned her gaze and saw it was Duan Mingxuan. Her body stiffened, her expression filled with resistance. She stared at the screen and answered just before hanging up. "Xiao Xi, are you off work yet?"
Duan Mingxuan's voice was particularly gentle. "Not yet." Lin Xi picked up a pen and scribbled something in her notebook. "I heard everything from my dad about today. When are you coming back so we can talk?" Lin Xi said, "I don't have time right now."
"That's okay, I can wait for you." "I have to work overtime today." "What about tomorrow?" "I don't know about tomorrow." Lin Xi's pen stroke was a little heavy, the tip leaving a long mark on the paper. "The company's been busy lately." "Don't avoid me, okay? I'll wait for you downstairs at Tiandu Yuxi tonight." With that, Duan Mingxuan hung up. Lin Xi stared at the torn page, her heart aching. This tattered piece of paper was no different from her own. She had no choice.
While she was lost in thought, Duan Yiheng's figure flashed past the secretary's office. Lin Xi stared blankly, knowing he was leaving get off work.
After sitting for about ten minutes, she wearily packed her things. Before leaving, she saw the cup Duan Yiheng had bought for her, picked it up, and threw it into her bag, intending to take it home. Tiandu Yuxi was very close to the park, and Lin Xi didn't want to drive today, so she decided to walk back.
Duan Mingxuan was probably still waiting for her downstairs; she could hide for as long as possible. Crossing the street, Lin Xi felt like a lost soul. The green light suddenly turned red, and she was blocked by the traffic on the safety island. A chilly wind swept over her as cars streamed by.
The whole world seemed to have shrunk to a standstill. With three seconds left on the red light, Lin Xi instinctively reached out to cross, but a van honked its horn and sped across the street at the last second. Lin Xi felt a sharp pain in her elbow as someone yanked her hard from behind.
"Are you crazy?" Before Lin Xi could even thank him, she was grabbed by the wrist and dragged to the other side. "What's the point of having such big eyes?" Duan Yiheng's eyes were fierce and hateful, his worry hidden deep within. Lin Xi snapped out of her daze and pulled her hand back:
"Thank you." Duan Yiheng, his anger barely contained, pulled her hand and headed south. "What are you doing?" Lin Xi didn't want to be pulled along. "Let go of me, I can walk by myself." Duan Yiheng sneered, "Like before? I'll take you home." "I don't need you to take me."
Lin Xi knew that struggling in the street wasn't a good look, but this place was too close to the company, and people could see them at any moment. Duan Yiheng ignored her and didn't let go.
Passersby saw this and tried to intervene, but Duan Yiheng shut them down with, "She's my girlfriend, she's just being difficult." Lin Xi didn't even bother to refute his words, her eyes darting around, feeling unsafe everywhere.
"Duan Yiheng, Mingxuan is waiting for me downstairs at the apartment building." In desperation, Lin Xi blurted out this heart-wrenching sentence. Duan Yiheng indeed stopped and let go of her. The look in his eyes made Lin Xi feel breathless.
Then, thinking of Duan Mingxuan, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. Duan Yiheng walked up to Lin Xi, almost gritting his teeth as he said, "In this world, no one can hurt me more than you."
Lin Xi's shoulder was lightly bumped as he passed by. She staggered back half a step, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face. People came and went on the street. She turned her head, using her long hair to shield her tears, and walked alone.
Near Tiandu Yuxi, Lin Xi called her personal butler. She described Duan Mingxuan's appearance and said, "Please help me, I don't want to see him." The butler said, "I'll have him taken to the lounge area on the first floor. You can go upstairs while you're there, okay?"
Lin Xi replied, "Okay." Anything was fine with her; she didn't want to see anyone today. Back at the apartment building, Duan Mingxuan was nowhere to be seen. Lin Xi quickly entered the elevator. The butler noticed something was wrong with her and asked a few questions, only to receive two perfunctory replies.
Back home, the elevator doors opened, and as she entered the foyer, Lin Xi could no longer hold back her sobs. The emotions that had been suppressed all day were released for a moment.