Lin Xi keenly sensed something was off in the office atmosphere.
She glanced around and noticed her phone was lit up, and Duan Yiheng was staring intently at her. Lin Xi's heart tightened; she didn't understand why he was looking at her like that. The phone screen went black, and Lin Xi pursed her lips, guessing he might have received some unpleasant call.
However, she had no right to ask. Lin Xi placed the food she was carrying on his desk and said, "I bought you two light dishes. I'll go out now." Duan Yiheng's gaze fell on the red marks on her hands from the weight of the food, and his brow furrowed slightly.
Lin Xi carried her own food back to the secretary's office, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Duan Yiheng, who hadn't touched the food. After eating half of it, Lin Xi pressed a call button: "It'll get cold if you don't eat soon." After a brief silence, Duan Yiheng brought the takeout food to her.
The two ate dinner quietly, separated by a glass partition, which took half an hour. After finishing her meal, Lin Xi tidied up the trash, grabbed some mouthwash, and went to the break room. When she returned, Duan Yiheng had just finished eating as well.
She went in, took the trash away, and then sent the report to Duan Yiheng. Duan Yiheng came out of the break room, saw the pop-up email, and almost laughed in exasperation. He took a breath and pressed the call button: "Come in."
Lin Xi felt inexplicably nervous. After knocking and entering, she stood about half a meter away from Duan Yiheng, clutching her notebook and pen. "Push a chair over here," Duan Yiheng pointed to the person diagonally opposite him. "Sit down and talk; it's hard for me to look up at you."
Lin Xi pushed a chair over and sat down next to him. Duan Yiheng opened the report and, like a teacher grading an exam, held her pen to the screen:
"This section is completely inaccurate using traditional risk indicators. Your risk assessment dimensions are too simplistic; you need to add more variables."
"The payment system upgrade is fine. As for the robo-advisor section, the investment strategy is rather conservative. GKD companies have large capital scales, so their investment needs are naturally diverse. Relying solely on fixed-income products cannot meet their asset appreciation needs..." Duan Yiheng pointed out the shortcomings in her report one by one, and Lin Xi took notes, nodding occasionally and uttering a soft "hmm."
"Overall, the report has a basic framework and is well-standardized." Duan Yiheng speaks frankly and without personal bias, "But the language needs to be concise and accurate, and the content needs to be targeted. For your first time, it's already very good."
Lin Xi finally put down her pen, mentally reviewing the report's content. She would work through the night to optimize every detail he mentioned and further streamline the overall report. "Thank you." Lin Xi held out her hand to him. "My pen."
Duan Yiheng didn't give it to her, leaning back in his chair, his gaze direct, his tone slightly sarcastic and unwilling: "What? You use it and then throw it away?" Lin Xi: "…I already said thank you." "What does a few words mean?" Duan Yiheng said, "What boss has to accompany their secretary to work overtime so late at night?" Lin Xi: "…Then what do you want?" "Take me home." Duan Yiheng said bluntly. "Don't you have a driver?"
Lin Xi was in a hurry to get back to revise her report, somewhat reluctantly, "If he's not here, can you call someone from home?" Duan Yiheng handed her the pen, making a final decision: "I'll take your car, we'll leave now." "I still need to get back to work on my report proposal."
Lin Xi took the pen, "I need to give it to Director Xu for review tomorrow." "It's only a little past nine, you'll make it." Duan Yiheng said, "Lots of people in the company are still working overtime." With that, Duan Yiheng stood up, not giving her a chance to refuse. "Wait for me."
Lin Xi chased after him. "I'm going back to my office to get my car keys and notebook." Duan Yiheng slowed his pace. "Hurry up." Lin Xi hurriedly stuffed everything into her bag and followed Duan Yiheng into the elevator. At the parking lot, Duan Yiheng held out his hand to her. "Keys."
Lin Xi: "Didn't I give them to you?" Duan Yiheng didn't answer, maintaining his outstretched hand. Lin Xi had no choice but to give him the car keys and get into the passenger seat.
With her seatbelt fastened, Duan Yiheng slowly pulled out of the parking space. Within the park, his speed was slow, only picking up after exiting the gate.
Tian Du Yu Xi and the Duan family home were in the same direction. At the first intersection after Tian Du Yu Xi, Lin Xi habitually turned right, but Duan Yiheng headed straight north.
All roads lead to Rome, and Lin Xi assumed he had taken a different route. However, after three intersections, Lin Xi realized something was wrong. "Where are you going?" Lin Xi reminded him, realizing they were about to miss the right turn.
Duan Yiheng didn't let go of the accelerator, glancing at the rearview mirror. "I won't sell you out," he said. The further north they went, the fewer cars there were.
Now that they were on this road, there was no way they could get off halfway. Lin Xi glanced out the window; the lights outside flashed by, leaving only halos of light in her peripheral vision. It wasn't until they were almost at the end of the road that Lin Xi realized where Duan Yiheng had taken her.
In the northern suburbs of B City, there's a mountain road called Jinglong Ridge. Hidden among the mountains, it resembles a winding, coiled dragon, a popular spot for idle rich kids to race. Seeing Duan Yiheng accelerating, Lin Xi instinctively tightened her grip on the handlebars.
At the foot of the mountain, a biting wind howled, the tires screeching against the pavement. Duan Yiheng released the accelerator and slammed on the brakes. The seatbelt buckled in place due to inertia, and in the brief moment of stunned silence, Duan Yiheng turned off the engine and got out of the car. Lin Xi sat in the car for a long time before slowly getting out herself.
The smell of tobacco wafted on the wind. Lin Xi turned around, and the crimson glow illuminated the profile of Duan Yiheng's face, highlighting his smugness. The night air and the wind blended seamlessly with Duan Yiheng's deep, introspective aura. Lin Xi walked around the back of the car, slowly approached, and stood beside him, her back against the car body.
She lowered her head, her feet grinding a pebble between her toes. The repression of the past few days found a moment of relief in this dark corner of the world. The cigarettes Duan Yiheng smoked cost three thousand yuan a pack, their aroma rich and layered, without any harsh, unpleasant odor.
Lin Xi even found them quite pleasant. Duan Yiheng turned his head and saw her lips tremble slightly. He said, "Want a smoke too?" "..." Lin Xi shook her head. "No." Duan Yiheng: "Then why were you staring at me?" Lin Xi:
"I was wondering when you're planning to go back?" There wasn't a soul in sight. Who else could she be looking at if not him? "Answer me one question."
After the cigarette had passed through his lungs, Duan Yiheng threw the remaining half-smoked cigarette on the ground and stomped it out until the last trace of crimson smoke disappeared. "Then we'll leave." Lin Xi subtly adjusted her coat. "What do you want to ask?" Even at the foot of the mountain, the temperature was low, and she felt a little cold.
Duan Yiheng took off his coat, but Lin Xi refused. "I don't want it, you wear it yourself." Duan Yiheng pulled her shoulders and wrapped her in his black coat.
"I'm asking you," Duan Yiheng looked into Lin Xi's eyes, "what did you do when you went back to the villa more than half a month ago?"