Gently bite the jasmine

Chapter 176 How Dared to Flirt With Her at the Dinner Table

After the plane landed, Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng walked out of the airport. The head of the branch company was already waiting at the exit, accompanied by Tian Han, whom Lin Xi had met once before.

He was promoted from Duan Yiheng's assistant to a supervisor in S City, essentially serving as Duan Yiheng's eyes and ears here.

The branch manager came up to him respectfully and said, "Mr. Duan, you've come a long way, you must be tired. The car is ready, please go to the hotel to rest for a while, and we'll have the meeting again this afternoon."

Duan Yiheng nodded: "Okay."

The two got into the car and sat together. Lin Xi couldn't help but glance out the window, as the climate here was completely different from that of City B.

Duan Yiheng followed her gaze and saw only greenery lining the street outside the window. He smiled and asked gently, "Is this your first time here?"

Lin Xi subconsciously shook his head, then nodded.

Duan Yiheng was confused: "He's shaking his head and nodding at the same time, does that mean he came or not?"

“Several years ago,” Lin Xi said somewhat guiltily, “back then I hadn’t gone abroad yet, and it was Duan Mingxuan’s eighteenth birthday.”

"Oh?" Duan Yiheng chuckled. "And then, where did you go to play?"

Lin Xi: "I went out to sea with a group of rich kids from here."

Duan Yiheng still vaguely remembers his eighteenth birthday celebration, which was a grand affair.

He glanced at Lin Xi and said, "You weren't even eighteen yet back then, were you? They were singing, dancing, drinking, and bragging. What were you doing?"

Lin Xi: "...sleep, eat, and watch the sea."

"You like the sea?" Duan Yiheng said. "If you like it, I'll take you there sometime."

Lin Xi thought to herself: It's okay to go anywhere with someone you like.

While they were talking, the car arrived at the hotel. After checking in, the two of them took their room keys and went back to their rooms.

Tian Han knew Duan Yiheng's habit: he would have lunch at the hotel after the afternoon meeting. So, before the person in charge could even speak, he blocked all the people blocking the hotel lobby.

At 2 p.m., Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng entered the branch office's conference room.

The conference room was filled with the person in charge and the project team. A young assistant handed the documents to Lin Xi, who nodded slightly.

Seeing that everyone was standing, Duan Yiheng glanced at them and said, "Sit down."

He took the documents Lin Xi handed him and said as he flipped through them, "Let's begin."

Lin Xi took notes and added details as Duan Yiheng listened to the project team's report.

The heads of each department explained the difficulties encountered in the project one by one. After discussion, Duan Yiheng made some minor adjustments, and the results of the adjustments will be shown to him tomorrow.

When the meeting reached five o'clock, Duan Yiheng said to Tian Han, "Tell them not to follow me. I'll take a walk around the company and check on everyone's work."

Tian Han respectfully responded, and Duan Yiheng left with Lin Xi.

Half an hour later, the two passed by the computer room. Duan Yiheng pointed and said to Lin Xi, "When I was 24, Yinfan Technology didn't have any branches yet. Sometimes I would stay in the computer room all day, just like those technicians who stayed up all night debugging programs."

Lin Xi listened with some curiosity, imagining what he would be like working in the computer room. Would he be as at ease as he was now?

With these thoughts in mind, she simply asked the question aloud.

Duan Yiheng smiled and said, "I wouldn't say I'm like a headless fly, but it's true that I'm always staying up late."

Lin Xi complained, "When you're busy these days, you don't go to sleep until two or three in the morning."

Duan Yiheng said, "This only happens when there are major projects."

Before Lin Xi could say anything more, Tian Han caught up from behind and said that the company's leaders wanted to have dinner with Duan Yiheng.

Since they were all high-ranking officials, Duan Yiheng couldn't refuse directly, so he agreed.

The vehicle was ready, and Tian Han invited them to get in.

The restaurant was Tian Han's suggestion; it was a seemingly unremarkable Chinese restaurant with a quiet and elegant ambiance.

Including Lin Xi, there were only two women; the other was the marketing director, surnamed Xu.

At first, everyone was a little reserved around Duan Yiheng, but fortunately, Tian Han was there to help them switch places. He was familiar with both sides, so it was the perfect opportunity.

After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere in the private room gradually became more lively.

They were all seasoned veterans with a good capacity for alcohol. Seeing that Lin Xi wasn't drinking, one of the vice presidents, surnamed Sha, smiled and said, "Secretary Lin, why don't you have a drink? If you're not used to drinking baijiu, red wine is fine too."

Lin Xi smiled politely: "I'm not feeling well, I'll have some juice."

"What's so great about fruit juice? Or—"

Director Xu, who was standing next to him, coughed lightly: "My throat hasn't been feeling too good these past couple of days either. This bowl of sea coconut and conch soup is quite good. Secretary Lin, would you like to try some?"

Lin Xi smiled and replied, "Okay."

Tian Han broke out in a cold sweat and typed a message on his phone to Vice President Sha, who was trying to get Lin Xi to drink.

However, he didn't look at it, assuming it was a message from his wife.

Tian Han: "..."

The table was big enough that two people could squeeze in between, and Duan Yiheng was sitting in the main seat, so it wasn't appropriate to openly remind him.

Some people knew Lin Xi's identity, while others naturally did not.

Some of them were at odds with Vice President Sha, their eyes darting around, waiting for him to embarrass himself.

Tian Han learned about Lin Xi's identity from a conversation he had with Qin Yang.

The news released some time ago about the recruitment of Lin Xi's adopted daughter only made people aware of her existence. Unless they paid special attention, they would not know Lin Xi's true identity.

Clearly, this Vice President Sha was not among those who had such intentions.

Tian Han couldn't let him offend Lin Xi, so he kept steer the conversation away from her. With Director Xu helping to change the subject, Vice President Sha remained quiet for a long time, but he kept glancing at Lin Xi out of the corner of his eye.

Duan Yiheng lowered his head and smiled, then downed a glass of baijiu.

Lin Xi frowned, leaned forward and lowered her voice: "We have important business to attend to tomorrow, so don't get drunk."

Duan Yiheng nodded slightly; he understood.

But tonight, it's probably not just about eating.

Another hour passed amidst the clinking of glasses and lively conversation. Some people's faces were flushed from the alcohol.

Lin Xi glanced at Duan Yiheng. If he had important business to attend to tomorrow, he would only take a small part and do it as a formality.

She felt something was wrong when people were openly and secretly getting Vice President Sha drunk.

Tian Han noticed something was amiss and exchanged glances with Director Xu. He had done his part in giving reminders and hints; some people were just asking for trouble, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Duan Yiheng firmly believes that people with poor character are just as bad when they drink.

Sure enough, half an hour later, Vice President Sha's eyes darted toward Lin Xi, and he said in a flippant tone, "Secretary Lin is capable and beautiful. President Duan is really lucky to have such a capable assistant."

What he said made no problem, but combined with his expression and tone, it was clear that he believed Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng had an improper relationship.

Lin Xi frowned but did not reply.

Vice President Sha persisted, picked up his wine glass and swaggered over to Lin Xi's side. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Duan Yiheng stand up, and Lin Xi instinctively hid behind him.

"Secretary Lin, I... I'd like to propose a toast to you."

Lin Xi stared wide-eyed, completely unprepared for this turn of events.

This Vice President Sha is incredibly audacious. She was brought here by Duan Yiheng and is his official secretary. How dare she flirt with her at the dinner table?