Chapter 28 (Twenty-Eighths) (To Coax You)

The elevator doors opened, and Shen Mengqing put away her phone, ignoring the incident of Hao Qisi sending the wrong message, and followed the HR into a conference room.

There were only two people sitting in the huge conference room. The HR introduced them as the general manager and the director of the board office. After she finished her introduction, she closed the door and signaled for the interviewers to begin.

Shen Mengqing was well-prepared. The sales department is a place that hones one's skills. Every experience on her resume was a result of her hard work. Her resume has been very impressive over the years, and with the background of a top domestic company like Yusheng, the interviewers had a good first impression of her. After she answered the questions fluently, they decided on the spot to advance to the next round of interviews.

At the same location, the chairman's interview had just begun when the HR poured her a glass of water, which Shen Mengqing thanked and accepted.

After she took a few sips, the HR person blinked and asked in a low voice, "I heard that a lot of people have been leaving your company recently?"

Shen Mengqing choked for a moment, then said calmly, "It's just a normal change."

"Is the reason you want to switch jobs all because of the changes in senior management?" the HR gossiped. "I heard it from HRs at other pharmaceutical companies in Beicheng. Your company is probably going to have a major reshuffle."

Shen Mengqing smiled and said, "I don't know why the others changed their minds, but I wanted to come back to Chu City."

"I see." The HR person understood and, seeing that she was unwilling to elaborate, did not press the matter further.

Ten minutes later, the chairman of Santong pushed open the door and walked in. Shen Mengqing looked at the middle-aged man in a suit, politely stood up and shook hands with him.

Santong was founded in the 1990s by the father of the current chairman, Yang Chuan. Since the family are all from Chucheng, Shen Mengqing felt a strong connection. Yang Chuan is now over fifty, but he doesn't look it; he appears to be in his forties and is extremely well-preserved.

The chairman's time was precious, so he got straight to the point without saying a word. But Yang Chuan was very easygoing. His questions weren't sharp, but they were just right to get to the point. In just a few words, he understood the core output and reflections of Shen Mengqing's experiences.

As the conversation drew to a close, Yang Chuan glanced at the time and realized he still had some free time, so he smiled and chatted casually with her.

He said, "I was on a business trip a few days ago to attend a medical conference. The person representing your company was your Chairman Yu's son, Mr. Yu. He looked quite young, but he spoke very well on stage. He's got real substance. If you replace him as chairman in the future, he won't be any worse." As Yang Chuan spoke, he became more and more enthusiastic, picking up his phone and swiping the screen incessantly. He continued, "And this Mr. Yu is incredibly handsome, exactly the type of young girls like you. He's even more handsome than his father was in his youth. Let me see if the conference organizers took any pictures of him. Wait a minute."

The photos taken at these meetings are all stored in a public online album. When Yang Chuan clicked in, there were thousands of photos, which made him dizzy. He squinted and started searching.

There was a knock at the door. Shen Mengqing got up and opened it. It was Yang Chuan's assistant urging him to hurry up with his next appointment.

"Right away, right away." Yang Chuan flipped through several more pages before finally finding one with a profile picture, but it was a bit blurry and not very clear.

He made do with the photo and handed it to Shen Mengqing. Shen Mengqing looked at the person in the photo, and only the dark shadow of the hair was clear. He could barely make out that the profile was indeed very deep and three-dimensional, but he couldn't make out anything else.

She laughed and switched the phone back, saying, "He is quite handsome, but it's a pity there are no high-definition photos of his face."

Yang Chuan waved his hand and walked out the door at the urging of his special assistant. He joked with Shen Mengqing, "After you become Assistant Dong, I'll show you the real person. I'll even get you a photo if you want."

After seeing Yang Chuan off, the HR representative escorted Shen Mengqing downstairs.

They will be shut down for the National Day holiday soon, and the background check on Assistant Dong will be more complicated. The results are expected to be available to her in about half a month.

Shen Mengqing thanked her again and took a taxi home.

She didn't tell her mother, Hao Meng, about looking for a job in Chucheng, wanting to wait until she confirmed it before telling her, so as not to disappoint her mother.

When Hao Meng saw that she had been gone for so long before returning, he assumed she had gone to see a friend and asked her about her progress with Li Qinghe, intentionally or unintentionally.

As it happened, Hao Qisi's mother didn't want to eat alone at home, so she came to Shen Mengqing's house, planning to pick up Hao Qisi from the station after dinner. She was now listening intently to her gossip.

As Shen Mengqing helped pick the vegetables, she said, "Mom, we're just friends. Don't try to set us up."

Hao Meng glanced at her daughter, shook his head, and said, "Is this what you think yourself, or did Li Qinghe tell you that he thinks the same way? I won't hide it from you anymore, his father called me a few days ago and said that Li Qinghe is trying to get in touch with you."

"..."

Shen Mengqing sighed. It seemed she would have to find time to talk things out with Li Qinghe.

Auntie San's eyes darted between the two of them, and she said to Hao Meng with a smile, "Big sister, this just shows that our Aqing is outstanding. She's so outstanding, there are plenty of men in Beicheng, and she must have many suitors. Don't worry about it, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Look at me, I got married so early, and I still got divorced. I wasted all my precious youth."

Hao Meng grabbed a scallion and hit his third aunt with it, saying, "Don't curse my daughter."

Shen Mengqing smiled and secretly gave her third aunt a thumbs-up under the vegetable basket.

After cleaning up the groceries, the three of them sat on the sofa watching TV. Auntie glanced at her phone and said to Hao Meng, "Sis, there will be fireworks by the river tomorrow, do you want to go see them?"

"I'm not going to join the crowd, there are too many people." Hao Meng has never been interested in this kind of thing.

"That's true." Auntie nodded and turned to say, "By the way, Qing, Hao Qisi just told me that you're taking him to the riverbank tomorrow. You two need to be careful, especially keep your valuables like cell phones safe so they don't get stolen. Keep an eye on each other so you don't get separated."

Shen Mengqing was taken aback for a moment, then said with a few "ohs" sounds, "Don't worry, Third Aunt, I'll keep an eye on him."

She picked up her phone discreetly and sent a message to Hao Qisi:

"I'll take you to see fireworks???"

"What mischief are you plotting now? You've even learned to use me to lie to your mom."

Hao Qisi replied to her:

"Sis, I'm not lying. I was just about to ask you to watch the fireworks together tomorrow."

"I've already made the reservations at the restaurant, you won't refuse, right?"

He sent her a restaurant order, and when Shen Mengqing looked closely, she realized it was the same place where she and Li Qinghe had their blind date last time—the rooftop of the Chu City M Hotel.

The restaurant's floor-to-ceiling windows were indeed perfect for watching fireworks, but there weren't many seats, and you'd probably have to book well in advance for such a special time. Where would Hao Qisi find the leisure to invite his cousin to a Western restaurant to watch fireworks?

Shen Mengqing felt that this matter was not so simple; Hao Qisi must have something he hadn't told her.

She immediately pressed Hao Qisi for more questions, but to her surprise, he didn't reply and pretended not to see her on the other side of the screen.

...

The next day, Hao Qisi arranged to meet her at the restaurant at 6:30, so they could catch the perfect opportunity to watch the fireworks at 7:00.

She went home mainly for her interview at Santong. The clothes in her suitcase were all very formal, and the clothes she didn't take from home were too outdated. So she had to wear a blue lace V-neck shirt with a light gray long skirt, which was already the most casual outfit among her pile of clothes.

When I arrived at the restaurant, there was a long queue at the entrance, and many people were crowding in front of the glass outside the restaurant to watch the fireworks.

Shen Mengqing gave the waiter her reserved table number and was led into the lobby. After a few steps, she saw Hao Qisi sitting facing the door. Hao Qisi also noticed her and happily raised his hand to wave.

When Shen Mengqing slowly got closer, he realized that there was someone sitting opposite him.

The person was wearing glasses and looking down at the menu. They were wearing a dark gray suit, which, coincidentally, was the same color as their skirt, and the combination looked very harmonious.

Yu Xin looked up at her and said softly, "You're here."

Shen Mengqing tilted her head and looked at Hao Qisi with sharp eyes, as if questioning why she had deceived her.

Hao Qisi laughed twice and said to Yu Xin, "Sister, please sit down first."

Shen Mengqing ignored him and walked to Hao Qisi's side, gently nudging him: "You sit over there, I want to sit here."

She didn't want to sit next to these two stinky men who were hiding things from her.

Hao Qisi had no choice but to move over, his tall and strong body squeezing between Yu Xin and the window. He shifted his sitting position uncomfortably several times. He glanced at his sister's face but didn't dare to say a word.

Yu Xin turned the menu around and pushed it in front of Shen Mengqing: "What do you want to eat?"

Shen Mengqing slightly raised her eyelids, leaned back in her chair, and said, "I have no appetite."

Seeing that she didn't want to look at the menu, Yu Xin had no choice but to take it back. After eating with her for a few meals, he had roughly figured out Shen Mengqing's dietary preferences and ordered a few of her favorite dishes.

Hao Qisi watched longingly as the menu was taken away, swallowed hard, and said, "Brother, I haven't chosen yet."

"I ordered yours," Yu Xin said calmly.

Hao Qisi: "Oh."

Why didn't anyone ask him what he wanted to eat before he made the decision?

The scene fell silent. Shen Mengqing turned her head to look at the crowded people on the riverbank outside the window, while Yu Xin looked down at the tidy table and tapped her fingers on it.

Hao Qisi looked around, feeling utterly bored, and pulled out his phone to play.

The restaurant served the food quite quickly. Shen Mengqing's appetite was instantly whetted when she saw the juicy, succulent steak being brought to the table. Fortunately, Hao Qisi had already started eating with his knife and fork, so she followed suit.

After eating for only twenty minutes, Hao Qisi glanced at the time and hurriedly said, "Oh dear, I made plans with my friends to go camping and watch fireworks, I have to go now."

His mouth was stuffed with food, and he was speaking unclearly. Shen Mengqing said, "You should finish eating before you leave."

"No, no." He gulped down a few mouthfuls of water, swallowed the food he hadn't finished chewing, and pointed to the fries on the table. "Can I take this to go?"

Shen Mengqing called a waiter to pack his things. After Hao Qisi finished packing, Yu Xin said to him, "I called a car for you. Here's the license plate number."

"Thank you, brother."

With Hao Qisi gone, the table seemed much more relaxed. The two of them quietly buried their heads in their food, tacitly remaining silent.

Suddenly, the cheers of the crowd by the riverbank came through the glass, breaking the silence. Shen Mengqing was drawn to look in that direction. Several small points of light rose rapidly into the air under everyone's gaze, and then burst open with a bang. The dark blue sky was instantly filled with a row of fireworks, full and brilliant.

The restaurant had a perfect view, offering an unobstructed view of the entire fireworks display. Many diners around me were exclaiming in amazement and capturing the beauty of the fireworks on their phones.

Shen Mengqing's eyes reflected a colorful light. After feeling the burning gaze from the opposite side, which was like fireworks, she turned around and looked over.

"What are you doing in Chu City again?" Shen Mengqing's expression changed, and he asked coldly.

Yu Xinsong leaned back lazily in his chair, not saying a word, just staring straight at her, as if he wanted to stare a hole through her before he would stop.

Shen Mengqing wasn't buying it: "Are you mute? If you can't say anything, then I'm leaving."

She picked up her bag from the seat next to her and got up to leave.

Yu Xin then spoke up, saying, "Just kidding."

"Coax?" Shen Mengqing said, emphasizing her words. "So you've done nothing wrong, and I'm the one who got angry for no reason and needs you to coax me, is that it?"

"sorry."

Yu Xin stood up, walked behind Shen Mengqing, put his hands on her shoulders, and seeing that she did not resist, gently pressed her back into her seat and said in a low voice, "I am sincere. I should not have pressed you on the ship back then."

His hand slid from her shoulder to her face, gently stroking her cheek like scratching a kitten's chin.

Shen Mengqing turned to look at him and saw that his eyes were soft and his expression was quite solemn, which calmed her down a bit.

She crossed her arms and muttered, "Why do you always come here without warning? And you even conspired with my cousin to lie to me. Next time, can you just tell me directly?"

Yu Xin sat back down, stared at her intently, and said, "You don't like it?"

Although she knew he wasn't talking about anything else, Shen Mengqing's heart still skipped a beat.

“Well, I want to know. I don’t like it when you lie to me,” she said.

Yu Xin unconsciously rubbed his index finger, lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment.

He immediately said, "Okay, I'll definitely tell you later."

He smiled slightly, raised his glass to her, and Shen Mengqing hesitated for a moment before letting out a soft hum and clinking glasses with him.

After eating and drinking their fill, the atmosphere between the two eased considerably, and they both focused on watching the fireworks. At some point, Shen Mengqing unconsciously looked at her reflection in the glass, and unexpectedly, her gaze met Yu Xin's gaze as he looked at her in the mirror. Just then, a cluster of brilliant fireworks exploded in their field of vision.

She didn't remember who reached out first, but Yu Xin pulled her out of the restaurant and into the empty elevator.

Yu Xin pressed a floor button, and she followed him out of the elevator. As soon as they entered the dimly lit room, Shen Mengqing's face flushed. Yu Xin's hand touched her chin, followed by his warm and soft lips.

-----------------------

Author's Note: \Reconciliation/\Reconciliation/\Reconciliation/

[Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]

Xinzi: Do my family members watching on screen think my apology was successful?

Aqing: Get lost.

Xinzi: Waaah! I'm crowdfunding an apology tutorial for someone with zero experience, urgent! Price negotiable. [doge emoji]