Chapter 15 Li Li's recent days with the contract...

Li Li has been having a very good time lately with Yan Qi.

Every morning, fresh snacks and small fruits are placed on the office desk, and the occasional record of being late for clocking in is automatically "corrected" by HR.

Xie Zongfang has been a very responsible uncle, taking care of all the respectable and prestigious things for her during this period.

On one occasion, when he went out with him to play golf with a client, they even ran into his uncle, Li Junchuan.

However, Li Li was quite professional in pretending not to know him, and addressed Xie Zongfang as "President Li," which almost made Li Junchuan laugh to death. Li Junchuan shook her hand in a perfunctory manner, and then said to Xie Zongfang, "This young lady is really quite nice."

When Li Li entered the office that day, she saw several buffet vouchers for a five-star hotel near the company on her desk. She didn't know who had sent them to her.

Regardless of who sent them, Li Li was quite happy to share them with her familiar colleagues, keeping only two for herself to have lunch with You Chang.

They hadn't seen each other for a long time, and they had a lot of gossip to share.

The two of them sat down by the window with their trays. The view was great; they could see almost the entire IFC Mall.

The midday sun shone in, warm and cozy. Li Li, feeling hot, took off her coat, revealing a loose-fitting cable-knit crew neck sweater underneath.

You Chang looked on with great admiration: "Li Li, it's really amazing that you were able to level up twice in a row!"

Li Li stirred the pasta with a fork and said somewhat affectedly, "Business trips are a bit tiring, so a promotion of two levels is alright."

“It’s not just that,” You Chang continued excitedly, “Everyone says you’re amazing! That day, you embarrassed Da Selang in the conference room in front of the big boss. I heard that he’s been behaving much better in his office since then.”

Li Li's eyes gleamed: "I knew this kind of person needed to be taught a lesson! Tan... he even told me not to target Director Lang! What a tyrant!"

"HR is being very polite to me now. After the New Year salary adjustment, I got an 8% raise, just like the regular employees. Hehe," You Chang thought happily. "Do you think they might make me a regular employee someday?"

Li Li, flattered by her praise, was already a little carried away: "That's easy, I'll find some time to go see Lang Jie. Maybe it'll just be a matter of a word."

You Chang joked back, "Haha, when you become the head of the Strategic Development Department, I'll follow you to get promoted and make a fortune, President Li."

Li Li picked up the spoon again and scooped up the frozen ice cream, nodding generously and saying, "No problem, no problem."

The two low-level employees, chatting and laughing, had already planned out their respective paths to promotion.

Lu Dai, sitting at the next table, couldn't help but chuckle and looked at Tan Su with his eyes, asking, "Where did this clown come from?"

He had just returned from his honeymoon and had not seen this lowly soldier in the company who was now arrogant and conceited.

Tan Su had no idea how the Li family had raised this girl.

She has none of the reserve of an ordinary girl. Not only does she argue with her superiors, but she also boasts loudly and brags everywhere. If you give her even a little respect, she'll dare to do anything.

Now they even dare to make promises about things like transferring personnel.

He gave Chen Ya a wink, and she went over. Sure enough, the next table quieted down after a while.

You Chang had the desire but not the courage. After his boastful talk, he was about to share some gossip about Ou Ning in his new department with Li Li.

As a result, the secretary of the number one person in Yanqi appeared with a cold face, and she immediately fell silent, like a kitten being lifted by the neck.

When Li Li heard that Tan Su was at the next table, she wanted to take her there to say hello.

You Chang put his hands together in a praying gesture and mouthed: Spare me!

Li Li had to go by herself. When she got to the next table, she saw Tan Su having lunch with another man and said, "Brother Tan Su, are you having lunch too?"

"Hmm," Tan Su asked her, "Have you finished eating?"

Li Li: Not yet.

Looking at her short hair and the gray sweater that framed her youthful and pretty face, Lü Dai found her quite pleasing to the eye, and asked Tan Su, "And who is this?"

"Li Li, the daughter of the Wan Jing Li family, is currently working under Xie Zongfang."

Although it's brief, it covers almost all the key points.

Li Li was quite polite and asked Lü Dai, "May I ask which leader you are?"

Lü Dai smiled: "I am Yan Qi's financial director, Lü Dai, and Miss Li."

Li Li, who had been smiling, immediately stiffened upon hearing this. She looked him up and down and gave an ambiguous "Oh."

Then, as if her appetite had been ruined, she said impatiently, "Brother Tan Su, I'm going back to eat now."

After saying that, she turned and walked away without looking back.

Watching the pretty young woman's dashing figure disappear into the distance, Lü Daiqi touched his chin with a strange expression: "Does marriage really have such a big impact on male charm? The girls at my previous company were all very willing to talk to me."

Tan Su chuckled: "She's Tan Yi's girlfriend, what more do you want?"

Lü Dai immediately understood: "Oh, no wonder."

Lü Dai was Tan Su's undergraduate classmate. That year, he gave up his guaranteed postgraduate admission for Tan Su and joined the finance department of Yanqi after graduation. He also put in a lot of effort to bring Tan Su down.

It turned out she was Tan Yi's girlfriend; her attitude wasn't surprising.

He asked, "Then why did you let her join the company? Was it your father's idea?"

Tan Su frowned, offering no explanation for the situation, only saying calmly, "A stubborn kid who sticks to you like a leech, you can't shake him off."

Lü Dai raised an eyebrow: "For Tan Yi?"

"Otherwise what?"

“Tan Congxu should be out soon too,” Lü Dai said suddenly, pondering for a moment.

——

Sunday.

As the sunlight began to stream into the courtyard, dew still clung to the broad leaves of the calla lilies outdoors, the water droplets reflecting the colorful halos of the morning light as they quietly rolled down the veins of the leaves to the ground.

Inside the house, all the sounds of cleaning and movement were almost silent. Li Zhizi stood in front of the stove, frying bread slices in a frying pan, carefully controlling the amount of oil used.

A little while later, Wenxi came downstairs in her pajamas and saw Li Zhizi helping the housekeeper in the kitchen. She asked in surprise, "Why are you here so early?"

She smiled shyly: "I usually study on my own and wake up early in the morning, so I just happened to catch the first bus today."

Wenxi nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

After returning to S City after the Lunar New Year, her parents encouraged Li Zhizi to visit the Li family more often, both for the sake of the current silk factory and for her future job search.

It just so happened that Li Li was away on a mission abroad for a while, so Wenxi often invited her to come to her house to keep her grandmother company and chat.

Li Zhizi is meticulous and hardworking, and her family likes her very much.

Over the next hour, Wang Minjun and Li Junchuan went downstairs to eat breakfast, while Li Zhoudu went out for a morning run on an empty stomach.

More than an hour later, he returned from his run and had just entered the living room when Li Zhizi came over with a tray and asked, "Brother Zhoudu, would you like a sandwich?"

"Thank you." He reached out to take it.

Just then, they heard footsteps echoing down the upstairs corridor. They all heard a girl's voice asking, "Auntie, where did you put my passport and Hong Kong and Macau travel permit?"

Li Zhoudu's face darkened. He threw the sandwich back onto the plate, walked past Li Zhizi, and went straight upstairs.

A short while later, Li Zhoudu's voice was heard: "Where are you going again?"

Li Li never expected to be so unlucky, being caught red-handed by Li Zhoudu no matter what she tried to do. She said nonchalantly, "I wasn't going anywhere. I just can't find my ID. I don't know if my aunt forgot to bring it back from N City."

"I'll keep it. Do you need it?"

"No need, just give it to me."

"No."

"If you don't give it to me, I'll go and get a replacement!"

"Go and try making one, Li Li!"

The upstairs noise was about to break out, but Wenxi was used to it. She said to Li Zhizi, "Little Cat always likes to bicker with her brother. You'll see, it'll be fine in a bit."

Sure enough, not long after, Li Li followed Li Zhoudu downstairs, though she still looked angry and unconvinced.

She held a green bag in her hand and casually handed it to Li Zhizi: "This is for you. I just found it in the closet last night. It's brand new and has never been used."

Before Li Zhi could even offer a word of thanks or a refusal, Li Li had already gone to the restaurant for breakfast.

"Open it and take a look," Wenxi said with a smile, sipping her tea.

Li Zhizi hesitated before opening the package. Inside the velvet box was a white mother-of-pearl bracelet.

Wenxi said this was a good gift: "Your name is Gardenia, this gift suits you very well."

After finishing breakfast, Li Li got into her car, grabbed several bags, and drove off to deliver them to Fang Xuan.

Li Zhoudu accompanied her when she first closed the deal with Fang Xuan a few days ago.

He did nothing but sit with a sullen face in the small shop that hadn't officially opened yet, watching Fang Xuan frantically press the calculator until the final payment was made.

Li Li felt that Li Zhoudu's fatherly mentality was too heavy-handed; he saw everyone as a bad guy who wanted to harm his little cabbage.

After they left, Fang Xuan actually told Li Li in private, "I think your brother is quite handsome too."

Li Li: "...You're really hungry."

It's not that Li Zhoudu isn't good enough, it's just that in his eyes you're a potential fraudster, sister!

However, it wouldn't be appropriate to say that, as it would discourage Fang Xuan's longing for handsome men.

To be fair, Fang Xuan is indeed more business-minded than the average person. She has her own high-end social circle, and her business has already started even before the store has officially opened.

Li Li lay on the super comfortable sofa in her living room, hugging a cushion, searching online for information on whether she would be discovered if she applied for a replacement Hong Kong and Macau travel permit.

Fang Xuan poured her a glass of lemonade and placed it on the coffee table: "Your brother is really too strict with you."

“Right!” Li Li sat up, her eyes sparkling. “I told you before that I was being controlled terribly, but you didn’t believe me!”

Fang Xuan, looking infatuated, rested her chin on her hand and said, "But it still comes down to looks. His face combined with his sister-complex attribute really adds to his charm."

Li Li, enraged and embarrassed, retorted, "Are you sick in the head?!"

She threw down the cushion she was holding, grabbed the lemonade from the table, and angrily drank it all in one gulp.

Li Li recently wanted to go to Hong Kong because she felt that Tan Yi's condition was not quite right.

Although they video chat and talk every day as usual, based on her understanding of this person over the years, she always felt that there were some strange things about Tan Yi.

There were many times when I seemed to want to say something, but in the end I didn't.

She was quite worried about him and thought she still had to go and see for herself what was wrong with Tan Yi.

After finishing her water, Li Li began to ponder how to get the documents back from Li Zhoudu.

Are we supposed to go through his drawers?

Her phone rang at that moment; it was Mr. Ming from Huisheng calling.

Li Li secretly didn't want to answer his call. Yan Qi's cooperation with Huisheng had been suspended inexplicably. She had previously eaten and drunk for free and made so many promises to President Ming. It would be really embarrassing if she were asked about it now!

But then I thought again, I did receive a lot of help from him in N City before, and he just left without saying goodbye. Not answering the phone now is also very impolite to an elder.

She thought for a moment, then answered the phone, saying, "Hello, Mr. Ming."

Contrary to her expectations, Mr. Ming did not pursue any previous matters, but instead asked directly, "Ms. Li, was your company invited to participate in the International Biotechnology Forum?"

Li Li said, "Me? I didn't."

Mr. Ming sensed that Li Li was feigning ignorance, but he still said earnestly, "Would it be convenient for you to help me confirm with the leadership who Yan Qi will likely send? Just consider it a personal inquiry. Thank you for your help."

Li Li didn't want to help, but she felt she had to repay the favor, so she said, "Okay, I'll ask."

Fang Xuan rolled her eyes while playing on her phone, thinking that she was just making trouble for herself.

Li Li dialed Xie Zongfang's number with some frustration. He wasn't busy at the moment, and the call went through quickly.

She asked politely, "Uncle Xie, is there an international biotechnology forum going to be held soon? Are you going?"

Xie Zongfang had just finished playing golf and was on his way back by car. He said in a cheerful voice, "There is such a forum, but I can't go. Do you want to go? I can arrange it."

Li Li said with some difficulty, "I don't want to go either. It's just that Huisheng asked me to inquire about them."

Xie Zongfang smiled knowingly and said, "Old Ming is really dedicated. Tan Su should be the one to go on our side. Tell him to make the preparations properly."

“Okay,” Li Li said politely, “then you go ahead with your work.”

After hanging up the phone with Xie Zongfang, she relayed the message to President Ming, acting as a mouthpiece.

The other party was indeed very excited and said repeatedly, "Okay, okay. Thank you, Ms. Li. I'll go to the Public Security Bureau tomorrow to apply for a Hong Kong and Macao travel permit."

Li Li: "???"

She quickly checked and found that the International Biotechnology Forum was held in Hong Kong.

A note from the author:

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The next chapter will be available for purchase! I'll accumulate more words; there will be no update on Wednesday at 8 PM, but a big update on Thursday at midnight. There will be a giveaway for subscribers then! [starry-eyed]

By the way, there really is such a biology forum. I'm just using the name here for fun, no need to verify anything [heart emoji]