Chapter 26 "Stay tonight, okay?"...

He tried moving his ankle, and sure enough, after massaging and straightening it, the dull pain subsided considerably. He tentatively touched the ground with his toes, and was about to be able to walk again.

Ying Shixue breathed a sigh of relief. After all, the summit would not end for another two days. If the sprain was serious and she could not walk easily, many tasks would become difficult.

He had just broken out in a cold sweat, and the temperature was low at night. Now that it had dried, it felt sticky and uncomfortable on his body. Feeling a little tired, he nudged Song Mingli and said, "I want to take a shower first."

Song Mingli was checking the delivery status of the restaurant order for tonight when he heard this. He looked up, raised an eyebrow, and his gaze lingered on Song Mingli's left foot: "—Are you sure you can manage on your own?"

Ying Shixue couldn't help but speak up under his gaze: "I just twisted a little muscle."

Song Mingli hummed in agreement, clearly not quite believing him. He walked closer, bent down, and pulled a pair of slippers from under the bedside table, placing them beside Song Mingli's feet.

"The bath towels and toiletries are on the bathroom shelf. Can you wear my clothes first?"

Ying Shixue was unbuttoning her coat when she heard this and casually replied, "My room is downstairs, I can just have someone deliver it to me."

I realized it was inappropriate as soon as I said it.

Their hotel rooms were all booked by the company before they arrived. Except for Song Mingli, who had a presidential suite on the top floor, everyone else had a deluxe twin room. According to the allocation list before departure, he should have shared a room with Wei Chao.

Wei Chao had already sensed something was wrong when he left the office today. If Wei Chao found out that he had gone to get a change of clothes, he would be even more worried.

Ying Shixue closed her eyes briefly: "...I'd better go back to my room to shower."

Song Mingli chuckled: "You think he won't notice if you go back and wash now?"

Song Mingli's appearance is inherently masculine and rugged, with high brow bones. The dim lighting in the room makes his facial features appear even more profound. When he looks at people with a playful yet warm gaze, he has the air of a heart-fluttering male lead from an idol drama.

Ying Shixue's heart skipped a beat for some reason. She subconsciously turned her head to avoid his gaze, but then realized something and said angrily, "You were the one who hugged me in front of him first..."

"Hmm?" Song Mingli laughed: "What's wrong with me doing this in front of him?"

These words were rushed out one by one. It was just a very ordinary sprained ankle that made it inconvenient for him to come and hug her, but the way he said it made it sound really strange.

Ying Shixue turned away and ignored him, saying, "I'm going to take a shower."

The bathroom door slammed shut, and Song Mingli's hearty and unrestrained laughter echoed from outside.

As expected of a top-ranked chain hotel, the Xinfu Hotel had all the necessary facilities in the bathroom, all of them up to the highest standards. The hot water flowed gently over her body, relieving the fatigue of the day. Ying Shixue closed her eyes and stood under the shower, her mind beginning to reflect on the events of the past few days.

Their trip was incredibly fruitful. The newly developed chip 3.0 was successfully tested on its first day of operation. This valuable platform, where business giants gathered, led to initial negotiations and the confirmation of cooperation intentions with several companies.

SK has been dedicated to this for a long time. The Jiaxing Chip 3.0 not only embodies the hard work of all the researchers in SK's R&D department, but also represents a project that has been in cooperation with the government's directly affiliated research institute for many years and is of great importance to the government. Even Song Mingli conducted twenty or thirty repeated tests and calibrations over several months before coming here.

Speaking of Song Mingli's energy, it is truly rare in his life. When he was a teenager, he was secretly amazed that Song Mingli was able to complete the high-pressure and rigorous academic studies in St. Francis while also learning a wide variety of artistic, social and sports skills that might be used and reaching a high level. He also ensured that he would spend a certain amount of time every six months learning to manage his business, conduct market research and investment projects. He even managed to go hiking along the border line of Dabo several times a year and climb several peaks that were feared by people in the industry.

During the month or so that they worked in the same company, he often saw the other person handle official business until two or three in the morning after returning from socializing the night before, and still be able to get up on time at six o'clock the next day to work for thirteen or fourteen hours straight, and be highly efficient throughout, with a logical and meticulous way of thinking, as orderly as a computer program.

Ying Shixue recalled the knowledge she had read in her middle school textbooks. There are indeed such cases in biology, but such people are a very small minority in the population, and they usually become the best of the best in society.

It is said that they are born with extraordinary talents, possessing energy and stamina far exceeding that of ordinary people. In fact, after many high-intensity jobs, they need to release their excess energy through other activities when they return home at night.

My back accidentally touched the tile, and the cool touch brought me back to my senses. After a moment, I moved my upper body slightly away from the hot water and, still in that position against the cool tile, rubbed my slightly sore forehead.

Lately, things have been really piling up one after another, and when I try to think about problems, I start thinking about all sorts of random things.

He had been showering here for a long time, and the bathroom was now filled with steaming water vapor.

Although the water flow was comfortable, staying there for too long made it difficult to breathe. Ying Shixue turned off the switch, wrapped a towel around her body, and went to get the clothes that Song Mingli had given her from the clothes rack.

When the clothes are folded together, you don't notice them, but once unfolded, you realize how large they are. You should wipe the snow off your body and dry off the water droplets. Put on your shirt first, then shift your weight onto your right foot (which is not sprained), hold onto the handrail on the wall, and lift your leg to put on your pants.

The overly long sleeves slipped down with the movement, as if secretly blocking the view of the outside world, even covering the fingertips. Ying Shixue stopped and first rolled them up a few sections before she could put on her pants without too much hindrance.

The bathroom door opened with a click, and Song Mingli gestured for the computer to stop, looking over with a hint of a smile in his eyes. Then, his expression changed drastically in the next second, and he cut off the video call with a "We'll talk about it tomorrow."

A hundred miles away, Si Chengjun frowned as he looked at the suddenly black screen.

...If I'm not mistaken, wasn't there another figure that flashed by in Song Mingli's video just now?

Song Mingli closed his laptop and looked away from the screen: "Are you done washing?"

Ying Shixue nodded, took a towel to dry her hair, and walked towards the bed to blow-dry it.

The bathroom was only a few steps from the bed, but his sprained ankle hadn't fully healed, so he walked awkwardly and slowly, needing to hold onto something nearby for support.

Taking advantage of the distance, Song Mingli subtly picked up the hair dryer first, sat on the bed, and pointed to a thick, round, plush blanket on the side of the bed, saying in a matter-of-fact tone, "Sit here, I'll dry your hair."

Ying paused in her act of wiping snow and drying her hair, and looked at him.

Song Mingli's clothes were indeed too big for him. The cuffs and hems were rolled up several times, revealing his thin and delicate wrists. He had just come out of the steamy bathroom, and his face still had a faint blush. His wet hair made his extremely delicate features stand out even more. His dark eyes were clear and bright, as if they had been washed with water, as he stared at him.

Song Mingli showed no emotion on his face, his chin was slightly raised, and his legs were naturally apart. This posture naturally gave the other party a signal of openness and naturalness. Finally, Ying Shixue moved again and sat on the round carpet.

The hairdryer started blowing, and the hair was dried little by little, revealing its original softness and fluffiness. Song Mingli held the hairdryer in one hand and used the other hand to just the right moment to run his fingers across Song Mingli's scalp.

Ying Shixue slightly curved her eyes, her eyebrows showing a hint of relaxation and pleasure. Song Mingli knew that she had made him feel comfortable.

A surge of indescribable satisfaction and pride welled up within him, a feeling that far surpassed any business deal worth hundreds of millions or any competition victory. His movements became even gentler.

However, the time for drying hair is limited. If he delays any longer, Ying Shixue will probably notice something is wrong. He turned off the hair dryer with some regret, and while putting it away, he casually thought to himself that he should find more opportunities to dry Xiaoxue's hair next time.

Ying Shixue stood up from the small round cushion and then noticed a huge square insulated box on the table.

Song Mingli put the hair dryer back in its place and said, "Let's eat first." He then opened the insulated box and took out the dishes one by one and arranged them.

This was a meal ordered from Juweizhai in advance. The ingredients and seasonings were carefully selected, cooked by a top chef, and the meal was adjusted on the spot according to the last-minute change in time. Finally, it was freshly cooked and delivered right on time.

Song Mingli served him rice and set out his chopsticks and spoons before sitting down to get his own bowl and chopsticks.

Ying Shixue took a bite of the freshly made meatball, the sweet juice bursting in his mouth. He then stuffed some rice into his mouth, swallowed it, and said, "I saw on the cooperation agreement that we are also cooperating with Sheng'an this time?"

Song Mingli hummed in agreement, placed a peeled shrimp in his bowl, and said in a light tone, "Sheng'an Pharmaceuticals accounts for more than 30 percent of the pharmaceutical supply in De'en State. It has cooperation with major medical institutions and hospitals both inside and outside the state, and is also an important market for this project."

Ying Shixue paused in her chopsticks, a flicker of suspicion crossing her eyes: "Really... I haven't cooperated with them on such a large amount before..."

Song Mingli lifted his eyelids slightly: "Director Kong personally arranged this... Drink some soup, don't choke."

Ying Shixue took a sip from the soup bowl he offered her, then immediately pushed it away, asking, "What's in this soup?"

Song Mingli scooped up some soup with a spoon: "Does the medicinal soup they made taste strange?" He then took a sip from the soup bowl.

Ying Shixue's brow twitched, and she subconsciously raised her hand: "Hey!" I drank at that spot before...

Song Mingli's expression remained unchanged; he appeared calm and composed, even looking at him with a slight hint of doubt, as if surprised that he had suddenly shouted.

Ying wiped the snow and slowly lowered her hand, placing it on the edge of the table.

...Am I making a mountain out of a molehill?

He shook his head, picked up the shrimp and put it in his mouth to distract himself: "Um... I mean, that Director Kong is the one you shook hands with on the first day, the newly transferred director of the Commerce Bureau, Kong Ruifeng, right?"

Song Mingli nodded and put the soup bowl aside: "He seems to have some connection with Sheng'an."

Ying Shixue thought for a moment, her expression becoming slightly serious.

In a major economic city like Fancheng, even with prior experience in similar or higher-ranking positions in other districts, it's extremely difficult to parachute in a new manager. For Kong Ruifeng to be replaced at this critical juncture...

Song Mingli smiled, stretched his long arm across the table, and affectionately nudged the only bit of soft flesh on his cheek: "Don't worry, I'm here."

"Would you like to stay tonight?"