Chapter Thirteen: Let him gain weight first.
Cheng Yin's foot wound became infected.
When Li Yaodong applied the alcohol swab to Cheng Yin's foot while changing her dressing in the morning, Cheng Yin's toes curled slightly, but she didn't make a sound.
"Wear these." Li Yaodong tossed her a pair of flat shoes, black soft leather, with soles as soft as clouds.
Cheng Yin tried it on, and it fit perfectly. She looked up to ask the price so she could put it on the tab, but Li Yaodong, already dressed in a suit, walked towards the door: "There's a monthly audit today."
The offices in the Golden City Center were busier than usual.
Cheng Yin followed behind Li Yaodong. Her flat shoes made her look shorter than usual, but her steps were much more steady.
"Miss Cheng, you injured your foot?" Lin Shirong walked towards her, his gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses sharp as a knife.
Cheng Yin nodded: "It's a minor injury."
Lin Shirong smiled and turned to Li Yaodong: "The monthly report is ready and in the conference room."
The meeting room was piled high with ledgers and laptops.
The numbers were staggering, and the parts marked in red were particularly alarming. She glanced up and saw Li Yaodong and Lin Shirong talking in hushed tones, both with serious expressions.
Cheng Yin worked with her head down, her fingers flying across the keyboard. Numbers were automatically categorized and placed in her mind's eye; unusual accounts were marked, and suspicious cash flows were cross-referenced.
Three hours later, she rubbed her sore neck and found herself alone in the conference room. Her water glass had been refilled, and a sandwich sat beside her. She ate it in small bites as she continued checking the accounts.
Cheng Yin's finger hovered above the delete key, trembling slightly.
Deleting these records would wipe the slate clean of Xu Chen's debts. With her abilities, she could easily settle the accounts flawlessly.
Cheng Yin stared at the screen for a long time, but ultimately just archived the document without making any changes. She continued processing other accounts until the setting sun shone into the conference room through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The door opened, and Lin Shirong walked in, carrying two cups of coffee. He handed one to Cheng Yin, his gaze sweeping over her computer screen: "Finished?"
Cheng Yin nodded and sent the compiled accounts to his email.
Lin Shirong sat opposite her, slowly sipping his coffee, the blue light from the computer screen reflecting off his glasses.
"I heard you've known Xu Chen for a long time," he suddenly said.
Cheng Yin tapped her fingers lightly on the rim of the glass: "Ten years."
"Ten years..." Lin Shirong said thoughtfully, "That's a long time."
Cheng Yin did not respond.
Lin Shirong opened his email, browsed the files she had sent, and deliberately clicked on Xu Chen's section. He looked at it for a long time, then looked up, his expression subtle: "Didn't you do anything?"
Cheng Yin shook her head: "Professional ethics."
Lin Shirong suddenly laughed: "Professional ethics? In Brother Dong's casino?" He shook his head. "Miss Cheng, you're quite the character."
He picked up his phone and sent a message. A moment later, Li Yaodong pushed open the door and entered. Lin Shirong turned the computer towards him, and the two exchanged a few words in hushed tones. Li Yaodong's expression remained calm throughout, and he even managed a slight smile at the end.
Lin Shirong took two glasses from the liquor cabinet, poured whiskey into them, handed one to Li Yaodong, and kept the other for himself. The two raised their glasses across each other, as if celebrating something.
Cheng Yin watched this scene quietly, realizing that she had just passed a test.
Dinner was at a French restaurant on the 58th floor of Golden City.
Lai Yiu-tung, Lam Sai-wing, and Ho King-man were all there, along with the girls from the last party.
Cici wore an almost transparent tulle dress today, revealing glimpses of her black lingerie underneath. She sat down next to Li Yaodong as soon as she arrived, her perfume overpowering.
Cheng Yin sat at the very end of the table, facing a delicate five-course French meal. She sipped her aperitif and listened to the others chatting and laughing in Cantonese.
She can understand most of what she hears now, but she still can't speak fluently.
Cici chuckled, while Li Yaodong, with the knife tip hovering over the foie gras, didn't even look up.
Cheng Yin nodded: "Mr. He is very knowledgeable about the Four Greats."
He Jingwen laughed and said, "I'm just curious, how did Ernst & Young's elites end up like this..." He suddenly blurted out in colloquial language, "...comparing us wolves and tigers to shady dealings?"
The table fell silent instantly, Cici's giggles caught in mid-air.
Cheng Yin calmly replied, "It's just a career choice."
He Jingwen persisted, "Because of Xu Chen? I heard that bastard lost everything again?" He deliberately glanced at Li Yaodong, "Brother Dong, don't you do background checks when you hire people?"
Cheng Yin slowly put away her knife: "Debt is debt, and work is work."
Cheng Yin gently pushed the business card back: "I'm doing very well at my current job."
Li Yaodong chuckled softly and finally spoke, "Awen, you've been talking a lot tonight."
He Jingwen crossed his legs: "I'm just valuing talent! Miss Cheng is such a master..." He suddenly muttered quickly in English, "Don't take it personally, just doing my job."
Lin Shirong suddenly spoke up: "Miss Cheng is very discerning."
He Jingwen immediately chimed in, his smile widening, "Yes, yes, Brother Dong, where did you find such a gem? She's highly skilled, and such a..." He looked Cheng Yin up and down, "...reliable."
Li Yaodong finally looked up, his gaze landing on Cheng Yin: "I found her."
Everyone laughed. Cici seized the opportunity to lean on Li Yaodong's shoulder: "Brother Dong, when are you going to pick me up? I'm way more playful than her."
Li Yaodong remained noncommittal, simply pushing her head away: "Eat."
When the third main course was served, the conversation shifted to the relationship between Cheng Yin and Li Yaodong.
Emboldened by the alcohol, He Jingwen asked directly, "So, Miss Cheng, how far have things progressed between you and Brother Dong?"
Cheng Yin was cutting her steak when she heard this and put down her knife and fork: "Employment relationship."
"Is that all?" Cici pressed for details. "Brother Dong has never let a woman stay in his suite."
Cheng Yin looked at Li Yaodong, who was leisurely sipping red wine, seemingly very interested in her answer.
"Mr. Li isn't interested in me," Cheng Yin said honestly. "He said I'm too thin and it's uncomfortable for him to sit with me."
The restaurant fell silent instantly. Cici chuckled, and the other girls giggled along with her.
He Jingwen looked like he had swallowed a fly, while Lin Shirong pushed up his glasses and glanced back and forth between Cheng Yin and Li Yaodong.
Li Yaodong put down his wine glass, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Let's talk about it after she's gained some weight."
This statement, which sounded both like a joke and a promise, immediately enlivened the atmosphere at the dinner table.
Cici pouted and muttered under her breath, "How can someone who's that skinny gain weight?" Lin Shirong stopped her with a look.
Cheng Yin continued eating her steak, as if the conversation had nothing to do with her.
When dessert was served, the conversation turned to their plans to have a yacht party.
He Jingwen warmly invited Cheng Yin to participate, but she shook her head: "I have to work."
"Brother Dong," He Jingwen turned to Li Yaodong, "how about giving your accountant a day off?"
Li Yaodong swirled his champagne glass: "She's in charge."
Cheng Yin looked up and met his eyes. Those eyes, which were always unfathomable, now held a hint of a smile, as if to say, "Let's see how you handle this."
"Thank you for the invitation," Cheng Yin said politely, "but I do have some accounts to settle."
After dinner, the group went to a bar. Cheng Yin excused herself due to a foot injury, and Li Yaodong sent a car to take her back to Jiabo.
Suite 3306 was eerily quiet. Cheng Yin took off her flats and noticed that her wound was bleeding a little more. She quickly treated it and sat down by the floor-to-ceiling window to look at the night view of the Pearl River Delta.
My phone vibrated; it was a text message from Li Yaodong: "Tomorrow at nine o'clock, at the pier."
Cheng Yin did not reply. She opened her memo and wrote down today's expenses and income: "Flat shoes (gift from Li Yaodong, price not listed), debt settlement at work (amount to be determined)".
She thought for a moment and then added another item: "Dinner topic test (passed)".
Outside the window, the lights of the Haojiang Tower changed colors.
Cheng Yin gently touched the windowpane, her fingertips aligning with the distant lighthouse.
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