Chapter 55 Otherwise, I'm always afraid that all of this is just me...
During dinner, after listening to Fu Qingli's story, Lin Xi pondered for a while before tentatively asking, "Don't you want me to take this project?"
Fu Qingli placed a shrimp in her bowl, a gentle smile on her lips, giving her the freedom to choose: "No."
"But—" Lin Xi hesitated for a moment, "Why do I feel like you have some concerns?"
“I do have some concerns.” Seeing that she liked the food, Fu Qingli continued to add more for her. “After all, Su Yi’an is Yaoshi’s contracted designer. Although you didn’t say it, I can guess that your emotional breakdown last time was because of something Su Yi’an did.”
Lin Xi paused, the shrimp still between her teeth, and looked at Fu Qingli with a surprised expression that said, "How did you know?"
Her expression was so adorable that Fu Qingli couldn't resist leaning over and pressing his lips to hers. He kissed her and took most of the shrimp from her mouth before retreating, satisfied.
Lin Xi was caught off guard. She subconsciously swallowed the remaining shrimp before realizing what had happened. She glared at Fu Qingli with a look of embarrassment and annoyance.
Fu Qingli took out two tissues, turned to the side and carefully wiped the water stains from the corners of her lips, coaxing, "Don't be angry, I won't take your food anymore."
Is this a matter of fighting over food?!
Seeing his gentlemanly demeanor, Lin Xi became even more annoyed and reached out to push his hand away, but he grabbed her wrist.
Fu Qingli took Lin Xi's hand, walked around her, sat down next to her, and led her towards him, letting her sit on his lap.
Lin Xi tried to struggle, but Fu Qingli quickly pressed down on her calf with his other leg, restraining her.
Once she could no longer struggle and stopped moving, he smiled and brought up the topic from earlier: "There was a photo left in the bathroom that we found. We detected your and Su Yi'an's fingerprints on it, which confirmed that she had been there. However, the outdoor surveillance footage was deleted, and we couldn't find any witnesses at the time. We didn't have strong evidence, so we couldn't call the police."
Lin Xi remembered the video saved on her phone and subconsciously wanted to speak up, but when she thought of how she lost control in the video, she hesitated. She didn't want Fu Qingli to see her acting like a madwoman.
Fortunately, Fu Qingli did not notice her fleeting hesitation and continued, "However, even if we call the police, it may not necessarily convict her, after all, she has the support of the Su family. At the current pace, it will take a long time to bring down the Su family. During this period, I do not want you to have any contact with anyone or anything related to them. I cannot afford that risk."
These words contradicted his earlier statement of "no," so Lin Xi couldn't help but ask curiously, "Then why are you telling me about the project?"
Since that's what he thinks, he should just reject Zou Song instead of asking for his opinion.
“Jiali, I heard that many people in the company have some opinions about you being appointed as the deputy team leader right after you joined the company. They think you might need such a big project to prove your abilities. You also said last time that you didn’t want to make our relationship public for the time being, for fear that they would say you were a nepotism hire. I suppose you have the same concern, so I think I should tell you that you have this opportunity to prove yourself, and let you choose for yourself.”
Undeniably, Fu Qingli has her own despicable intentions.
Not only did Lin Xi not feel insecure, but he also felt insecure about not making their relationship public, always feeling that she was ready to walk away at any time.
With a tentative purpose in mind, he couldn't help but tighten his clenched fist, somewhat nervous about Lin Xi's answer.
Lin Xi didn't think much of it: "Yes, that's what I'm worried about."
It's not just to prove myself, but also because I don't want others to think that I'm so ordinary and average standing next to you, that I have to rely on your connections to even get a job.
She didn't say anything more, but asked Fu Qingli nervously, "I want to take on this project, is that okay? Like A-Zou said, I'll just provide the plan, and the rest will be handled by others. I'll stay in Haicheng and avoid contact with Yaoshi's people, so I won't have any dealings with Su Yi'an. You don't need to worry too much."
Her cautious manner made Fu Qingli feel a pang of sadness.
Lin Xi was always cheerful and generous in his memory, and although Lin Fengyuan didn't have much free time, he loved her very much.
She is sensible, but because she is surrounded by love, she is good at making small requests that make people unable to resist fulfilling her wishes.
But now, she feels like an unloved child at home, afraid that her parents will reject even her smallest wishes.
“Sure, you can do whatever you want.” Fu Qingli rested his chin on the top of her head and gently stroked it. “Those are things I need to consider. You just need to do whatever you like without worry.”
However, coming up with a solution is easier said than done; it's not so easy to work behind closed doors.
The next day, Lin Xi received the materials from Zou Song, including a floor plan of the exhibition area Yaoshi had chosen—the Beicheng International Exhibition Center.
As a landmark building in the northern part of the city, the International Exhibition Center has a complex spatial structure and ingenious design that cannot be imagined from floor plans and photos.
In the end, she had no choice but to sheepishly go to the academy to find Fu Qingli.
The study door was open, and Fu Qingli was looking at documents. Lin Xi knocked twice, then walked over and snuggled into Fu Qingli's arms, sitting face to face with him. Then, like a koala, she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned on his shoulder: "Fu Qingli."
"Hmm?" Fu Qingli enjoyed her initiative, but her sitting position was not very comfortable, and his breathing suddenly became heavy.
Judging from her aggrieved tone, it wasn't a good time to talk about love.
He quietly adjusted his posture, cupped her face from his chest, and held it in his palm. "Why the long face?"
Lin Xi looked dejected: "I've been looking at information about the National Exhibition Center all day, but I still can't imagine what it looks like. I have no idea what it's like."
She has only been in Beicheng for a little over two months, but she has devoted herself to her work and has not yet been to the National Exhibition Center.
"How about I make you an immersive AR experience?" Fu Qingli suggested.
This idea sounds very sophisticated.
Lin Xi thought for a while, and finally shook her head: "I don't think it will work. I can see it but can't touch it, so I still have no idea."
She wrapped her arms around Fu Qingli's neck and subconsciously acted coquettishly as before, "Can I go back to Beicheng this weekend? I want to go to the National Exhibition Center."
Fu Qingli discovered that Lin Xi had reverted to some of her old habits.
He thoroughly enjoyed her little bit of spoiled behavior and couldn't bring himself to say a word against it.
“Okay, I’ll go back with you.” He agreed without hesitation.
Lin Xi was quite surprised: "Didn't you and Ji Jiali agree to attend a seminar this weekend?"
From what they said, this seminar was very important, and none of the three of them could be absent.
Half of her worries were about work, and the other half were about being separated from Fu Qingli, which she found hard to bear.
This round trip will take at least three days, which is far too long for them now.
"It's alright, let them move the time forward."
Fu Qingli took out her phone and started looking through her work schedule, preparing to free up some time. "From Saturday to next Tuesday, four days, is that enough?"
"That's enough." Lin Xi was still a little worried. "Is this okay? They said this seminar is very important. Won't changing the time arbitrarily offend our partners?"
"No." Fu Qingli circled the blank dates and sent them to her assistant. "The project is progressing smoothly. These are just minor issues. There's no need to worry."
Moreover, their previous humble attitude emboldened some partners to make exorbitant demands, and they even harbored the idea of taking advantage of the situation. It's time to establish their authority.
Lin Xi didn't understand these things, but her mood immediately improved when she heard that he was free.
After relaxing her whole body, the fatigue from a busy day suddenly surged up, and she felt very sleepy, so she couldn't help but yawn.
"Tired?" Fu Qingli checked the time. "It's only four o'clock. You can sleep a little longer before dinner. I'll carry you back."
As he spoke, he picked her up and prepared to get up.
Lin Xi wouldn't let him get up, nor did she seem inclined to leave.
She looked up at Fu Qingli sleepily and asked, "Can I just hold you like this and sleep?"
Sleepiness made my mind work slowly, and the rest of the words just slipped out unintentionally: "I feel especially at ease when I'm with you. When I'm alone, I always have this feeling that you haven't come back to me yet."
She rested her head on Fu Qingli's shoulder, closed her eyes wearily, and looked drowsy.
Hearing her words, Fu Qingli felt a pang of pain in her heart.
He felt the same way; only when she was in his presence, and he could truly feel her presence, could he believe that she had really returned.
Otherwise, I'm always afraid that all of this is just a beautiful dream I'm having.
Although she felt that sleeping like this would be comfortable for her, Fu Qingli succumbed to her inner dependence.
So he asked Aunt Tao to bring in a blanket, and let her rest her head on his shoulder to sleep.
I also participated in the online meeting in Qingyuan in this manner.
Zhao Mingyuan already knew about their marriage, but he never expected his usually aloof and cold boss to be so affectionate when he was in love, even bringing Lin Xi to meetings.
The other employees in the company, unaware of the situation, were so shocked when they saw the woman in the boss's arms in the video that they almost thought it was a prank.
After confirming that there was nothing wrong with her eyes, she started venting her frustrations in the company group chat.
Sales Department A - Song: "Did you guys see that? The boss is actually hugging a woman!"
Technical Department - Liu Quan: "Can anyone tell me? Who is this woman?! How did she manage to win over the sexually frigid boss?!"
Lin Xi's face is not clearly visible in the video, but her back view looks familiar to those who have attended the technology exhibition.
Marketing Department - Xin Xin: "@General Manager Zhao Yuan, haven't we seen the woman in the boss's arms before? She looks so familiar?"
Publicity Department - Ma Jia: "I have to say, the boss has great taste. You can tell she's a beauty just by looking at her back."
Ting: "@Publicity Department - Ma Jia, thank you!"
Ting: "@Everyone, this is my wife. I'll introduce you all next time."
It was only then that everyone realized that the people who had been excitedly looking at the group chat were actually in the company's main chat group, and that Fu Qingli was the group owner. The group immediately fell silent.
Fortunately, Zhao Mingyuan reacted very quickly.
A Yuan: "@Ting, happy wedding."
Immediately, everyone flooded the screen with wishes for Fu Qingli and Lin Xi's happy marriage.
Apparently pleased by everyone's flattery, Fu Qingli waved her hand and said, "A bonus of five thousand yuan for everyone, plus three days of annual leave."
Seeing everyone's excitement, Zhao Mingyuan privately poked Fu Qingli with a pained expression: "Boss, you're acting like a foolish emperor who loves beauty more than his country. I'm just wondering, how come you and Lin have such a good relationship after knowing each other for so long? Is love at first sight really reliable?"
"..." Before blocking him, Fu Qingli replied out of humanitarianism, "She's reliable. I've known her since I was seven!"
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