Chapter 82 "She might like me, but this..."
Just as Fu Qingli had predicted, they won the project in Haicheng.
Zou Song excitedly shouted on the other end of the phone, "Brother Fu, we really did it!"
"Don't be so loud!" Ji Jiali whispered a reminder from the side, "Su Qichao is still over there."
Zou Song didn't care at all: "So what? We won, can't we celebrate?"
"Brother Fu, when are you and your wife going to finish this? Jiali and I are flying to Beicheng right now to celebrate with you guys. We'll drink until we drop tonight."
Fu Qingli looked back at Lin Xi, who was busy at the venue, and said, "It'll probably be quite late, probably until evening."
"It's alright, we'll wait for you."
"Jiali, is there anything else you want to say to Brother Fu?"
Seeing Ji Jiali nod, Zou Song handed him his phone and went to the side to arrange for his assistant to handle the next steps.
Ji Jiali walked to a secluded spot: "Brother Fu, Fu Wenxun didn't come today, and I didn't see anyone with him either. It seems that his cooperation with the Su family has fallen apart."
Fu Qingli gave a curt "hmm" without any emotion: "The old man has temporarily stripped him of his power, so there's nothing he can do about what he wants to do."
"The joint venture partner on the Su family's side should react quickly upon hearing the news of the failed bid. Should we add fuel to the fire?"
"No rush, let them get through this period first." Fu Qingli curled her lips, her smile somewhat wicked. "Boiling a frog slowly is much more interesting than letting them know our trump card all at once."
His voice was full of mockery, making Ji Jiali shiver involuntarily: "Brother Fu, are you planning to make sure the Su family can never recover?"
Fu Qingli chuckled softly, but remained silent.
But Ji Jiali understood what he meant: "I understand. I'll have people release those messages gradually."
It must be said that Fu Qingli's considerations were very thorough.
A century-old family like the Su family has deep roots and a strong ability to withstand risks simply by relying on the integrity of its investors.
One big wave is not enough to capsize the Su family's big ship in one fell swoop.
However, by gradually eroding investors' trust in the company and then delivering a fatal blow when it is isolated and helpless, it can be completely defeated.
Fu Qingli remained noncommittal: "Let's wait and see. Some things can be discussed when we meet tonight."
After hanging up the phone, Fu Qingli went over to tell Lin Xi the good news, but saw her small figure dragging a heavy cardboard box, struggling to walk towards the exhibition area in the middle.
He strode forward, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her up: "Didn't I tell you to leave it there and wait for me to come back and move it?"
The adjustment of the exhibition area was complicated. Although Zou Song arranged for many workers to help, Lin Xi also helped with some of the small, intricate tasks.
Since Fu Qingli was there, she naturally didn't need to do these physical tasks.
But when she saw Zou Song's call, she knew it was about Haicheng, so she decided not to bother him and was a little worried about the final outcome.
"I see you're busy," Lin Xi mumbled, not daring to ask directly.
Fu Qingli knew exactly what she was thinking and proactively assured her, "Don't worry, we won the bid."
He glanced at her soiled palms and pointed to the bag in the corner, "There are wet wipes in the bag, go and clean your hands yourself."
As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, bent down, and easily lifted the cardboard box, his strong forearms showing powerful strength.
Lin Xi obediently walked over, took out a wet wipe to clean her hands, and then handed it back to Fu Qingli.
As he took it, she unconsciously frowned and flicked her wrist.
Fu Qingli noticed her subtle movements and quickened her hand-wiping motion: "What's wrong? Did you get hurt while moving things?"
"No, it just felt a little sore when I woke up this morning," Lin Xi said, turning her wrist around a few times. "It doesn't hurt, I probably just strained it accidentally."
Fu Qingli paused, then suddenly chuckled softly: "Forgot?"
"What?"
“You said you would help me yesterday.”
"..." Lin Xi remembered, her face flushed with embarrassment, "But didn't I fall asleep later?"
I don't think they did anything.
Fu Qingli raised an eyebrow, her smile somewhat ambiguous.
Lin Xi, for some reason, immediately understood his meaning, and couldn't help but mutter a curse in embarrassment and annoyance: "You scoundrel!"
“If I were really a rogue,” Fu Qingli leaned down and gently touched her earlobe with his lips, his voice low so that only the two of them could hear, “I should wake you up from your sleep instead of taking care of it myself.”
"..."
"Tsk tsk, Brother Fu, your display of affection is making us single dogs feel helpless."
Zhou Qi walked in from outside at some point, looking somewhat resentful. "Xiao Xi, why didn't you call me for something as big as adjusting the exhibition area? How could you manage all that on your own?"
"If Zou Song hadn't let it slip, I wouldn't have known."
Lin Xi hurriedly explained, "It's not that I didn't want to tell you, but I thought that since you rarely come back to Beicheng, you must have arranged a gathering with your friends. If I invited you over, it would definitely waste your whole day."
“How can you call it a waste of time when it comes to work! Besides, you're my friend, so of course I have to come and help with something this important.”
She tossed her bag and coat aside and said, "Come on, tell me what to do."
Seeing that she quickly got into the zone, Lin Xi was moved and didn't waste any more time, explaining her arrangements to Zhou Qi.
The designs by newcomers like Su Yi'an definitely can no longer occupy the central position.
Moreover, her original plan had already been published online, thus losing its mystery.
So she simply rearranged all of her more than one hundred pieces of jewelry, categorizing them by fashion trends and dividing them into twelve exhibition areas.
The central exhibition area showcases Ms. Fang Wenqian's reproduction works and new designs launched for the anniversary celebration, serving as a bridge between the past and the future.
This is a massive project, mainly involving adjusting the order and position of the jewelry.
Lin Xi, who doesn't have much experience with jewelry, has to consult materials and professional designers at Yaoshi before deciding on the placement of each piece of jewelry, which takes a long time.
Zhou Qi originally came from a jewelry design background and is very familiar with the trends of the past years and the meanings of the jewelry that was popular back then.
After understanding Linxi's design concept, she was able to quickly select the appropriate jewelry to display.
With Zhou Qi's help, the subsequent work proceeded very smoothly.
When Ye Baichuan arrived, the jewelry display in the exhibition area was basically completed, with only some finishing touches remaining.
Ye Baichuan had already seen this plan, but due to time constraints, Lin Xi did not provide him with specific jewelry classifications.
Although a senior designer was sent to help, he was worried about the actual effect all day because he was unfamiliar with the field.
Unexpectedly, in just one day, Lin Xi actually presented the complete design concept.
After touring each exhibition area, Ye Baichuan sincerely praised, "Team Leader Lin, I knew I hadn't trusted the wrong person. You've brought this anniversary celebration back to life."
Lin Xi dared not take credit: "I didn't actually do anything. The jewelry division was mainly done with the help of the designer you sent and my colleague Zhou Qi."
"You're too modest."
Ye Baichuan's expression turned formal. "Here, I want to apologize to you for what happened before. I'm sorry, that choice back then was truly a helpless move, and I had no intention of offending you."
Before Lin Xi could speak, a cold voice came from behind Ye Baichuan: "Mr. Ye, this apology is really not sincere enough. You should consider cleaning up your own house first."
As Fu Qingli spoke, she walked over to Lin Xi and, as if no one else was around, put her coat on her. "You're done with work, right? Jia Li and A Zou are already waiting at the restaurant. Let's go over there now."
He then took Lin Xi's hand and left without even giving each other time to say goodbye.
Seeing this, Zhou Qi raised an eyebrow and quickly followed their pace.
Although Fu Qingli was aloof, she was not an impolite person. There must be a reason for such a disrespectful behavior.
Once out of sight of the crowd, Lin Xi couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Did Ye Baichuan do something to you that made you treat him like that?"
Fu Qingli also asked her in a low voice, "Do you still remember that childhood sweetheart ring?"
Lin Xi nodded. That was very memorable, after all, Su Yi'an had tried to use that ring to show off her love and provoke her.
“That ring was actually a design draft by another designer at Yaoshi. Somehow, Su Yi’an got her hands on it and used the idea ahead of time. The designer found out at the press conference that his design had been stolen and went to the company to complain,” Fu Qingli sneered. “But Ye Baichuan told her to settle the matter privately with Su Yi’an because the design time was unclear.”
"Settle it out of court? Doesn't that mean he knew..."
"Yes, he knows. These designers always upload their drafts in a timely manner for record-keeping. If you really want to check, you can just look through the records to see if there has been any plagiarism. But at that time, the design had already been released and was a hit. Once it is involved in design plagiarism, Yaoshi will definitely be implicated. Ye Baichuan naturally doesn't want a designer to bear such consequences."
"What happened to that designer?"
"She refused to accept Su Yi'an's money for a settlement and is currently blacklisted by the Su family."
Unexpectedly, Su Yi'an not only took other people's designs, but also ruined their future career paths.
"So what you just said was a reminder to Ye Baichuan to clear that designer's name?" Lin Xi asked, puzzled. "But didn't you say that matter would implicate Yaoshi? Why would he be willing to do that?"
“He was unwilling to do it before because he thought no one would know about it and they could resolve it privately. But now I’m telling him that secrets can’t stay hidden forever, and that thing will eventually be exposed. Anyone with a brain would know that cutting off his own arm is better than having it exposed by others.”
"Too."
That way, people might even praise you for being righteous and awe-inspiring.
If we wait for someone else to expose it, then Yaoshi will really be implicated.
"Why would Su Yi'an steal it like that? Just to provoke me?"
“Yes and no.” Fu Qingli said calmly, “At the time, she knew you were in Songjia and probably wanted to impress you. She was in a hurry to find an outstanding design to attract Ye Baichuan’s attention, so she chose that ring.”
Lin Xi puffed out her cheeks, recalling Su Yi'an's confident demeanor at the time, and couldn't help but mutter in dissatisfaction, "Actually, she really likes you and only wants to marry you."
"She may like me, but that liking may not be genuine or pure; it's more about self-interest."
Lin Xi didn't understand: "What do you mean?"
Fu Qingli curled her lips, her expression full of disdain: "She needs someone with a strong family background to protect the Su family's assets. She probably thinks the Fu family has the power to do so, so she chose me."
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