Chapter 44 Chapter 44 What key indicators are still missing?
The sound of the hammer dropping on the priceless jadeite dissipated in the Golden Hall last night, but it caused even more turbulent repercussions in the aristocratic circles the next day.
Madam Yu's steady hand holding up the number plate was repeatedly depicted and interpreted by countless people, ultimately converging into an incomparably clear, unquestionable signal—
The wife of the Yu family, who had always been very picky and demanding, was extremely satisfied with her future "daughter-in-law" who was at the center of public opinion.
This is not groundless speculation.
An eyewitness described with full confidence how Madam Yu's first reaction after the hammer fell was to walk towards Xi Tong, who was sitting in an inconspicuous corner. The gentleness and unmistakable protection in her eyes could not be faked.
Someone even repeated the clear sentence, "This color suits you very well. Young people should have something eye-catching." The intimacy and indulgence in these words were almost equivalent to a public certification document.
All the previous whispers about the discord between the two and Xitong's unclear background disappeared in an instant in the face of this priceless "certification".
Tea parties, private banquets, the rest room at the racecourse, all the private social occasions, the topic can not avoid this issue, the conclusion is highly consistent:
Xitong’s position as the future young lady of the Yu family is secure.
Not only did she win the favor of the heir, but she also won the unreserved support of her powerful mother-in-law.
The most direct effect of this change in wind direction is the green light in the business world.
The next day, Haicheng Group—a rising star in the business circle that had previously made a name for itself but was still being cautiously watched by some established forces—seemed to have suddenly been thrust into the spotlight.
The contract approval process, which had been delayed for a long time, was miraculously accelerated, and good news came one after another that several important projects that were stuck at critical stages were finalized.
Bankers and fund partners who used to require Xitong to go to great lengths to arrange meetings and who often made excuses to avoid them now take the initiative to call and ask in a warm tone whether they have any needs for financing or cooperation.
Invitations to the banquet came in like snowflakes, and each one specifically stated that they looked forward to her coming.
The world is so realistic.
Mrs. Yu's lavish spending is generally interpreted as a strong endorsement of Haicheng Group by Lihe Group.
Doing business with Xitong is indirectly showing goodwill to the Yu family, which has become an unspoken consensus in the circle.
Even though it was far away in W City, Haicheng Group's doors became crowded with people overnight, and business was booming like never before.
…
However, in the center of this sudden prosperous scene, Xitong himself was extremely sober.
Because of this sensational incident, Yu Sixie intensified his pursuit of her.
Rare bouquets of flowers delivered to offices on time every day, invitations to candlelight dinners at high-end restaurants, and even private travel arrangements in the name of cooperative inspections are more frequent and high-profile than ever before.
But Xitong refused them all.
She accepted the generous gift from Yu's mother. It was a reward and recognition from her elders, and she should be grateful for it both morally and logically.
She took advantage of the resulting business advantages, which was an opportunity that she, as a business decision-maker, had to seize for the group.
However, she always maintained a clear boundary in her heart towards Yu Sixie himself.
The intimacy of living under the same roof is one thing, but true love is another.
The flowers sent by Yu Sixie were distributed to the office staff. Nine times out of ten, she declined his invitations on the grounds of being busy with work.
Xitong's aloofness formed a subtle contrast with the Yu family's enthusiasm, which soon attracted the attention of the outside world.
Gossip magazines began to speculate on the true relationship between the "rich golden couple", and various speculations emerged on social media:
Is it that Xitong is ungrateful, or is there something else going on?
Faced with the increasingly heated public opinion and the anxious requests from the group's public relations director, Xi Tong finally gave a light-hearted response that was enough to trigger a new round of topics.
When Xi Tong was blocked by reporters at the entrance of the Lihe Group building and questioned about the progress of her relationship with the current President Yu, she stopped in her tracks. She was wearing a neat white suit, with delicate makeup and a calm look in her eyes.
In front of countless microphones and flashes, she smiled slightly, her tone calm and unhurried, with just the right amount of laziness, almost imperceptible.
"Him?" Xitong paused, as if pondering an insignificant question, and then casually uttered three words:
"Chasing."
One word can cause a thousand waves.
This response neither acknowledges nor denies. It cleverly places itself in a passive, scrutinizing position, while placing the favored child directly in the position of "pursuer", and it seems that it has not yet succeeded.
It satisfies the outside world's thirst for gossip without revealing any substantial content, perfectly maintaining Xitong's mystery and initiative.
For a moment, all the focus shifted from "whether the Yu family recognized her" to "whether the heir of the Yu family could catch up with her."
The brilliance of that priceless jade seemed to dim quietly, becoming the first and most gorgeous footnote in this new game of pursuit.
…
Yu Sixie set the date at a private observatory club.
The huge dome slowly opened, revealing a clear night sky rarely seen in the suburbs of Beijing. Several high-powered astronomical telescopes stood quietly beside it like silent and loyal guards.
It is quiet and special enough here, without unnecessary disturbances, yet it has a calm romance of exploring the unknown.
When Xitong arrived, Yu Sixie was leaning over slightly, adjusting the focus of a telescope.
The silhouette draws clean lines under the dim background light, and the expression is focused, not like preparing for romance, but rather like overcoming a technical problem.
"Try it?" Hearing footsteps, he stood up, made room, and pointed to the eyepiece. "Saturn's rings are very clear."
Xitong followed suit and walked forward.
The cool metal touched her brow. She closed one eye, and the world in the other eye was occupied by a huge planet with a clear halo.
A sense of vast and vast beauty instantly seized her. She took a deep breath.
"Very shocking." Xitong stood up and commented honestly.
"More fun than an elaborate dinner, isn't it?"
Yu Sixie handed her a cup of warm sake with a slight smile on his lips, as if he was sharing a secret that only they understood.
At their current age and status, they have tasted all kinds of delicacies, but this kind of experience that requires a certain threshold of knowledge and unique resources shows more thoughtfulness.
"At least I don't have to worry about gaining weight."
Xi Tong took the wine glass, and her fingertips brushed against Yu Sixie's lightly. She smiled slightly, her tone relaxed.
The two leaned against the railing.
The night sky is deep blue velvet, dotted with diamond-like stars.
The atmosphere was just the right amount of quiet, neither awkward nor noisy.
The chat started with the topic of a recent AI forum and extended to the breakthrough research of a biotechnology company, like a small battle of ideas.
They are all smart enough.
Nearly a decade of deep cultivation in the same field has enabled each other to catch any professional jokes thrown by the other party and to keenly perceive the shining points in each other's views.
After getting a little tipsy, the topic quietly slipped into a more private area at some point.
Yu Sixie swirled the remaining sake in his cup, his gaze fixed on the blurred outline of the mountains in the distance, and he spoke casually:
"So, I'm curious." He paused, as if choosing his words, "On your lengthy 'assessment checklist,' what key indicators am I currently... lacking?"
He didn't look at Xi Tong. His voice was low and steady, with a calm tone as if he was talking about a project, but he cleverly put himself in a position to be scrutinized and evaluated.
This is much more clever than asking directly, "When will you be my girlfriend/fiancée/wife..."
Xitong turned her head to look at him.
Unlike usual times at the Yu family, the starlight outlined Yu Sixie's superior jawline. His expression seemed relaxed, but his slightly tense shoulders revealed a subtle tension.
She suddenly felt a little funny, and also felt some other emotions.
"Mr. Yu, are you asking me for KPI assessment feedback?" Xi Tong deliberately misinterpreted his meaning, with a hint of teasing in her tone.
"if you can."
Yu Sixie readily followed suit and finally turned to look at her, his gaze deep in the dim light. "I hope to at least get a rating of 'working hard to improve.'"
When their eyes met, it seemed as if a tiny electric current was running silently through the air.
The planet under the telescope is distant and cold, but the atmosphere between the two is quietly warming up at this moment, and an unspoken ambiguity between adults spreads in the silence.
Xitong didn't answer immediately.
She turned her head and looked up at the starry sky, as if she was really thinking seriously about his "performance evaluation".
"Hmm..." She drawled, as if savoring the aftertaste of wine. "Over-reliance on standardized solutions, lacking a bit of... irrational surprise?"
That's a clever thing to say.
It not only points out that men's procedural, check-the-box pursuit method is a bit boring, but also leaves a gap full of room for imagination -
What is an “irrational surprise”?
Yu Sixie chuckled softly, and the laughter seemed particularly magnetic in the quiet night sky.
"Roger that. So the problem is that the algorithm isn't novel enough, not that the underlying logic is wrong?"
"The underlying logic..." Xitong repeated the word, a subtle curve at the corner of his lips, "It's still being verified."
She gave him hope but no promises.
Everything is possible, and nothing is certain.
At this moment, a meteor suddenly streaked across the sky, leaving behind a very short but dazzling tail of light.
"Make a wish quickly!" Yu Sixie said almost subconsciously, with a momentary childishness that was inconsistent with his status.
Xi Tong was a little surprised. He would never have said such a thing before! He was simply a straight man without any romantic cells.
He really changed...
She closed her eyes cooperatively, and opened them after a moment, and Xitong found that Yu Sixie was looking at her.
"What did you wish for?" he asked in a low voice.
Xitong picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and then answered slowly, his eyes flashing with an unpredictable light like a shooting star:
"Once you make a wish, it won't come true."
She handed the empty cup back to him, her fingertips carefully avoiding any contact this time.
"Thank you for the stars tonight, Mr. Yu. It was a very pleasant experience."
Xitong's tone was polite and considerate, as if she had just concluded a successful business meeting. "Next time, perhaps we could try a different 'non-standard' solution?"
She turned and walked towards the exit first, her skirt drawing an elegant arc.
Yu Sixie stood there, looking at her back, then looked up at the vast, silent starry sky, and finally laughed and shook his head.
I failed the assessment, but was given the opportunity to try again.
Is this... progress?
…
After parting with Yu Sixie, the night breeze was cool. Xi Tong was about to get in the car when a familiar figure made her pause.
Wen Yanming was standing under a streetlight not far away, leaning against a sleek sports car, as if he was waiting for her specially.
He was wearing a casual suit without a tie, and had a smile on his face that she was once very familiar with.
"Xiao Xi," Wen Yanming walked forward, his tone familiar, "It seems that the stars tonight are very charming?"
He had evidently seen her coming down from the observatory.
If it were in the past, Xitong might have replied to him with a smile.
But at this moment, Su Luyao's tear-swollen eyes suddenly appeared in front of her - it was because of the man's frivolous rejection and his careless attitude afterwards.
The polite smile on Xitong's face instantly cooled.
She didn't respond to his words, but looked at him sharply: "Wen Yanming, let's talk."
The tone is not one of inquiry, but of notification.
Wen Yanming raised an eyebrow, seemingly a little surprised by her directness, but still smiled: "Okay, where to? I know a place nearby..."
"Right here."
Xitong interrupted him and pointed to the secluded shade of a tree nearby, leaving no room for doubt.
She walked over first, her high heels hitting the ground, making a crisp and decisive sound.
Wen Yanming followed, his tone still relaxed: "What's wrong? Who made our Xiaoxi unhappy? Yu Sixie?"
Xitong turned around suddenly, and the night light reflected two cold fires in her eyes.
"Don't talk to me about other people." She lowered her voice, but with full force, "Don't you have anything to say about Yaoyao?"
Wen Yanming's smile faded a little, and he shrugged. "I thought it was just a small matter. Between her and me, it's a matter of one willing to fight and the other willing to be beaten, so it can't be said that we have a relationship, right? I refused politely..."
"Respectable?"
Xitong almost squeezed out these two words from between his teeth.
"Your so-called decency is to reject her with a few cold words when she's fully committed, and then act as if nothing happened? Wen Yanming, you know she's not the kind of person who can afford to play with you!"
Xi Tong took a step closer, and the familiarity between the former friends now became a sharp weapon for interrogation:
"I always thought you were sincere. Now I realize I was wrong. You hurt my family, Wen Yanming, and this matter is not over!"
After she finished speaking, she no longer looked at his suddenly ugly expression, turned around, opened the car door, and sat in neatly. The engine let out a low roar, and the car sped away.
Only Wen Yanming was left standing alone under the street light. The jade-like mask on his face finally shattered, revealing a bit of unexpected surprise and gloom.
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