Harbor
Whenever Zhong Yunxi had time to return to Xiangcheng, he would always go over after landing in the evening to give Bai Yi one or two things she liked. Before leaving the next day, he would go over to accompany his grandmother to walk the dog and visit the flower market, secretly leaving a few roses.
He truthfully told the old woman, "Grandma, Xiaoyi insists on divorcing me, and I've agreed. Next spring."
Grandma simply nodded: "It's time to let go."
"Grandma, I don't want to let go."
The old man, picking out flowers, glanced at him with a faint smile in his eyes and a nonchalant tone, "Whether you want it or not is not up to you."
Zhong Yunxi didn't say anything more. He picked out a few champagne roses and handed them to the florist to be packaged together with his grandmother's flowers.
Grandma mentioned, "The brooch in the little bag by the door, you put it there on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, didn't you?"
Zhong Yunxi hummed in agreement.
“A few days ago, she went out and casually picked up the scarf to secure it, assuming it was one of the scarves I bought.”
Grandma didn't expose him, probably because she couldn't bear that he hadn't given her a single small gift for so long.
He smiled happily, "Thank you, Grandma. Please tell me what else Xiaoyi likes."
Grandma didn't respond to him again.
Zhong Yunxi stayed in Xiangcheng for several days in a row, working with Cheng He from Dongchen Fund on project planning in the southwest. The two teams often met at the coffee shop next to Baize Lake, the one Bai Yi liked.
I met Bai Yi on Saturday; she came alone with Bubbles.
As soon as Zhong Yunxi entered the coffee shop, Bubble, who was sitting quietly next to Bai Yi, suddenly raised its head and whimpered twice. Bai Yi didn't think much of it and patted its head: "Be good."
As Zhong Yunxi drew closer, Paopao became increasingly restless. She stood up to jump off the sofa, but Bai Yi tugged at the rope. "What are you doing?"
Bubble called out twice to the person behind her.
Bai Yi turned around and saw Zhong Yunxi and several other people sitting diagonally behind him.
He openly teased Bubble from a distance, interacting with it. Bubble restlessly stomped its four legs on the sofa, looking at Zhong Yunxi and then at Bai Yi, as if to say: it wanted to go play over there.
Bai Yi: ...
She moved Bubble to the other side and pressed her down on the sofa: "You're not allowed to move."
But the puppy wasn't so well-behaved. It would always stand up, cling to the back of the sofa, look towards Zhong Yunxi, and whine and whimper, which annoyed Bai Yi.
Even her dog has been turned against her...
Seeing that Bai Yi was getting increasingly impatient, Zhong Yunxi got up and came over to stand next to her. He noticed that her shawl had been rubbed off her shoulder by the bubbles and wanted to reach out to help her straighten it.
Bai Yi was very familiar with his movements. Wherever his gaze fell, Bai Yi knew what he was going to do. Before he could make a move, Bai Yi straightened her shawl. She didn't give him a chance.
Zhong Yunxi raised his hand halfway and then lowered it again. When he saw that the brooch used to secure the shawl was a gift from him, a smile spread across his eyes.
"Xiaoyi, Bubble is getting restless when it sees me. Let me play with it so it won't disturb your reading."
Before Bai Yi could respond, Zhong Yunxi raised his hand and called out, "Bubble, come here."
Bubble obeys his commands even more readily than Bai Yi's. It leaps over Bai Yi's knees and onto Zhong Yunxi's body, its tail wagging like a small fan.
Bai Yi: ...
What a stupid dog! I'm never bringing this traitor to coffee again.
After Bubble was carried away by Zhong Yunxi, Bai Yi's hearing was always particularly focused on his side. The group of people at the table were occasionally discussing projects, chatting, or teasing Bubble.
More than half an hour later, she finally calmed down and turned her attention back to her tablet.
When Xue Meng came over to deliver the dessert to Bai Yi, he was afraid she would refuse, so he said, "It wasn't from the boss, it was from President Cheng who came with us. He's an investor from Beijing. He heard that you're in Professor Wu's research team here, and he said he hopes to cooperate in the future."
Bai Yi glanced at the table over there, where a man was holding a coffee cup and gesturing to her with a smile. She nodded politely in return.
"Thank you, Assistant Xue." She was polite to everyone except Zhong Yunxi.
"Please enjoy your meal." Xue Meng was a competent assistant, always wanting to be a useful mouthpiece for his boss.
Cheng He turned around, took a sip of coffee, and chuckled softly, "You rejected me? That's great, I like you a lot, I'll pursue you."
Zhong Yunxi glanced at him indifferently and said, "Get lost, you're married."
Cheng He was shocked: "So you're now knowingly being involved in something?"
Zhong Yunxi: ...
"She married me."
Cheng He understood: "That means they're getting a divorce soon. It's okay, I'll pursue her again after she divorces you."
Zhong Yunxi held Bubble and stroked its fur, sneering, "You should at least have a mirror at home if you don't have a scale. If you don't know your own weight, go back and look in the mirror more often."
Cheng He gloated, "You've all been reduced to relying on dogs to speak and on me to bring you snacks, and you're still being stubborn?"
Zhong Yunxi raised his hand and tapped the documents on the table, and Cheng He stopped joking with him.
Next Monday is the 10th Xiangcheng Traditional Chinese Medicine Scientific Research Achievement Transformation Conference, organized by the Xiangcheng Traditional Chinese Medicine Management Department.
Thanks to its superior natural geographical environment and abundant plant resources, the traditional Chinese medicine industry is one of the pillar industries of Xiangcheng. Many traditional Chinese medicine colleges and universities across the country have set up research teams and laboratories here, and many pharmaceutical companies have also established planting bases.
The traditional Chinese medicine industry has brought numerous jobs, economic benefits, and tax revenue to this city. Xiangcheng has always attached great importance to this conference.
This year, Zhong Yunxi and Cheng He brought in capital from Beijing to support the investment team, which worked overtime to repeatedly study policies and the market, setting the investment tone and direction. Zhong Yunxi has also been frequently inviting people to dinners to communicate with management.
He visited Professor Wu once through the introduction of a department leader and Lu Xin. He initially had some goodwill towards him, but after He Cheng told Professor Wu about his relationship with Bai Yi, Professor Wu became less welcoming.
On Sunday, Meng Shuang, Lu Lin, and several executives from Runhe arrived in Xiangcheng. As soon as they landed, Meng Shuang called Bai Yi to arrange a meeting.
Bai Yi left Yuegang in such a hurry that she didn't even hand over her work. She always felt guilty towards Runhe, and it was hard for her to refuse Meng Shuang's invitation.
When the driver took her there that evening, only Meng Shuang was there; Lu Lin didn't come. She breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "I'm too embarrassed to see President Lu."
Meng Shuang handed her a fruit platter before the meal. "How about we compensate him with a project?"
Bai Yi pursed her lips and remained silent.
Meng Shuang smiled and sighed, "I don't even have the heart to talk to you with that expression on your face."
Bai Yi could roughly understand what she was going to say, glanced at her, and frowned.
Meng Shuang is a marketing elite with many years of experience. He is best at public relations, communicating with clients on projects, and managing and controlling large-scale events.
A simple researcher like Bai Yi couldn't possibly resist being led by her.
Zhong Yunxi sought outside help and poached talent from others, even turning Bai Yi's people and dogs against him.
Meng Shuang has a pair of shrewd willow-leaf eyes, and when she looks at people with a smile, she is very approachable. "The project that terminated the cooperation with Si Jian was something you did together with Teacher He Cheng, right?"
Bai Yi nodded.
Meng Shuang raised her hand and poked her forehead. "You've been in Xiangcheng for too long. You're too naive. You don't know how people in the Yuegang workplace date. If it were me, even if we broke up, I would still earn hundreds of millions in breakup fees from Boss Zhong."
Bai Yi: ...
Meng Shuang continued to reason with her, appealing to her emotions and analyzing the pros and cons, "Since Runhe is so wealthy and eager to get your project, if you don't want to take advantage of it, at least let the research team benefit. Your senior brother He is just a research worker. The more funding and resources Runhe provides, the higher the success rate of the new drug, and the more he earns. Do you think everyone is like you? He's a grown man; doesn't he need to work hard to buy a house and get married? If you dare to ask for a high price with this project, your senior brother He will be financially independent. Hasn't he been good to you all these years? Since you have the opportunity to repay him, shouldn't you consider his well-being?"
Bai Yi: ...
There was no room for retort.
"As for your desire to avoid any involvement with Boss Zhong, that's easy. Just change the project leader when signing the cooperation agreement. How your research team divides the profits is entirely up to you. Would your Professor Wu ever treat you unfairly? You can just secretly make money off Boss Zhong."
Meng Shuang is really corrupting Bai Yi. "You don't even know how to eat a pie falling from the sky. I'm speechless. What will you do if you encounter a pig butchering scam?"
Bai Yi lowered her eyes, thinking that Senior Brother He seemed to be getting along very well with Pei Xin, and that they were probably going to get married. But when she thought of Zhong Yunxi, she got angry again, feeling that his money was all dirty stuff. "Zhong Yunxi is a pig butchering scammer."
Meng Shuang laughed and said, "If he didn't swindle money, then it doesn't count. At most, Boss Zhong swindled some of his body."
Meng Shuang spoke without restraint, and Bai Yi's ears turned red after hearing it, making her even angrier.
The meal that Meng Shuang treated her to was at a restaurant that Zhong Yunxi had booked, and the chef was from Yuegang.
Meng Shuang asked her how the food was. Bai Yi had never eaten at this restaurant before, so she casually asked Meng Shuang, "How do you know about this restaurant in Xiangcheng? I didn't know it either. It's pretty good."
Meng Shuang laughed and said, "President Lu invited you. I don't know what kind of playboy he is, but he's afraid that if he comes to talk to you about the project in person, you won't be able to refuse him and you'll feel pressured."
Meng Shuang then said a few more hurtful things, implying that since she had already accepted their meal, it wouldn't be easy to refuse again.
Bai Yi: ...
Meng Shuang then asked her, "You know Ren Xiao, right? He used to be in charge of this project at Sijian. You must have worked together before."
Bai Yi nodded. She had spoken with Ren Xiao before, and after working together on projects for so long, she really wanted to continue working with him.
Meng Shuang rested her chin on her hand, squinting and smiling: "I asked Runhe's HR to poach her. If you agree to this project, Ren Xiao can also get almost double the salary. Her communication costs will be reduced a lot when she cooperates with you again. So, Teacher Bai, everyone wins by cooperating with Runhe except for Boss Zhong."
"However, since he did it willingly, it can't be considered a loss, right? Moreover, this is the first year that Leading Capital has entered the Xiangcheng TCM industry. The fact that he was able to invest such a large amount of money in your research team this time means that everyone in Xiangcheng knows that Boss Zhong is rich and powerful. In the future, there will be many good projects to attract their investment. You can take advantage of him and make him famous overnight."
Bai Yi: !!!
How can someone be so smart?
Bai Yi was afraid of Meng Shuang.
No wonder even President Lu couldn't win her over.
If only she were half as smart as Meng Shuang.
After Meng Shuang escorted Bai Yi home, she smiled and reminded her, "You'll be at the meeting tomorrow, right? Please introduce your senior brother He to the executives at Runhe."
Bai Yi nodded in agreement.
As soon as she got out of the car, Meng Shuang called Zhong Yunxi and told him that the project could be secured, but a project is a project, and Bai Yi is Bai Yi.
After hearing this, Zhong Yunxi smiled and said, "President Meng, I'll definitely send you some Russian specialties another day."
Meng Shuang knew he wasn't saying anything nice, but she still couldn't help asking, "What do you mean?"
Zhong Yunxi sighed: "They're quite the nesting dolls player."
Meng Shuang laughed out loud: "Boss Zhong, I'll take that as a compliment."
After hanging up the phone, Zhong Yunxi could only manage a half-hearted sigh of relief.
The next morning, Bai Yi arrived at the venue. This year, Professor Wu's research team's presentation was by Senior Sister Yin, and the main research results were also presented by Senior Sister Yin's project. Her project with Senior Brother He was added at the last minute because they terminated their cooperation with the pharmaceutical company.
Immediately after Sister Yin finished speaking, many pharmaceutical companies expressed interest in the project.
In the afternoon, in the small conference room, it was practically a mini bidding event.
When Ren Xiao arrived at the small conference room, he saw Bai Yi and He Cheng communicating with several pharmaceutical companies. Zhong Yunxi and several senior executives from Runhe were also present.
Bai Yi greeted her with a smile, "When did you arrive? Why didn't you tell me beforehand? I would have come to pick you up."
Ren Xiao sat down next to her. "I just arrived this morning. You said last time that there were many pharmaceutical companies at this conference, so I came to take a look."
Bai Yi introduced Ren Xiao to several pharmaceutical company executives.
Meng Shuang got up and poured Ren Xiao a cup of hot water: "Our Runhe has long admired Teacher Ren."
When Ren Xiao heard Runhe's name, she glanced at Zhong Yunxi sitting behind her, then at Bai Yi. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond.
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