Harbor
Wen Ying often felt that although she and Zhong Yunxi didn't understand or agree with each other emotionally, they could definitely become compatible business partners because their behaviors and ways of thinking were very similar.
They are well-matched in terms of social standing and personality; isn't that enough of a match made in heaven?
That sense of dissatisfaction likely stems from this tiny bit of compatibility, yet it's not enough for the two to spend their lives together.
The feeling of being just one breath away from being satisfied is the most unsettling.
As the symposium concluded, Wen Ying stood at the back of the hall and saw Bai Yi helping a renowned elderly traditional Chinese medicine doctor down from the stage; the two were chatting and laughing. Meng Shuang went to greet them and helped the elderly man to a seat in the front row.
She glanced at her watch and went out the back door. Zhong Yunxi would probably arrive in a little while. Runhe would arrange a banquet afterward for such a promotional event; he couldn't possibly leave Bai Yi alone at such a gathering.
As evening approached, the various meetings at the hotel that afternoon came to an end, and people gathered at the elevator entrance. She called her driver to come pick her up at the lobby on the first floor.
She stood inside the glass curtain wall of the lobby. Sometime earlier, a light drizzle had started. The ground wasn't very wet, but the glass wall was slightly damp due to the temperature difference between the inside and outside.
In autumn, dusk is almost like a stage curtain, blocking out the light so quickly that people don't have time to react.
The driver's call pulled her out of her reverie. She looked out into the lobby and stepped outside.
The car started amidst the hotel doorman's bows of farewell. A Rolls-Royce Phantom followed closely behind, stopping at the entrance. The doorman hurried to open the car door for the guest.
Wen Ying glanced at the rearview mirror. Zhong Yunxi got out of the car, put one hand in his pocket, made a phone call, and entered the hotel lobby.
The phone went unanswered. Zhong Yunxi often couldn't get through to Bai Yi, so he reluctantly put it away. He wondered if she was too busy or noisy at the event, or if her phone was on silent. He sat on a sofa in the hotel lobby's tea area and waited.
I received her call twenty minutes later.
"Zhong Yunxi, are you here to pick me up? There's a company dinner tonight, but I don't want to go."
Zhong Yunxi asked her, "Where are you? I'm coming over now."
"The Peony Hall on the west side of the second floor."
Zhong Yunxi stood up and glanced at the second floor: "Wait for me at the top of the stairs."
She lowered her voice and said, "Meng Shuang won't let me run around. I'm in the conference hall, I can't get out."
He smiled and said, "Give the phone to Meng Shuang, and I'll have her take you to the stairwell."
Bai Yi: ...
"Come find me in the conference room, third row, right side," Bai Yi said and then hung up.
When Zhong Yunxi arrived at the venue, the host had just finished his thank-you speech. The venue was basically in a state of dispersal, and he walked against the crowd to the front.
Meng Shuang was leading Bai Yi to the restaurant when she saw Zhong Yunxi and was speechless for a moment.
But with her excellent professionalism, she immediately switched to a welcoming smile: "Mr. Zhong, your timing is perfect. Shall we have dinner together?"
Zhong Yunxi reached out his hand, gesturing for Bai Yi to come over, and politely declined, saying, "I've already booked a restaurant elsewhere; I'll take her there to eat."
Meng Shuang's smile remained: "Mr. Zhong, you are, after all, a shareholder of Runhe. This is such a big event as the launch of the company's new drug. We've spent hundreds of thousands in sponsorship fees. Today, all the experts and leaders here are of great importance. Would you please condescend to show your face?"
Zhong Yunxi knew he was probably going to be dragged along to keep order today, but he wouldn't let them use him for nothing. He glanced at Bai Yi and said, "What do you think?"
Meng Shuang's gaze shifted to Bai Yi's face.
Bai Yi: ...
When they encountered a woman like Meng Shuang, who was known for her cunning, she would drag them both to social dinners.
On the way to the restaurant, Zhong Yunxi mentioned to Meng Shuang, "You guys will have these promotional events every month from now on. If I can't come, I'll have the driver pick her up."
Meng Shuang understood. If Bai Yi could come, he would represent Runhe at the dinner party; if he couldn't, Meng Shuang would obediently see Bai Yi off after the meeting.
“Of course not, I wouldn’t actually let Teacher Bai go drinking.” Meng Shuang’s tongue was as bright as a lotus flower, and she could come up with pretty words with ease. “Besides, it’s a win for us if you come here once in a while to stand in for Teacher Bai.”
Zhong Yunxi smiled and said, "It's a pity that President Meng is staying in the marketing department."
With Zhong Yunxi accompanying Runhe, the banquet was well-organized, and the leaders present were very satisfied.
She handed Bai Yi a glass of red wine: "Teacher Bai, thank you for today."
Bai Yi took the drink, sipped a few mouthfuls, and said with a smile, "It's nothing."
Perhaps it was because the temperature had dropped a bit today, but the indoor temperature was high, but she had to go in and out of the venue several times and was starting to get a headache.
The red wine was chilled. She finished half a glass and then secretly poured herself another half, but Zhong Yunxi stopped her, saying, "This red wine doesn't taste as good as the one at home. If you want some, I'll open a bottle for you when we get back tonight."
Perhaps seeing that Bai Yi was not in good spirits, Zhong Yunxi left the table midway through the meal after performing all the proper etiquette.
As soon as she got in the car, Bai Yi leaned back in her seat with her eyes closed. Zhong Yunxi asked her, "Have you eaten yet?"
She hummed in response, as if she had fallen asleep.
Zhong Yunxi pulled her close and let her sleep in his arms. Bai Yi's physical strength and energy were really not good; business activities were a perfectly normal part of the job for working professionals. One meeting had worn her down to this state.
She didn't wake up until nine o'clock. Zhong Yunxi didn't seem to be in the bedroom. She reached out and turned on the two nightlights by the bedside.
"woke up?"
She turned her head and saw that the person was on the terrace.
The lights were on on the terrace, and the curtains were only slightly ajar, which she didn't notice.
Zhong Yunxi came in wearing only a single-layered bathrobe. Bai Yi reached out and grabbed his sleeve, feeling its coolness, and then withdrew her hand: "Aren't you cold? Your clothes are so cold."
Zhong Yunxi held her hand, remembering that she had drunk red wine that night, and asked, "Do you want to drink some more?"
She shook her head, still feeling a bit of a headache: "I want to drink rice wine with glutinous rice balls."
"Okay, I'll go downstairs to cook."
Bai Yi suddenly tiptoed and kissed him, saying "thank you."
Zhong Yunxi still hasn't figured out Bai Yi's eating and sleeping habits; she seems to get sleepy or hungry at any time.
She didn't want to go downstairs after taking a shower, so she called Zhong Yunxi, who brought her some porridge.
"I don't eat in the bedroom often, just this once." She sat on the sofa with her bowl in her hand, discussing with Zhong Yunxi in a guilty tone.
Zhong Yunxi went to the terrace to bring his computer in, sat down, and reached out, asking, "You can eat wherever you want. Do you want me to feed you?"
Bai Yi shook his head: "When I was a child, my mother wouldn't let me take my bowl outside the dining room, and I could only eat snacks in the living room, not in the bedroom."
“You’re in charge at home now.” Zhong Yunxi waited for her to finish eating, then took her bowl and led it downstairs.
She nestled in Zhong Yunxi's arms, feeling his body temperature was exceptionally comfortable. Even though humans are warm-blooded animals, why did she feel colder and colder as she slept?
Zhong Yunxi kissed her forehead and asked in a hoarse voice, "Are you tired today? You slept for two hours, are you still sleepy?"
She buried her head in his neck and mumbled a little.
I actually have a bit of a headache, like I caught a cold.
Zhong Yunxi kissed her eyebrows and eyes: "I'm going on a business trip tomorrow. Can you give me the time before midnight?"
She didn't speak or shake her head.
His hands cradled her neck and waist, and his kisses fell softly upon her.
His embrace made her feel safe and secure when she had a headache and felt irritable.
He clearly said before midnight, but Bai Yi felt that wasn't the case at all; she seemed exhausted from the whole night.
When Zhong Yunxi called her, her mind was heavy, and all she wanted to do was sleep. She frowned and snapped, "I don't want to eat, I don't want to go to work."
She grabbed his hand and turned over in his arms.
Zhong Yunxi noticed that Bai Yi had a slight fever at four o'clock in the morning. He went to the first-aid kit to find fever-reducing patches and called her to get up and drink water.
"Okay, no work. I'll ask you to take the day off this morning. Come and have some water to soothe your throat." Zhong Yunxi brushed the stray hairs from her forehead.
Upon hearing the word "water," her throat moved, and she opened her mouth with her eyes closed, allowing Zhong Yunxi to feed her. Perhaps feeling better after drinking the water, she didn't frown as much as before when she fell asleep again.
He went downstairs at seven o'clock and instructed the housekeeper to invite Dr. Wang over at eight o'clock. He also called Xue Meng and told him that he had planned to go on a business trip today and asked Xue Meng to go first, while his trip would be postponed by one day.
Dr. Wang took Bai Yi's pulse and asked Zhong Yunxi about her activities over the past week.
Zhong Yunxi said, "I went to the Northwest over the weekend, and there was a large company meeting on Monday and Tuesday. I was busy for two days, and I stayed up late last night and didn't go to sleep until the early hours of the morning."
He gave a vague answer, only saying it was early morning, and was too embarrassed to tell the doctor it was 2 a.m.
Dr. Wang said there's no need to take fever-reducing medication. It's not a viral infection; it's just a normal immune response due to seasonal changes and fatigue. For a mild fever, physical cooling methods are sufficient.
"Get plenty of rest and eat well, and you'll be fine." Dr. Wang prescribed a formula to replenish qi and blood and strengthen the spleen and stomach.
Zhong Yunxi asked the housekeeper to take Dr. Wang to the hospital and pick up the medicine. He also called Lu Lin to ask Bai Yi for leave.
He was afraid that if he stayed in the study, Bai Yi would wake up and not see him, so he sat on the balcony of the bedroom to work.
Bai Yi didn't wake up until noon. She was stunned to see Zhong Yunxi sitting on the balcony making a phone call. There was a thermos water bottle on the bedside table. She picked it up, took a few sips of water, and then slowly went to the bathroom to wash up.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw Zhong Yunxi standing there. I asked him, "Didn't you say you were going on a business trip today?"
Zhong Yunxi placed his palm on her forehead and, feeling no abnormal temperature, breathed a sigh of relief: "It's postponed to tomorrow. Does your head hurt?"
Bai Yi shook his head: "A little bit."
Zhong Yunxi smiled and cupped her face in his hands: "Stop shaking, the more you shake, the more dizzy you'll get. Let's go downstairs and get something to eat."
Bai Yi said "Oh," and then added, "I want to eat wonton noodles."
"Okay, I'll go make it. You should have some porridge first. Aunt Wu made you some preserved egg and lean pork porridge this morning."
During the meal, Zhong Yunxi said that she didn't need to go to work this week because she had asked Lu Lin for leave.
Bai Yi: ...
"It's only Wednesday today..."
Zhong Yunxi glanced at her: "The company won't go bankrupt if you don't go for a day. Take a few more days off. There's a meeting next week, isn't there?"
Bai Yi glanced at the memo, "Next Wednesday, the Third Affiliated Hospital's internal meeting, the pharmacy department meeting."
She thought for a moment, then muttered to herself, "Then I'll make an appointment with Ren Xiao. I wonder how far her experiment has progressed."
Zhong Yunxi only said, "When you go out, wear an extra layer of clothing, eat on time, and if you have any problems, tell the driver and he will help you solve them. You can also call me."
"When are you coming back from your business trip?" She put down her spoon, seemingly not wanting to eat anymore, as she hadn't finished her bowl of wonton noodles.
Zhong Yunxi said, "I'll try to come back on Friday night and spend the weekend with you."
After lunch, she sat on her tablet, browsing papers and looking at materials sent by her senior classmate He from Xiangcheng.
Zhong Yunxi pointed to the two large bouquets of flowers on the living room island, which were Kayla roses and larkspur that had just been delivered that morning: "Don't work today, just rest well. If you're bored, you can trim the flowers, or I can go for a walk with you."
"No, I'll finish reading soon. I still want to play games and read novels."
Zhong Yunxi smiled and said, "Then come with me to the study?"
"Oh, okay." Bai Yi hugged her tablet and Bonnie bunny and asked him to carry her upstairs.
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