Little Meow has a cold
The next day, in the conference room.
At the end of the long conference table, Gu Lin sat upright, his fingertips tapping the table unconsciously.
His gaze seemed to be fixed on the quarterly financial report spread out in front of him, but his peripheral vision was like an accurate radar, locking onto the figure diagonally in front of him.
Lin Yu'an stood in front of the projection screen, holding a laser pointer in his hand, and was making a quarterly report based on the complex market analysis charts on the screen.
The voice was clear, but mixed with the hoarseness and lack of confidence from staying up late, and the nasal tone was also a bit heavy.
"…Therefore, based on the above data model deduction, we recommend that the budget for the next phase of marketing promotion be tilted towards new media channels. We estimate that there is room for improvement in conversion rate…"
Lin Yu'an tried hard to concentrate.
God knows what he went through last night!
I was scared to death by the barrage of comments saying "The boss wants to pursue you". After the live broadcast ended, I tossed and turned until three in the morning, with my mind full of two thoughts: "Gu Lin likes men" and "Does he really have ulterior motives for sending me home?" fighting each other like crazy.
In addition, the apartment's heating was old, and he shivered with cold in the second half of the night. When he woke up in the morning, he felt dizzy and sneezed constantly.
Lack of sleep and the initial onset of a cold brought on waves of dizziness.
He tried hard to express clearly the main points of the report that he had sorted out after staying up late last night.
At this moment, that deep, cold voice interrupted his narration without warning:
"That's enough."
The entire conference room fell silent in an instant.
All the executives' eyes were focused on Gu Lin.
Gu Lin finally raised his eyelids, and parted his thin lips slightly, his words clear and cold, leaving no room for doubt:
"The logic is confusing and the focus is unclear. Where is the data to support it? The deduction process of the core conclusion is jumpy and worthless."
His sharp eyes swept over the sweat on Lin Yu'an's forehead, and his tone became heavier, "Redo it. I want to see a version that convinces me before three o'clock this afternoon. If it's still at this level, I'll consider whether you are suitable for this position."
"Yes... Mr. Gu."
Lin Yu'an felt his vision going dark, and he managed to hold on so that he wouldn't die on the spot.
The meeting ended in an almost suffocating atmosphere.
The executives filed out in a hurry, and no one dared to look at Lin Yu'an for a second.
Lin Yu'an walked out of the meeting room dejectedly, carrying heavy documents.
Unable to bear the dry and itchy throat any longer, he turned his head and coughed twice in suppressed pain, and the tip of his nose became even redder.
Lin Yu'an returned to his workstation and dropped the heavy documents on the table with a thud.
He was completely dejected.
His shoulders slumped slightly, and his whole body huddled up in a ball, revealing a pitiful sense of vulnerability.
He sniffed his blocked nose, and the itchiness in his throat made him cough a few more times.
Three o'clock in the afternoon... He felt that he might not live to see three o'clock in the afternoon.
---
The heavy door to the president's office blocks out most of the sound, but it's not completely soundproof.
Gu Lin did not start working immediately.
He stood behind the desk, his tall figure with his back to the door and facing the huge floor-to-ceiling window.
Outside the window is the flowing city skyline, cold and alienated.
He seemed to be overlooking his kingdom, but in his bottomless eyes, there were complex and indistinguishable emotions.
Lin Yu'an's appearance in the conference room just now was clearly imprinted in his mind - pale face, red eyes, suppressed trembling, and the uncontrollable cough with a strong nasal sound.
And at this moment, through the extremely tiny, almost imperceptible gap in the blinds, he caught a glimpse of the figure curled up at the workstation outside the door.
It was such a small ball, with its shoulders slightly slumped and its forehead resting on the table, like a small animal that couldn't find a place to hide.
Those suppressed coughs, faintly heard through the door, were like tiny needles pricking his tense nerves.
Worthless?
Gu Lin's brows were tightly knitted into a deep frown.
He quickly scanned the report last night. The core idea was actually worth considering, but the details were rough and the data and logical chain needed to be polished.
Far from being "worthless".
Why did he say such harsh words at that time?
Is it because Lin Yu'an is in such an obviously bad state after staying up late?
Or was it because of a flaw in the citation of a key data in his report?
Or... was it just because of that damned barrage last night and the even more damned search history in his browser that made him upset and in urgent need of an outlet?
And Lin Yu'an, who bumped into the muzzle of the gun, instantly detonated the chaotic emotions in his heart that he himself couldn't figure out?
This realization made him feel an unprecedented irritability and self-loathing.
The self-control that he was proud of was crumbling in front of the secretary who looked fragile and stubborn.
His gaze once again drifted uncontrollably towards the gap in the blinds.
Lin Yu'an seemed to be choked by those coughs and felt even more uncomfortable. He raised his head and rubbed the red tip of his nose with the back of his hand. His brows were tightly furrowed and there seemed to be physiological tears in his eyes.
He opened a drawer and seemed to be searching for tissues, his movements a bit clumsy and eager.
Gu Lin's heart seemed to be suddenly gripped by something, and his breathing stagnated slightly.
He looked away almost immediately.
Feeling even more irritated, he turned abruptly and walked towards his desk.
no.
He needs to do something.
It’s not for Lin Yu’an, it’s for… to calm myself down.
He needed a reasonable, unobtrusive way to make that unsightly, sickly state disappear.
His fingertips tapped unconsciously on the cold table, making a monotonous "thump thump" sound.
A few seconds later, he picked up the intercom and dialed the extension number of his assistant Chen Feng.
The movements were deliberate and businesslike.
"Mr. Gu." Chen Feng's voice was as steady as ever, and he picked up the phone almost as soon as the phone rang.
Gu Lin was silent for two seconds, as if he was organizing his words.
When he spoke again, his voice had returned to its usual cold and calm tone, without any emotion in it.
He just spoke a little faster than usual: "Chen Feng, come in. I have a document that needs your attention."
"Okay, Mr. Gu."
Chen Feng responded, and soon, the office door was knocked gently and pushed open.
Chen Feng walked in and stood in front of the large desk: "Mr. Gu."
Gu Lin did not hand over the so-called "document" immediately.
He stood behind the table, his hands casually tucked into his trouser pockets, his eyes seemingly casually sweeping over Chen Feng.
Then he fell towards the shutters at the door, his jawline tense.
He paused for about three seconds before speaking in an extremely calm tone, as if discussing the weather, but his eyes did not meet Chen Feng's:
"Secretary Lin didn't seem to be in good condition during the meeting just now."
He paused, as if choosing his words, "Sounds like a cold. It's affecting work efficiency."
His tone carried a subtle hint of criticism, a superior's dissatisfaction with his subordinates' efficiency.
Chen Feng's eyes quickly lifted and then dropped again, and he said respectfully, "Yes, I noticed that too. Secretary Lin had a slight cough when she came this morning."
"Hmm." Gu Lin uttered a meaningless single sound from his nose and tapped the table with his fingertips, as if he had finally remembered something important. "By the way, when I went to Switzerland last time, the Zurich branch sent me a sample of medicine, which they said was a very effective cold medicine. Do you still have it?"
Chen Feng immediately responded: "Yes, Mr. Gu, there are a few boxes. They are in the spare medicine box over there."
"It's a waste to leave it alone."
Gu Lin's tone remained calm, as if he was handling an insignificant, unused item. "Give him a box. Just say..."
He paused for a moment, and finally turned his gaze to Chen Feng with a deep look in his eyes.
With an unquestionable tone of command, he said, "…Just say you prepared this beforehand, because he's in pain, so you can give him this as a last resort. And by the way, pour him a cup of hot water."
His speech was steady and his explanations were clear.
But the words "give him a box" and "pour him a cup of hot water" sounded very awkward when spoken from his mouth.
In particular, he specified that he wanted to use the expensive box of imported special medicine brought back from Switzerland, which even Gu Lin himself rarely used.
A hint of understanding flashed across Chen Feng's eyes very quickly, but there was no extra expression on his face.
He still had the calm demeanor of a professional assistant: "Understood, Mr. Gu. I'll do it right away."
He nodded slightly, turned around and walked out with quick movements.
Gu Lin stood there until the office door was gently closed, blocking out the outside view.
The tense lines in his shoulders relaxed a little, almost imperceptibly.
He walked back to the French window and turned his back to the door.
This time, he did not deliberately avoid the gap in the blinds.
He needs confirmation.
Make sure the box of medicine and the glass of water are delivered.
Make sure that that annoying sickly state can be alleviated.
Only in this way can he...work with peace of mind.
Yes, just to avoid affecting work efficiency.
A moment later, through the narrow field of vision, Gu Lin saw Chen Feng's figure appear next to Lin Yu'an's workstation.
There was no expression on the special assistant's face. He businesslike placed an exquisite medicine box printed in German and a steaming white thermos cup on the corner of Lin Yu'an's desk and said something.
Lin Yu'an was obviously stunned. He raised his head, his face still blank and with a blush that had not yet faded.
He seemed a little flattered, and nodded repeatedly at Chen Feng, forcing a weak but grateful smile on his face, and his lips moved as if to say thank you.
Gu Lin's eyes were fixed on Lin Yu'an.
He saw Lin Yu'an pick up the box of medicine, clumsily open the aluminum foil packaging, and take out a small white pill.
I saw him holding up the thermos cup, with white steam still rising from the rim.
He blew on it carefully, then tilted his head back and swallowed the pill with warm water.
The Adam's apple rolled up and down clearly as he swallowed.
Just as Lin Yu'an swallowed the pill, put down the water cup, and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief—
In front of the floor-to-ceiling window, Gu Lin's thin lips, which had been tightly pursed, relaxed a little bit.
The clenched fists in his trouser pockets loosened silently.
The lingering restlessness in his chest strangely dissipated for the most part as Lin Yu'an swallowed.
He still had his back to the door, his tall figure casting a long shadow in the morning light.
Outside the door, Lin Yu'an was holding the warm thermos cup.
He muttered quietly, "Chen Te is so helpful... He even specially prepared imported medicine..."
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