Chapter 30 Did I scare him...?
The door clicked shut in the silence. Song Mingli closed the laptop on his lap and put it aside. When he saw him come in, he lifted his eyelids slightly, his pupils appearing very dark in the night.
Ying Shixue was still wearing the same casual shirt she wore when she went out that morning. Her hair gel had loosened a bit, and some stray hairs hung down in front of her forehead, making her look even younger.
In the end, Song Mingli stood up first, took the coat from his hand, and hung it in the entryway: "It's a busy period lately, so get some rest early tonight. If there's anything you don't know, bring it back tonight and I'll take a look."
Ying Shixue lowered her long eyelashes, and in the dim yellow light coming from the living room, the edges of her face seemed to glow with a soft light. After a while, she softly hummed in agreement.
"What would you like to eat tomorrow morning? You can leave a message for Aunt He."
Ying Shixue opened his mouth slightly, and if the movie were playing in slow motion, you would see a very subtle tremor in his throat, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just tilted his head and said, "It's fine as it is before."
He loosened his tie: "I'm a little sleepy, I want to go back to sleep first."
The air turned cool again. From the time Ying Shixue returned to talk to me until she went upstairs to leave, the living room had only been warm for a few minutes.
Song Mingli stood in the entryway, his expression obscured by the dim light. After a long while, he turned around and looked in the direction where Ying Shixue had left.
-
The next day, Song Mingli came down to the first floor at seven o'clock sharp as usual, and there were already several dishes laid out on the table.
He sat down in his seat as usual, listening to the morning international financial news broadcast while taking a sip of tea.
The minute hand ticked away, and at 7:25, Song Mingli glanced discreetly at the stairs, but there was still no sound from upstairs.
Ying Shixue is always punctual. Even in emergencies, she always allows extra time and has never been more than twenty minutes late.
Didn't you get a good night's rest last night?
Song Mingli put down his teacup and began to eat his breakfast. Just then, Aunt He came out of the kitchen after tidying up. Song Mingli said casually, "Xiaoxue came back late yesterday. Don't call him. Leave some food for him in the kitchen, and leave extra egg pancakes."
Aunt He was wiping her hands with a towel when she heard this, she paused and looked over with some confusion: "Young Master Xiaoxue left early this morning, didn't you know?"
-
SK Tower
With bread stuffed in her mouth and a small bag in her hand, Zou Xinlei hurriedly pushed open the office door and came in. Her low heels clicked on the floor. Before she even reached her workstation, she reached for the computer.
She received a request from a client at 11 a.m. yesterday, but the file was still on the company computer and hadn't been copied back. So she gritted her teeth and set an alarm for 6 a.m. the next day, and came over early to revise the plan.
Zou Xinlei swallowed the bread in two bites, glanced around and exclaimed, "Secretary Ying, you're here so early today too!"
Ying Shixue seemed to be looking for something by the small table. Hearing this, she looked up and smiled: "Sister Xinlei."
"I left work a little early yesterday, so I came early today to make up for the lost hours."
Zou Xinlei clicked her tongue in admiration, expressing both respect for someone who had never been a checkpoint attendee and the thought that he was truly a newcomer, so honest.
It was only a little past seven in the morning, half an hour before most people would arrive. Zou Xinlei's hands moved with lightning speed. A dozen minutes later, she pressed the send button with a beep, then breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back in her chair.
Only then did she have the mind to slowly continue munching on her bread, her phone switching to the entertainment screen as she prepared to slack off.
"Sister Xinlei, I remember we've collaborated with several medical companies before. Do you still have those documents from that time?"
Zou Xinlei turned around, and Ying Shixue smiled apologetically, with a touch of embarrassment typical of her age: "This time I was assigned to cooperate with Sheng'an, and it's my first time participating in such a big project. Secretary Tang asked me to make a presentation PPT, and I'd like to see if I can learn anything from similar projects in the past."
This kind of thing is indeed common, and Zou Xinlei put the bread aside and said, "Wait a minute, I'll find it for you."
Fortunately, SK always requires backups to be made by time and category after each project ends, so it's not difficult to find them. Ying Shixue's computer beeped twice, and Zou Xinlei turned her head: "Look, I've already sent it to you."
Ying Shixue: "Thank you, sister."
“Hey,” Zou Xinlei waved her hand, “It’s nothing.”
Ying Shixue returned to her seat and quickly scanned the document, but there was nothing wrong with either the date budget or the submission for review.
Ying Shixue frowned, and just as she was about to continue flipping through the pages, she suddenly heard a knocking sound coming from the doorway.
He subconsciously turned around and looked up. Song Mingli was wearing a black suit, the crisp fabric making his proportions appear even taller and more imposing. His expression at that moment was unreadable.
"Come to the morning meeting."
The office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. It was only then that Ying Shixue realized it was already eight o'clock and most of her colleagues had arrived.
Only after Song Mingli left did the stagnant air finally begin to move. A secretary who had also just arrived leaned back in her chair and let out a long sigh: "That scared me to death! How come the boss appeared without making a sound?"
The man next to him tapped his writing board on his desk: "Hurry up, or you'll be in big trouble again."
“I know,” the first person muttered, “but the morning meeting is usually at 8:30, why is it so early today…”
People were already starting to walk into the conference room. Ying Shixue looked away, closed the computer screen that had just opened, picked up her notebook and pen, and followed the crowd.
In the meeting room, the usual reports were given one by one. Fortunately, everything turned out alright in the end. Song Mingli gave a few instructions for today's tasks and then announced the adjournment of the meeting.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The meeting room was filled with the swishing sound of chairs sliding. Ying Shixue closed her pen and was about to turn around when Song Mingli suddenly spoke up: "Secretary Ying, please stay behind."
The people around paused, their gazes turning in their direction, intentionally or unintentionally. Zou Xinlei was also taken aback, thinking, "No way, why was Ying Mi kept behind again?"
If it were someone else who was kept on, people might speculate that the leader had an important task and was treating them differently. But Ying Mi had only been there for a little over a month, so it was unlikely to be a promotion or a raise.
Being kept after school at this time is like not finishing your homework in elementary school or being kept after school by the teacher for being naughty; it's not a good thing.
She glanced back with some concern, thinking that her boss probably wouldn't be so petty as to scold someone for leaving work a little early.
From her angle, all one could see was Ying Shixue's slender back and her pale profile as she stood up.
As the crowd dispersed, only the two of them remained in the large conference room. Song Mingli's expression softened, revealing a hint of helplessness: "Why are you leaving so early today? You always leave with me before."
Ying Shixue lowered her eyelashes: "I have some things to finish and need to come over and catch up."
He had changed into a different shirt this morning, tucking the hem into his belt to show off his clean lines. Two buttons on the collar were undone, revealing a slender but still attractive collarbone.
Song Mingli's gaze lingered on his neck for a moment before shifting away: "You went to bed late last night. If you can't finish your work, you can postpone it or just give it to me."
Ying Shixue: "...I understand."
Song Mingli frowned slightly, as if he felt that Ying Shixue didn't mean that at all when she said those words, but at least for now, everything seemed normal.
He reflected on his daily routine and schedule over the past two weeks since returning from the summit, wondering if he had overscheduled his work and neglected others.
His tone softened, and Song Mingli stood up and walked to his side. He was almost a head taller than Ying Shixue, and could easily see the top of her soft, fluffy hair and her straight nose.
"There's a nice art exhibition this Sunday. I'll have Tang Ronghan buy the tickets, shall we go check it out together?"
"Let's go to Yuanzhai tonight, make a reservation in advance... Is there anything you'd like to eat?"
If the group of people who just left the office in worry saw this, they would probably point to the sky in indignation and shout, "Boss, you don't usually talk like this!!"
The two stood very close, and he could almost smell a faint, fresh, and pleasant scent emanating from Ying Shixue, like a mixture of floral or fruity fragrances.
The toiletries are all purchased and replaced by the housekeeper according to the month and time. They should all be using the same kind, so why are Xiaoxue's so different? It makes people want to get closer and smell it more clearly.
As Song Mingli pondered, he casually planned out the rest of his work for the week, how to free up time, and how to ensure Xiaoxue had the best possible travel experience.
He didn't realize that he was subtly but undeniably closing the distance between them, inch by inch. The morning air was still a bit languid, and sunlight streamed in through the glass windows of the conference room, creating a beautiful atmosphere.
Suddenly, Ying Shixue turned her head, and Song Mingli snapped back to reality, only to find with surprise that he had almost completely forced her against the table.
Ying Shixue gripped the edge of the table with slightly firm fingers, her jawline taut.
Did I scare him?
Song Mingli took a step back, pondering.
A fleeting, soft touch lingered on her lips; it was from when they had been so close, when Ying Shixue turned her head and a strand of hair brushed against her.
If he lowered his head slightly, he might be able to touch the other person's forehead.
Song Mingli's Adam's apple bobbed imperceptibly.
Ying Shixue seemed to have finally broken free from some kind of confinement. She turned her face to the side and breathed heavily in the air that was flowing again. The tips of her eyelashes seemed to flutter violently like butterfly wings, but she controlled them so that they were not too obvious.
"I," Ying Shixue said, realizing her voice was a little hoarse. She took a deep breath to adjust it, and when she spoke again, her voice was calm and composed. "It's nothing. I might not be able to go. We'll see when the time comes."
Song Mingli raised an eyebrow and said casually, "You mean work? It's okay, I'll have them make time for you."
Ying Shixue pursed her lips and remained silent.
Song Mingli reached out to help Ying Shixue relieve his bitten lower lip, but Ying Shixue suddenly turned around, picked up the paper and pen that had fallen on the table, and just happened to avoid Song Mingli's fingers.
"Hmm...we'll talk about it later."
"I have to go back to work."
Like a beautiful bird that has temporarily stopped here, after a short rest, it will leisurely spread its wings and fly to the sky further away.
The heavy one-way glass doors of the conference room were opened and closed, the doors making a slight sound in the silence.
Song Mingli stood there, watching the person's departing figure, his palm slowly clenching.
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