Wouldn't this be considered crossing the river and then burning the bridge?
Cui Yu deliberately imitated the tone of Mencius' mother's voice, each word carrying a strong sense of amusement and teasing.
Meng Yihe suddenly turned her head and glared at him: "Shut up!"
"Shut up?"
Cui Yu didn't shut up; instead, she smiled and walked over from the door, approaching Meng Yihe step by step.
"If I really kept quiet, who helped you see those 'surprises' off? Hmm? Director Meng, wouldn't you call this... crossing the river and burning the bridge?"
He stopped in front of Meng Yihe, the two of them very close. Cui Yu lowered his head slightly, looking into Meng Yihe's eyes, which were exceptionally bright with anger, and lowered his voice, the teasing tone becoming even stronger, with a hint of dangerous ambiguity.
"But speaking of which, that Miss Chen seems quite gentle and beautiful, hmm? Your mother has good taste."
He deliberately spoke ironically, carefully observing Meng Yihe's reaction.
"Cui Yu!" Meng Yihe almost roared, his hands clenching unconsciously. The string of reason was on the verge of snapping; every word Cui Yu uttered was like pouring oil on his burning rage.
"What? Did I say something wrong?" Cui Yu raised an eyebrow, not only did he not back down, but he took another half step closer, almost touching Meng Yihe. The faint scent of cedar on his body carried a strong sense of aggression.
"Or is it that...Director Meng actually doesn't like the gentle type of Omega?"
His gaze was incredibly penetrating, as if he wanted to see directly into Meng Yihe's heart.
"you……"
Meng Yihe was speechless with anger, his breathing becoming rapid. Cui Yu's approach brought a strong sense of oppression, mixed with that familiar yet unsettling aura, making his mind almost stop thinking. He wanted to push the other away, but his body felt as if it were nailed to the spot.
Seeing Meng Yihe so angry she couldn't speak, her eyes slightly red, Cui Yu's smile deepened and became more intense.
He knew the time was almost right.
Cui Yu suddenly dropped his teasing expression and his tone became slightly more serious: "Alright, I won't tease you anymore."
He raised his hand, seemingly wanting to pat Meng Yihe's shoulder, but then changed his mind and simply pointed towards the study: "Didn't we say we were going to work overtime to process the 'Blue Ocean' documents? If we keep standing here, wouldn't that just confirm that we lied to your mother?"
He used work as an excuse to give Meng Yihe a way out, and also to give himself a reasonable reason to stay.
Meng Yihe suddenly came to her senses.
Yes, he used working overtime as an excuse before.
Besides, they came here today specifically to work.
He glared at Cui Yu fiercely, blaming him for everything, then strode towards the study almost through gritted teeth, throwing down the words: "Come on, finish reading the documents and get out of here!" But his back view looked more like he was fleeing in panic.
Cui Yu followed slowly.
Walk?
Having finally gained entry into the inner sanctum, we're not about to leave so easily.
The study door was pushed open and closed with considerable force by Meng Yihe, making quite a noise. It seemed to be venting the owner's restlessness that had nowhere to go.
He went straight to his desk, sat down, and turned on his computer with exaggerated movements, deliberately creating a noisy, busy atmosphere. He was trying to re-arm himself with the shell of work, isolating himself from the absurd farce that had just occurred.
Cui Yu followed in at a leisurely pace, looking around the study with great interest.
The style is just like the living room: minimalist, cool, and efficient.
The huge bookshelves were crammed with professional books and project documents, with almost no personal decorations in sight. The only exception was a metal bookmark that looked quite old, placed next to the computer.
"Tsk, just like you," Cui Yu commented, his tone neither praising nor criticizing. He very naturally pulled out the chair opposite the desk and sat down.
Meng Yihe ignored him.
His eyes were glued to the screen, his fingers clattering on the keyboard as he pulled up the "Blue Ocean Technology" file, trying to immerse himself completely in it.
However, Cui Yu's presence was simply too strong.
Even if he didn't speak, just sitting there quietly, the faint scent of cedar and the playful gaze that always lingered on him were like invisible interference waves, constantly interrupting Meng Yihe's attempts to concentrate.
"On the third page, in the second paragraph, the promise regarding the data interface response time differs from what they verbally stated before," Meng Yihe said curtly, trying to cover up her embarrassment with a work-related conversation and implying that the other party should "focus."
"Yes, I saw it," Cui Yu replied, sounding very focused, but the next second she changed the subject.
"However, Director Meng, it seems like something is missing from your study."
Meng Yihe paused in typing, then asked irritably, "What's missing?"
“Just a little bit to drink,” Cui Yu said matter-of-factly.
"When working overtime, how can you not let your partners have a sip of water? Coffee, tea, or water will do."
He adopted a posture of preparing for a long-term battle.
Meng Yihe took a deep breath, telling himself to calm down. He suddenly stood up and walked out of the study without saying a word.
After a while, he returned with a glass of water. He placed it heavily on the table in front of Cui Yu, almost spilling the water.
"Thank you." Cui Yu smiled and took the drink, taking a slow sip before commenting, "Hmm, the temperature is just right."
Meng Yihe felt like she was about to smash the computer in his face.
He sat down again, forcing himself back to the document: "Page five, the test environment in the appendix is inconsistent with what's described in their main document; this could be a trap."
"Sharp eye." Cui Yu agreed, but then added, "However, more than that, I'm curious... was Director Meng really completely unaware of what happened with Ms. Chen earlier?" He asked casually, but the probing in his eyes was undisguised.
Meng Yihe finally reached her breaking point.
The laptop screen slammed shut with a "snap," the sound echoing in the study.
He raised his head, his gaze shooting towards Cui Yu like a sharp arrow.
"Cui Yu, what exactly do you want? If you're here to laugh at us, you can leave now! If you're here to work, shut up and focus on the documents!"
His chest heaved with anger, and his cheeks flushed red with emotion. His usually cold eyes were now burning with fire, making them appear unusually vivid.
Seeing his finally bristling expression, Cui Yu wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, he seemed to have finally satisfied some kind of wicked pleasure and chuckled softly. He put down his water glass, leaned forward, crossed his arms on the desk, and his gaze finally turned serious: "Okay, let's get down to business."
His tone instantly switched back to professional mode, as if he wasn't the one who had been constantly provoking him just moments before.
“The two issues you just mentioned are both crucial. But I think the biggest risk is actually hidden in the disclaimer on page seven. They’re trying to shift most of the compatibility risks onto us. This clause must be rewritten.” He began to analyze the issue clearly, pointing to key paragraphs on the paper document.
Meng Yihe was taken aback by his sudden change.
He could only forcefully suppress his awkwardness, reopen his computer, and follow the other person's train of thought with a straight face: "And their vague statements about the ownership of intellectual property rights must also be clarified here..."
The atmosphere in the study finally returned to their familiar "overtime" mode.
A lively discussion replaced the previous awkwardness and banter, and time slipped away quietly amidst the intense discussions and meticulous analysis of the terms. Outside the window, the city was completely shrouded in night, with only scattered lights remaining. Inside the study, the piles of papers and the flashing cursor on the screen bore witness to the efficiency of the period that followed.
The last questionable clause has been marked.
With their initial negotiation strategy largely in place, both men breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's about it." Cui Yu rubbed his slightly sore neck and let out a long sigh. "Let Wu Hao and the others handle the remaining details tomorrow."
Meng Yihe stretched her stiff shoulders and glanced at the time in the lower right corner of the computer screen; it was almost eleven o'clock.
"Hmm," he responded softly, saved the document, and shut down his computer.
Cui Yu stood up and began to slowly and methodically pack the documents he had brought.
Meng Yihe also stood up.
Logically, he should have seen the guests off after work, but the words "You can go now" stuck in his throat, and he couldn't quite say them.
“So,” Cui Yu began, a slight smile playing on his lips, no longer the mocking one from before, “was today’s ‘overtime’ task successfully completed? Is Director Meng satisfied?”
Meng Yihe avoided his gaze and looked away, trying to regain her usual indifference in her tone, but it inexplicably lacked some strength: "...The efficiency is alright, you can go back now."
Cui Yu chuckled softly, took two steps forward, and stopped in front of the desk, standing a table's distance from Meng Yihe.
He didn't leave immediately, but suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question: "So, if I need to 'work overtime' again next time, I'll still come to your place, or..."
He drew out his words, his gaze fixed on Meng Yihe's slightly pursed lips.
"Come to my place?"
The question was asked so naturally, as if we were just discussing the next work location.
Meng Yihe's heart skipped a beat.
He looked up and met Cui Yu's gaze, which seemed particularly deep under the light.
There was laughter, exhaustion, and earnestness in it.
He opened his mouth, wanting to refuse immediately and tell him to leave quickly. But the words that came out changed: "...We'll see how it goes."
This was hardly an answer, but it deepened the smile in Cui Yu's eyes.
He didn't ask any more questions, he just nodded.
"Okay." He finally turned around and walked towards the study door.
Meng Yihe subconsciously followed behind him, as if to see him off. Reaching the entrance, Cui Yu stopped, changed his shoes, straightened up, and looked at Meng Yihe again.
"I'm leaving," he said, his voice unusually clear in the quiet night.
"Mm," Meng Yihe replied, her hand on the doorknob. The door closed gently behind her, shutting out the light from the outside corridor and the figure carrying the scent of cedar.
Last night's "overtime work" and the unexpected "home visit" had taken a toll on Meng Yihe's mind, and she fell into a deep sleep, even missing her usual morning alarm.
Meng Yihe was awakened by the continuous vibration of her phone.
As dawn broke outside the window, the morning light filtered through the gaps in the blinds, cutting diagonal lines across the cool-toned bedroom floor. Meng Yihe frowned, fumbling for her phone on the bedside table. The screen flashed with over a dozen missed calls and a bunch of message notifications.
Most of them came from Lin Xueyue and Zhao Lei, starting half an hour ago.
The last message was sent by Lin Xueyue a minute ago: 【Director Meng, emergency! Please call back immediately upon seeing this!】
The last vestiges of sleepiness vanished instantly, and Meng Yihe sat up abruptly, dialing the number back.
"Director Meng!" Lin Xueyue's voice rang out almost immediately, hoarse and tense, "You finally answered the phone! Something's happened!"
"Speak." Meng Yihe's voice was still low from just waking up, but she was fully awake.
“Starting from the early hours of the morning, a large number of smear articles suddenly appeared online, targeting ‘Beichen Light’! The titles were all sensational, such as ‘North District Planning May Be a Pipeline, ‘Beichen Light’s’ Future is Worrying’ and ‘Unveiling the Huge Risks Behind ‘Xinghuan’s’ Gamble’. The content quoted a lot of out-of-context data and pessimistic predictions from so-called ‘experts’, and the target was very clear!”
Meng Yihe threw off the covers and got out of bed, her bare feet touching the cold floor as she walked towards the study: "Have you found the source?"
"The major publishing platforms are very discreet, with obvious signs of paid commentators. However, preliminary analysis suggests that 'Dingsheng Capital' may be behind it. Their methods are very professional and not typical of ordinary media operations."
Lin Xueyue spoke quickly: "Three investors who have made initial contact and one potential brand have already sent emails, carefully inquiring about the situation."
"I understand." Meng Yihe's voice was as cold as ice.
"Notify the public relations department that I need to see their initial response plan online in 30 minutes—not an explanation, but a counterattack. Have the data team immediately provide me with a detailed public opinion analysis and dissemination path report."
"Yes, Director Meng!"
After hanging up the phone, Meng Yihe quickly turned on his phone. The screen was instantly filled with news notifications and alerts; he glanced at the alarming headlines. Just as he was about to call Cui Yu, a call request popped up first.
Meng Yihe answered the call immediately.
"Director Meng, did you see the 'appetizer' this morning?" Cui Yu's tone didn't reveal much surprise, but rather seemed more like confirmation.
“Hmm.” Meng Yihe replied while quickly browsing the webpage, “‘Dingsheng’s’ actions are quite despicable.”
"Not too surprising." Cui Yu's voice came through the receiver, tinged with sarcasm.
"They failed to secure land and were overshadowed by us at the summit, so they need to create some buzz to reassert their presence. This kind of public relations campaign is low-cost and quick to produce results; it's a common tactic they use."
"What's the situation on your end?" Meng Yihe asked.
"Zhao Lei reported this five minutes ago, and the content is almost the same. We have already asked the operations department and the legal department to work together to collect evidence and prepare to send lawyer's letters to the media outlets that are making the most noise. Regardless of whether it will be useful or not, we have to make a gesture first."
Cui Yu's approach was direct and efficient.
"In addition, we are compiling positive data and expert opinions that are favorable to us, and we need your strategy department's cooperation to quickly produce a batch of substantial content to offset this."
“Okay. Lin Xueyue has already coordinated.” Meng Yihe paused. “Online meeting, in 15 minutes.”
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