Your health is important
Looking at the decisive man in front of him, Meng Yihe felt as if his heart had been struck hard by something, and that fluttering feeling that had left him at a loss swept over him again.
He ultimately said nothing, only pursed his lips, stood up, picked up his coat, and walked outside. As he passed Cui Yu, he paused and said in a very low voice, "...Be careful of their third clause's additional clauses."
Cui Yu was slightly taken aback, then a smile appeared in his eyes: "Don't worry."
After Meng Yihe left, the gentleness on Cui Yu's face quickly faded.
He picked up his phone and, as he strode toward his office, instructed Zhao Lei on the other end of the line: "Notify the other party to start the negotiations half an hour earlier. Also, send me all the historical cases and potential loopholes in the third clause's supplementary clause within five minutes."
Meng Yihe was practically escorted away from the company.
Sitting in the car on his way home, the street scenes rushing past the window couldn't help him concentrate. He could still feel the brief but warm touch of Cui Yu's palm on his forehead, and he could hear Cui Yu's words, "That's an order," followed by a deep "Don't worry," echoing in his ears.
This feeling of powerlessness from being forcibly removed from the battlefield is intertwined with the sense of security from being properly protected.
He tried to think about the details of the afternoon's negotiations, considering the pitfalls of the third clause's supplement, but his thoughts kept drifting to Cui Yu.
When I got home, the apartment was empty and quiet.
Meng Yihe poured herself a glass of water, but had no appetite. In the end, she simply collapsed wearily onto the sofa. Her body screamed for rest, but her mind was unusually clear, repeatedly simulating the possible confrontations that might occur at the negotiating table.
Time passed incredibly slowly.
After some time, his phone vibrated.
It wasn't a work account; it was a message from Cui Yu, consisting of only one picture.
Clicking on the image reveals a close-up of a document on the negotiating table—specifically, the thorny third clause supplement. Beside it, in a sharp, familiar handwriting, are written two words: "Repealed."
Below is a smaller line of text: "The cost was that Xin Mining conceded an extra 0.5 percentage points in profit, which is within an acceptable range. What do you think?"
It has been abolished.
Cui Yu actually found a breakthrough so quickly, and also laid the groundwork for his next decision.
He could even imagine Cui Yu at the negotiating table, effortlessly defusing the other party's difficult questions and turning the tables on them.
Meng Yihe stared at the line "What do you think?", her finger hovering over the screen for a long time.
He ultimately did not respond to the inquiry.
Meng Yihe knew that with Cui Yu's abilities, the pros and cons of that 0.5 point had already been calculated by him, and there was no need for her to say anything more.
He just stared at that picture for a very long time.
As evening fell, the doorbell rang, and Meng Yihe's heart skipped a beat. He walked to the door and looked out through the peephole.
Cui Yu stood outside the door. He had taken off his suit jacket and was only wearing a dark blue turtleneck sweater with a coat draped over his arm. His face showed a hint of fatigue from his busy work, but his eyes were still bright. He was also carrying a food box with the logo of a well-known light cuisine restaurant.
Meng Yihe took a deep breath and opened the door.
"Why are you here?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
"I'm here to report on the work progress to Director Meng, and by the way..." Cui Yu shook the food box in his hand, his smile showing a hint of fatigue, yet still composed, "to supervise the patients' meals."
"The negotiations are over. The general direction has been set. The legal department can handle the details." He walked into the apartment naturally past Meng Yihe, skillfully placed the food box on the coffee table in the living room, and then glanced at Meng Yihe's expression.
"She looks a little better than in the afternoon, but she still looks pale."
He made his judgment, and then, without saying a word, grabbed Meng Yihe's wrist and led him to sit down on the sofa.
"Sit down and eat."
The skin on Meng Yihe's wrist felt hot where it was being held. She instinctively tried to break free, but Cui Yu pressed her down onto the sofa without allowing her to refuse.
Cui Yu opened the food box, inside were light yet nutritionally balanced dishes and a bowl of soft, sticky porridge. The aroma wafted out, surprisingly arousing Meng Yihe's long-lost appetite.
"Have some porridge to warm your stomach first."
Cui Yu pushed the bowl of porridge in front of him, and then, as if by magic, took out a small strip of stomach medicine and a bottle of mineral water from his coat pocket and placed them beside him.
"Take your medicine half an hour after you finish eating." He arranged everything meticulously, to an outrageous degree.
Meng Yihe looked at the porridge and medicine in front of her, then looked up at Cui Yu, who was standing by the coffee table, looking down at his phone as if replying to the last few work messages.
This person had just fought a tough battle at the negotiating table, and in the blink of an eye, he could appear at his doorstep with food and medicine.
Seamlessly switch roles.
"you……"
Meng Yihe opened his mouth, wanting to ask, "Have you eaten?" but felt that the question was too ambiguous; he wanted to ask about the "negotiation details", but felt that asking that at this moment would be too out of place. In the end, he only managed to squeeze out a dry "...thank you".
Cui Yu looked up from her phone screen, glanced at him, and smiled.
"You're welcome. After all, the health management guidelines are still valid." He brought up that universal excuse again.
Meng Yihe lowered her head, picked up the spoon, and silently began to drink the porridge. The warm porridge slid into her stomach, and she felt much more comfortable.
The bowl of porridge was empty, and the warmth in my stomach dispelled some of the discomfort.
Meng Yihe put down his spoon, feeling as if he had truly recovered some of his energy. He looked up and saw that Cui Yu had put down his phone sometime earlier and was leaning back in the single sofa opposite him, quietly watching him. Those eyes, which always held a hint of playfulness or shrewdness, now held only an unfathomable focus.
Their eyes met.
Meng Yihe's heart suddenly raced, and he subconsciously looked away, his gaze falling on the plate of stomach medicine next to him.
"Take the medicine... in half an hour."
Meng Yihe stiffly repeated Cui Yu's words, trying to break the unsettling silence, and also as a reminder to herself to keep her distance.
"Mm," Cui Yu responded, his voice low and hoarse.
He seemed to sense the unusual stillness in the air, coughed lightly, sat up straighter, and his tone regained its usual calmness, but was much gentler than usual.
Are you feeling better?
"Much better." Meng Yihe nodded, still not looking at him. "Thank you for your hard work this afternoon."
It sounded a bit awkward, but it was the truth. Meng Yihe couldn't imagine whether she would really mess things up at the crucial moment if she forced herself to stay.
"It's part of my job," Cui Yu replied casually. "The other side didn't get any benefits either; the third clause was changed according to our wishes. Although the cost was not small, it was worth it in the long run."
Meng Yihe hummed in response, unsure of what else to say. Asking for details seemed inappropriate, and silence fell between them once more.
The sun had completely set.
The main light in the apartment was off; only a floor lamp next to the sofa emitted a warm yellow glow, blurring the outlines of the two people.
Cui Yu's gaze fell on Meng Yihe again, and she suddenly spoke, her voice exceptionally clear in the quiet room: "Have you... lost weight recently?"
Meng Yihe was slightly taken aback, and subconsciously retorted, "No."
"Yes." Cui Yu's tone was very certain. He even leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping over Meng Yihe's shoulders and collarbone. "I noticed it when you changed the dressing last time. Have you not been eating properly since you were discharged from the hospital?"
Meng Yihe felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and subconsciously sat up straighter, trying to avoid his overly penetrating eyes.
"I'm just busy with work," he tried to brush it off with the most ordinary excuse.
“Being busy with work is not an excuse,” Cui Yu persisted, her brows furrowing slightly.
"The first rule of health management is to eat regularly and in fixed quantities."
"Director Meng, it seems you haven't followed any of these rules."
He started speaking in that slightly reproachful yet reasonable tone again, and Meng Yihe felt a wave of helplessness: "Cui Yu, I'm not a child who needs to be watched all the time."
These words came out of his mouth so easily that even Meng Yihe herself was taken aback.
Cui Yu clearly noticed the unusual emotion in his tone, his gaze paused for a moment, then softened. He sighed softly, the sound particularly clear in the quiet room.
"I know you're not."
Cui Yu's voice lowered, carrying an almost gentle patience.
"But you'll forget, or think it doesn't matter. Just like this afternoon."
He looked at Meng Yihe with deep eyes, as if trying to see into his heart: "Meng Yihe, your health is very important, at least it is very important to me."
This statement is too vague and too dangerous.
It can be interpreted as concern for important work partners, or it can be interpreted as something more.
Meng Yihe's heart pounded wildly, and the blood seemed to rush to his cheeks. He looked up and met Cui Yu's unwavering gaze. In those eyes were concern, seriousness, and an emotion he dared not delve into.
Meng Yihe opened her mouth, wanting to ask him what he meant, wanting him not to speak so ambiguously, wanting him to stay away from her... but all the words were stuck in her throat, and she couldn't say a single word.
He could only stare blankly at him, completely losing all his defenses in that warm yellow halo and in those overly straightforward yet profoundly meaningful words.
Cui Yu didn't say anything more, but just looked at him quietly.
After a long while, Cui Yu slowly stood up. He didn't approach any further, but simply picked up the sachet of stomach medicine and the bottled water and placed them on the coffee table in front of Meng Yihe.
"It's almost time, take your medicine." Cui Yu's voice regained its usual calm.
“I have to go.” Cui Yu picked up his coat from the sofa. “I’ll pick you up for work tomorrow morning, and while I’m at it… I’ll supervise breakfast.” Then, without waiting for Meng Yihe to react, he turned and walked to the door, opened it, and left.
The apartment door closed gently.
Meng Yihe sat alone on the sofa, clutching the slightly cool stomach medicine in her hand, the sound of Cui Yu's last words and the door closing echoing in her ears.
The calm did not last long.
First, there was the Xinghai project's command center in Linnan Pingshan Town.
The site was attacked by unidentified individuals late at night. Although no one was seriously injured, office equipment was smashed, some important paper documents were destroyed, and the scene was in a mess, forcing the project to be suspended.
Following this, an anonymous whistleblower letter alleging "serious safety hazards" and "data falsification" at the Xinghai Rare Earth Mine project appeared in the inboxes of several important regulatory departments and authoritative media outlets.
The whistleblower letter contained detailed information, and the fabricated data was highly misleading.
The most fatal blow comes from personnel issues.
A mid-level technical manager responsible for the backup and management of core data for the LinNan project, along with two of his key subordinates, submitted their resignations on the same morning, failing to hand over their work as stipulated in their contracts, and subsequently disappeared without a trace. All indications point to Dingsheng Capital poaching them with high salaries, taking a large amount of critical technology and data with them.
When the news reached Starworld headquarters, it was another busy morning.
Meng Yihe's office door was suddenly pushed open, and Lin Xueyue rushed in with a pale face before even knocking, her voice urgent: "Director Meng! Something has happened to Lin Nan!" She quickly and clearly reported the three serious incidents that had occurred in succession.
Meng Yihe's face instantly turned ashen.
He stood up abruptly: "The situation is worse than I expected. Make arrangements immediately. I will personally go to Linnan to handle the on-site and personnel issues."
"No." A voice immediately interrupted him.
Cui Yu appeared at the doorway at some point, clearly having been notified by Zhao Lei beforehand. His expression was equally grim. He walked in, nodded to Lin Xueyue, and gestured for her to leave first.
After the door closed gently, Cui Yu looked at Meng Yihe and spoke in a calm tone.
“It is not suitable for you to go to Linnan now, especially Pingshan Town.”
Meng Yihe frowned.
“Cui Yu, now is not the time for hesitation. The project is stalled, public opinion is escalating, and core data may be leaked. I must…”
“You must ensure your absolute safety first.” Cui Yu interrupted him. “Ji Nan’s methods are becoming more and more unscrupulous. Last time it was to induce Chu Shen to kidnap, what will it be next time? I can’t let you take that risk again.”
“That’s my duty,” Meng Yihe tried to emphasize, her tone not harsh but more anxious. “I can’t just sit idly by.”
"No one is asking you to sit idly by." Cui Yu took a step forward, closing the distance, and lowered his voice, making it sound even more serious.
"We'll manage it together."
“From now on, all decisions regarding the Lin Nan crisis will be made jointly. If external coordination and handling are needed, I will arrange the personnel, or I will go myself.” He stared into Meng Yihe’s eyes and said, word by word, “But you absolutely cannot go to Lin Nan alone. That’s the bottom line.”
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