There's something important we need to discuss.
Meng Yihe forced herself to focus on the contract terms on the screen, trying to ignore the lingering, strange feeling in her heart from being called "Brother Meng".
Cui Yu didn't say anything more and seemed to get absorbed in her work.
However, this peace was soon shattered.
Lin Xueyue received an internal call, his tone cautious: "Director Meng, Vice President Li from Dingsheng is here. He didn't make an appointment, but he insists on seeing you immediately, saying he has urgent business to discuss regarding the previous 'Joint Development Proposal'."
Meng Yihe's brows furrowed instantly.
Li, the vice president of Dingsheng, is also known for being difficult to deal with. So-called "consultations" often mean pressure and wrangling. Under normal circumstances, he would never avoid meeting with them and would even be happy to fight them.
But now...
He glanced at Cui Yu on the sofa almost subconsciously.
Cui Yu had put down the documents and was looking at him. The teasing in his eyes was gone, replaced by a calm assessment.
"Tell him I'm busy right now," Meng Yihe coldly instructed Lin Xueyue, trying to avoid this confrontation that would obviously consume a lot of her energy.
"Director Meng, Vice President Li said... if you don't see him, he will wait for you in the meeting room until you get off work." Lin Xueyue's voice sounded somewhat troubled.
That's just being a scoundrel.
Meng Yihe's face darkened. He took a deep breath, preparing to have Lin Xueyue bring the person in and get rid of him as quickly as possible.
“Tell him to come to my office,” Cui Yu suddenly said.
He had stood up at some point and straightened his suit jacket.
Meng Yihe and Lin Xueyue were both stunned for a moment.
"Cui Yu?" Meng Yihe looked at him with a question in his eyes. This matter was originally within his scope of responsibility.
Cui Yu walked to his desk, placed her hands on the table, leaned forward slightly, and looked at him calmly.
"It's just a dying proposal, not worth Director Meng's time and energy. You've just been discharged from the hospital and need to rest. Leave this kind of strenuous work to me."
But this time, Meng Yihe did not immediately refute.
He seemed to see the certainty and protectiveness in Cui Yu's eyes. Cui Yu wasn't questioning his abilities, but genuinely wanted to divert trouble away from him.
"I can handle it," Meng Yihe insisted, but her tone was not as absolute as before.
“I know you can handle it.” Cui Yu smiled, his tone softening.
"But why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? I'm better suited to deal with this kind of person than you are. You should conserve your energy for more important decisions."
Before Meng Yihe could say anything more, Cui Yu straightened up and instructed Lin Xueyue on the other end of the phone: "Lin Xueyue, bring Vice President Li to my office and tell him that he can talk to me directly if he has any suggestions."
"Yes, Director Cui!" Lin Xueyue immediately replied, feeling relieved.
Cui Yu nodded to Meng Yihe and turned to walk out.
As he reached the door, he seemed to suddenly remember something, turned back, and added, "Oh, and don't forget to drink water. I'll be right back."
The door closed gently.
Meng Yihe was left alone in the office again.
He suddenly felt that the space, which had seemed a bit crowded just moments before, was now too quiet and empty. His attention involuntarily drifted toward the office next door, imagining how Cui Yu would deal with that troublesome Vice President Li.
Is it a smile hiding a dagger? Or a direct and straightforward approach?
He found himself surprisingly at ease.
This kind of reassurance is different from trust in a subordinate's abilities. It's a sense of security that you're certain the other person can solve the problem perfectly and will keep out all unfavorable factors.
This realization made Meng Yihe's heart skip a beat.
He picked up the water glass beside him in frustration and took a big gulp.
Cui Yu neither stripped him of his power nor questioned his abilities; he simply shielded him from unnecessary expenses and troubles in a more natural manner.
This feeling of being protected... is very unfamiliar and disturbing.
Meng Yihe put down his water glass and rubbed his temples vigorously. He found it increasingly difficult to define his relationship with Cui Yu.
Inside Cui Yu's office.
The atmosphere was filled with the invisible glint of swords.
Vice President Li, a slightly overweight, shrewd-eyed middle-aged man, was sitting in the guest seat, trying to appear composed, but his slightly forward-leaning posture and somewhat hurried speech betrayed his urgency.
"President Cui, as you can see, the joint development proposal put forward by Dingsheng is definitely a win-win situation."
Vice President Li pushed a document over.
"Xinghai is technologically advanced, but it's a newcomer. The situation in Linnan is complex. With the support of our Dingsheng local resources, the approval process and coordination with local relationships will be much more efficient!"
Cui Yu leaned back in his large office chair, his fingertips casually tapping the armrest. His usual smile was on his face, but his eyes were like sharp blades, scrutinizing every word the other person spoke.
“Mr. Li is right,” Cui Yu said, his tone gentle, even showing a hint of agreement.
"Local resources are indeed important. However, I'm curious, what exactly does Dingsheng mean by 'resource support'? Is it helping us get that... well, the additional security review procedures for foreign investment that are being pushed forward by the Chamber of Commerce?"
Vice President Li's smile froze for a moment, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
"President Cui is really well-informed. However, those are just preliminary ideas proposed by some people and are still under discussion, so they don't count. Dingsheng has been operating locally for many years and has good connections in various aspects. We can naturally resolve this kind of minor trouble."
"Oh? Is that so?" Cui Yu raised an eyebrow slightly.
He picked up another document on the table that didn't look like an official document, his tone still relaxed.
"But I've heard that Dingsheng seems to be facing quite a few problems lately. For example... there seems to be some controversy surrounding the safety certification of the tailings dam for that lithium mine project in the west of the city? Vice Chairman Wang, who was so eager to push for this, seems to be quite busy lately?"
Vice President Li's face changed instantly, and beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. The two points Cui Yu mentioned were both sensitive issues that Dingsheng was trying its best to suppress.
How could he know so much?!
"President Cui...where did you hear this rumor? This is absolutely a misunderstanding! All of Dingsheng's projects are legal and compliant..." Vice President Li hurriedly explained, his tone already showing obvious panic.
"Don't be nervous, Mr. Li," Cui Yu interrupted him with a smile, casually tossing the document back onto the table.
"I've only heard about it; it might just be a rumor."
"After all, there are so many rumors these days, it's hard to tell what's true and what's false, right?"
He made a pointed remark, his gaze sweeping over the so-called "joint development proposal" brought by Vice President Li.
Vice President Li's face flushed red and then turned pale. He finally understood that Cui Yu was clearly telling him: I know all about your underhanded tricks and your mess.
Do they want to use so-called "local resources" to control Xinghai?
dream.
Cui Yu stopped looking at him, slowly picked up the teacup, blew on it to cool it, took a sip, and acted as if she were leisurely sipping tea.
Immense pressure weighed on Vice President Li.
He originally wanted to put pressure on Meng Yihe by taking advantage of her recent discharge from the hospital and her possibly poor condition, but he didn't expect to run into Cui Yu, who was an even harder and colder obstacle.
The other side not only knew their every move, but they even had their underwear almost completely exposed!
“President Cui…” Vice President Li’s voice was hoarse as he made a last-ditch effort, “Actually… these things are all negotiable… Dingsheng is coming with the utmost sincerity…”
"Sincerity?"
Cui Yu put down his teacup with a soft, crisp sound, interrupting the other person. The smile on his face faded, and his eyes turned cold.
"Mr. Li, my time is very precious. Let's be frank and speak openly."
He leaned forward, his gaze fixed on Vice President Li.
"Go back and tell President Ji that Dingsheng doesn't need to worry about the Xinghai project. She'd better clean up her own messes. If there are any more 'sudden visits' like today that disturb my people's rest..."
Cui Yu lowered his voice, carrying a cold threat: "I don't mind putting those rumors I just mentioned, and other news that everyone might be interested in, on the table for everyone to discuss."
"So, who do you think will be in more trouble when the time comes?"
Vice President Li slumped into his chair, his face ashen. He had no doubt about the truthfulness of Cui Yu's words.
This man is absolutely capable of doing it!
“I…I understand, President Cui.” Vice President Li’s voice was almost squeezed out of his throat. He hurriedly put away the proposal that hadn’t even been opened, and stood up awkwardly.
"Excuse me, I... I'll take my leave now."
"Take care, don't bother seeing me out." Cui Yu leaned back in his chair, his gentle smile returning to his face.
Vice President Li practically staggered as he fled Cui Yu's office.
After the door closed, Cui Yu's smile slowly faded. He picked up the internal phone and dialed Lin Xueyue's extension.
"Lin Xueyue, Vice President Li has left. If anyone from Dingsheng tries to contact or disturb Director Meng in any way afterward, stop them immediately and report it to me."
"Yes, Director Cui!"
After hanging up the phone, Cui Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Dealing with these flies is easy, but it's still unpleasant.
After dealing with the incident with Vice President Li, Cui Yu did not immediately return to Meng Yihe's office. He sat back down in his office chair and quickly and efficiently handled several urgent official matters that had been delayed due to the meeting.
About half an hour later.
Cui Yu confirmed that Meng Yihe should have a period of undisturbed "quiet working time" before getting up, straightening his wrinkle-free suit, and walking calmly to the next room.
He knocked symbolically on Meng Yihe's office door, and without waiting for a response, he pushed the door open and entered.
Meng Yihe was sitting behind his desk, his computer screen lit up, seemingly reviewing emails. Hearing the noise, he looked up and his eyes met Cui Yu's.
"Is it all done?" Meng Yihe's voice was flat and emotionless.
"Hmm, just a buzzing fly. I've got rid of it." Cui Yu walked to the chair opposite his desk and sat down. "Did I bother you?"
Meng Yihe did not answer the question, but only glanced at him before looking back at the screen and sliding her fingertip across the mouse.
He knew in his heart that Cui Yu's approach was most likely the most direct and effective, saving him a lot of unnecessary words.
"What does he want to say?" Meng Yihe finally asked, out of a sense of responsibility for the project.
"It's the same old story. They wanted to use their so-called local resources to get a share of the pie, and also to test your condition." Cui Yu smiled. "They were scared off when I brought up their own messy accounts."
He spoke lightly, but Meng Yihe could imagine that the confrontation at the time was by no means so mild.
People from Dingsheng, especially those sent by Ji Nan, are not so easy to deal with.
"Next time, there's no need for this..."
Meng Yihe wanted to say, "You don't need to interfere," but the words caught in his throat, and he felt it would seem ungrateful. Moreover, subconsciously, he didn't reject this kind of easy way out, so he awkwardly changed his mind.
"...No need to waste time."
"Okay, next time we'll try to finish quickly so as not to waste Director Meng's precious time."
Cui Yu's words sounded like an agreement, but in reality, they were completely insincere.
Meng Yihe was too lazy to argue with him anymore and turned her attention back to her work.
The office quieted down for a while, but Cui Yu didn't leave. He just sat there leisurely, looking at his phone, only in a different spot to keep her company.
After a while.
Cui Yu suddenly raised his head, as if he had remembered something very important, and his tone became serious: "By the way, Director Meng, there is something important I need to discuss with you."
Meng Yihe looked up from in front of the screen at him, her eyes filled with questions.
The important matters that Cui Yu speaks of in this tone are usually not simple.
Cui Yu put down his phone, leaned forward, and looked as serious as if he were discussing a multi-billion dollar merger: "Do you have any suggestions about gifts for visiting your aunt and uncle this weekend?"
Meng Yihe: "..."
He almost thought he had misheard.
A gift? Is this what he calls "serious business"?
A sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart again, and he knew that this matter would not be so easily resolved.
Seeing Cui Yu's serious expression that said "this matter is of utmost importance and must be treated with utmost care," Meng Yihe took a deep breath, trying to dissuade him from this idea.
"It's unnecessary. My parents don't care about these formalities."
“How can that be?” Cui Yu immediately retorted, with a valid reason: “Etiquette is a basic aspect of upbringing. If I come empty-handed on my first visit, what will your aunt think of me? She might think I’m inconsiderate and don’t value her son enough.”
"Whatever you want, do whatever you think is best."
Meng Yihe didn't want to dwell on this issue and just wanted to end the topic as soon as possible.
“That won’t do.” Cui Yu persisted, even taking out his tablet and opening a shopping website, “Only by catering to their preferences can I show my sincerity.”
"What are your hobbies, Uncle? Drinking tea? Playing chess? Or collecting things? What about Aunt? What brands or styles does she like? Skincare products? Jewelry? Or does she prefer practical things?" He bombarded me with a series of questions, showing his utmost sincerity and enthusiasm.
Meng Yihe felt her scalp tingle from his question.
He was usually busy with work and although he had a general understanding of his parents' preferences, he had never thought about them in such detail before.
Moreover, discussing this with Cui Yu made Meng Yihe feel extremely uncomfortable, as if the two of them were actually preparing for some important family visit.
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