Blazing Sun~Chapter 14

 

Chapter 14

I didn't respond to my father's offer to transfer shares to me. Meanwhile, Lin Yusen, without my father's obstruction, smoothly proceeded with the share transfer process.

At the same time, company affairs were progressing smoothly. The expanded factory area was nearing completion, requiring arrangements for finishing touches and a series of inspections; the company purchased two second-hand production lines from a struggling photovoltaic module manufacturer in Chengdu, signing a contract before the new year, but the equipment hadn't arrived yet, so they needed to recruit relevant technical personnel first. There was also a visit to the Shanghai D University Photovoltaic Research Institute to discuss establishing a joint laboratory in Suzhou.

Of course, I was just an observer in these matters; my primary job was still doing my part in finance. Amidst the hustle and bustle, April arrived.

On the first weekend of April, Lin Yusen was going to Shanghai for a three-day neurosurgery forum and asked if I wanted to go with him, "You might find it boring."

"Yes."

Having just survived the financial month-end hell, I couldn't wait to get out and about. As for boredom, what could be more tedious and torturous than spending an hour troubleshooting a mismatched report?

Because he had his first lecture on Friday morning, we left for Shanghai after get off work on Thursday, for which I even used my precious compensatory time off.

On the way, Lin Yusen proactively asked me where I was staying in Shanghai.

“Of course I want you to stay at my place. I'm worried about you staying in a hotel alone for three days, but if you stay at my place, I'm afraid your mother won't be at ease. Your mother's peace of mind is more important.”

I seized on the key point: “So my safety isn't as important as my mom's feelings for you, right?”

“…” Lin Yusen surrendered without hesitation, “I'm sorry for saying too much.”

Hehe~

So, if you find the right angle, it's always the boyfriend who's wrong.

Having decided where to stay, I secretly started thinking. Hotels near Lin Yusen's house cost two or three thousand a night last New Year's Day. Even though it's not a holiday these days, it probably won't be cheap either. Three days… might cost more than a month's salary.

Although it wasn't that I couldn't afford it, and Lin Yusen might even insist on paying, it still felt like such a waste. That money would be better spent on food. Thinking about it, I suddenly felt emboldened. After a moment's hesitation, I sent a message to my mom.

"Mom, I told you I was coming to Shanghai with Lin Yusen for a few days, right? The apartment you gave me isn't ready yet, and I don't want to stay in a hotel alone—I'm a little scared, and it's too expensive. His house is big, and the guest room has a private bathroom. Can I stay there? I promise it's safe!"

I revised and edited for a long time before sending it, then waited anxiously for a reply. Lately, I'd been mentioning Lin Yusen's words and actions to my mom, hoping to improve her opinion of me…

Ten minutes passed without a reply. Just when I thought it was hopeless and I was about to get scolded, my mother's message arrived: four words—"Don't do it again."

That means she agrees, right?!

I read the reply twice and excitedly told Lin Yusen the good news: "I have great news! I just messaged my mom to ask if I could stay at your place, and she agreed, saying it's a one-time thing, so we can save money!"

"What?" Lin Yusen, who was driving, didn't react with joy at first, but rather with a change in expression. "What did you say? Read your message to me."

What's going on?

"...I just said I'd stay in your guest room when I go to Shanghai."

Lin Yusen sighed as he drove: "Nie Xiguang, I have a suggestion for you. Next time you make a decision with such high risks, could you discuss it with me beforehand?"

I was confused: "How are they high risks?"

"What if your mom thinks I encouraged you behind the scenes? My personal rating will drop, maybe even drop to zero."

"...You're overthinking it."

"Not at all." Lin Yusen was worried. "But I'm very glad your mom trusts me so much, and I feel I can't let her down. Xiguang, let's keep a little distance at home these next few days."

Me: ???

"Sure, you said it yourself."

"So,  you came to Shanghai to accompany your boyfriend to a lecture? Then how come you had time to drag me out for afternoon tea?"

The next afternoon, in a famous courtyard café in Shanghai, Xiaofeng asked me curiously.

I grumbled, "I think bookkeeping is probably easier. I could listen to the robotic surgery talk this morning, but this afternoon's was like reading gibberish – I know every single word, but it all looks like a foreign language. And one of the speakers was a foreigner, so of course I'm going to skip it!"

"Can you just go to any of these forums?"

"It's an invitation from a doctor friend of Lin Yusen's in Suzhou. He had something come up and couldn't make it. I saw some people getting in at the last minute; the venue is huge and there were still empty seats."

"Oh. But why is your boyfriend going to a medical forum? Didn't he switch careers and become a CEO?"

I hesitated for a moment and said, "He wants to go back to the medical field. Please don't tell Rongrong and the others about this."

"I definitely won't tell, but why?" Xiaofeng was shocked. "Doctors work very hard, and they probably don't earn as much as business owners."

"Not as a doctor, maybe to do research. He's incredibly talented in medicine! Business owners are everywhere, but genius doctors are rare. I'm willing to contribute to the country."

Xiao Feng, forgetting to even eat her cake, stared at me in disbelief. "Xigua, how come I never realized you were so shameless? Even if your boyfriend went back to medicine, that's his contribution, what does it have to do with you?"

I silently observed her, then said earnestly, "Feng, why don't you date someone?"

Xiao Feng shook her head repeatedly. "No, no, I'm perfectly fine on my own. Anyway, if you're bored these next few days, just call me. I'll take you to a really good restaurant near our school tonight."

"Lin Yusen has booked a restaurant tonight, why don't you come too? He has a dinner party tomorrow, should I come find you? Let's call the boss too."

"She's married, she's too busy. I've asked her several times..." Xiao Feng was about to complain when her phone rang. She glanced at it. "Oh, it's Si Liang calling."

She answered the phone. "Si Liang... I'm not busy, I'm having afternoon tea with Xigua."

"Yeah, she came to Shanghai and asked me to come out for afternoon tea. They were showing off their love the whole time… Tomorrow's Saturday, I don't have class, so I'll definitely have time… Oh, it's your birthday, hahaha… I haven't forgotten, I just haven't thought of it yet… I'll definitely go… Oh, I'll give her my phone."

Xiaofeng handed me the phone, which I took without warning, quickly swallowing my cake.

"Hello, Xiguang."

"Siliang."

"You came to Shanghai and only contacted Xiaofeng, not me, right?" Siliang chided.

"It's not the weekend, you definitely have to work."

"True. But I'm having my birthday dinner tomorrow night, you absolutely have to come."

Siliang spoke very quickly, not giving me a chance to object, "You'll definitely be spending the weekend in Shanghai, right? Don't make excuses about going back. Rongrong, Zhuangxu, and the others can't come, if you don't come, my birthday dinner will be too lonely."

Siliang is always clever, effortlessly dispelling all my concerns. I couldn't refuse any longer. "Okay, what time? Where?"

"I'll send the address to your phones in a bit," Siliang's tone brightened. "Your handsome boyfriend, come along if he has time. Xiaofeng said she's had enough of all the PDA, you should share some with everyone and see what it tastes like."

"Colorless and tasteless," I laughed. "He has plans for tomorrow night, maybe next time."

"Tch, stingy. See you tomorrow then, time to get back to work." Siliang hung up the phone crisply.

Xiaofeng took back her phone. "You won't mind me mentioning you, will you?"

"It's okay. Lin Yusen has dinner tomorrow night, and I was free anyway."

"I was just worried you didn't want to see Rongrong and the others. But you're dating now, it's not a big deal if you run into them, right? Besides, Rongrong seems different than before."

I asked curiously, "What happened to Rongrong?"

Xiaofeng ate her cake and thought for a while, "I don't know how to describe it, she seems to have become gentler, and she even said some nice things to you."

I was shocked and quickly asked, "Really? What exactly did she say?"

"She said she really wronged you before graduation, and she felt quite embarrassed. She said she'd apologize sometime, and Siliang said she didn't mean it, etc."

Xiaofeng clasped her hands together: "My mistake, I apologize again."

"It's all in the past. Besides, you explained the truth to everyone back then." I was also more willing to associate with Xiaofeng because of this incident. Sometimes mistakes are unintentional, but not everyone is willing to face them and try their best to make amends.

But it was unbelievable that Rongrong would say that. I thought about it for a long time and guessed, "Did she win the lottery?"

Xiaofeng shrugged, "Maybe! I can't describe it well, you'll see for yourself tomorrow."

"Sigh, Siliang said Rongrong isn't going tomorrow," I said, sounding a little regretful.

Seeing that the cake on the table was almost gone, I called the waiter to settle the bill. "Let's go buy a gift."

Just as we were about to have dinner, Lin Yusen drove over to pick us up. Xiaofeng had been summoned by her advisor at the last minute and missed Mr. Lin's lavish meal.

After dropping Xiaofeng off at school, we drove to the restaurant. On the way, I remembered to tell Lin Yusen, "You're going to dinner with your teacher tomorrow night, right? I've got dinner too, going to a classmate's birthday party, and afterwards there's karaoke and stuff."

Siliang's text message had detailed the arrangements.

Lin Yusen frowned, seemingly thinking of something. "A college classmate?"

"Yeah, you met her at the boss's wedding, Siliang."

"Oh." After a long pause, Lin Yusen finally responded.

I chuckled inwardly. "I didn't really want to go either, since we're classmates, well, not really, but luckily none of the others came."

The driver's brow relaxed slightly.

"So, tomorrow we'll each do our own things, but you have to message me whenever you're free—one message every hour, okay, two hours, at least one message every two hours. When you eat, send me a message about what you ate, take a picture, and pick me up after dinner."

The driver's brow relaxed completely, but his tone was still reluctant: "So many demands?"

"You brought me to Shanghai, aren't you going to take responsibility?"

"Yes, yes," he said helplessly. "I'll set an alarm and send it on time tomorrow, but how about you pay a message fee first? One cent per message is a bit expensive."

"Wh..."

Before I could finish speaking, he kissed me while we were stopped at a red light.

After the red light, we drove off again.

Me: "Keep your distance?"

Lin Yusen replied matter-of-factly: "I'm not home right now."

Okay, Lin, keep your distance.