Chapter 66: Her Body Felt Cold as She Listened on Her End of the Phone.
On Tuesday morning, the weather was clear, and the two companies held a meeting to prepare for this cooperation.
“Lan Ling” had been rooted in the domestic clothing industry for many years. Its stores were in major shopping malls, its customers were all over the country, and its market share was not to be ignored. “Silk Season” took the high-end route, but its scope of activity was basically only in Haicheng. If it wanted to open up a larger market, “Lan Ling” was undoubtedly the best choice.
“We need to inspect your company’s silkworm farming base, observe the planting conditions of the mulberry trees and the breeding conditions of the silkworms, so that we can evaluate the stability of the raw materials, have a clearer understanding of the annual fluctuation of your company’s cocoon production, and whether there is a contingency plan to deal with climate risks.”
“And the cocoon warehouse, the cocoon boiling process, the silk reeling workshop…”
“Participate in the spot check process, compare the performance of different batches of silk, and check the moisture-proof packaging technology…”
Chu Wantang sat in the leather chair. She looked at the PPT on the display screen and listened to the speech of the team at the side.
She held a pen in one hand and placed it on the conference table. Her back was always in an elegant arc, neither appearing restrained nor scattered, as relaxed as a lazy cat in a summer afternoon.
But her expression was extremely serious and solemn.
Apart from Huai Xing, no one in the room would have expected that the “Lan Ling” President Chu last night was like that in the hotel’s king-size bed room.
Huai Xing discarded her distracting thoughts and in the next second, she caught Chu Wantang’s gaze. She pressed her lips together lightly, pretending not to see, and her gaze fell back on the PPT on the screen.
Chu Wantang and her team’s inspection of the entire process of “Silk Season” would probably take three days, and the cooperation between the two sides was not limited to clothing.
“Lan Ling” would also open a silk art space in the high-end shopping mall stores in Haicheng, open up the channels and membership systems of both sides, share customer data, let the VIP customers of both sides enjoy special privileges, enhance the customer life cycle value, and also hold silk craft exhibitions, joint marketing…
The content was not much, but the meeting was very detailed and lasted for two hours. The sun outside the window was also more intense, and the leisurely white clouds were replaced one after another.
Ding Rong, as the general assistant, was even more meticulous and thoughtful at this moment. She invited Chu Wantang and her team to visit “Silk Season’s” office building.
“Silk Season” was not in a place with a high concentration of enterprises like a business district or a financial district, but in a separate two-story small building. Not counting the employees in the factory, the staff at the headquarters was less than a hundred, but everyone worked together to make the company better and better.
Chu Wantang readily agreed and then asked nonchalantly, “Is President Huai coming with us?”
Huai Xing showed an apologetic expression. “I have other things to take care of.”
“Then can I come and find President Huai during the lunch break? I still have some cooperation details I want to discuss with you.”
Under the gaze of so many pairs of eyes, Huai Xing nodded. “No problem.”
After they separated, Huai Xing returned to her office.
She sat in the soft chair and stared at the ceiling for a while. A few minutes later, she still raised her hand to rub her brow, stood up, and took her coffee cup to the pantry to get coffee.
She hadn’t slept well last night, and her energy was a little low now. She had barely managed to hold on during the meeting, and she couldn’t stand it once she relaxed.
The company was in an independent small building, and the location was relatively secluded. From the window of the pantry, you could see the lush green trees on the street, and also the people walking, cycling, and walking their dogs in the good weather.
In the morning, there were many people who were as listless as her. The employees would call her “President Huai” when they saw her.
After she had gotten a cup of coffee, she saw a familiar figure at the door. Lu Xianyue had just finished a stage of her work and came in with a cup, yawning.
Seeing her, Lu Xianyue put her cup aside and said naturally, “Little President Huai, get me a cup of coffee too.”
“Why are you so sleepy?” Huai Xing asked casually, restarting the coffee machine.
Lu Xianyue sat down on the high stool at the bar, lying on it, and said weakly, “I don’t know either. I was just on the phone with someone for no reason, and when I was done, I realized it was very late…”
“The person you’re talking about, is her surname Wen?”
“…” Lu Xianyue’s expression froze, her lips moved, but she did not answer.
Seeing this, Huai Xing cleared her throat. “I understand. It’s the rising period of friendship. It’s like this.” She dragged out her tone. “You’ll feel that time is long when she doesn’t reply in a second, and you’ll also forget the time when you’re on the phone, as if you can never say enough.”
After she finished speaking, she placed the made coffee in front of Lu Xianyue and said with a slight curve in her eyes, “I don’t have any other meaning. After all, you’re a straight woman.”
Lu Xianyue clenched her fists and was about to punch Huai Xing’s shoulder.
At this moment, the figures of Chu Wantang and Ding Rong appeared at the door of the pantry. Her movements immediately stopped, and she called out politely, “President Chu.”
“I’m sorry,” Chu Wantang’s smile looked very helpless. Her gaze lingered on Huai Xing’s face for half a second before she continued, “I’m really a little sleepy. I specially came to ask for a cup of coffee.”
“How is it ‘asking’?” Lu Xianyue sat up a little straighter and replied with a grin. “Our pantry has enough coffee.”
Ding Rong came to the coffee machine. “What kind of coffee would you like, President Chu?”
Chu Wantang sat down on the stool, the end of her voice lifting lightly. “Is an iced Americano okay?”
Hearing this, Huai Xing’s eyelids did not even twitch. She silently drank the Americano in her hand without ice.
She would not go against her own body.
After the bitter taste went down, she seemed to have sobered up a little.
At the side, Lu Xianyue and Chu Wantang were still chatting about the scenery in the pantry.
“‘Lan Ling’s’ view is not as good as here. It’s all tall buildings, very cold,” Chu Wantang said. A cup of iced Americano had already been placed in front of her. Her fingertips caressed the rim of the disposable cup and she said with emotion, “The weather in Haicheng is also more comfortable than there.”
Lu Xianyue propped her chin on her hand. “It won’t be good in a while. It’ll be the plum rain season in a while.”
“Will it thunder?”
“Not much, just continuous rain and no sun. It’s humid, stuffy, and hot.”
Chu Wantang glanced at Huai Xing and smiled. “It’s good that it doesn’t thunder.”
“But I saw the weather forecast. It might rain heavily these two days.”
Huai Xing did not participate in their chat and quietly drank her coffee, looking at the blue curtain outside the window, as if she had blocked out everything.
At this moment, the phone screen on the table lit up. She unlocked it and looked at the message.
It was a message from Lu Zhenyue: [I sent a message to Xianyue, but she hasn’t replied yet.]
Lu Zhenyue: [Xiao Xing, I’m coming to Haicheng tomorrow night. I have a sudden business trip.]
She asked: [Shall we meet then?]
Huai Xing looked at the message, a hint of a smile on her lips.
Her fingertips replied: [Okay, Sister Suisui. Xianyue and I will pick you up then.]
After replying to the message, she looked up, her eyes still sparkling, and met Chu Wantang’s eyes. Her smile did not fade, and she turned to Lu Xianyue and said, “I’m going back to the office first. Remember to check your messages.”
“Okay.”
Chu Wantang looked at her appearance and tried to grip the cup, but the disposable cup was relatively fragile, and a little force would make the coffee inside overflow.
She forced herself to endure it. On the surface, she was calm, but the storm in her mind did not stop.
Who was Huai Xing chatting with? Why was she smiling so brightly? Wen Shiwei? Or Lu Zhenyue? Or more, people she didn’t know?
These thoughts pressed down on her, making her feel annoyed.
“President Huai,” Chu Wantang said before Huai Xing left.
Huai Xing blinked, her tone distant. “What’s wrong?”
“I wonder if it’s convenient for President Huai now. Can I talk to you about the matter at noon now?” Chu Wantang said, a warm smile on her face, her voice without a trace of change. “This way, I won’t disturb your lunch break.”
Huai Xing thought for a moment. “Alright.”
Chu Wantang said goodbye to Lu Xianyue and followed Huai Xing to the president’s office with her iced Americano.
On the way, they passed through the public area, and the employees’ gazes swept over her and Huai Xing. She gathered her hair and looked at Huai Xing’s figure.
How to describe this feeling? The word “wonderful” seemed very suitable.
In the past, at “Lan Ling,” apart from the company’s show, they would almost never have contact when other colleagues were present, let alone accept everyone’s attention like now.
At that time, Huai Xing was an employee of the marketing department, and she was the director of the design department.
Now, Huai Xing had become a superior who could make major decisions, and she had not fallen down, maintaining a line with Huai Xing.
The pantry was not far from the president’s office. In less than a minute, the two of them were sitting face to face on the sofa.
Huai Xing’s office had some green plants, which were flourishing in various places.
She got straight to the point. “I wonder what other details President Chu has to tell me.”
Chu Wantang was still holding the iced Americano. The cold air had condensed into water droplets on the cup wall, and they were sticking to her hand, making her fingernails a little purple, but she was completely unaware.
She smiled faintly. “I forgot to bring your jacket for you today.”
“You don’t have to give it to me,” Huai Xing said, crossing her legs, her taste casual.
“Why?”
“I’m not short of this one.”
“But our sizes are different. Even if President Huai is not short, I can’t wear it.”
“Throw…”
“If I’m not mistaken, that suit jacket is from ‘Jin Yun Fang’ in Haicheng,” she said. The “Jin Yun Fang” she mentioned was a shop that specialized in custom-made business suits, purely handmade, with ingenious craftsmanship, and you had to wait for a schedule. “There’s only one in the world. President Huai had better not throw it away.”
Huai Xing saw through her intention and chuckled lightly. “According to you, I have to go to the hotel to get it?” She then paused. “And reenact the scene from last night? Continue the next round of… friend with benefits interview?”
The condensed water droplets dripped down. Chu Wantang finally couldn’t stand the coldness of the ice cubes and placed the cup on the coffee table. She then took out the handkerchief that Huai Xing had given her before from her bag and slowly wiped the water from her hands. Her expression also softened, and she said very sincerely, “I just wanted to use it to have a chance to see you again.” She looked at Huai Xing’s calm expression and took a deep breath. “I’ve thought a lot last night.”
“…” Huai Xing stared at her, her brows furrowed.
“I know that my credibility with you is now 0, but I’ve already changed, Xingxing.”
Huai Xing couldn’t help but laugh. “Have you forgotten how you added me back on WeChat? You, who can lie without batting an eye, are telling me you’ve changed?”
“In that situation, didn’t you not want that Miss Lu to discover our relationship? If it could be known, I definitely wouldn’t have answered that way at that time.”
“Is that so? What’s our relationship?”
Huai Xing said, pressing her forehead. “I’m sorry, I’ve really been led astray by you. It has nothing to do with me whether you’ve changed or not. It doesn’t matter what kind of person you are. I just hope that our cooperation can be smooth and pleasant. If President Chu puts her personal emotions into her work, then it’s better for our cooperation not to continue. We can just end it here.”
“I’ve always been able to separate my public and private life.”
“That’s for the best.”
The atmosphere was heavy and had nothing to do with the good weather outside.
Huai Xing clearly didn’t want to hear what Chu Wantang had to say. Chu Wantang knew this very well and did not insist on continuing. She changed the subject. “Can I give you the suit jacket tomorrow? I have to go to a neighboring city in the morning to see the silkworm farming base, and I’ll probably be back at night.” She said, “You’ve settled everything with me so clearly. I also have to return this suit jacket to you.”
“As you wish, but you’ll have to wait for my time.”
After Huai Xing replied, she stood up, her tone cold. “Please continue your visit, President Chu. I have to work and can’t be disturbed by you.”
“Okay,” Chu Wantang said, cooperating and standing up. Even though Huai Xing’s words were not polite, her goal had been achieved.
She curled her lips, only feeling that the coffee cup in her hand was no longer cold.
A crisis of trust…
Since the Huai Xing of the past could believe her, she would also make the current Huai Xing believe her again.
She had already waited for five years. It didn’t matter if it was a little while longer. Although she had felt a tightness in her chest and had difficulty breathing when she had heard Huai Xing’s refusal last night, she would not back down.
She would win Huai Xing back, and she would treat Huai Xing better than before. She would never treat Huai Xing as a little pet again. She would sincerely and genuinely hold Huai Xing in her arms again and never let go.
She would let the spring letter bloom again.
“Mist” was already a popular play in Jingcheng. For the sake of the actors’ stamina and rehearsal progress, it was currently performed three times a week, giving Lu Zhenyue more time. And this time, she had come to Haicheng on a business trip for the promotion of “Mist.” Originally, someone else was supposed to come, but the other party had something to do at the last minute, so this matter fell on her.
But this trip to Haicheng was both lucky and unlucky. It was lucky that the air was just a little stuffy when the plane landed.
It was unlucky that in a little while, it would rain heavily here.
The Haicheng airport was bustling with people, and everyone was in a hurry. You could see the dark night sky outside the glass wall, but you could also feel the wind and rain coming.
At the arrival gate, after picking up the person, everyone rushed to the parking lot, lest it would be troublesome if it started to rain heavily.
Huai Xing and Lu Xianyue were still standing in place, looking at the continuous stream of people coming out.
Finally, after another five minutes, Lu Zhenyue’s figure appeared.
Lu Xianyue waved her arms. When the person was a little closer, she immediately jumped up and down and shouted, “Sister!” She hugged Lu Zhenyue tightly. “I’ve been waiting for you for so long. You have to treat me to dinner tonight.”
“Then I’ll change my ticket now and go back to Jingcheng in a bit,” Lu Zhenyue said, patting her sister’s shoulder and giving Huai Xing a smile. “Xiao Xing, we were supposed to meet this month, but now the meeting time has been moved up.”
Huai Xing took Lu Zhenyue’s suitcase and also smiled. “That’s great. Now that you’re here, Sister Suisui, Xianyue can calm down a bit.”
“What are you talking about? I’ve always been very calm, okay?” Lu Xianyue turned her head and glared at her.
Lu Zhenyue’s arms were empty. She raised an eyebrow and asked directly, “Aren’t you going to give me a hug?”
Huai Xing smiled helplessly and walked over.
In the past few years, Lu Zhenyue had come to Haicheng many times.
Sometimes, because she had to perform a play here, she would stay at her sister’s apartment for a period of time, and Huai Xing’s relationship with Lu Zhenyue had gradually become familiar.
This time, Lu Zhenyue had come to Haicheng on a business trip for two days and was also staying at her sister’s apartment. After the hug was released, they left the place, chatting and laughing as they walked towards the parking lot.
But just as they left the airport garage, the sky suddenly split open with a silver-white crack. A few seconds later, a clap of thunder, like a ten-thousand-ton boulder, fell with a roar, making the air buzz and the car windows tremble slightly.
Lu Xianyue had turned on the windshield wipers in advance and looked at the even darker sky. “It should be pouring down in a bit. You’re lucky, Sister. Otherwise, the plane would have been delayed.”
“That’s right,” Lu Zhenyue said, sitting in the back seat, her gaze sweeping over Huai Xing’s profile in the passenger seat, a slight curl on her lips.
The next moment, Huai Xing’s phone rang.
She lowered her eyes, glanced at the caller ID, and after thinking for a moment, she still answered, but did not speak first.
Chu Wantang had just returned to the hotel from a neighboring city. She looked at the flying curtains, walked over, and closed the window.
She gripped her phone tightly, not even bothering to change her clothes, and curled up on the bed, trying to even her breathing before asking in a low voice, “Did you hear the thunder?”
“I did.”
“Don’t be afraid, Xingxing.”
“…” Huai Xing was silent for a breath. “Give me the suit jacket tomorrow. I don’t have time tonight.”
“Why don’t you have time?” Chu Wantang pressed.
With other people present, Huai Xing really didn’t want to argue with Chu Wantang in such a confined space. She held the phone, thinking whether to hang up directly or find an excuse.
Lu Zhenyue leaned forward a little. “What are we eating tonight, Xiao Xing?”
Huai Xing came back to her senses and revealed a smile. “You can decide, Sister Suisui. I trust you. You’re more professional than Xianyue in terms of food.”
Lu Xianyue: “You’re backstabbing me!”
“It was Xiaohongshu that tricked me, okay!”
On the other end of the phone.
Chu Wantang heard Lu Zhenyue’s voice and Huai Xing’s “Sister Suisui,” and her already chaotic breathing became even more of a mess—
So now Huai Xing didn’t have time to get her jacket because she was going to have dinner with Lu Zhenyue?
She was not the first choice.
And the atmosphere on Huai Xing’s side was so warm. Her body felt cold as she listened on her end of the phone.
Another sharp white light pierced into the room, illuminating her face, which was covered in cold sweat.
