Chapter 77

Early the next morning, Xu Liqing arrived at He Garden to pick up Jian Xiyan, and Lin Feiruo saw them off. After Xiyan got into the car, Lin Feiruo leaned down and tapped on the window. “Add oil (Keep it up)!”

“You too.”

As the car drove out of He Garden, Xu Liqing asked curiously, “What’s this new game where you two are cheering each other on?”

Jian Xiyan was flipping through the materials she had prepared; she would have quite a lot to explain to the shareholders later.

“I can understand her telling you to keep it up,” Xu Liqing continued. “But Lin Feiruo is staying home—what does she need to ‘add oil’ for?”

In Xu Liqing’s impression, Lin Feiruo had never been particularly career-oriented. To put it kindly, she was a homebody; to put it bluntly, she lacked ambition. But after seeing how Lin Feiruo handled things following the accident, Xu Liqing felt that her lack of career drive wasn’t such a big flaw after all.

Jian Xiyan kept her eyes on the documents, saying in a perfectly ordinary tone, “She’s making a feast tonight.”

“Her cooking has improved that much?”

Xu Liqing’s impression was still stuck on the few times she’d stayed for dinner—it wasn’t bad, but it certainly wasn’t “feast” level.

Jian Xiyan knew this too, of course, but she didn’t want to dampen stolen content Lin Feiruo’s enthusiasm. “Improvement is realized on the basis of constant practice. Her willingness to do it is an improvement in itself.”

So tactful?

Xu Liqing blinked, belatedly picking up on the way Jian Xiyan was protecting her partner. “Tsk. Then I won’t come in after I drop you off today. I’ll leave that ‘love feast’ for your exclusive enjoyment.”

Jian Xiyan glanced at her but didn’t insist on her staying.

Sure enough, as soon as Jian Xiyan announced the decision to rejoin the Qinghe Project at the shareholders’ meeting, the room erupted.

“You broke up the resources before saying you wanted to ensure profit, and now you say you’re restarting Qinghe? Are you going to cancel the current projects? Isn’t this just messing around?”

“Exactly, Xiyan. This isn’t just about profit; it’s about the Jian Group’s reputation. We can’t be so reckless.”

“The issue is, how is it possible to mobilize that many resources in such a short time? Don’t make promises you can’t keep just to fool Director He. If they hold us accountable later, the Jian Group won’t be able to shoulder it.”

Jian Xiyan waited calmly for them to finish. Just like last time, she used a perfect, already implemented plan to dispel their doubts. The voices of questioning that had been rising and falling just moments ago were suddenly silenced.

After a moment of dead silence, one shareholder tried to save face: “Xiyan, can you not always pull these big moves in secret? Even if you’re operating ahead of time, you could give us a heads-up. That way… we won’t misunderstand you, and we can give you more support.”

Xu Liqing thought to herself: It’d be a miracle if you just didn’t hold her back.

Jian Xiyan didn’t expose them; she’d be a fool to believe them.

After convincing the shareholders, she held several business meetings without pause, getting the departments to reconnect the interrupted processes. Because she had prepared in advance, the team was incredibly efficient at restarting the project. When Director He heard her phone report that afternoon, he laughed and praised her repeatedly.

In the blink of an eye, a busy day had passed. Jian Xiyan had packed her meetings tightly. Nearing the end of the day, she planned to finish one last batch of documents and head home.

Xu Liqing knocked and entered. “Xiyan, Director He is here.”

Jian Xiyan had just signed the last document. “What is he doing here?”

“I don’t know. But he said he needs to see you.”

Usually, one had to make an appointment well in advance to see him. Why had he come uninvited? Jian Xiyan pondered for a moment and guessed a possibility: “He’s likely been burned so badly he’s scared, so he’s here to personally verify if the Jian Group is actually doing the work.”

She instructed Xu Liqing, “Go host him for a moment; I’ll be right there.”

Jian Xiyan pulled out several relevant files to bring to the meeting. Before leaving her office, she suddenly remembered something and turned back. She called Lin Feiruo, but there was no answer. Guessing she was in the kitchen, she called the house phone instead.

Shu Wanxia answered. “Miss Lin is in the kitchen; she just finished frying the fish.”

“Tell her I might be home late. An important guest arrived unexpectedly.”

“Understood.”

When she met Director He, it was exactly as Jian Xiyan had predicted—he was still uneasy about the project. It wasn’t until he reviewed the minutes of today’s meetings and the files Xiyan brought that he finally relaxed completely.

He was all smiles and insisted on taking Jian Xiyan out to dinner. “This meal tonight is an invitation in my personal capacity. No one else, no ‘leaders’—just purely to express my gratitude. Please, President Jian, you must do me the honor.”

Jian Xiyan knew this treatment was rare, but tonight, Lin Feiruo…

Although she didn’t have high expectations for Lin Feiruo’s cooking, Jian Xiyan felt this meal had a different meaning than a regular dinner. Moreover, Lin Feiruo was doing this specifically to celebrate for her; she heard from Aunt Shu on the phone that she had been busy in the kitchen since three in the afternoon.

Seeing Jian Xiyan hesitate, Director He thought she was still bothered by the previous incident. He said frankly, “There was some misunderstanding between us before, partly because I didn’t know you well enough. Think of tonight as a small apology. I wonder if President Jian is willing to give me a chance?”

Director He had proactively lowered his stance. Although he did need her help this time, his official rank was still there. Jian Xiyan wasn’t someone who didn’t know what was good for her; if she didn’t go tonight, no matter what excuse she gave, it would likely be seen as a slight to Director He.

“Liqing, go make the arrangements. Don’t let Director He worry about the details.”

Xu Liqing knew Xiyan had originally intended to eat at home, but this meal with Director He was a must. Knowing it was ​Read on BaiLianTales​a difficult choice, she went to arrange it anyway.

Jian Xiyan called home again, and this time Lin Feiruo answered. “Well? President Jian, when will you be home? I’m just down to the last stir-fry vegetable. I’ll wait until you’re back to put it in the pan.”

Lin Feiruo sounded quite excited about her culinary performance. Jian Xiyan felt a sudden pang of guilt; the excuse she’d prepared hovered on the tip of her tongue.

Sensing her silence, Lin Feiruo grew worried. “What’s wrong?”

“Director He came by suddenly.”

Lin Feiruo gasped. “Did he go back on his word?”

Hearing her urgency and worry, Jian Xiyan smiled. “No, he didn’t. In fact, he wants to take me to dinner to apologize personally.”

Lin Feiruo breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good then.”

Jian Xiyan pursed her lips. “He insisted on hosting, and this meal, I…”

“You definitely have to go! It’s rare for him to admit he was wrong; it’d be a pity not to hear it in person.”

Jian Xiyan had expected her to be angry; she hadn’t expected her to be so generous. She should have felt relieved, but she felt a sudden spark of pique. She said in a slightly muffled voice, “Aren’t stolen contentyou angry that I’m not coming home for dinner?”

Lin Feiruo thought: What is there to be angry about? At most, I’m just a bit sad. But sadness shouldn’t get in the way of big business—the Qinghe Project was so important!

“I’m not a child; I can obviously tell what’s more important.”

Jian Xiyan suddenly didn’t want to say more. “I see. Have a happy dinner tonight then.”

Lin Feiruo listened to the dial tone, feeling a bit bewildered.

Shu Wanxia came over to ask if the Young Mistress was leaving the office. Lin Feiruo said, “She has an unexpected social engagement; she won’t be home for dinner.”

This had been the norm in the past, so Shu Wanxia wasn’t surprised, but she was worried about Lin Feiruo’s mood. “Miss Feiruo, why are you looking at me like that?” Lin Feiruo touched her face, wondering if she had sauce on it.

“Miss Feiruo, don’t be angry. The Young Mistress surely wanted to rush back. she placed a lot of importance on tonight, otherwise she wouldn’t have called back twice.”

“I know,” Lin Feiruo said frankly. “But just now, I felt like the one who was angry was her.”

Shu Wanxia paused, saying hesitantly, “The Young Mistress was angry?”

Lin Feiruo nodded. “Strange, right? But her tone suddenly became stiff, ​stolen content​and she told us to have a happy dinner.”

She couldn’t think of a reason, but she could definitely tell the difference in that sudden shift in tone. Shu Wanxia couldn’t figure it out either, but clearly, this wasn’t something she could solve. “Then, dinner…”

Lin Feiruo scratched her head and said, “Could we trouble the chef?”

Shu Wanxia was puzzled.

“Have the chef make something for us.”

“But what about what you prepared…” Shu Wanxia thought she was going to throw it all away.

“Keep it for when she comes back tonight. If she wants to eat, she can have some.”

This feast was different from what she’d made in the past; Lin Feiruo felt it was more like a gift. Though it took the form of food, the meaning was different. She was reluctant to have the gift she’d prepared eaten as a common dinner. Even if Jian Xiyan came home late, she wanted to wait for her to taste it. Besides, the feast was specifically for a celebration; if the person she was celebrating with wasn’t there, it would be tasteless.

Director He indeed said many sincere things at the dinner table. Compared to his previous reluctance to communicate deeply, Jian Xiyan knew she had earned his basic trust. This was a tremendous boost for the Jian Group and a great benefit for herself. This dinner was something she had looked forward to for a long time, yet she was somewhat distracted throughout.

Relying on her seasoned social skills and Xu Liqing’s help, she finally finished the dinner and saw Director He off. On the way back to He Garden, Jian Xiyan rested with her eyes closed, but she kept her phone in her hand, glancing at it from time to time.

Xu Liqing teased, “Did you deliberately eat so little tonight to save room for the feast at home?”

Jian Xiyan remembered Lin Feiruo’s tone on the phone and still felt a bit of pique. However, her voice was faint: “No appetite. I don’t want to eat even when I get home.”

“What’s wrong? Is it that you’re not used to such high-intensity work today?” Xu Liqing was worried she wasn’t adapting to the sudden return to a heavy workload.

Jian Xiyan didn’t want to explain, letting out a muffled “Mm” with her eyes closed. She was indeed tired, and her mood was a bit irritable.

It was nearly nine o’clock when they reached home. Lin Feiruo had been in her room, but upon hearing Jian Xiyan was back, she hurried downstairs.

“You’re back quite early.” She had thought Director He would be difficult to handle and that Xiyan wouldn’t be home until late; plus, Xiyan hadn’t messaged to say she was finished.

Xu Liqing pushed the wheelchair in, slowing down intentionally to wait for Lin Feiruo to take over. Lin Feiruo wasn’t in a hurry today; instead, she asked, “Can you still eat? I’ll go heat up the dishes.”

Xu Liqing instinctively looked down at the person in the wheelchair.

Jian Xiyan’s eyelids lifted slightly, her tone indifferent. “I don’t want to eat leftovers.”

Lin Feiruo was startled. “They’ve been sitting for a bit, but they definitely aren’t ‘leftovers.’ I kept them covered.”

Jian Xiyan looked up slightly, wanting to eat but feeling an indescribable resistance. “How much is left?”

Lin Feiruo finally caught the key word and said, puzzled, “Left? I kept all of it. We didn’t eat any.”

Jian Xiyan looked up. “Then what did you eat tonight?”

“The chef made something else.”

The corners of Jian Xiyan’s mouth lifted slightly, but she quickly pursed her lips. “You didn’t even eat what you made yourself?”

Lin Feiruo felt she was asking so many questions today, it was like a mystery novel. “The feast was for you. If you weren’t back, what would be the point of me eating it?”

Xu Liqing wanted to laugh but had to hold it in. She finally understood the reason Jian Xiyan said she had no appetite, but she couldn’t say it out loud.

“It’s very late; I need to get back and prepare for tomorrow’s work.” Before leaving, Xu Liqing offered a thoughtful reminder: “Xiyan, you ate too little tonight; it’s bad for your stomach. Eat something before you sleep, or it’ll harm your health.”