Volume One, Chapter 16: Meeting His Friends

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Xia Xiyin entered the office, and Zhou Minghao said to her, “Please have a seat.”

“President Zhou, what did you want to see me about?” Xia Xiyin sat down, looking at Zhou Minghao. To be honest, she still felt a bit strange inside. Even though she had let go of her unrequited feelings for him, it still took some time to fully move on.

Zhou Minghao asked, “Is the project progressing smoothly? If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to tell me.”

“For now, everything is going well. I plan to take the team over for an inspection in a few days, just giving you a heads-up.”

“Sounds good.”

After a brief pause, Zhou Minghao added, “I want to add Shen Wei to your team. She has rich work experience and some knowledge of interstellar technology. More hands make light work, and it’ll make your job easier. What do you think?”

When a superior makes a suggestion, Xia Xiyin knew refusal was futile, so she agreed to go along with it.

“I’ll follow all your arrangements, sir,” Xia Xiyin said without objection.

“Alright then, let Shen Wei join your team’s work this afternoon,” Zhou Minghao said.

“Okay, got it.” Xia Xiyin asked, “Anything else?”

Zhou Minghao clasped his hands on the desk, hesitated for a moment, then said to her, “Xiyin, over these past two years working together, I’ve looked out for you quite a bit, haven’t I?”

Xia Xiyin nodded in agreement. “President Zhou, you’ve always guided me at work, and I’m very grateful.”

She recalled all the moments they had worked together and felt a wave of emotion.

Zhou Minghao smiled faintly. “Look at you—trained by me, now able to handle projects independently. It shows you’re capable.”

“No, it’s all thanks to your teaching, President Zhou,” Xia Xiyin replied humbly.

She was no fool; she could sense Zhou Minghao’s underlying meaning. After some thought, she said, “President Zhou, my abilities are because you cultivated me. I’ll always remember your kindness and repay you well.”

“No need to talk about repaying me,” Zhou Minghao laughed heartily. “We’re all employees of Tianyu. Doing this is just our duty.”

Xia Xiyin gave a faint smile. “If that’s all, I’ll get back to work.”

“Alright, go ahead. If you run into any difficulties, just let me know,” Zhou Minghao said with an unmistakable flattering smile.

After leaving the office, Xia Xiyin felt a complex mix of emotions. There was nothing wrong with Zhou Minghao’s ambition, but using the fact that he had nurtured her as leverage to gain favor in front of Zhou Yuyan made her uncomfortable. It felt transactional, and she realized she no longer needed a process to move on—she had completely let go.

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Just as she returned to her desk, Shen Wei sent her a message requesting to join the team chat group.

Yang Lele snorted softly, “I don’t know how she managed to persuade President Zhou so easily.”

“You’re the team leader on this project. If she doesn’t accept you, you’d better be prepared,” she reminded her.

Xia Xiyin replied, “I convince with reason and ability. If she causes trouble, I won’t tolerate it!”

“Yeah, that’s something the boss’s woman would say!” Yang Lele gave her a thumbs-up and teased her.

The afternoon team meeting went smoothly with Shen Wei joining in. After the meeting, Shen Wei treated everyone to milk tea.

Since the meeting was successful, Xia Xiyin didn’t work overtime. Walking toward the elevator, she sent a message to Zhou Yuyan.

As the elevator doors opened, she stepped inside first, followed by Shen Wei.

“Why didn’t you take the president’s elevator?” Shen Wei asked softly with a smile.

Xia Xiyin smiled faintly. “There weren’t many people, so I just took the regular one.”

“Dating the president really makes a difference—you sound so confident now,” Shen Wei teased.

Xia Xiyin shrugged proudly. “No choice. My boyfriend’s the president; he’s the reason I’m so confident. If you dated a president, you’d have that confidence too.”

Just then, the elevator reached the first floor, and the two walked out one after the other.

Zhou Yuyan’s car was, as usual, parked at the company entrance, with Haibo standing by the door.

“Miss Xia,” Haibo respectfully greeted her, opening the car door and holding it open for her.

“Thank you,” Xia Xiyin said as she got in.

The car slowly drove away. Shen Wei witnessed the scene and couldn’t help but feel jealous. She grit her teeth in frustration, unable to understand why President Zhou favored Xia Xiyin.

That evening, they had dinner at “Zi Xiang Xuan.”

As soon as Zhou Yuyan and Xia Xiyin entered, the lobby manager approached with a beaming smile. “President Zhou, hello. Manager Guan and the others have already arrived.”

After speaking, the manager looked at Xia Xiyin and greeted her warmly.

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Once inside the elevator, Xia Xiyin linked her arm with his and asked, “How many friends are coming tonight?”

“Three, all close friends,” Zhou Yuyan reassured her. “Don’t be nervous. They’re bringing their girlfriends too. You girls will chat and get along in no time.”

As they stepped out of the elevator, they heard loud voices coming from one of the private rooms. It was Manager Guan Hanzhong shouting, but the words were unclear.

The waiter opened the door, and Zhou Yuyan led Xia Xiyin inside. Upon entering, they immediately heard Guan Hanzhong’s teasing, “Hey, hey, you’re late—three penalty drinks!”

Xia Xiyin’s gaze first landed on Guan Hanzhong, then on the two men sitting beside him. One had a refined temperament, the other was handsome and spirited. Each man had a woman seated next to him, presumably their girlfriends.

Zhou Yuyan guided Xia Xiyin to their seats and began the introductions.

“This is Gu Ciyuan, and next to him is his girlfriend, Luo Xinyue. That one is Lu Yanchuan, with his girlfriend Jiang Linlang. Guan Hanzhong, you know them.”

“This is my girlfriend, Xia Xiyin.”

After the introductions, everyone exchanged polite greetings.

Gu Ciyuan, with his refined air, smiled and said, “Hanzhong told me you’re dating now. I didn’t believe it at first.”

Lu Yanchuan, handsome and spirited, chimed in, “Who would’ve thought this workaholic still has time for romance?”

Zhou Yuyan smiled helplessly. “What’s that supposed to mean? You two can have girlfriends, but I can’t date?”

Xia Xiyin sat beside Jiang Linlang, a fair and beautiful girl whose sparkling eyes seemed to speak. When she smiled, two dimples appeared, adding to her charm.

“So, what does your family do?” Jiang Linlang asked curiously. “How do you know Young Master Zhou?”

Xia Xiyin pursed her lips. “My family’s ordinary. I work at Tianyu Group.”

“Oh?” Jiang Linlang’s eyes lit up with gossip. “So, you and Young Master Zhou have a boss-subordinate relationship? Did he chase after you? An office romance, huh?”

Xia Xiyin was prepared for mockery, but unexpectedly, Jiang Linlang was even more curious about her relationship with Zhou Yuyan. It made Xia Xiyin feel as if she had doubted his innocence unfairly.