Chapter 146: Didn't See That Coming, Did You!

"Your presence here is ruining my appetite."

Hearing this, the woman opposite her froze, a flash of astonishment crossing her eyes. She clearly hadn't expected such words to come from Lin Xi. Although there were no profanities, the remark was sharp, unpleasant, and deeply grating.

"I’d heard you were difficult to get along with and cold toward others, though some said you were kind and well-mannered. Seeing you today..."

The woman didn't bother to hide her gaze, looking Lin Xi up and down. The implication of what remained unsaid was obvious.

To Lin Xi, however, these words were of no consequence. Her expression remained unchanged, as if she didn't even realize the woman was talking about her. She asked slowly, "Are you from the Su family?"

"You know who I am?" The woman raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"No."

"..."

Lin Xi calmly withdrew her gaze, picked up her tray, and stood up, dropping two words: "I guessed."

Su Ran was stunned, but once she realized what happened, she hurried to catch up. She managed to squeeze into the elevator just before the doors closed. The two of them were alone inside the cabin.

The elevator ascended.

"You aren't a Feiyun employee. How did you get in?"

"That’s none of your business. In any case, you can't get rid of me." Su Ran shook her employee badge triumphantly.

Lin Xi glanced at it and said nothing. Soon, the elevator doors opened, and she stepped out first.

Su Ran followed closely behind. "Hey, let's talk."

"We don't know each other. What is there to talk about?"

"Won't we know each other once we've finished talking? Who knows, maybe I’ll be your client in the future."

"You should take that up with my superiors; my client is Feiyun."

"I..." Su Ran began, but Lin Xi turned around abruptly and signaled, "Beyond this point is the Feiyun R&D department. Please stop here."

Su Ran: "..."

"Hey!" The automatic door slid shut, cutting off Su Ran’s voice. She pressed herself against the door, watching the figure inside, and shouted, "Lin Xi? Lin Xi!!!"

Separated by the door, Lin Xi walked into the office without looking back, as if she hadn't heard the calls at all.

When Engineer Chen and the others returned, their expressions were peculiar. They looked at Lin Xi, who was busy processing documents, hesitant to speak.

"What’s wrong?" Lin Xi glanced up at them, then returned her focus to her work.

"Engineer Lin, there’s a beautiful woman at the entrance asking for you. She's right outside the R&D department. Seems like she’s from an outside partner?" Otherwise, ordinary people wouldn't be able to get in.

They had gone out for lunch, but Lin Xi had work to finish, so she hadn't joined them and had eaten something simple in the cafeteria alone. That was why Engineer Chen and his colleagues had no idea what had transpired earlier.

"Mm, I know," Lin Xi replied, her face still expressionless.

The group exchanged glances, hesitating to say more. Sensing they had something on their minds, Lin Xi asked considerately, "If you have something to say, just say it. We’ve known each other for so long, what can't be said? Why be so cautious?"

They scratched their heads and gave awkward smiles. Finally, Engineer Chen stepped forward. "It’s nothing, really. It’s just that she stopped us when we came in and asked us to pass on a message to you."

Noticing Lin Xi's indifferent attitude earlier, they had felt that she and the woman outside were not on good terms, and they hadn't wanted to bring it up.

Lin Xi continued working, asking in the gaps, "What did she say?"

"She said she would wait for you outside until you come out." Engineer Chen added in a low voice, "She doesn't seem to have good intentions, Engineer Lin..."

The woman wasn't very old, but she looked furious and didn't seem like someone to be trifled with.

Lin Xi waved her hand and smiled frankly at the colleagues who were concerned for her. "It's fine. Success breeds jealousy; she’s probably just here to ask for my autograph."

Her tone was light, and she cracked a joke without warning, leaving the group stunned.

Fortunately, Engineer Chen reacted quickly and jumped in, not letting the moment pass. "I think so too! Our Engineer Lin is a big star, the pride of the industry. If you ask around the circle now, who doesn't know Lin Xi?"

Lin Xi smiled and said nothing more. She had brushed it off with a joke, and the others understood, so they didn't ask further. Everyone acted as if they hadn't seen the woman outside the R&D department and returned their focus to their work after a short break.

—

The first R&D department spent the entire afternoon in meetings. Since her assistant was away, Lin Xi didn't bother anyone else and handled the small, fragmented tasks herself.

When the meeting ended, everyone felt a sense of relief. Lin Xi walked in front with Engineer Chen. "Engineer Lin, I think at this rate, we should be able to deliver by April."

"Perhaps." Lin Xi didn't dare to be too certain; no one could guarantee such things.

"Huashang has given us plenty of time; there’s no rush. We’ll take it slow."

Externally, Lin Xi could offer a slight promise, but internally, she feared someone might slack off and preferred stability. Until the final result was achieved and finalized, she had to keep everyone on their toes.

Engineer Chen's assistant trotted up to them. "Engineer Chen, Engineer Lin, there’s a situation."

"The online meeting with Huashang tomorrow—they’re requesting to move it forward by an hour."

Lin Xi asked, "What was the original time?"

"Nine o'clock. They want to move it to eight. They asked if we could accommodate them. Because their R&D manager has a business trip tomorrow, they said if eight doesn't work, they’ll have to delay it until around noon."

"Eight..." Lin Xi thought about her schedule for tomorrow. Since her assistant was away, no one had reminded her about the meeting. "That’s fine by me."

She looked at Engineer Chen, who replied, "If it's fine by Engineer Lin, it’s certainly fine by me."

The two of them were the primary attendees. It wasn't really a hassle; it just meant coming to the office a little earlier.

"Alright." Lin Xi signaled to the assistant, "Go and reply to Huashang."

"Understood!"

Since she had to arrive early the next morning, Lin Xi finished organizing her documents and didn't work overtime. Engineer Chen left with her.

"It’s rare to see Engineer Lin leave on time," he teased. "Most people leave right on the dot, but it's not often I see you do it. You’re usually not that eager to leave."

"That’s because I’m always late in the mornings," Lin Xi replied. "The debt has to be paid back somehow."

Her schedule was flexible now, so it was hard to say. Recently, thanks to Qin Yu, she had been arriving on time. Before that, she was either just making the cutoff or running late.

The two emerged from the R&D department and waited for the elevator. Lin Xi looked down into her bag, searching for her flash drive. She didn't notice anyone behind her.

Suddenly, someone slapped her shoulder hard. Lin Xi gasped and turned around, a beat slow. The next second, she locked eyes with Su Ran’s smiling face.

The woman smiled with extreme insincerity and, seeing she had caught her attention, gave a mocking laugh: "Didn't expect that, did you? I'm still here!"