Chapter 29: Ready to Kick You Out at Any Moment

Chen and his colleagues turned their heads at the sound.
The next moment, the office erupted in laughter and teasing.
“Who is it, who sent it? Did anyone say who the sender is?”
“Oh, Engineer Lin claimed she didn’t have a boyfriend—what’s going on here?”
Everyone was enjoying the spectacle, their laughter growing louder. Only Lin Xi’s brows remained tightly knit, her face betraying no joy, but rather some distress and irritation.
“Who sent it?” She looked up at the assistant across from her.
The assistant explained, “The reception said it was delivered by a local courier. No idea who specifically sent it. The delivery was addressed simply to Lin Xi in the R&D department.”
Chen analyzed, “Seems like someone familiar—they knew Engineer Lin works here.”
“There’s a card,” he said, picking up a pink card from the corner and handing it to Lin Xi. “Maybe the name is written inside?”
Lin Xi put down the scissors and lifted the card with one hand.
“Happy Holidays!” The card contained only these few words, without a signature.
But the handwriting… Lin Xi had seen it before, though she couldn’t be certain now.
“Who sent it?” The single colleagues stared at her with gossiping curiosity.
Lin Xi shook the card, tossed it onto her desk, and shot them a mocking smile. “There’s no name written.”
Everyone was disappointed. “What’s up with this person? Sends flowers but doesn’t even leave a name! Idiot!”
Lin Xi smiled and sat back down, motioning for the assistant to take the flowers away.
“You don’t want them?” the assistant asked, puzzled.
Lin Xi replied, “Don’t waste them—throw them in the restroom. Might freshen the air a bit.”
“…”
In the evening, Lin Xi came out of the break room and bumped straight into her assistant.
She withdrew her gaze, carrying a plate of cookies, ready to return to her office to continue checking data. She had nothing pressing tonight and planned to work overtime for a while.
As they passed each other, the assistant suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm.
Lin Xi reacted instinctively, swinging her arm to shake him off. She turned to the side, her eyes icy cold. “Don’t touch me.”
He hadn’t expected such a strong reaction, and was momentarily stunned.
He hadn’t had a chance to be alone with Lin Xi these past days; even when they met, she kept her distance, never looking at him directly.

He scrutinized the woman before him—after all these years, she hadn’t changed at all. Towards everyone, she remained cold and aloof.
Even when she smiled, it was that mocking kind of smile, with undisguised contempt and disgust in her eyes. It was just like the way that man used to look at him—a gaze that looked down on ants, as if all others were insignificant trash.
What he had hated most was Lin Xi’s expression! Even after so many years, it lingered like a nightmare. In her presence, his self-esteem and pride felt utterly trampled, worthless!
Still, he couldn’t deny she was as dazzling as ever. Her long hair was casually pinned up, a strand falling gently beside her ear, her every movement as ethereal as a fairy untouched by dust—a single glance could captivate time itself.
The figure before him overlapped with the girl in school uniform from years ago. He stared, dumbfounded, and only spoke as she was about to leave: “I didn’t mean anything—I just wanted you to stop.”
Lin Xi turned back, her features clear and sharp, asking with a hint of mockery and seriousness, “Lost your voice?”
He was caught off guard. “I just thought you wouldn’t hear me.”
As soon as he said this, Lin Xi narrowed her eyes.
“You used to wear hearing aids, so I thought…”
Lin Xi casually set down her plate and stepped forward. “I never settled the score with you back then. Does that disappoint you?”
“You remember me!” The man was not embarrassed; he was even pleased that she recognized him.
Lin Xi curled her lips into a smile. “Is that so surprising?”
That familiar smile made his heart skip a beat. “That was all in the past. You won’t make things difficult for me, will you?”
This was what he feared most; the reason he kept testing Lin Xi was this very concern.
“Relax, you’re not worth such trouble,” Lin Xi said, arms folded as she leaned against the wall, raising an eyebrow. “I could just have you kicked out directly.”
“You think you’re the boss of Feiyun? You can decide who stays or goes?”
He had looked into it—Lin Xi was just an ordinary engineer here, albeit with a major project in her hands. Otherwise, she was no different from Chen and the others.
“No,” Lin Xi shook her head. Seeing this, he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but then she calmly added, “But I could be, at any time.”
“!”
“I graduated from a top university, you think I have to stay here?”
“Have you forgotten about the non-compete agreement? Need me to explain it to you?”
He had left Feiyun; the contract prohibited him from joining competitors or engaging in competing work for two years.
“…If I apologize, would that be enough? I didn’t mean it back then, and I was expelled, too. All these years… I’ve been living in the shadow of you and that man.”
“That man?” Lin Xi frowned. “Didn’t you transfer schools yourself?”
This was different from what she knew.

Mentioning that person made him agitated. “Your brother! Not only was I expelled, my parents were affected, too. My future was nearly ruined. I thought it was over, but as soon as I graduated, I ran into you again.”
His last words were muttered in a low, reluctant voice.
“…”
Lin Xi focused on the earlier part. After the incident back then, she had only told Qin Yu. The ‘brother’ he referred to must be Qin Yu.
Yet Qin Yu had never mentioned it to her afterward.
“I’ve apologized, can you give me another chance?” His academic credentials were questionable, and without Feiyun, he really didn’t know where to go.
He had been so brash earlier only because he knew nothing about her background at Feiyun.
Lin Xi replied, “Depends on my mood.”
“!”
—
That evening, Chen invited everyone to dinner, so Lin Xi didn’t manage to work overtime. The R&D department descended the stairs in a lively group.
At the entrance, Chen assigned everyone to different cars.
Before he finished, headlights flashed from not far away, shining directly on them. The men cursed, preparing to confront the driver, when the car turned on its hazard lights.
Lin Xi was hidden behind Chen, not paying attention, searching her bag for her keys.
“What kind of car is that, BYD?”
“What’s wrong with your eyes! That's a Bentley!”
“Damn, look at that license plate—Beijing A, consecutive numbers. First time I’ve seen one!”
Beijing A, consecutive numbers? Lin Xi narrowed her eyes and looked into the light.
“Why are the hazard lights on? Is some rich lady here to pick up Old Chen for Valentine’s Day?”
Everyone burst into laughter. Lin Xi quietly raised her hand. “Excuse me, sorry to interrupt—that car is here for me.”
“…”