Chapter 41: Lin Xi Got Into a Fight?

The incident happened so abruptly that even Engineer Chen was startled and shrank back, his gaze landing on Lin Xi’s grim face. Being so close, he dared not utter a sound. Across from them, Wang Chen was equally shaken. An old hand in engineering, he had never faced any real storms in his life, and Lin Xi’s outburst frightened him badly.

Lin Xi never appeared to be the sort who would resort to violence. Even when angry, she remained expressionless, at most uttering a few sharp but clean words. She had never thrown things before. Only now did Engineer Chen realize—her previous displays hadn’t truly counted as anger; this was the real thing. Her aura alone left him stunned.

They had worked together for some time, yet now, he wasn’t sure whether Lin Xi would actually hit someone. Truth be told, even as a grown man, he felt a flicker of fear, worried she might not distinguish friend from foe and land a punch on him while dealing with Wang Chen.

"Equivalent exchange—where’s the insult in that? Agree if you will, disagree if you must, then just go back to where you came from. If negotiations fail, you start throwing a tantrum, flying off the handle at the slightest provocation—who's pampering you?"

"Is this your home? Do I look like your mother or your father?"

Lin Xi cast him a cold glance, stood up unhurriedly. "I’m easy to work with. If you make up your mind, Wang, you’re welcome to come to Division One anytime to request personnel."

"If you haven’t, I suggest you keep such words to yourself next time."

She turned and smiled, "Otherwise, you might get hit."

After Lin Xi left, Engineer Chen snapped back to reality, grabbed both their laptops, and hurried after her, fearing that if he delayed, he’d become the next target.

—

Watching the elevator doors close, Engineer Chen finally let out a breath, as if he’d survived a disaster. "Lin, you were incredible just now!"

He freed one hand and gave Lin Xi a thumbs-up.

By then, the icy aura Lin Xi had carried was gone, replaced by her usual serene demeanor.

"Honestly, Lin, you scared me too," Engineer Chen admitted, curiosity piqued. "Could you have taken them in a fight?"

"Not a chance," Lin Xi replied without hesitation.

Engineer Chen’s mouth twitched. "I thought you were going to throw down with Wang Chen."

"Why would I? Whether or not I can beat him, it’s not worth my effort."

"True," Engineer Chen knew she scorned the idea. "Wang Chen bullies us only because he has backing from the higher-ups."

As they exited the elevator, Engineer Chen continued, "Division One is the default in Feiyun’s R&D. All the key projects go to us first. But this time, with Huasheng involved, we didn’t have the time, so it was handed to Division Two. Wang Chen had wanted to transfer into Division One before, but upper management refused."

"He sees you as a newcomer to Feiyun, a young woman, so he thinks you’re easy to push around. He wanted to give Division One a hard time."

At this, Engineer Chen couldn’t help but laugh. "But he didn’t expect that no one in Division One is easy to mess with. And you—who’d have thought the toughest nut to crack would be this young lady?"

"He lost face this time; I bet he regrets it bitterly. But Lin, you shouldn’t waste energy on him. That guy’s always got his nose in the air, thinks he’s the best in the world. He has no concept of ‘there’s always someone better.’"

"Just like your new assistant—full of ambition, holding his breath, waiting for a chance."

Back at the office, Engineer Chen relived the story for everyone, animated and heartfelt.

The next day, when Lin Xi returned to the company, she noticed that many people looked at her with a cautious air.

Previously, they’d observed her surreptitiously, curious about her background.

She didn’t need to guess; the events of last night’s meeting had surely spread throughout the company.

Engineer Chen swore he’d only told a few colleagues in the office, all close to Lin Xi and unlikely to gossip further.

Lin Xi told them not to worry.

She sat at her desk, turned on her computer. "It’s nothing serious. With so many people in the meeting room yesterday, it was only a matter of time before word got out."

"In a way, it’s good. No one will dare provoke me anymore."

At noon, Lin Xi shut down her equipment and went to the cafeteria with Engineer Chen and the others.

After collecting her meal, she’d barely sat down when someone took the empty seat beside her.

She paid little attention at first, until a box of cream puffs slid toward her.

Lin Xi paused with her chopsticks, glanced sideways.

Cheng Si appeared from nowhere, propping his head on one hand, smiling at her.

Lin Xi met his gaze just once, then calmly turned back to her food, continuing to pick at her plate.

"Here because of Division Two?" she asked, not even bothering to confirm his purpose.

Cheng Si’s laughter vibrated in his chest. "Who says so? I saw that old brand had a new product when I came in, so I brought you a box."

Seeing she ignored him, Cheng Si sighed. "Fine, fine, it’s about that issue."

"I heard you hit someone yesterday?" His tone wasn’t accusatory—it was more like he was enjoying the drama.

Lin Xi frowned, "Where did you hear such rumors?"

"Everyone’s saying it."

"I didn’t. Do I look like someone who would hit people?"

Cheng Si dared not comment, only smiled. The little troublemaker who’d dared to hit Qin Yu years ago—would she really swallow her anger outside? Unlikely.

"You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?"

Lin Xi drew a deep breath, repeated herself. "I really didn’t fight anyone."

"We just exchanged some friendly words. It was normal workplace communication, nothing for you to get worked up about. I can handle it myself."

Cheng Si seemed to believe her, nodding. "Alright."

—

At the end of the month, Lin Xi took a day off and returned to Lin City.

It was her grandmother’s birthday. After dropping off her gift, Lin Xi went out to buy groceries with her grandfather.

When they returned and stepped inside, Lin Xi heard laughter coming from the living room.

Grandma seemed to be chatting with someone. Was there a guest?

"Who’s here?" she asked, changing her shoes and peering inside.

Grandpa closed the door and replied with certainty, "It must be Xiao Qin."

"Who?" The name immediately put Lin Xi on alert.

"Xiao Qin," Grandpa didn’t know about the affairs between the younger generation, replied cheerfully, "Most likely, he’s come to visit."

"Qin Yu? Why is he here?" Lin Xi was baffled.

Grandpa chuckled as he changed shoes. "All these years you’ve been away, every holiday, New Year, and birthday, Xiao Qin comes to have dinner and chat with me and your grandma. He often sends supplements from Jing City by courier, too."

Lin Xi’s eyes widened. "Every... every year?"

"Yes. He’s thoughtful—never comes empty-handed. Always brings two gifts: one from himself as a younger member of the family, and one on your behalf."

Lin Xi was speechless.