Chapter 46: Getting Married Next Month

Chen and his colleagues all lived in the company dormitory, so they went to and from work together every day. Someone happened to be telling a new joke as they pushed open the office door, only to see Lin Xi lying on a chair, asleep. The laughter caught in their throats.

Lin Xi was a light sleeper. She woke up as soon as she heard the door open. Groggy, she blinked her eyes, adjusted the chair, and sat up straight. “Good morning.”

She looked as if she hadn’t quite woken up yet. If one looked closely, there were faint dark circles under her eyes, making her appear utterly exhausted.

“Lin, why are you sleeping here? Did you come last night or this morning?” Once they were sure she was awake, everyone entered.

“Didn't you take leave yesterday? Don’t tell me you worked through the night to make it back here and start work again?”

If anyone at Feiyun deserved the title “workaholic,” it was Lin Xi—no contest.

She wasn’t called the queen of overtime for nothing.

Luckily, they all knew she owned some shares in Feiyun, so her dedication made some sense. Otherwise, for a newcomer to be so driven would really put the veterans to shame. If they had to keep up with her, it’d cost them their lives.

“No, I just got here a short while ago.” She couldn’t sleep well at home anyway, so she might as well come to the office and catch a nap.

She took a sip of water to moisten her throat and explained, “I was afraid of traffic, so I came early.”

Seeing her in this state, Chen advised her to go home and rest.

Lin Xi shook her head. “It’s fine, I’m not tired.”

Everyone: …Could you at least not yawn while saying that?

“Did you not sleep at all last night, Lin?”

“More or less,” Lin Xi replied. She spotted the assistant outside and beckoned. “Coffee, please.”

Then she turned back to Chen and the others, “In all my time working here, this is the first time I’ve come in this early. Today I must be the very first in the whole company to clock in.”

Usually, even being the first in the R&D department was a challenge for her, but today, she’d topped the entire company.

“No kidding.”

“You probably even beat the cleaning lady here, Lin!” someone laughed.

Lin Xi smiled as she drank her water.

After a few more jokes, everyone fell silent, tacitly agreeing to let Lin Xi nap a bit longer.

She laid her head down and dozed off again. This time, she was woken by Chen’s assistant.

“Lin, there’s a meeting at nine,” the assistant said, setting down the coffee and handing her a file.

“Which meeting room?”

“The twelfth floor.”

Lin Xi nodded, motioning for him to put the file aside. “Do you need me to go with you?”

“No need.” In truth, it wasn’t an important meeting—she was only showing up to make up the numbers, just to be seen. If she could have avoided it, she would have.

After finishing her coffee, Lin Xi finally got up, moving slowly.

“Hey, Lin, wait a second!” Chen called.

Lin Xi paused and turned back. Chen pulled a slender box from a drawer and thrust it into her arms so quickly she almost dropped it.

“What’s this?”

“Your favorite pen broke, didn’t it? We noticed you’ve been using other pens lately and it didn’t seem quite right for you. Last night after dinner, we passed by the mall and thought we’d get you a new one.”

Lin Xi was stunned, replying instinctively, “Thank you. I haven’t had time to buy a replacement. Sorry for the trouble. Let me transfer you the money.”

“No, no, no!” Chen jumped back, and the others waved their hands as well. “It’s a gift from all of us.”

“We wanted to get you the same model, but yours was… honestly, a bit expensive,” someone added with a laugh. “So we picked a different one.”

“That’s right, Lin, don’t mind. It’s just a small token from us.”

The pen Lin Xi had broken was the one she’d used since joining the company. They’d even picked up the “remains” to examine it. They’d heard of the brand, but none of them had ever used it. Lately, she’d been using the company pens, which didn’t seem to suit her.

Last night, after dinner, they noticed a counter for that brand at the mall and decided on the spot to buy her a new one. They hadn’t expected a fountain pen could cost so much—her original was well into six figures, their entire monthly salary! In the end, they chose an entry-level model for her. It wasn’t even ten thousand, but it was heartfelt.

“How could I mind?” A wave of warmth swept through Lin Xi’s heart; she hadn’t expected them to get her anything. “But this pen isn’t cheap. I really should pay you.”

“Come on, Lin, don’t be so formal! Since you started, we’ve never given you anything, and you’re always treating us to dinner.”

“We meant to give it to you at dinner tonight, but since you can use it now, here it is.”

“Consider this a welcome gift from the ‘old hands’—you have to accept it!”

Before she could protest, they pushed her out the door. “Go on, you’ll be late for your meeting!”

—

At 8:59, Lin Xi slipped into the meeting room just in time.

This meeting was for Feiyun’s senior staff—most of whom Lin Xi had met before.

After greeting everyone, she found a seat in the corner, set down her file, and began fiddling with her new pen.

She wasn’t fussy about pens before; she’d gotten used to using one because Qin Yu liked them. Back when they were always together, she enjoyed watching him write. Not long after, she’d received a matching pen from him. She hadn’t used it for long before losing it when she went abroad.

The one she’d broken recently was something she’d bought while studying overseas—nothing special or expensive.

“Lin, are you free mid-month next month?” the deputy general manager asked, probing.

Without hesitation, Lin Xi replied, “No.”

“Do you have something important then?” he pressed.

“Not sure yet.” Lin Xi smiled. “Whether I’m busy kind of depends on whether you are.”

“…Well, if you’re free, there’s a new product launch at Haicheng Ziyi…”

Without missing a beat, Lin Xi replied, “I’m not free—I’m getting married next month.”

…

It was just an offhand excuse, a joke that anyone could see through. Yet somehow, someone took it seriously and the rumor ended up reaching Cheng Si.

After the meeting, Lin Xi spent the entire morning holed up in the lab, not noticing any incoming calls.

In the afternoon, the lab door swung open and her assistant hurried in. “Lin, we just received notice that the deputy general manager will be bringing VIP guests to tour the R&D department.”

“A tour is fine. What’s it got to do with me?”

“He said everyone in R&D needs to greet them, and he specifically named you to show the VIPs around.”

…Lin Xi finally looked up. “Do I look like a tour guide to you?”