Chapter 98: Coward

That night, Lin Xi had no idea how she made it through. She lay in bed, silently gazing out the window. The pane was cracked open, letting in the autumn wind, which stirred the heavy, dark curtains. She stared at the swirling curve in the air for a long time, lost in thought, as if she had fallen into an old dream. The scene before her eyes slowly blurred; she blinked her dry eyes, and in the next moment, the vision shifted to the year she was seventeen, her sight gradually growing clear.

It wasn’t until she closed her weary eyes that dawn had already broken, a little past six. Through the gap in the curtains, the thick darkness of night had faded, the sky washed with pale light, and the distant bustle of traffic could faintly be heard outside.

Her assistant had bought her a high-speed train ticket for nine in the morning. By the time Lin Xi felt sleepy and wanted to rest, there was no chance left. She moved her numb body and got up, going through her morning routine like a ghost. Thankfully, her things were packed the night before. When the car arrived downstairs, she put on her coat, dragged her suitcase, and went down.

At this hour on a weekday, there was never a moment when the traffic in Capital City wasn’t jammed. Lin Xi leaned back in the rear seat for a nap as soon as she got in, hoping for a proper rest, but the blare of horns and the car’s constant stops and starts kept her from falling asleep.

It was eight by the time she reached the station. After queuing and passing security, Lin Xi had no time to visit the lounge—soon after, boarding began. The flight from Capital City to Huai City took just over two hours, but the train journey was twice as long. Lin Xi slept all the way, but her nap was far from restful. Her dreams were chaotic, like a spilled jar of seasonings, all sorts of flavors mixed together, leaving her adrift among tangled emotions.

The attendant woke her up as the train was nearing its destination.

“Miss Lin, we’ll be arriving at Huai City North Station in five minutes.”

Lin Xi opened her eyes, still a bit dazed. She took a few seconds to steady herself, then nodded at the attendant. “Thank you.”

The attendant wore a standard smile, crouching beside her to remind, “Your phone had a call just now. When I called you, it disconnected automatically.”

Lin Xi glanced at her phone on the little table. The attendant was quicker, handing it to her.

“I won’t disturb you further,” the attendant said, tactfully leaving to give her privacy.

Lin Xi unlocked her phone and glanced at the call log. At the top were two calls from Bai Xu, made two minutes ago. Her phone was on silent, so she’d missed them. She returned the phone to her pocket, with no intention of calling back. Just then, the train pulled into the station. She yawned, washed her face to clear her head, and finally left the car under the attendant’s gaze.

This time, she had come alone, without her assistant. Lin Xi could only drag her suitcase straight to Huasheng.

Although her main purpose this trip was to evade certain problems, she could not afford to neglect her work, no matter how trivial.

She stayed in the Huasheng R&D department until nine that night before finishing her tasks. The department manager and two senior staff escorted her to the hotel. On the way, the manager couldn’t help but probe, “Team Leader Lin, you joined Feiyun as soon as you returned to the country? Didn’t you consider other companies?”

“Yes.” Although she hadn’t slept much, Lin Xi was sharp and clear-headed, her mind stimulated by the just-concluded work. Other than a slightly pale complexion, she showed no sign of fatigue.

The manager smiled, half-joking, “Why didn’t you consider us at Huasheng? We have a branch in Capital City too.”

“I did consider it at first, but Feiyun cut in halfway. There was no helping it—President Cheng and I are too familiar, it was hard to refuse.” Lin Xi’s tone was light, without a trace of annoyance.

“And besides, Feiyun suits me better. Huasheng and Feiyun have different plans, each with their strengths. I hope this collaboration won’t disappoint either company, and we all make progress together.”

She said the customary pleasantries, words that, while not especially useful, made people feel better. Lin Xi only occasionally unlocked this skill; whether she said them, how much, and with what sincerity, all depended on her mood.

The R&D manager smiled and echoed her, showering praise. “With Team Leader Lin on board, if this collaboration succeeds, it will shake the entire industry.”

“I can’t do it alone,” Lin Xi replied with a smile. “I’ll do my part, and do my best.”

“I believe in you. If you have any new ideas in the future, feel free to contact us—Huasheng will always welcome you.”

“I’ll remember, thank you.”

Back at the hotel, Lin Xi gestured for the staff to place her luggage in the bedroom. After they left, she ran a bath and soaked comfortably. She dozed in the tub for twenty minutes, until her phone’s constant vibration woke her. Sleepy-eyed, she picked up the phone and checked her messages.

In the work group, Engineer Chen was asking: “Lin, is everything going smoothly?”

Her hands wet, Lin Xi wiped them on the armrest and replied, “Don’t worry, everything’s fine.”

Chen replied instantly: “That’s good, I heard you suddenly went on a business trip, alone. I was worried the problems would be too tricky for you.”

“No major issues, just had a brief meeting with them.” She summarized the day's work, and Chen, after reading, couldn’t help but complain, “These Huasheng people are so picky! What’s up with their R&D?”

This was the internal group of their R&D team, so Chen had no reservations.

“It’s nothing serious, just things that could be solved online, but they insisted you come all the way over. It’s such a hassle.”

“No worries, I’ll head back tomorrow night.”

After chatting with Chen and the others, Lin Xi left the bathroom. It was almost ten o’clock.

Bai Xu’s calls always came at just the right moment. Lin Xi had long since blocked his number. The one he used now was a rarely-used alternate; she’d answered it once before and remembered it, since the middle four digits happened to be her birthday.

Lin Xi pressed the answer and speaker buttons, tossing the phone aside.

“Why are you in Huai City?”

Bai Xu’s voice was loud. Lin Xi frowned, thinking the speaker was almost unnecessary.

“What do you want?”

She didn’t explain. Whatever Bai Xu wanted to know, he should have dug up as soon as he learned she was in Huai City. There was no need to answer, no point in wasting words.

Listening closely, his tone was more urgent than usual. Quite rare—for someone who always seemed indifferent and uninterested, to actually sound anxious.

He was probably worried she would run away again because of last night.

Her image in their eyes had been firmly established for years—an inveterate coward, always fleeing at the first sign of trouble.

(End of chapter)