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He Jianshan’s dinner with He Zhao and Zhao Tao was soon decided.
When Lin Hui confirmed the time with He Jianshan, He Jianshan made a request. “You’ll be coming with me.”
“Ah?” Lin Hui looked a little reluctant. “This is a private meeting. Isn’t that a little inappropriate?”
“Didn’t you make all the arrangements for that girl? Technically, you should be there more than I should.”
That was true. However, Lin Hui was really just following He Jianshan’s orders. He saw that the other had already gone back to reading his documents. He knew that He Jianshan wasn’t going to change his mind, so he gave up on it.
The location was set to be a famous restaurant in Beijing. When Lin Hui and He Jianshan arrived, He Zhao and Zhao Tao were happily chatting away in the private room that they had booked. A short-haired girl sat next to Zhao Tao. She was looking down at her phone. This was Zhao Xiaoxiao. Zhao Xiaoxiao was the first to notice that the two of them had walked in. She was a little startled and immediately stood up. “Hello, President He. Hello, Mr. Lin.”
Her voice led the other two people in the room to look over at the same time. He Zhao didn’t seem to be too surprised about Lin Hui. He nodded and said, “You’re here. Take a seat.”
The atmosphere within the room was fairly friendly. He Jianshan didn’t talk much throughout the entire dinner. He Zhao, Zhao Tao, and Lin Hui were basically carrying the entire conversation. However, his expression was relaxed, so it was obvious that he was in a good mood. Zhao Tao retired from a government position, so he had quite a bit of sway. His main reason for arranging this dinner was so that he could pull some strings for his daughter. After all, she had just graduated from college, and she didn’t have any real experience. Since she managed to enter a major company like Wanzhu, Zhao Tao hoped that she would be able to go even further. He was just like every other father in the world, doing everything he can for his kid. As Zhao Tao was thanking He Jianshan and Lin Hui for taking care of Zhao Xiaoxiao, he couldn’t help but secretly praise his daughter’s excellence. Zhao Xiaoxiao was so embarrassed that she didn’t even speak for most of dinner. She just kept her head down and ate her food.
After dinner, the group stood on the side of the road to say their goodbyes. Zhao Tao politely asked Lin Hui whether he needed a ride or not. Lin Hui smiled and shook his head. “President He and I came together. We’ll be heading back to the company. There’s a video conference at nine.”
Zhao Tao paused for a moment. Then, he nudged Zhao Xiaoxiao forward a bit. “That’s just perfect. Xiaoxiao, go and help out Mr. Lin.”
Zhao Xiaoxiao felt a little taken aback. She didn’t want to go at all. She simply looked at her father with a dumb look on her face. “Huh?”
Zhao Tao felt a little exasperated that she didn’t get the hint. He gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, “Follow along and learn from them. Make sure to perform well.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Lin Hui took in the expressions from both father and daughter and found it a little humorous. He decided to take the initiative to help Zhao Xiaoxiao. “No need. I don’t—”
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On the way back to the company building, Lin Hui drove, Zhao Xiaoxiao played with her cell phone in the passenger seat, and He Jianshan sat in the backseat. Lin Hui didn’t know what He Jianshan was thinking. He didn’t think that He Jianshan had actually come to see Zhao Xiaoxiao in a new light after a single meal. Furthermore, they had held countless video conferences before, so he really didn’t need the extra help. Lin Hui looked into the rearview mirror and discovered that He Jianshan had raised his head at some point. The two of them locked eyes through the mirror.
Lin Hui coughed lightly and looked away.
Lately, he began to feel that He Jianshan was becoming increasingly difficult to read. It was as if something was quietly changing in the background, and that made him uneasy.
When they got back to the company, there were still about forty minutes before the conference would begin. Lin Hui helped He Jianshan sort out the documents for the meeting. As he was doing so, he explained the entire work process to Zhao Xiaoxiao. He felt a little bad about dragging her along, but he still hoped that he’d be able to teach her something. However, Lin Hui soon discovered that Zhao Xiaoxiao was actually incredibly smart and quick on her feet. She was particularly good at comprehending tough subjects on the go. Although she lacked experience, she was definitely someone worth training.
The two of them quickly prepared all the necessary materials. As chief assistant, Lin Hui needed to attend the meeting as well. When he saw that time was almost up, he instructed Zhao Xiaoxiao. “I need to attend the meeting soon. Head downstairs and buy a cup of coffee for President He. Once you have the coffee, send me a message through WeChat. Then, go ahead and get home. We can fill out the overtime paperwork tomorrow.”
Zhao Xiaoxiao’s head bobbed up and down. “What would you like to drink, Assistant Lin?” In just a short period of time, Zhao Xiaoxiao had become a lot more familiar with Lin Hui. She no longer called him “Mr. Lin”. Instead, she called him “Assistant Lin” just like any other employee of the company.
Lin Hui shook his head. “I don’t drink coffee. You just need to buy one for him.”
Once Zhao Xiaoxiao left, the office became much more quiet.
Lin Hui brought a notepad with him to the conference room. During the hour and a half video conference, He Jianshan would be speaking in English. Meanwhile, Lin Hui would be taking simple shorthand notes on the side. Lin Hui couldn’t explain why exactly, but, in this era of highly developed technology, he still preferred to take notes with pen and paper. However, Lin Hui’s English wasn’t as good as He Jianshan’s. When he attended a transnational conference for the first time, he’d written a total of five sentences and six words. His mental state nearly collapsed on the spot. He’d never been so embarrassed in his life. He Jianshan, however, didn’t say anything. He simply provided him with supplemental materials. He also slowed down the speed of his speech. He even went so far as to slow down his speech if he noticed Lin Hui furrowing his brows.
He Jianshan may not have even noticed it himself, but he’d always had a lot of patience when it came to Lin Hui.
After the meeting ended, He Jianshan asked Lin Hui to put the documents away. “How was she?”
“Who?”
“Zhao Xiaoxiao.”
“Oh. Not bad. She’s quite clever.”
“It’s settled, then,” He Jianshan folded up the sheet of paper in his hands and tapped it against the table. “She’ll be your secretary.”
It took a while for Lin Hui to react. “What?”
“Notify human resources tomorrow. She’ll start working as your secretary next week.”
Lin Hui felt like his head was buzzing. “President He, I’ve never said anything about needing more people.”
“I’ve made a last-minute decision.”
Lin Hui calmly rebutted, “I have my own way of doing things, and I know my own limits. President He, I don’t think I need a secretary given my current workload.”
He Jianshan seemed a little puzzled. “Isn’t it a good thing to have someone share a bit of the burden?”
Lin Hui was a little agitated. “Why didn’t you ask me for my opinion?”
Lin Hui’s lips were pressed into a very straight line, his eyes were bright, and his entire person was in a state of tension—he was holding back his temper.
He Jianshan thought to himself, “He’s rejecting me again.” However, this time, he wasn’t going to compromise.
“Do you remember what you said to me before?”
Lin Hui looked at him, both angry and confused.
“You said that you trusted me,” He Jianshan said softly.
Lin Hui was at a loss for words.
He was like a cat that had been picked up by the scruff of its neck. Even if he was unwilling, he couldn’t bring himself to get angry anymore. Lin Hui slowly calmed down. He found that he had truly gotten a bit too worked up. He Jianshan wasn’t someone who would make random arrangements on a whim. He didn’t know about the twists and turns within Lin Hui’s heart. He simply felt that Lin Hui needed a helper. Lin Hui deliberated the matter over and over. He Jianshan had been acting strange all day. Still, he hoped to persuade him to change his mind. After straightening out his thoughts, he opened his mouth and said, “President He, I think—”
“Trust me.”
He Jianshan interrupted him. Before the other’s astonished gaze, he made a very earnest request.
“Lin Hui, trust in me just like you said you did.”
The Author Has Something To Say:
They’re fighting.