Upon entering the office, Manager Chen sat behind the desk and then said, "Please, take a seat."
Ling Chuxia didn’t sit down, but stood in front of the desk instead. Her eyelids were slightly drooped, and her hands, placed in front of her, unconsciously twisted together. She took a light breath and slowly began, "Manager Chen, regarding this cooperation case, I am willing to discuss it with President Shi."
Upon hearing Ling Chuxia’s words, Manager Chen was genuinely taken aback. Given Ling Chuxia’s firm stance yesterday, she had thought she would have to expend a lot of effort persuading her again today. She hadn’t expected that, without saying anything herself, Ling Chuxia had already volunteered.
Manager Chen’s gaze involuntarily landed on Ling Chuxia’s face, a deep flicker passing through her eyes. Though she couldn’t fathom why Ling Chuxia had suddenly changed her mind, it was an outcome she could not have hoped for more.
Manager Chen’s fingers unconsciously tapped a few times on the desktop, and a kind smile immediately appeared on her face, her voice becoming much softer, "Come, come, Chuxia, sit down first, let’s have a good chat after you sit."
Seeing that Ling Chuxia was still not moving, Manager Chen simply stood up, walked over to Ling Chuxia, and pulled her down to sit. She even pressed the internal line phone to have her secretary bring two cups of coffee.
Manager Chen’s sudden cordiality made Ling Chuxia somewhat unaccustomed. She discreetly withdrew her hands and said, "Manager, there’s no need for such trouble. Just talk to me about the details of the contract, and I... I will find a way to contact President Shi."
With Ling Chuxia being so straightforward and decisive, Manager Chen smiled even broader, nodding repeatedly, "Very good, very good. Having such an excellent employee like you is a blessing for our company. Chuxia, do your best, and if this cooperation is successful, you will definitely have your rewards."
Ling Chuxia walked slowly out of the office. She slightly lifted her head, finding the sunlight overhead extremely dazzling. She closed her eyes, then slowly reopened them.
Her hand clenched the contract for the cooperation case. She lowered her eyes to the kraft paper bag in her hand, her gaze becoming somewhat vacant.
Although she had taken up this task, the truth was... her heart was really not confident.
The way Shi Che stormed off in anger yesterday, his final cold laughter still occasionally echoed in her ears; so cold that even now, recalling it made her shiver uncontrollably.
Her hand unconsciously tightened, slightly crumpling the kraft paper bag. She took several deep breaths, and finally, with a heavy swallow, her eyes filled with resolution.
No matter what, she had to try. She couldn’t let herself ruin this cooperation case.
Ling Chuxia pulled out her cellphone from her bag and rapidly dialed the number she knew by heart, pressing the call button as if she feared she would change her mind.
Holding the phone to her ear, the ringing tone on the other end beat against her heart.
The call rang for quite a while. Shi Che did not answer on the other end. Ling Chuxia’s brows involuntarily furrowed. Surely Shi Che wouldn’t ignore her call? He rarely answered her calls before, but... this was a new number, he probably didn’t know her number yet...
As Ling Chuxia nervously scrambled her thoughts, the phone was picked up. Shi Che’s deep voice soon came through, "Who is this?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Ling Chuxia’s breathing momentarily paused. She tightened her grip on the phone and softly began, "It’s... It’s me."