She picked up her phone and realized it was a call from Quan Shaoqing.
"Xiao Xi, have lunch in the canteen today, I’ll cook for you when I get back tonight. I’m a bit busy right now," Quan Shaoqing’s voice came through.
Gu Xiaoxi listened, feeling an inexplicable warmth in her chest, and her voice instantly became hoarser.
Her lips stiffened, her eyes moistened, "When will you come back then?"
"Probably around five in the afternoon, I’ll definitely make it back before dinner," Quan Shaoqing’s deep voice resonated from the other end of the phone.
"Okay, I got it! I’ll wait for you to come back."
After hanging up the phone.
Gu Xiaoxi put all the vegetables back in the fridge, deciding to wait until he returned in the afternoon to eat together. Thinking about the wasted meal from last night, she felt it was such a pity.
It must have been something he had prepared with care, and yet only a bite was eaten; the rest was wasted.
Just as she was about to leave for the canteen to grab a meal, she saw Lin Mi approaching with a lunchbox, "Miss Gu, this is from your superior officer. Eat it quick, it’s still hot. If you’re free this afternoon, you can go to the recreational area over there for a bit. Here’s my card, you can just take it."
As Lin Mi handed the lunch to Gu Xiaoxi, he also gave her an electronic card.
Gu Xiaoxi quickly saluted, "Thank you!"
"No problem!" Lin Mi smiled at Gu Xiaoxi and said, "I heard that the Information Department has been busy with that phone all morning."
Gu Xiaoxi raised an eyebrow, pushed open the door, and said to Lin Mi, "Come in and talk."
Lin Mi followed Gu Xiaoxi inside, chuckled, and said, "It seems they really are stumped. Just not sure if they can crack it by tonight."
Gu Xiaoxi put down the lunch box and card, looked up at Lin Mi with a confident gaze, "Never mind tonight, even if they had three days, it might not help."
"Why?" Lin Mi was puzzled, wondering where Gu Xiaoxi’s confidence came from. They were all high-level tech staff, after all.
"Because the things from my mother, after my modifications, have become invulnerable," Gu Xiaoxi said with a straight posture and a gleaming look.
Lin Mi was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "Great! Let’s show everyone what a top-notch hacker looks like. Seems like the superior officer made the right choice."
Gu Xiaoxi chuckled, her delicate features shining brightly. The slight distance that was ever-present seemed gone, and she came across much more amiable and approachable than before.
Lin Mi’s expression deepened. It was as if he had an epiphany.
He always felt that Gu Xiaoxi and Young Master Quan were from different worlds.
He finally understood why he felt that way.
Because Gu Xiaoxi had always exuded a certain aloofness deep down.
Even though she was here, she had never truly considered this place home, nor did she truly trust Quan Shaoqing completely.
Perhaps it was in these moments today that he felt she had changed.
In this house, she had shown a side of herself that she had never revealed before, an unguarded smile.
Such a smile, radiant and pure, free of impurities. One glance, and it would be memorable, comforting to the beholder.
"Secretary Lin, why are you staring at me?" Gu Xiaoxi asked, seeing him not moving a muscle, not even blinking, out of curiosity. Clearly, she couldn’t guess what was on the man’s mind.
Perhaps, she herself wasn’t aware of her transformation.
Lin Mi immediately stood up and smiled at Gu Xiaoxi, "Go ahead and eat, I won’t disturb you anymore. If there’s any situation with the Information Department, I’ll call you."
"Oh!" Gu Xiaoxi bid Lin Mi farewell, then happily started on her boxed lunch alone.
She wondered whether she should prepare a big meal in the afternoon, to give Shaoqing a surprise?