Dawn of Life

The two nestled together, Lin Yue closing her eyes, listening to the sound of his heartbeat, savoring the tranquility and beauty. Suddenly, Xiao Feng sighed deeply and slowly said, "Lin Yue, there are some secrets about my past that I've kept hidden in my heart. I think it's time to tell you."

"Hmm..." Lin Yue responded softly, not taking it to heart at all, thinking to herself that at their age, everyone has a past.

"I met her when I was a third-year graduate student in France. She was a junior from the school next door, gentle and well-behaved. In a foreign country, we kept each other company and spent a very beautiful time together. After graduation, I returned to China to work, while she continued her studies there in her second year of graduate school. Thus began our two-year long-distance relationship. Whenever I had a day off, I would fly over to be with her. Once, I wanted to surprise her, but I didn't tell her before I went. As a result, I bumped into her with a Frenchman." He paused for a moment at this point.

半晌继续说道：「我当时非常痛苦，狠狠地揍了那个法国人，之后就向她提了分手。朋友看我太消沉，就给我介绍了一个女人，也就是我的前妻。她是一个贤惠的女人，很适合当老婆，所以我们很快结了婚。可是婚后我才知道她只是看重我的条件，婚前的温柔乖巧都是伪装的，婚后将自己泼辣的一面展示了出来，不到一年我们就离婚了。所以很长一段时间我都不再相信爱情，直到遇到了你。」

Lin Yue's heart clenched, and she hugged him even tighter. She comforted him, saying, "It's all in the past." She paused, then asked the question that had been nagging at her: "Why me?"

Xiao Feng gently pinched her nose, then lightly kissed her forehead, saying, "Because you made me believe in women again, and yearn for love." When Xiao Feng first met Lin Yue, he felt she resembled Jin Yingbao, the junior schoolmate he had mentioned. Of course, he couldn't tell her the reason right now.

Lin Yue was slightly disappointed because she felt this wasn't a reason a mature 39-year-old man could give. However, she quickly convinced herself that perhaps men with artistic backgrounds were naturally more sensitive, and that he had been hurt in relationships before. So she didn't press him further, but instead made a conclusion in her mind: "He is a sensitive and affectionate man, unlike Gao Ming, who is realistic and indifferent."

The next day, after sleeping in, they set off together for Lijiang Old Town, an extremely romantic place. Vibrant flowerbeds, taverns hidden among the blossoms, men and women sharing their stories in the bars—no one could tell what was real, or perhaps no one really cared.

Lin Yue, dressed in a bright red dress, strolled hand in hand with Xiao Feng along the ancient road, leisurely gazing at the scenery on both sides of the street, when suddenly, her cell phone in her crossbody bag vibrated.

It was Xiaoyu calling. Lin Yue answered the phone, and Xiaoyu's sobbing voice came through the receiver: "Sister Lin, when are you coming back? We're suffering terribly without you. Qu Liang just throws tantrums, can't explain the tasks clearly, and the people below have no idea what to do. We can't come up with an annual plan, and in the end we can only use last year's to appease the general manager's office. He didn't even understand the logic in it. He couldn't answer the boss's questions at the meeting and got a severe scolding."

Lin Yue comforted Xiao Yu for a few words and then hung up the phone. Afterwards, she couldn't hide the smugness on her face. She turned to look at Xiao Feng and repeated the contents of the phone call.

Xiao Feng said calmly, "This isn't what you expected. Actually, I have to thank Qu Liang, otherwise it wouldn't have been so easy to get you to come out. There are many people in headquarters eyeing his position, and to produce results in a short period of time, he has to win over his subordinates. It's just that he's too stupid and doesn't understand the situation. It's good for him to leave for a while and experience it for himself."

Lin Yue was a little embarrassed when Xiao Feng pointed out her secret, and she retorted, "Well, I really wanted to go out and have fun with you."

Xiao Feng waved his hand at her, with an expression that seemed to understand her yet was indifferent.

If Lin Yue's initial cooperation with Xiao Feng's approach was aimed at gaining Sheng Xing's trust through him, and her later acceptance of his confession was largely driven by self-interest, even their trip together was based on practical considerations, then unknowingly, her feelings had already begun to change. Some say life is like a play, all about acting skills, but sometimes, as you act, you get so caught up in the role that you take it all for real. In the end, she fell into his gentle embrace.

Later, they climbed Jade Dragon Snow Mountain together, went to Shangri-La, and returned seven days later. They also brought back local specialties such as flower cakes and braised beef for their family and colleagues.

As soon as she arrived at the company, she saw Qu Liang standing at the door of her office, his face beaming with a smile, as if he were a completely different person. He gently waved for Lin Yue to come in.

Inside the office, Qu Liang gently pushed the poured tea towards Lin Yue and said, "Not bad, not bad. You look much better after your trip. This tea was a gift from a friend; it tastes good. I'll prepare a box for you to take with you later."

Lin Yue took the teacup, took a sip, and muttered to herself, "This guy's ability to change his expression is so fast, it's a shame he's not an opera singer. But he's also quite adaptable. No wonder someone with his abilities could stay at headquarters for twenty years."

Then Qu Liang spent another hour frantically trying to build rapport and chat, finally saying, "I'm new to the company and not very familiar with the business, so I'll need your help a lot later." Through these past few days, he had indeed realized that now was not the time to make a move on Lin Yue. He figured he should make the best use of her, and there was plenty of time. He'd let her finish the current projects first, and then find an opportunity to get rid of her.

Although Lin Yue was extremely disdainful, she still maintained a respectful demeanor and replied with a smile, "Minister Qu, you're being too polite. You're my boss, so just tell me what you need. Besides, although I still hold the title of HR Director, it's only because you have a broad vision and don't care about such empty titles. Moreover, I was only appointed in a time of crisis. Now that you're here, I finally have someone to rely on."

Qu Liang was indeed pleased with what Lin Yue said and showed a satisfied smile.

The team members were overjoyed to see Lin Yue return. Those who had previously watched from the sidelines, hoping to profit from her conflict with Qu Liang, had all changed their tune. Now, they only hoped they were doing well, so at least they wouldn't have to confront Qu Liang directly. This perfectly exemplified the human tendency to seek advantage and avoid harm.

Thus, Lin Yue and Qu Liang began to maintain a superficial peaceful coexistence. However, this did not last long. Just as Da Sheng was beginning to improve thanks to Lin Yue's full cooperation, headquarters impatiently issued an imperial decree to Qu Liang, ordering him to find ways to improve efficiency.