The world of film and television begins in the ideal city

As the year draws to a close and winter chill sets in, a cold wind sweeps across the city, and the last withered leaves fall from the roadside trees. The festive atmosphere of the New Year, mingling with the winter cold, quietly permeates the air. With only a few days left until the Spring Festival, Yinghai Group's annual year-end gala was held as scheduled at the Cordis Hotel Hongqiao in Shanghai.

The hotel's entire banquet hall was meticulously decorated, with dazzling crystal chandeliers hanging from the dome, casting a radiant glow on every corner. Decorative light strips in gold and warm red hues wrapped around the walls, while exquisite floral arrangements and festive ornaments were scattered throughout. Long rows of banquet tables were neatly arranged, laden with fine wines, elegant cold dishes, and seasonal fruits. The guests were all impeccably dressed Yinghai employees and senior management, men in suits exuding confidence and competence, women in flowing dresses displaying grace and poise. Laughter, greetings, and toasts filled the air, creating a grand, lively, and harmonious year-end atmosphere.

It has been some time since Su Xiao was officially transferred to the Group's Economic Management Department and joined the special task force for the merger of the top-tier subsidiaries. During this period, the entire task force has worked together with one heart and one mind. Xu Zhiping has been mediating and resolving conflicts among all parties in a tactful and considerate manner. The heads of the several top-tier subsidiaries have also given up their fighting spirit and are busy looking for a way out. The task force is progressing very smoothly, far exceeding Zhao Xiankun's initial expectations.

With the merger structure gradually becoming clear, financial accounts being streamlined and orderly, and internal redundancies being rectified and standardized one by one, the group's internal operations have been completely transformed. A number of professional securities firms and investment banks have conducted multiple on-site investigations and research, giving high praise to the internal rectification results of Yinghai Group. They unanimously believe that as long as the current pace is steadily advanced, the overall listing of Yinghai Group can be smoothly put on the agenda within two years.

Good news kept pouring back to the group headquarters, boosting morale from top to bottom and dispelling the long-suppressed internal atmosphere. As a result, this year's Yinghai annual meeting was even more joyous and uplifting than in previous years. Everyone wore a genuine, relaxed smile, with less of the usual tension and restraint in the workplace and more of the relaxed and lively atmosphere of a year-end gathering.

Just after 5 p.m., the invited guests began to arrive at the hotel to sign in and enter.

Wu Hongmei arrived at the entrance to greet guests early, as arranged by the administrative supervisor Maria.

She was originally a dancer in the opening act, having practiced diligently with the HR department ladies for a long time. Tonight was her performance night, and Maria told her she was too tall and didn't fit in with the dance team; dancing together would look forced. So, Wu Hongmei was moved from the dance team to the welcoming role.

Wu Hongmei didn't have time to change her clothes, so she stood at the hotel entrance in her thin dance gown. Her cheeks and fingertips were slightly red from the cold, but she dared not slack off in the slightest, always keeping her posture upright and smiling as she greeted each leader and colleague who arrived.

She felt a pang of bitterness and grievance in her heart. She didn't know why Maria was always targeting her, but Maria was her boss, and she couldn't fight back. No matter how much she felt wronged, she could only silently suppress it in her heart.

Lin Chen also arrived with his secretary, Li Wei. He hadn't originally intended to come; these kinds of occasions were the most boring, and with his current status, he no longer needed to engage in social interactions. However, Zhao Xiankun's warm invitation left him no choice but to come.

When I arrived at the hotel entrance, I saw Wu Hongmei standing there, shivering from the cold, yet forcing a smile.

"Hello, Mr. Lin, Weiwei, you're here too." Wu Hongmei smiled sincerely as she saw Lin Chen and Li Wei approaching.

"Sister Hongmei," Li Wei replied with a smile.

"Hello Hongmei, you look a bit freezing today!" Lin Chen joked with a smile.

Seeing that Wu Hongmei seemed a little embarrassed, he smiled and asked, "What happened? Did you get pulled into this? Who assigned you to stand guard? Should I go talk to them?"

"No need, Mr. Lin, I'm fine, thank you," Wu Hongmei quickly declined.

She didn't want to trouble Lin Chen, especially since Maria already disliked her. If Lin Chen spoke up, wouldn't he target her even more?

"Alright then, let's go in first." Seeing Wu Hongmei's forced composure, Lin Chen didn't say much, leaving it to Zhao Xiankun to play the hero.

As he walked into the hotel lobby, he was greeted by several mid-level managers from the group, who simply smiled and nodded in response.

The two avoided the noisy crowd and found a relatively quiet corner to sit down and wait for the annual meeting to begin.

"The atmosphere is great today, so lively! Our company's annual party was much quieter," Li Wei said softly, picking up the warm fruit tea from the table.

"We at Jinshi Capital are just a handful of small businesses, how can we compare to a real industrial company like Yinghai Group!" Lin Chen said with amusement.

As they were talking, Su Xiao walked into the banquet hall alone. Today, she wasn't wearing her usual business suit; instead, she had changed into an elegant light apricot-colored fitted long dress. Her long hair was simply tied up, and her makeup was light and understated, making her look clean, neat, gentle, and graceful.

Along the way, many familiar colleagues greeted her with smiles, their eyes full of friendliness. Su Xiao is now a rising star in Yinghai Group. She has performed exceptionally well in the top-level merger task force. Xu Zhiping has praised her publicly several times, and many people know that she is capable and has a bright future.

Su Xiao responded politely to everyone, a gentle smile playing on her lips, but a sense of loneliness lingered in her heart. No close friends were by her side; the room was filled with colleagues, acquaintances, and casual acquaintances. The liveliness belonged to others; she alone felt utterly alone and cold.

She had just walked to an empty seat and was about to sit down when a tall, imposing figure walked slowly towards her and blocked her way.

The person who arrived was Xia Ming.

Xia Ming, dressed in a black suit, stood tall and straight, attracting the attention of many female colleagues as he walked.

"Su Xiao, good evening, long time no see!" Xia Ming spoke first.

"I heard you did very well in the special task force, congratulations."

Su Xiao was slightly taken aback, somewhat surprised that Xia Ming would take the initiative to talk to her. She quickly composed herself and replied politely with a smile, "Thank you, I was just doing my job."

"That may be true, but those who get things done always deserve recognition." Xia Ming's gaze fell gently on her face, his tone natural and sincere.

A straightforward and sincere compliment is especially comforting to hear.

"Thanks."

Xia Ming smiled faintly and extended an invitation, "It's too noisy over there. If you don't mind, there's a quieter corner here. Why don't you sit with me?"

Su Xiao hesitated for a moment, then looked up to meet Xia Ming's open and honest gaze. After a brief pause, she nodded gently.

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you, Mr. Xia."

The two walked side by side to a quiet seat on the side and sat down. The location was just right, away from the noisy main area where people were drinking and making noise, but not too secluded to seem out of place.

Several elegantly made-up and slender ladies, holding champagne and smiling, were secretly adjusting their clothes as they approached Xia Ming, only to see him and Su Xiao leave.

The group exchanged glances, wisely withdrew, and awkwardly turned to leave, their earlier eagerness fading away in an instant.

Su Xiao took in the whole scene, turned her head to look at Xia Ming beside her, who was calm and composed, a playful smile on her lips, and teased him softly:

"Looks like Mr. Xia is quite popular, so many women are chasing after you. Now look what I've done, I've become your shield against unwanted attention."

Xia Ming smiled faintly upon hearing this, glanced at Su Xiao, and said in a relaxed and casual tone, "I never expected them to come and chat with me. You helped me out of that situation, so I should be thanking you."

Su Xiao raised an eyebrow and replied with a smile, "Thanking me is useless. Next time something like this happens, I might not be there to help you."

Xia Ming picked up the water glass on the table, took a sip, and said calmly, "I don't like these kinds of social occasions; they're mentally exhausting."

"Really? Mr. Xia doesn't seem like someone who dislikes these social obligations at all. Every cost estimate is a relationship table; I still remember that sentence clearly."

Xia Ming's eyes brightened slightly as he looked into Su Xiao's eyes and said, "The cost engineer's responsibility is to ensure the cleanliness of the cost estimate. A clean cost estimate means a clean project. I have never forgotten this."

Their eyes met, their gazes lingering in the air. For a moment, they were speechless, yet a strange, inexplicable emotion stirred within them, subtle and tender.