Chapter 8: Team Building

The meal was eaten in a distracted state.

Now that Jiang Nai had calmed down, she began to regret the anger she had provoked in Jiang Yuantao earlier. Her mother’s fate was in his hands; there was no need for her to be anxious at this time.

In the kitchen, the housekeeper brought out a plate of fruit and set it down in front of Jiang Nai, politely asking if she needed anything else. Jiang Nai shook her head, signaling that the housekeeper could leave for the day.

After the housekeeper left, Jiang Nai sat alone on the sofa in the living room for a while, then picked up the fruit and walked toward the study.

*Knock knock—*

“Come in.”

Hearing the voice, Jiang Nai pushed the door open. Inside the study, Li Qingji was sitting behind the desk, holding a pen in his right hand, with a stack of documents spread out before him.

“Fruit that the housekeeper washed.” She walked over and placed the fruit plate on the desk.

Li Qingji put down the pen. “Thank you.”

Jiang Nai replied, “…You’re welcome.”

At this point, she should have left, but she didn’t.

Li Qingji looked her over. Her eyes were no longer red, but her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

“Go ahead, what’s the matter?”

Jiang Nai had no choice but to say, “Are you free this weekend? My grandfather said I should bring you home for dinner.”

Li Qingji replied, “I seem to have something to take care of. I need to confirm with my assistant.”

“Mm. If… if it’s not something very urgent, could you still come back with me for dinner? Or you could finish your business and then come with me.”

Li Qingji looked at her but didn’t respond.

Jiang Nai knew he had overheard her phone call earlier. Even if he hadn’t heard everything, with his intelligence, he could piece together the story from the fragments.

So she decided not to hide it any longer and spoke directly: “I got my grandfather angry today because I wanted to see my mom. But I don’t want him to be unhappy, so can you come back with me for dinner? If he sees you, he will forgive me.”

Though she spoke of “anger” and “forgiveness,” those words didn’t truly reflect her feelings. She didn’t genuinely want to please Jiang Yuantao; she was simply compelled to act this way.

Li Qingji actually understood her background, as they had conducted an investigation on her since they were getting married. However, he hadn’t thought too deeply about it, assuming that their marriage was like his—a business arrangement focused on mutual benefit.

But it seemed that was not the case. She hadn’t married him for the sake of the Jiang family’s interests; she had been coerced.

“This kind of marriage isn’t my intention,” Li Qingji leaned back slightly, speaking slowly. “I thought you were concerned about the Jiang family.”

“It makes no difference,” Jiang Nai replied. “Whether I prioritize the Jiang family’s interests or not is unimportant. The reasons for marrying you are also irrelevant. As long as the outcome is right, that’s all that matters. By marrying you, the union between the Jiang family and your family is achieved, and we both reach our goals.”

Li Qingji raised an eyebrow slightly, intrigued by Jiang Nai’s unexpectedly sharp gaze.

In reality, Jiang Nai felt a bit nervous speaking to him this way, but she continued, “Li Qingji, I will still do what I’m supposed to do in this position. So, can you help me this weekend?”

She didn’t want her impulsiveness to anger Jiang Yuantao and cause problems for her mother.

Li Qingji looked at her for a moment before picking up the pen again. “Got it.”

Jiang Nai’s eyes lit up. “You agreed?”

“You’re right; as long as the outcome is correct, that’s all that matters,” Li Qingji replied. “I only focus on the result.”

That weekend, Jiang Nai and Li Qingji returned to the old house together. They brought gifts, had meals, and chatted. Jiang Yuantao and his wife spent quite a bit of time with Li Qingji and talked to him a lot, seeming to completely forget the anger from that day.

Jiang Nai was grateful for Li Qingji’s cooperation, so for a while afterward, she often helped him deal with family dinners. However, after that incident, Li Qingji didn’t sleep in the master bedroom again. Perhaps it was because of what he had said before about “putting off marital matters” or maybe because he realized that she had been unwillingly thrust into this marriage.

In any case, they ended up more like roommates sharing an apartment, mostly seeing each other in the mornings as they each got up and left.

—

“Next week, we’re going on a team-building trip. Did you see the email? It won’t take up our weekend!” In the company group chat, Yao Qi happily sent several emojis.

Wang Wenbo: “Saw it! Hot spring resort with paid vacation!”

Yao Qi: “OMG, I take back everything I said about the boss. He’s the best boss ever!!!!”

Jiang Nai: “You change your mind so quickly.”

Yao Qi: “Have you ever seen a company do team-building on a weekday? I certainly haven’t!”

Xu Xiao: “The resort sounds great, and they have a famous seafood restaurant.”

Wang Wenbo: “We’ve been so busy with the 3.0 project lately; finally, we can relax! Long live the boss!”

“Na Nai, what clothes do you need to bring?” After exiting the group chat, Yao Qi sent Jiang Nai a private message.

Jiang Nai: “Do I need to bring anything special?”

Yao Qi: “A swimsuit! I haven’t bought one in a while. Want to go shopping later?”

During this time, Jiang Nai and Yao Qi had grown closer, often eating together, which strengthened their friendship.

Jiang Nai: “Sure!”

After work, Jiang Nai went to a nearby mall with Yao Qi.

She bought a new dress and a swimsuit for the hot spring, and then they each went home.

Li Qingji wasn’t home yet. Jiang Nai took out the clothes she bought and placed them on the counter in the dressing room, planning to rinse them off after her shower so she could use them next week.

At nine o’clock in the evening, Li Qingji came home.

Recently, due to the project in Hengchuan, he had been coming home late. Seeing the shoes at the entrance, he knew Jiang Nai was already home. He changed into his slippers and walked toward the dressing room while loosening his tie.

When he used to live alone, the large dressing room was monochromatic, mostly black, white, and gray, filled with his clothes.

Now that a woman lived there, the colors had brightened up a bit, with softer, brighter hues appearing.

As Li Qingji walked over to the side where his clothes were placed, he was about to reach for a short-sleeved T-shirt when his peripheral vision caught sight of two pieces of clothing on the glass counter—a long strap dress, a soft green color, and a simple design.

The other piece… Li Qingji’s gaze paused slightly.

It was a black strapless dress, the straps hanging loosely, with an open back, connecting to a short skirt—a small piece.

“Are you back?!” Suddenly, a figure rushed in from the doorway, her hair still damp, droplets clinging to her arms, a striking contrast of black and white.

Li Qingji glanced over and then quickly looked back. “Yeah.”

Jiang Nai hurriedly grabbed the swimsuit and dress from the counter. “Sorry, I was just about to wash these, so I left them out. When did you get back?”

“Just a few minutes ago.”

“Oh… have you eaten? If not, there’s still food in the kitchen.”

“No need, I already ate,” Li Qingji replied. “You bought a swimsuit?”

Jiang Nai had initially intended to slip away unnoticed, but now Li Qingji had asked. In reality, buying a swimsuit was quite normal; after living abroad for several years, Jiang Nai was used to bikinis, and this swimsuit was rather modest. However, she felt strangely out of place around Li Qingji.

“Yeah, we’re going to the hot springs next week. I didn’t have a swimsuit, so I went shopping with my colleagues tonight.”

Only then did Li Qingji remember this detail.

“Can I go put these away now?” Jiang Nai asked.

Li Qingji nodded.

Jiang Nai quickly dashed off.

A few days later, the day for the hot spring team-building trip arrived.

On the day of departure, everyone needed to gather at the company and then take a bus to the destination.

Since it was a vacation, Jiang Nai wore the light green strap dress she had bought before, applied some makeup, and left her long hair down, lightly curled and cascading over her shoulders. As she prepared to head downstairs, Li Qingji was having breakfast in the dining room.

Hearing the noise, he turned to glance over, pausing for a moment.

What met his eyes was a refreshing green and soft white. The green was from her dress, while the white was her skin. The thin straps rested on her shoulders, blending into her hair, and she had a light jacket draped over her wrist. Just then, a breeze swept in from the nearby balcony, causing her long dress to billow softly, outlining her graceful figure.

Li Qingji quietly averted his gaze, taking a sip of water.

“Aren’t you going to be late?” Jiang Nai asked, checking her phone as she hurriedly sat down at the table to eat breakfast.

“You’re the one who’s going to be late,” Li Qingji replied. “You can ride with me later.”

Jiang Nai thought for a moment and said, “Alright… then you should put me down soon; I’ll walk in by myself.”

Li Qingji glanced at her and replied, “As you wish.”

Jiang Nai felt relieved, took a few bites, and then asked, “But… you got up so early today. Are you going too?”

Li Qingji looked at her for a moment. “Is that a problem?”

“No… it’s just… you’re the boss, so of course you can go. I was just surprised; I thought you wouldn’t attend the company team-building event.”

“Didn’t you all say I’m fierce?” 

Jiang Nai, holding her chopsticks, paused and stared at him in confusion. “Huh?”

Li Qingji said lightly, “So occasionally getting closer to subordinates is beneficial for company cohesion.”

“…”

How long ago was it that he was called fierce? And he still remembers it?!

——

After breakfast, Jiang Nai got into Li Qingji’s car. When they were about a hundred meters from the company, Jiang Nai quickly got out of the car and jogged towards the building. The bus had already arrived, and most of her colleagues were there. Jiang Nai found her department’s bus and hopped on.

“Nai Nai, over here! I saved you a seat,” Yao Qi waved her over.

Jiang Nai walked toward her, carrying her travel bag.

“Wow, Nai Nai, this dress suits you so well! You look even better dressed up like this,” Yao Qi exclaimed.

When Jiang Nai worked in the company, she usually wore work attire like shirts and slacks or long shirts with jeans; she had never worn a dress like today’s. But she really suited it, drawing everyone’s attention as soon as she got on the bus.

Wang Wenbo remarked, “Looks great, looks great! No wonder you’re our department’s flower!”

Xu Xiao also stared at her, and as she walked past, he said, “Let me help you put your luggage on the rack.”

“Thanks!” Jiang Nai replied.

Xu Xiao, over six feet tall, easily placed her luggage up.

Jiang Nai thanked him again and smiled at her other colleagues, saying, “Please don’t tease me.”

Yao Qi replied, “It’s not teasing; we’re being serious.”

Wang Wenbo added, “Exactly.”

The journey wasn’t long, but Yao Qi brought a bag of snacks. Jiang Nai had eaten a lot in the morning and wasn’t in the mood for snacks, so Yao Qi opened a pack of chips for herself, munching while saying, “I heard our boss is going with us this time.”

Wang Wenbo, sitting at the other end of the aisle, responded, “Yes, the people from administration said that Boss Li is indeed coming.”

Yao Qi said, “That’s quite approachable; he seems different from how he was at first!”

Wang Wenbo continued, “I have a friend at the Hengchuan headquarters. Among those big bosses, our boss might seem the hardest to approach, but actually, the benefits for people working under him are the best, so we should cherish this.”

“Really? How many bosses are there at Hengchuan?” 

“Boss Li has several siblings, as well as uncles and so on,” Wang Wenbo whispered, “With such a large Hengchuan, it’s quite complex. But I heard that the main tech division is gradually coming under our boss, and after all, our company is managed by him.”

Yao Qi looked in awe. “Sounds impressive.”

“At his age, in this position? Isn’t that impressive?”

Jiang Nai listened to the various praises of Li Qingji on the bus and felt herself getting drowsy.

The trip to the hot spring resort took about two and a half hours, and as everyone grew tired of chatting, they gradually fell silent and took the opportunity to catch up on sleep.

When the bus finally stopped, everyone woke up and headed towards the hotel where they would be staying for the next few days. Several administrative staff members arrived at the front desk first to collect the room keys, which they distributed to everyone in turn.

Jiang Nai and Yao Qi were sharing a room, and since they hadn’t received their keys yet, they stood to the side, chatting while they waited.

“You’re not tired of carrying your luggage like that? Let me help you,” Xu Xiao offered enthusiastically, bending down to take Jiang Nai’s handbag.

Jiang Nai felt embarrassed and quickly tried to snatch it back. “No, no, let me carry it!”

“I’ll help you carry it. Yao Qi, give me yours too,” Xu Xiao insisted.

Yao Qi glanced between Xu Xiao and Jiang Nai, a knowing smile on her face. “I’m just carrying a suitcase; I don’t need help. You can help Nai Nai.”

Xu Xiao chuckled, “Alright then.”

Jiang Nai insisted, “Really, you don’t have to; it’s not heavy.”

“It’s fine, I’ll carry it for you,” Xu Xiao said.

“I…”

“Hello, Boss Li,” Xu Xiao greeted, cutting Jiang Nai off mid-sentence as he looked past her.

Jiang Nai turned around to see Li Qingji walking over from the direction of the elevator.

His car had arrived before theirs.

“Good afternoon, boss!” Yao Qi called out loudly upon spotting him.

With the commotion, everyone waiting in the lobby noticed Li Qingji and greeted him in unison.

Li Qingji nodded slightly to the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the bag Xu Xiao was holding before asking, “Did everyone get their room keys?”

Xu Xiao replied, “They’re being distributed now.”

Li Qingji said, “Good. After you drop your bags off in your rooms, you can go eat. The restaurant is already prepared.”

“Thank you, Boss Li,” came the collective reply.

The administrative staff member called out, “Jiang Nai, Yao Qi.”

“Here!” Yao Qi responded.

“Here are your room keys.”

Yao Qi took the keys handed to her by the administrative staff member. “Nai Nai, let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Taking this opportunity, Jiang Nai also grabbed the bag from Xu Xiao’s hands. “We’ll head up first.”

Xu Xiao initially wanted to help her carry it upstairs but seeing Jiang Nai move quickly, he abandoned the idea.

After watching her enter the elevator, he turned back and noticed that Li Qingji was still there, watching him. So he politely asked, “Are you going to eat?”

Li Qingji’s eyes were deep, and he smiled faintly. “I’ll wait for you all.” 

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