Chapter 21: Business Trip

After work resumed, there was plenty to keep Jiang Nai busy, which gradually made her forget about that night on the ship.

One evening, Jiang Nai came home from the company and sat on the carpet, staring blankly at the computer files on the coffee table.

It was for the new project their company was working on—the upgraded version of the Smart Home Assistant.

As comprehensive smart home products became more advanced, many companies in the smart industry had joined this competitive field, aiming to create an assistant that could master the owner’s lifestyle habits, routines, and needs, controlling various home appliances accordingly.

Currently, the most common products on the market are smart home assistants centered around smart speakers, which allow users to control some furniture at home through conversations with the speaker. Siningte also has such products, but currently, the company aims to pursue a more efficient and intelligent assistant, similar to J.A.R.V.I.S. from the movie Iron Man—something that doesn’t feel like a cold machine but more like a friend to the owner.

However, achieving that requires a very high level of technology.

Currently, their product is still in development, and their team is making progress, with plans to begin initial promotion by the end of next year. The preparation for this project’s promotion will involve a lot of work in advance, so the marketing director, Liu Nian, has already started thinking about how to create a perfect marketing plan for it in the future.

Jiang Nai is also pondering this; although it isn’t a task she must do in her current position, Liu Nian mentioned in today’s meeting that everyone can participate and share any ideas they have.

“Sir, you’re back.”

At around eight in the evening, Li Qingji arrived home. The maid helped him take off his coat and hung it aside, then went to the kitchen to serve dinner to Li Qingji.

Jiang Nai had already eaten and was sitting in front of the coffee table.

Seeing Li Qingji enter, she almost called out “boss,” as there had been a big meeting at the company today that he also attended, and Yao Qi kept whispering about “the boss” in her ear, causing her to instinctively react whenever she saw him.

Jiang Nai cleared her throat, held back the two words, and then said, “You’re back.”

Li Qingji responded with a grunt, walked over to the sofa, poured himself a glass of water, and naturally glanced at her files.

“Working on the marketing plan?”

Jiang Nai suddenly felt a sense of unease at being checked on by her boss, pulling her computer closer to herself. “Not exactly. Liu Nian asked us to prepare for the new version of the smart assistant since… it’s the most important product for next year.”

Li Qingji leaned back, appearing relaxed. “How’s your preparation going?”

Jiang Nai sat up straight. “Not much progress yet, because the final version of our smart assistant isn’t out yet. I feel that the current sample… isn’t very mature, and it’s hard to identify any special marketing points.”

Li Qingji did not comment.

Jiang Nai interpreted his silence as a sign that he thought she was inadequate, lacking market sensitivity, and was making excuses for not coming up with ideas. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she heard Li Qingji say, “Yes, it’s still not mature enough.”

Jiang Nai sighed in relief.

“You can think about it again after you see the latest version.”

“The latest version is out?”

“It’s coming soon from the U.S. development center, and someone will go over to take a look in the near future.”

“I guess I won’t see the sample anytime soon…”

Li Qingji glanced at her but said nothing. Jiang Nai continued to ponder in front of her computer.

“Sir, dinner is ready.”

Li Qingji nodded, his gaze returning from her computer screen, and he stood up to head to the dining room.

—

The next morning, Li Qingji didn’t go to Siningte. He only came to the office in the afternoon around three for a meeting.

Yao Qi and Wang Wenbo were sharing snacks. Jiang Nai took a small bag of beef jerky, ate a couple of pieces, and finished the remaining half cup of coffee.

“Do you want some dried mango?” Yao Qi asked.

Jiang Nai replied, “No, thanks.”

Yao Qi opened a package for herself, ate a slice, and then lifted it up. “Liu Nian, do you want some dried mango?”

Liu Nian had just come out of the conference room and casually took the remaining piece of dried mango, then said to Jiang Nai, “Jiang Nai, you’ll be going with me to the U.S. development center in a while. Is that okay?”

Jiang Nai was taken aback. “Me?”

“You just returned from studying over there and are familiar with it. If there are no problems, you can come with me,” Liu Nian said.

Both the marketing department and the domestic R&D department will be going on this business trip. Usually, a capable assistant is brought along for such trips, but recently, the company’s existing projects have been demanding, and if Liu Nian is gone, the middle management must stay.

During the meeting, Li Qingji mentioned that it was also okay to bring a planning assistant, and Liu Nian immediately thought of Jiang Nai. Jiang Nai was the one Liu Nian valued the most among the latest batch of newcomers. She was capable and quick in her work, and Liu Nian intended to cultivate her.

Jiang Nai was, of course, thrilled: “Sure, I don’t have any problems with that.”

“Alright, then bring your passport tomorrow and prepare the necessary documents. The company will help you get the visa.”

“Okay.”

Siningte has two R&D centers, one domestic and one in the U.S. The upgraded version of the smart assistant is being developed at the U.S. center, so Jiang Nai was especially happy to be able to go there with Liu Nian.

Seeing her excitement, Yao Qi patted her on the shoulder: “You’ve worked hard.”

“Not at all, it’s great.”

Once Liu Nian left, Yao Qi whispered, “You don’t know, but you’ll have to write at least three product reports on this trip.”

Jiang Nai was surprised: “Huh?”

Yao Qi nodded sympathetically: “That’s right… I’ve been on business trips with Manager Nianbefore.”

Wang Wenbo leaned in: “I wonder who else is going this time.”

Yao Qi replied, “Probably some people from the domestic R&D department; as for the boss… not necessarily.”

Jiang Nai recalled that Li Qingji had mentioned sending someone to the foreign R&D center last night. As for himself, he hadn’t mentioned going. Given how busy he was, it was normal for him to send someone else in his place. So Jiang Nai didn’t think too much about it; the important thing was that she could go.

Two weeks later, on the day of the business trip.

After getting up, Jiang Nai grabbed her organized suitcase and prepared to head to the airport.

“Miss Jiang.”

At that moment, Zhao Siyuan walked in. As an assistant, he had the code to their door.

Jiang Nai greeted him.

Zhao Siyuan said, “Miss Jiang, please wait a moment; I’ll take you to the airport.”

“Together?”

“Yes, Mr. Li will also be going today.”

Jiang Nai was taken aback; she hadn’t heard Liu Nian mention anything about it in the past couple of days…

In less than two minutes, Li Qingji really came out. Zhao Siyuan took his suitcase and also grabbed Jiang Nai’s suitcase before opening the door and stepping outside.

Li Qingji walked past her with a calm demeanor: “Aren’t you leaving?”

Jiang Nai asked, “Are you really going?”

Li Qingji turned back, “What’s the problem?”

Jiang Nai replied, “Nothing… I’m just surprised.”

“There are other matters to attend to on this trip.”

“Oh.”

Originally, they were going to take a taxi, but now they had a ride. The journey was quiet; Li Qingji closed his eyes to rest while Jiang Nai stared out the window in a daze. Once they arrived at the airport, she got out of the car first.

“I’ll go find Sister Liu Nian,” she said.

She wanted to ensure that the people traveling with them didn’t know they arrived together, so Jiang Nai naturally left first.

Li Qingji nodded.

Jiang Nai picked up her luggage and wandered around the airport for a while before she found Liu Nian. They then headed to the business class lounge together. Inside, Jiang Nai spotted Li Qingji sitting not far away, alongside Zhao Siyuan, Chen Feng, the manager of the R&D department, and Chen Feng’s assistant.

Liu Nian led her over, greeted them, and they sat down opposite them.

“Jiang Nai, did you have breakfast this morning?” Liu Nian asked.

Jiang Nai shook her head.

Liu Nian said, “Then go grab something to eat; we still have to wait for a while, don’t starve yourself.”

“Okay.” Jiang Nai stood up and asked, “Does anyone want anything?”

Chen Feng replied, “We’ve already eaten; you go ahead.”

Liu Nian added, “I’ve also eaten. Mr. Li, is there anything you want? Let Jiang Nai help you get it.”

Since Jiang Nai was acting as Liu Nian’s assistant, it was completely normal for her to help her boss get breakfast in everyone’s eyes.

She understood this, so she looked at Li Qingji.

He glanced at her and stood up, “No need, I’ll go myself.”

Liu Nian was taken aback for a moment: “Huh? Okay.”

Li Qingji made his way to the self-service station, and Jiang Nai lagged behind slightly, following him.

The food in the lounge was plentiful, and Jiang Nai hadn’t eaten anything since she woke up, so her stomach was quite hungry. But thinking about how they’d all be sitting together soon, she didn’t take too much—just a piece of bread and a bottle of milk.

“You’re just eating that?” Li Qingji asked casually as he walked up beside her.

Jiang Nai replied, “Um… it’s enough.”

Li Qingji picked up a slice of bread and said, “By the way, Grandma called just now. I told her we’re going to the U.S. together today.”

Jiang Nai turned to look and, seeing that no one from the company was paying attention, asked, “What else did Grandma say?”

Li Qingji replied, “Nothing much; she just said she feels reassured knowing you’re with me.”

Jiang Nai frowned, “What does that mean?”

Li Qingji explained coolly, “She’s worried I’ll be too busy with work and won’t be able to take care of anything, so having you around makes her feel like someone is looking after me.”

Jiang Nai could almost imagine her grandmother’s tone and couldn’t help but laugh, mumbling, “How could I dare to keep an eye on you…”

Li Qingji paused his movements and turned to look at her.

Jiang Nai asked, “What’s wrong…?”

Li Qingji remarked, “You’re quite timid.”

Jiang Nai replied, “……”

After Li Qingji returned from getting breakfast, Jiang Nai touched her nose and picked up a poached egg before heading back. At the table, everyone chatted and ate while waiting.

“Liu Nian, is this the new colleague from your department? I haven’t seen her before,” Chen Feng asked casually during the conversation.

Since the R&D department wasn’t located in the main building, Chen Feng only came up during meetings and didn’t know everyone well.

Liu Nian replied, “She’s been here for a few months. What’s up?”

Chen Feng laughed, “Only a few months? That little girl seems quite valued. Didn’t you usually take Yao Qi on business trips? Now you’ve changed people?”

Liu Nian said, “Yao Qi has some work on her plate right now. Jiang Nai here is really quite capable.”

Jiang Nai smiled and said, “Thank you, Sister Liu Nian, I’ll do my best.”

Liu Nian patted her on the shoulder.

“Oh, by the way, does the little girl have a boyfriend? We have a lot of guys in our department, and many of them are single,” Chen Feng suddenly asked, sounding a bit gossipy. “If not, we could keep it in-house.”

The abrupt topic made everyone at the table pause, and Jiang Nai instinctively looked at Li Qingji, who had just put down his cutlery and picked up a napkin.

Jiang Nai choked out, “No, no, I…”

“When did you become a matchmaker?” Li Qingji suddenly spoke up.

Chen Feng, who worked in tech, was lively and didn’t act as restrained around Li Qingji as other subordinates did.

“Come on, boss. As superiors, we should care about our subordinates’ lives in addition to their work. When their lives are happy, they’ll work even harder,” Chen Feng explained. “I’m not trying to play matchmaker; I just want everyone to have a happy life outside of work.”

Chen Feng then looked at Jiang Nai, saying, “Oh, our Xiao Fang doesn’t have a girlfriend. He’s quite excellent, too.”

Chen Feng was referring to the R&D associate next to him. Li Qingji cast a casual glance at the young man, who quickly looked at Jiang Nai and turned red.

“Pipe down, Chen Feng,” Liu Nian interjected just in time. “If Jiang Nai were single, would your department even have a chance?”

Chen Feng replied, “Ah… does she have a boyfriend?”

Liu Nian responded, “She’s married. We all know that; don’t joke around like that.”

Li Qingji paused for a moment and took a sip of his coffee. He didn’t socialize much at Siningte, and he didn’t expect Jiang Nai to share her marital status with others so freely.

Chen Feng looked disappointed. “Wait, she got married at such a young age? Little girl, you should date more while you’re young. Late marriage is the way to go—that’s the advice of an old man like me.”

Li Qingji, who had been sipping his coffee leisurely, stopped moving for a moment.

Jiang Nai gave a dry laugh and said ambiguously, “Um… I’ll take your advice.”

**Chen Feng:** “It’s too late to worry about it now. Sigh, the people under me won’t have any chance anymore.”

**Liu Nian:** “You’re really stressing out about this.”

**Chen Feng:** “Isn’t that so? They’re all single men.”

The two directors chatted casually while Jiang Nai sat quietly to the side, silently finishing her breakfast.

Li Qingji was watching her eat bite by bite…

—

Before long, they boarded the plane and took off.

The flight lasted thirteen hours. During the journey, Jiang Nai watched three movies and took a nap before finally landing in San Francisco, USA.

It was now ten in the morning local time, and it was cloudy. The car picked them up and took them to the hotel. Since it was a single room, Jiang Nai threw herself onto the bed as soon as she got to her room. After resting for a while, she got up, took a shower, and changed her clothes.

Just after changing, her WeChat suddenly rang.

Jiang Nai looked at her phone and saw it was a video call invitation from Li Qingji’s grandmother.

She immediately sat up from the bed. **I can’t answer this…** Since she was in the hotel, her grandmother would definitely ask where Li Qingji was. If she discovered they weren’t in the same room, that would be strange. So, Jiang Nai didn’t dare to answer. She grabbed her room card and went out. When they checked in, she had heard where Li Qingji was staying, so now she headed to his room.

She jogged to Li Qingji’s door and rang the bell.

The door opened quickly.

Li Qingji stood there, momentarily stunned to see Jiang Nai.

**“What’s wrong?”**

Jiang Nai pointed at her phone: “Grandma sent a video invitation, but I haven’t answered it yet!”

Li Qingji understood and stepped aside: “Come in.”

“Okay!”

As expected of the boss, his room was much better than hers. It had a large living room. Jiang Nai sat down and finally felt comfortable enough to answer the video call.

“Grandma.”

An elderly woman appeared on the screen: “Jiang Nai, did you arrive? I was just wondering why I couldn’t reach you for so long. Were you stuck in traffic?”

Jiang Nai hurriedly replied, “We’ve arrived, we’re already at the hotel. I… I was a bit busy earlier and didn’t notice my phone. Grandma, it must be almost midnight back home, why haven’t you gone to sleep yet?”

Maybe because she had rushed over, her speech was a bit unstable. Li Qingji leaned to the side, took a sip of water, a hint of a smile in his eyes.

“The old lady can’t sleep either. Besides, I wanted to know you landed safely before resting.”

Jiang Nai said, “Don’t worry, we’re both fine. Grandma, you should get some rest.”

“Okay, okay, I know. By the way, where’s Qingji?”

As expected, she was looking for Li Qingji. Jiang Nai felt relieved that she had rushed over. She turned the phone to face him, signaling him to speak.

Li Qingji set down his cup and walked over: “Grandma, I’m here.”

“Qingji, you need to take care of yourself while working with Jiang Nai. You need to look after her, understand?”

Li Qingji responded, “Yes, understood.”

“Don’t wear yourself out and tire her out too. You need to take good care of the girl.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t just say ‘okay,’ you know your temperament better than anyone. You really need to take action,” the grandmother said firmly.

Li Qingji looked a bit helpless and replied, “Don’t worry.”

The elder shot him a glare before calling out, “Jiang Nai, Jiang Nai!”

Hearing her name, Jiang Nai quickly turned the phone back to herself: “Yes, Grandma.”

“I need to tell you…” 

The grandmother wasn’t about to end the video call anytime soon, and Jiang Nai patiently listened, responding to whatever the elder said.

Li Qingji stood to the side like a spectator, not saying a word.

**Ding—**

At that moment, the doorbell rang. Li Qingji had recently called for room service to collect the clothes he had changed out of, so he naturally assumed it was the staff. He turned to open the door.

“Mr. Li, sorry to interrupt.” To his surprise, it was Liu Nian standing at the door with a folder in hand.

Li Qingji froze for a moment, his hand stopping mid-motion, and the door didn’t fully open. However, in that brief two seconds, Liu Nian caught a glimpse of a figure rushing past from the living room behind…

It was moving quickly and disappeared in an instant.

But that long hair… It was clearly a woman. Liu Nian was taken aback, feeling like he might have stumbled upon something private.

Was this girl… already in America?

The boss arrived, and she was already here—how quick.

And the boss… was pretty eager too.

“Is there anything else?” Li Qingji asked, taking the folder from her hand.

Liu Nian snapped back to reality, hurriedly pretending he hadn’t seen anything: “Nothing else. These documents are some materials for tomorrow; you can take a look at them.”

“Got it.”

Liu Nian averted his gaze: “Then I’ll take my leave. You continue… resting.”

—

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