Chapter 55: Signing

Lu Yi remembered that he was the one who broke the pen and grew extremely nervous. "I-I-I... I'll buy you a new one!"

Li Xue said with a stone-cold face, "I don't want anything from you!"

Lu Yi froze, the situation instantly becoming awkward.

Qiao Canhua chuckled. "Once this deal is done, your bonus will probably be enough to buy a thousand of these pens."

Li Xue pressed her lips together, trying to improve her mood. "This was the first gift I bought for myself after I started working and earning money. It has sentimental value..."

Qiao Canhua placed his own pen on the spine of the folder. "Use this one."

Taking a deep breath, Li Xue reached out, grabbed it, and signed her name with a flourish before returning the pen to Qiao Canhua.

Lu Yi walked out of the conference room, utterly dejected and looking like a beaten dog, completely devoid of his usual arrogance. Passing employees wondered if Lu Baichuan had died.

"Alright, now that the favor is repaid, it's time for me to take my wife traveling to help her recuperate."

Qiao Canhua said with a smile to Li Xue as he took back the pen.

Li Xue keenly caught the word "favor" and pressed, "What favor?"

Qiao Canhua glanced back and saw that Mu Lin had already blended in with the group of employees and left.

"A Divine Doctor cured my wife's illness," Qiao Canhua explained with a smile. "I asked him what he wanted as repayment, and his request was that this project could not fall into the Lu Family's hands. Since it's a Li Group project anyway, it's just a matter of changing who signs. I thought, why not?"

Li Xue thought for a moment. "Was it Divine Doctor Zhao? He and my grandfather go way back, so it's not impossible that he has a grudge against Lu Baichuan. Taking this chance to get some harsh revenge really does sound like his style."

Qiao Canhua paused. 'Shouldn't you be guessing someone closer to you, President Li?' he thought.

Mu Lin had asked him to keep the matter of his treatment a secret. Although Qiao Canhua didn't understand why, he faithfully complied.

After Qiao Canhua left, Li Xue walked back, clutching the contract in her hand. She pushed open a door and entered an office.

Li Yinhe looked up. "Xiaoxue, what's the matter?"

Li Xue was startled, only then realizing this was Li Yinhe's office, not her own.

'I went to the wrong one!'

"Nothing..." Li Xue answered quickly.

Li Yinhe could see his daughter was distracted. He sighed deeply. 'Then again, who wasn't? Even he had been suffering from sleepless nights.'

"Xue'Er, since things have come to this, don't force it. The Lu Family put in a great deal of effort during the Li Group's early days. Now they're powerful and want to take over the board of directors. There's nothing to be done about it. Just try to accept it."

Hearing her father's words, Li Xue was filled with a whirlwind of emotions. She hadn't expected him to have become so pessimistic.

She paused, considered her words, and then said, "Dad, I signed the contract for the Southside District 6 project."

Li Yinhe froze, thinking he had misheard. He asked urgently, "What did you say? You signed it? How could the Lu Family possibly allow that? They certainly view that project as their private reserve; they'd never let us touch it!"

Li Xue briefly recounted what happened in the meeting. "Chairman Qiao came in person. He specifically asked for my signature, and Lu Yi didn't dare to resist at all."

'Ah, this is too...'

Li Yinhe still found it incredible; it just didn't make sense. "Why would Chairman Qiao help us?"

"He said Divine Doctor Zhao cured his wife's illness, and to repay the doctor's kindness, he was determined not to let the Lu Family get involved in this project."

Li Yinhe was lost in a daze. 'It can happen like that?'

"Well, go tell your grandfather about this later. He'll probably be overjoyed," Li Yinhe said with a smile.

Li Xue smiled as well. 'Grandfather must have been worried sick. Now, a huge crisis has been resolved.'

Mu Lin was wandering around downstairs when he felt a strange presence behind him. He turned his head and saw it was Qiao Canhua.

"Hey, Boss Qiao, can't a man act with a little more integrity? Make some noise when you walk; don't scare me like that!"

Qiao Canhua replied, "My footsteps are quite heavy. I think Divine Doctor Mu was too preoccupied to notice, weren't you?"

"You're overthinking it. I eat well, sleep soundly, and laugh every day. What worries could I possibly have?" Mu Lin said with a straight face, putting on an air of utter frankness.

But Qiao Canhua adopted the look of a wise, empathetic uncle:

"I can tell. You're not comfortable being the president's fiancé, are you? Your fiancée sits at the very top while you're stuck in a crowd of mid-level managers. Tell me, isn't that a bit awkward?"

"It's not awkward. Besides, we don't really have a relationship. We're just putting on an act to fool the old man. The salary they pay me is just my fee for the service."

Qiao Canhua's eyes lit up. "In that case, come to my Shengding Group! I'll make you a vice president!"

Mu Lin sighed heavily. 'Qiao Canhua really isn't going to give up on recruiting me...'

"No thanks. After this is over, I'm going back to the mountains, and I'm not coming out again in this lifetime! I appreciate the generous offer, Boss Qiao, but I don't think our fates are that deeply intertwined!"

Qiao Canhua sighed. "Well, I'll keep the vice president position open for you. Whenever you feel like coming, just find me. Shengding Group has offices all over the country; you just need to say the word at any of them."

"Divine Doctor Mu, your Beauty Enhancement Pill is amazing. After my wife took it, her complexion improved a lot, and even the wrinkles on her face have smoothed out a bit. She's at least back to how she was a month ago."

"She's been through a lot lately, so to help her relax, I want to take her traveling."

Mu Lin said, "You might want her to rest for a couple more days. Her vital energy is still unstable. A long journey could disrupt her rest and cause a relapse. I suggest she rest for a while longer in Anhua."

Qiao Canhua didn't hesitate. "Then I'll do as you say."

After bidding farewell to Qiao Canhua, Mu Lin returned to the office building and saw Li Xue walking toward him with a light spring in her step, her ample chest bouncing happily along.

When Li Xue looked up and saw Mu Lin, she stopped in her tracks, and her expression instantly soured.

Just as she was about to continue walking, Mu Lin spoke up with a smile, "President Li, there's something I need to mention. Can today's events count toward the Special Group's performance quota?"

Li Xue frowned. "What does this have to do with you?"

Mu Lin tilted his head. "I was busy with this all last night. What did you think I was doing?"

Li Xue thought for a moment, and a fresh wave of disgust colored her gaze as she looked at Mu Lin. 'I can't believe he's that kind of person.'

For some reason, Mu Lin felt like she must have gotten the wrong idea about something.

"Divine Doctor Zhao helped us win this contract. What does it have to do with you? Don't even think about adding it to the Special Group's quota. With your performance? Dream on!"

With that, Li Xue quickened her pace to leave. Mu Lin hurried after her. "Hey, hey, hey! This performance quota is about the Special Group's survival. If we make it, won't that stop the other directors from getting any funny ideas?"

"Even if they do, it has nothing to do with you!"

'If this counts,' Mu Lin thought, 'the Special Group will be instantly revived, and we won't have to fear Lu Yi's threats anymore.'

With that thought, Mu Lin resolutely continued to follow her.

"Why are you following me? And tell me, was that performance bet your doing? If you hadn't made some bet with Lu Yi, we wouldn't be in this mess with a performance review in the first place! If you want to meet your quota, earn it honestly. Don't try to leech off someone else's project!"

No matter what, Li Xue refused to believe that Mu Lin had anything to do with the Shengding Group contract.

Mu Lin let out a long sigh. 'What can you do?'

Back in the office, Mu Lin was greeted with an incredibly enthusiastic reception from his colleagues, led by Chen Xi.

"Brother Lin! Brother Lin! I heard everything! You stood up to that scoundrel Lu Yi all by yourself and spoke up for our President! So impressive!"

Not knowing which gossipmonger had spread the news, Mu Lin turned his head and saw Xue Yang sitting calmly in his seat.

"Minister Xue, what are you doing here?"

Xue Yang said, "President Li is very angry that you contradicted the finance director at the regular meeting today. She specifically had me inform you that your pay is being docked."

'My pay is docked again? I did such a huge good deed, so why am I losing money?'

"Brother Yang, uh, can you talk to President Li for me? Ask her to let me off the hook!"

Xue Yang replied, "How could I? President Li is protecting you by docking your pay. Otherwise, Lu Yi's official reprimand would be coming your way. Could you handle that?"

'It's true that your enemy knows you best,' Mu Lin thought. 'Lu Yi must be convinced that I was the one who snatched the contract away.'

But Xue Yang continued, "She just landed a huge contract, and her prestige within the group is at an all-time high. That means he's definitely going to look for an excuse to reassert his authority. Right now, among the mid-level managers, you're the one making the most noise, and more importantly, you're someone he can actually punish."

"President Li is actually looking out for you. Otherwise, you would've been kicked out long ago."