The emergence of the "Golden Amber" had made everyone in the Pei Group extremely busy. Meetings were held one after another, and documents came in piles. Xu Zixi was so swamped with work that she hardly had time to take a sip of water, and she even made a trip to the project construction site. As the end - of - work time was approaching, she still had a mountain of tasks to complete. She rubbed her throbbing temples in distress.
She wouldn't be able to go home to cook for someone. It seemed she was going to stand him up again today.
Suddenly, the phone rang in the room. Xu Zixi rummaged around for a while before finding her phone buried under the documents. When she saw the caller ID, she couldn't help smiling. Speak of the devil.
Clearing her throat, she answered the call. Just as she was about to explain the situation to Yan Yincheng, unexpectedly, Yan Yincheng spoke first.
"Zixi, you don't need to prepare dinner for me tonight. I have something to attend to. You and the kids can eat first."
There were many noisy sounds on the other end of the phone. After he finished speaking in a hurry, he hung up before Xu Zixi could reply. Listening to the busy tone, Xu Zixi was stunned for a moment. Then, she shook her head, put down the phone, and continued her work.
It was almost dawn when she finally finished her work and got home. The two kids had already fallen asleep under Aunt Zhang's care. This was the first time since she came to this world that she hadn't coaxed them to sleep, which made her feel a bit guilty. She gently kissed the two kids on their faces and then quietly left the room.
"Has Mr. Yan gone to bed?" Xu Zixi asked Aunt Zhang in the corridor.
Aunt Zhang shook her head. "Mr. Yan hasn't come back yet."
Not back yet?
Although she had some doubts in her mind, Xu Zixi didn't think too much about it. After all, everyone had work to do, and working overtime was a common occurrence. In her previous life, she often stayed in the research institute and didn't go home.
For the next few days, Xu Zixi had to work overtime until very late. The time she spent with the two kids was drastically reduced. Only when she exercised with the kids in the morning could the three of them have a moment of warmth.
As for her and Yan Yincheng, they hadn't met at all. They both tacitly adhered to the agreement of not interfering with each other's freedom. Their only communication each day was the phone call he made in the evening, just before she got off work, to say that he couldn't come home for dinner.
In the blink of an eye, there was only one day left until the submission deadline for the product design competition. After repeated deductions and revisions, Xu Zixi finally finalized the entire set of plans, completed the model rendering, and saved it on a CD.
The next morning, after finishing the morning exercise with the two kids, she packed her things and set off for work.
Hu Yuankang drove her to the front gate of the Pei Group headquarters as usual. When she got out of the car, the looks from the people around her were still unfriendly. After all, there were still rumors about her circulating within the Pei Group. But Xu Zixi didn't care. She waved to Hu Yuankang and walked towards the company gate.
As she was walking, she suddenly heard a shrill scream from behind. "Help! Someone's robbing!"
Was there really a robbery right in front of the Pei Group? Xu Zixi turned around upon hearing the scream. Sure enough, she saw a man pushing through the crowd and running in the opposite direction. A short - haired woman in a business suit was lying on the ground in a mess, with blood oozing from her wrists and palms.
It was the rush hour for work, and there were many employees coming and going. So this incident immediately caused a commotion.
"It's so scary! There's actually a robbery in broad daylight right in front of the company!"
"This woman is so unlucky. Why did the robber choose her?"
"Go and call the security guards! What are you all standing around for?"
Xu Zixi quickly stepped forward, helped the woman on the ground up, and asked, "What did you lose?"
The short - haired woman who had been robbed was as pale as a sheet, with tears in her eyes and her lips trembling. "My computer, my laptop! There are manuscripts for the design competition in it!"
Xu Zixi stuffed her bag into the woman's arms, threw out a "Help me watch it", and then took off running after the robber.
"Who is that? Is she chasing the robber?"
"That seems to be Yuan Xi?"
"She's so overconfident. Does she think she, a woman, can handle a robber?"
Pei Mingyuan, who had just arrived at the company, frowned tightly when he saw so many people gathered outside the gate. He stepped forward, grabbed a person, and inquired about the situation. After learning what had happened and that Xu Zixi had gone after the robber alone, his expression changed. He straddled his Ducati, revved the engine, and drove towards the direction where the robber had fled.
The robber wasn't running very fast, but he was clearly familiar with the local terrain. Sensing someone was hot on his heels, he kept darting into small alleys, trying to shake off Xu Zixi with the crowds and corners. Xu Zixi exercised with the two kids every morning, so her body was in top condition. She had no trouble keeping up. After chasing for about two kilometers, she finally managed to corner the robber in a dead - end street.
Seeing a single woman chasing after him, the robber showed no sign of fear. Instead, he leered at her, sizing her up and down with a lecherous look, and joked, "You bitch have been chasing me so relentlessly. Do you have a crush on me, bro? Hehe, it's okay. Bro will come and love you well later."
With that said, he pounced on Xu Zixi.
Pei Mingyuan chased all the way. Seeing Xu Zixi follow the robber into a narrow alley where his motorcycle couldn't fit, he cursed and left his bike behind and squeezed into the alley. But the alleys were so complicated that he got lost for a while. After wandering for a long time, he faintly heard voices. He happened to catch the robber's words, and his expression changed. He quickened his pace and rushed out.
"Yuan Xi, watch out—Damn it!"
He had intended to rush out and play the hero to save the beauty, but what he saw in front of him made him cover his eyes involuntarily.
At the end of the alley, when the robber pounced on her, Xu Zixi nimbly dodged to the side. Then, with her slender arm, she violently twisted the robber's arm into a strange shape and kicked him hard in the back of the knee, knocking him to the ground, unable to get up.
Just looking at it, Pei Mingyuan felt a dull pain in his own arm.
In front, Miss Xu stepped on the robber's back with one foot. She bent down and said to the man,
"Sister here always likes to 'love' others with her fists, especially someone as ungrateful as you."
The robber felt excruciating pain all over his body. He wished he could knock himself out. All his previous arrogance was gone, and he kept begging for mercy. "Big sister, I was wrong. I had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. I'll never do it again!"
"Tell me, why did you rob in front of the Pei Group?" Xu Zixi pressed down slightly with her foot, and the robber immediately let out a wail, with snot and tears streaming down his face.
"Aaaaah! I'll tell! I'll tell—"
Xu Zixi loosened her foot. The man sobbed and said, "I... I was instructed by someone..."
"Wow, what a pleasant surprise." Raising her eyebrows, Xu Zixi looked up at Pei Mingyuan. "President Pei, what do you plan to do with this guy?"