"I like it. But, where did you get the money for all this?" Lin Mengyao withdrew her gaze from the sea of flowers and regained her composure, her bright eyes staring directly at Xu Ke as she asked.
She only gave Xu Ke two thousand yuan a month for living expenses. Where did he get the money to set all this up, and how did he manage to book the entire Yunding Restaurant? Lin Mengyao narrowed her eyes slightly, a scrutinizing look in them.
"I bought a lottery ticket a couple of days ago, and I was lucky enough to win," Xu Ke said with an honest and somewhat earnest smile, though his heart pounded in his chest; it was the first time he had lied to Lin Mengyao, and he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.
"How much did you win?" Lin Mengyao, who usually only followed financial news and paid little attention to such things, had no reason to doubt Xu Ke's explanation. She was simply curious about how much Xu Ke had won, so she asked casually.
Xu Ke thought for a moment and held up five fingers.
"Five hundred thousand?"
Xu Ke shook his head and slowly said, "Five million."
Lin Mengyao's eyes went blank for a moment, and then she asked incredulously, "How much?"
Seeing Lin Mengyao's rare surprise, Xu Ke amusedly repeated the amount. It was a number he had considered carefully. Booking Yunding Restaurant and making all these arrangements had cost a lot, plus Lin Mengyao's commute by subway and bus was inconvenient. He wanted to buy her a decent car. All these added up to about that amount, so he quoted this figure.
"How much did all of this cost today?" Lin Mengyao pointed to the meticulously arranged restaurant and asked. She already had an inkling of the answer but still wanted to hear it from Xu Ke.
"Three hundred thousand," Xu Ke replied honestly.
"For a simple celebration, why spend so much?"
"As long as you're happy and you like it, I don't think it's too much. Besides, for me, it's not just a simple celebration dinner," Xu Ke said passionately. Just then, a cake with two cartoon figures of a man and a woman on a two-tiered setting was pushed over. The little girl wore a tiny crown on her head, glimmering beautifully under the lights.
"Today marks the day of our first date and also our third wedding anniversary. Three years ago, I didn't give you a perfect wedding, and even the wedding rings were prepared by someone else. I know you have endured a lot of grievances marrying me. I was wrong in the past, but from now on, I will take good care of you and build our home well. Whatever others have that you don't, I will gradually make it up to you," Xu Ke said with deep emotion.
Originally, he planned to give her a wedding ring today, but after thinking about it, he gave up. After all, in the eyes of the Lin Family, he was still an outsider joining the family. He couldn't give too expensive a ring, and a cheap ring seemed unworthy of Lin Mengyao, so he decided to wait for another day. Xu Ke thought with some regret.
While listening to Xu Ke's heartfelt words, Lin Mengyao showed no reaction on the surface, but in reality, her heart was already stirring.
She didn't know how she finished her meal or how she got home. Even when she lay down in bed at night and closed her eyes, she couldn't calm down. Lin Mengyao hid under the covers and reached out to touch her heart. To be honest, everything Xu Ke did today moved her. However, long-term disappointment made it impossible for her to trust him, yet a small voice inside her kept tempting her to believe Xu Ke.
Xu Ke saw Lin Mengyao's conflict but did not regret what he did today. He was even a bit delighted. While doing all this, he felt anxious and worried about how he would handle rejection. But none of that happened. He saw the conflict on Lin Mengyao's face, which boosted his confidence. As long as he had enough time, he believed he could win her over.
The next morning, Lin Mengyao finally returned to her normal state. She went to attend the company meeting with a refreshed expression, as if nothing had happened yesterday.
At nine o'clock sharp, everyone notified had arrived.
"The reason for gathering everyone here today is to announce an important matter. Our Lin Group has successfully negotiated the development project with Jiahe Group," Grandma Lin said with a smile while seated at the head of the table.
"To have secured this so quickly is a major event for Lin Group. However, the project leader..." The director left his sentence unfinished, but his meaning was clear: who would be chosen to lead this project?
This project could be considered the key to Lin Group's transformation. If managed well, it would be a huge achievement, increasing the individual's influence within the company. Thus, everyone eyed this opportunity fiercely.
Lin Mengyao sat in a corner of the boardroom, her lips quietly pinched together, ears perked to hear what Grandma Lin would say.
Having secured this cooperation, Lin Mengyao felt confident about obtaining the project lead. After all, she was also part of the Lin Family. Grandma Lin couldn't be so biased as to overlook her entirely and give her nothing.
Soon, Grandma Lin's voice sounded again, "This is the main reason I called everyone here today. I have decided to appoint Lin Shixian, Manager Lin, as the project leader. He has worked tirelessly at our company for many years, and his work ethic and abilities are well recognized. Therefore, I'm passing this position to Lin Shixian. I assume there are no objections?"
Despite the seemingly inquisitive tone of Grandma Lin's question, with her majority shareholding, it was nearly decided, and naturally, no one would risk saying anything to dampen the mood.
Lin Shichang, upon hearing this news, could hardly contain his excitement, though he tried hard to restrain it, the corners of his mouth still curled upward uncontrollably.
Sitting in the corner, Lin Mengyao listened to Grandma Lin's final decision, coldly watching the directors flatter Lin Shichang. A deep sense of powerlessness and boundless disappointment swelled within her.
Lin Mengyao wanted to speak up and fight for this opportunity, but as she opened her mouth, she swallowed back the words that came to her lips. What was the use of speaking up? It would only bring humiliation. Lin Mengyao lowered her eyes to hide the desolation within them and the curve that often adorned her lips dipped down by three points.
She wasn't indifferent to the disappointment; it was just gradually fading. One day, when she no longer felt sorrow over these matters, it might be time for her to leave Lin Group altogether.