Chapter 16: Drawing Closer to Him

The door to the director’s office was open, but the room was empty. Chen Bo stepped aside, inviting Li Tian’er to enter and take a seat, then turned back to peer down the corridor. He guessed Liang Xia couldn’t have gone far; at ten o’clock, she was supposed to accompany him to the open-pit mine.

“Liang Xia,” he called out warmly the moment she appeared at the far end of the second-floor hallway. Liang Xia paused, a look of surprise flashing across her face, quickly replaced by a hint of embarrassment.

She’d left the meeting before it ended, and Chen Bo, having passed her office on his way out, must have realized she wasn’t there. Her sudden appearance now all but confirmed she had spent the intervening time in the women’s restroom on the third floor. Between a stomach upset and a fit of pique, Liang Xia hoped Chen Bo would assume the latter. Yet he made no comment, only waited until she entered the office before once again formally introducing Li Tian’er to her.

“From now on, we’re all colleagues—let’s work together in unity and strive for progress.”

Liang Xia’s manner was cool but not unfriendly toward Li Tian’er, which pleased Chen Bo so much he couldn’t help rubbing his hands together in satisfaction.

Leaving the office compound, they drove along the bumpy country road for nearly twenty minutes before finally arriving at the open-pit mine. Half of a fifty-meter-high mountain had been sheared off, exposing a barren face of earth and rock that glared harshly in the sunlight. As they drew closer, the spiraling transport roads carved into the mountainside resembled the grooves on a lollipop. Li Tian’er felt dizzy, an overwhelming discomfort rising in her chest.

Chen Bo and Liang Xia stood listening to the mine district chief’s report. Liang Xia held a parasol, tilting it toward Chen Bo’s head, shading him from the unforgiving sun.

Chen Bo seemed oblivious, his gaze fixed on the pit below, his expression grave, brow furrowed.

Another moment in that heat and she would succumb to sunstroke, but there wasn’t a scrap of shade in sight. Passing mining trucks kicked up clouds of dust more than a meter high, filling her nose and making her sneeze uncontrollably.

Hearing her sneeze, Chen Bo turned to look at her and saw her forehead beaded with sweat, her face drawn with discomfort. He quickly asked Liang Xia to lend the umbrella to Li Tian’er.

“I think we’ve seen enough here. Let’s move to the district office,” he said.

Still, Liang Xia kept the parasol over Chen Bo, sweat now seeping from her own brow. Chen Bo glanced at her, took the parasol, and handed it to Li Tian’er. He then instructed the district chief to tell the cafeteria to prepare cooling mung bean syrup at once.

“The rainy season is nearly here. This year’s pit is deeper than last year’s and even more prone to flooding. We need to prepare flood prevention supplies right away, but my application keeps getting bounced from department to department. The finance office won’t release funds, and all we can do is watch helplessly…” The mine supervisor’s voice trembled, nearly breaking. The rains could come at any moment. If the pit flooded and the excavators were lost, he would be held directly responsible.

Chen Bo silently finished his bowl of mung bean syrup, his brow creasing even tighter.

“I have elderly parents and young children. If there’s an accident and losses occur, my life wouldn’t be enough to pay for it.”

Chen Bo listened in silence, his thoughts unreadable. Li Tian’er, standing nearby, grew anxious on their behalf. No matter the situation, an employer who could still put food on his own table must never let those who follow him go without even a sip of soup.

“Don’t worry for now. Mr. Chen will give this matter careful consideration when we return,” Liang Xia said gently, her tone conveying deep concern—the perfect shield for the boss.

Liang Xia and Chen Bo had always worked seamlessly together. During the restructuring of Dongling Mining, as it teetered on the brink of bankruptcy, she’d supported Chen Bo step by step, aided by her retired father, the former mine chief.

The ordeal hadn’t lasted long, but what they’d weathered together was unimaginable. She’d staked her entire fortune on Chen Bo, waiting to savor the fruits of success at his side. But two years had passed, and all she’d received was the key to Chen Bo’s villa—and the sudden arrival of a special assistant to the general manager…

As soon as Liang Xia finished speaking, Chen Bo immediately instructed her to call all relevant department heads to the site.

“In my company, there will be no passing the buck. Anyone who tries will be dismissed on the spot and can go kick balls on the soccer field instead!” Chen Bo’s face darkened; no one dared utter a word.

Liang Xia stared at him in shock. She’d never seen Chen Bo act so decisively before. Yet why, with such a man, did he still refuse to break the delicate barrier between them?

All she could do was watch helplessly as he navigated between different women, jealousy gnawing at her heart, yet still willing to clean up his messes and sever his troublesome romantic ties.

“Tian Tian, go to the district chief’s office. There’s a chart of department head phone numbers on the wall.”

“From now on, all internal coordination will be handled by my assistant. Director Liang, you’ll focus mainly on external office receptions.”

The subtle shift in Chen Bo’s address stung Liang Xia, making her heart plummet into an icy abyss. If it weren’t for the crowd present, her tears would have overflowed at any moment.

Clearly, this special assistant was Chen Bo’s new favorite—he kept her close, unwilling to let others vie for her. Though there was no precedent for this, men were ultimately fickle; even the most stunning beauty eventually lost her allure. In the end, the one he would marry was sure to be the woman who was most valuable to him.

She’d never realized how long a single day could feel, nor imagined how exhausting and fraught managing a mining company could be. She began to doubt whether, if she ever seized Chen Bo’s position, she could handle things as capably—whether she could command the respect of those rough and boisterous workers.

“What are you thinking about?” Chen Bo asked.

“I was just thinking how hard you work,” Li Tian’er replied, turning to him with a sweet smile. In the twilight garden, she resembled a freshly blossomed rose.

“I’ve never considered it hard work to build a business. But you must be exhausted today. I won’t take you to places like that again—you look as if you’ve gotten a tan,” Chen Bo said, his gaze lingering.

Once, being scrutinized like that would have annoyed Li Tian’er, but no longer.

After days of preparation, today marked the first step of her plan. Things were about to get much more interesting, and she could barely contain her excitement.

Seeing her radiant cheeks and sparkling eyes, Chen Bo was convinced his plan was succeeding. The beauty before him had finally fallen for him, and soon she would be his.

Kai Kai was quite taken with the new nanny, refusing to leave her lap. In the morning, he clung to her neck on the way to nursery school, reluctant to say goodbye. His little eyes were misty, his lips pouting several times.

Such is the mysterious fate that binds people!

A fruit store they’d contacted before called the number on Li Tian’er’s business card to place an order just as she was listening in on a meeting. She silenced her phone, slipped out of the conference room unnoticed, and answered the call while peering through the floor-to-ceiling glass at the round table meeting within.