Chapter 14 Women Are Such a Bother

"Mr. Ling, there will be a meeting for middle-level leaders of Xianying at 4 p.m. this afternoon. Mr. Huang requests that you attend as well," Liu Xiaoting said softly to Ling Xuan.

Ling Xuan nodded and asked, "Has Ms. Ye returned?"

Liu Xiaoting replied, "Yes, she has. But the test report of that female customer won't be available until tomorrow."

Ling Xuan said, "If there's nothing else, you can leave work now."

Liu Xiaoting was taken aback and said, "But it's only 3 p.m. now. There are still three hours left until the end of the working day."

Ling Xuan said, "It's the weekend. Just having one person from the planning team on duty at Xianying is sufficient. There's no need to waste everyone's time."

Liu Xiaoting said softly, "Mr. Ling, don't blame me for not reminding you. You'd better buy some bread or something and keep it in your drawer. A meeting at Xianying won't end within three to five hours."

Ling Xuan, of course, knew that when a group of women held a meeting, they would always talk at length and go off-topic. He smiled and said, "If they can persevere, I won't get hungry. Do you think I'll lose to them?"

Liu Xiaoting smiled and said, "Don't you know that women can endure hunger especially well? What's more, there are quite a few women who are on a diet..."

Ling Xuan said, "Forget it. I can't just chew on bread in the meeting room while the meeting is going on."

Liu Xiaoting said, "I didn't expect that you're quite smart usually, but you act silly at crucial moments. Can't you excuse yourself to go to the restroom and come out to eat?"

Ling Xuan smiled and said, "All right, thank you for your concern. You should leave work now."

"I won't. Isn't it great for me to surf the Internet for free here?" Liu Xiaoting pouted and said.

Ling Xuan asked, "You don't have a boyfriend, do you?"

Liu Xiaoting said, "Those men are so disgusting. I don't want one anyway!"

Ling Xuan said seriously, as if educating a young girl, "You can't say that. After all, it's common for women to get married."

"Who says women have to get married? I don't like the idea of getting married. It's so much more carefree to live alone!" Liu Xiaoting said proudly.

Ling Xuan tutted and said, "It would be such a pity if you don't get married."

"What's so pitiful about it?" Liu Xiaoting asked, looking puzzled.

Ling Xuan sized up her figure with a man's gaze and smiled, "It's a pity to waste this beauty that God has given you!"

"Cut!" Liu Xiaoting snorted disdainfully, turned to look at the computer screen, but her face turned red and her heart started beating faster.

Ling Xuan added, "I'm not saying sweet words. There's no need for me to please you at all. I'm just telling the truth."

"What you said sounds nice. Say more. I'm really enjoying it!" Liu Xiaoting was silent for a moment and then suddenly smiled and said.

Ling Xuan asked curiously, "To be honest, hasn't any man ever pursued you?"

Liu Xiaoting suddenly put on a serious face and ignored Ling Xuan, saying, "This is my personal privacy. You'd better not ask."

Ling Xuan let out a long sigh and said, "I'm just showing concern for my subordinates. Besides, I'm also curious. People inevitably have some bad habits..."

"You don't have a girlfriend either!" Liu Xiaoting suddenly blurted out, "Could you tell me why?"

"There's nothing to talk about."

Ling Xuan said indifferently. Thinking of his girlfriend in college and that innocent and young love affair, he couldn't help but fall silent...

The air in the office seemed to freeze, making it difficult for the two people in the room to breathe.

Ling Xuan stood up and said, "I'm going to the meeting!" Then he opened the door and left.

Liu Xiaoting shifted her gaze from the computer screen to his back. She suddenly wanted to say sorry, but before she could utter the words, Ling Xuan had already disappeared around the corner of the corridor!

There was still no feedback from the newspaper office. On the side of the TV station, Wen Tianming had solemnly promised that there would be no problems. Coupled with Jiang Hao's detention, everything seemed to be developing in a direction favorable to Xianying, and everyone felt more at ease.

The meeting that was scheduled to start at 4 p.m. was delayed by 20 minutes in this celebratory atmosphere. In fact, the delay in the start of meetings had become a common practice at Xianying. Although those who were late would have their salaries deducted, there were still people who didn't mind it.

Just as Liu Xiaoting had said and Ling Xuan had expected, the middle-level meeting at Xianying was long and drawn-out. It started at 4 p.m. and was still going on at 7 p.m., with continuous discussions. The store managers of over a dozen stores, along with the managers and supervisors of various departments, except for Ling Xuan, the only man who was somewhat of an "outsider," the rest were all women.

The original theme of the meeting was to discuss the door-smashing incident and summarize the experience to prevent it from happening again in the future. However, as the meeting progressed, the discussion completely changed its direction.

Starting from the self-examination of the door-smashing incident, they somehow ended up talking about the failure of the hygiene inspection, then about the decrease in the rate of customers returning to the store, the even fewer new customers entering the store, and also about the monthly sales volume...

Endless women, women who always talked off-topic.

Ling Xuan excused himself to go to the restroom and returned to the office. When he opened the door, he didn't see Liu Xiaoting. Presumably, she had already left. After turning on the light, he was surprised to find a hamburger and a bottle of Yili milk on his desk!

Ling Xuan didn't know why, but he suddenly felt a warmth in his heart. For a long time, few people had cared about him like this. He could even say that no one had ever cared about him in this way, not even his girlfriend in the past.

Although it was just a simple hamburger and a bottle of milk, what they represented was enough to make Ling Xuan feel a great deal of emotion...

Ling Xuan couldn't help but think of the gentle and stubborn Liu Xiaoting, and a fantasy unique to men about her suddenly emerged in his mind...

While chewing on the hamburger, Ling Xuan suddenly thought of Ning Huifen and her daughter at home. Would they cook something for themselves?

Since he hadn't been home for such a long time, they must be worried, right? Would they leave? If the mother and daughter were swindlers or thieves, then his home would surely be burglarized today.

Several times, Ling Xuan wanted to call home, but he was afraid that Ning Huifen wouldn't answer, so he gave up.

When on earth would this damn meeting end?

After finishing the hamburger, Ling Xuan returned to the meeting room. After another hour of this seemingly endless meeting, finally, when some people couldn't stand the hunger anymore, all the participants decided to adjourn the meeting!

Ling Xuan gathered his thoughts and sorted out the materials in his hand. Just as he was about to open the door of the office, Ye Feng came up and said, "Xiao Ling, how about we go for dinner together tonight?"

Ling Xuan was taken aback. It wasn't that Ye Feng had never invited him to dinner before, but at this moment, he had already been thinking about the people at home who might not have had their meals yet. Moreover, the hamburger he had just eaten had made his stomach feel a bit full. So he smiled and said, "Ms. Ye, next time you invite me to dinner, don't make the meeting last so long. I have an appointment with a friend."

"Do you have a date with a beautiful woman?" Ye Feng asked softly.

Ling Xuan smiled. What was going on today? Everyone was bringing up such sensitive topics. He said softly, "No, it's Captain Yan. He has helped us a great deal today. I can't just not express my gratitude to him." Ling Xuan had no choice but to use Yan Feng as an excuse.

"Mr. Ling, are you inviting Captain Yan to dinner? Remember to take me with you!" Rao Xiaolan, who didn't know when she had appeared behind them, exclaimed excitedly.

"So it's an invitation for Captain Yan! Then I'll treat you to this meal. After all, he has done a great favor for Xianying," Ye Feng said, seizing the opportunity to be generous.

"Ah?!" Ling Xuan's heart skipped a beat. He had originally intended to use Yan Feng as an excuse, but unexpectedly, it made the situation even more complicated.

"What's wrong? Is it inconvenient for you, Mr. Ling?" Ye Feng asked softly.

"No... no! It's just that how can I let you, Ms. Ye, foot the bill..." Ling Xuan could only force a stiff smile and say.

"What's the big deal about spending money? The key is that someone is willing to accept the invitation! Xiao Ling, it's settled. Let's go together," Ye Feng said cheerfully.

Ling Xuan had originally wanted to go home quickly, but after this turn of events, it seemed that he had created trouble for himself! The frustration in his heart was truly overwhelming...