Chapter 27: Shall We Say Goodbye for Now?

The black BMW X6 came to a smooth stop beneath a high-end apartment building in Mapo District.

The tall girl reached out to hold Xia Xing’s hand just as he was about to unbuckle his seatbelt. She then checked the vanity mirror on the sun visor to ensure her baseball cap and mask were securely in place.

"Just drop me off here. If you get out, it'll be trouble if the sasaeng fans snap a picture of you."

"If you stay in the car, even if you're spotted, the company can explain it away."

Though he had wanted to walk with Shin Yuna a little longer, Xia Xing suppressed his reluctance and nodded, mindful of the constraints of her career.

The car door was closed gently, only to be suddenly pulled open again. Her bright, smiling eyes reappeared before him. This playful feint made his mood lift instantly.

She blinked, looking at Xia Xing, who was feigning composure.

"I almost forgot to take this bouquet of daisies... aren't you happy to see me again?"

"I’m moderately happy."

Xia Xing’s gaze drifted outside the car, his feigned indifference truly amusing to Shin Yuna.

"Hmph, boring." The girl cradled the daisies and shut the door with a nimble, decisive motion.

In high spirits, she was quite satisfied with this teasing farewell. She had not only confirmed his feelings for her after they parted but had also coaxed out his prideful side.

She hadn't taken many steps toward the apartment when the black BMW X6 slowly caught up, the window rolling down.

A familiar voice drifted out.

"Actually... I am very happy."

"I was just a bit shy earlier, so I was being stubborn."

The unexpected continuation of their conversation, delivered in a tone so sincere it felt adorable—how could anyone in this world admit to being shy so openly?

With a touch of resentment that wasn't really resentment, Shin Yuna puffed out her cheeks behind her mask.

"Geez, why are you so sappy, my little Xingcan?"

"You're a twenty-three-year-old adult, can't you even handle a short parting?"

The boy, whom she expected to be shy again, pondered the question with unusual seriousness before giving a definitive answer.

"I can't. I wish I had a burlap sack in the car right now."

"Huh?"

"I want to bundle you up and take you away."

No sooner had he spoken than Shin Yuna’s mind conjured an image of being tied up and carried off by Xia Xing... She shook her head quickly to banish the thought, as if she had just unlocked some strange new fetish.

Furthermore, she felt her own resolve wavering for a moment regarding their separation.

"Alright, alright... I... I don't want to leave either. Are you satisfied now?"

She spoke with a tone of surrender, her ears turning bright red in the dim light beneath the apartment building.

Unexpectedly receiving this admission from Shin Yuna, Xia Xing’s mood finally brightened.

"Then, goodbye?"

"Goodbye!" Shin Yuna waved. Before the window glass closed completely, she added, "Don't be too reluctant to go home."

He heard her teasing remark, but as the car was already picking up speed, by the time Xia Xing stopped and looked back, Shin Yuna had already vanished into the apartment building.

"Don't talk nonsense, I'm not that childish..."

***

"Do you have white tea at the shop today?"

"You've come at just the right time; we just got some Anji white tea in."

Arriving at his usual tea shop, Xia Xing took the cup offered by the owner and sat at a table on the second floor, where he could see the street view without the noise.

Leaning his head on his hand, he sipped the tea and gazed at the deep blue night sky, slowly admitting something to himself: He really didn't want to go back.

Returning to that empty apartment would only make him miss the days when he had company.

*I'll just wait until I'm sleepy to go back,* he thought.

With that in mind, he tried to focus on his work. Because he had left his tablet in the car that morning, it was the perfect time to review the personnel files of the various executives at Peninsula Foods.

Investigating these files was not just about understanding their management styles through their project histories; it was, as suggested by Xia Xuhe, about peeling back the layers to reveal the web of interests within the company.

Once he understood that, the exorbitant budget of the marketing department might finally be explained.

Xia Xing suspected that there was a faction within the company trying, through various means, to sabotage the heavily invested coconut water project.

With profits declining year after year, the failure of a key product they had worked hard to cultivate could go a long way toward pushing the sale of Peninsula Foods at the board and shareholder meetings.

That faction could be his aunt Xia Minji, who managed Peninsula Finance; his younger aunt Xia Xianzhi, who managed Peninsula Entertainment; or perhaps a shareholder at Peninsula International looking to acquire Peninsula Foods at a bargain price?

But would simply allocating excessive budget to the marketing department really be enough to fundamentally undermine the 100% NFC coconut water project?

At most, it would just lead to complaints about high cost-efficiency; it wouldn't be enough to shake Xia Xuhe’s influence in the company.

To make a fast-moving consumer product fail, it seemed only a public relations crisis caused by product quality or sluggish sales could do the trick.

With this doubt in mind, Xia Xing first checked the personnel files of the heads of the Public Relations Department and the Sales Management Department.

The head of PR, Wen Shengyan, had been poached from Lotte Foods two years ago to lead PR at Peninsula International. At only thirty-seven, she had the opportunity and ability to climb even higher; there was no reason for her to gamble her career to cooperate with an unknown faction.

As for Fang Shenghe, the head of the Sales Management Department, which handled dealer coordination and channel fees—though he was fifty-one and nearing retirement, which might suggest he was looking to profit from power-money deals before leaving—Xia Xing found that his suspicion was dispelled when he saw that Fang had spent the previous twenty-five years stuck in operational roles, only becoming a regional head half a year ago.

After all, having been promoted twice in quick succession just before retirement, staying the course for a peaceful exit was his best option.

Moreover, during lunch, Xia Xing had heard from staff in Sales Management that Fang’s foundation was not yet secure. With his own position precarious, did he even have the capacity to interfere with the 100% NFC coconut water project?

Just as Xia Xing was deep in thought, a phone call interrupted him. Annoyed, he checked the caller ID.

It was the same unfamiliar number from earlier that evening—the one Shin Yuna had said belonged to aespa’s Karina.

"Ms. Liu Zhimin, I have work to do right now. I don't have time to deal with your emotional entanglements."

However, there was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a plea, trembling with tears:

"Please help me, will you?"