novelaction Chapter 1299 Yunrui engraved his heart: She held an umbrella for him after being caught in the rain
Chapter 1299 Yunrui engraved his heart: She held an umbrella for him after being caught in the rain
Qi Ruixiang's knuckles left red marks on the steering wheel as he parked his car in front of the rehabilitation center. The car's air freshener still exuded the scent of cedar—Gu Yunxi had replaced it for him yesterday, saying, "This scent will help you stop frowning."
But at this moment, the fragrance wafting from the air-conditioning vent was like fine needles, pricking his temples and making them throb.
The moment the glass door was pushed open, he saw Gu Yunxi coming out. He was wearing a light grey recovery suit, which made him look very thin.
"I'm here to pick you up." Qi Ruixiang pushed open the car door and walked over, his voice half a pitch lower than usual. He wanted to reach out to help her with her medical records, but he pulled his hand back halfway—this morning, she had been so obviously avoiding him, like she was avoiding something hot.
Gu Yunxi nodded, without looking at him, opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat.
The seatbelt buckled softly. She tilted her head to look out the window, her hair obscuring her features, making it hard to discern her expression. "Just take me back to the apartment." Her voice was soft, as if she wasn't afraid to disturb anything.
They were silent the whole way. The car radio was playing a soothing piano piece, the same Chopin piece she'd mentioned before...
Outside the French windows, the Thames shimmered in a cold light. Yan Wanqing stared at the failed email notification on the computer screen. Her fingertips hovered over the mouse for half a second before she closed the dialog box.
This is the third time I have sent an email to Qi Ruixiang today. From the revised version of the contract with the partner to the artist's schedule, every email has fallen on deaf ears and I haven't even received an automatic reply.
"Boss Wanqing, the representatives from our British partner are already in the conference room." The assistant knocked on the door and came in, holding a stack of documents. "They said we have to finalize the profit sharing ratio today, otherwise the partnership will be terminated."
Yan Wanqing took a deep breath and tucked her scattered hair behind her ears.
The cuffs of her shirt had been worn white, the mark of having stayed up all night for three consecutive days - Qi Ruixiang had said yesterday, "You keep an eye on it first, I have something to do", and this "watching" lasted from yesterday morning to this afternoon.
"Got it." She took the document and ran her fingertips over the signature of "Qi Ruixiang".
It was the authorization form he had pre-signed last week, allowing her to sign contracts on his behalf in an emergency.
At that time, he smiled and said, "I feel at ease with you around." Thinking about it now, it seems like a premeditated entrustment.
The heating in the conference room was turned on high, but it couldn't dispel the frost on the British representative's face.
Mr. Brown, the leader, pushed his gold-rimmed glasses and shoved the contract in front of her. "Ms. Yan, we've been waiting for Mr. Qi all day. If we can't get a response today, we'll have to contact other companies."
Yan Wanqing opened the contract and tapped lightly on the revised terms with her fingertips.
The profit-sharing ratio was changed from 64% to 50%, and three supplementary clauses were added that were unfavorable to Miaoyin Media. This was clearly an attempt to take advantage of the situation—they knew Qi Ruixiang was away and wanted to force her, the "temporary person in charge," to make concessions.
"Mr. Brown," she raised her eyes, her expression calm and composed, "Regarding the profit-sharing ratio, we can compromise to 50/70, but these three supplementary clauses must be deleted."
She pushed over the data analysis sheet she had prepared long ago. "This is the popularity data of our artists in the UK. They just broke streaming records last week. You should understand that it's you who need us now, not us begging for cooperation."
Mr. Brown's face changed.
He didn't expect that this seemingly gentle oriental woman would be so tough during the negotiation.
Yan Wanqing didn't give him a chance to retort and continued, "If you insist on changing the terms, we can terminate our cooperation immediately. We will pay the liquidated damages on time, but I'm afraid your company's reputation in the industry will be affected."
Her voice was not loud, but it carried unquestionable power.
The assistant watching from the side was secretly amazed - Manager Yan had hardly slept for the past three days. He was dealing with new project proposals sent from China and connecting with publicity channels in the UK. He even ate sandwiches for lunch while revising contracts. But at this moment, his mind was still clear and his aura was full.
Mr. Brown was silent for ten minutes and finally signed the revised contract.
When she walked out of the meeting room, Yan Wanqing's back was soaked with cold sweat.
She leaned against the wall, took out her cell phone from her pocket, and habitually wanted to send a message to Qi Ruixiang to let him know he was safe, but she typed and deleted the message in the input box, and in the end only saved it as a draft.
When I returned to the office, the phone on my desk rang again. It was the domestic project team, saying that Gu Yunqian needed the UK branch's cooperation for overseas promotion of his newly developed ancient music project. "Boss Wanqing, I can't get through to Mr. Qi. Could you please review the promotional plan..."
"Send the plan to my email and I'll give you a reply in half an hour." Yan Wanqing rubbed her swollen temples.
It was already dark outside the window, and the street lights came on one after another, casting a blurry halo on the glass.
The email notification sounded, indicating project information had been sent from China. Yan Wanqing took a deep breath and clicked on the file.
Ancient style music needs to be combined with British cultural elements, so she had to contact the London Symphony Orchestra overnight and modify the design of the promotional poster.
The coffee on the table had gone cold. She picked up the cup and took a sip. The bitter taste spread from the tip of her tongue to her throat.
"Boss Wanqing, this is the artist schedule checklist you requested." The assistant brought another stack of documents. Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, he couldn't help but say, "Why don't you take a break? Mr. Qi will definitely take care of it when he returns."
Yan Wanqing smiled and took the document: "It's okay, finish it sooner and feel at ease sooner." She knew that Qi Ruixiang was not deliberately ignoring his work, he just valued Gu Yunxi more than anything else.
She will never find her own love, but Qi Ruixiang can. There must be one of them who is nourished by love.
By the time she finished checking her schedule, it was already one in the morning. Yan Wanqing stretched, her joints making a series of crisp noises.
The London Eye outside the window was still twinkling, like a jewel hanging in the night sky.
She walked to the French window and watched the cruise ship slowly pass by on the river. At this moment, her phone vibrated. It was a message from Qi Ruixiang. It only had three words: "Thank you for your hard work."
Yan Wanqing looked at these three words and suddenly felt all her fatigue disappear. She replied, "It's all taken care of, don't worry."
When Qi Ruixiang pressed send, the coolness of the screen still lingered on his fingertips. Dusk was seeping in through the gaps in the gauze curtains, weaving a hazy web across the carpet.
He turned around and wanted to call Gu Yunxi to come over and see the sunset, but the moment he met her eyes, his throat suddenly tightened.
Gu Yunxi sat on the edge of the sofa with his back straight.
The sketchbook was spread open on his knees, the pencil was suspended in mid-air, and the graphite tip of the pencil made a small black dot on the drawing paper.
She didn't look at the painting or out the window. Her pupils were like obsidian washed by moonlight, fixed straight on his face, without even blinking.
"What's wrong?" Qi Ruixiang's voice was a little hoarse. He took two steps forward and realized that her fingers were trembling slightly - not the trembling of nervousness, but the trembling of knuckles turning white when she tightly grasped a pencil.
The sketchbook showed the corridor of the rehabilitation center. The blurry silhouette of the man in the corner was now painted black by her with a pencil, like a ball of ink that could not be dissolved.
Before he could say anything else, Gu Yunxi suddenly threw the pencil.
The sketchbook fell to the carpet with a thud, and she threw herself into his arms like a frightened animal.
The blow was too powerful, and Qi Ruixiang was knocked back half a step before he could steady himself. His lower back hit the corner of the coffee table, and he groaned in pain.
"Yunxi?" He subconsciously tried to support her waist, but she held his neck tightly. Her arms were like two iron hoops, strangling him so hard that his breathing was almost stagnant...