Chapter 135 - 98: A Gift for You
In response to her boss’s praise, Huang Yiyi maintained her unflappable professional smile. She gave a slight bow and reported, "President Chen, I’ve confirmed every item on the list with the suppliers. I guarantee they’re from legitimate channels, and we’ve secured the lowest internal partner prices. The company won’t waste a single cent unnecessarily."
"Excellent," Chen Lin said with a satisfied nod. "Stick to this list. You’ll be in charge of all the purchasing."
The moment Huang Yiyi finished her report, Sun Yu, who had been studying client files all day, rushed over with a stack of documents, a hint of excitement on his face. "President Chen, I’ve made progress on my end, too!"
However, before he could elaborate, Chen Lin held up a hand, cutting him off.
"Let’s not rush," Chen Lin said, glancing at his watch with a mysterious smile. "I have to step out for a bit, but I’ll be back this afternoon. You two just stick to the plan for now."
With that, he gave a casual wave, turned, and headed downstairs, leaving Huang Yiyi and Sun Yu to stare at each other in confusion.
...
...
「1:15 PM. The domestic arrivals gate at Jinmen International Airport.」
Chen Lin leaned against a railing, his eyes fixed on the slowly opening gate. He felt a small stir of anticipation.
Finally, a familiar figure appeared in the stream of people.
Shen Yan, dressed in a simple white dress and pulling a silver suitcase, was slowly making her way out with the crowd.
Perhaps it was the long journey, but she seemed a little thinner than when she had left. Yet her exquisitely beautiful face held a healthy, sun-kissed glow, and she radiated an aura of quiet beauty.
Shen Yan spotted him almost at the same moment, and a flash of joy rippled through her crystal-clear eyes.
She quickened her pace and walked straight toward Chen Lin.
"Have a good trip?" Chen Lin asked with a smile as he naturally took the suitcase from her hand.
"It was, but the plane was a little late," Shen Yan said with a nod. Then, as if remembering something, she took a small object in a velvet pouch from her handbag and held it out to Chen Lin.
"A gift for you."
Pleasantly surprised, Chen Lin took it and opened the pouch. Inside was a palm-sized, fish-shaped figurine.
The figurine was made of a unique material, like some kind of gray brick or stone, but its texture was exceptionally smooth and fine.
The carving itself was exquisite: a lifelike carp was captured mid-leap, its scales and fins rendered in clear detail. The piece was full of motion and power—rustic, yet elegant.
"It’s a brick carving from Linxia," Shen Yan explained softly, her eyes on him. "We saw an old artisan making them on the spot when we were visiting, and I thought it was beautiful."
"I love it. Thank you," Chen Lin said sincerely, carefully placing the small figurine in his pocket.
The two walked out of the airport side by side. Chen Lin led her to the parking lot and into the ride-share he had just called.
"Are we heading back to the university?" Shen Yan asked curiously as she fastened her seatbelt.
"We are," Chen Lin confirmed with a nod, a proud little smile on his face. "I’m taking you somewhere special."
An hour later, Shen Yan stood in a huge office on the second floor of a co-working space. The five-hundred-square-meter room was spacious, bright, and immaculate. The shock in her crystal-clear eyes was plain to see.
"This place is...?"
"Yanhai Technology Consulting Co., Ltd.," Chen Lin announced, standing beside her with his arms spread wide, his voice brimming with pride. "Also known as my company."
Just then, having heard the noise, Huang Yiyi and Sun Yu came over from their respective "temporary workstations."
"Come on, let me make a formal introduction," Chen Lin said, turning to introduce Shen Yan. "This is Shen Yan, a top student from Yannan University’s School of Mathematics. She’ll be interning at our company."
He then turned to Shen Yan. "This is Huang Yiyi, our executive administrative assistant. She’s in charge of all the day-to-day operations. And this is Sun Yu, our business manager. He’s responsible for handling client requirements."
"It’s nice to meet you," Shen Yan said a little shyly, but she greeted them both all the same.
Sun Yu found himself looking at a great beauty who also clearly had a special relationship with Chen Lin. He was momentarily at a loss for words and could only nod eagerly. "Hello, Shen Yan! My name is Sun Yu!"
Huang Yiyi, in contrast, was the picture of impeccable professionalism. She extended her hand with a warm, friendly smile. "Hello, Miss Shen. Welcome to the team."
Shen Yan shook her hand lightly and explained, a bit apologetically, "I still have a lot of classes for my junior year, so... I’ll probably only be able to come in two or three days a week."
"Not a problem," Huang Yiyi immediately interjected with a professional smile. "When I was at Tiansheng Group, plenty of our interns were in the same boat. We can just calculate your pay based on the actual days you clock in. It’s no issue at all. How about this: I’ll get your onboarding paperwork started. Just text me a photo of your ID and student card whenever you get a chance."
This efficient yet thoughtful arrangement instantly dispelled the last of Shen Yan’s worries. She gave Huang Yiyi a grateful nod.
In less than ten minutes, Huang Yiyi had Shen Yan’s onboarding process sorted out, clear and simple.
He cleared his throat, turning to Sun Yu with a smile. "Sun, from now on, if you run into any client specs you’re struggling to understand, you can show them to Shen Yan. Don’t let her age fool you; she’s a top student from Yannan’s School of Mathematics. Chances are she’ll be able to make sense of them."
Sun Yu was a straightforward guy who had always admired people with real talent.
Besides, the boss himself had brought Shen Yan in; he wasn’t about to have any objections.
As soon as he heard this, Sun Yu’s eyes lit up. He hurried over, clutching his thick stack of client lists, his face breaking into an enthusiastic grin.
"Oh, that’s fantastic! Shen Yan, quick, come and help me with this! This is the client list from President Peng, and it’s been giving me a massive headache for the past two days! A bunch of these companies are in biopharmaceuticals and computer hardware, and their requirements documents are full of technical jargon. It’s all Greek to me; I can’t understand a single word!"
With that, he unceremoniously shoved the list into Shen Yan’s hands, pointed to one of the companies, and got ready to launch into an academic discussion right then and there.
As for Shen Yan, it seemed she had completely forgotten she was a traveler who had just stepped off a plane.
She took the list, her clear eyes sparkling with curiosity and focus. She simply stood right where she was, lowered her head, and began to read intently, having already switched seamlessly into work mode, every bit the new intern.