Chapter 22: Crossing the Line Again

At 1:29 PM, Wen Jianan received a call from Liang Yuxiu.

Still preoccupied with the events of that afternoon, she was startled, but after hanging up, she hurriedly gathered her colleagues. There were three of them going: herself, Chen Ling, and a young man from the production department. Since they would be staying overnight, it felt safer to have a man along.

Liang Yuxiu had brought a business van and a driver; after all, it was a long journey to a relatively remote suburb, and relying on him to drive the whole way might not have been appropriate. Wen Jianan breathed a silent sigh of relief when she saw this.

As they boarded, it so happened that the others went to the back row, leaving Wen Jianan with no choice but to sit next to Liang Yuxiu. She felt as though the heavens were determined to keep her from having a moment of peace. But since she was already there, she could only sit still, subtly maintaining a distance from him.

Perhaps the atmosphere in the vehicle was simply too stifling, as Chen Ling took the initiative to break the silence by asking Liang Yuxiu about the purpose of the trip.

"A batch of new components has arrived. I wasn't at ease, so I came to inspect them personally."

"Does even something like this require you to go yourself, Mr. Liang?"

Chen Ling wasn't trying to butter him up; she was genuinely puzzled. After all, others who had reached his level of success would have long since become hands-off managers, content to play the role of the boss. Who would personally run to a factory for such a minor matter?

"I am not just the person in charge of Quantum; I am the chief engineer for our products and projects. As long as it relates to the product, there is no such thing as a trivial matter. I must be responsible for my work."

"That is truly admirable," Chen Ling praised sincerely.

Throughout the conversation, Wen Jianan remained silent. She had long been accustomed to this; Liang Yuxiu had always been devoted to his studies, his work, and his research—the only thing he was never devoted to was her.

Liang Yuxiu did not respond to Chen Ling again, instead glancing sideways at Wen Jianan with a look of inquiry. Suddenly, a buzzing vibration sounded in the car. It was Wen Jianan’s phone. It was a call from Cheng He.

Wen Jianan glanced at it, silenced the ringtone, and did not answer. Soon, however, Cheng He began sending her messages, saying he had a meeting in the afternoon and wanted to invite her for dinner to see her.

Wen Jianan had not replied to his previous messages because she hadn't figured out how to respond or what to say. But she replied to this one. She informed Cheng He that she was on her way to a suburban factory and likely wouldn't return until tomorrow; they could meet after she got back, and in the meantime, they both could take some time to think.

Think about whether there was any point in continuing the charade.

She didn't say that part aloud; she only contemplated it in her heart. She sent the message while intentionally shielding her screen from Liang Yuxiu, not wanting him to see, though that didn't mean he couldn't guess who she was messaging.

After the van left the city, the two people in the back row began to doze off. Liang Yuxiu seized the opportunity to speak: "I heard a child came to the company at noon. Was that Cheng He’s son?"

Wen Jianan’s eyelashes flickered; she sensed something unusual in his tone. She sat up straight and looked him directly in the eye. "Is Mr. Liang so fond of gossip now?"

"It’s not gossip."

"Then you want to see me make a fool of myself?"

Wen Jianan was aggressive, her demeanor overriding his, which left Liang Yuxiu looking helpless. After staring at her for a few seconds, he said indifferently, "Think whatever you want."

Wen Jianan was even more indifferent than he was: "If watching me make a fool of myself makes you happy, I'm okay with that."

Liang Yuxiu furrowed his brows, looking deeply unhappy. "You know that's not what I meant."

"Then that’s strange. How would I know what you mean, Mr. Liang? I’m not a worm in your stomach."

"You’ve changed too much." The Wen Jianan of the past would never have spoken like that. Liang Yuxiu decided to retract his previous thought that her current state was a good thing. It wasn't good at all.

Wen Jianan chuckled, enunciating every word: "Everyone changes, Mr. Liang. You’re no exception."

"At the very least, I wouldn't be with someone who deceives me."

He was righteous and stern, and suddenly, Wen Jianan understood.

"Are you referring to Cheng He? That is a private matter between him and me. You have crossed the line again."

Liang Yuxiu didn't know what had come over him. He was usually so calm and rational, yet whenever these moments arose, he felt like an intelligent system losing control. Still, he couldn't help but ask: "So, you rejected Wei Ming—was it really just to be with Cheng He?"

Wen Jianan felt he was as self-centered and arrogant as ever. She began to feel a sense of resistance; she had come to Yancheng for work, not to get entangled with Liang Yuxiu, and she would not allow things to spiral out of control.

"I said it before: it has nothing to do with you," she said, her tone becoming unfriendly.

After saying this, Wen Jianan followed the example of the two in the back row, closed her eyes, and chose silence.

They arrived at the suburban factory an hour and a half later. Once there, Wen Jianan woke the two in the back, politely thanked Liang Yuxiu, and went to find the factory manager.

Lin Li had already made arrangements in advance, and the manager quickly assigned a secretary to accompany them in their work. As for the manager, he had to accompany Liang Yuxiu to inspect the newly arrived components.

"Very well, please go ahead."

Wen Jianan waited for the secretary to arrive, then took her team on a tour. The factory spanned over a thousand square meters; by the time they had walked through it, stopping to inspect and ask questions, three or four hours had vanished in the blink of an eye.

"I held a remote meeting with the marketing department over the weekend. Quantum has always followed a mid-to-high-end route, but this new product they're about to release—the super-intelligent home robot—is starting to show signs of downward compatibility," Chen Ling whispered to Wen Jianan.

Wen Jianan nodded. She had discussed this issue with Lin Li, who indicated that Quantum wanted to open up a comprehensive, nationwide market. The reason they ultimately chose Feidu as a partner wasn't just because their bid stood out, but because Quantum already held a certain reputation and status in the North China market. They now wanted to penetrate the South and East China markets. Among their potential partners in the South, Feidu held long-term collaborations with the local government, including the Southern Aviation and high-speed rail systems; all these channels and resources were things Quantum could utilize.

Next month was the annual technology exhibition in South China, which the entire industry would attend. Quantum had only given them a month and a half. In a month and a half, the latest super-intelligent home robot would not only be launched but would also make its debut at the South China technology exhibition.

Almost half a month had already passed.

"I feel this doesn't really fit Quantum's usual positioning," Chen Ling remarked.

Indeed, Wen Jianan had thought the same thing earlier. She had studied Quantum’s previous products; although they were intelligent, they lacked a sense of human warmth. She didn't know how Liang Yuxiu had arrived at such a significant shift this time.

Wen Jianan found herself subconsciously trying to explore what hidden reasons lay behind this change.

Suddenly snapping back to reality, she felt speechless with herself.