Business trips are often called the gospel for singles in the company.
Of course, that's complete nonsense.
Because no one likes business trips, and they hate leaving their familiar city even more, but it's all for work.
According to pharmaceutical policies, although drugs are not strongly polluting products, due to their high risk, sample factories are basically built in suburban areas far from city centers. There's no help for it.
The guide could only smile apologetically and lead Qi Sui and LEO to a hotel entrance only ten kilometers from the sample factory.
Of course, this was also the only legitimate hotel nearby.
The others either didn't require ID, which was unsettlingly casual. The proprietress would see a man and a woman and immediately shout "one big bed room." Qi Sui could swear LEO's face turned terrifyingly dark at that moment.
Or they were simply dirty and chaotic to the extreme, and the guide wasn't comfortable letting them stay there.
When Qi Sui saw the hotel front desk smile and ask for their IDs first, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She was almost afraid they'd have to stay in the wilderness tonight.
The guide wiped the sweat off his face and apologized profusely. Originally, there were decent empty dormitories in the factory that could be used temporarily, but they had recently hired a batch of temporary workers to rush orders mid-year, leading to this awkward situation.
LEO raised his hand to indicate he didn't need to apologize.
"It's fine. I didn't consider this either."
It would have been easier for him alone, but having a female companion made things somewhat inconvenient.
Qi Sui handed over her ID, and after facial recognition, the front desk handed out two room cards—one deluxe king room each. It wasn't that they didn't want higher-spec rooms; it's just that this hotel didn't have any.
The front desk paused, scanning LEO in his silver-gray suit from head to toe before turning around, her smile tinged with understanding and uncomfortable flattery:
"Miss, how about you two share one room? We have a suite on the top floor, and we can throw in an extra day's breakfast vouchers for two."
Share one room?
Did she know what she was saying?
Qi Sui frowned, took her room card and ID from her hand, and politely declined.
"No need. Working doesn't require comfort, and I don't want to disturb the leadership."
That was quite a tactful remark.
First, she emphasized that they were only here for work, unlike the usual men and women the front desk saw. Second, she made it clear that the man behind her was just her boss, with no other relationship.
Qi Sui made space for LEO behind her and crossed her arms, waiting for him to complete his identity verification and get his room card. The man politely declined the front desk's offer to help with his luggage, then walked over to Qi Sui, effortlessly lifted both suitcases, and swiped his card to open the elevator.
In the empty elevator, it was a quiet night, with hardly anyone around.
LEO's voice rang out flatly:
"If you're not comfortable, I can open a separate suite for you, charged to my account."
Qi Sui shook her head and said no.
Actually, the hotel environment wasn't bad, and it was a chain brand.
After entering her room, she checked the place and found no major issues, so she prepared to change clothes and take a shower.
The originally planned business trip date was next Wednesday.
But due to business adjustments, Qi Sui and LEO were temporarily required to leave earlier. Worse still, Qian Jin's father's birthday banquet was on Tuesday of next week, meaning she would not only have to sacrifice her weekend but also attend the birthday banquet as the Qian family's daughter-in-law immediately upon returning to the city.
Qi Sui organized her luggage, fumbled for the air conditioner remote, and set the temperature to 23 degrees, hoping the room would cool down to a comfortable level quickly.
Her health wasn't great, but she loved the cold. Every summer, the electricity bill at home skyrocketed because she kept the central air conditioning on all night.
When she came out drying her wet hair, she noticed an unanswered call on her room phone. Following the instructions, she called back, and heard the man's cool, distorted voice on the other end.
"The sample factory starts work at 9:30 tomorrow. We'll try to get there by 8:30, giving them an hour to communicate. Morning and afternoon we'll tour the factory. If there are any issues, bring them up directly. We'll adjust to each other."
Start at 9:30, arrive by 8:30—what a slave driver.
Still, she replied softly, "Okay, got it."
Qi Sui sniffled, suddenly feeling a bit cold.
LEO nodded.
Then he remembered this was a phone call, and his gestures couldn't travel through the current, so he coughed lightly and ended the topic succinctly.
"Um... rest early. Anything you want to eat? Let me know in advance. If there's nothing for breakfast, I'll reserve something."
His voice was gentle then.
As long as work wasn't mentioned, LEO seemed easier to get along with.
But Qi Sui's usual breakfast was just a boiled egg, so she didn't have any particular cravings.
She said softly that she didn't want anything special; the hotel breakfast was enough.
After getting a positive response on the other end, she quickly hung up, draped a towel over her, and pattered into the bathroom.
The wet ends of her hair rested on her shoulders, and the cool breeze from above blew at a temperature far below her body heat. Just sitting on the bed making a phone call had chilled her shoulders and back, making her shiver.
She used the hairdryer for a while until the ends of her hair were no longer dripping, then put it down, wrapped herself in the blanket, and flopped into the soft bed.
Once, twice, three times. Her eyes blinked slowly, her mind filled with messy thoughts that wouldn't come together.