Super Soldier in the City
Chapter 593 - 612: Xu Yingying Seeks Help

Chapter 593: Chapter 612: Xu Yingying Seeks Help

Li Yifei and Xu Yingying once encountered Cao Bin by chance while they were out shopping. By that time, Xu Yingying had already introduced Li Yifei as her husband, yet Cao Bin still pursued Xu Yingying at this point. It was a clear sign of disregard, and even provocation.

If Cao Bin was the arrogant type who believed himself to be far superior to Li Yifei, and paid no attention to him, then so be it. However, Li Yifei felt that Cao Bin wasn’t the showy type, and now to act so ostentatiously, there must be something amiss with such abnormal behavior.

If Li Yifei went straight to Xu Yingying now, it would easily make her overthink. With the security guards spreading the news, many in the company would soon be aware of it. Approaching her now would make it too obvious that he was confronting Xu Yingying.

Before he was married, Li Yifei believed that once you become husband and wife, you must give your spouse sufficient trust. Otherwise, there’s no point in getting married. Now, even more so, he should not go to Xu Yingying.

Half an hour later, Cao Bin appeared in the lobby on the first floor. Li Yifei spotted him right away. Dressed in a sharp suit and still exuding a refined air, Cao Bin wore a charming smile, making him an ideal Prince Charming for most girls.

Cao Bin walked all the way to the entrance but, before leaving, he glanced toward the security room where Li Yifei was, then turned around and left.

Li Yifei narrowed his eyes, feeling a bit of interest. Cao Bin seemed to be more complicated than he appeared. If Cao Bin was planning to play some games, Li Yifei was not opposed to it at all.

Soon it was noon, and Li Yifei joined the security guards for lunch. He used to always sit with Xu Yingying, but now, during lunch, she often discussed work with key company staff. As the security department manager, these matters didn’t particularly interest him, so he preferred the more relaxed company of his fellow guards.

After lunch, however, Xu Yingying called Li Yifei to her office with a phone call. In the office, He Fangqing was also present, and a large bouquet of fiery red roses sat in a vase on the windowsill.

As soon as Li Yifei entered, He Fangqing said with a cheerful smile, "Li Yifei, see these roses? You’ve got competition now."

Xu Yingying immediately retorted with feigned annoyance, "Sister Fangqing, you’re stirring up trouble between us."

He Fangqing giggled and said, "This guy has never given you peace of mind. It’s about time he got a bit anxious. Otherwise, he’d be getting off too easy. Besides, our Yingying is a great beauty with plenty of admirers."

Li Yifei walked over to the windowsill, leaned in to smell the flowers, and said, "Not bad, genuine roses, not those common garden roses. They smell good."

He Fangqing chuckled again and added, "Cao Bin is young and wealthy. He wouldn’t send cheap roses."

Li Yifei nodded and said, "Indeed, they’re nice. But just sending roses seems a bit stingy. Shouldn’t he be sending diamonds or something if he really wants to impress? Our Yingying isn’t someone you can woo with just a few bouquets of roses. He’s really underestimating my wife."

Xu Yingying gave Li Yifei a sideways glance and responded, "You haven’t even given me roses yet, and you have the nerve to say that?"

Li Yifei immediately chuckled sheepishly and said, "That’s true. But I’ve given myself to you, which is a much better deal than what that guy is offering, isn’t it?"

Xu Yingying’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she playfully scolded Li Yifei, "Enough with your nonsense, can’t you be serious for once? Why did you come back to work so suddenly without a word? Weren’t you recuperating at Mengxin’s?"

Li Yifei laughed and replied, "I’m fine. There’s just a small scab on my leg, and it’ll be completely healed in a couple of days."

Xu Yingying, seeing Li Yifei in good spirits, stopped worrying. After all, if Mengxin had agreed to take care of him and there were still issues, she wouldn’t have let him come back to work. Xu Yingying then said, "Yifei, Cao Bin has been trying to discuss a cooperation project with our company these past few days. I think the project could be very beneficial for us, and I’m quite tempted, but he keeps sending flowers, and I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, so I wanted to discuss it with you."

Li Yifei quickly asked, "What kind of project does he want to cooperate with us on?"

Xu Yingying promptly explained, "He wants to be our exclusive distributor in Southeast Asia. He’s been performing well there, and if he becomes our distributor, it’ll be as if we’ve directly opened up the Southeast Asian market, without any significant investment on our part. So, it’s very appealing to me."

Li Yifei narrowed his eyes and said, "It seems like our product hasn’t even fully gone into production yet, and now we’re starting to expand into overseas markets?"

Xu Yingying patiently explained, "Our product itself is patented, something unseen on the market before, and the market expectation is quite good. Once it goes into production, we need to quickly occupy the market to prevent other factories from imitating it. Combining the domestic and overseas markets would, of course, be more beneficial for our company. You should also know that there are a lot of counterfeits and knock-offs, especially here in Huaxia. It’s feared that even if Mengxin goes to stop the counterfeits, it would be absolutely impossible unless the entire country acts together. That’s why I place such importance on the overseas market."

Li Yifei tapped his fingers lightly and said, "There doesn’t seem to be any problem with your thinking."

He Fangqing chuckled softly and said, "The main issue now is that our partner is Cao Bin, and it’s clear that he has designs on Yingying. Every time he comes, he brings a big bunch of roses."

Li Yifei’s eyes narrowed again as Xu Yingying hurriedly said, "Husband, I’ve told him off many times, but he still does as he pleases. I’m at a loss. I should have just ignored him outright, but because of the company’s interests, I can’t just fall out with him."

Li Yifei smiled slightly and said, "Wife, do I really have not that little confidence in myself? Having people want to pursue you only proves that I have good taste. Go ahead and do what you must, but if Cao Bin wants to ask you out, then I must accompany you."

Xu Yingying, seeing how sincere Li Yifei was, felt very happy inside and laughed, "Don’t worry, I wouldn’t just go out with anyone randomly."

At this moment, He Fangqing stood up and said, "Alright, enough of business matters. The rest is for you young couple to discuss. I’m just in the way here. You two chat, I’ll be leaving."

"Sister Fangqing!" Xu Yingying called out immediately, grabbing He Fangqing’s hand, "Sister Fangqing, I... really feel very sorry toward you. The promise I once made to you, I have not yet been able to fulfill."

He Fangqing clasped Xu Yingying’s hand in return, speaking sincerely, "Yingying, just having you still as a friend now is reassuring to me, really. To be as open-minded as you are, I truly admire that. If it were my husband always hanging with his flirty past acquaintances, I wouldn’t stand it. That you didn’t drive me from the company, how could I still hold any grudges against you? I’ve told you before, your thoughts back then just meant that you hadn’t truly married or truly adopted the mindset of being someone’s wife, which I completely understand."

Although they didn’t spell it out clearly, Li Yifei could fully understand what the two were talking about. Before marrying him, Xu Yingying had told He Fangqing that even after marrying Li Yifei, she would allow He Fangqing to maintain a relationship with Li Yifei and even have Li Yifei take initiative to visit He Fangqing.

At first, Xu Yingying did just that, but as her love for Li Yifei deepened, she simply couldn’t bring herself to suggest such a thing anymore. Xu Yingying was someone who took promises very seriously. Since she couldn’t fulfill what she promised He Fangqing, she naturally felt considerable guilt toward her.

"Sister Fangqing, I..." Xu Yingying tightened her hold on He Fangqing’s hand, "Sister Fangqing, I’m not really that petty, you know. With him having so many temptations outside, how could I specifically come to stop you? If I were going to stop something, it should be with others."

He Fangqing laughed, "I’m not saying you’re stopping me, but that I just don’t want to be with this guy anymore."

Xu Yingying pursed her lips and suddenly leaned in close to He Fangqing’s ear, about to speak, but then turned to Li Yifei and said, "Husband, Sister Fangqing and I have some private words to share, you go ahead back first."

Li Yifei readily agreed, then walked out. He was somewhat curious about what they wanted to say, but since Xu Yingying didn’t want him to listen, he respected his wife’s wishes.

Xu Yingying then pulled He Fangqing by the hand, sitting down on the sofa, "Sister Fangqing, I’ve been thinking a lot these days and feel that to make Yifei cut off relations with others is quite difficult. On my own, I am definitively outnumbered. Even if I tried to form an alliance, they would become my biggest enemies. No matter what others say, they are my rivals, but you are my good sister. Only you can become my ally. So I hope you can help me, rather than backing out now."

He Fangqing, feeling Xu Yingying’s sincerity, spoke earnestly too, "Yingying, I am truly moved that you trust me this much, but for such a thing, I’m afraid I might not be much help. A divorced woman like me really can’t compare with those women."

Xu Yingying quickly said, "Sister Fangqing, you mustn’t sell yourself short. Haven’t you noticed the way the men in the company look at you? Your appeal definitely won’t be any less than others. Right now, what I hope for most is the time Yifei spends with other women when he’s out, it’d be best if most of it were with you, then things will be much better."

He Fangqing hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "I’ll try my best."

But in her heart, she felt a bit sorry for Xu Yingying, because her agreement with Xu Yingying was not without self-interest; it was to continue being with Li Yifei. She had been afraid of affecting her relationship with Xu Yingying, and if it wouldn’t affect their friendship, then maintaining a relationship with Li Yifei would of course be for the best.