I Want a Lifetime with You novel Chapter 153

Frankly speaking, Shi Nuan had just entered the company, so Lin Yu had not assigned much work to her. Hence, Shi Nuan was entirely unsure as to what she ought to do, and merely asked Yuan Jia for some old project cases to look over and to get a better understanding of Director Lin’s character.

Just as she was doing her research, the man of the hour arrived out of nowhere. Shi Nuan closed the file she was reading and followed Lin Yu into the office.

This was already her second time in Lin Yu’s office. The office was still as it was the previous time she was here; it appeared as though nothing had changed. Speaking of changes, however, there was one thing that stood out. Where there had been stacks of files and documents on Lin Yu’s desk last time, it was completely empty at the moment.

Lin Yu seemed to be sizing Shi Nuan up as he turned to look at her, before gesturing for Shi Nuan to take a seat. “Ms. Shi, there is no need to be nervous. Since you have already passed the test, we gladly welcome you to the project department. From this day on, let us work hard together, to seek greater heights!”

“Yeah,” Shi Nuan nodded, then laughed a little. “Director Lin, you don’t have to be so courteous. Please, just call me Shi Nuan.”

Lin Yu stared at Shi Nuan, seemingly shocked by her words. Although this was not the first time the two of them have met, he still did not really understand Shi Nuan’s personality. Besides, he didn’t even know that Shi Nuan was Fu Chengyan’s wife the first time they had met. He realized this now, but Shi Nuan seemed to be incredibly calm both times they’ve met, without a shred of anxiety.

According to Lin Yu’s experience, those that were on the same level as Shi Nuan were all married to men like Fu Chengyan, and they tend to have the aura of a noble lady, but Shi Nuan appeared down-to-earth. She didn’t seem to be using her status to her advantage, and that made Lin Yu admire her a little more.

Since Shi Nuan did not expose her status, and the higher ups wanted to keep this under wraps, Lin Yu decided to act as though he did not know anything as well. “Alright, Shi Nuan!” Lin Yu smiled. “Were you looking at the documents regarding some of our older projects?”

“Yes, I was.”

“Tell me your thoughts!” Lin Yu gazed at Shi Nuan calmly. “Please, speak your mind.”

“Huh?” Shi Nuan was taken aback for a moment. She didn’t expect Lin Yu to ask such a difficult question from the very beginning. “These projects are all complete already, and I feel that the later stages of the projects were very well done. Quite a few of the malls under Shengyuan were built according to these guidelines, so there aren’t many problems at all. I’m sorry, but I’m afraid that’s all I have to say. Although I was previously in a project department as well, I didn’t have much exposure, and have a lot more to learn.”

Shi Nuan was very humble, but at the same time, her words were truthful. Before this, she had only worked at Fucheng. It was a small company, so there was little chance to showcase one’s abilities. As such, the knowledge that Shi Nuan was exposed to was very limited.

Lin Yu nodded in agreement. “Actually, just looking at these files is not going to be of much help to you. I personally do not enjoy idle theorizing and prefer to see it in action!” Lin Yu stood up, took the suit jacket that was on the chair and pulled it on, before reaching out and knocking on the table. “Since you have just entered the company, I’m sure that you don’t have much work on hand at the moment.”

“Yes!” Shi Nuan was about to bring this up, but she did not expect Lin Yu to beat her to the punch. In addition, from the looks of things… “Director Lin, are you heading out now?”

“That’s right,” Lin Yu nodded. He pulled out a folder from the drawer, then placed a portion of the documentation inside it again. “Since you don’t have much to do, follow me!”

“Now?” Shi Nuan froze in shock for a moment, but quickly regained her senses. “Alright, I’ll go get ready right now to follow you out!”

Lin Yu looked at how quickly Shi Nuan moved. The way she carried herself differed from the pompous aura that rich folk tend to have, earning Shi Nuan more brownie points from Lin Yu. As he closed the door behind him, Shi Nuan was standing outside, prepared and ready to go.

Coincidentally, Yuan Jia was heading in the same direction as well. “Director Lin, are you heading out now? Are you going to the Western District?”

“Yes.” Lin Yu took the documents from Yuan Jia and took a quick look at them. “Redo this. Oh, that’s right, you don’t have to follow me out today. Shi Nuan is coming with me. I want you to redo these documents right now, and I want to see all the data completed before I return!”

He then returned the documents to Yuan Jia. “Do you understand?”

Yuan Jia quickly collected herself then glanced at Shi Nuan with a strange look in her eyes. Shi Nuan looked up at Yuan Jia as well, and gave her a friendly smile.

Lin Yu, however, did not care much for their exchange. When he realized that Shi Nuan was not behind him, he turned his head and said with displeasure in his voice, “Ms. Shi, please pay attention. You have just entered the company. Do you want to leave a bad impression on your boss?”

“I’ll be there right now!” Shi Nuan hurried to catch up with him. “However, Director Lin, I’m still new to the company, and this job as well. By bringing me out for a job like this… Are you not afraid that people might gossip?” Shi Nuan did not think much of this at first, but remembering the look that Yuan Jia just gave her… It was clear the way their perception of her had changed.

Lin Yu stopped for a moment when he heard that. He reached out to press the button to call for the lift, then turned to look at Shi Nuan. “Don’t forget that you’re here at Shengyuan to work. This is for yourself, for the company, and not about the way your colleagues look at you!” Lin Yu had always been meticulous when it came to work. To him, work was work, and personal matters should be settled outside of working hours. He was not responsible for the dissatisfaction between his staff and subordinates due to the unfair distribution of work. If that were the case, he would never have enough time to finish what was truly important.

Shi Nuan pursed her lips, then muttered, “I understand.” What Lin Yu said was the truth, there was no way for her to refute that. Yet, she had just entered the company and somehow managed to make enemies already. It just didn’t seem to bode well for her.

Realizing that Shi Nuan had accepted his reasoning, Lin Yu didn’t elaborate on the matter.

Lin Yu’s car was parked at basement one of the parking lot. Only when the two have boarded the car, did Lin Yu speak. “We’re heading to the Western District. That area is a little remote, so if you don’t think you can handle that, you can still get out of the car now!”

“Is this about the development of the Western District?” Shi Nuan’s eyes lit up. “Why would I not be able to handle that!”

This project was something that she had already read about when she was in Fu Chengyan’s study the previous night. Shi Nuan had thought that it was still in the midst of preparation, but was it actually about to begin already?

Lin Yu nodded as he saw the excited look in Shi Nuan’s eyes. “Indeed, it is the development of the Western District. However, it is currently still under inspection.”

“Does this mean that we are heading over for an inspection now? Shi Nuan asked as she pulled out her phone to start searching up the location of the Western District, along with some information on the surrounding areas. “There is a mental hospital over here? And a drug rehabilitation center as well?”

Surprised flashed through Lin Yu’s eyes. He did not expect Shi Nuan to pinpoint the problem from just a glance.

Shi Nuan frowned a little as she spoke, “The mental hospital was previously situated within the downtown area, but it created quite a commotion as there were several accidents related to it. Hence, it was decided that the hospital would be moved to a less populated and more remote area. If this project were to start, this is the first issue that we ought to consider. Furthermore, there is a drug rehabilitation center right next to it, which will leave an impression as well.”

She continued to look up information on the surrounding environment. “There is a river here, and an abandoned factory as well. The river was polluted a long time ago, which is why the factory was forced to stop operating.” Taking note of all these details, one by one, Shi Nuan started to feel a little apprehensive. “This particular project seems rather challenging. We have to first resolve all these problems, but also ensure that our construction will not cause environmental problems in this area.”

“You’re pretty sharp,” Lin Yu looked at Shi Nuan with admiration and newfound respect. He couldn’t help but feel guilty for the prejudices he had towards her before this.

It seemed as though some situations require deeper observation, rather than merely judging from their cover, or, in this case, their resume. It seemed like Shi Nuan did have her own special talents as well. After all, she had been able to catch the eye of Fu Chengyan. Knowing how Fu Chengyan was like as a person, he would never take a second glance at a useless woman.

“These are certainly issues that we have to take into account in order to build and expand this area. Many things have to be taken into consideration, which is why we are here to take a closer look today!”

Lin Yu’s car got off the expressway and started heading towards the Western District. The two stopped by a gas station on their way to West City to refuel. In the meantime, Shi Nuan took the opportunity to leave the car and take a short walk in the vicinity to check the area out. She returned from the walk to see Lin Yu leaning against the side of the car, an unlit cigarette in hand.

When he noticed Shi Nuan, Lin Yu put the cigarette back into his pocket, then asked, “What did you see?”

“The staff at the gas station mentioned that there are usually not many people in this area. Cars that visit this place are usually just taking a pit stop or leaving the drug rehabilitation center. If we were to develop this place, we must take into consideration the market, and decide if it’s more economically beneficial to build a shopping mall or a medical facility, or perhaps something else. We have to think this through.”

Lin Yu quirked his lips up into a smile, “Get back into the car, we’ll continue the conversation there!”

The two talked about many things along the way. Their ideas and thought processes were very similar. Lin Yu quickly realized that Shi Nuan was a very intelligent lady, and only needed a little hint to understand what he meant.

When they arrived at their destination, Lin Yu parked the car by a large tree. “We’re here!” He called out, then paused for a moment before continuing. “The roads here are a little uneven and hard to navigate. Next time, you’ll need to make better preparations.”

Shi Nuan looked down at the heels she had on and chuckled a little helplessly. “Got it.” She hadn’t expected herself to end up on a road trip with Lin Yu on her very first day, let alone such a remote place. Although the heels that she was wearing weren’t particularly high, traversing the gravelly road proved to be rather problematic.

Lin Yu seemed to be able to tell that Shi Nuan was troubled. “You must understand that we face many unexpected situations every single day. You won’t always be given the chance to prepare yourself for it. All we can do is to challenge ourselves and take every possibility into account.” He paused, then continued, “After all, opportunity only presents itself to those who are prepared.”

“Indeed, it’s as you say, Director Lin,” Shi Nuan nodded firmly. Lin Yu was a practical person with a set of firm principles, which he applied to everything he did.

Lin Yu chuckled, “You don’t have to be so serious about it. Since you’re working under me now, just call me Lin Yu!”

“How could I ever!” Shi Nuan shook her head without missing a beat. Lin Yu was still her superior at work, and didn’t want him to make an exception for her, even if she were Fu Chengyan’s wife. In fact, that was exactly what she feared, which was why she didn’t allow Fu Chengyan himself to give her any special treatment. “How about this. I won’t call you Director Lin, I’ll call you Master instead!” After all, Lin Yu had been teaching her all this time. Within a short period of time, Shi Nuan felt as though she had learnt a lot already.

Lin Yu paused for a moment, then replied, “That works!”

“Master!”