The President's Sweetheart Secretary - Chapter 26 - The Mysterious Man

Lin Haimian put down her phone in frustration and flopped back onto the bed, only then realizing how soft it was. It dawned on her that this room must be expensive.

“Oh no, I forgot to ask who brought me here,” Lin Haimian muttered as she reluctantly got out of bed.

However, the consequence of not removing her makeup the previous night was a slight allergic reaction on her face. It wasn’t severe, but it would take three or four days to clear up.

Due to the allergy, Lin Haimian stayed indoors for two whole days, living off the contents of her fridge. Yi Huahuan seemed busy and didn’t have time to check in on her.

In a brief phone call, Yi Huahuan hurriedly advised her to be careful and not give anyone any leverage against her.

Lin Haimian was puzzled and wanted to ask more, but Yi Huahuan hung up before she could, leaving her no choice but to be more cautious in the future.

Monday came quickly. Lin Haimian looked at her reflection in the mirror, her face still dotted with redness. She dared not apply makeup, so she let her hair down to cover it as much as possible.

She made her way to the office, trying to remain inconspicuous, and finally breathed a sigh of relief once she arrived. With no one around, she happily tidied up the office and began organizing the president’s schedule for the day.

Before Liang Tongheng entered, he caught sight of Lin Haimian focused on her computer. When she heard him, she turned around, immediately standing up and greeting him with a smile, “Good morning, President. I’ll have the schedule ready in ten minutes.”

Liang Tongheng noticed the unusual marks on her face. “Morning. What happened to your face?”

Lin Haimian chuckled awkwardly. “I slept with my makeup on and had a bit of an allergic reaction.”

Remembering something, she asked, “By the way, President, I didn’t do anything out of line last Friday, did I? And do you know who took me to the hotel?”

Liang Tongheng, learning for the first time that women could have allergic reactions from not removing makeup, lowered his gaze slightly and walked into his office. “No, you didn’t. And no, I don’t know.”

Lin Haimian was momentarily confused by his response, her face still blank. “Huh? What do you mean by ‘no’ and ‘don’t know’? I don’t get it.”

It wasn’t until she finished the schedule and took a couple of appointment calls that she finally understood. The president meant she hadn’t done anything inappropriate on Friday night and he didn’t know who took her to the hotel.

With the mystery solved, Lin Haimian cheerfully knocked on the president’s office door. “President, the schedule is ready. I also received a call from the secretary of He Group’s president and an invitation to Chairman Wang’s daughter’s 20th birthday party. The invitation will arrive in two days.”

To Liang Tongheng, Lin Haimian’s bright smile seemed overly dazzling, as if she was relieved that he wasn’t the one who took her to the hotel. “Got it. You can go.”

Lin Haimian was taken aback. Why did he seem unhappy? “Alright, would you like a cup of coffee?”

“No need.” Liang Tongheng declined without looking up from the schedule.

Feeling a bit deflated, Lin Haimian returned to her desk. The phone rang, and she switched to work mode in an instant. “Hello, this is… Oh, President He, hello. How can I assist you?”

Her smile was a bit awkward. The president of He Group sounded quite young, she thought with a slight scoff.

Her sweet and polite voice didn’t leave much of an impression on the other end. “Please connect me to President Liang. I have urgent matters to discuss.”

“Of course, please hold.” Lin Haimian quickly transferred the call to Liang Tongheng.

Li Yi leaned over his desk, curious. “Hey, what happened to your face? Is it an allergy?”

Lin Haimian was grateful for her face, which saved her from further questioning. “Yeah, it’s an allergy. I slept with my makeup on, and this is the result. But it’s much better now.”

Li Yi frowned. “This is better? Didn’t you get any medicine?”

Lin Haimian shook her head. “It’s not serious enough for medication. Assistant Li, are you this free in the morning?”

Li Yi immediately relaxed. “The president is on a call.”

Lin Haimian “…”

In the afternoon, a tube of anti-allergy cream appeared on Lin Haimian’s desk. She assumed it was from Assistant Li.

Li Yi emerged with a stack of files, struggling to close the door, when Lin Haimian called him over, waving the cream. “Assistant Li, thanks for the cream. I think it’ll clear up by tomorrow.”

Li Yi blinked, recognizing the cream. It looked familiar, like something he had bought. “Oh, you’re welcome. I checked with a doctor; it’s safe for your face. Use it often for quicker results.”

Lin Haimian smiled gratefully and thanked Li Yi again.

As Li Yi turned away, his expression was one of shock. He should have realized sooner!

Neither of them noticed Liang Tongheng standing at the door, listening to their conversation. He quietly closed the door, waiting for them to leave before reopening it.

“I’m leaving early. Call me if anything comes up.” Liang Tongheng’s tone was cold, not even glancing at Lin Haimian.

Lin Haimian felt a chill, quickly nodding. “Understood. I’ll have the report ready this afternoon and leave it on your desk for review tomorrow.”

Without a word, Liang Tongheng walked away, not even acknowledging her.

Lin Haimian was puzzled. She had been well-behaved all afternoon and hadn’t caused any trouble.

Feeling uneasy, Lin Haimian placed her report on Liang Tongheng’s desk, turned off the lights, locked the door, and left.

However, the next morning, Liang Tongheng gave her a thorough scolding, criticizing her report as worthless. Lin Haimian was stunned.

After the reprimand, seeing her still standing there, he shot her a sharp look. “Any questions?”

“No questions. I’ll revise it immediately. Also, Chairman Wang’s daughter’s birthday party is this Friday evening. Chairman Wang invites you to attend.” Lin Haimian shook her head, delivering the message before turning to leave and revise her report.

“Choose a gift before Friday. I’ll attend,” Liang Tongheng’s voice came from behind her.

Unfortunately, Lin Haimian was deep in self-reflection, so her response was delayed. She turned back, confused. “Huh? Oh, I understand.”

Liang Tongheng “…”

Lin Haimian, on the verge of tears, revised her report outside the door, even pulling out some recent ones Secretary Li had done for reference. She didn’t think it was as bad as the president said.

Oh, how should she fix this?

Inside, Liang Tongheng, though looking at the documents in front of him, was distracted, his fingers tapping the desk unconsciously. Finally, he pressed the internal line, “Come in.”

Lin Haimian’s face paled, fearing another scolding. Her legs felt weak as she supported herself against the desk and wall, making her way to the door and knocking.

“President, what are your instructions?” Lin Haimian asked weakly.

Liang Tongheng, in a rare act of mercy, decided to let her off the hook. “Did you understand the points I mentioned about your report?”

Lin Haimian nodded. “Yes, I understood. Focus on the key points, avoid exaggeration and unnecessary words, and keep the language concise and clear.”

“Good. I’ll let it slide this time, but there won’t be a next time. Bring the report here.” Liang Tongheng softened his expression, finally letting her off.

Lin Haimian was so relieved she almost wanted to wipe her nose on the president’s sleeve. Thank goodness, she felt alive again. “Understood, I’ll be more careful next time.”

With a grateful heart, Lin Haimian happily completed her tasks. As soon as it was time to leave, she called Yi Huahuan, “Huahuan, are you free after work? Want to join me in buying a gift?”

Yi Huahuan glanced at the pile of files in front of her, rubbing her brow. “Probably not. I have to work late tonight, still lots to do.”

She looked around, lowered her voice, and stepped outside. “Hold on, I’m stepping out. Okay, I’m here. Who’s the gift for? It can’t be for me.”

Lin Haimian grinned. “Your birthday hasn’t come yet. I remember. I’ll get it later. This time, it’s for the president to attend a chairman’s daughter’s birthday party. I wanted to invite you to shop with me.”

Yi Huahuan pouted. “Just pick something dreamy for a young girl. I have to get back to work. Don’t forget my birthday gift.”

“Got it. Take care of yourself. Bye.” Lin Haimian hung up, feeling melancholic. Since leaving the logistics department, they hardly saw each other, let alone went shopping.

Lin Haimian headed to the city’s largest mall, directly to the fourth floor, where the most expensive jewelry store was located. A clerk approached her, but before they could speak, Lin Haimian cut in, “I want a necklace with a violin pendant.”

The clerk, probably not used to such straightforward customers, was momentarily stunned. “We have that. Please follow me.”

Looking at the carefully selected violin pendant adorned with a small red gemstone, Lin Haimian’s eyes curved with a smile. “The little girl has grown up so much. I hope you like this gift.”

“I’ll take this one. Please wrap it nicely; it’s a gift.” Lin Haimian cheerfully handed over her card to the clerk.

Unexpectedly, an awkward situation arose. The balance on Lin Haimian’s card was less than half the price of the necklace. Blushing, she called Liang Tongheng.

“What is it?” Liang Tongheng’s voice was cold.

Embarrassed, Lin Haimian lowered her head. At least she wasn’t in front of him, so it was okay to look down. “I bought the gift, but, um, my card doesn’t have enough balance.”

Liang Tongheng’s eyebrow twitched, his voice carrying a hint of emotion. “Did you bring your brain?”

“Sorry,” Lin Haimian’s voice was muffled. She had just forgotten for a moment!

Liang Tongheng was speechless. “Send me your account number.”

Lin Haimian awkwardly complied, double-checking the account number three times to ensure it was correct before sending it.

In less than ten minutes, the money was transferred. Lin Haimian stared at the string of zeros, her eyes wide. Oh my, what was with this amount?

After the initial shock, she realized she had forgotten to tell the president how much to transfer. Sighing, she decided to pay first. “Sorry for the trouble.”

Carrying the gift, Lin Haimian felt utterly defeated. “Sigh, I should just go home and sleep.”

When she handed the gift to Liang Tongheng, her head was almost too heavy to lift. “President, here’s the gift. I’m sorry for the trouble, and also, you transferred too much money.”

“Leave it here. There will be more occasions in the future. You can go now.” Liang Tongheng’s face was expressionless, revealing nothing.

Lin Haimian floated out, deciding it was best to avoid the president for the rest of the day.