Chapter 14: Is Assistant Bai a Champion?

He opened the door. Zhao Xiangjun heard the sound and turned around, her face weary as she glanced at him before turning back and opening her own room’s door.

Chen Xiao said, “It really was all a misunderstanding!”

Zhao Xiangjun, a bit exasperated, replied, “Can we just not talk about this anymore? I already told you, once you get your commission, pay me back. Are you even a man or just wishy-washy?”

Chen Xiao said, “Alright, I was planning to pay you back, but my phone broke…”

Zhao Xiangjun looked at him in horror. “Don’t take advantage of me! I don’t have money to sponsor your phone again!”

She hurried inside and slammed the door shut.

What was that supposed to mean? Who asked you to sponsor a phone? I just wanted to explain that I intended to pay you back tonight… Chen Xiao felt utterly powerless to explain.

Since he couldn’t explain, he decided to just give up. Chen Xiao resigned himself to fate.

Monday meant work. Chen Xiao woke early and noticed the door opposite was open. He didn’t see Zhao Xiangjun but spotted two children—one about seven or eight years old, the other still in a baby walker. Chen Xiao was in a hurry and didn’t pay much attention.

Downstairs for breakfast, the shop was quite busy. When Chen Xiao sat down, there was only one seat left. Just as he began to eat, he noticed the diners all turning to look outside. Zhao Xiangjun came in briskly, ordered some food, then asked the owner to pack two portions to take away.

She looked around the shop and noticed a group of men eyeing her as if they wanted to devour her. Expressionless, she suddenly spotted Chen Xiao and quickly walked over to sit opposite him.

“Good morning. You’re eating so little?” Chen Xiao observed she had only ordered a bowl of porridge and two shumai.

Zhao Xiangjun rolled her eyes and lowered her head to eat.

Chen Xiao, finding no joy in the conversation, fell silent. She ate sparingly, and once the owner finished packing her order, she hurriedly ate a few bites and was done.

“Focus on work and earn that commission early. If I find out you’re slacking, I’ll demand my money back at any time!”

Chen Xiao said, “I can pay you back right now…” He had bought a new phone yesterday, so transferring money wouldn’t be a problem.

Zhao Xiangjun rolled her eyes again. “Stop right there! You have money now—you’re a big spender!”

She stood up and hurried off. Soon, Chen Xiao received a notification:

“Ding~! Detected target Zhao Xiangjun spontaneously spent 15 yuan for the host, rewarding the host with a special dedication blessing fund of 1,440 yuan! Current fund balance: 222,240 yuan!”

Only then did Chen Xiao realize she had paid the bill for both of them. Somehow, he felt justified about Zhao Xiangjun picking up the tab, even comforting himself by thinking she was saving money for him.

Wang Jing still hadn’t returned to Dr. Feng’s Robotics Technology Company. He couldn’t accept the 4,000 yuan base salary, and everyone has their own aspirations. Chen Xiao didn’t press him further.

Today, there was a meeting with Bai Lu. Feng Feifei led the team here, with Yuan Kai and Chen Xiao participating in a thorough discussion with the design institute’s team about various drone applications in intelligent inspection, understanding customer needs, and clarifying industry pain points to provide precise directions for research and development.

The three of them rode the company van to Jiangzhou Traffic Design Institute. Upon getting out, Chen Xiao received a system prompt:

“Ding~! Mission released: Dr. Feng Robotics and Jiangzhou Traffic Design Institute Scientific Research Project Initiation.”

“Mission reward: Random gift package based on completion percentage; 2 million yuan equals 100% completion.”

Hmm, the system must think he’s slacking off. But it seemed Chen Xiao wasn’t the key figure in completing this task—Feng Feifei, as CEO and CTO, was in full control.

When Feng Feifei and Chen Xiao’s group entered the appointed meeting, Bai Lu and the design institute’s technical staff had already arrived.

Heroes appreciate heroes, and beauties appreciate beauties. Feng Feifei greeted Bai Lu warmly, while Yuan Kai, having spoken with Bai Lu by phone before, was meeting her for the first time and greeted her with a hint of flattery.

A 5-million-yuan order had elevated Yuan Kai’s regard for Bai Lu immensely. Though just a general manager’s assistant, she wielded real power and could assign projects.

Chen Xiao, being familiar with Bai Lu, gave a simple greeting. Feng Feifei’s group sat opposite them. While the staff connected the projector, Yuan Kai tried to cozy up to Bai Lu with a smile, saying, “Assistant Bai, are you at ‘King’ level now?”

Bai Lu looked puzzled, not understanding.

“Manager Yuan is joking. Our general manager is the real king. I’m just an assistant.”

Probably only Chen Xiao understood the question’s implication. Bai Lu’s answer deepened Yuan Kai’s misunderstanding; he imagined the general manager playing LOL, and Bai Lu was just cooperating.

“I’ve been practicing my skills at home recently. Hopefully, I’ll have a chance to collaborate with Assistant Bai!”

Bai Lu, clueless about his meaning, responded with a perfunctory “Mm-hmm” while thinking the business manager from Dr. Feng Robotics was a bit odd.

Yuan Kai, thinking Bai Lu had agreed, smugly looked at Chen Xiao, implying, “See? Poaching your client is that easy!”

Idiot! Chen Xiao lowered his head, afraid he’d laugh out loud.

The projector was set up. Feng Feifei took the stage to present the project’s prospects, technical points, and various parameters. Since their company’s pre-sales team hadn’t arrived, the CEO herself was doing the roadshow—an act of respect for this major client and a hope for a perfect outcome.

Feng Feifei’s presentation was excellent—clear logic, focused points, well-analyzed market prospects, detailed technical parameters, and a lucid explanation of the technical route.

She answered questions from the design institute’s technical staff thoroughly, winning over everyone present.

Finally, Bai Lu spoke up: “I’m very optimistic about this project’s prospects. After our discussions, General Manager Feng made some adjustments to certain technical directions. Once the product is developed, it can completely replace some outdated equipment and command influence in the industry, securing the most profitable segment!”

With those words, Feng Feifei knew the deal was sealed and smiled as she listened.

“So, General Manager Feng, you can arrange for someone to draft a project initiation document based on our scientific research initiation template. We’ll proceed with internal approval and finalize within two weeks.”

Such scientific research initiation is a topic-based project—meaning the design institute funds it while Dr. Feng Robotics undertakes the R&D. This aligns perfectly with Dr. Feng Robotics’ development direction, effectively saving the company some research expenses.

“Assistant Bai, shall we confirm the project initiation amount?”

“Hmm, 2 million yuan. I discussed it with Chen Xiao last week. General Manager Feng, is that okay?”

Two million was considerable, and Feng Feifei was very satisfied. Even a million would have been a pleasant surprise. Before she could respond, Chen Xiao interjected, “Assistant Bai, after our last discussion, we reviewed it and feel that 2 million yuan is a bit tight. Would it be possible to increase it to 3 million?”