Reborn in 2005, starting with repairing mobile phones

The pen tip touched the paper with a slight hesitation.

He signed his name—John Anderson.

The handwriting was more illegible than usual.

Lin Dong took the document, glanced at the signature, and handed it to Chen Wei'an next to him.

Chen Wei'an carefully checked the information, then nodded to Lin Dong.

"Alright, Mr. Anderson."

Lin Dong extended his hand, this time with a genuine smile on his face, "From now on, your troubles are my troubles."

Anderson grasped his hand, and he let out a long breath, as if exhaling all the anxiety of the past few days, his shoulders slumping down.

"Lin, to be honest, these past few days have felt like I'm sitting on a powder keg."

He shook his head, a hint of life finally appearing on his face. "Now it's all right. You're the expert, you handle it. I believe you can give me a good result."

He accepted it very quickly.

Typical businessman thinking: Since we've chosen to cooperate, we should completely trust each other, at least on the surface.

There's no point in getting caught up in it or being conflicted.

You'll see.

Lin Dong released his grip, his tone resolute, "This collaboration is just the beginning, Anderson. You'll find that choosing me as your partner was the best decision you made today."

These words sounded confident, even arrogant, but coming from Lin Dong, who had just taken over all the pressure from him, they strangely reassured Anderson.

Only capable people dare to say such things.

"ha!"

Anderson chuckled, this time more naturally. "I'll remember that, Lin. Once you've got this shipment sorted, I'll treat you to the finest whiskey! For now... I won't bother you anymore; you know how to find me."

He picked up his coat, nodded to Lin Dong and Chen Wei'an, and left the room with light steps.

He was a completely different person from the anxious middle-aged man who had arrived.

The door closed.

Chen Wei'an carefully put the signed authorization document into the folder, and the tension that had been building up inside her finally eased.

From the time I landed in San Francisco until now, it's been less than seven days.

In the past, the business cases she handled had clear processes and a controllable pace; at most, there were heated debates at the negotiating table.

But the few days I spent with Lin Dong were a completely different story.

There were no lengthy meeting minutes, and no layers of reporting.

Lin Dong's instructions are often concise and direct, sometimes even seeming abrupt.

She was like a soldier pushed onto the battlefield; wherever the commander pointed, she had to fire immediately, and she had to fire accurately and ruthlessly.

Finding Dr. Hansen's team, obtaining that crucial report in a very short time, passing messages through various covert channels, precisely grasping the timing and rhetoric... every step was like walking a tightrope; there was no room for error or slowness.

She was forced to mobilize all the resources, connections, and adaptability she had never needed to do in her previous work.

You must remain constantly on edge.

Damn it… she muttered to herself, but the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up in a smile.

This adrenaline rush, this feeling of charging forward with a commander who always knows where to step next... it's so exhilarating.

It was a hundred times more exciting than her previous routine, glamorous but boring jobs.

Of course, the pressure is also a hundred times greater.

As she was thinking, Lin Dong, who was by the window, turned around with an obvious relaxed smile on his face.

Clearly, taking down Anderson, the most crucial step, put him in a very good mood.

"Mr. Lin,"

Chen Wei'an couldn't help but speak, her voice filled with sincere admiration and a hint of relief from the pressure she had just been under, "You're really amazing. You turned the situation around in such a short time."

Lin Dong walked to the sofa and sat down, smiling: "It's mainly because the report arrived on time, and also because of your cooperation and execution these past few days. If any link were missing, it wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

It was affirmed.

Chen Wei'an felt a sweet warmth in her heart, but looking at his relaxed brows and eyes, and his profile that appeared exceptionally clear and handsome under the halo of success, a somewhat inappropriate thought suddenly popped into her head:

So young, so capable, and with such a...exciting style...I wonder if he has a girlfriend?

The thought, once it appeared, circled through her American-educated, relatively straightforward mind, and then, almost without thinking, it slipped out of her mouth:

"Mr. Lin," she blinked, her tone slightly casual, "you're so outstanding, you must have a girlfriend, right?"

Lin Dong's smile visibly froze for a moment, then he revealed a rare expression.

He clearly hadn't expected Chen Wei'an to ask this question at this time and in this setting.

"Ahem," he coughed lightly, looked away, picked up the now-cold water on the table and took a sip, "This... let's not talk about this. Let's not talk about this."

After saying that, Lin Dong himself felt that something was off.

Your beautiful assistant just helped you close such a big deal, and the atmosphere is just right, so it's perfectly normal for her to casually ask you a personal question.

Why am I reacting like I've been stepped on?

That's not right.

Lin Dong muttered to himself.

I wasn't a monk in my past life, so why am I reborn as someone with asexuality?

Chen Wei'an is indeed beautiful and capable, and the way her eyes crinkled when she smiled just now was really quite pretty.

Logically speaking, a normal man wouldn't resist a beautiful woman of this caliber taking the initiative to make advances; at the very least, he would feel a little secretly pleased, right?

Why is it that when it comes to me, my first reaction is to hide?

Did the rebirth process break some of the functions?

That shouldn't be the case.

He secretly glanced at Chen Wei'an, who had already stopped smiling and was waiting for him to assign her tasks, her expression impeccably professional.

Forget it.

Lin Dong shook his head, trying to put this inexplicable awkwardness behind him.

There's no time to think about these things now; the dinner party tomorrow night is the real business.

Seeing his slightly embarrassed expression, Chen Wei'an found it amusing, but knowing her limits, she smiled and resumed her professional demeanor: "Okay, Mr. Lin. So, what should we do next?"

Lin Dong quickly returned to work, tapping his fingers lightly on his knee: "Contact Wu Ming and the people at Gulf Capital. Invite them to dinner tomorrow night on Anderson's behalf."

Choose a neutral, private location. Tell them it's time to sit down and discuss a solution that benefits everyone.

"Tomorrow night?" Chen Wei'an asked, somewhat surprised. "So soon? Don't we need to prepare further, or perhaps...?"

"A long night can lead to many unforeseen events."

Lin Dong interrupted her, his gaze sharpening and becoming calm again. "Anderson's authorization is in our hands, and all three parties know that now. This is the best time to strike while the iron is hot and lay our cards on the table. If we drag this out, any party could introduce new variables."

He paused, the relaxed smile on his lips completely vanished, leaving only focus.

"Tell Wu Ming that he can get most of what he wants, and that the process will be cleaner than he imagines."

Tell Gulf Capital that their most important concerns, the "special part" and the security of the settlement, can be guaranteed.

As for the Rossi family... I'll pass on a message through old Jackson: their 'service fee' will be clearly stated after dinner."

Chen Wei'an quickly jotted down the key points, and the slight sense of relief she felt from successfully winning over the cargo owner vanished instantly.

She knew the boss was right.

The real game is only just beginning.

Tomorrow's dinner will be the crucial battleground that determines the final destination of this shipment and how much profit they can gain from it.

"I'll arrange it right away." She put away the folder and stood up.