Chapter 188: Chapter 189: Is There Something Wrong With His Health?
Upon hearing this, Thea Lynch raised an eyebrow, "You can even see that."
The young man nodded, "Because this necklace is indeed quite rare, I’ve always heard it was in Mr. Preston’s possession. Didn’t expect to see it today."
Both were straightforward people. After deciding which one, they quickly completed the transaction.
As she left the tea room, Thea received a call from Ian Preston.
"Big brother."
"Where are you?"
Listening to the noise on his end, Thea guessed he was still at the airport.
"I’m near Stratus, need to swing by the company."
"Okay. About what time will you be done?"
Thea checked the time, "It might be a bit later."
"But it won’t delay tonight’s dinner."
"Alright, call me when you’re done, I’ll pick you up."
Thea wasn’t lying; she truly needed to get back to the office once.
Stratus, R&D Department 1.
When Thea returned, it was lunchtime, and everyone was resting.
Foreman Chandler was sitting on a chair blowing away the tea leaves floating in his cup. Just as he was about to take a sip, he looked up and saw Thea.
"Oh!" Foreman Chandler quickly covered his cup and got up to greet her. "You’re back already."
Everyone knew Thea returned first, but they didn’t know her exact flight time.
Thea smiled and nodded, placing some snacks she brought on the table, "Share these, everyone."
"Thanks, Foreman Lynch!"
Those who were still drowsy perked up instantly.
Thea gestured for Foreman Chandler to chat in the office.
"How was this week?"
"Pretty good," Foreman Chandler grinned, "No hiccups, everything went smoothly."
"How about your side?"
Thea returned to her seat, "Same here."
"There were even some surprises."
"Hey, I heard about it," Foreman Chandler leaned on her desk, acting as if he was going to "settle accounts" with her. "You really helped Department 2 a lot this time. Wang is probably going to strut like he’s got a peacock’s tail."
Thea chuckled at his words, booting up her computer while replying, "Not necessarily."
"Mainly this time, the products that fit Wynne are just the robots from Department 2."
Foreman Chandler nodded in agreement, understanding the general situation. Although a bit resentful, for the bigger picture, Thea’s actions made no wrong.
"Did Wang say anything to you?"
"Say what?" Thea looked up.
"... Didn’t he thank you or something, like invite you for a meal?"
"No need, I don’t lack his meal."
Speaking of meals, Thea asked him to choose a place later, "Mr. Cheney promised, when they return, we’ll have a celebration banquet, everyone join then."
"Alright," quickly, Foreman Chandler brought the topic back, continuing to debate with her, "Whether or not you eat is one thing, but whether he invites you is another."
"I mean, you really helped him a lot this time, he can practically walk sideways at Stratus now."
"He’s not a crab."
"... I’m using an analogy! If he’s still a decent person, he should treat you to a meal. You can decline, but he shouldn’t ignore it!"
"Otherwise, he’d be really rude."
Foreman Chandler was indignant for her.
Everyone was seasoned, how could they not understand the social dynamics of the workplace? Not to mention anything else, inviting someone to a meal is the most basic and simplest thing.
If that’s not even mentioned, then it’s purely a personal issue with Thea Lynch.
"It’s fine," Thea told him to calm down.
"Maybe when he returns, he’ll mention it. The past few days have been hectic, and there wasn’t really an opportunity to interact privately. But when I was sick that day, he did stay overnight at the hospital."
Foreman Chandler pursed his lips but said nothing more.
"Thank you for your hard work recently." Thea smiled at him.
Foreman Chandler took a sip of tea and quickly replied, "Ah, it’s all the same for everyone, the real hard work is yours."
"Are you leaving soon?"
"Probably before 4 PM, I have something tonight."
"Alright, I’ll have Leo organize the data and bring it to you."
"Okay. Thanks."
"No problem."
"You go rest. I brought chocolates; go check them out quickly, or they’ll be gone soon," Thea gestured with her chin, hinting he could take a break.
Upon hearing this, Foreman Chandler hurriedly picked up his tea cup, "Alright, alright, I’m going now! Those guys probably won’t leave any for me."
Thea smiled and waved him off.
——
Despite saying before four, Thea entered the elevator at five.
Exiting the company lobby, she quickened her pace for fear of delaying the evening’s plans.
The appointment was at seven, but she still needed to change clothes and do her makeup.
After all, it was Ian Preston’s gathering, and she couldn’t just go in her current attire; it was too casual.
Even though Ian assured her it was a private gathering, no need to be nervous or prepare anything. His words were, just being there was enough.
But out of courtesy, Thea felt she should dress a bit more formally.
Thea eventually chose a black dress, knee-length, paired perfectly with a coat.
She let her curly hair down and put on light makeup, making her look non-threatening.
After getting ready, she was done earlier than expected, with half an hour to spare before the appointed time. She leisurely sent Ian a message.
Ian quickly replied, "Alright. I’ll come over to pick you up first."
Thea browsed through emojis and finally sent back an "OK."
While waiting for him, Thea used the time to call Silas Cheney, asking about the situation on their end and flight details.
"By the way, do you know what kind of gathering is this big bro is hosting today?"
Silas was a bit surprised, "Big bro didn’t tell you?"
Thea thought for a moment, "He just mentioned it was a private gathering, didn’t elaborate."
"It’s for big bro’s high school homeroom teacher; his youngest son is getting married. His youngest son was in the same class with big bro back then. So, they’re having dinner tonight since the wedding is tomorrow."
"Huh?" After hearing this, Thea was dumbfounded.
Noticing the abnormal tone, Silas raised an eyebrow, asking, "What’s wrong?"
"Isn’t it a bit inappropriate for me to go?"
Silas was indifferent, "Isn’t everyone bringing their family along? Why is it inappropriate for you?"
Thea: "..."
That’s precisely the problem!
When she went silent, Silas slowly realized. Oh, he said, "Oh, it’s just a matter of time."
"If you’re embarrassed, just think of it as doing big bro a favor. I heard that in their class, there are not many single people left, let alone someone as excellent as big bro."
"Just think of it as going to give big bro some support; he needs a bit of presence."
"People will definitely question if there’s something wrong with him if they find out he’s still single despite his conditions. You get it."
"..." She didn’t get it.
"Don’t chicken out now, Thea, or I’ll look down on you."
"It’s not that serious." Thea rolled her eyes silently, "It’s something I agreed to, can’t run away now."
"Just didn’t expect it to be this kind of gathering."
She was just a bit surprised.
