Chapter 49 I don't like being bitten.

Lunch was eaten near the apartment. Song's Beijing branch was not far away, and Song Zhixu came from the company.

He came specifically to have dinner with Tang Ran.

We ate Huaiyang cuisine, which has a light and fresh flavor.

Tang Ran showed off a large crab meat lion's head, three soup dumplings, a bowl of tofu soup, and half a plate of Yangzhou fried rice in one go.

I'm overflowing with happiness.

Song Zhixu didn't eat much. After putting down his chopsticks, he kept adding food and water to Tang Ran's plate. He also answered two office calls and handled an urgent document.

Seeing that Song Zhixu was so busy yet still came to have dinner with her, Tang Ran felt a little smug.

After eating a cherry tomato that Song Zhixu had scooped for her, Tang Ran blinked her big, bright eyes and asked, "Are you going to take me to the airport later?"

Song Zhixu looked up from the documents on his phone, smiled, and explained gently, "I have a meeting at the company this afternoon, I can't leave."

"Oh~"

Tang Ran deliberately dragged out the last syllable, her tone of disappointment sounding strange.

Song Zhixu smiled, closed her phone, and asked her in return, "Want me to take you?"

"No, just asking casually." Tang Ran put down her chopsticks, adopting an understanding demeanor. "You go about your business."

Song Zhixu glanced at the soup bowl beside her. "Don't you like white fungus soup?"

"I don't like sticky things."

Tang Ran doesn't like to eat things like white fungus and okra, which have a slimy texture.

"Is there anything else you don't like?" Song Zhixu asked again.

"Scallions, ginger, garlic, celery, cilantro, okra..."

Tang Ran put down her chopsticks and started counting on her fingers, listing more than a dozen different kinds.

She was a little embarrassed by her own words, and stuck out her tongue, asking, "Am I too picky about food?"

Song Zhixu smiled and shook her head, "It's alright, it's mainly because you don't like strong flavors and sticky textures, right?"

Yes, yes.

Tang Ran nodded vigorously twice; Song Zhixu's summary was spot on.

"And what about you? Do you have any dietary restrictions?"

Tang Ran had asked this question before, but they weren't very familiar with each other then, and Song Zhixu's answer wasn't necessarily serious.

"No."

Song Zhixu's answer was exactly the same as last time.

"Is there anything you don't like?" Tang Ran asked, even more curious.

Song Zhixu glanced sideways and thought carefully, "I don't like things that are too dirty or messy."

Tang Ran noticed this; every time she saw Song Zhixu, he was always impeccably dressed, even his pajamas were perfectly wrinkle-free.

Needless to say, the house is cleaned by dedicated staff.

Song Zhixu's gaze fell on Tang Ran's face, her tone slightly raised, "She doesn't like being bitten either."

It hurts a lot, and it hasn't gotten better for several days.

"Huh?" Tang Ran didn't understand and asked in confusion, "You were bitten by a puppy?"

Song Zhixu smiled and said, "It's not a puppy."

"A kitten?" Tang Ran's curiosity was piqued, and she continued to guess.

Song Zhixu gently shook her head, "Cuterier than a kitten."

"Cuter than a kitten?" Tang Ran's imagination ran wild. "A little lion? Or a little tiger?"

Since Song Zhixu was still sitting perfectly fine opposite her, Tang Ran didn't let her imagination run wild and didn't guess that it was an adult feline.

Song Zhixu smiled and shook his head again.

"A little leopard?"

Song Zhixu thought for a moment, then nodded with a smile, "It's somewhat similar."

She is equally quick-witted, intelligent, and energetic; proud and beautiful; vigilant; easily angered; and sometimes adorably naive.

"Snow leopard?" Tang Ran guessed, following her words.

"It looks even more like her now." Song Zhixu's smiling gaze fell on Tang Ran's face.

Very white.

Tang Ran narrowed her eyes, looking at her suspiciously, "Are you kidding me?"

There is no creature that looks exactly like a snow leopard but isn't one.

"I'm not kidding, it's true."

Tang Ran didn't believe it. She sat down next to Song Zhixu, grabbed her hand, and examined it carefully.

"Then show me where the wound is."

Song Zhixu's hands were both fair and clean, without a single scar.

"It's not in my hand." Song Zhixu grasped her hand in return, his tone indulgent. "It's not convenient now, but I'll show it to you when I have the chance."

"Why can't I watch?" A thought flashed through Tang Ran's mind.

Her gaze shifted downwards, a smug look in her eyes. "Did it bite your butt?"

"no."

Song Zhixu bent his fingers and tapped her forehead.

"What can't I see?" Tang Ran rubbed her forehead, looking at her suspiciously. "Are you lying to me?"

She went completely astray on the idea that Song Zhixu had been bitten by an animal, without ever considering her private parts.

"No." Song Zhixu glanced at her watch and reminded her with a smile, "It's 1:30."

"Trying to change the subject? I think you're just lying to me."

If you don't want to say, then don't say.

Tang Ran snorted and stood up. From now until she got on the bus, she wouldn't speak to Song Zhixu.

Song Zhixu took her hand and asked with a smile, "You want to know that much?"

"I don't want to know..." Tang Ran turned her head away arrogantly.

That's what they said, but they didn't mean to leave.

The next second, Tang Ran noticed that Song Zhixu was holding her fingers and lifting them up.

She couldn't help but turn around out of curiosity.

Song Zhixu took her hand and placed it on her right collarbone.

"It bit here."

She tilted her head back, looked at Tang Ran with a smile, and gently parted her lips, "Want to see now?"

Song Zhixu was wearing a sleeveless long dress with a round neck, and the area she was pointing to was completely covered by the dress.

If you want to see it, then Song Zhixu will need to take off her skirt.

The scene in the kitchen last night flashed through Tang Ran's mind, and she felt her throat go dry.

She coughed lightly and casually withdrew her hand, saying, "No, it's almost time. I have to go."

As soon as she finished speaking, Tang Ran opened the door to the side and stepped out.

Song Zhixu stood up with a faint smile on her lips.

Mr. Yu called me before I boarded the plane.

The bidding for Taivo has been completed, and Shengtang has won the contract for Taivo's manufacturing.

Sheng Tang's price is even lower than Tang's two-point profit margin; it's basically at cost price.

As for the traitor, President Yu didn't rush to deal with him. He planned to keep him around for a while, firstly to avoid arousing suspicion from the people at Sheng Tang, and secondly because he might have other uses for him in the future.

Tang Ran had no objections.

With Taiwo removed from her list of potential threats, she felt much more at ease and relieved.

When the plane landed in Jiangcheng, Tang Wanru arranged for her family's driver to pick her up.

After arriving home, Tang Ran handed the silk scarf she had bought to Tang Wanru, saying, "It's a gift for Mommy."

Tang Wanru was very pleased that her daughter remembered to bring her a gift after her trip to Beijing.

She took out a silk scarf and wrapped it around her neck, then asked Tang Ran to take a picture of her so she could post it on her WeChat Moments.

Tang Ran took several photos and casually sent one to Song Zhixu.

Tang Xiaoran: [Mommy really likes the silk scarf.]

Tang Ran saw the silk scarf on the first floor of the mall after dinner, and she thought Tang Wanru would like it.

She wanted SA to pack it up, and the store manager walked over with a smile and called out, "General Manager Song."

The shopping mall belongs to the Song family, and the silk scarves are on Mr. Song's tab.

Song Zhixu asked her if she wanted to watch something else.

Tang Ran refused. It wasn't Jiangcheng; SA couldn't deliver to her door. She would either have to mail it or pick it up herself.

She finds it all too troublesome.

Song Zhixu replied quickly.

We kept exchanging messages until we went to bed at night.

the next day.

Jiangcheng, Tang family.

Mr. Yu entered Tang Ran's office with a smile, then turned to his assistant outside the door and said, "Xiao Chen, please pour two cups of coffee for me and your Manager Tang."

Xiao Chen went to pour coffee, and President Yu strolled over and sat down opposite Tang Ran.

"How is Turtle Island Resort? My daughter was talking about it to me yesterday, asking me to take her there."

"It's not bad, worth a trip."

Tang Ran released the mouse and mentioned several important attractions, including Blue Tears and the Watchtower.

Xiao Chen brought in the freshly brewed coffee, put it down, and went back to work.

Tang Ran took a sip of coffee and frowned.

The coffee was bitter and astringent, with a burnt smell.

She is caffeine sensitive and rarely drinks coffee in the office.

"This tastes like this." Mr. Yu put down his coffee cup with disgust. "Zhong Weide must have had some secondhand coffee grounds brought in from a coffee shop."

The Zhong Weide she mentioned is the general manager of the purchasing department, which is responsible for everything from raw materials to office supplies.

Tang Ran glanced at the coffee and realized that President Yu hadn't come here today to chat with her.

Tang's employees have good benefits, so these coffee beans shouldn't be in Tang's break room.

"Besides coffee, is there anything else you want to change?" Tang Ran raised an eyebrow at her, reaching for the landline to dial. "How about we have them send up a shopping list for the tea room?"

"No, no," Mr. Yu quickly pressed her hand down. "I just had coffee here, and you want a receipt? Are you implying I'm complaining?"

Tang Ran then pressed the number 1 button.

"Mr. Tang," came the voice of assistant Xiao Chen from the microphone.

Tang Ran: "Bring in a cup of Tieguanyin tea for President Yu."

The company's break room only had regular green tea; the Tieguanyin that Tang Ran mentioned was something she had bought specifically to serve guests.

Mr. Yu's eyes lit up, and he smiled broadly, "It seems that my trip was really worthwhile."

"Tell me, what is it?" Tang Ran sat up straight and looked at her.

For someone as shrewd as General Manager Yu to go to such lengths to subtly remind her that there was a problem with the purchasing department, it certainly wasn't just a few packets of coffee and biscuits.

Tang Ran crossed her arms, unconsciously exuding a sharp and imposing aura.

Mr. Yu felt gratified; the young Ms. Tang before him was no longer the carefree little princess she had been when she first joined the Tang family business.

She straightened her expression and asked, "I heard the company wants to change the machine purchasing agent for the factory?"

The central kitchen is expected to go into production by the end of the year. Previously, Tang's machinery and equipment were all imported from abroad.

Each country's machinery has its own strengths and weaknesses. The machines that Tang's needs need to be purchased from five different countries, so they have always relied on a comprehensive import agent for unified procurement.

"Your information network is quite impressive," Tang Ran said with a smile.

Having worked together for so long, Mr. Yu seems very casual, but he is also very tactful and cautious in his actions.

The fact that she's reminding me now means she must have already discovered something.

Xiao Chen brought in the tea, and President Yu took a sip, revealing an expression of enjoyment.

"I overheard it casually while eating in the cafeteria last week."

She and Mr. Zhong joined the company at the same time. During their internships, Mr. Zhong made some underhanded moves, which Ms. Yu carefully avoided.

Even though they were later assigned to different departments, she remained cautious and wary of him.

After all, there's the position of company vice president above them, so the competition never stops.

She had a team leader in the purchasing department who was one of her people, and she was the one who leaked the information about changing the purchasing agent beforehand.

Tang Ran didn't say anything, meaning she should continue.

“A friend of mine has worked with that agent. The company is not big, it has been established for more than ten years, and the service is just average. Its advantage is that the agency fee is cheap.”

"The company changed owners at the end of last year, and I heard that its business performance has declined significantly since then."

After explaining the basic situation, General Manager Yu looked up at Tang Ran, his expression turning serious. "I think cooperating with them is too risky."

"I understand, I'll have someone investigate."

Tang Ran knew that there were problems with Tang's new distributor.

The reason she knew this wasn't because she was better informed than President Yu, but because in her previous life, Tang's had switched to this very distributor.

The subsequent cooperation did indeed encounter problems. The new distributor did not deliver the machines on time after receiving payment from Tang's, but instead absconded with the money.

It would have been impossible to transfer over 70 million yuan in payments from Tang's account without an inside traitor.

In his previous life, President Zhong had already left the country before the matter was exposed.

Some time ago, Tang Ran reviewed the procurement contracts from the past few years and paid special attention to the process of Tang's signing new agents.

From the qualification review of the new agency to the subsequent approval of funding, there are more than a dozen procedures to go through.

In this scam, Zhong Weide was definitely not the only one involved in the Tang family.

Finance, and even contracts and legal matters, may also be involved.

The purchasing department of a company is never short of money, and it is easy to find some small handles to use against them. Tang Ran has been holding back and waiting for an opportunity to uproot them completely.

*

After get off work, Tang Ran returned to Shengming Mansion.

She still remembered that she had promised Song Zhixu to water the flowers on Turtle Island.

After arriving home, she sent a message to Song Zhixu, but Song Zhixu had a social engagement and said he would contact her later.

It was almost 11 p.m. when Song Zhixu called Tang Ran that night. They chatted briefly, and the watering of the flowers was postponed to the next day.

Tang Ran set her alarm clock forward by half an hour.

After getting up and having a quick breakfast, Tang Ran went into the dressing room.

After trying on seven or eight outfits, I finally chose a light blue vest and pleated skirt set, which is both mature and playful.

After putting on her makeup, Tang Ran turned on the front camera of her phone, took a picture of herself, and found the best angle.

At 7:30 a.m., Song Zhixu made a video call right on time.

Tang Ran straightened her hair and pressed the answer button.

The call connected, and Song Zhixu's gentle smile appeared on the screen, with the sun-drenched living room of the apartment behind her.

Good morning, Ranran.

Her clear, melodious voice gained a touch of magnetism when transmitted through the microphone.

Tang Ran touched her ear and replied, "Good morning."

Song Zhixu's eyes sparkled. "You look beautiful today."

Tang Ran unconsciously tossed her hair, her face beaming with an uncontrollable smile. "You're beautiful too."

Song Zhixu chuckled softly, "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"I ate, what about you?" Tang Ran asked back.

"I've already eaten. The vegetable salad and bread were delivered from the restaurant downstairs."

"Then I'll come to your place now." Tang Ran took her phone and walked out.

"good."

Song Zhixu responded and gave her the password.

The electronic lock opened, and Tang Ran took off her shoes and was about to walk inside when Song Zhixu, on the other end of the video call, gently reminded her, "Remember to wear slippers."

Tang Ran stuck out her tongue, turned back, took slippers from the shoe cabinet, and put them on.

There was a water tap on the balcony. Tang Ran switched the video to the rear camera, found a spot where she could capture the flowers, placed her phone there, and took a watering can to fill it with water.

"The flowers on the shelf to the left need watering..."

Tang Ran began operating according to Song Zhixu's instructions.

At first, she was very serious and strictly followed the markings on the kettle to pour water, basically picking up the kettle to check it every time she poured.

I was afraid that if I watered it too much, it would kill Song Zhixu's flowers.

Watching her movements in the video, Song Zhixu smiled gently and reminded her, "Don't be nervous, a little more or less won't make a big difference."

Tang Ran turned her head to look at her phone. "If it gets ruined by watering, don't blame me."

"It's not that delicate."

Hearing her say that, Tang Ran felt much more relaxed.

The flowers on the balcony were arranged according to their habits, making watering them relatively convenient. Tang Ran managed to get a general idea of ​​what to do after watering them once.

After watering the last pot of flowers, Tang Ran took out her phone and looked around at the pots. "Did you forget any of them?"

"It's all watered, thank you Ranran," Song Zhixu said with a smile.

"Why are you being so polite?" Tang Ran muttered to herself.

Watering a flower is no big deal.

"Um?"

Song Zhixu didn't hear what she said.

"If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."

Tang Ran put down the kettle, picked up her phone, and walked outside.

"There's one more thing."

Song Zhixu's gentle voice came through the receiver.

"Hmm?" Tang Ran stopped in her tracks.

"Turn the camera around first."

Tang Ran flipped the camera up, held up her phone, and asked, "What is it?"

Song Zhixu smiled gently and said softly, "I want to chat with you a little longer."

*

Beijing, Song's CEO office.

"Boss, this is the new information we found."

Assistant Jiang placed the USB drive in his hand next to Song Zhixu.

Song Zhixu picked up the USB drive, plugged it into the computer, and Assistant Jiang left with the documents to be processed.

The USB drive contains only one document, which contains six cut videos and a medical record.

The videos show Lin Jixin entering and leaving the same ward three times in the past week.

The night before last, she noticed that Tang Ran still looked listless after hearing that Lin Jixin was not sick.

She initially thought Tang Ran was just tired, until she was woken up by Tang Ran's sobbing in the early hours of the morning.

After getting up, she asked her assistant Jiang to check again to find out who Lin Jixin had visited at the hospital.

Looking at the room number, Song Zhixu frowned slightly.

The cursor hovers over the medical record; click to open.

A familiar name came into view.

He took out his phone, typed in Lin Jixin's name and the name on her medical record, and asked Assistant Jiang to investigate the connection between the two people.

Song Zhixu thought for a moment, then added: "Investigate back eleven years, or even earlier."

Another week has passed in the blink of an eye.

After helping water the flowers for a week, Tang Ran not only became skilled at controlling the amount of water, but also at pruning the flower branches and adding nutrient solution.

night.

Tang Ran was going to attend her friend's baby's gender reveal party. Her friend's family was in the shipping and tourism business, and the party was being held on their own cruise ship.

Song Wuqi drove to pick up Tang Ran.

When we went back to Jingting for dinner the day before yesterday, Grandpa asked her about Miao Tiantian's maternal grandmother.

Song Wuqi was completely bewildered.

Grandpa noticed something was wrong and asked her directly if she had argued with Tang Ran recently. She didn't even know that Tang Ran had gone to Beijing to visit Miao Tiantian's maternal grandmother?

Song Wuqi quickly admitted her mistake, saying that Tang Ran had a little tiff with her and that she had been busy with work lately and hadn't had time to coax her.

Old Master Song snorted and said nothing more.

After finishing his meal, Song Wuqi took the initiative to call Tang Ran and apologized for not answering the phone promptly that day.

She gave a long list of excuses, and Tang Ran, suppressing her disgust, forgave her with great understanding.

Looking at Song Wuqi standing by the car, smiling gently at her, Tang Ran felt for the first time that life after her rebirth was passing very slowly.

Why hasn't Song Wuqi's birthday arrived yet?