Chapter 16 Friend: "So what if it is? I don't like relationships between older women and younger men..."

Having just heard about Xixi's background at the elementary school in Ju County, she was still not in a state of shock even after the car had been driven back to the underground parking garage.

She sat quietly in the dark garage, her heart heavy, staring blankly at the steering wheel.

The phone rang suddenly, startling her.

"Hello?"

"Are you free? Are you coming to Heaven? That kid Sun Yuyang is up to his old tricks again."

Xu Xiaoxiao's hearty laughter and Sun Yuyang's quiet protest, accompanied by loud music, came from the microphone.

Tang Yi was silent for a while, thinking that since she was in a bad mood anyway and hadn't been there in a long time, it would be good to relax and relieve her depression, so she agreed.

After hanging up the phone, the surroundings became quiet again.

She took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, started the car, and drove towards Heaven.

"Sis, so when I call you you you say you're working overtime, but when Sister Xiaoxiao calls you you come right away?"

As soon as Tang Yigang sat down at the bar, Sun Yuyang made a teasing remark.

Before she could speak, Xu Xiaoxiao next to her scoffed and retorted, "Who do you think you are, little brother? Your sister Yiyi is always busy. How could she come running whenever you want?"

After saying that, Xu Xiaoxiao remembered something, deliberately lowered her voice, stared into Sun Yuyang's eyes, and said word by word: "Besides, it was you who begged and pleaded to let people stay and work as bartenders."

Sun Yuyang, realizing his secret had been exposed, scratched his head guiltily, avoiding her direct gaze, and then glanced furtively at Tang Yi, who remained silent beside him.

However, she just stared at the wine glass in front of her with her head down, seemingly not caring what they were saying.

Sun Yuyang felt as if a glass of cold water had been poured over him.

He concealed his disappointment, pretended to be busy, and made up an excuse to leave the bar.

"Tch, so fragile." Xu Xiaoxiao took in his expression and actions, watching his departing figure, and muttered meaningfully.

She nudged Tang Yi, who was standing silently to the side, with her elbow, and leaned closer to her slyly, whispering, "This little brother, does he have a thing for you, hmm?"

Tang Yi isn't that oblivious.

Of course she could sense it.

She lazily turned her head to glance at her gossipy best friend, picked up the wine glass on the table, tilted her head back and took a sip, before calmly replying:

"So what if it is? I don't like relationships between older women and younger men."

"No way, why wouldn't I like him? He's not bad looking, and he seems quite loyal. There's no harm in giving him a try," Xu Xiaoxiao protested, sitting up straight.

"Forget it, I don't want to have to take care of someone after get off work."

Tang Yi felt a chill run down her spine at the thought of dating her younger brother, as if she had already become a mother ahead of time.

As her longtime friend, Xu Xiaoxiao could tell that she wasn't in a good mood today, so she wisely kept quiet and stopped talking about the topic of relationships between older women and younger men.

She took Tang Yi's hand, which was resting on her knee, and offered her a little warmth with her palm.

"What's wrong?"

Tang Yi finally smiled, glancing down at her hand that Xu Xiaoxiao had suddenly grasped.

“I was about to ask you something,” Xu Xiaoxiao said, her big eyes fixed on her with concern. “Why do you seem a bit down today? Are you too tired from work? Or did your mother come to see you again?”

As expected of a friend of many years, he accurately predicted the answer with just a casual remark.

Tang Yi sighed and briefly recounted her recent experiences, including working overtime for a month and her mother's angry phone call.

When asked about the reason for Xixi's timidity from Yang Yuanyue, she paused and casually made up a "family reason" to brush it off.

Although Xu Xiaoxiao usually seems carefree, she is actually very sensitive.

She could roughly guess what the little girl Xixi had gone through to make Tang Yi so dejected today.

Xu Xiaoxiao listened quietly for a while, and when she saw that she didn't want to continue, she reached out and patted her on the back.

She took Tang Yi's hands, looked her in the eye earnestly, and her eyes were filled with determination.

“Yiyi, I still stand by what I said before: as long as you want to expose what happened back then, I will stand up for you at any time. I support all your future decisions, whether you want to talk about it or not.”

Tang Yi looked into the other person's eyes and felt a lump in her throat.

She rarely showed a hint of vulnerability; after a few seconds of silence, she reached out and hugged her.

Xu Xiaoxiao was also surprised, followed by feelings of being moved and gratified.

She and Tang Yi had been classmates since junior high school, so she fully understood her personality and the reasons behind it from her family background.

Her good friend was used to being independent and strong, always bearing everything on her own. When she found out and asked if she needed help, she only received a nonchalant "It's all in the past."

Xu Xiaoxiao suddenly realized that Tang Yi was right.

With her strong-willed and evasive personality, dating and marrying a younger man would only make her feel more pressured and exhausted.

After all, they are too young to truly understand her inner thoughts, and they lack the confidence to provide her with protection and support.

What Tang Yi needs is comprehensive understanding, support and respect, equal love, and a solid support.

She had felt sorry for him for a long time.

Those who always hold an umbrella for others while getting soaked in the rain deserve an umbrella that is firmly tilted towards them.

Xu Xiaoxiao gently patted Tang Yi's thin back, as if coaxing a child: "Don't worry, if you ever decide to tell me, I'll have my dad use the company's media to help you spread the word!"

Hearing these childish words, Tang Yi laughed out loud.

Her voice was muffled and her tone exaggerated: "Wow, Xu Xiaoxiao is a domineering CEO."

Xu Xiaoxiao was also amused by her.

Seeing Sun Yuyang return from afar, Tang Yi didn't want strangers to see her vulnerable side, so she quickly patted Xu Xiaoxiao's back and parted ways with her.

"Sis, are you bartending today?" The bar was dimly lit, but Sun Yuyang's eyes were bright, showing no trace of his previous gloom.

Xu Xiaoxiao propped herself up on the bar with one elbow, leaning half her body against it, lazily hovering over the two of them.

What a pity, little brother.

Blame it on your young age.

After exchanging a few words, Tang Yi got up, walked to the control panel, and pushed open the small wooden door to go inside.

Inside the control panel, the woman's wrists moved swiftly, her expression as cold as an iceberg. Her aloof demeanor and powerful aura made people overlook the fact that she was barely dressed up, wearing only an ordinary beige coat.

Sun Yuyang insisted on staying by her side, diligently offering her drinks, but in the end, he was ruthlessly kicked out by her.

"I'm a partner, after all! Why are you kicking me out?" Sun Yuyang retorted defiantly, but still obediently pushed open the small wooden door and sat back down next to Xu Xiaoxiao.

Tang Yi was busy mixing drinks and didn't pay any attention to her.

Xu Xiaoxiao was already laughing uncontrollably.

After she finished laughing, she straightened up, leaned close to Sun Yuyang's ear, and whispered something.

"I advise you to give up as soon as possible. Tang Yi is not so easy to win over, and she will not like her younger brother."

After saying that, she laughed wildly as she got up from her chair and walked towards the bathroom, leaving Sun Yuyang, whose heart was pounding, standing there dumbfounded.

He thought he had hidden it well.

Sun Yuyang picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp, glancing at Tang Yi as he did so.

She remained the same, always lazy and indifferent, radiating an aloofness as if she had no interest in anything.

However, he did not intend to give up just because of Xu Xiaoxiao's words.

He believed that time and age were not problems; as long as Yiyi hadn't found a boyfriend, there was still a chance.

Even if she doesn't come often, at least he can still send her a WeChat message to ask, and Tang Yi never ignores his messages.

No matter how busy I am, I won't.

only......

He traced half a circle with his finger along the rim of the glass, thinking silently to himself.

At such a young age, becoming the chief secretary of a large company means you must be in contact with countless outstanding individuals every day.

He looked down at himself.

Bar partner.

How can they be compared to the glamorous white-collar workers who move between skyscrapers?

Sun Yuyang had long been criticized and gossiped about by his family and relatives because of this job.

Whenever he received similar malicious messages, he would pretend to be fearless and laugh it off.

But he can't accept that the person he likes might also see him that way.

This sense of inferiority and loss intensified during this period, to the point that he would become anxious and sensitive in advance whenever Tang Yi mentioned coming to Heaven.

It was around 11 p.m. when Tang Yi and Xu Xiaoxiao were about to head home.

Sun Yuyang tried to persuade Tang Yi to stay, but Tang Yi had to go to work the next day and couldn't stay any longer.

She has a strong sense of boundaries between life and work, and absolutely does not allow herself to mix the two so as not to affect her work during the day.

Sun Yuyang insisted on going out with them, waiting for the designated driver to pick them up, and then watching them leave.

Tang Yi felt that his behavior was strange today, but she didn't say anything. Xu Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, understood perfectly. Her forced smile made Sun Yuyang's eyes dart around, looking at the streetlights and then at the ground, but he didn't dare to look at her.

The designated driver arrived. As Xu Xiaoxiao walked towards the car and passed by him, she patted him on the shoulder, her voice so soft it was almost carried away by the wind.

If you can't let go, take a chance.

Sun Yuyang stood there stunned, while Xu Xiaoxiao had already gotten into the car, rolled down the window, and left with a cryptic expression.

The car sped away.

"Why are you whispering in his ear?"

Tang Yi had noticed that the two of them had been acting suspiciously all night, and she wondered what they were discussing.

"Giving my little brother some pointers." Xu Xiaoxiao stretched lazily in her seat.

Tang Yi smiled and turned to look at her, then didn't pursue the matter further.

After a busy day, Tang Yi felt sore all over and slept soundly without any dreams.

When she arrived at the company early Monday morning, a whole host of meetings awaited her.

At 9:30, Zhang Minglang and Tang Yi entered the conference room on time.

The "Zero Hour" project is nearing its end, so everyone is on high alert.

Zhang Minglang placed his hands on the conference table, his fingertips tapping the folders on the table with a rhythmic sound.

He didn't even look up at Zhao Linrui, who was sitting to the side giving the report. His gaze was fixed on the pages of paper, and his voice was cold and deep, each word like a blade chilled with ice.

Throughout the meeting, he acted like a alpha wolf locking onto its prey, launching a precise and sustained attack on Zhao Linrui's report.

"...This is our current plan."

After Zhao Linrui finished reporting all his work, he closed the folder in his hand and looked at Zhang Minglang at the end of the long table.

However, he lowered his head and twirled the pen in his hand, as if he hadn't heard the words, but rather as if he was deliberately making things difficult for him.

The meeting room fell silent for a moment, and everyone held their breath, heads bowed, waiting for his instructions.

Zhao Linrui maintained his smile, seemingly oblivious to the awkward atmosphere.

Although Tang Yi didn't know what kind of temper the young master was throwing this time, her duty as a secretary required her to keep the situation under control.

She slightly raised her eyelashes, her gaze precisely fixed on Zhang Minglang. Then she stood up and, under everyone's watchful eyes, naturally picked up the coffee cup beside him, her voice calm and even.

"Mr. Zhang, your coffee is cold. Let me get you a new cup."

As she moved, her fingertips lightly tapped the ceramic cup twice, producing a faint sound that only the two of them could hear.

Zhang Minglang raised an eyebrow, attracted by her movement, and looked up at her.

With her back to the other executives, Tang Yi quickly gave him a look, then turned around, pushed open the door, and walked out.

Zhao Linrui, who was standing nearby, noticed the two's subtle movements. He unconsciously tensed his jaw, the veins on his forehead bulged, and his hands under the conference table on his knees slowly clenched into fists.

When Tang Yi came back in with the refilled coffee, the scene finally returned to normal.

A note from the author: