Chapter 35 The Fall "Tang Yi, you're about to fall!"

The two walked almost halfway around the entire lake before Tang Yi finally explained the charity project for the Juxian Elementary School to Zhang Minglang.

Seeing that he didn't respond immediately, Tang Yi added, "Don't worry, I've already done the research and the plan is ready. I can send it to your email when I get back."

"I support your proposal, but I also have some questions."

Zhang Minglang's voice rang out, and Tang Yi pursed her lips nervously, looking up at him: "Go ahead."

But he remained silent for a long time.

Zhang Minglang remained silent, not because of the project itself, but because when he heard her say "aimed at correctly guiding the psychological growth of abused children," he thought of the purpose of his trip to City B.

More than the project itself, he wanted to find out why she had this idea.

Tang Yi was afraid he would refuse her for the sake of the company's interests. After all, such a project was not within Junmao's area of ​​expertise, nor was it something he could decide on his own.

Moreover, as the head of such a large company, simply listening to her grand vision is not enough to justify his commitment.

But Tang Yi was unwilling to give up just like that.

"I really hope you can seriously consider this matter, at least after you go back and review my proposal before making a decision, okay?"

Although her voice remained steady, Zhang Minglang could tell from her tone that she was slightly anxious.

When he spoke again, his voice was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing something: "I just want to know now, why...did you think of doing these things?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Yi's prepared speech instantly became worthless. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she was considering whether to tell the truth.

She revealed that she came up with this plan because she herself had almost been assaulted years ago, and it was only after seeing children who had suffered the same fate that she conceived it.

That past was a secret she had kept hidden for a long time. Apart from her best friend Xu Xiaoxiao, no one else chose to firmly support and believe in her after learning about it.

Even one's own biological parents.

After experiencing such injustice, she truly realized that revealing one's vulnerability can sometimes become a weapon used by those closest to one to stab oneself.

From then on, she was no longer willing to show her vulnerable side. Because once was enough to learn from the same mistake.

Zhang Minglang had anticipated her reaction. He smiled understandingly and said, "It's okay, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it."

He casually put his hands in his hoodie pockets, looked up at the stars, and acted as if he had just remarked, "The moon is beautiful tonight."

His casual attitude surprised Tang Yi slightly. She suddenly realized that her heavy burden of inner turmoil was actually a trivial matter that could be easily overlooked without needing an answer.

Tang Yi was still quietly pondering when he suddenly heard a soft sigh beside him, followed by his speech.

“Actually, I don’t think you need to always be so tense.” Zhang Minglang paused for a few seconds, his voice a little hoarse, as if he was carefully choosing his tone. “After all, in my eyes… and in the eyes of many of my colleagues at Junmao, you are already a very outstanding professional woman. I already said that the other night.”

That night of candid conversation at her workstation was instantly awakened. A warm feeling mixed with bittersweetness welled up in her heart, and Tang Yi felt a weight lift from her shoulders, as if something that had been pent up for so long had suddenly been shattered.

She was at a loss when faced with the rare direct praise she received in her life.

“You are a free person,” his firm voice pulled her back from her panic. “You have the right to say what you want to say, and you also have the right to choose not to say it. No one can make the decision for you.”

Zhang Minglang seemed to be hinting at something. After he finished speaking, he deliberately turned his head to observe her reaction.

Tang Yi naturally thought of everything Zhao Linrui had done to her.

When the bad guys were caught, she thought the thorn in her heart had been pulled out.

But at this moment, in this environment where she was completely respected, she realized with a start that the thorn had already been broken deep inside, so deep that it was almost fused with her own flesh and blood.

But the weight of reality firmly suppressed her inexplicable impulse.

Tang Yi's mind floated back to a few years ago, to a time when she was running around and hitting walls in pursuit of so-called fairness. She laughed self-deprecatingly: "I've said I'm a coward, I don't dare to gamble."

They dared not gamble with the future they had invested so much in.

Her voice was very soft, but Zhang Minglang heard it.

He suddenly stopped, walked up to her, and gently placed his hands on Tang Yi's shoulders.

The wind by the lake was cool, but his hands were warm.

“I read a sentence that immediately reminded me of you,” Zhang Minglang bent down to meet her gaze and said earnestly, word by word, “*Don’t blame your past self. She was also confused when she was standing in the fog.”

Tang Yi looked up into his eyes and felt as if a strong wind had suddenly blown away the thick fog that had been obscuring her vision, leaving only a clear view.

“You may have been alone before, but now, I’ve appeared.” Zhang Minglang released his hands, his voice suddenly becoming lighter.

"Anyway, I'll just stand here. I'll be here whenever you need me."

Tang Yi looked at him for a long time, then slowly smiled and sincerely replied, "Thank you."

Zhang Minglang chuckled twice: "Being able to hear you thank me makes it all worthwhile, having spent the whole night in the wind."

"Don't miss out! Fresh green plants and potted plants! Hey, handsome guy and beautiful girl, I see you two have been browsing around here. Handsome guy, why don't you buy a potted plant for your girlfriend?"

A young man suddenly appeared out of nowhere, breaking the ambiguous atmosphere between the two. He ran up to them, holding a small potted plant about the size of his palm.

"Handsome guy, you two are such a perfect match! Why don't you buy a potted plant? It would be so pleasing to the eye to have at home, wouldn't it?"

When Zhang Minglang heard the words "young couple" from him, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and his eyes blinked uncontrollably.

On one hand, he couldn't suppress the involuntary upward curve of his lips; on the other hand, he was afraid that Tang Yi would find it offensive, and even more afraid that she, who had finally begun to soften, would retreat back into her shell. Torn by conflicting emotions, he dared not utter a sound, only daring to steal a glance at her under the cover of night.

Tang Yi seemed not to hear, her expression unchanged. She stepped forward, took the potted plant from the deliveryman, and politely asked, "May I choose a variety?"

"Of course!" The young man, seeing that customers had arrived, beamed and led them toward his stall.

Tang Yi followed his footsteps for a few steps, then suddenly realized that the man beside her had not kept up.

She turned her head and looked at Zhang Minglang, who was frowning and looking at her with a hint of inquiry in his eyes. She was as if she was firmly nailed to the ground by invisible nails and did not move forward a step.

Tang Yi found it amusing: "What's wrong?"

Looking at her relaxed expression and demeanor, Zhang Minglang was almost 100% certain that Tang Yi must not have heard what the young man said.

Knowing her as he did, if he heard others misunderstand their relationship, she would most likely suppress her smile and say in her most practiced, polite yet distant tone, "You've misunderstood. He's my boss. We have no relationship in private."

But she didn't; she just kept looking at him and smiling.

Zhang Minglang stared at the person he liked a few meters away, who stopped and asked him with a smile what was wrong.

He suddenly lowered his head and smiled.

Never mind. Let go of those unfounded worries and briefly immerse yourself in this dreamlike night.

Since she didn't notice.

When he looked up again, his brow relaxed, and he strode after him.

"They're here."

Tang Yi, who was walking in front, turned around, her back to Zhang Minglang, and quietly curved her lips into a smile.

Actually, she heard everything.

Now that you've confirmed your feelings, what's the point of hiding them?

After all, given her personality, a straightforward approach suits her better.

On the contrary, Zhang Minglang, who has always seemed reckless and straightforward, is like a greenhorn who has never experienced anything, and he can't move after just hearing the words "young couple".

As Tang Yi walked forward with her head down, she suddenly remembered the day she had run into him and that young girl in the supermarket.

She initially thought it might be his girlfriend, but he denied it that very night.

Seeing his seemingly impressive demeanor, yet actually incredibly innocent, Tang Yi thought of a certain possibility with amusement.

Has he never been in a relationship before?

The thought that Zhang Minglang's seemingly frivolous words and actions before this might have been a bluff, made her want to laugh for no reason.

When she honestly told Xu Xiaoxiao about this idea over the phone, she was first met with a minute-long barrage of traditional Chinese cultural elements, and then with a series of "Tang Yi, you're finished."

Tang Yi rested her chin on one hand, and with the other hand, she gently scratched the leaves of the small potted plant on the table with her fingers, her tone nonchalant: "How am I finished?"

"You're not done yet?" Xu Xiaoxiao's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement. "When a woman finds a man adorable, she's completely finished!"

"Tang Yi, you're about to fall for me!"

Xu Xiaoxiao's seven resolute words delivered a powerful verdict to her previously wavering heart.

Xu Xiaoxiao urged her to explain the whole story, but Tang Yi was already immersed in her own world.

She seemed to have forgotten everything Chairman Zhang had warned her about, and also forgotten her special working relationship with Zhang Minglang. At this moment, she felt as if she had cast off all her constraints for the first time, willingly surrendering to him.

All of this stems from Zhang Minglang.

That night, Tang Yi couldn't fall asleep for a long time. She confessed her entire emotional journey to Xu Xiaoxiao.

Although she felt a little uncomfortable with such a frank and open expression of her inner thoughts, listening to Xu Xiaoxiao's excited voice and sincere blessings, she felt that nothing else mattered.

At the end of the call, Xu Xiaoxiao finally calmed down a bit. She said, "Tang Yi, as your best friend, I'm so happy for you that you've felt that spark again after so many years. Really."

Tang Yi laughed and said, "Why did you suddenly get so emotional?" Everything returned to normal after she hung up the phone.

Tang Yi rested her chin on her arms, which were crossed on the table, and quietly looked at the potted plant in front of her.

Hopefully, she made the right choice this time.

Author's Note: Tomorrow! I'll be updating with a whopping 5,000 words!

Actually, I recently discovered that having a stockpile of drafts feels really different [droopy-eared rabbit head]

It's the kind of thing where I've already written about two people being intimately entangled.

I was so excited!

But hold on!

It'll be a while before I can update to that point, hahaha!!