Chapter 46 Better: "Are you a better person?"

The water is clear and the mountains are green, with a babbling brook.

One of the many streams in Ju County flows continuously. On one side of the bank, several farm women are pounding clothes on the stones with mallets, and the rhythmic echoes drift through the mountains.

On the other side of the shore, Tang Yi and Zhang Minglang walked side by side.

"Is the scenery here alright?"

Tang Yi's gaze followed her toes step by step, and she asked softly.

Zhang Minglang raised his head and squinted. Just then, a comfortable breeze blew in his face, like a thin veil falling from the sky.

He conveyed his feelings of great satisfaction and contentment through his actions.

Remembering something, he turned his head and asked, "Was that auntie you were with a relative?"

The child on the other side aimed at the water and threw a pebble. The pebble skipped across the water at high speed, creating a series of skips.

Ripples spread, and with Zhang Minglang's question, Tang Yi's heart was stirred.

She glanced at the group of followers clapping enthusiastically in the distance and clapped along with them.

We've only known each other for two years.

Her voice was soft, like the reeds swaying by a stream, yet it stirred the gears of memories.

"I came here two years ago, and the first time I saw her, I felt that she looked kind. She had round eyes and a round face, and as soon as she saw me, she came up to me and took my hand."

Tang Yi pictured Yang Yuanyue's kind face.

Zhang Minglang turned his head to look at her and listened quietly.

She rarely showed such a gentle expression. What he mostly saw was her decisive and resolute nature in the workplace.

Therefore, he knew that this old man must be a very important person in Tang Yi's life.

Tang Yi hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, "Sometimes, I secretly think of her as my mother. To be honest, seeing her and Fang Zhen just now, I was a little envious."

She looked up at him and said, "Isn't it strange?"

Zhang Minglang recalled his several brief encounters with Ms. Chen Lian.

It is always full of contradictions and always sharp and jarring.

This always made Tang Yi unhappy.

He shook his head decisively: "Not surprising."

As if realizing that what he said lacked credibility, Zhang Minglang quickened his pace to Tang Yi and solemnly said to her, "It's not surprising at all."

“The desire for warmth and affection is a basic human instinct,” he said, looking into her eyes. “Perhaps your past world wasn’t perfect in this respect, but you have every right to aspire to, or even have, a better one.”

Tang Yi felt like she was in the freezing cold, and his words brought her a glass of warm milk.

So she smiled and asked, "Are you a better person?"

This question seemed to be directed at him, but it was also more like a question to himself.

Is Zhang Minglang, the man standing before her, someone she can entrust her life to?

Tang Yi was warned by her mother from a young age that she must not fall in love too early, must not neglect her studies, must not show her emotions, and must not cry when something happens.

She listened, and she learned.

The only time she disobeyed was during the phone call she made to Bai Zeyu two years ago, and her conversation with him in the coffee shop two years later told her that her mother was right.

Revealing weaknesses is something you should never do.

But what about now?

The man in front of her went to great lengths to dispel the rumors, encourage her to tell the truth, respect her every wish, and repeatedly tell her, "You deserve it."

Is such a person worthy of her opening her heart and revealing her weaknesses once again?

Could such a person be a better person?

Tang Yi's thoughts and doubts were still wavering, but she failed to realize that her rock-solid heart had already crumbled before her.

Zhang Minglang naturally understood what she meant.

I want to answer immediately, but I'm afraid that replying too quickly will seem like I haven't thought it through and will be considered a frivolous response.

Although he had never thought of it that way.

Zhang Minglang's face was tense; he had never been this nervous, not even during the meeting when the company's patent secrets were leaked.

He nodded slowly and deliberately, as if performing some sacred ritual: "I am sure I am."

The tension that had been building in Tang Yi's heart vanished the moment she heard those five words, like the transparent fishing line in the hand of an old man fishing in the distance disappearing into the water.

Just as she was about to reply, a voice suddenly called out from behind, "President Zhang, Secretary Tang! Come and have some barbecue!"

Like people who had just surfaced after drowning, the two were forced to leave that solemn atmosphere.

Tang Jiaxin waved to them from a distance.

While Zhang Minglang felt a brief moment of relief, he was immediately followed by a surge of irritability and displeasure.

Why are there always one person after another, like a fixed-refreshing NPC, who keeps popping up and interrupting him and Tang Yi at every crucial moment when things are about to get heated!

Tang Yiyang raised her head and replied, "Coming right away," then turned back to see Zhang Minglang's dejected expression.

Like a large, mournful dog that has been soaked to the bone after a heavy rain.

Tang Yi couldn't help but laugh. After confirming several times that Tang Jiaxin was gone forever, she reached out and took the big dog's paw, gently shaking it as if to coax him.

"Don't be upset. I'll tell you the results of the assessment tonight, okay?"

The dog was already mesmerized by the scent its owner was waving around.

All the unpleasantness and annoyance vanished with just one sentence from her.

He gently stroked the back of her hand, his voice softening: "Tang Yi, how can you be so kind?"

Tang Yi chuckled, ignored him, pulled her hand away, and turned to walk away.

Zhang Minglang's hand suddenly went empty, and he quickly caught up with her.

"Why did you turn and run away? Are you shy?"

"No."

"Tch, she's just shy."

"I already said it."

"Then why don't you speak, Tang Xiaoyi?"

"Don't call me that."

The two of them bantered back and forth as they approached the barbecue area that their colleagues had set up.

Zhang Minglang clung to her like a leech, even whispering in her ear, "Tang Xiaoyi, Little Tangyi..."

A colleague suddenly looked at them, and Tang Yi quickly reached out and pushed his face away.

Zhang Minglang straightened his back: "I will reconsider that charity project."

His earnest tone and demeanor made it seem as if he had genuinely discussed work with Tang Yi all the way there.

Hearing this, his colleague mustered up the courage to say, "Mr. Zhang, Secretary Tang, since we're out for team building, let's not talk about work."

Zhang Minglang nodded solemnly.

Tang Yi tried hard to suppress the upturned corners of her lips.

Once the two were a little further away from their colleague, Zhang Minglang resumed his usual self, grinning and asking in a low voice, "How was your acting?"

Tang Yi gave a thumbs up: "You can win an award."

A specially rented barbecue grill was set up on the grass, and several colleagues volunteered to roll up their sleeves and grill skewers.

Tang Jiaxin and Li Da held microphones in their hands, howling and singing something incoherently;

Under the inconspicuous shade of the trees, Zhang Minglang took off his coat and spread it on the grass, then pulled Tang Yi to sit down.

The team building atmosphere was relaxed and enjoyable. Everyone put aside all work pressure, family burdens, and personal grievances, and enjoyed a short period of revelry in the paradise of Juxian County.

The reason it's described as brief is that they played until just four in the afternoon, when the sun had already quietly disappeared.

Tang Yi looked up at the sky with concern, then took out her phone to check the weather forecast: "I even specifically chose the time a few days ago, I hope it won't rain today."

Just then, Li Da, who was still fighting with Tang Jiaxin for the microphone, suddenly let out a scream.

"It's raining! I just got hit on the head by water!"

Tang Jiaxin gave a long "tsk" and snatched the microphone from his hand when he wasn't paying attention: "What do you mean by 'jinxing'? Is it because you're bald and your head feels cold?"

These words came from the speakers, and the colleagues burst into laughter.

"Huh!?" Tang Jiaxin suddenly exclaimed, looking up at the sky in disbelief: "How did I get hit by water too?"

Before the words were even finished, a clap of thunder sounded in the sky, and the rain intensified instantly, with large raindrops pelting down.

Tang Jiaxin and Li Da covered their heads and ran under the eaves, still bickering amongst themselves.

The rain suddenly poured down, and the scene was chaotic. Colleagues screamed and ran for shelter, and Zhang Minglang grabbed Tang Yi and ran.

Zhang Minglang turned to look at her, smiling broadly. They both tacitly thought of that afternoon running through the bookstore.

Rain, blankets, the humid air.

Many colleagues walked slowly and got soaked in the rain, their clothes covered in patches of dark and light colors, but everyone just treated it as a wonderful and unique little episode.

Tang Jiaxin optimistically squatted down on the ground, pulled a deck of cards from her bag, and waved it: "Who wants to play!"

Everyone eagerly echoed the sentiment.

The rain subsided a bit, and it was five o'clock.

Zhang Minglang braved the light drizzle to check the barbecue grill, with Tang Yi following behind him.

Tang Yi asked, "Is there any hope?"

Zhang Minglang picked up a wet, black charcoal piece: "Probably beyond saving."

Tang Yi's brow twitched. She looked up at the sky and sighed softly, "The weather is so unpredictable. Yesterday's forecast said it would be sunny."

Zhang Minglang simply turned to his colleagues who were swarming around playing cards on the ground and asked for their opinions: "Anyway, it's getting late, how about we all take the bus back to the city? Those who want to continue playing can come to my house to continue playing."

The group stared at each other blankly. One of them, bold enough to speak up, asked, "Mr. Zhang, you weren't joking when you said you'd go to your house, were you?"

Zhang Minglang put his hands on his hips and squinted: "When have I ever given you the impression that I don't keep my word?"

"That's true, it seems that President Zhang has never made any empty promises."

After packing up their equipment, the group split into several groups. Those who wanted to go home took one car, while those who wanted to continue playing took another car, all heading to Zhang Minglang's villa.

Tang Yi still traveled together with Zhang Minglang in the same car.

The sky was gloomy and desolate after the rain, and the asphalt road was covered with puddles. As the wheels rolled over them, rainwater splashed up and shattered the green reflections of the roadside trees.

As the group of people busily squeezed into the villa, night had already fallen completely.

At first, everyone was a little reserved, but after drinking a few bottles of wine and playing a few rounds of games, they completely let loose.

Tang Yi did not participate in their game. She stood in front of a wall of sake in the living room, holding a small cup that Zhang Minglang had specially prepared for her.

What would you like to drink?

Zhang Minglang's voice rang out behind her. Although it was much softer than the excited noise in the living room, Tang Yi still heard it without any difficulty.

She turned around, her voice languid: "I want to drink both."

Zhang Minglang shrugged: "If there's an opportunity."

He looked into her beautiful eyes as if trying to pierce through them: "Or rather, whether you have a chance or not depends on you."

Tang Yi raised her lips, but brought up another topic: "Where's Xiao Bai? I haven't seen him."

Zhang Minglang suppressed the urge to press further and replied, "I took it to the pet store. Aren't you allergic?"

Tang Yi paused in her swirling of the wine glass.

Like a truly competent examiner, she posed a question to the honest, unassuming candidate who was half a head taller than her: "Isn't it a long-term solution to keep fostering them?"

Zhang Minglang, who was leaning against the back of the restaurant chair, suddenly straightened up. He didn't answer for a moment, but he didn't seem embarrassed at all.

He glanced at his phone a few times, then handed it to her, his voice full of confidence: "I booked a professional pet groomer a long time ago, and I'll be giving it a deep clean once a week to reduce hair and allergens. In addition, I've also ordered a high-performance air humidifier, and someone will come to install it tomorrow."

Tang Yi took the phone; the screen showed his chat history with the pet groomer.

She glanced at the time; it was two or three weeks ago.

"You've been thinking about it so early?" Tang Yi's tone unconsciously dragged out, like the stringy malt candy Zhang Minglang ate when he was a child, making him feel sweet inside.

He nodded in agreement: "Yes, it's been a long time."

Tang Yi personally severed the gaze between the two of them, looked down and swiped her phone screen a few times. The cold light reflected on her face, enveloping her in a thin layer of softness.

She turned her phone upside down so the screen faced him, and said with a smile, "What a coincidence, I'm also trying."

Zhang Minglang bowed slightly to look at the appointment record for the anti-allergy injection at the city hospital, scheduled for tomorrow.

He looked up at her in surprise, but she suddenly regretted it and quickly put her phone away, leaving him only with her profile.

He reached out, slipped his hand through her thin shirt jacket, and pulled her into his arms.

The sky was completely dark, and two figures, one tall and one short, were indistinctly overlapping in the dimly lit living room, in front of the dining table.

Like the swans with their necks intertwined in the lake outside.

Tang Yi's arm was suspended in mid-air, and the liquid in the cup in his hand shook violently a few times before finally stabilizing due to his sudden movement.

She turned her head in alarm to look at the lively living room, but thankfully everyone was busy with their own things, laughing and joking, and no one noticed the corner that was gradually heating up.

Tang Yi's heart was pounding. She tried to break free, but the man in her arms sensed her movement and retaliated by holding her even tighter.

Zhang Minglang spun her around halfway, her waist pressing against the cold marble.

She came up with a plan, and with a soft hiss, he released her.

Zhang Minglang reached out to check her waist, his voice anxious, but he had to lower it: "Did you hurt yourself?"

Tang Yi gently grabbed his wrist, stopping him from leaning back.

"Just kidding."

Her voice was mischievous, like a naughty little sprite.

Author's note: The final push! [Go for it!] It really was the last push, hahaha.