Chapter 52 Tenderness "An angel's kiss, a reward for you."...

Despite saying that, Tang Yi still went into the kitchen in the end and cooked dinner with Zhang Minglang.

Neither of them were complete cooks, so preparing dinner didn't take much effort.

If she hadn't been so soft-hearted, allowing Zhang Minglang to occasionally come over and touch and kiss her, Tang Yi believed that cooking this meal would have taken even less time.

After dinner, the two took a taxi together to the entrance of Heaven.

Night had fallen, and the bar was already bustling with activity. The two walked in side by side, Zhang Minglang's arm always around Tang Yi's waist.

It's so strange, I never noticed before, but why are there so many sleazy guys staring at Tang Yi in the bar!

With her boyfriend standing by, supporting her back, how could they still dare to let their eyes linger on Tang Yi like wolves!

Zhang Minglang thought indignantly, tightening his grip on her arm. Tang Yi, caught off guard, was pulled into his arms by his sudden movement, and stumbled slightly.

Zhang Minglang broke out in a cold sweat and quickly looked down to check, his voice anxious: "You didn't sprain your ankle, did you?"

Tang Yi shook her head and asked softly, "What are you doing?"

Zhang Minglang stared at his beautiful girlfriend, gritting his teeth: "I'm asserting my sovereignty!"

Tang Yi looked around and instantly understood what he meant.

She suppressed a laugh: "This is nothing, I did much more when I was mixing drinks."

She pulled the furious Zhang Minglang to sit down at the bar, greeted the waiter, and went inside through the small door.

Tang Yi stood under the overhead light, her hair glowing with a warm yellow light, like an angel descended from heaven.

She leaned forward, looked at the man staring straight at her, and parted her red lips slightly: "Sir, what would you like to drink?"

Zhang Minglang curled his lips, propped his left elbow on the bar, stretched out his right palm, and said in a deep voice, like a rich wine: "As you wish."

Tang Yi nodded slowly, lowered her head, and operated the device with delicate movements.

Zhang Minglang had no time to pay attention to anything else. He simply rested his chin on his hand, his gaze following Tang Yi's serious face with a look of deep intimacy.

Tang Yi, with her light-colored manicured fingers, held a bright red cherry between her fingers, bent down, aimed it at the surface of the wine, and gently placed it on the milky white whipped cream. When she released her fingers, a striking red cherry stood firmly on the rim of the glass.

Tang Yi straightened up, raised the wine glass with both hands, and slowly pushed it toward him: "An angel's kiss, please."

Zhang Minglang reached out and took it, his hand lightly touching her fingers that were resting on the side of the cup.

Tang Yi didn't let go, but glanced down at his subtle actions, then looked up and smiled: "If you weren't my boyfriend, this glass of wine would already be on your head."

Zhang Minglang also laughed: "I'd like to."

Tang Yi muttered a quiet "frivolous" before turning away without a second thought to mix drinks for other customers.

With a flick of her wrist, Tang Yi finished adjusting all the forms. Taking advantage of the moment when no one was around, she took off her apron and stuffed it into the closet, then said to Zhang Minglang, "I'm going to the restroom."

Zhang Minglang raised his chin to indicate that he understood.

Above her slender back was the low bun he had styled for her. Zhang Minglang's eyes were almost glued to Tang Yi as he watched her push open the door and leave.

However, she stopped just half a meter away from the small wooden door, turned around, and walked back.

Zhang Minglang raised his eyebrows to look at her, his eyes conveying a question.

Tang Yi leaned forward, supporting herself on the bar counter, cupping his face in her hands, her face stopping a few millimeters in front of his eyes.

Her gaze traveled down from his eyebrows and eyes, finally settling on his lips.

Tang Yi leaned forward slightly, her glistening lips gently pressing against his.

Zhang Minglang was stunned; his mind completely went blank.

After the brief touch, Tang Yi still held his face in her hands, her hands feeling a little prickly from the fine stubble.

She swept her gaze, as warm and viscous as viscous water, across his eyes, her voice light and alluring:

"An angel's kiss, a reward for you."

After saying this, Tang Yi decisively let go, quickly walked towards the small wooden door, and disappeared into the shadows in a flash.

Zhang Minglang's heart seemed to have flown away with Tang Yi's departing figure. He sat motionless in his seat, like a statue.

Only the warm, moist sensation on my lips lingered for a long time.

Tang Yi weaved through the crowded people and entered the restroom. It wasn't until she looked in the mirror while washing her hands that she realized her cheeks were flushed.

Like the cherry on the Angel's Kiss cup in Zhang Minglang's hand.

She stretched out her palm and gently pressed it against the skin of half of her face, but it only managed to lower the temperature of the skin by a tiny bit.

Tang Yi took a deep breath, looked at herself in the mirror one last time, and turned to walk out.

The location of the bar's restroom was not obvious, and the lighting was even somewhat dim. As she walked out, the sound of her high heels clicking rhythmically on the floor was clearly audible.

A black figure flashed past at the corner.

Tang Yi frowned: "Who?"

The dark figure seemed to hesitate for a moment before finally stepping slowly into the light under the pressure of Tang Yi's serious gaze.

Tang Yi's tightly furrowed brows relaxed the moment she saw him clearly, her tense shoulders and neck eased, and her tone contained a barely perceptible relaxation: "Sun Yuyang? What are you hiding here for?"

Sun Yuyang lowered his head, his hands hanging limply at his sides, looking utterly dejected and apologetic.

He spoke, weakly: "I'm sorry to have scared you. I didn't mean to."

Tang Yi noticed that something was wrong with him and cautiously took a small step away.

However, this small step easily shattered the psychological defenses that Sun Yuyang had painstakingly built up.

He looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with sorrow: "You're with your boss?"

Tang Yi frowned slightly upon hearing this, her eyelids twitching slightly. Looking into his eyes, she felt that the person in front of her was completely unfamiliar.

So she asked, "How did you know that?"

Sun Yuyang looked utterly devastated: "Are you trying to hide this from me? I saw you two kissing at the bar!"

Tang Yi suddenly felt a surge of disgust.

She has always disliked others prying into her private life.

She said in a less-than-friendly tone, "So what? We're dating, what does that have to do with you?"

Sun Yuyang seemed incredulous that she would say such a thing. He took a step forward, appearing somewhat aggressive: "Tang Yi, you've completely changed, even more...more harsh than before. Yeah, no wonder, your boyfriend never spoke very nicely to begin with. It's only natural that you two become similar now that you're dating..."

His voice grew softer, and Tang Yi could smell the alcohol on him. She glanced back at the bustling scene a few meters away, a stark contrast to this corner, and decided not to confront him directly, lest she endanger herself.

So she took another step back, refusing to argue with him any further: "You're drunk. Let's talk when you're sober."

After saying that, Tang Yi decisively turned around and walked out.

However, her wrist was suddenly grabbed, and a strong pull came from behind. Sun Yuyang pulled her back forcefully, and she slammed her back against the wall. Only then did she realize that she was experiencing a dull pain.

But she didn't have time to care. Almost the instant she was pulled back, she pulled out her phone from her pocket and dialed Zhang Minglang's number with trembling fingers.

Her wrist was still being gripped tightly, burning with pain. Sun Yuyang seemed to realize her movement; he reached out with his other hand, trying to snatch her phone away, repeatedly saying, "Don't call, don't let him come, I just want to talk to you properly, don't let him come..."

At the bar, Zhang Minglang's phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw Tang Yi's name, which made him feel uneasy.

He jumped up, answered the phone, and anxiously asked the waiter where the restroom was.

"Hello? Hello? Tang Yi? Can you hear me, Tang Yi?"

After receiving the general location, Zhang Minglang took extremely large and wide strides, the hem of his coat fluttering backward in the wind created by his movements. His heart was pounding, but he had to warn himself to stay calm.

On the other end of the microphone, there was the sound of clothes rubbing violently and a male voice muttering incessantly, but Tang Yi's voice was nowhere to be heard.

"Tang Yi!" Zhang Minglang shouted her name into the microphone. The other person seemed to finally hear him; her voice remained calm, but a tremor unlike her usual one was noticeable, and her words were incoherent: "Zhang Minglang! I'm in the bathroom, in the hallway, come quick!"

The words "Come quickly" were like icicles hanging from the eaves in a snowy winter, crashing down heavily on Zhang Minglang's head.

His body turned ice-cold, but his tone was extremely gentle and comforting: "Don't be afraid, Tang Yi, don't be afraid, I'm coming right away!"

Tang Yi heard this, and her agitated heart calmed down slightly. She began to reason with Sun Yuyang, who was clearly drunk and out of his mind.

"Sun Yuyang, let me go first. Can we talk this out calmly?"

Tang Yi tried her best to calm herself down and to keep her tone even: "Listen to me, you're drunk right now. The things you're doing and the thoughts you're having aren't based on reason..."

Sun Yuyang loosened his grip slightly, and Tang Yi seized the opportunity. She suddenly raised her high heel and stomped hard on one of his feet, then flung his hand away and turned to run away.

The corridor, only a few meters long, felt like a time tunnel. She could only hear the whistling wind in her ears, and dared not look back, only running towards the bustling scene ahead.

At the end of the corridor, amidst the bustling crowd, Tang Yi felt as if she were hallucinating. She saw a familiar back of a head. The person turned around, looked at her, and the person's wrinkled face finally relaxed the moment their eyes met.

The moment Zhang Minglang saw her, he disregarded everything else. He threw his phone off his ear, and it hit the ground with a loud bang, the screen shattering.

He almost violently pushed through the crowd, running forward with all his might.

He finally arrived. Tang Yi's body suddenly relaxed, and her legs went weak, almost causing her to fall.

In the nick of time, Zhang Minglang darted forward, slid down on one knee to her side, and finally caught the limp Tang Yi.

Tang Yi was like a drowning person who had finally grabbed the only wooden boat in the vast ocean, finally able to surface and breathe.

Zhang Minglang reached out and draped her head over his shoulder, gently stroking Tang Yirou's long, smooth hair.

He haphazardly brought his lips to the top of her head and kissed her, one hand stroking her head and the other gently patting Tang Yi's thin back.

Tang Yi had no strength left. She could only cling tightly to his shoulders and neck, trying to calm her trembling body.

Zhang Minglang slowly raised his eyes and looked at Sun Yuyang, who had woken up and was completely stunned, not far away in the corridor. His eyes were almost spitting fire.

Half an hour later, Tang Yi was carried by Zhang Minglang to the special car driven by Zhou's assistant and rushed to the hospital.

Despite Tang Yi's repeated, soft words of reassurance that she really didn't need to go, Zhang Minglang still ignored her and insisted on taking her to the hospital for a checkup.

The result was nothing serious. I only scratched my back and sprained my ankle during the argument with Sun Yuyang; they were all minor injuries and there was no need to be hospitalized.

But Zhang Minglang insisted that the doctor give her a bed, and in order for her to rest quietly, he even arranged for a VIP single room.

Tang Yi lay on the hospital bed, while Zhang Minglang sat beside her, holding her cold right hand tightly in both of his hands and pressing it to his lips.

Tang Yi couldn't help but laugh when she saw his worried expression, trying to put him at ease: "It's okay, I'm fine. Shall we go back in a bit?"

Zhang Minglang did not respond; he simply gripped her hand even tighter.

Tang Yi lowered her eyelashes and sighed, "I saw him after using the restroom, but I didn't think much of it. I really didn't expect him..."

"sorry."

Zhang Minglang's abrupt words interrupted her.

Tang Yi paused, then said softly, "What does this have to do with you? You don't need to apologize."

Zhang Minglang slowly turned his head, staring into her eyes under the cold white hospital room light. His brow bones were high, casting a small shadow in his eye sockets, so Tang Yi couldn't quite see his eyes clearly.

Zhang Minglang spoke, his voice low and trembling: "If we had listened to you back then, and instead of going to bars, we would have just stayed home drinking, and you wouldn't have..."

Tang Yi shook her head, and kept shaking her head.

"How can you make such an assumption? The two things are too far apart and have no direct connection, right? Besides, even if I don't go today, what about in the future? I can't possibly not go for the rest of my life, right?"

Zhang Minglang frowned, his eyes filled with worry: "Even after all this, will you still go? Why can't you never go again?"

Tang Yi lowered her eyelashes, thought silently for a long time, and finally spoke: "Zhang Minglang, I like bartending."

With just these eight words, without needing to say anything more, Zhang Minglang already knew what she was about to say.

She has her own hobbies and interests.

She is herself, and she will not change her choices because of him.

Tang Yi looked up again: "You might think I'm being willful, but I really love bartending, I enjoy that feeling. I think the only thing I can promise you is that, whether I'm still a bartender at Heaven or not, I will protect my personal safety, okay?"

Tang Yi stared at Zhang Minglang, afraid that he would say the word "no".

However, he only closed his eyes for a long time, and when he opened them again, it was as if a transparent and crystalline shell covered his eyes.

He nodded emphatically and said yes.

The thin shell in his eyes wasn't strong; it cracked as he nodded, and scalding tears slid down, landing on Tang Yi's hand, burning her hand.

Tang Yi sensed it, and her breath hitched.

Zhang Minglang lowered his head, as if he felt ashamed.

She smiled. She reached out her other hand and covered Zhang Minglang's thick hair, gently stroking it as she had done with Xiaobai's head, her voice filled with a tenderness she herself hadn't noticed:

"It's alright, it's alright."