Chapter 51 "You never liked him in high school?"...
Upon hearing Sheng Yu's words, Tang Ci's face froze for a moment, then her body strangely calmed down. Her hands stopped trembling, but she helplessly pressed her open neckline and asked in a low voice, "Is it okay if I don't take off my clothes?"
Sheng Yu looked at her lifeless eyes, his brows furrowing even more, almost glaring at her fiercely. After a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence from his throat: "Take your things and go to the second bedroom."
Only after the bathroom door was slammed shut and the sound of rushing water filled the air did Tang Ci snap out of her daze and head to the second bedroom with her luggage.
When she opened the door, she was stunned again by the scene inside the room.
The familiar room was clean and tidy. The bed was made with brand-new bedding, and there was even a vase on the desk with a few bunches of fresh white gardenias in full bloom, filling the air with a faint fragrance.
Sheng Yu hired a cleaning lady to clean the room regularly, so this room must have been cleaned by her as well.
Tang Ci closed the door and began arranging her belongings.
After everything was tidied up, it was almost noon. With a clean bedroom in front of her, Tang Ci wasn't surprised to see all kinds of fresh ingredients in the refrigerator.
She had just taken a tomato out of the refrigerator when she heard footsteps in the living room. Her throat tightened, and she turned to look.
After taking a shower, Sheng Yu changed into a light striped shirt, without a tie, and tucked the hem into dark trousers, which made his figure appear even more upright.
He changed his shoes in the entryway, then looked up as if he had only just noticed the commotion in the kitchen: "Is something the matter?"
"Where are you going?" Tang Ci asked, holding the tomato.
"company."
Tang Ci said "Oh," her throat slightly choked, "I'm going to make lunch, do you want to eat with me?"
She regretted asking the question as soon as she did.
Although she often cooks for herself, her culinary skills are really not good. She can manage to cook for herself, but she probably can't handle the picky Sheng Yu.
Tang Ci began to imagine Sheng Yu getting angry because she had cooked something terrible. She pursed her lips and added softly, "But my cooking might not be very good... and there's only one tomato left..."
"Don't ask next time if you don't want to."
Sheng Yu scoffed coldly and pushed the door open to leave with a cold face.
The sound of the door closing was deafening.
Startled by the loud noise, Tang Ci leaned back, squeezing the smooth tomato skin until it dented.
/
To maintain peace in the house, Tang Ci decided to stay in the bedroom as much as possible when at home and not go out unless necessary.
But she soon realized that her worries were unnecessary. Sheng Yu was just as others had said, leaving early and returning late, busy with official business all day, plus frequent business trips, so he spent very little time at home.
For several days in a row, the two barely saw each other.
Tang Ci gradually got used to living in Zizhuyuan, but it was strange that the cleaning lady never came to the door.
The collaborative project between the two companies is progressing steadily. Tang Ci and her team members have produced several drafts and asked Xiang Wen when they could discuss the details.
Xiang Wen quickly replied, saying that he would come directly to Jianchuan that afternoon to talk.
After Tang Ci and Xiang Wen confirmed the time, they checked the document again, and that's when the mistake occurred.
A file sent to her by a team member had an error and needed to be redone. Due to the urgency, Tang Ci, who was quick, took over the task herself. She ate some bread at the convenience store downstairs at noon and then continued working overtime.
During lunch break, there were only a few employees in the office. Tang Ci was focused on her drawing and didn't notice the figure approaching her from behind.
She was startled when her shoulder was suddenly pressed down, and when she turned around, she saw Zidane standing behind her.
“Tianyang, work overtime to revise the design draft. Your comments are in the document,” Qi Zu said, tossing a USB drive onto her desk. “Give it to me in an hour.”
Tang Ci glanced at the screen; there was only half an hour left before the time she agreed to meet Xiang Wen, and she hadn't finished her drawing yet.
Not wanting to cause trouble at this critical juncture, Tang Ci quickly took the USB drive: "Okay, Manager Qi, please wait a moment. My client is almost here. I'll make the changes after we finish talking."
Zidane's hand on her shoulder began to exert force, and he glared at her, saying, "Don't you understand me? I said one hour, and that's one hour."
Tang Ci winced in pain, realizing that Zidane was deliberately picking a fight.
Ever since she officially took over the Yunqi project, Qi Zu has had a gloomy face all day long. Today, he is trying to trip her up again at this crucial moment.
Tolerance doesn't earn respect, and Tang Ci's face turned cold. She pushed Qi Zu's hand away and stood up: "Manager Qi, I've made myself very clear, I don't have time right now."
Qi Zu's breathing quickened, and the fat on his face trembled. He narrowed his eyes, grabbed Tang Ci's arm, and forcefully shoved her into the chair: "You have to do it today, whether you like it or not! Can't I, a manager, control you?!"
Tang Ci was the same height as Zidane, but only half his size, and was unable to move for a while because of Zidane's restraint.
The few people in the office looked up when they heard the noise and saw that it was Zidane who was angry. Not wanting to get into trouble, they all lowered their heads and kept their eyes down.
"I'll watch you do it." Zidane placed one hand on her desk, displaying the demeanor of a superior to the fullest.
Tang Ci was enveloped by his heavy breathing and suddenly thought of Tang Jianwei.
When she was little, Tang Jianwei also forced her to do things in the same way.
The nightmare from her childhood resurfaced, and Tang Ci instinctively felt fear, her chest heaving as she tried to calm herself. Taking advantage of Zidane's inattention, she picked up her phone and dialed the police.
But she had only pressed two buttons when Zidane snatched her phone away.
Qi Zu threw her phone onto the desk next to him, staring at her with a gloomy face: "Tang Ci is really asking for it. It's only natural for a leader to ask you to do work. I've never heard of anyone calling the police for this."
Tang Ci turned to stare at Zidane's face, which was inches away from hers: "It's lunch break now. Forcing me to work at this time is an abuse of power."
Ignoring the pain in her arm from his grip, she forcefully pushed Zidane away from her: "Besides, you lay hands on your subordinates, I can sue you for harassment."
Qi Zu was breathing heavily through his nostrils, staring at her with wide eyes in disbelief.
He never expected that Tang Ci, who was usually mild-mannered, would dare to contradict him like that. Recalling the rumors circulating in the company that she was going to replace him, Qi Zu's blood boiled, and with red eyes, he stretched out his hand and slapped Tang Ci's cheek.
"I told you not to talk nonsense—"
Tang Ci turned her head to the side to dodge, her fingers clenched tightly, bracing herself for a slap.
The expected pain did not come.
Thump—
A dull thud, like a heavy object hitting the floor, suddenly echoed through the office.
Just moments ago, Zidane was arrogant and domineering, but now he was groaning as he collapsed to the floor, a thermos lying at his feet.
Tang Ci recognized the thermos in front of her as belonging to the front desk and, as if waking from a dream, looked towards the main entrance.
His body froze completely.
Sheng Yu walked over from the main entrance, twirling her wrist, followed by Xiang Wen, who dared not breathe, and He Xiao, who had a forced smile on his face.
Qi Zu scrambled to his feet, about to unleash a torrent of curses, when his gaze fell upon Sheng Yu. He immediately greeted him with utmost deference, "President Sheng? What brings you here?" He frowned, muttering suspiciously, "Which bastard just smashed this thing..."
Sheng Yu had already walked up to him, looking down at him: "I smashed it."
Qi Zu's rubbing of his lower back froze, and he tentatively asked, "What are you doing?"
Sheng Yu chuckled, pulled a book from Tang Ci's bookshelf, and deftly tossed it at Qi Zu's face: "What do you mean by that?"
After a crisp sound, the huge office became eerily quiet.
Zidane was stunned by the slap and covered his face without moving.
He Xiao's face also darkened, and he asked with a forced smile, "Why are you so angry about such a small thing?"
Tang Ci's heart leaped into her throat. She looked anxiously at Sheng Yu, her hands clenching tightly behind her back.
Sheng Yu glanced at the red finger mark on her arm, his eyes darkening further. He raised an eyebrow and said to He Xiao, "We at Yunqi cannot afford to cooperate with a company where the boss arbitrarily bullies the employee."
He Xiao's eyes widened, and he immediately waved his hand to smooth things over: "Oh dear, it's all a misunderstanding. Manager Qi was probably just trying to scare Xiao Tang. It's just a minor misunderstanding between employees. It's not as serious as you're making it out to be."
Even with the strongest relationship, Zidane couldn't escape blame for the impact on the company's major collaborations, so he could only grit his teeth and agree: "Yes, yes, I was just impulsive and didn't mean to hit Little Tang."
Seeing Zidane's sycophantic manner, Tang Ci felt instinctively disgusted and pursed her lips into a straight line.
"Is that so?" Sheng Yu glanced at Tang Ci.
He Xiao immediately gave Tang Ci a warning look.
Tang Ci moved her lips, but no sound came out.
Sheng Yu spoke first: "Think it over before you speak. I hate people who lie the most."
He Xiao rubbed his face, feeling a headache coming on.
Tang Ci's heart clenched. She didn't know if he was referring to this specific incident or using it as a pretext to accuse her of her past actions.
Sheng Yu stared at her intently.
Tang Ci pressed her hand against the edge of the table, lowered her eyes, and recounted the whole story in detail.
Her words were objective, and Zidane couldn't find a way to refute them; the more he listened, the paler his face became.
Upon hearing this, Sheng Yu's temples throbbed with anger, and he asked He Xiao, "Mr. He, how do you plan to handle this matter?"
Looking at his expression, He Xiao speculated, "If the person who made the mistake publicly apologizes, their position will likely change."
"It's too light." Sheng Yu crossed his arms.
Tang Ci raised her head and said softly, "That's enough."
Sheng Yu tapped his arm impatiently with his fingertip and raised his chin toward Qi Zu: "Apologize."
Zidane glanced at the group of subordinates gathered at the door, and after a long pause, he finally said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have acted this way as a superior. I'll communicate properly next time."
He Xiao pressed on while the iron was hot: "Now that the matter is resolved, let's talk about work. Tang Ci and her team have put a lot of effort into the Yunqi project."
Reminded by him, Tang Ci turned her head to look at the time on the computer screen, only to meet countless gossipy eyes at the gate.
A group of colleagues who had finished eating crowded at the main entrance and watched for who knows how long.
This was the first time Qi Zu had ever lost face like this in Jianchuan. He verbally asked He Xiao for leave and left through the back door with a sullen look on his face, his cheeks red from being beaten.
He Xiao led Sheng Yu to the conference room first, and the colleagues swarmed around Tang Ci, asking her all sorts of questions.
Qi Zu has a history of bullying people, so everyone knows what happened without even having to guess. The focus of the conversation then shifted to Sheng Yu.
The meeting room was not far from the office. Tang Ci was afraid that Sheng Yu would hear, so she said that the two were high school classmates.
When asked why her classmates defended her so much, Tang Ci made up a bunch of lies—
Sheng is beautiful inside and out, and she is always willing to help others.
Turning her head, she saw Sheng Yu standing by the corridor, looking at her with a half-smile: "Student Tang, shall we still talk about the project?"
Tang Ci's ears turned red, and she nodded repeatedly, hurriedly following after him with her notebook in hand.
/
Upon arriving at the conference room, Tang Ci had already returned to work mode.
She sat opposite Sheng Yu and explained the design drafts clearly and concisely.
Sheng Yu is the kind of client that designers both love and hate. Not only is he knowledgeable, but he also has good aesthetic sense and naturally has extremely high requirements for design. During the two-hour meeting, he raised many key opinions.
Tang Ci wrote down each item in her notebook, rubbing her aching shoulders as she said, "We'll try to avoid these areas, but some involve the materials used in the renovation. There might be a slight difference between what you see and what you get. If it's convenient for you, I can take you to see them."
She was so engrossed in the question that she lost control of the force in her fingers, leaving several red finger marks on her fair shoulder and red marks on her arm from being gripped.
Sheng Yu twirled the pen in his hand, then put it down, saying in an unquestionable tone, "Rest first."
"Oh..." Tang Ci's gaze followed his movement as he stood up and went upwards: "There's coffee and tea in the tea room, what would you like to drink?"
Sheng Yu looked at her, tapped his finger on the table, and asked, "Where can you smoke?"
His actions instantly reminded Tang Ci of the time in the billiard hall when Sheng Yu asked her the same question.
It's as if he hasn't changed at all over the years.
Tang Ci blinked and pointed out the French windows, saying, "We can do it on the terrace."
Xiao Jing returned shortly after going out with two cups of coffee, one of which she shoved into Tang Ci's hand: "Sister Xiao Ci, you're not being honest."
Tang Ci, puzzled, uttered a confused "Hmm?"
"What do you mean 'just okay'?!" Xiao Jing gestured with her chin towards the man standing on the terrace. "He's incredibly handsome, okay! I didn't dare look at him during the meeting just now, afraid I'd forget to breathe..."
Tang Ci was amused by her rhythmic tone, took a sip of coffee, and looked towards the terrace.
The setting sun bathed the terrace in a golden glow, and a tall, imposing man stood by the railing. His shirt outlined his unassuming figure, while his cinched waist exuded a mature and ascetic aura.
Things had changed, Tang Ci suddenly realized at this moment.
Even from a safe distance, her gaze remained fixed on his back, unable to look away.
After a short while, Sheng Yu stubbed out his cigarette, and as he turned around, Tang Ci quickly lowered her eyes, her heart pounding like a thief.
Xiao Jing, cupping her face in her hands, muttered, "A man like President Sheng must have been very popular back in school..."
She poked Tang Ci's hand and asked mischievously, "Sister Ci, didn't you like him back in high school? I couldn't resist."
Tang Ci only saw her mouth moving, and asked a beat late.
"What."
"What are you talking about?"
Sheng Yu opened the conference room door, her voice overlapping with hers.
"President Sheng," Xiao Jing scratched the back of his head a little embarrassedly, "I asked Sister Xiao Ci if she had a crush on you in high school..."
Tang Ci heard this clearly this time, and the color drained from her face in an instant. She looked at Sheng Yu in a panic.
She looks like she's about to cry.
Sheng Yu's Adam's apple bobbed slightly: "This time, I can lie."
Like a criminal who had been pardoned in court, Tang Ci's expression softened, and she said in a joking tone, "Yes, I liked him. Back then, almost all the girls in the school liked him."
This time she was telling the truth.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
