Chapter 33 Was my sister just here for a meal? ...
Tang Ran was surprised.
When leaving the farm, Song Zhixu told Murong Yi that she had something to do, and Tang Ran tacitly agreed that she would not go to her house to look at the course materials that night.
However, since Song Zhixu took the initiative to ask her, it must be convenient for her.
"Okay, I'll go back and change my clothes and come right away."
Tang Ran agreed without much thought, as she wanted to finish the course as soon as possible and understand the financial situation of the Tang family.
But before that, she needs to go home, take a shower, and calm down.
Watching Tang Ran run into the house, Song Zhixu's eyes crinkled into a smile.
Song Zhixu's phone vibrated; Assistant Jiang had sent her a folder. She clicked to download it and then opened Murong Yi's chat window.
A string of shocked and confused emojis was followed by a series of messages.
When did you become so close to Tang Ran?
[Tsk tsk, so that explains your sudden bad mood. It turns out it's because Tang Ran was flirting with someone else?]
[Confess! Do you have feelings for Tang Ran? No, have you already made a move?]
"So that's why you've been so willing to discipline your little niece lately; it's all because of Tang Ran."
[And that director of the convention center, why are you investigating him for no reason? Is your investigation related to Tang's bidding process?]
[Awesome.jpg]
It has to be you, Lao Song, quietly accomplishing great things!
[However, with Tang Ran's 5%, it will be even more difficult for my little niece to seize the throne. You've killed two birds with one stone.]
[What a clever little devil.jpg]
Song Zhixu ignored her and simply swiped the chat box closed.
The electronic lock opened automatically with fingerprint recognition. Song Zhixu sat down to change her shoes, and when she stood up again, the file had already been downloaded.
With her slender, pale fingertips, she opened the file, and a set of photos popped up. The main subjects of the photos were Song Wuqi and Ye Xiaoyu.
With one hand tracing the photo, Song Zhixu calmly unbuttoned her clothes with the other and walked unhurriedly towards the bedroom.
The photos were taken some yesterday and some today. The two people don't seem to be doing anything overtly intimate in the photos, but if you look at them together, something seems off.
According to the trajectory in the film, Song Wuqi and Ye Xiaoyu seemed to leave work separately yesterday, but in fact, Ye Xiaoyu got into Song Wuqi's car after walking two intersections, and the two went back to Song Wuqi's apartment together until they left early this morning.
Logically speaking, Ye Xiaoyu is Song Wuqi's assistant. Whether she left in Song Wuqi's car or stayed overnight at Song Wuqi's house, it could all be for work purposes, so there's no need to be so secretive.
But these two just had to put on a show of trying to cover up their misdeeds.
It's practically an admission of guilt.
Assistant Jiang: [Besides the person I found, there should be another person accompanying us.]
Another message popped up, followed by a photo of a man holding a camera.
Song Zhixu glanced casually towards the balcony, put down her phone, and unbuttoned the last button.
*
On Wednesday afternoon, Tang Ran flew to Shenzhen.
The exhibition lasted for four days. Tang Ran and General Manager Yu were mainly there to attend the business negotiation sessions that were not open to the public for the first two days.
After carefully browsing the exhibition on Thursday morning, Tang Ran set her sights on a food packaging partner.
The partner is not a large company, but they produce a high-barrier food preservation film that can better extend the shelf life of food.
At last week's meeting, Tang Ran heard from the factory that they had applied to the company for a purchase plan for this product.
After Tang Ran carefully learned about the product details, she was about to send the company information to the purchasing department so that they could contact the manufacturer when the person in charge suddenly changed his mind after receiving a phone call.
The packaging film, which was originally scheduled to be delivered within a week, will be delivered a month later than planned.
Tang Ran's expression hardened slightly as she looked at the person in charge, who was holding his phone and looking embarrassed. "Is President Lü joking with me?"
"Mr. Tang, I'm so sorry, my sales team just signed a big order, and the factory's production capacity for next month has already been fully booked," Mr. Lü said with an embarrassed smile.
He's filled with regret now. If he had known he would meet two big clients at the trade show, he would have borrowed money to expand the production line first.
As he was speaking, a group of people walked past the negotiation room.
Tang Ran recognized the person walking at the front of the transparent glass partition at a glance.
As she looked over, Sun Jiaojiao stopped and turned to look at Tang Ran, a mocking smile playing on her lips.
Now, Tang Ran understood everything.
It's definitely Sun Jiaojiao's doing again, deliberately trying to annoy her.
Tang Ran calmly withdrew her gaze and said to President Lü, "In that case, we have no choice but to find another partner."
4:30 PM, ST Hotel.
Tang Ran got out of the van and ran into General Manager Yu, who was returning from signing a contract with a new client.
Mr. Yu smiled broadly, indicating that the discussion went well.
"All done?" Tang Ran asked her.
The new client that Mr. Yu met at the morning exchange salon is a newly established brand that mainly sells meat snacks online.
"Yes, it went very smoothly. We also took the opportunity to visit Pengxi's live streaming base and learned a lot from their experience. We'll learn from it and make improvements when we get back." General Manager Yu nodded with a smile.
Tang's brand live streaming room was only opened this year, and the live streaming room is not very popular with average traffic.
"That's good," Tang Ran said with a smile.
Mr. Yu's work ability is beyond doubt. In the previous life, Tang's live broadcast room was done very well. It was only after the exhibition that Mr. Yu made improvements.
"I've been walking all day, and my calves are about to cramp up." Mr. Yu rubbed his lower back, looking like he couldn't wait to lie down.
"Let's go upstairs and rest for a bit. How about we have a buffet for dinner?" Tang Ran suggested.
When a deal is signed, it's natural to celebrate. Tang Ran is never stingy when it comes to rewarding employees.
"Director Tang is furious!" Director Yu immediately recovered.
A high-end buffet costing 598 yuan per person is something you can only afford when traveling with a small business owner.
As they walked in, talking, the automatic doors to the lobby opened.
President Yu looked at Tang Ran and asked, "What about you? Have you signed with Lvxi?"
The Green West she mentioned is the food packaging film company that Sun Jiaojiao signed with first.
Logically speaking, Tang Ran is currently the vice president of the marketing department, and procurement is not under her jurisdiction. However, she still has the status of the heiress, so it would be reasonable for her to find a supplier for Tang's Group from another department.
For some reason, Mr. Yu felt that this matter was not as simple as Tang Ran interfering on a whim.
She glanced at Tang Ran discreetly; the young boss in front of her seemed like a completely different person compared to before.
Of course, she was genuinely happy about Tang Ran's changes.
"It didn't work out, so I switched to another company."
Tang Ran didn't understand what President Yu was thinking. She shook her head and briefly told President Yu about what happened that afternoon.
When this matter is brought up, Xiao Chen can't help but complain.
“Sheng Tang is disgusting. I’ve found out that they knew we were going to sign with Green West, so they deliberately pre-ordered several months’ worth of supplies.”
"Stealing customers, stealing suppliers, are all the people of Sheng Tang like wild dogs? All they know is how to scramble for food!"
Mr. Yu's assistant, Annie, clicked her tongue and said, "Stop insulting dogs."
She had seen far more shameless acts of the Tang Dynasty than Xiao Chen had, and far more despicable acts than those of today.
Tang Ran patted Xiao Chen on the shoulder and advised, "It's not worth getting angry about this."
There were several food packaging manufacturers at the exhibition, and they later found another factory that could produce high-barrier films.
Sun Jiaojiao's actions only disgusted them and did nothing else; if they were truly angry, it would only have allowed her to succeed.
"It's infuriating!" Xiao Chen was still indignant.
Anna pulled Xiao Chen aside to comfort him, "Don't be angry anymore. If you get too angry, the lavish buffet later will be wasted."
Mr. Yu smiled and said, "Have a nice meal, then go to the bar on the top floor, and I guarantee all your troubles will disappear."
"The rooftop terrace offers a view of Pengjiang's nightscape, the drinks are great, and the live music at the bar is fantastic! It's amazing!" Anna happily added.
This area is not far from the airport. She and Mr. Yu often stay here when they travel for business. They are quite familiar with several hotels and leisure venues in the vicinity.
Tang Ran's phone vibrated. A friend in the group chat tagged everyone, inviting them to a party next month to reveal the gender of her unborn baby.
She looked down at the message, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone walking over from the opposite side. Tang Ran stepped aside and walked inside without looking up.
Her phone vibrated again; it was a message from Song Wuqi asking how her business trip was.
Tang Ran glanced at her, too lazy to reply, and put her phone away.
Song Wuqi has been acting strangely lately, much more attentive than before, frequently sending her messages and making phone calls to say pretty but insincere words of concern.
In the lobby behind her.
After Jiang Assistant missed Tang Ran by a few steps, he suddenly turned to look in the direction of the elevator hall. After seeing her face clearly, he subconsciously turned back to look in the direction of the reception hall.
Unexpectedly, yet not unexpectedly, I saw my boss's gaze also fixed on the direction of the elevator.
She said that the boss never asked which hotel she booked for her business trips, but this time he specifically told her to book the hotel in ST.
She initially thought the boss wanted ST to be close to the airport so it would be convenient for him to fly back the next day, but she never expected this...
She's too naive.
Assistant Jiang quickly suppressed her surprise and walked over to her boss as if she hadn't seen through anything, handing her the room key that had been processed.
"The room is on the 17th floor."
Song Zhixu calmly withdrew his gaze and stood up from the sofa with composure.
She took the room key and said, "Tell Mr. Yang that we'll have dinner at the Cantonese restaurant upstairs in the hotel; we don't want to go too far."
"OK."
After dinner, Tang Ran and the other three took the elevator to the top floor.
The bar has a great vibe, with a mid-20th-century retro interior design. The resident singer is really beautiful, with mixed-race features, and is singing a melodious country song with pretty good vocals.
The four of them were so full that they didn't order any more food. In addition to drinks for each person, Tang Ran also ordered five songs.
The singer has a very distinctive voice, and Tang Ran really likes it.
Before singing, the resident singer raised his glass in their direction with a bright smile.
Their booth was by the window, where they could see the Pengjiang River reflecting the bustling lights of both banks and the brightly lit modern skyscrapers on the opposite bank. Cruise ships on the river cruised by leisurely, leaving shimmering waves in their wake, creating a scene resembling a flowing urban nightscape.
After sitting for more than an hour, the four of them prepared to go downstairs and leave.
As we entered the elevator, Miao Tiantian called.
Tang Ran told President Yu and the others to go downstairs first, and then went to the side to answer the phone.
Miao Tiantian took on a new job on Monday and has been so busy these past few days that she's been working day and night. She only found out that Tang Ran had gone to Shenzhen after seeing her WeChat Moments.
She called about nothing important, just to ask when Tang Ran would be back and to tell her that she had organized a gathering at "He" next Sunday and that Tang Ran absolutely had to attend.
After a brief chat, Tang Ran hung up the phone.
"Hello."
A voice that was neither familiar nor easily recognizable rang out from behind.
Tang Ran turned around and, sure enough, saw the mixed-race resident singer at the bar.
"Can we be friends?" the singer asked with a bright smile.
Besides his distinctive voice, this person also had a pair of exceptionally beautiful grey-blue eyes, like a pair of sparkling gems.
Out of respect for those beautiful eyes, Tang Ran didn't coldly turn and leave.
She smiled. "Just to make friends?"
She's heard countless attempts to strike up a conversation with him by asking how he's making friends with her since she was a child.
Unexpectedly, Tang Ran was so direct. The singer curled the corner of his lips and his eyes became ambiguous.
She leaned forward, lowered her voice, and made full use of her strengths, saying, "It doesn't have to be just friends."
Tang Ran stepped back. She asked that question to make things clear, not to let the other party take advantage of her.
She stopped laughing. "I'm afraid that's not possible. I have a girlfriend."
Are you kidding me?
The singer didn't believe it, thinking it was just an excuse Tang Ran was using to fob her off.
Tang Ran shrugged, indicating that there was nothing she could do if she didn't believe it, and turned to leave.
"Hey, wait a minute..."
The singer reached out to pull Tang Ran, but was blocked by another hand that suddenly stepped in.
She frowned and looked at the owner of the hand.
The woman was tall and beautiful, wearing a well-tailored haute couture suit, exuding elegance, poise, and a powerful aura.
She glanced at the singer lightly, and the singer subconsciously withdrew his hand.
Upon seeing Song Zhixu, Tang Ran couldn't hide her surprise, "What are you doing here?"
She knew Song Zhixu was on a business trip this week, but she didn't expect that he would be in Shenzhen like her, and that they would meet by such a coincidence.
"I have an appointment with a client." Song Zhixu's expression softened.
The singer glanced at them and thought they didn't look like a couple.
She took out a business card, handed it to Tang Ran, winked at her, and said in a still ambiguous tone, "If you change your mind, you can contact me anytime."
Tang Ran: ...
I regret not having refused outright.
Beauty can lead people astray.
"She won't change her mind."
Before Tang Ran could speak, Song Zhixu spoke first.
This sounded a bit presumptuous, and the singer looked at them with a questioning gaze.
Did she guess wrong?
Song Zhixu looked at Tang Ran, blinked gently, and a gentle smile appeared on her face. Tang Ran immediately understood and smiled back.
Song Zhixu raised his hand and put it on Tang Ran's shoulder, looking at the singer.
The singer sheepishly took back his business card, turned around, and left.
The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously smiled knowingly.
That scene just now was all too familiar.
Last time, Tang Ran used the same method to help Song Zhixu get rid of people who were trying to pick her up. This time, the two of them switched roles.
After laughing, Tang Ran sensed something was amiss.
The person had already left, but Song Zhixu's hand on her shoulder remained on her shoulders.
They were so close that Tang Ran could clearly smell the white tea fragrance on Song Zhixu.
A flush rose to her face, and she turned to the side, trying to use the action of pressing the elevator button to create distance between herself and Song Zhixu.
As soon as she moved, Song Zhixu also took a step, not lowering the arm on her shoulder, but instead tightening it around her.
She turned around in surprise, and coincidentally, Song Zhixu leaned slightly towards her.
Their upturned noses brushed against each other unintentionally.
For a moment, both of them were stunned.
Less than a finger's width apart, their breaths met lightly, and Tang Ran clearly detected that sweet aroma, carrying a hint of champagne, that didn't belong to her.
A blush suddenly spread across Tang Ran's cheeks, and she immediately lowered her head, wanting to back away.
"Don't move, she hasn't left yet."
Song Zhixu lowered his head and whispered something.
Tang Ran stopped retreating.
"Um."
She made a barely audible response through her nose, her back slightly straightened, a little stiff, and she didn't turn her head to look at Song Zhixu again.
Noticing her change, Song Zhixu straightened up again, loosened her grip on Tang Ran's shoulder, and simply rested her hand on it lightly.
Noticing her movement, Tang Ran's tense shoulders quietly slumped down.
Song Zhixu is truly gentle and understanding.
With a ding, the elevator doors slowly opened.
"Let's go down first," Song Zhixu suggested.
Tang Ran nodded, and the two entered the elevator together.
As the elevator doors closed, Tang Ran subconsciously glanced in the direction of the bar.
She didn't see the singer at the door, but she could see the bar door shake slightly, as if someone had opened it and gone inside.
Noticing Tang Ran's actions, Song Zhixu's lips twitched slightly.
The little guy is quite suspicious.
Outside the elevator, Assistant Jiang, who had just come out of the restroom, looked back at the empty corridor with a bewildered expression.
How did my boss disappear without a trace in the blink of an eye?
She glanced back. Had the boss gone to the restroom too?
Inside the elevator.
Song Zhixu naturally withdrew his hand and turned to ask Tang Ran, "Which floor do you live on?"
"11th floor, thank you."
As the heat on her shoulder subsided, Tang Ran completely relaxed.
Seeing that Song Zhixu hadn't pressed any other floor button, Tang Ran assumed she didn't live here: "Sister, are you just here for dinner?"
The top floor of ST only has a bar and a Cantonese restaurant.
“You also live here. I’ll take you downstairs first; I need to go back to the restaurant later,” Song Zhixu explained carefully.
Hearing that she had come all this way specifically to accompany her on set, Tang Ran felt a little embarrassed. "Thank you for your trouble, sister."
Song Zhixu smiled faintly, and instead of saying anything like "don't be so polite," asked, "How many days are you going on this business trip?"
"If nothing else, I'll be back the day after tomorrow."
Tomorrow's schedule is quite tight. There's an industry gathering in the morning, and I need to visit a partner cold chain logistics company in the afternoon.
Tang Ran didn't want to catch the late flight, so she planned to rest for one night and return to Jiangcheng the next day.
"When is your sister coming back?" Tang Ran asked her.
"Tomorrow night."
The elevator stopped on the 11th floor. Tang Ran stepped out, turned back, smiled, and said goodbye, "See you when you get back!"
See you when I get home.
Song Zhixu smiled and nodded, while Tang Ran waved and left.
Top floor.
Assistant Jiang stood at the bathroom door for a long time, but his boss didn't come out.
After hesitating for a while, she took out her phone and opened the dial pad when her boss called.
She let out a sigh of relief and slid off. Before she could say anything, she heard the boss's clear voice say, "Wait for me at the elevator."
"Okay." Assistant Jiang hung up the phone and quickly walked towards the elevator.
Looking at the boss coming up from downstairs, Assistant Jiang was completely confused.
Did the boss go down and come back up?
But why?
the next day.
It was past 6 p.m. when Xiao Chen returned to the city from his partner's factory. Xiao Chen was going to meet a friend, while Tang Ran went back to her hotel by herself.
On the way back, Tang Ran felt a slight heaviness in her lower abdomen.
Her period was never very accurate, and she had been so busy these past few days that Tang Ran had put her period out of her mind.
She rubbed her stomach, thinking to herself, "No wonder I felt so cold when I visited the cold chain warehouse that afternoon."
Back at the hotel.
Tang Ran realized that it was indeed her period visiting, so she took another shower and went to the restaurant for dinner.
Tang Ran's stomach discomfort affected her appetite, and she could only scoop out a small half bowl of seafood risotto before she couldn't eat anymore.
The bloating in her lower abdomen became more and more obvious. She thought to herself, "Oh no, this feeling is too familiar. It's definitely the premonition of menstrual cramps."
Tang Ran quickly opened the food delivery app and ordered some painkillers.
What you fear most is what happens.
She had just reached the elevator entrance when she felt a sharp pain in her stomach.
Tang Ran gasped, cold sweat pouring down her forehead.
She raised her hand to cover her stomach, bent over slightly, and pressed the up key.
bite!
The elevator doors opened, and Tang Ran stepped inside without even looking.
"Hmm."
Tang Ran's forehead struck something soft, making her head spin for a moment, and a soft groan came from above her head.
"I'm sorry..." Tang Ran apologized first.
A delicate aroma of white tea wafted into her nostrils. She paused for a moment, then belatedly realized that the scent was the same as Song Zhixu's perfume.
She looked up in surprise and, sure enough, saw Song Zhixu's face.
"Sister, you... hiss..."
Tang Ran only managed to utter two words before being interrupted by a sharp pain in her lower abdomen.
A wave of dizziness washed over her, and she instinctively reached out to hold onto the elevator door frame, only to find her palm touching something warm.
She placed her hand on Song Zhixu's arm.
As Tang Ran reached out her hand, Song Zhixu also raised his hand to help her.
Tang Ran's body instinctively pulled Song Zhixu downwards, causing Song Zhixu to bend over.
Realizing her actions, Tang Ran let go of his hand, feeling embarrassed.
She tried to stand up, but the excruciating pain in her lower abdomen intensified, and she couldn't straighten her back at all.
A warm hand gently supported her waist, and then she was lifted to her feet by a soft force.
Completely enveloped by the aroma of white tea, Tang Ran looked up and realized that she was already half-encircled in Song Zhixu's arms.
The position was ambiguous, but the intense pain left Tang Ran with no time to think about it.
"Are you alright?" Song Zhixu asked with concern. "Do you need to go to the hospital?"
-----------------------
Author's note: My darlings, do you think the singer was actually peeking at the two of them from the doorway?
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