Chapter 23 Tang Ran sensed a hint of familiarity…
"Hmm."
Song Zhixu grunted.
Tang Ran's press slammed Song Zhixu's wrist against the kitchen counter, causing it to hit hard.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." Tang Ran quickly grabbed her wrist to check.
The red mark stood out against her fair skin. Without thinking, Tang Ran blew on her wrist twice.
The cool breeze eased the dull pain on my skin, but also stirred up a slight itch.
"It's nothing, I just bumped into something."
Song Zhixu's fingers curled up unconsciously.
She tried to pull her hand away, but Tang Ran beat her to it. Tang Ran placed her palm on her reddened wrist, rubbed it, and turned back to apologize guiltily.
"It's all my fault for being so clumsy."
Just now, in order to wipe up the spilled soup, Song Zhixu walked behind her. When Tang Ran turned around, she met Song Zhixu's high nose.
My gaze shifted slightly downwards, revealing pink lips covered with a layer of glossy lip gloss, resembling a peach glistening with water.
Tang Ran subconsciously pursed her lips.
Her series of actions were so fast that by the time Song Zhixu could see clearly, Tang Ran's exquisite and flawless face was already within arm's reach.
The sweet floral scent filled Song Zhixu's nostrils, and a strange feeling swept through her heart, causing her to pause for a moment.
Similarly, Tang Ran only realized the situation when she felt the warm breath on her face.
A heat spread through her ears, and she quickly took a step back to create distance between them.
"Hey, Lao Song, what are you doing?"
Murong Yi's voice came through the receiver, breaking the slightly tense atmosphere.
Song Zhixu coughed lightly, "It's nothing, I have something to do today and won't be going."
"I think I heard someone talking? The voice was quite sweet." Murong Yi muttered, then suddenly raised her voice, "Seriously, Lao Song, are you up to something?!"
If Tang Ran had heard these words a minute earlier, she wouldn't have reacted at all. But after that little incident, Tang Ran felt that the atmosphere had become ambiguous.
"That's all for now, bye."
Ignoring Murong Yi's loud protests on the other end of the phone, Song Zhixu hung up immediately.
The quiet kitchen made the atmosphere between the two even more subtle.
Tang Ran said somewhat awkwardly, "If you have an appointment, then go ahead. I can come back to look at the course materials another day."
"It's nothing serious, just a good friend."
Compared to Tang Ran, Song Zhixu was much calmer. She picked up the plate and said calmly, "Let's eat first."
"good."
Upon arriving at the spacious restaurant, Tang Ran let out a soft breath and, taking advantage of Song Zhixu's inattention, fanned herself by the ear with her hand.
He comforted himself, telling himself that it was just an accident and he shouldn't take it to heart. He noticed that Song Zhi was very calm and unaffected.
Tang Ran silently repeated it twice before the temperature behind her ears subsided.
After the two sat down, Tang Ran suddenly realized that, across both her lifetimes, this seemed to be the first time she had ever eaten alone with Song Zhixu.
In fact, she had known Song Zhixu for much longer than Song Wuqi, but the two were nine years apart in age and had no other social circles that intersected except for family gatherings.
Song Zhixu doesn't eat much; she's neither picky about food nor does she have any particular favorites, just like the person she is—Tang Ran can't guess her likes or dislikes.
After dinner, Song Zhixu took Tang Ran to the study.
The wooden desk was spacious, with a desktop computer and a laptop on it, and even an extra chair was provided, which was obviously prepared in advance by Song Zhixu.
Song Zhixu pulled up the training courseware and placed the materials that Assistant Jiang had brought on the table.
"Here are the accompanying learning materials. Take a look first, and feel free to ask me if you have any questions."
"good."
Tang Ran nodded and saw Song Zhixu put on his glasses and sit down at the desktop computer. She then took out her Bluetooth headset and connected to it.
Song's training materials are a quick-start course designed for management positions with little financial background.
The content was not difficult, nor was it general; it was more targeted. Tang Ran listened to it without too much difficulty, although she occasionally didn't quite understand some of the technical terms.
While Tang Ran was listening to the lecture, Song Zhixu was handling his work nearby.
During the 45-minute training session, Song Zhixu received five phone calls and also held a video conference on the project.
Tang Ran sighed inwardly, "A big shot is a big shot indeed. He said he had nothing to do that night, but he still had endless work to handle."
Noticing Tang Ran's gaze, Song Zhixu looked up from the screen. "Is there a problem?"
Her expression was gentle, showing no displeasure at being disturbed.
"I've finished watching the first lesson, but there are some parts I don't quite understand."
Tang Ran was only there to audit the class, so she felt bad about bothering her. During the class, she marked down the parts she didn't understand, intending to ask her about them all at once.
Song Zhixu got up and walked over, resting one hand on the table as he looked at the documents in Tang Ran's hand.
Tang Ran pointed to several specially marked places on the balance sheet, saying, "I don't quite understand the calculation methods for these formulas regarding a company's short-term solvency."
This was Tang Ran's biggest concern, but the teacher in the video only mentioned it briefly and didn't go into detail.
"There should be a more detailed analysis after the balance sheet, but I'll just give you a brief overview first so you can get a general idea."
Song Zhixu did not skip over Tang Ran's question because it was about something that would be covered later; on the contrary, he was exceptionally patient.
In addition to explaining things Tang Ran didn't understand, they would also extend their explanations to situations that might arise in daily management.
Song Zhixu tilted her head slightly, with a strand of hair falling down one side, obscuring her vision.
She slightly raised her hand, her slender white fingers gently hooking the ear behind her ear, and then casually adjusted her slipped glasses frame.
Tang Ran's gaze faltered upon seeing her action.
like.
The last time Tang Ran saw Song Zhixu wearing glasses, she was also wearing a mask, and Tang Ran didn't think anything of it. But just now, when she tucked her hair back, Tang Ran sensed a familiar feeling.
Song Zhixu and Song Wuqi only share a three- or four-point resemblance, especially since Song Wuqi always wears glasses. If you don't look closely, no one would think they look alike.
Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that Song Wuqi and Song Zhixu resemble each other not in appearance, but in mannerisms and actions.
Song Wuqi's demeanor and actions, even his deliberate display of gentleness and thoughtfulness, are extremely similar to Song Zhixu's.
Tang Ran's eyes darkened.
Song Wuqi wore this gentle and considerate mask, deceiving her completely and driving her step by step to her doom.
"A company's short-term solvency needs to take into account the figures mentioned above. The following lesson..."
As if sensing something, Song Zhixu suddenly stopped speaking and turned to look at Tang Ran.
Tang Ran blinked, suppressing the sudden surge of anger in her heart, and smiled, her eyes crinkling. "I understand, sister. You explained it very clearly. Thank you, sister."
"Um."
"We'll do a comprehensive comparison and calculation when the rest is covered in later lessons."
Song Zhixu seemed oblivious to Tang Ran's unusual behavior and put down his pen without changing his expression.
"Okay." Tang Ran nodded obediently. She glanced at her watch. "It's getting late, so I won't disturb you any longer."
Unable to contain her anger, Tang Ran was unable to attend class calmly, and she even felt a little reluctant to see Song Zhixu.
"Okay." Song Zhixu straightened up and made room for her. "I have a meeting tomorrow afternoon, so I might not be back until later."
"Okay, I'll wait for my sister to come back." Tang Ran lowered her head and tidied up the documents in her hands.
Song Zhixu escorted her to the door.
The evening breeze was cool, and Tang Ran took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure.
The most effective way to deal with Song Wuqi is to win over Song Zhixu.
She shouldn't take her anger out on Song Zhixu because of Song Wuqi.
Even if we take a step back, if Song Zhixu's gentleness is just a hypocritical mask, what does it have to do with her? All she wants is to cooperate with Song Zhixu, not her true feelings.
Tang Ran smiled and turned around, asking, "What would you like to eat tomorrow, sister?"
"Anything is fine, I'm not picky about food."
Song Zhixu's answer was the same as it had been in the evening.
Tang Ran blinked. "Does your sister have any particular favorite dishes?"
A stubborn feeling arose in her heart, and the more she couldn't guess, the more Tang Ran wanted to know what she liked.
Song Zhixu raised her eyes, as if she had thought about it seriously.
After a few seconds, she shook her head slightly.
She really doesn't have any particular preference when it comes to food.
But Tang Ran seemed very determined to know what she liked to eat.
She noticed Tang Ran's subtle actions and thoughts during the meal.
Song Zhixu was perceptive. From her frequent encounters with Tang Ran these past few days and Tang Ran's attitude towards her, Song Zhixu guessed that Tang Ran was intentionally trying to get closer to her.
As for the purpose, Song Zhixu had some guesses, but did not draw any conclusions easily.
Tang Ran's phone vibrated; it was a call from Lu Shuyang. The corners of Tang Ran's mouth that had been turned up turned down again.
Among her friends, Lu Shuyang is the most mature and steady. He is very tactful and has a strong sense of boundaries. He would never call her this late unless it was an emergency.
Tang Ran guessed that something must have happened to Song Wuqi.
"Shuyang," Tang Ran answered the phone.
A deep voice came from the other end of the line: "Xiao Ran, Wu Qi is a little injured. Can you come to Jiangcheng Hospital now?"
A note from the author:
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