Chapter 81
In early December, Song Xianle returned to work for Jiang Zhifan. She and He Yanqing no longer hid their relationship from the public, and they would greet each other whenever they ran into each other at the company.
About a week later, almost everyone in the company knew that the two were together.
"Hey hey hey! Did you know! Director He from the Planning Department is dating CEO Jiang's new secretary!"
"Holy crap! Is this true?! I thought someone just made it up!"
"They got together on a business trip? This woman is quite resourceful."
"But I heard they were in the same university before, maybe they know each other."
"I heard from Qian Huizhen that they used to be classmates."
As soon as these words came out, everyone stared at Xie Ying.
"Well, isn't Qian Huizhen close to Song Xianle? She said that Song Xianle and He Yanqing were in the same class in college, so maybe they had a crush on each other back then. And now they've met again, it's fate!"
"That might be because they were attracted to each other before, but now neither of them is single, so they just happened to be together now!"
"What are you guys chattering about? It's work time now, not the time for you to gossip!"
Xu Xu saw three or five people gathered together and heard them talking about the love affair between He Yanqing and the young secretary beside President Jiang. Although he was also curious, as their superior, he should stop them from continuing the conversation.
"Go back to your seats!"
"Work hard and stop gossiping."
The three girls and two boys stared at each other, then turned their stools back to face their computers.
——
After Song Xianle returned to Jiang Zhifan, her work content was almost the same as when she was with He Yanqing, except that Jiang Zhifan asked her to sign up for a training class, so she was not free on Thursday and Saturday nights.
After get off work, Song Xianle and He Yanqing appeared at the company gate together, and people in the company kept looking at them.
It was December, and the cold wind was blowing. He Yanqing and Song Xianle were wearing the same black coat. When they stood together, their relationship was self-evident.
"The squad leader is getting married this Sunday and sent me an invitation," He Yanqing said, holding out the invitation. Song Xianle took it and glanced at it.
"Who is the bride? Is she his ex-girlfriend?"
She remembered that her class monitor had a girlfriend back in school, and she would post on social media every time Chinese Valentine's Day or Valentine's Day came around. She remembered that they had been together since high school.
"Looking at the photo, it seems to be the same girl." He Yanqing said.
Song Xianle nodded and asked, "Are you going? I felt like you two had a pretty good relationship back in college. And he even gave you an invitation."
Song Xianle held He Yanqing's arm with one hand and held the invitation in the other. She looked carefully at the photos in the invitation - one person was wearing a white wedding dress and the other was wearing a black suit. Both of their pupils were shining and they looked very happy.
He Yanqing: "Are you going? I want to take you with me. He said you can bring family members."
He Yanqing glanced at Song Xianle's fallen scarf and helped her wrap the scarf back around her neck.
"Great, they will definitely be surprised to see us together." Song Xianle smiled and looked up at He Yanqing.
Both of them stopped and looked at each other in tacit understanding.
He Yanqing couldn't help but reach out and pinch Song Xianle's face. He saw that her mouth was pouting and her eyes were glaring at his sudden action.
For some reason, He Yanqing felt that her current demeanor resembled that of a rabbit. Because in his impression, Song Xianle looked rather serious when she wasn't smiling, like a dignified fox, giving people a sense of aloofness, and not the agility he felt now.
He Yanqing laughed at her appearance, "Yeah, very cute."
Song Xianle wanted to take his hand away, but He Yanqing held it. However, the hand that was doing evil on her face also left her face.
"Is it fun?"
Without waiting for He Yanqing to answer, Song Xianle reached out and pinched it back, and even rubbed it hard a few times, using several times more force than the light pinch He Yanqing had just given her.
When Song Xianle let go of her hand, He Yanqing's cheeks turned pink. Feeling a little guilty, she reached out and gently touched the red spot on his face, trying to wipe it away. While touching his face, she said to him, "You are also cute like this."
He Yanqing let her hands rub against his face. She had used quite a bit of force on his face earlier, and now this action seemed to be an attempt to cover up the truth. After more than ten seconds, he reached out to stop her. "Okay, it's cold outside, get in the car first."
Seeing the red marks on He Yanqing's face, Song Xianle felt guilty and looked away. Then he continued, "Your face is a little red. It's cold."
He Yanqing looked at her and smiled, as if he could see through her little thoughts.
The two walked for a minute to reach the parking space.
In the parking lot, the two of them encountered many colleagues, their eyes first grazing on He Yanqing, then jumping to Song Xianle beside him. Occasionally, they would run into a few people who were familiar with He Yanqing, and they would greet them openly.
"Where are we going to eat?"
He Yanqing and Song Xianle got in the car and left the parking lot.
Song Xianle took out his phone and opened a food delivery platform. "Let's go to this place. They have a lot of monthly sales."
He Yanqing parked the car on the side of the road. Song Xianle handed him the phone and pointed to the store name on it.
"This Thai food here has received a lot of positive reviews. I saw on my friends' circle the day before yesterday that they all checked in and said it tasted good. We should go give it a try."
"good."
"But it's a little far. It's near our school."
He Yanqing turned on the navigation, "It's a half-hour drive, not too far."
Song Xianle recalled the last time they met and said with a smile, "Last time we were near the school and you took me home. Do you remember?"
He Yanqing didn't understand what was going on and looked at her. "I remember. What's wrong?"
Song Xianle had a small idea and continued, "We actually went to school on the same day and ran into each other. Isn't that a coincidence?"
He Yanqing recalled the day when he met Song Xianle while having dinner with his family.
After they had finished their meal and said goodbye to their family, he saw the photos she posted on her WeChat Moments and unconsciously drove to the school, where he met her.
He Yanqing leaned back, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, "What a coincidence, it shows that we are destined to be together."
After all the twists and turns, the person by my side is still you.
Seeing that he wasn't curious at all, Song Xianle said, "I posted that circle of friends on purpose."
He Yanqing glanced at her to the right and asked, "Did you send it specifically for me to see?"
"Yes."
When the traffic light turned green, He Yanqing reached out and touched the back of Song Xianle's head and said, "I'm very happy."
Song Xianle reached out and held the hand on the back of her head, and replied to him: "I am very happy too."
"Okay, just focus on driving."
He Yanqing touched the back of Song Xianle's hand and only withdrew his hand when the green light came on.
Half an hour later, He Yanqing drove past Liaokai University.
It was lunchtime and the school gate was crowded with people. There were tricycles parked in front of the school gate and various vendors were shouting, trying to attract people's attention.
The two arrived at the "Thai Food Shop" around seven o'clock. The shop was relatively hidden and not in the downtown area, so the environment was relatively quiet.
The Thai food shop's decor is reminiscent of a Hainan holiday resort, with coconut figurines adorning some shelves and a large expanse of white and green walls. Even though it's winter, the atmosphere feels like a refreshing summer day, so refreshing you could even take off your coat.
As soon as Song Xianle and He Yanqing entered the room, they went to the second floor, where most of the people sitting were couples. Song Xianle took He Yanqing to sit near the railing.
There was a QR code on the dining table, and Song Xianle opened his phone and scanned it.
"Are you such an ungrateful person?" The man glanced around and deliberately raised his voice, speaking word by word.
Not only did the person sitting next to him turn around to look, but the sound also reached the second floor, and Song Xianle and He Yanqing also lowered their heads to look down.
Jiang Zhifan saw Lian Gao sitting there calmly, as if he was not the one being threatened, and he continued to negotiate terms with her.
Lian Gao, in a completely different tone from his usual self, sat there nonchalantly. He picked up the beer the waiter had just handed him, took a sip, and said, "Boss Jiang, I gave you the land in the northern suburbs. Can't you treat me to a meal?"
They've already sat down, yet they still ask me, "Isn't it obvious that they want to eat?"
Jiang Zhifan was angry, but he couldn't vent it now. He could only wait and see what Lian Gao was going to do.
This afternoon, Jiang Zhifan arrived at the designated location to discuss the land deal. Upon arrival, Lian Gao said they'd have dinner before signing. Jiang Zhifan accompanied Lian Gao past several restaurants, but he always said, "We've already eaten. Let's go somewhere else." Jiang Zhifan walked with Lian Gao for half an hour. If it weren't for the land, she wouldn't have been hanging around with this man. She was exhausted and hadn't even had a sip of water.
"This beer doesn't taste very good. When you have time, come to my bar and I'll make you a drink." Lian Gao put down the bottle and said to Jiang Zhifan with a smile.
The thought of that bar filled Jiang Zhifan with irritation. He'd just accidentally had a one-night stand with him, but he hadn't expected it to cause so much trouble. Jiang Zhifan stared at him for a long moment, then picked up a bottle of Coke with his right hand and took a vicious swig.
She shouldn't have threatened him with the photo; she was just too impatient. She had let Lian Gao see her eagerness for the land in the northern suburbs, and now she was being manipulated.
"Waiter, take your order!"
"Come on, Mr. Lian, order whatever you want. I'm treating you to dinner tonight, and you should enjoy it." Jiang Zhifan suppressed his annoyance and anger and spoke to him as kindly as possible.
Lian Gao saw Jiang Zhifan's furious look and her cheeks were slightly red. As long as he met her gaze, she would glare back at him and would not suffer any loss.
He found it amusing and said with a smile, "Okay, I won't be polite."
“Have an order of this signature coconut curry chicken…”
Song Xianle and He Yanqing above looked at it for a long time, because Lian Gao only raised his voice and said that one sentence, and they didn't hear much of the subsequent conversation.
Song Xianle asked him quietly, "What do you think their relationship is?"
He Yanqing replied in a low voice: "A partner I'm a little familiar with."
He Yanqing couldn't see Jiang Zhifan's expression, but based on his demeanor and movements, he could tell he wasn't just any other partner. The man sat casually, a smile on his face. It was clear he was interested in Mr. Jiang.
“Besides the partnership, what else do you see?”
"A relationship between a man and a woman?"
"About the same, to be more precise—"
"love."
"love."
The two said in unison.
Song Xianle suddenly had an idea and asked He Yanqing, "Have you ever had dinner alone with Mr. Jiang?"
Then he jokingly said, "As Mr. Jiang's right-hand man, you will always have more opportunities to interact with him than others. Mr. Jiang is rich and handsome, aren't you tempted?"
He Yanqing didn't expect the topic to turn to him. He really admired Jiang Zhifan. He admired her perseverance and responsible attitude towards work.
Seeing that he hesitated for a long time without saying anything, Song Xianle began to wonder if he had come too late. He Yanqing had already fallen in love with Jiang Zhifan.
"You..." Song Xianle was about to speak when he heard him say, "Two years ago, I went on a business trip to Portugal with President Jiang. At that time, she had a conflict with her family about her continued position on the board of directors.
At that time, we talked about an engineering planning project. Xingpu was jointly developing an artificial tourist island with the local government. Mr. Jiang felt that the investment could be recovered in the next 20 years, and the profits in the later period would be high, so he invested a lot of money and was also one of the investors of the project.
But later on, I didn’t expect that the board of directors would withdraw their investment. Their purpose was to challenge President Jiang and give her a warning.
If the company is willing to invest, we will also produce the promotional posters for this project. Our company has limited experience in tourism promotions, having primarily focused on writing and producing product advertisements. Mr. Jiang believes this is both a way to expand the company's core business and to plan for future profits. The company has traditionally been relatively stable in its investments, with a focus on real estate and rail transportation.
Most of the shareholders on the board of directors pursue stability, fearing that the company will be lost in the hands of President Jiang.
Back then, when we went to Xingpu, we were looking for loans and collaborating with several companies to raise funds. Drinking is a common practice in the business world, and we were all forced to drink several bottles of wine in a row during those few days. One day, I was experiencing a cold and fever due to the climate, and the alcohol was too much for me to handle. Ms. Jiang blocked the rest of the drinks for me and finished my share. Afterwards, she took me to the hospital, and Ms. Jiang went to all the other social events alone, discussing the partnerships.
Originally, Jiang Zhifan asked him to go to Xingpu not only because he was good at advertising planning, but also to accompany him for drinks and social events.
While He Yanqing was talking, the dishes were served. He took a sip of lemonade, looked at Song Xianle, and said, "Xianle, I admire her more than anything else. I admire her for her ability to survive even in desperate situations. Many people can't compare to her, not even me."
"But you have something similar to her."
He Yanqing looked into Song Xianle's eyes and said slowly, "I still remember the image of your back that you left me at the airport. It also revealed your drive to grow. I understand why you want to go abroad, and I can't stop you from growing and progressing.
At the time, I was thinking, neither of us had the sole purpose. We both wanted to see a bigger, broader world. We chose different ways of seeing the world, destined to separate. You went abroad for graduate school, and I stayed to work. It's just that you told me about your departure only at the last moment, which made me sad.
Maybe in your heart, we're destined to have no future, and you lack trust and security in this relationship. It's me who hasn't made you feel dependable and reliable. So, in the future, you can try to speak up about those things that make you think too much, and feel free to ask any questions you want, like the one you just asked, and I'll answer them for you.
Song Xianle kept holding the lemonade in her hands to keep warm. She could feel He Yanqing's sincere response to her words, and thought about the problems they had left behind.
"Okay. Let's be honest with each other from now on."
Song Xianle raised the lemonade in his hand, smiled slightly, and said, "Cheers~"
He Yanqing chuckled, "Well, cheers."
"This signature dish is good, the coconut curry chicken is very fragrant." Song Xianle added a piece to the other party.
"Okay. This soup is very hot, be careful." He Yanqing poured the soup and placed it in front of Song Xianle.
"He Yanqing, I admire you too."
"What else?"
"Yeah... I like you."
"knew."
"Aren't you going to respond to me?"
"I like you, too."
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