Chapter 10 Relationship: "Is he your ex-boyfriend?"
On the other side, Zhang Minglang lay sprawled on the bed, holding his phone, staring at the work chat history with Secretary Tang on the screen, where there wasn't a single word of nonsense. His finger hovered above the screen, unable to make up his mind to type for a long time.
Tang Yi certainly wouldn't play along with his nonsense and actually text him every day. She had already seen through Zhang Minglang's little tricks, and a few days ago she took the initiative to ask again and successfully added him on WeChat.
He then thought back to how he had abruptly grabbed Secretary Tang's arm that evening, and felt deeply regretful.
It's clear that Secretary Tang is a person who clearly distinguishes between public and private matters. This action must have offended her, which is why she shook him off and coldly said something like "It's none of your business."
Wait a minute, what am I doing?
Zhang Minglang suddenly realized what was happening.
As the group president, what's wrong with me checking on my subordinates?
Besides, as the chief secretary, if she gets hurt or injured, wouldn't that just disrupt the company's work?
All these thoughts seemed to embolden him, prompting him to casually swipe across his phone screen a couple of times, think it over, then delete the words he typed, finally sending a dry message: "Remember to put medicine on your wrist."
"Take a shower." After finishing a series of activities, Zhang Minglang muttered to himself, then suddenly jumped out of bed, threw his phone onto the pillow, grabbed the clothes that had been prepared on the bed, and strode towards the bathroom.
When he came out of the shower, his hair was still wet, and he ran to the bedside to grab his phone with a towel still on his head.
A few minutes ago, someone replied, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Zhang. You should get some rest."
Zhang Minglang stared at the chat page with displeasure, like a deflated balloon.
I didn't expect Secretary Tang to really not offer a single explanation for what happened today?
Zhang Minglang stared at the message accompanied by a "handshake" emoji that he'd only ever seen his father use, and a mix of emotions welled up inside him. He didn't reply; after all, Secretary Tang's single sentence had effectively shut down any possible words he could say.
Because of everything that happened the day before, Tang Yi's mind was in a mess, so she woke up a little late today, which was unusual for her.
Fortunately, she happened to be in an elevator when she swiped her card to enter the company. She quickened her pace and went inside. It wasn't crowded, but she didn't expect to run into an acquaintance.
"Secretary Tang, why are you late today too?" Tang Jiaxin was always on time, but she never expected to see Tang Yi in the elevator on her way to work.
"There's a bit of traffic," Tang Yi casually made up an excuse.
Tang Jiaxin nodded, then suddenly noticed a green ribbon tied around Tang Yi's wrist. Just as she was about to start a conversation, the elevator doors, which were about to close, suddenly opened again, and Zhang Minglang walked in, looking like he hadn't had a good rest.
The employees in the elevator nodded and greeted each other.
Zhang Minglang hummed in response, glanced around, and fixed his gaze on Secretary Tang in the corner.
Tang Yi wore an emerald green silk shirt, her long black hair obediently hanging down her chest, making her neck and face appear even whiter, and her lipstick even redder, exuding a powerful aura that kept strangers at bay.
He then thought of Tang Yi, who had told him yesterday that it was "my private matter," and seemed to have been touched on a sore spot, refusing to explain the matter no matter what.
Zhang Minglang felt that she was really like a piece of jade, cold all over, always indifferent, and impossible to warm up.
"Secretary Tang, this ribbon of yours is quite pretty. I've only ever seen people wear it around their necks before, I never thought it could be worn on the wrist!"
Upon hearing Tang Jiaxin's praise, Tang Yi subconsciously hid her wrist behind her back and smiled politely, "I just casually put it on."
"laugh."
Zhang Minglang, of course, heard her lie. Presumably, only he knew that her real purpose in tying the scarf was to cover the bruises on her wrists.
Tang Jiaxin's words were on the tip of her tongue when President Zhang suddenly sneered and swallowed them back. She glanced at the back of Zhang Minglang's head in front of her with some fear, then turned to look at Tang Yi, who was also staring at him. Not knowing what she had said wrong, she quickly shut her mouth.
Tang Yi's eyelashes drooped, her eyes flickering. The elevator silently arrived at the 16th floor.
Several colleagues rushed out, fearing they might have some kind of interaction with this unpredictable boss.
Tang Jiaxin was at the forefront, rushing out almost non-stop. Unbeknownst to them, Tang Yi and Zhang Minglang naturally fell behind.
The two walked in silence for a while until Zhang Minglang finally couldn't hold back and cleared his throat.
Tang Yi raised her eyelashes slightly, glanced at him, and remained silent.
"Tsk, what's wrong with you?"
Seeing that she remained silent, Zhang Minglang grew anxious.
"What do you think I should say?" Tang Yi was puzzled.
Upon hearing this, he stopped, and Tang Yi also braked quickly, almost bumping into his shoulder and back.
"As your superior, don't I have the right to find out about your relationship with the company's vice president?"
Zhang Minglang's eyes were sharp; he tried to use his position to suppress her and force her to tell the truth.
It turns out that's what happened.
Tang Yi felt a little regretful. She shouldn't have reacted that way yesterday, which aroused the old man's suspicion, making him like a stubborn leech that she couldn't shake off.
"As a superior, you should also trust your subordinates. Mr. Zhang, as I mentioned yesterday, I had some personal grievances with Vice President Zhao in the past, which I believed I had resolved. Perhaps I didn't explain things clearly enough, leaving a misunderstanding. If you are worried that this matter will affect your work, I will find time to handle it properly."
"What are you talking about, this and that, personal grudges?" Zhang Minglang crossed his arms, his tone turning serious. "He's your ex-boyfriend?"
Tang Yi was taken aback by these words and immediately denied it: "No."
“You better not be lying,” he said with a sigh of relief for some reason, then warned deliberately, “Junmao doesn’t support office romances.”
"I understand."
"As long as you understand."
Zhang Minglang didn't pursue the matter further and went straight into the president's office.
Tang Yi sat back down at her workstation with a jumble of thoughts. After turning on her computer, she found herself, for the first time, unable to immediately get back to work.
Zhang Minglang, who was just a door away, sat back in his chair, casually picked up a pen and twirled it in his hand, thinking about his conversation with Secretary Tang.
He naturally didn't believe Tang Yiche's platitudes.
Judging from her dedication to her work, she doesn't seem like the type to be distracted by workplace romances.
He suddenly remembered what he had said when he witnessed Liu Zhang and her having a one-sided argument that day.
"We all know exactly what you've done, back when you were with President Zhao..."
Zhang Minglang seemed thoughtful, and considering Tang Yi's evasive attitude, he felt that nothing good was going to happen.
At the time, he thought it was just a dispute between departments, but now, combined with her resistant and secretive attitude, Zhang Minglang keenly sensed something unusual.
That's definitely not a good thing.
He leaned back in his chair, a surge of curiosity welling up within him.
He needs to know the truth.
Not in his capacity as Zhang Minglang, but as the president, he was tasked with clarifying any potential hidden dangers within his team.
He decided to secretly investigate the whole story.
A rhythmic knocking sound broke his reverie. He looked up and saw a patch of green.
"Mr. Zhang, these documents need your review and signature. Also, this project requires your personal on-site inspection at 3 PM. Should I arrange a driver, or should I contact Assistant Zhou directly?"
Zhang Minglang took the document, glanced at it, thought for a moment, and instructed, "Just call Assistant Zhou. You can follow up on Dingsheng's project. You don't need to come with me this afternoon."
"OK."
Seeing that he had nothing else to say, Tang Yi left.
Liu Zhang felt flattered and even a little panicked once again, and this feeling reached its peak when he sat in President Zhang's car.
Ever since the last mistake with the Dingsheng contract, he had been behaving himself for a long time. Today, being called upon again to accompany President Zhang to view the project, he didn't feel honored; instead, he became anxious and fearful.
The car was quiet, with no sound except for the faint whirring from the air conditioning vents.
Liu Zhang was sitting on pins and needles in the passenger seat, and dared not move at all.
"Liu Zhang".
"Hey! Mr. Zhang, what are your instructions?"
Upon hearing the deep voice of the Yama King behind him, Liu Zhang nearly jumped up in fright and quickly turned around with a fawning smile to ask.
Zhang Minglang rubbed his cufflinks, and after a long while, he slowly spoke.
What do you think of Secretary Tang... what kind of person is she?
Not only Liu Zhang, but also Assistant Zhou, who was focused on driving, immediately perked up his ears to eavesdrop upon hearing this.
"She... is a nice person, uh, and very meticulous in her work."
"And personality?"
"Personality? She doesn't really have a special personality... or rather, she's always been like this, quite mysterious in private, nobody knows what her personality is like in real life..."
"Mysterious?" Zhang Minglang was intrigued by this adjective and pressed further, "She doesn't usually chat with you guys?"
"No, no, no, we never talk about it. Secretary Tang always keeps business and personal life separate, and she never gossips with us!"
Zhang Minglang seemed lost in thought for a long time before finally asking, "Then what about her and Zhao..."
"Mr. Zhang, we've arrived."
When Assistant Zhou heard that Zhang Minglang was silent for a moment, he spoke up to remind him. Unexpectedly, he accidentally interrupted him.
Liu Zhang couldn't wait to get out of the car, so he quickly opened the door. Seeing that he had no chance to ask any more questions, Zhang Minglang had no choice but to open the door and get out, while glancing sideways at the panicked Assistant Zhou in front of him.
Assistant Zhou: I'm innocent! I only spoke up because you weren't saying anything!
Meanwhile, Tang Yi was busy handling project coordination with Dingsheng when she suddenly received an internal call from the company secretary, asking her to come over.
Tang Yi agreed, but was puzzled as to why.
A few minutes later, Tang Yiren was already sitting on the sofa in the boardroom.
Mr. Zhang held a brush in one hand and a string of beads in the other, carefully examining them with his reading glasses perched on his nose, without saying a word.
On her way here, Tang Yi had carefully considered her recent work and found no major mistakes. Therefore, she didn't feel uneasy at all and sat there quietly waiting for his instructions.
Do you know why I called you here?
"To be honest, I'm not quite sure."
"Hmph, don't know?" Chairman Zhang slammed the brush and skewers onto the table, making a crackling sound.
Tang Yikui remained unmoved.
"What were you doing at the welcome banquet a few days ago?" Chairman Zhang slowly lifted his eyelids, his eyes sharp.
Tang Yi then made a move.
Looking at his expression, she was unusually distracted and thought of Zhang Minglang. No wonder he was the old man's grandson; their tone, expression, and personality were exactly the same.
Her eyelashes drooped slightly as she said evasively, "I'm really sorry, I didn't handle things well with Vice President Zhao before."
"What happened back then is in the past, don't bring it up again!" Chairman Zhang emphasized, warning her, "Your task now is to assist Zhang Minglang!"
Hearing him so casually brush aside her nightmare of many years, Tang Yi gave a self-deprecating smile, feeling a chill in her heart, but she had no choice but to look up and smile: "I understand."
Seeing that she didn't argue back, Chairman Zhang felt a little better and was about to say something when suddenly there was a commotion at the door.
"What are you doing outside!" Chairman Zhang shouted angrily, and the outside fell silent.
Then the door opened a crack, and Zhang Minglang's face appeared outside.
His expression wasn't good; he seemed to have come to question something. However, as he walked into the CEO's office with a somber demeanor, he immediately caught sight of Tang Yi sitting upright on the sofa, looking shocked.
"Is Chairman Zhang interrogating me?"
Zhang Minglang spoke with a sarcastic tone, as sharp-tongued as ever.
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Chairman Zhang was furious at the sight of him and roared, his beard bristling and eyes wide.
"Nonsense? You haven't come to the company for half a day, but you came all this way today just to chat with my secretary?"
After Zhang Minglang finished speaking, he glanced at Tang Yi, who was standing there stunned.
Half an hour earlier, on the way back, he brought up the relationship between Tang Yi and Zhao Linrui again.
Upon hearing his question, Liu Zhang seemed to realize something, lowered his head, and mumbled, "This... I don't know."
"I advise you not to lie."
Liu Zhang immediately knelt down and explained in detail: "That year... Vice President Zhao and Secretary Tang had some... misunderstandings, but it left some ammunition for gossip..."
"Explain yourself clearly."
"Yeah, that's right. I heard it too. Back then, everyone was saying that Secretary Tang and Vice President Zhao... had that kind of relationship..."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Minglang felt a surge of anger rising to his head.
He glanced at Liu Zhang, who was secretly observing his expression, and his anger subsided somewhat, replaced by suspicion.
He suddenly remembered Tang Yi's resolute "no" outside the elevator this morning.
He sneered, his face full of disdain, and stared coldly at Liu Zhang, saying slowly and deliberately, "I don't want to hear these empty words from your mouth again."
A note from the author:
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