Chapter 60 Slap "Don't let me see you in my girlfriend's presence again..."
The next two days flew by in a flurry of activity. The two were traveling and working in unfamiliar cities. Their only solace was the quiet of the night and their regular video chats.
Before we knew it, it was the last day of the holiday.
They both happened to finish their short business trips on the afternoon of the 8th, and Zhang Minglang insisted on taking the same high-speed train as Tang Yiding.
Tang Yi sent a helpless WeChat message: "Why not take the company car instead of paying to take the high-speed rail?"
The other person replied matter-of-factly: "What's there to be afraid of? The company will reimburse you."
Around 5 p.m., Tang Yi boarded the high-speed train with her suitcase. She had booked tickets for the same row, but Zhang Minglang hadn't arrived yet.
The suitcase was a bit heavy, but Tang Yi was used to not bothering others. She lifted the suitcase with both arms and pushed it upwards, her lips pressed flat from the effort.
However, her hand suddenly loosened, and two hands reached out from behind to support her suitcase. The sleeves were made of the fabric of a black suit uniform. She didn't think much of it, assuming it was just a flight attendant, and turned her head to thank her in a low voice.
The person behind her took a step forward, almost touching her. Tang Yi frowned and turned her head, only to see a face that was all too familiar.
Her furrowed brows suddenly relaxed, and her voice betrayed a hint of surprise: "It's you?"
Because of a business trip and meetings, Zhang Minglang had styled his hair with hair gel, giving it a slicked-back look, revealing his forehead for once. He stood there, one hand in his pocket, the other gently pushing his suitcase over his head, and raised an eyebrow at her: "Missed me?"
Tang Yi was still not used to such explicit words. She coughed lightly and sat down, ignoring him.
Zhang Minglang casually placed the things he was carrying on the small table, and the flight attendant who had actually come over quickly stepped forward to help him, placing his suitcase on the table as well.
The suitcases, one black and one white, were placed side by side, looking remarkably well-matched.
Tang Yi, who had already sat down, turned his head slightly and glanced at the things he had placed on the small table: a small white tote bag and a pink rose wrapped in newspaper.
Tang Yi glanced down at her pink shirt, smiled slightly, and hid the small gray box next to her behind her back.
Zhang Minglang finally sat down. He picked up a single rose from the table, looked at it, and then turned to the side, offering it to Tang Yi.
Suddenly, the scent of roses filled her nostrils. Tang Yi turned to look at him, her earrings swaying with her movements, like her heart.
Zhang Minglang smiled, propped one elbow on his knee, and held a rose in his other hand, saying, "This is for you."
Tang Yixin accepted it. The pink petals still had tiny water droplets clinging to them, making them look very fresh.
"I made a special detour to the flower shop to buy it before coming to the high-speed rail station."
Zhang Minglang looked at her with a smile, his eyes filled with tenderness.
Tang Yi chuckled: "No wonder you asked me what color clothes I was wearing this morning."
As she was still fiddling with the flowers, he took her left hand. A cool touch came from her wrist. Tang Yi looked down and saw that the white handbag that had been on the small table was now lying flat, with a small velvet box on top of it, its opening open.
Zhang Minglang lowered his head and gently squeezed her wrist, studying how to wear the bracelet.
The bracelet was adorned with delicate diamonds that still shone brightly in the fading light outside the window, like glistening dewdrops on a rose petal in her hand.
"All done." Zhang Minglang finally fastened the bracelet for her. He lowered his head, his lips gently touching the back of her hand. The warm, moist touch was fleeting; he looked up at her, his eyes filled with love: "Do you like it?"
Tang Yi didn't look at the bracelet. She looked at him and nodded, "I like it."
Zhang Minglang straightened up and leaned back, but didn't let go of her hand: "I saw it while passing by and felt it would suit you very well."
Tang Yi reached for the gray box hidden behind her, then put it back, remembering something. Touching the bracelet on her wrist, she feigned guilt and asked, "What should I do since I didn't prepare a gift for you?"
Zhang Minglang leaned back relaxed, placing his hands behind his head, and said, "No, no, it's nothing. This is something I wanted to give you, not something to ask for in return. Besides, what don't I need..."
Before he could finish speaking, Tang Yi turned around and took out the small square box from behind her back. She carefully opened the lid, held it in her hands, and said to him, "A return gift."
Zhang Minglang's words trailed off. He looked down at the box, somewhat stunned. It was a pair of platinum-trimmed cufflinks, shaped like classic watch faces, with a cool glow around them.
He looked up at her again. Tang Yi pushed the box forward, saying, "Shall I close it for you?"
Zhang Minglang obediently offered his hand to her. Tang Yi took the cufflinks lying quietly in the box, gently pulled up the cuff of his white shirt, and fastened the new cufflinks for him.
Tang Yi's fingers were still icy cold, and a few strands of hair fell down, occasionally brushing against his warm skin, making him tremble for a moment.
“Alright,” Tang Yi smiled, “How could I not have prepared a gift for you?”
Tang Yi finally fastened his cufflinks. She looked up and tucked her hair back behind her ears. The slight itch on Zhang Minglang's wrist suddenly disappeared, and his skin became even itchier.
However, Zhang Minglang went too far. He gestured with his chin towards her roses and bracelet: "I gave you two, and you only gave me one. Isn't that a bit unfair?"
Tang Yi looked up at him: "Didn't you just say you didn't want a return gift?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Minglang suddenly leaned in and kissed her on the lips.
The warm touch was fleeting, and she was somewhat stunned.
The one who started it all seemed completely at ease. He leaned back, let out a comfortable sigh, and turned to smile at her: "We're even now."
Tang Yi didn't say anything, turning her head towards the window. A fleeting glimpse of light from outside swept across her face and the corners of her lips that were quietly curving upwards.
It was already night when they arrived in City A. The streets were bustling with traffic, and the city was still busy. As usual, the car dropped them off at the company entrance. Zhang Minglang deliberately didn't call his assistant Zhou to be the driver, ostensibly to "let Assistant Zhou enjoy the last few hours of his vacation in peace."
Tang Yi naturally didn't expose his little scheme.
The car stopped downstairs at her building, and Zhang Minglang started acting like a spoiled child again, offering to help her carry her suitcase upstairs.
Tang Yi was unbuckling her seatbelt when she heard this and replied helplessly, "No need, it's not like there's no elevator. You should go home and rest early, you have to go to work tomorrow."
Just as Zhang Minglang was about to say something, Tang Yi looked up at him and asked, "Be good, okay?"
He surrendered in an instant: "Okay."
Zhang Minglang helped her take the suitcase out of the trunk and handed it to her. He reluctantly lowered his head and played with her fingers. The streetlights shone down on the two of them, forming a concentrated circular halo, as if locking them in the center of a stage.
"We're going to have to part ways again," Zhang Minglang said softly.
To be honest, Tang Yi couldn't understand his mindset. After all, for her, seeing him again was just a matter of waking up after a night's sleep.
Tang Yi was already planning for tomorrow; starting work again meant a bunch of meetings crammed in. She comforted herself, "I have a meeting first thing tomorrow morning. From now on, including commuting, we only have about ten hours left before we see each other again."
Zhang Minglang sighed deeply: "More than ten hours, that's a long time."
Tang Yi smiled, pursing her lips, and tugged at his shirt collar: "Don't chat here anymore, go back quickly, it's a bit cold, and you're still wearing such a thin suit."
Zhang Minglang watched her walk through the gate, turning back every few steps, before finally turning around, getting back into the car, and starting the key.
Even as she stepped into the elevator, Tang Yi still had a smile on her face. The elevator bell rang, and she reached into her bag for her house key.
"Yiyi, you're finally back! I thought you were deliberately avoiding me..."
Before she could even touch her keys, a voice she hadn't heard in a long time reached her ears. Tang Yi frowned, gripping her phone tighter: "Bai Zeyu? How did you know my address?"
Bai Zeyu was standing up from the ground in front of her door, his long trench coat hanging straight down, making a rustling sound.
Tang Yi was too lazy to waste any more words on him: "What are you doing here?"
Bai Zeyu has returned to his former gentle and refined demeanor, quite some time since Tang Yi splashed coffee all over him.
He smiled, his voice completely devoid of emotion: "Yiyi, the company really doesn't have much time left for me, I really have to..."
"Another marriage?" Tang Yi crossed her arms, finding it ridiculous. "Sometimes I really don't understand where you get the confidence to think that you can just drag me into talking about marriage and make me listen to you?"
Bai Zeyu's well-maintained expression cracked slightly, but he still tried to keep smiling: "Yiyi, why do you say that? I've wronged you before, but now I have the ability to make you happy. I just want to make up for the regrets of the past."
Tang Yi turned her face away, reaching for her keys to push him through the door. Bai Zeyu noticed her movement, and he blocked the doorway, pleadingly asking, "Do you have to be so heartless, Yi Yi? Can't we just talk this out?"
Tang Yi stopped what she was doing, stared into his eyes, and said, word by word, "I believe that my words and actions at the coffee shop last time made my attitude very clear. So, please move aside and stop blocking my doorway."
Bai Zeyu relaxed completely and said sneer, "Tang Yi, don't push your luck. I'll put this in perspective: if I post your scandalous affairs with that President Zhao online, do you think you can still stay in the company?"
Tang Yi couldn't find the key anywhere. Seeing her lack of reaction, Bai Zeyu's words became even more cutting: "If you don't marry me, no one will want you! Only I can tolerate all the messes you made back then, I..."
Before he could finish speaking, his face suddenly turned to the side, and a burning sensation spread through him.
Bai Zeyu covered half of his face, staring at the woman in front of him in disbelief.
A faint sound of the elevator running could be heard, and the floor indicator lights began to jump towards the current floor.
Tang Yi leaned against the door, slowly rotating her wrist. Her palm still ached slightly from the slap she had just received. But all the pent-up anger she had been holding in vanished without a trace with that one slap.
She parted her red lips slightly, glanced at the surveillance camera above her head with half-raised eyelids, and said to him sarcastically, "Sorry, I'm not the same person I used to be. There are surveillance cameras at the door, and my phone records the conversation. You were lurking at my door, spouting nonsense and threatening me. Everything has been recorded."
Tang Yi swept her hair back and looked at Bai Zeyu, who was still standing there with his face covered in shock. A mocking smile appeared on her lips: "This time, you can't hurt me."
As soon as she finished speaking, the elevator doors opened with a "ding". Zhang Minglang, looking travel-worn, stepped out, a bunch of keys hanging from his hand, making a jingling sound in the hallway.
He glanced at Bai Zeyu, who was hunched over and covering his face, and instantly understood. Zhang Minglang first raised his chin at Tang Yi, his eyes questioning. Seeing her give a barely perceptible nod to indicate that she was alright, he then turned his gaze to Bai Zeyu.
"Ex-boyfriend?" He raised an eyebrow, a hint of mockery in his voice. He turned to Tang Yi and chuckled, "Baby, what kind of taste did you have before?"
Tang Yi's eyes flashed, feeling a little embarrassed by his explicit words, but she tacitly refuted him.
The word "baby" sounded light and airy, yet it shocked Bai Zeyu more than any other word. He straightened up, feeling both ashamed and indignant, and wanted to argue, but a strong hand pressed down on his shoulder.
Zhang Minglang, dressed in a black suit, still carried a hint of the chill of the autumn night. His voice was low, and his eyes were cold as he stared at Bai Zeyu.
Zhang Minglang stepped forward, subtly shielding Tang Yi behind him. He was half a head taller than Bai Zeyu, and when he looked down at him, he exuded a natural sense of pressure.
“That’s all in the past. You should learn to be dignified,” he said in a low voice, which grew louder and more stern, carrying a warning. “Don’t let me see you in front of my girlfriend again.”
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