Chapter 66 Charity "Poaching my secretary right in front of me?"...
As night fell, a low-key yet luxurious Cayenne pulled up in front of the banquet venue. A man in a well-tailored black suit got out, strolled to the passenger door, opened it, and reached out.
In the darkness, a snow-white arm reached out and gently rested on the sleeve of his black suit.
He lowered his head and walked out.
The two walked arm in arm into the hotel entrance. The guide respectfully led them inside.
Tang Yi used one hand to pull up the hem of her overly long, floor-length dress. Her waist-length hair was pulled up, generously revealing her beautiful shoulders, neck, and a small section of her back.
The dark red satin fitted dress clung to her exquisite figure, reflecting the hotel lobby lights with each step she took, making her appear radiant.
Zhang Minglang kept a close eye on Tang Yi beside him, occasionally lowering his head to ask in a low voice, "Are you cold?"
Upon receiving a negative answer, he raised his head and looked straight ahead, sighing in a voice only Tang Yi could hear: "Let's do our future weddings like this too."
The only response he received was the inside of his arm, where Tang Yi secretly pinched the slight, insignificant sensation he had left behind.
A handsome young man and a beautiful young woman walked in, easily attracting the attention of many people. Several business owners noticed the two walking gracefully and came forward to greet them.
Tang Yi released his arm at the right moment and suggested going to see how the host's arrangements were going.
Zhang Minglang watched her leave with lingering reluctance before picking up his wine glass and earnestly engaging in social interaction.
Several CEOs who came up to greet him were considered good friends of the Zhang family, and they took Zhang Minglang's situation to heart. CEO Liu swirled his wine glass and smiled amicably, saying, "Secretary Tang is truly capable; even we've heard about her for a while. Mr. Zhang, you're so young, you're really enjoying life!"
Zhang Minglang lowered his head and said he dared not.
He listened to the elders praising Tang Yi in different ways, whether it was sincere or not, he was very pleased to hear the nice words.
They didn't praise anything wrong, or even praise everything.
In his eyes, Tang Yi has always been his most capable assistant and the person who understands him best.
While chatting idly, Mr. Liu suddenly remembered something and said, "Xiao Tang is so outstanding, hasn't anyone tried to poach her?"
This question stumped Zhang Minglang. He paused for a moment, then said confidently, "So what if we dig it up? She won't agree."
Mr. Liu shifted his gaze and spotted a figure in the distance. He chuckled twice, stepped forward, patted the figure on the shoulder, and said meaningfully, "Hold on tight, don't let go."
Zhang Minglang looked up at him, but he had already turned and left. Sensing something, he turned his head and saw Tang Yi, her dark red dress like a rose, smiling and nodding as she accepted a business card from a man he didn't recognize.
Zhang Minglang narrowed his eyes, turned the toes of his leather shoes around, and walked towards Tang Yi in the distance.
Five minutes earlier, Tang Yi had made sure that everything was alright with the host and the lighting before walking out from backstage, trying to recall Zhang Minglang's location.
Since she was attending as his secretary, Tang Yi had a responsibility to accompany him to social events.
However, there were too many people outside. She lifted her skirt and weaved through the crowd, but she could never see any familiar faces.
As she stopped and looked around, she suddenly felt as if the air behind her had been abruptly cut off, as if a wall had moved out of thin air behind her.
She assumed Zhang Minglang had found her first and was trying to cause trouble behind her back. So she smiled and turned around, about to say something, but after recognizing the person's face, she swallowed the rest of her words.
The man in the suit was so stunned by the beautiful woman's smiling gaze that he forgot to speak.
Tang Yi blinked and recognized him. She covered her collar with one hand and bowed slightly with the other, saying, "Hello, I am the chief secretary of Junmao. My name is Tang Yi. President Zhang is still entertaining clients nearby. I will take you to see him after I find him."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhao shook his head: "I'm not here to see him, I'm here to see you."
"...Looking for me?" Tang Yi silently withdrew her hand from the air. Seeing this, President Zhao realized that he had forgotten about it, and quickly reached out to grab her hand and shook it up and down as a sign of politeness.
Mr. Zhao cleared his throat, took out a business card from somewhere, and handed it to her: "Ms. Tang, my name is Zhao Li. Our company has looked at your charity project and thinks it is very good and has great potential. We hope to have the opportunity to cooperate in the future."
Tang Yi's eyes lit up. She reached out and took the business card, smiling as she thanked him, "Thank you for your kindness."
After politely finishing her remarks, she took out a business card from her handbag and handed it to the other person, saying, "Looking forward to cooperating with you."
However, before Zhao Li could take it, a hand suddenly appeared between the two of them and took the business card.
Tang Yi's eyelids twitched, and Zhao Li also turned his head to look at the same time. Zhang Minglang, whose expression was obviously not good, stood beside the two of them, still holding the small business card between his fingers.
With a gentle flick of his index and middle fingers, he wrapped the small, square card into his palm.
Zhang Minglang put the business card in his pocket, his other hand still holding the wine glass, his lips flat as if trying to hide some emotion.
However, the moment he opened his mouth, his sarcastic and unfriendly words clearly revealed his displeasure: "Poaching my secretary right in front of me?"
As soon as he heard those words, he felt a sense of déjà vu.
Well, on the morning of the last time I went to City B for the summit, in the hotel's executive corridor, he seemed to have said something very similar to the people who came to chat him up.
Thinking this, he glared at Tang Yi through gritted teeth. Although his reason told him that he absolutely couldn't blame Tang Yi for being too charming, he couldn't suppress his underlying displeasure.
So he turned his gaze directly to the man in the suit and tie opposite him.
Tang Yi knew he had misunderstood, and she stepped forward to stop him, both amused and exasperated. However, Zhang Minglang was determined to take it seriously. He realized that Tang Yi was trying to stop him, turned his head and gave her a deep look, as if to say that he would settle the score with her later.
Zhao Li shook his head, showing no sign of guilt at being caught by Zhang Minglang. Instead, he looked at the young man in front of him with interest, deliberately going along with him, and said slowly, "Changing jobs is always a matter of mutual consent. Who can say for sure whether Miss Tang will change her mind in the future, right?"
Tang Yi looked up in confusion, only to see that he was clearly joking on purpose.
However, Zhang Minglang was already provoked by their exchange of business cards and didn't notice whether what he said was true or false. He sneered and reached up to adjust the cufflinks on his sleeve. They were a gift from Tang Yi.
He said in a calm and confident voice, "Then you can rest assured that the chances of her changing jobs are lower than the chances of you doing so."
Two men inexplicably became agitated, with a helpless Tang Yi sandwiched between them. They stood there in the bustling crowd, their eyes locked in a fierce battle, neither willing to back down first.
Tang Yi had no choice but to step forward and pull Zhang Minglang away. Before leaving, she turned back, took out another business card from her handbag, handed it to Zhao Li, and nodded to him to express her apology.
Zhang Minglang reluctantly led them towards the dessert area, still grumbling, "Tang Yi, what's wrong with you? How could you actually accept a business card someone offered you, and even give them one of your own?? Let me tell you, don't even think about it..."
Upon hearing this, Tang Yi stopped in her tracks and said helplessly, "Can you please figure this out before you speak?"
Zhang Minglang also stopped, and upon hearing this, reached into his pocket and pulled out the card that was already almost crumpled into a ball. He unfolded it, revealing the words "Zhang Minglang, President of Junmao Group" written in large, bright characters.
Zhang Minglang's burning desire to settle scores with her vanished instantly. He looked up, his eyes brightening, and waited for Tang Yi's explanation.
Tang Yi reached up and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead, crossing her arms over her chest. She said to him, "Just now, President Zhao wanted to collaborate on our project, not poach our staff."
After she finished speaking, she looked up at him, as if mocking his pettiness.
Zhang Minglang was stunned for a moment, and when he looked up again, President Zhao was nowhere to be seen.
"It's not my fault, is it?" He cleared his throat somewhat guiltily and looked up at the sky. Suddenly realizing something, he looked down at her sharply, his confidence growing. "It wasn't my fault to begin with. He was the one who deliberately brought up changing jobs. Wasn't he trying to lead me astray?"
Tang Yi sighed softly: "No matter what, you can't do this again, you hear me? What if there's some really important cooperation, and you ruin it all because of this?"
Zhang Minglang nodded in agreement.
He glanced down at his watch and asked, "Is it about to start?"
Just as Tang Yi was about to nod, she noticed a large crowd had suddenly gathered in front of the stage that had been set up nearby. She turned and took Zhang Minglang's arm, leading him toward the stage: "It's about to start, let's go over there."
The lights in the venue gradually dimmed, leaving only a beam of white light focused on the center of the stage. The previously quiet conversations subsided, and all the guests' eyes were drawn to the stage. It was at this moment that Zhang Minglang walked steadily onto the stage.
His well-tailored black suit looked understated yet elegant under the light, and his dark red tie had a particularly sophisticated feel.
Standing in front of the microphone, he slowly scanned the entire room: "Good evening, seniors and friends."
Tang Yi stood below the stage, one hand holding the wrist of the other, hanging down in front of her, her eyes following him intently.
His voice came through the speakers, filled with heartfelt sincerity: "Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to come. We are all standing here for the same reason: rural children and their mental health issues."
Zhang Minglang paused, no longer willing to look at the provided cue cards. Looking through the throng of people in front of him, he saw Tang Yi smiling. For a moment, he recalled the carefree smile he had never seen on her when she walked through Orange County, a smile very similar to hers now.
He completely relaxed and continued from the bottom of his heart: "Charity is not about giving alms. The funds raised today may not only build a psychological counseling room, but also the future of children in rural areas. This is also a principle I have always adhered to. Humanistic care should always be an extremely important cornerstone, and mental health is an incomparably important part of it."
Zhang Minglang raised his glass and made a proposal: "Thank you all for your willingness to work together to build the future of children in rural areas."
Everyone raised their glasses, and the applause lasted for a long time. Tang Yi also raised her glass and looked into Zhang Minglang's eyes.
Amidst the clinking of glasses and the exchange of toasts, a single glance between the two was enough to obliterate all their painstaking efforts. All their tacit understanding and joy were contained in that unspoken smile.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
