Chapter 83 Sincerity "Isn't this exactly the result you wanted?"...
Before Zhang Minglang went back to his room for the meeting, he pointed to the kitchen door, indicating that Tang Yi was still keeping the soup warm in the pot so she could drink it while it was hot.
Tang Yi nodded and went into the kitchen.
The house fell silent again. She sipped her soup and could vaguely hear Zhang Minglang's voice coming from inside the room.
She quickly went through the process, but couldn't recall any video conferences he had that she, as his secretary, was unaware of.
The soup in the bowl was empty, and the guest room door happened to be opened at that moment. The sounds inside the room suddenly became clear, as if a layer of muffled membrane had been broken.
As Tang Yi heard Zhang Minglang approaching, she inexplicably lowered her head and fiddled with the ceramic soup spoon in her hand, making a scraping sound on the already empty bowl.
"Why don't you get another bowl after you've finished drinking?" Zhang Minglang had walked up to her without her noticing and reached out to take the bowl in front of her.
Tang Yi watched as his arm descended from the sky and appeared before her eyes. Just as he was about to raise his hand, she reached out and grabbed his forearm.
Zhang Minglang froze.
She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling: "The project launch ceremony is tomorrow."
Tang Yi's words had absolutely nothing to do with whether or not to drink soup, yet Zhang Minglang easily understood what she was trying to say.
He slid his arm, which she was holding, upwards until he grasped Tang Yi's entire hand in his own. His warm palm enveloped her hand as always, applying a slight pressure.
Zhang Minglang spoke, his voice carrying a certain captivating magic: "You can do it, Tang Yi."
Tang Yi's chaotic state of mind, like duckweed battered by rain, instantly stopped the rain the moment she heard those four words.
She tilted her head slightly to the inside of his arm, resting it gently against it, without saying a word.
The following afternoon at 3 p.m., the launch ceremony for Junmao Group's charity project on the mental health of children in rural areas was officially held.
Tang Yi changed into a complete white shirt and black trousers, and unusually tied her hair into a high ponytail, revealing her smooth forehead. Every move she made showed her neatness and decisiveness.
Zhang Minglang sat steadily in the seat in front of the stage. After glancing at Tang Yi at the door for the umpteenth time and smiling as she greeted the guests, he forced himself to look away.
However, it was too late. The image of Tang Yi's black hair, swaying lightly on her back, had already taken shape in his mind, bouncing endlessly and disturbing his peace of mind.
Fang Zhen stood to one side and saw that President Zhang once again turned his gaze away from Tang Yi at the door, rubbed his forehead and brows, and dared not say anything more. He could only reach out and take the cup next to him and ask someone to refill his tea.
Today, Tang Mi wore her hair in a high ponytail, looking so energetic. Not to mention President Zhang, even Fang Zhen herself felt her mouth go dry after taking a few more glances at her.
The launch ceremony was about to begin, and Zhang Minglang, as the president, needed to go on stage to speak. He couldn't sit still any longer, so he simply stood up early and walked towards Tang Yi by the door.
At that moment, Tang Yi was exchanging pleasantries with a CEO who had just entered. Zhang Minglang looked at the smile spreading across her lips and the sunlight filtering through her hair, and suddenly felt that the smile was somewhat dazzling.
He walked slowly forward, and the boss caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye. He quickly turned around, bowed, and shook hands with him.
Zhang Minglang gave him a slight nod, then turned to Tang Yi and said in a businesslike manner, "Secretary Tang, where should I wait before the ceremony begins?"
Tang Yi gestured to the backstage area and replied calmly, "That's fine. I've arranged for someone to wait there. You don't need to worry about standing in the wrong place, Mr. Zhang."
"President Zhang"—that's an unfamiliar term.
Zhang Minglang's eyelids twitched, but he nodded with a tense expression. The boss, who had been standing aside with his arms crossed, wanting to join in the fun, found the atmosphere between the two so stiff it was like cement, and he couldn't see anything fishy about it.
The boss had made up his mind. He reached out and patted Zhang Minglang on the shoulder, saying meaningfully, "Mr. Zhang, it's only natural that a tall tree catches the wind. It's normal for someone in your position to have some gossip."
After saying these words with what he thought was wisdom, the boss turned and left leisurely. Zhang Minglang, instead of feeling comforted by the trust and understanding he received, felt his expression darken further.
He frowned, lowered his voice, and as if he couldn't hold back any longer, squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "Do we really look that unlike a couple?"
Tang Yi's eyelashes fluttered, and she suddenly realized that she hadn't heard such words from Zhang Minglang in a work setting for a long time.
She crossed her arms and glanced back; several more guests were approaching from a distance outside the door, their arms around each other's shoulders.
Tang Yi still remembered his recent coldness, which was clearly an attempt to avoid suspicion. So as she walked past Zhang Minglang, in the instant they brushed past each other, she heard him say, "Isn't this the result you wanted?"
Zhang Minglang's breath hitched. He subconsciously turned his head to refute her, but all he could see was Tang Yi's ponytail swaying slightly as she turned around, and he heard her smiling voice: "President Zhang, President Yao, this way please."
He could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger. Zhang Minglang stood there, nodding repeatedly, then turned and walked back to his seat.
"I did plan the event, it's no trouble at all, you're too kind. This way, please..."
Tang Yi spoke fluent Mandarin, but secretly glanced up as she turned to the side, pretending to look in the direction Zhang Minglang had left.
However, all she could see was his broad shoulders and back, encased in the crisp fabric of his suit.
She glanced at him one last time, then turned away without hesitation, banishing all the chaotic thoughts from her mind.
The melodious background music faded out slowly, the stage lights dimmed, and the focus shifted to the podium. The host took the stage and introduced the entire process of the launch ceremony.
Tang Yi stood in an inconspicuous spot backstage, constantly watching the movements of those on stage, afraid that something might go wrong. A slight commotion arose behind her and then disappeared, but she didn't have time to turn around and see what was going on.
She was watching intently backstage when she suddenly felt a wall move behind her, cutting off the flow of air.
Tang Yi was startled and turned her head sharply, her lips lightly brushing against the chin of the person behind her.
She looked up in alarm, only to meet Zhang Minglang's gaze, which was fixed on her.
Tang Yi immediately turned to look at the staff behind her.
However, Zhang Minglang reached out his large hand, grasped Tang Yi's shoulders, straightened her upper body, and forced her to look forward.
He leaned down, casually ran his thumb across his chin, and peeked out from beside her right ear, his voice low as if whispering to her: "I told them I left my coat outside and they all left."
Tang Yi's heart eased a little, but her body remained tense. However, she didn't want to show her nervousness and helplessness in front of him, making it seem as if she was the only one who was nervous in this relationship.
So she forced herself to relax and instructed in as normal a tone as possible: "You'll be on stage in a bit, and you only have five minutes. Have you prepared your script?"
As soon as the host finished speaking, a round of applause erupted from the audience.
"Next, please welcome Mr. Zhang Minglang, President of Junmao Group, to the stage to deliver a speech!"
Tang Yi felt the hands on her shoulders suddenly exert a little force, pressing her down. She turned her head slightly and saw Zhang Minglang's well-defined profile.
He lifted his leg and stepped onto the stairs, then turned to her and gestured with his chin: "I just want to say something from the heart."
His voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, and Tang Yi even thought she was hallucinating. Then she heard a muffled thud from a hand striking the microphone, and realized he had already walked onto the stage.
"Hello everyone, I'm Zhang Minglang." His voice came clearly through the microphone, and the previously noisy venue instantly quieted down as everyone looked up to listen to him.
"I remember the last time I gave a speech for this project was at a charity gala. I sincerely thank everyone for their active participation and strong support, which made today's launch ceremony possible and prevented it from being canceled."
Zhang Minglang looked around, then took a step back and bowed to everyone present.
Tang Yi was completely stunned backstage, and she heard several staff members behind her gasp.
The audience erupted in uproar. Was this really the formidable CEO Zhang who commanded respect in the business world?!
Ignoring the murmurs coming from the crowd in front of him, Zhang Minglang slowly straightened up, stepped forward, and returned to the microphone to begin fluently explaining the core purpose of the charity project.
The screen flashed slides, filled with photos of Tang Yi working on the project site, occasionally showing her rarely seen cheerful smile and photos of her with the children of Orange County.
In one photo, Tang Yi bends down and reaches out to hug Xi Xi, her eyes filled with tenderness.
Tang Yi had no idea where he had collected these photos, and the presentation of this slideshow was completely outside her knowledge.
But she had no intention of blaming anyone; she was just watching from backstage, a feeling she couldn't quite put into words welling up inside her.
As Zhang Minglang finished explaining the project, Tang Yi heard the coordinator behind her say that there were only thirty seconds left. She looked up at the man's back on the stage and saw him tilt his head to the right, seemingly glancing at her almost imperceptibly.
Tang Yi could only see the white light from the stage shining on the other side of his face, which made her clearly see his high brow bone and nose bridge.
In a split second, Zhang Minglang turned his head, leaned closer to the microphone, and said slowly, "This project, and today's launch ceremony, are entirely managed by our employee Tang Yi. She is one of the most capable and outstanding women in the workplace I've ever met. Even before my transfer, she knew Junmao better than I did. On behalf of Junmao, I express my recognition of her professional abilities and affirmation of her character. Thank you."
There was a moment of silence in the audience, then a few scattered claps suddenly emerged from somewhere, and then spread like a breeze to every corner of the venue.
The applause was thunderous. Even if some of it was insincere flattery, everyone admired Zhang Minglang's direct confrontation with the rumors and his strong support for Tang Yi.
Even more farsighted individuals, who had long heard of Tang Yi's exceptional work abilities, began to consider poaching her after hearing Zhang Minglang's personal confirmation.
As Tang Yi listened to the deafening applause from the audience, she suddenly felt that all the hard work of the past few days was nothing at all.
As long as her efforts ultimately benefit those children, and as long as her proud professional skills are not buried or questioned, she can still muster the energy to continue.
Tang Yi took the stage to speak, thanking all the guests and introducing all the arrangements after the project's launch.
Everything went smoothly after that, except for Zhang Minglang's impromptu speech and the slide that somehow got secretly put on the screen. Everything else proceeded steadily according to her plan until the end.
Tang Yi stood straight by the door, shaking hands and chatting with the CEOs. After a few people came down, she had more than a dozen business cards that her secretary had slipped into her hand.
Zhang Minglang was in a good mood, chatting with several presidents by his seat. He felt honored as he listened to their praise of Tang Yi.
However, as he casually glanced towards the door, he suddenly noticed the dozen or so small cards Tang Yi was holding in her hand. Even as he looked over, Tang Yi was nodding to accept one of the cards handed to her, and then handing one back to the other person.
His hands, which were in his pockets, suddenly tightened, and his jawline became taut, almost forgetting that he was still socializing and chatting with a group of CEOs.
One of the CEOs noticed Zhang Minglang's gaze, chuckled twice, and said, "Young Mr. Zhang, you're truly lucky to have such a capable assistant. With what you've done today, I imagine even more people will try to poach her!"
The group laughed for a while, then walked away arm in arm, leaving Zhang Minglang alone in the same spot.
He suddenly remembered the dinner party that day.
He had promised Tang Yi that he wouldn't be so reckless again, stopping and provoking anyone who handed her a business card.
To avoid ruining the cooperation.
Yes, to avoid ruining the cooperation.
She probably handed out her company's business card; they must have wanted to discuss a collaboration.
After receiving Tang Yi's business card, he will probably give up his attempts to poach people.
Tang Yi, would she be willing to stay in Junmao and not leave him?
Zhang Minglang consoled himself with this thought, finding an excuse to soothe his restless anxiety. He raised his head and looked towards the door again.
Tang Yi's long, black hair hung down, with a few strands draped over her shoulders, and her white shirt was perfectly neat without a single wrinkle.
He knew that she had patiently steamed the fabric little by little in her room last night with a garment steamer.
From the side, even the most ordinary white top and black bottom outfit cannot conceal her graceful curves and her calm and reliable demeanor.
Tang Yi is an outstanding person. With so many excellent companies in front of her, why does she have to choose Junmao?
With so many outstanding people in front of her, why did it have to be him?
Why do you like me?
This was one of the questions that Zhang Minglang used to scoff at the most.
But he never expected that, a few years later, he would be the one to ask that question first.
Two people, clearly an assistant and secretary, brushed past him. He heard them say, "Xiao Wang, keep Secretary Tang's business card safe. President Yang specifically told us to get it before he left. If we lose her contact information, we'll be in big trouble!"
Zhang Minglang felt his body gradually getting colder.
He curled the corners of his lips into a smile.
Even the last glimmer of hope was shattered. Tang Yi had indeed handed over her own business card, not his.
But he couldn't bring himself to stop her. A talent like Tang Yi, who had worked diligently at Junmao for so many years, could have all her hard work attributed to improper means in a single news story. What was wrong with her wanting to switch jobs and secure her future?
He dared not think any further. He could only take one last look at Tang Yi before turning and walking out the back door.
Therefore, he didn't hear the sudden exclamation from the two assistants and secretary: "Wait, didn't Secretary Tang just give us her business card? How did it become President Zhang's!"
"I didn't see it! It was in your hand the whole time!"
-
Due to the high level of physical and mental stress during this period, coupled with the sudden drop in temperature, Tang Yi finally fell ill.
She started feeling dizzy and lightheaded as soon as she arrived at the company in the morning, and this feeling didn't stop even during her lunch break. Knowing that she was in no condition to keep up with her work, she decided to get up and ask Zhang Minglang for permission to take a day off and go home.
However, just as she stood up, she realized that Zhang Minglang had gone to a meeting a few minutes earlier.
In order to train Fang Zhen, and also because of the current delicate atmosphere between her and Zhang Minglang, Tang Yi simply let Fang Zhen go with him.
Since there was still a long time before the meeting ended, Tang Yi could only open her phone and send a WeChat message to Fang Zhen to let her know, and also say goodbye to Tang Jiaxin and the others, before packing her things and going home early.
The meeting ended around 3 p.m. Zhang Minglang hurried back to the work area, with Fang Zhen following behind him as he arranged the follow-up work.
He walked down the aisle, and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Tang Yi's workstation was empty. Zhang Minglang stopped and stared blankly at the empty seat without saying a word.
Fang Zhen then suddenly realized that she had forgotten to tell him.
“President Zhang, Secretary Tang sent me a message at 2:10 PM saying she was feeling unwell and would like to take the afternoon off. I saw you were in a meeting, so I didn’t tell you,” Fang Zhen hurriedly opened her tablet. “I’ll reschedule your afternoon meeting for you right now.”
He wanted to go back to see her.
That was his first reaction.
However, the afternoon meeting was crucial for the acquisition and dispelling the rumors, and as the core decision-maker, he could not afford to be absent.
He wanted a quick victory.
These things can't be allowed to drag their relationship down any longer.
He took a deep breath, suppressing all his surging emotions, and said, "Let's start the meeting."
Fang Zhen frowned, wanting to say something, but Zhang Minglang had clearly made up his mind. He lowered his head, turned, and walked into the president's office.
In the conference room, several executives were discussing the weaknesses of the Li Group. Zhang Minglang sat at the end of the long table, his fingers curled and placed on his chin, but his eyes were vacant, and it was unclear where he was looking.
"Although their internal structure is pathological, but..."
Pathological.
Tang Yi has taken leave and gone home.
She rarely takes leave, could it be a cold? Or a fever? It must be very serious and she's feeling terrible.
I wonder if the medicine he just ordered for her has arrived yet.
"I don't think so! Their weaknesses are completely structural, and we are fully capable of taking advantage of their vulnerability and taking them down in one fell swoop! Of course, this still depends on President Zhang's opinion..."
weakness.
Is she already lying in a cold bed or under a blanket, all alone?
I wonder if she forgot to turn on the heating.
If it's not opened, it could easily worsen the condition.
"President Zhang?" Fang Zhen, who was not far from Zhang Minglang, noticed the vacant look in Zhang Minglang's eyes and whispered a reminder.
Zhang Minglang snapped out of his daze and realized that everyone's eyes were on him. He cleared his throat and said, "Continue."
The finance person chimed in, "Unless there's a major internal upheaval or some tax issues, the acquisition will have to be postponed. Mr. Zhang, in your opinion, should we continue to wait, or... Mr. Zhang?"
After he finished speaking, he looked at the boss at the end of the conference table, who was staring blankly at a certain spot on the table, raised his voice slightly, and called out.
Zhang Minglang's fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, the frequency increasing rapidly.
He felt the curves on the projector in front of him become blurry. When he blinked hard and looked again, the numbers marked next to the lines suddenly turned into the readings on the thermometer in Tang Yi's hand.
38.5 degrees.
Assistant Zhou exchanged glances with the other senior executives in the conference room and tentatively asked, "Mr. Zhang, if you have any other urgent matters, perhaps..."
“Excuse me, everyone,” Zhang Minglang said as if he had finally found a suitable excuse. He suddenly stood up and straightened his suit jacket. “I do have an urgent matter to attend to, so let’s end the meeting here today.”
He didn't even bother to collect the documents from the table; he grabbed his phone and walked out, leaving a group of executives staring at each other in bewilderment. The moment he pushed open the door, Zhang Minglang had already dialed the number that had been on his mind. The hinges of the frosted glass door turned softly behind him.
The CFO stared blankly as he left, then was the first to ask, "Secretary Fang, what's wrong with President Zhang...?"
Fang Zhen already knew why he had suddenly gone out. She turned her head with a smile: "President Zhang is in a hurry to deal with some things... much more important than work."
The phone was busy; no one answered.
Zhang Minglang hurriedly pressed the elevator button, not even having time to arrange a driver. He got into the car and sped all the way to Tang Yi's building.
The door opened, and a blast of cold air greeted him, which, ironically, brought a sense of coolness to Zhang Minglang, who was feverish from his hurried movements.
He was anxious, so he slowed his pace. The medicine he had ordered for Tang Yi was casually placed on the table. Zhang Minglang leaned closer to look; two capsules had been opened.
You'll feel better after taking the medicine.
This offered him some reassurance.
Zhang Minglang put down the medicine, walked slowly to the door of Tangyi, and gently pressed the handle.
A small section of the blanket on the bed was rolled up, just as he had imagined during the meeting. A wad of long, dark hair was spread out on the pillow, Tang Yi's eyes were tightly closed, and her forehead and face were flushed.
Zhang Minglang's heart, which had just settled, clenched again. He walked to her bedside, knelt down on one knee, and extended two fingers, using the backs of his fingers to feel the temperature of her forehead.
It's very hot.
Zhang Minglang withdrew his hand, turned around, and gently closed the door behind him. He took off the coat he hadn't had time to take off when he came in, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and frantically tried to recall ways to lower a fever. He clumsily grabbed a towel and a basin of cool water, then awkwardly returned to Tang Yi's bedside and carefully wiped the fine sweat from her forehead.
Tang Yi, seemingly feeling the coldness in her sleep, murmured something in her sleep and unconsciously rubbed her face against Zhang Minglang's hand holding the towel.
Zhang Minglang froze on the spot, too afraid to move.
As the ice melted and burned into the fire, the rising steam became Zhang Minglang's sensation at that moment.
His heart suddenly felt damp and sticky, a wave of guilt and heartache spreading rapidly through him like water soaking a corner of a tissue.
He should have come back sooner.
Instead of holding some stupid meeting there.
He knelt beside her bed, silently watching her peaceful sleeping face.
Only when his legs were completely numb did he remove his arm from her face, lean down, and place a gentle kiss on her forehead.
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