Chapter 27 The Coat: "Too much interference in employees' private lives."...
A few hours earlier, Zhang Minglang returned home, extremely annoyed, still holding back the things he hadn't finished saying at the supermarket. As soon as he opened the door, Cheng He's loud cursing from playing games came from the living room.
Upon entering the house and learning that his good friend's refrigerator was completely empty, he tearfully declared that he would personally cook hot pot, provided that Zhang Minglang had to go and buy the groceries.
Thus, the bizarre scene unfolded: Zhang Minglang walked into the house carrying large and small bags, while Cheng He, without any hesitation, played games while howling like a banshee.
After dinner, Cheng He wanted to check on how the bar she co-invested in was doing. She tried desperately to persuade Zhang Minglang to come with her, but to no avail. In the end, she had no choice but to give up the idea and went alone.
However, after sitting alone in the bar for a while, he got bored and sent a message to Zhang Minglang, lying that he was drunk and asking him to come pick him up.
After another back-and-forth, Zhang Minglang, unable to withstand his relentless pestering, had no choice but to take his car keys and head out.
Following the navigation provided by the other party, he drove all the way to the entrance of Heaven, but instead of getting out of the car, he leaned on the steering wheel and lazily opened Cheng He's chat box to send a message asking him to come out.
After sending the message, he glanced at his chat box with Tang Yi and suddenly became distracted.
He unconsciously recalled the amused expression on Tang Yi's face when she saw him and Cheng Cheng while they were shopping at the supermarket that afternoon.
Could she have misunderstood their relationship?
No, he needs to explain things clearly.
With that thought in mind, Zhang Minglang decisively clicked on her profile picture and began brainstorming to organize his thoughts.
But he hesitated. He stared at Tang Yi's WeChat profile picture, feeling as if his left and right hemispheres were locked in a battle of wits.
On one hand, he was thinking that he was just being presumptuous and didn't care how others misunderstood. On the other hand, he was thinking that he was an innocent person and absolutely could not let anyone misunderstand his relationship.
Moreover, this person is Tang Yi.
He became increasingly lost in thought, his hand unconsciously tapping on the phone and clicking on the name "Secretary Tang" in his contact list. By the time he came to his senses, the phone was already to his ear, beeping softly.
Zhang Minglang realized how stupid he was doing and silently warned himself to hang up before the call connected.
However, as if under a spell, his body wouldn't obey his brain, and he inexplicably hoped that the other end would connect.
Hang up after the call connects, and just say you pressed the wrong button.
Zhang Minglang thought silently.
He took out a lighter and fiddled with it in his hand, then opened the window and let the cool breeze from outside blow on his face.
Three seconds before the call connected, Zhang Minglang suddenly noticed the door of the Heaven bar across the street open, and a tall, sexy woman in high heels walked out.
He felt the figure looked familiar, so he squinted, trying to identify her.
The woman crossed her arms, her face appearing and disappearing in the dim light of the streetlamp.
Finally, at some point, Zhang Minglang, who was hidden in the shadows, saw her face clearly.
A voice came through the phone; it was Secretary Tang's familiar voice. There was no emotion on her face; it was all business as usual.
Zhang Minglang forgot his earlier promise to "hang up as soon as the call connects" and, on a whim, made up a meeting, which, as expected, aroused Secretary Tang's suspicion.
However, he no longer cared whether the lie would be exposed.
Because he was almost completely certain that the woman opposite him, dressed in a sexy outfit and completely different from her working image as Secretary Tang, was indeed her.
Although I had seen her in bars before, after working alongside her at the company so many times, this time felt completely different from the first time we met.
interesting.
Zhang Minglang silently curled the corners of his mouth, his mind filled with images of Secretary Tang, who wore frameless glasses and kept people at a distance when she was at work; Secretary Tang, whom he had bumped into at the supermarket a few hours ago, who seemed innocent and harmless; and now, Secretary Tang, who was wearing a tight leather dress but was still as conscientious as ever on the work phone.
Which one is the real her?
Besides curiosity, Zhang Minglang also felt very lucky.
In just one or two months, I had the privilege of seeing a side of Secretary Tang that she had painstakingly hidden, a side that her colleagues and parents probably didn't even know, a side that completely overturned common perceptions.
On the other end of the phone, Tang Yi heard no response and called out "Hello" in confusion.
The September night wasn't too hot; in fact, it was rather cool, especially for Tang Yi, whose shoulders and neck were completely exposed to the air.
A gust of evening wind blew by, causing the fallen leaves on the street to twirl on the ground a few times, and Tang Yi couldn't help but shiver.
At the same time, Zhang Minglang's low laughter reached her ears. Tang Yi was puzzled and was about to speak when he interrupted her.
"Alright, you can go in now. Don't worry about the PPT, give it to me tomorrow."
"Go in?" Tang Yi keenly caught the word.
However, the call had already been disconnected.
Tang Yi put down her phone, her suspicions growing.
A possibility occurred to her, and she looked up and around. Luxury cars were parked along the street, their owners indulging in revelry just a door away behind her.
Having found nothing special, she was about to turn around and go inside when she suddenly caught sight of a familiar car.
She squinted; a barely noticeable light flashed inside the car window and then disappeared.
There are people inside.
Almost the instant she saw the light, she knew what had happened.
Tang Yi felt utterly speechless, as if she had been tricked.
Without hesitation, she turned and pushed open the door. As she walked towards the bar, she opened her chat window with Zhang Minglang, forcefully typing a few lines of text. Her nude nail polish clicked on the screen.
A few minutes later, just as Zhang Minglang was about to get out of the car and go into the bar to find Cheng He, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
He stopped opening the door, sat back down, and checked his phone.
[Tang Yi: Mr. Zhang, it's after work hours now. You're being far too nosy about your employees' private lives.]
Upon seeing this message, Zhang Minglang felt no shame whatsoever; instead, he felt a strange sense of pleasure.
[Chapter: Secretary Tang is indeed exceptionally intelligent.]
After giving this heartfelt compliment, Zhang Minglang opened the car door, got out, and walked happily toward the entrance of Heaven.
In the bar, after seeing the other person's sarcastic remark, Tang Yi immediately turned off the screen and looked up at the bar to find Xu Xiaoxiao.
Ten minutes later, Xu Xiaoxiao had returned to normal, even swirling the wine in her glass and chatting happily with a man she didn't know beside her.
Tang Yi was finally completely relieved. She had been worried that what she had said would ruin her mood for drinking, but thankfully she didn't seem to be affected.
Xu Xiaoxiao, with her sharp eyes, spotted Tang Yi first. She smiled and waved to her, signaling her to come and play together.
Tang Yi walked over, first asking the waiter to take away the original glass of wine, then asking the bartender to bring her an identical dry martini, before finally sitting down next to Xu Xiaoxiao.
After all, it's not safe to drink again after the first glass of wine has been out of sight for a long time.
"Yiyi, this is a friend I just met, Cheng He. She's actually another partner at Heaven." Seeing her sit down, Xu Xiaoxiao quickly introduced the two, "And here's my best friend, Tang Yi. Pretty, right?"
Tang Yi smiled and nudged her, then nodded in acknowledgment. Cheng He, on the other hand, was completely mesmerized. The woman before her had fair skin, a great figure, and jet-black, shiny hair. She looked full of vitality and was clearly a rare beauty.
Cheng He felt he couldn't look her in the eye anymore. After greeting her with feigned composure, he silently lowered his head and frantically typed under the table.
[I'm not a seedling: Bro!! Brother!! I saw a stunningly beautiful woman!]
[I'm not a rice seedling: Wow, this is amazing!]
[I'm not a seedling: You absolutely can't imagine how beautiful she is in person! Long, straight black hair! Super fair skin! Super small face! Super long legs! She just gives off a cool vibe.]
[I'm not a seedling: I didn't hear the name clearly, what was it... Tangyi? I don't know which two characters it is]
Cheng He remained silent, simply typing away, not expecting Zhang Minglang to reply.
However, the other party replied instantly.
He stopped typing and carefully read the content.
[Zhang: Yes. My secretary.]
【I'm not a rice seedling: ?】
[I'm not a seedling: Bro, delusions are an illness.]
Tang Yi was patiently listening to Xu Xiaoxiao explain how she met Cheng He when she suddenly felt a heat rising in her body.
She looked down and saw that someone had draped a black windbreaker over her shoulders, which still smelled of fresh soap.
Tang Yi knew who had come.
"I'm not cold."
She raised her hand to take off her clothes, turned her head, and spoke to the all-too-familiar face behind her in a tone that wasn't exactly friendly.
Zhang Minglang, however, found it quite amusing.
Why does Secretary Tang seem to transform into a thorny force once she enters a bar, with her verbal attacks becoming increasingly aggressive?
Zhang Minglang chuckled. Because they were so close, Tang Yi could even feel his steady breathing, as if it were pressed against her neck.
She touched her neck awkwardly.
He still reached out and draped his coat over her shoulders, but his voice was full of teasing.
"Weren't you just shivering outside the door a moment ago?"
Upon hearing this, Cheng He and Xu Xiaoxiao stared at each other wide-eyed. Xu Xiaoxiao, quite tactfully, got up from her seat and pulled Cheng He to the dance floor as well.
However, the next second, she stuffed the coat that had been draped over her back into his arms.
She casually rested her elbows on the bar and said, "You should wear it yourself. There's no need to go to such lengths to take care of the employees, lest it cause misunderstandings."
"A misunderstanding?" Zhang Minglang laughed angrily. He glanced back at Cheng He, who had already walked away, pointed at him, and asked Tang Yi, "Didn't Cheng He tell you?"
Tang Yi looked at him with a puzzled expression: "What could he possibly have to say to me?"
“You’re saying that the girl at the supermarket is his younger sister?” he drawled. “She’s just a kid who just graduated from high school. You’re not misunderstanding our relationship, are you?”
Yes, it was a misunderstanding.
Tang Yi thought this in her heart, but of course she didn't say it: "This is President Zhang's freedom, what does it have to do with me?"
Zhang Minglang glanced at her, chuckled, and draped his coat over her bare shoulders again.
He turned around, ordered a whiskey, and then looked at her in the dim light of the bar.
Her head was tilted slightly, her long black hair cascading down her face like a waterfall, her fair skin appearing even whiter under the light, and her thick, long eyelashes casting faint shadows under her eyelids.
His breath hitched, and his voice softened as he said, "Don't call me President Zhang anymore. It's after get off work hours now, you said that yourself."
Tang Yi was caught off guard and remained silent for the time being, lowering her head to take a sip of wine.
“You have a good alcohol tolerance.” Zhang Minglang recognized at a glance that the alcohol Tang Yi was drinking was quite strong.
Zhang Minglang raised an eyebrow, noticing her discomfort, and simply got up and went to the center of the dance floor to find Cheng He.
"Sister Yiyi!"
He had barely left when Sun Yuyang arrived, looking travel-worn. He rushed to Tang Yi's side and sat down, panting. Tang Yi kindly handed him a piece of paper.
Sun Yuyang gratefully accepted it and used it to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
If he had known Tang Yi was coming, he wouldn't have let the new bartender work today.
After all, the newcomer was unaware of his agreement with the employees about "sending a message to Tang Yi as soon as he arrives."
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Tang Yi asked curiously when she saw him covered in sweat.
"Me? I came to see..." you.
In a moment of confusion, Sun Yuyang suddenly realized that the person opposite him was Tang Yi.
So he made a twitch in his mouth: "Come to see... come to see a colleague."
After saying that, he secretly felt relieved and reached out to pat his chest.
Luckily, I didn't let it slip.
Tang Yi recalled Xu Xiaoxiao's introduction of Cheng He, who was described as a partner at Heaven, so she thought for a moment and asked, "Is it Cheng He?"
"You know him?"
Sun Yuyang was startled, and alarm bells rang in his mind.
The lights on the dance floor suddenly brightened in sync with the music, making Tang Yi reach out to shield her eyes.
As she moved her hand, Zhang Minglang's windbreaker slipped down a little, and she subconsciously reached out to grab it back.
Sun Yuyang then noticed that she was wearing a men's coat that clearly did not belong to her.
Sun Yuyang felt his throat was very dry, his blood was ice-cold, and it felt like it was about to stop flowing.
He swallowed a mouthful of imaginary saliva, his throat still dry: "You're dating him?"
Tang Yi turned around in confusion upon hearing this, her brows furrowed tightly.
She glanced at Sun Yuyang's focused and tense eyes, and decisively denied it: "What nonsense."
Sun Yuyang pointed to the coat on Tang Yi's shoulder and asked, "What about this?"
"This is my coat, is there a problem?"
A deep, powerful voice sounded behind him, and the man reached out his palm, separating his fingers and pressing them down.
"It's impolite to point at someone with your finger. I think it's best to put it down. What do you think?"
Sun Yuyang turned around. The man was very tall, and his imposing presence was very strong.
He strained to look up and saw his well-tailored trousers and crisp black long-sleeved shirt. Even the dim lighting in the bar couldn't hide the high-quality fabric and texture of the clothes.
The clothes clearly outlined his broad shoulders and muscular chest, with his collarbone and a small patch of pale skin subtly visible above the round neckline. His long sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, revealing lean and powerful arms.
Sun Yuyang felt his embarrassing inferiority complex surface under his gaze, and his aura seemed to have shrunk considerably.
Zhang Minglang bent down, picked up a high stool, placed it between the two seats, and casually sat down to look at Sun Yuyang in front of him.
Tang Yi and Sun Yuyang were inexplicably separated by a human wall.
From Tang Yi's angle, she could only see Zhang Minglang's broad back and his slightly messy black hair above his neck.
She felt a sudden surge of male hormones approaching, but she froze in place, unusually without feeling any discomfort.
Zhang Minglang sized up Sun Yuyang in front of him. Curly hair, white T-shirt and jeans, he looked exactly like a college student.
So he prejudicially identified him as "a college student who wanted to chat up Tang Yi and came to drink after class".
"College students are the pillars of society. You should study hard first, young man."
Zhang Minglang even reached out to pat him on the shoulder, but he was brushed away.
Sun Yuyang's eyes were full of anger: "I graduated a long time ago."
“Then we should work even harder!” Zhang Minglang shrugged as if it were the most natural thing in the world and leaned back.
Tang Yi was startled by the male body that suddenly leaned back and approached her.
She couldn't dodge in time, and her nose bumped into his back.
A small patch of foundation was instantly smeared on his back; the white stain on the black fabric stood out starkly in the dim light.
Author's Note: Zhang Minglang (bending over) (moving a chair) (squeezing into the middle): Go away, don't try to steal my wife [eye roll]
Today is my birthday! [Thumbs up] I'll be randomly giving out red envelopes in the comments section!
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