Chapter 43 The Fragrance Makes My Ears Feel a Little Hot.
The long-delayed team building activity is scheduled for the day before the National Day holiday, but the location and content are still to be determined.
Nevertheless, the entire secretariat is still looking forward to the upcoming team-building activities and holidays.
Tang Yi assisted Zhang Minglang in spending an entire day interviewing all the candidates for the fall recruitment season and finalizing the selection.
At that moment, she was flipping through the list with one hand and contacting the human resources department with the other to make final confirmations.
Turning to the last page, Fang Zhen's name came into view.
Tang Yitong paused on the phone, but only for a second.
"Okay, the process is complete, we can send you an offer now. Goodbye."
She put the microphone back on the landline and took out Fang Zhen's documents.
The girl who had been so stressed out by her that day was clearly in much better shape during the actual interview. Except for a barely perceptible flicker of emotion on her face when she saw her.
Tang Yi lowered her head and smiled. For some reason, whenever she saw her, she felt a strange sense of familiarity and warmth.
She tidied up the documents on the table, stapled them into a booklet, held it to her chest, and walked to the door of the president's office to knock.
"Please come in."
She pushed open the door and went in. Zhang Minglang had already looked away from the computer, propping his face up with one hand, his gentle gaze following Tang Yi's movements closely.
Tang Yi looked down and flipped through the documents in her hand, not noticing his gaze: "This is the final candidate. He will officially start work after National Day. Please confirm it again."
She gently placed the paper on the table and pushed it toward him, but didn't see any reaction from him.
She looked up in confusion and met Zhang Minglang's direct gaze.
Tang Yi frowned: "Work."
Zhang Minglang reluctantly withdrew his gaze and obediently nodded: "Okay."
He took the document, flipping through it as he asked, "Has the location for the team building event been decided?"
Tang Yi said, "There are several options at the moment. One is a day trip to a farmhouse, another is an outdoor barbecue and dinner, and yet another is renting a guesthouse to hold a party. They are still voting and haven't decided yet."
Zhang Minglang looked up: "Then why not just combine the three together?"
Tang Yi raised her eyebrows upon hearing this, seemingly considering the possibility he was suggesting.
"Find a nice village, experience farm life in the morning, have an outdoor barbecue in the afternoon, and then have a party back in the city in the evening."
Tang Yi shook her head again: "No, the budget is higher than expected, and it's hard to find a guesthouse in the city."
Zhang Minglang pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered something: "What's so difficult about a homestay? If all else fails, we can pack it up and send it to Jincheng No. 1. It's quiet, has a good environment, and it's free."
Tang Yi seemed to have heard a joke: "Go to your house for team building?"
Zhang Minglang shrugged: "So what?"
He clearly had ulterior motives for suggesting we go to his house. So, while he appeared relaxed, he was actually quite nervous inside.
He stared intently at Tang Yi's reaction, waiting for her to utter the word "okay".
Tang Yi knew exactly what he was thinking. She calmly crossed her arms and said leisurely, "I don't care, it's mainly their opinion."
"You don't care?!" Zhang Minglang took the bait as expected. He suddenly jumped up from his chair and shouted, "This is your first time at my house, and you're saying you don't care?"
Tang Yi looked at him with utmost sincerity: "What do I care? I'm just like all my colleagues, your subordinate."
Zhang Minglang took a deep breath and nodded: "Okay, okay."
After teasing him enough, Tang Yi finally said, "What I mean is, I'm worried they won't be able to let loose when they go to the boss's house, but I don't care."
The person who was just sulking was easily appeased. His eyes lit up: "Why don't you mind coming to my house?"
"Do you want me to care or not care?"
"I think......"
"President Zhang!" Assistant Zhou knocked on the door a few times and barged in. "There's new information!"
Tang Yi's smile hadn't faded yet, while Zhang Minglang looked at him with annoyance and speechlessness.
Assistant Zhou scratched his head awkwardly.
I feel like I've ruined some kind of atmosphere...
Under the heavy pressure of his boss's murderous gaze, Assistant Zhou tremblingly handed him the documents and materials.
Seeing that the two were about to discuss serious matters, Tang Yi turned to leave. However, just as her hand touched the doorknob, Zhang Minglang behind her suddenly spoke up: "Wait."
She turned her head, and his expression suddenly became serious.
"The latest developments in the Zhao Linrui case."
The smile on Tang Yi's face vanished instantly, and she quickly walked back to his table.
Zhang Minglang skimmed through the text, then, as if remembering something, looked up and asked her, "Do you remember if you saw anyone else before you went to Zhao Linrui's office that day?"
"Others?" Tang Yi carefully recalled her entire experience that day. "Does answering the phone count?"
Zhang Minglang nodded eagerly.
“I received a call from Liu Zhang. He said he hadn’t finished processing the documents after get off work, so he asked me to bring a copy to his office,” Tang Yi said, her voice lowering as she spoke, “He’s involved in this matter?”
After receiving a positive reply from her, Zhang Minglang understood. He had already pieced everything together.
He handed the documents to Tang Yi, who was reading them as he said in a deep voice, "It's probably not a coincidence that Liu Zhang asked you to deliver documents for him."
Zhang Minglang sighed: "They've made a huge difference; they've done so many bad things that everything has been uncovered through investigation."
"Liu Zhang and Zhao Linrui colluded with each other, deliberately sending you to deliver documents, and later they also leaked company project secrets to each other."
Zhang Minglang's eyes betrayed his disgust: "I was so sorry I had a change of heart and didn't fire him outright."
Tang Yi remained silent.
She had always known that Liu Zhang had a problem with her, but she never imagined that he was also the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.
They started as interns at the same company at the same time, and five years have passed in the blink of an eye, and now they've gone in completely different directions.
Zhang Minglang kept a close eye on Tang Yi's reaction. Seeing that she seemed a little off, he gave Assistant Zhou a look, signaling him to leave, before getting up and walking to her side.
"Don't worry. Whether it's for you or for the company, I will investigate and bring them all to justice, along with their entire network."
Zhang Minglang softened his tone and looked into her eyes: "Tang Yi, look ahead, okay?"
Subsequently, the dismissal of Liu Zhang and Zhao Linrui was announced on the official website, and everything was settled. Amidst the sighs of relief, the team-building plan was also confirmed by vote, with the location set in Ju County.
Going to Orange County was a sudden inspiration for Tang Yi. The area has a beautiful green environment, a pleasant climate, and, more importantly, it coincides with the charity project proposal she gave to Zhang Minglang.
Zhang Minglang had arranged a bus to take them there, but Tang Yi specifically told him in advance that she wanted to drive herself.
Zhang Minglang deliberately asked, "Why is Secretary Tang being treated differently?"
Tang Yi shook her head: "It's my habit to bring books to the children in Ju County. I have too many books, and driving is more convenient."
Zhang Minglang got excited: "Then I'll go with you."
Tang Yi: "You, the president of Junmao, why are you not taking a private car and instead following me around?"
But he was like a persistent leech, insisting on going with her no matter what: "Then you can take my car to Ju County tomorrow, and I'll take you to buy books this afternoon."
Tang Yi couldn't resist his persistent pleading, so she had no choice but to agree.
So at four o'clock in the afternoon, the two of them left early.
In order to create some space for the two of them, Zhang Minglang deliberately went downstairs before her and made the driver in the driver's seat get out.
The driver, bewildered, said, "Mr. Zhang, it was Secretary Tang who arranged for me this morning..."
Zhang Minglang waved his hand without even listening and said, "Alright, alright, go and rest. I'll drive."
Tang Yi didn't see Zhang Minglang even after she walked out of the company gate. She chuckled to herself, thinking that he was indeed childish and probably had already forgotten about it.
She walked straight to the black car parked in front of the door. Since Zhang Minglang wasn't there, she walked around to the back seat and opened the door.
"Master, let's go."
Tang Yi was busy smoothing out the wrinkles in her skirt and didn't look up.
The man in the front row was silent for a few seconds, then lowered his voice: "Where's the address?"
She had clearly given him the address beforehand. Tang Yi looked up at the rearview mirror in confusion, and the eyes in the mirror suddenly flashed to the side.
Tang Yi didn't say anything, but gave a place name.
The car drove smoothly the whole way. Zhang Minglang felt a little discouraged when he saw that Tang Yi didn't seem to recognize him and had no intention of chatting with him.
Then, on a sudden inspiration, he cleared his throat and asked in a low voice, "Secretary Tang, how many years have you been working here?"
Sure enough, I couldn't sit still any longer.
Tang Yi looked out the window, suppressing a laugh: "More than five years."
"Five years! You've been so busy with work, haven't you even had a boyfriend or anything?"
Hearing this clearly pointed question, she chuckled lightly: "We dated, then broke up. I kind of regret it."
She saw the figure in front of her suddenly tremble, and couldn't help but want to turn around, but she forced herself to.
When he spoke again, his voice sounded somewhat resentful: "Why regret it? Haven't you met another person you like all these years?"
Tang Yi sighed softly and said slowly, "No, I'm just too busy with work. My boss always has a lot on his plate."
"I'm fussy? How am I fussy? Did I deliberately make you work overtime one day, or did I deduct your salary? I even gave you a day off, and you're saying I'm fussy?!"
Listening to Tang Yi spreading rumors, Zhang Minglang finally couldn't help but turn around and rattle off a long string of accusations like a machine gun.
In the back seat, Tang Yi crossed her arms and leisurely watched the furious driver, saying nonchalantly, "Not pretending anymore?"
Zhang Minglang then realized he had been tricked. He glared at her in the rearview mirror, looking furious.
Coincidentally, the car had already pulled up in front of the bookstore. He parked the car, got out, and walked halfway before remembering something. He suddenly turned back and opened the back door for her.
Tang Yi was tugging at the hem of her skirt when the car door suddenly opened, letting in a few blinding rays of sunlight. She squinted instinctively.
Zhang Minglang noticed her expression. He moved to the side with a cold face, his broad shoulders shielding her from the light shining directly into her eyes.
He still seemed angry, turning his head to one side, but his eyes couldn't help but keep glancing at her.
Tang Yi took everything in. She reached out and tugged at the hem of his coat.
Zhang Minglang felt the pull and hurriedly looked down.
Her fair fingers rested on his dark coat, making her skin appear even whiter and brighter.
Whether it was a hallucination or not, he even felt that Tang Yi's hand was like a bouquet of lilies suddenly placed on the tip of his nose, faintly exuding a delicate and rich fragrance.
Just like Tang Yi's own temperament.
Is it hand cream? Or perfume?
So he turned his gaze to the owner of that hand.
Tang Yi's eyes were still slightly squinted from the sunlight. When she saw him looking over, she pursed her lips and smiled slightly: "Thank you, Master Zhang."
Her smile was like a flame appearing in the icy snow, instantly melting the glacier and turning it into a clear stream.
Zhang Minglang felt his ears getting hot.
It's all the sun's fault.
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