Chapter 109: The Palpitations of Youth Arrive

The basketball game was at an outdoor court near the company, rented by the Administrative Department.

Since this was the first team-building event since the company was founded, managers from every department called their people out to watch, and the seats beside the court were almost full.

Bai Shuruo arrived late, so she sat in the last row.

At this time, the court lights were on, and there were several locust trees near the court, casting mottled shadows; looking from her angle, the scene before her was the same as the court back in junior high.

It was her sitting in the last row, the same lights, people on the court warming up, the basketball thumping against the ground, hitting it with a *thud, thud, thud*.

Bai Shuruo's gaze landed on that figure wearing the number 7 jersey.

He ran and jumped on the court, his bangs slightly long, sweat flying; this figure slowly overlapped with the one in her memories...

Is it him?

Bai Shuruo's heartbeat accelerated, just like the palpitations of puberty.

That figure surged into her mind again, the figure who would focus on reading in the library, the figure who would walk up to her and gently brush her bangs aside.

The game started.

Meng Ze's performance was very impressive; his passing was swift, his shooting accurate, and many girls would scream whenever he scored.

A few girls next to Bai Shuruo were also discussing: "Who is that number 7?"

"Seems like he's from the Design Department, I don't know his name exactly."

"I know, his name is Meng Ze. I noticed him the first day he arrived; he's incredibly handsome."

"Does he have a girlfriend?"

"Don't know about that, I'll find a chance to ask."

"Better be quick, or someone else will get there first..."

During the halftime break, several bold girls went over to give Meng Ze water.

"Meng Ze, you play basketball so well, I'm from the Sales Department, my name is... please drink some water, this is a sports drink."

"Meng Ze, you can drink mine too. By the way, do you have a girlfriend?"

Meng Ze asked them boldly and directly: "Want to pursue me?"

No matter how bold those girls were, they felt shy being asked like that.

But one girl from the Production Department still said: "Yes, I just want to pursue you."

Meng Ze curled his lips and smiled: "I'm very hard to pursue, I'm afraid you won't be able to catch up."

Then he walked along the middle aisle toward the spectator stands.

He came all the way to Bai Shuruo and pointed at the bottle of water next to her: "Supervisor Bai, can you give me this water?"

Bai Shuruo had grabbed a bottle of mineral water before coming, and she wasn't thirsty, so since Meng Ze wanted to drink it, she gave it to him.

Meng Ze took the water and drank it with *gulp, gulp* sounds.

When he tilted his head back, Bai Shuruo saw his protruding Adam's apple and smelled the scent of sweat enveloping him; at that moment, the blurred memory surged again.

That person in her memory also used to run up to her after playing ball and ask her for water.

"Supervisor Bai, thank you for the water, I'll do my best." Meng Ze said to her, as if he were fighting hard for her sake.

Bai Shuruo quickly said: "Then... go ahead."

After the basketball game ended, everyone from the company went to have a meal together.

The place for dinner wasn't far, just a nearby seafood street food stall.

The company was just starting out and funds were still tight, so they couldn't hold a very large event, but they could at least eat their fill.

Going to a street food stall was cheap, and secondly, the employees could be more relaxed here, playing finger-guessing games, drinking, and talking loudly.

Bai Shunan had no airs of a boss; she didn't make the heads of each department sit at her table, but instead let everyone scatter, letting them sit wherever they wanted, and there was no need to toast her; instead, she took a few shareholders to go around and toast the people below.

Bai Shuruo wasn't good at toasting and felt there was no point in following behind Bai Shunan, and since there were only two people from the Design Department, she just picked a seat and sat down.

Not long after she sat down, Meng Ze came over too.

Meng Ze had changed back into his regular clothes, and his hair had been rinsed under a faucet, so he looked quite refreshed.

Since there were many female employees at this table, he became the center of attention as soon as he sat down.

"Meng Ze, you play basketball really well, you must have played a lot before, right?"

"Were you on the school team before?"

"Where are you from, which school did you graduate from..."

Meng Ze answered them one by one.

When he spoke to everyone, he would look into their eyes with a smile on his face, polite and attentive; because there was a hint of roguishness in his smile and his gaze was direct, he always gave people a feeling of "refusing while welcoming."

It was that kind of feeling: you like me, I know, but I don't necessarily like you, but you can try.

Some bold girls would want to challenge that.

Bai Shuruo listened to them chat from the side while slowly eating the food in her bowl.

Unexpectedly, a grilled duck tongue appeared on the plate in front of her.

It was Meng Ze who had used serving chopsticks to pick it up for her.

Meng Ze said: "Supervisor Bai, don't just focus on eating, let's chat too."

The company employees all knew she was the boss's sister, so everyone was polite to her, but she didn't like to talk, so she didn't have much of a presence.

Bai Shuruo said politely: "Thank you, you guys chat, don't mind me, I'll just eat."

Everyone else knew that Bai Shuruo was married, and the reason Meng Ze was nice to Bai Shuruo was because she was his superior.

Not far away, Ling Feng was also toasting Bai Shunan.

"President Bai, the company has grown to over three hundred people all at once; this is all thanks to your efforts. I'll toast you, hoping you continue to lead us to create new brilliance."

Bai Shunan clinked her glass against his, then downed it in one gulp, saying only after she finished, "Many thanks to Vice President Ling for your company as well; you've taken a lot of work off my shoulders during this time."

"We're partners, after all, it's only right. I'll stay by your side for all the days to come," Ling Feng said.

A breeze blew by, and Ling Feng's eyes were dark and shining, especially when he was staring at Bai Shunan.

Bai Shunan's gaze landed on his index finger.

The adhesive bandage had already been torn off, but a shallow scar remained there.

Bai Shunan poured another full glass of wine and toasted him, saying, "Ling Feng, let's continue on as partners."

"Just partners?" Ling Feng asked with disappointment.

"I don't have any other thoughts at the moment," Bai Shunan said frankly.

Ling Feng helplessly raised his wine glass, "Fine, partners it is, but I will always hope that one day I can change my status. Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

……

At another table, Bai Shuruo had not picked up any food for herself all night.

Whenever her eyes glanced at a dish, Meng Ze would serve it to her.

Bai Shuruo did not know how he managed to chat with the female coworkers while simultaneously noticing her needs.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the employees gradually dispersed.

Bai Shuruo also prepared to leave.

"Supervisor Bai, it's late. How about I drive you home?" Meng Ze stood up and said.

Bai Shuruo hurriedly refused: "No need, I'll take the last subway train myself."

"It's 11 o'clock, are there still subways?" Meng Ze asked.

Naturally, there were no buses left either.

Bai Shuruo said: "Then I'll just have my sister give me a ride."

As it turned out, when she turned to look, she saw her sister just getting into Ling Feng's sports car.

Bai Shuruo took out her phone and said: "I'll call a Didi."

As it turned out, she couldn't call a Didi either, because many coworkers were carpooling home, and the nearby drivers wouldn't accept her order.

Bai Shuruo felt helpless and had to ask Meng Ze: "Alright, it seems I'll have to trouble you to take me."

Meng Ze laughed: "I am happy to be of service to Supervisor Bai."