Chapter 495: Ice and Fire

After 6:00 PM.

Lin Mu Xue swiped her card to enter the Lanfeng International High-end Apartment, her high heels clicking crisply on the marble floor.

She casually threw her bag onto the custom shoe cabinet in the entryway and walked barefoot toward the floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside the window was the dazzling night view of Yancheng; the buildings in the financial center were brightly lit, neon lights flickered, and traffic flowed like a weave.

She stood at a height, overlooking it all.

Her mind still circled with the words from her father's phone call.

Date buns, stone cakes, walnuts, Qiong pot candy—

Those words carrying a rustic atmosphere were like a thin thread, gently tugging at the memories she had deliberately sealed away.

Scene after scene from the past surfaced in her mind along with these foods.

The Mid-Autumn reunion festival—to say she didn't miss the home she grew up in at all would be a lie.

But she felt truly aggrieved in her heart and could never get past that hurdle.

Their family had two housing plots in the countryside; one was written in her brother's name, and the other was promised to be left for her.

As a result, in order for her brother to buy a house, they sold hers directly, and the 70,000 yuan from the sale, plus the family's 200,000 yuan in savings, were all given to her brother.

She still remembered that day when her mother brought the homemade cured meat to Yancheng to see her, but pulled out a mortgage calculation sheet and a housing plot transfer contract at the dinner table.

"Ding-dong—"

The WeChat notification sound pulled her back to reality.

【Zhenzhen: "Sister Seeing Xiao Xue, I just returned to my hometown today, I'll go to Yancheng with classmates on October 1st, staying at her house, I'll contact you when I arrive."】

Lin Mu Xue thought for a moment and replied: "Alright, do you need me to pick you up at the station?"

【Zhenzhen: "No need, my classmate is from Yancheng, she's very familiar with that side."】

Chatting with her cousin for a few more sentences, a sense of reverie arose in Lin Mu Xue's gaze.

Lin Yuzhen was her uncle's child, only two years younger than her.

Although she also loved to play, she was relatively excellent in her studies, having been admitted to a decent undergraduate university, and was a junior this year.

Because their ages were close, their relationship used to be quite good.

However, later on, their contact became less and less, especially after she went to the south for university, started looking for work,

fell out with her family, and stopped returning to her hometown.

In the last two or three years, they basically hadn't been in contact much.

She would also shield these groups when posting on Moments, more actually wanting to say goodbye to the past.

She withdrew her gaze and looked at her reflection in the glass; her makeup was exquisite, her clothing expensive.

Like a true urban elite.

No, not like.

She was now a true urban elite.

She worked in the top office building, drank hand-drip Geisha coffee, lived in a high-end apartment, used the best skincare products, and could wear new, beautiful clothes every week without repeating.

From a girl who lived on a 500-yuan living allowance and calculated carefully in the cafeteria, she had become the person she once dreamed of being.

For her, who loved to show off, she actually also hoped that her family and relatives knew about her decent life now, letting them be proud of her.

This sudden visit from her cousin Zhenzhen made her unable to suppress her desire to "flex."

No matter what, this feeling of returning home in glory was the most satisfying for her.

Taking a deep breath.

Lin Mu Xue picked up her phone and opened the banking app.

【Balance: 53,000 yuan】

These were all the money she earned from her salary + part-time jobs.

Besides this, she also had the 5 gold bars Tang Song gave her.

The reason it was so little, besides her own high consumption, was mainly because she helped Xu Ning pay off a lot of debts.

However, because the next period was the super-long holiday of Mid-Autumn + National Day, Rongliu Investment would issue this month's salary in advance tomorrow.

This was the first time she received the salary for the "Assistant" position, with an annual salary of 1.5 million yuan, not counting the year-end bonus, and she could get over 70,000 yuan in hand every month.

Thinking of this money, the sense of heaviness in her heart was instantly washed away.

She was just such a worldly person; she would fight with her family for money, and she would also enjoy the security and satisfaction brought by money.

When her cousin came later, she would have to take her to the mall to shop and show off her "financial power."

"Buzz, buzz, buzz—" The phone vibrated.

A message popped up.

【Lin Tiantian: "Empress Mu Xue, our team has already docked with Imperial College, all materials have passed the review, and your enrollment letter (CAS) will be sent to your email soon."】

Lin Mu Xue instantly beamed with joy and quickly replied: "Received, thank you Tiantian!"

The excitement in her heart made her emotions soar.

She couldn't help but recall the words Tang Song had said.

【"Keep it up, Assistant Lin. When you successfully enroll, I will give you a special gift, you will definitely like it very much."】

She didn't know what the "special gift" he mentioned was.

Luxury goods? Gold bars? Haute couture? Jewelry?

It wouldn't be some sex toy, would it?

Thinking of this, a hint of shyness subconsciously flashed across Lin Mu Xue's face.

The game she played with the beautician last time seemed a bit too much.

It made her a bit embarrassed to see Qian Qian now.

The glib tongue, the passionate body scent.

She had to admit that the beautician was truly becoming more and more charming; no wonder Tang Song liked her so much.

After a while, Lin Mu Xue rubbed her burning cheeks, sat at the desk, and began to memorize words.

September 29, 2023, Thursday, lunar August 14th.

A thin layer of cyan-white appeared outside the window, the morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the chill of autumn permeated through the half-open window.

Cheng Qiuqiu slowly opened her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

For some reason, she always felt that something was missing last night.

Although it wasn't as comfortable as yesterday, she slept quite peacefully.

Sitting up slowly from the bed, she rubbed her head.

She looked at the time.

6:15.

Normal biological clock.

Then, as if remembering something, she hurriedly picked up her phone to check; there were no unread messages.

She clicked on WeChat again and refreshed it.

Still no message from him.

She refreshed it repeatedly for more than ten minutes, and the sky outside the window became brighter and brighter.

Cheng Qiuqiu pursed her lips, turned off WiFi, switched to data, and refreshed again; still nothing.

Yesterday, it was clearly around 6:00 when he sent a "Good morning" WeChat, then cared about her, and chatted with her for a long time; why was there nothing today?

Could it be that she did something wrong yesterday that made him angry?

An inexplicable sense of loss and anxiety suddenly surged in her heart.

Her fingers slid across the screen unconsciously, and she stared at the chat history, dazed.

She seriously recalled the scenes of herself at the company yesterday.

In the morning, she drank the coffee he gave her, her whole body was full of strength, and she worked all day.

Was I too distant?

Or—did he actually not care about me that much, and everything yesterday was just polite?

But why must I have him care about me? I'm not anyone to him,

and it was clearly me who took the initiative to say I was "frigid" in Wushan, which was indirectly telling him not to get too close to me.

Him doing this seems to be the correct thing.

Cheng Qiuqiu, what are you thinking about?

Rubbing her forehead hard, Cheng Qiuqiu changed into a hoodie and sweatpants, walked out of the bedroom with a blank expression, and opened the balcony curtains; the morning light immediately poured in, carrying a hint of the crispness unique to autumn, which was very comfortable.

But Cheng Qiuqiu felt empty inside, as if something had been forcibly pulled away.

After changing into sneakers, Cheng Qiuqiu took the elevator to the first floor, put on Bluetooth earphones, and played music.

Su Yu's singing began to envelop her, and her mood finally gradually eased.

Qiuqiu tucked her hands into the pockets of her hoodie, lowered her head, and walked slowly toward the outside of the residential area.

The small stalls on the side of the street were already bustling, and the fragrance of fried dough sticks, soy milk, and steamed buns mixed in the air.

She ordered her favorite meat sandwich and a cup of hot soy milk, feeling a faint warmth in her hands.

While standing on the side of the road waiting for the traffic light, she unknowingly took out her phone and took a picture of the breakfast in her hand, then opened Tang Song's chat box.

She didn't know why, but she just especially wanted to share ordinary little things with him.

Hesitating for a long time, waiting for one green light after another.

Cheng Qiuqiu closed her eyes and clicked send.

The moment the message was sent, her heartbeat began to accelerate crazily.

She stuffed her phone into her pocket hard, forcing herself not to look at it anymore, and ran back to the rental apartment with her head down.

Taking out her phone to confirm, there was still no reply.

Cheng Qiuqiu bit her lip, put the phone aside, and ate her breakfast quietly, but her gaze couldn't help but look at the extinguished screen.

After finishing breakfast, it was already past 7:00.

Cheng Qiuqiu was just about to wash up.

"Ding-dong—" A clear notification sound rang out, and the phone screen finally lit up.

【Tang Song: Voice message】

Cheng Qiuqiu hurriedly picked up the phone and clicked play.

Tang Song's pleasant voice came from the speaker: "Just got back from the gym, wow, this meat sandwich looks really delicious,"

"golden and crispy, if there's a chance, I must try it, I've loved meat sandwiches since I was little."

A shallow smile appeared on Cheng Qiuqiu's cold face; she clicked play again, turning the phone volume to the maximum.

She listened to it over and over again several times before stopping.

She replied: "It's indeed very delicious, my senior sister and I eat it once or twice every week."

Thinking for a moment, she asked proactively again, "Have you eaten? What did you eat?"

After a while, the phone vibrated.

【Tang Song: Breakfast. jpg】

In the photo was an extremely light breakfast: milk, purple sweet potato, boiled egg, blueberries.

【Tang Song: "For the sake of fitness, I eat quite plainly for breakfast, so I'm especially greedy seeing the meat sandwich, haha."】

After a few simple exchanges, Cheng Qiuqiu's mood completely relaxed, and it seemed the desire in her heart had been completely satisfied.

Washing up, changing clothes.

Carrying her bag and helmet, she went downstairs.

Skillfully igniting and starting.

Accompanied by the roar of the engine.

The white Suzuki GSX250 rolled over the fallen leaves and drove toward the outside of the residential area.

Passing the intersection, her peripheral vision caught the meat sandwich stall, and a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

After the motorcycle drove forward for a few hundred meters, it suddenly turned around and returned to the intersection.

Parking the bike, she took off her helmet.

The autumn wind blew her clothes and hair, outlining her sexy, graceful manga-like figure, and under the backdrop of the motorcycle on the side, it instantly attracted the attention of many people.

Cheng Qiuqiu walked quickly to the familiar stall, her tone indifferent: "Boss, give me a fatty-lean meat sandwich!"

"Alright, seven yuan." The boss looked up at her and asked habitually: "Still want extra chili and cilantro?"

For this sexy and beautiful female customer, his impression was very deep.

Besides being a bit cold, she was quite good in other aspects.

Cheng Qiuqiu hesitated, not knowing how to answer for a moment.

She didn't know if Tang Song could eat cilantro.

She wanted to ask on WeChat, but felt it was too direct, appearing to have ulterior motives.

Struggling and hesitating for a while, under the boss's repeated questioning.

She suddenly blurted out: "I want 3, one with nothing, one with everything, and one with only chili."

Anyway, she bought them, so it wouldn't be wrong.

Hearing her reply, the boss instantly beamed with joy; this was a big order.

He hurriedly responded and made them with nimble hands and feet.

Before long, three meat sandwiches in a plastic bag appeared in her hand.

Carefully putting them into her backpack.

Cheng Qiuqiu was just about to turn and leave when a voice came from behind: "Hello, beauty."

She raised her head and saw a handsome boy in sportswear smiling at her.

"I also buy breakfast here every day, I've seen you many times. Do you live around here too?"

There was no expression on Cheng Qiuqiu's face; she turned and left directly without looking at him again.

The cold and indifferent posture caused the smile on the boy's face to freeze instantly.

He had indeed noticed the other party many times, but today he discovered that this girl was actually riding a motorcycle, both beautiful and cool,

simply irresistibly tempting.

He couldn't help but go up to chat, but didn't expect her to be so hard to deal with.

9:00 AM.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom parked in B2 of Yunxi Building.

Tang Song got out of the car and took the elevator directly to the 30th floor.

"Mr. Tang, morning!"

"Mr. Tang, you're here!"

"Mr. Tang is as handsome and imposing as ever today!"

Several colleagues who happened to be in the elevator area greeted him enthusiastically.

Tang Song smiled and nodded at them, walking leisurely into the passage on the left; this was the door leading directly to the office area.

Because Songmei Apparel occupied an entire floor, the area exceeded 2,000 square meters.

In order not to let employees take too many detours, if they didn't need to punch in, they could enter and exit from the nearest door.

Just as he approached the door of the president's office, a figure came into view.

A simple, slim-fit dark coffee-colored knit sweater and tight jeans outlined her graceful body curves.

The orange-brown long hair was smooth and silky, flickering with charming luster under the light and shadow, draped casually over her shoulders,

adding a bit of gentleness and charm to her.

Cheng Qiuqiu was quietly leaning against the wall of the corridor, carrying a backpack, holding a cup of coffee in her hand.

Hearing footsteps approaching.

She raised her head, her gaze colliding with Tang Song's, a hint of unnaturalness appearing on her face.

"Good morning, Qiuqiu." Tang Song smiled and came to her, looking at this sexy and beautiful designer with a gentle gaze.

Cheng Qiuqiu shifted her gaze, handed over the coffee in her hand, and said in a low voice: "Thank you for the coffee yesterday,"

"I'll treat you today."

"Oh? For me? Then I won't be polite." Tang Song naturally took the coffee.

Looking at Qiuqiu with her gaze lowered, he couldn't help but gently pat her hair.

Cheng Qiuqiu's body trembled, her mouth opened slightly, and she subconsciously shrank back.

"Ah, sorry." Tang Song hurriedly apologized; this was completely an unconscious behavior from the dream.

"It—it's okay." Cheng Qiuqiu pursed her lips, and after a moment of silence, suddenly asked: "Can you eat cilantro?"

Tang Song was stunned and nodded: "Yes."

Cheng Qiuqiu took off the bag on her shoulder, fumbled in it for a while, and took out a meat sandwich wrapped in a plastic bag and a paper bag, "This is from the place I ate at this morning, didn't you want to taste it."

Looking at the meat sandwich in her hand, Tang Song's gaze tightened slightly, and he took it seriously.

Looking at her, a warm smile appeared on his face: "Thank you, Qiuqiu, I really didn't eat enough this morning, I've been thinking about your meat sandwich, this can be considered a wish fulfilled."

"That's good." Cheng Qiuqiu's face flushed slightly, "Then I'll go to work, bye."

"Bye."

Watching her figure disappear.

A complex emotion surged in Tang Song's heart; it seemed he had seen the figure of the little girl from the dream in her again.

Although her appearance was extremely cold, he could feel that Cheng Qiuqiu was actually very lacking in love.

Returning to the president's office.

Tang Song untied the plastic bag and took a bite of the meat sandwich.

Although it wasn't fresh out of the pot and the crust was already a bit soft, losing some crispness, the fatty-lean braised meat inside was still fragrant, mixed with the taste of chili and cilantro, making one's appetite increase greatly.

He just ate it seriously like this, bite by bite, not even letting go of the crumbs that fell into the paper bag.

After eating, Tang Song took a photo of the empty paper bag and shared it with Cheng Qiuqiu.

Leaving a message: "(~~)/ Very delicious."

Before long, the phone screen lit up, and Cheng Qiuqiu replied with a smiley face emoji.

Just as Tang Song was preparing to type a few more words to respond, "Buzz, buzz, buzz—" the phone vibrated, popping up a new message.

【Lingling: "(··)9 Senior, I've already arrived downstairs at our company, I'll rush up immediately!"】

Seeing this message, Tang Song couldn't help but purse his lips and smile lightly.

This little junior sister was always full of vitality; every time she communicated, it was like a fresh breeze blowing through his life.

His habit of sending messages with emoticons now was also learned from this cheerful little junior sister; it felt especially interesting.

Thinking for a moment, he quickly replied: "Alright, I'll arrange for someone to go to the elevator area to pick you up immediately."

【Lingling: q('w')get!】

Returning to the main interface, clicking on Cheng Qiuqiu's chat box, Tang Song replied: "Qiuqiu, our company has a new employee joining today, arriving at the 30th floor soon, go to the elevator entrance to receive her and help her complete the onboarding."

【Cheng Qiuqiu: "Alright Mr. Tang, what's her name?"】

Brand Department office area.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz—"

【Tang Song: "You'll know when you see her."】

Seeing Tang Song's ambiguous reply, Cheng Qiuqiu was dazed, but didn't know how to pursue the question.

Silently picking up her work badge, she walked out, confused.

Standing by the elevator area and waiting for a while.

"Ding—" With a light sound, the elevator door slowly opened.

A familiar figure walked out.

Their gazes met, and Cheng Qiuqiu's expression became stunned, "Lingling?"

"Qiuqiu!" A surprised smile appeared on Yao Lingling's face, and she affectionately grabbed her arm, "My dear, why are you here?"

Cheng Qiuqiu hesitated, hurriedly explaining: "Our boss asked me to pick up a new employee—"

Before she finished speaking, she reacted quickly, widening her eyes and looking at the other party, "Wait, could it be that you are that 'new employee'?"

Yao Lingling blinked, nodding full of curiosity: "If your boss is Senior Tang Song, then it should be me! But, when did you join Songmei Apparel? You didn't mention it at all."

After a moment of silence, Cheng Qiuqiu said: "I also just joined not long ago."

The two looked at each other, and the atmosphere fell into silence briefly.

Cheng Qiuqiu was used to keeping things to herself, rarely taking the initiative to share her situation and feelings with others.

Although she got along very happily with Lingling, if the other party didn't chat with her, she would never take the initiative to disturb the other party.

And recently, Yao Lingling had been busy with the Shangjia Clothing Exhibition and resignation handover, so naturally, she rarely went to chat with her.

After chatting for a few sentences, the information gradually synchronized, and joyful smiles appeared on both their faces.

Following Cheng Qiuqiu's footsteps, Yao Lingling stepped lightly into the door of Songmei Apparel,

and what came into view was decor and renovation with a strong sense of modernity and fashion.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the bustling scene of the city was in full view.

Open-plan workstations were arranged neatly, and each area was divided by logos of different colors, maintaining unity while being full of vitality.

Yao Lingling blinked her moist eyes, looking around curiously, her eyes full of excitement and surprise that couldn't be hidden. As expected of Senior's company!

The office environment and atmosphere were better than she could have imagined.

It was like a high-end multinational enterprise on TV.

She had also just graduated for a little over a year, having worked at Shangya before; suddenly arriving in a new environment and a new company, she was naturally exceptionally curious and excited.

Because it was during the period of batch team-building, there were very few people in the office area, so it appeared exceptionally quiet.

Occasionally encountering colleagues, or having someone cast a gaze over here.

While Cheng Qiuqiu was still hesitating about how to introduce her, Yao Lingling had already proactively waved and greeted with a smile:

"Hello handsome, I'm the new employee joining today, Yao Lingling, responsible for our company's clothing design work, please give me your guidance in the future."

"Hello, I'm Han Xiaoyang from the Marketing Department."

The smile on Yao Lingling's face was cheerful and bright; that heartfelt enthusiasm seemed capable of infecting everyone who met her gaze.

In just a few sentences, she left a deep impression on people.

Subsequently, with the help of HR Zhang Ying, Yao Lingling successfully completed the onboarding procedures.

Getting her own access card and labor contract, she followed Cheng Qiuqiu to the workstation prepared for her.

A brand-new high-end monitor, high-performance host, and next to it were equipped with a drawing board, ergonomic chair, and a small, exquisite green plant.

Yao Lingling put down her backpack and looked around, feeling her heart surging.

Friendly colleagues, impeccable office environment, and a senior who was easy on the eyes—too great!

Turning around and hugging Cheng Qiuqiu hard, her tone was filled with irrepressible joy: "Qiuqiu, from now on we are colleagues, please give me your guidance!"

"Mm." Cheng Qiuqiu's body stiffened, but she didn't dodge.

Just then, a familiar voice came from the side: "Qiuqiu, Lingling."

Yao Lingling turned around in surprise, seeing Tang Song standing there, instantly beaming: "Senior—ah no!"

Immediately after, she imitated the appearance of Liu Jiannan in "The Richest Man in Tomato City," raised her right hand, bent her waist, and shouted sweetly: "Hello Mr. Tang~"

Tang Song, who got the reference, laughed out loud, his eyebrows filled with a bit of doting and teasing: "Looks like you're in good spirits, entering the role so quickly."

"That's for sure, from now on, just like Qiuqiu, I'm also someone supported by Mr. Tang." Yao Lingling blinked,

putting her arm around Qiuqiu's waist, her tone playful and relaxed.

Cheng Qiuqiu, next to her, had a slightly unnatural face, pursing her lips.

Tang Song's gaze wandered between them.

One cold as ice, one lively as fire.

Their temperaments were completely different, yet they miraculously formed a balance, as if they were the cold and warm tones in a painting, complementing each other perfectly. ===== CHAPTER 496 =====