Chapter 534: Wen Ruan and Zhang Yan

November 7, 2023, Tuesday, cloudy turning to light rain.

Early morning 6:50, the sky had just brightened.

In the bathroom of the Four Seasons Hotel presidential suite, water vapor was dense.

Tang Song stood under the showerhead, letting the warm water flow wash over his well-defined body.

Steam rose, and his slightly hot muscles were full of surging power.

He closed his eyes, and the scene under the dim street lamp in Lanxinyuan residential complex last night played repeatedly in his mind uncontrollably.

The first kiss was indeed wonderful.

And Zhang Yan’s first kiss gave him an unprecedented, exceptionally profound feeling.

The "I like you too" he said to her yesterday wasn't "scum talk" to capture her, but the most real thought in his heart at that moment.

Thinking about it earnestly now, the birth of this emotion wasn't hard to understand.

More than ten years of emotional projection without response, the gaze that was pure to the point of being almost humble, and remembering every tiny detail related to him—this feeling of being cherished for a long time and solemnly was enough to hit anyone’s heart in an instant.

And after the reunion, the purity in her, mixed with timidity and courage, was like a clear mirror, allowing him to see the appearance of the boy he once was.

Being with her was very relaxed, very natural.

It seemed he could always easily find back that carefree time in the past.

From her, he could clearly feel a sense of the purest "being needed" and "being looked up to."

This emotion progressed layer by layer, finally exploding completely on that night full of ritual, accompanied by her confession and that green, shy kiss.

The shower gradually stopped.

Tang Song walked out of the bathroom slowly, water droplets sliding down his clear mermaid line.

After getting dressed in the walk-in closet, he picked up his phone casually.

There were already several unread messages on the screen.

There were from Lingling, from Qiuqiu, and also from Shen Yuyan.

[Shen Yuyan: "Morning, Boss. Luna and I are leaving immediately, we will meet you before 10 AM, all the materials for connecting with 'Smart Chain Future' are ready, looking forward to the next work! Fighting!"]

It is worth mentioning that this scheming school beauty, Shen, was very sensible and attached a selfie below.

The tight sportswear outlined her sexy curves, full of healthy charm.

The project "Smart Chain Future" was approved by the prop [Tang Song’s Draft Paper], so Tang Song would definitely invest in it.

However, he couldn't stay in Yangcheng forever, so letting Shen Yuyan, this special assistant, participate in the whole process and report in real-time could be considered as satisfying the system task requirements.

Replying to their messages one by one, he chatted for a few more sentences.

Seeing that the time was about right.

Only then did he walk back to the master bedroom with light steps.

Big sister Wen Ruan was still lying on the bed, covered only by a light layer of silk quilt.

The quilt clung tightly to her body, from her perky peach-like buttocks to her slender, toned thighs, outlining an arc that made one’s blood boil.

Tang Song walked over, leaned down, and whispered in her ear: "Zhuangzhuang, don't forget what you promised me."

Wen Ruan opened her eyes lazily, her peach-blossom eyes full of lazy, charming style just after waking up.

She gave him a white look, just stretched out a strong, big white leg, and kicked him lightly, "Bastard~"

Then, as if savoring it, she licked her full red lips with the tip of her tongue.

Last night, because Tang Song felt guilty in his heart, he was almost obedient to her.

Wen Ruan directly turned into the "head coach" and began to instruct; Tang Song performed very well, obedient and hardworking, letting her have a great time.

It was just a bit hard on the waist.

Tang Song smiled, grabbed her thigh, and slapped her perky peach-like buttocks not too lightly or heavily.

"I'm going to order breakfast. This morning, we still have to go to Smart Chain Future again to sign the TS."

Wen Ruan hummed twice and turned over.

Wrapping herself into a silkworm baby with the quilt, it seemed to be to prevent her butt from "suffering" again.

The footsteps went away.

Wen Ruan lay on the bed for a while longer before finally sitting up lazily.

Her naked, full body swayed slightly in the warm light.

Making a "duang-duang" sound.

She picked up the phone by the pillow casually and opened WeChat to take a look.

There was a new friend request on it.

The nickname was "Breathing in a Smile," and the note was: Zhang Yan.

Wen Ruan sighed gently and clicked accept.

She rarely saw Tang Song care so much about a person or a thing, which was enough to prove the unusual status of this "Zhang Yan" in his heart.

Also, a girl’s secret crush from the beginning of her youthful stirrings, lasting more than 10 years.

This kind of story, even for a flirtatious scumbag like him, had huge lethality.

And the reason she finally compromised and agreed.

Of course, it wasn't just because she was "slept into submission," but mainly because Zhang Yan’s appearance gave her some new ideas.

Now she was sandwiched between several women like Su Yu, Liu Qingning, and Jin Meixiao, like a filling in a sandwich, suffering on both sides.

Introducing Zhang Yan, this "variable" who looked harmless but had sufficient attraction to Tang Song, might not be a bad move.

Of course, before that, she had to get in touch with this "reverse white moonlight" to see if she had the potential to be "developed."

Wen Ruan raised the corners of her mouth and clicked on the chat box.

Her fingertips jumped quickly on the screen.

Lanxinyuan residential complex.

"Ding-dong—"

The WeChat notification sound broke the silence of the early morning.

Zhang Yan, who was in a daze, jumped, and quickly picked up the phone.

First, she saw the notification that the friend request was accepted, and then another message.

[Wen Ruan: "Hello, Zhang Yan, I am Wen Ruan from Xingyun International Group. Tang Song has told me everything about you, don't worry, and don't have pressure. Welcome to Xingyun International anytime, sister will cover you (#smile)!"]

Looking at those intimate words that carried a hint of streetwise charm, Zhang Yan felt somewhat flattered.

Originally, she was extremely anxious, after all, she was asking for help.

She didn't expect this big leader of the group to be so... easygoing with her.

She deliberated for a long time before replying cautiously: "Hello, Director Wen, thank you so much, I will work hard and not live up to your trust."

[Wen Ruan: Playful (emoticon)]

[Wen Ruan: "Seriously, don't be so polite. By the way, how is Auntie doing now? I will stay in Yangcheng for a while, if you need anything, tell me anytime."]

Zhang Yan was made to blush by the other party’s enthusiasm; she typed and deleted, deleted and typed, and finally could only send: "Everything is fine,

thank you, thank you very much."

Just as she was about to put the phone away, Wen Ruan sent another message.

They chatted "laboriously" like this for more than ten minutes.

Seeing the other party’s reply "Going to eat, bye-bye," she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, her favor for this Director Wen had already risen to the peak.

The other party later directly called her "Sister Zhang Yan," was very concerned about her and her mother’s situation, and said many comforting words, every sentence showing sincerity.

Zhang Yan had lived this long, and it was the first time she felt this kind of kindness from a "stranger" without any additional conditions.

Just like Lulu said, she was indeed a very warm person.

The people around Tang Song were indeed all very good.

Then, she returned to the WeChat main interface and clicked on the chat box that had been pinned by her.

Above were the few simple chats with him after he went back last night.

Looking at those intimate and natural words, Zhang Yan could no longer be calm.

She pinched her thigh secretly, and a clear sense of pain came, repeatedly confirming that this wasn't a dream.

Tang Song not only responded to her confession but also—kissed her mouth.

Her fingertips touched her lips uncontrollably, and the warm, soft sensation seemed to still clearly linger on them.

Her whole person was like being ignited, unable to sit still anymore, burying her face in the pillow, her body trembling slightly from excitement.

"Meow~ meow~"

Orange, which had been ignored, kept rubbing against her with its head, letting out a loud protest.

Zhang Yan finally woke up from her dream, quickly got up, and hugged Orange, spinning around a few times in the small room.

She rushed into the kitchen with light steps, started cooking skillfully, and by the way, gave Orange an extra meal, boiling a piece of chicken breast.

Steam rose from the pot, and the aroma of food permeated the small space.

Making her heart, which had been drifting due to happiness, gradually settle down.

After breakfast, she made a video call to her mother.

Quickly tidied herself up, changed into clean clothes, said goodbye to Orange, and headed to the company.

The subway carriage, which used to be suffocatingly crowded, didn't seem so hard to bear today.

She stood in the crowd, always wearing a silly smile she hadn't even noticed, occasionally staring at the scenery flying past outside the window in a daze.

Getting off at Nongjiangsuo Station, she walked to Huiming Building and took the elevator directly to the seventh floor.

The elevator door opened, Zhang Yan took a deep breath, and walked into the familiar office.

This was probably her last day at the company.

Although there was a little reluctance in her heart, there was more longing for the future.

Her life had never seemed so bright.

"Good morning, Brother Wang."

"Mm, morning, Zhang Yan."

"Sister Chen, morning."

This time, she didn't walk quickly toward her workstation with her head down as usual.

Instead, she took the initiative to greet her colleagues along the way.

This small change made her whole person enveloped in a halo of confidence.

She arrived at her workstation and sat down, and Lulu beside her immediately leaned over as if she had discovered a new continent,

"Zhang Yan! Why are you so happy today?"

Zhang Yan bit her lip, leaned into Lulu’s ear, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Lulu, I... I decided to go to Xingyun International Group, we will be colleagues again."

"Wow—" Lulu couldn't help but let out a huge cheer.

Seeing the strange looks from the surrounding colleagues, she quickly covered her mouth exaggeratedly.

She excitedly grabbed Zhang Yan’s arm and lowered her voice: "Great! I knew you would be able to figure it out! We will both be big-factory employees from now on! Turning over a new leaf, hehe!"

She began to excitedly imagine the wonderful life after they joined the company.

"Let's resign together! But the handover might be hard to handle." Lulu analyzed quietly: "You resign first, after all, Auntie still needs you to be busy. My offer is to join next Monday, I'll help you drag it out for two days, no rush."

Although Shucheng Technology was in a crisis state and planned to gradually lay off employees to survive, for the same department and the same position, to avoid the company blocking people, it was best to stagger the resignation.

"Thank you, Lulu."

"And your offer also needs to be confirmed as soon as possible, set things down, don't be embarrassed about the position and salary, you have to ask actively!"

Zhang Yan nodded gently, not saying anything more.

She directly submitted her resignation application on DingTalk.

Then she began to organize the handover of the projects on hand.

9:50 AM.

Xingyun International Group, Yangcheng Branch.

In the temporary director’s office, the mellow aroma of freshly ground coffee permeated the air.

"So, the core of the TS clause dispute is mainly concentrated on the board seat, but our sincerity is very sufficient, they shouldn't have any opinions..."

"Mm, Xingyun International Group is about to go public, being acquired by us at this time is too good for them, they definitely won't refuse."

Wen Ruan leaned lazily on the sofa, raised her wrist, and looked at the time.

"First, let's agree," she extended a slender finger painted with crimson red, and tapped his lips lightly, "You promised me that you would sleep with me again tonight."

"Don't worry, I guarantee to complete the task, absolutely making the leader satisfied."

"Hm-hm~"

Just then, a "dong, dong, dong" knock on the door sounded.

"Director Wen, President Tang, two distinguished guests have arrived." Assistant Wang Dandan’s voice came from outside the door.

Wen Ruan sat up straight, restored a serious appearance, and said in a calm voice: "Please come in."

Tang Song’s heart moved slightly, a bright smile appeared on his face, and his gaze looked toward the door.

"Aiya—" The heavy office door was pushed open slowly.

"Da, da, da—"

Accompanied by the crisp and rhythmic sound of high heels.

Two tall and beautiful figures appeared at the door, one after the other.

Lin Muxue walked in front, her makeup exquisite, her red lips like fire.

She was wearing a well-tailored white suit skirt, with a black silk camisole inside; the simple black and white color scheme looked exceptionally bright.

Following closely behind, Shen Yuyan was wearing a soft, light khaki slim-fit dress, with a short windbreaker of the same color outside.

She looked gentle and intellectual, like a cup of warm milk tea.

"President Tang, Director Wen." The two greeted in unison.

Not having seen each other for a while, these two assistants, who were originally at odds, seemed to have forged a subtle and special tacit understanding.

Standing side-by-side, one bright and moving, one gentle and intellectual, they formed a visually striking and pleasing picture.

"Luna, Shirley." Tang Song smiled and waved at the two assistants, "Thank you for your hard work, rushing over so early."

In order to attend this important TS signing meeting on time, the two left Xiangjiang at dawn and rushed all the way, only just arriving.

Lin Muxue’s gaze, upon touching Tang Song, instantly became as soft as water, "It’s what I should do."

Beside her, Shen Yuyan wore a perfect, watertight smile, "It is our honor to be able to participate in such an important decision at the first opportunity."

After simple pleasantries, the four took their seats.

Lin Muxue and Shen Yuyan immediately entered a working state, reporting their work in Xiangjiang concisely.

Beside her, Wen Ruan raised her eyebrows imperceptibly.

She subconsciously glanced at Tang Song beside her.

She wasn't familiar with Shen Yuyan, but she had dealt with Lin Muxue several times and chatted quite a bit on WeChat.

Seeing her this time, she could clearly feel that this "sharp-edged," vain assistant had matured and become much more restrained.

Shen Yuyan beside her was also more composed and capable than she had in her impression, and her temperament was very good.

These two top-tier assistants... I have to say, this dog man Tang Song really knows how to pick!

Just then, the knock on the door sounded again.

Assistant Wang Dandan pushed the door and entered, reminding: "Director Wen, President Tang, the time is about right, the cars are already waiting downstairs."

"Okay." Wen Ruan nodded and stood up.

The group walked out of the office and took the elevator directly to the B1 parking lot of the building.

Three black commercial vehicles were already waiting here, and the due diligence team of Xingyun International Yangcheng Branch was also fully assembled.

Everyone got into the cars one after another, and the motorcade drove steadily out of Fuli Yingkai Plaza, merging into the endless stream of traffic in Zhujiang New Town, driving toward Tianyu Business Building located in Yuexiu District.

10:30 AM.

Smart Chain Future headquarters conference room.

The atmosphere was tense and solemn.

On both sides of the long conference table, one side was the joint investment team led by Tang Song and Xingyun International, and the other side was the core executive team of Smart Chain Future led by founder and CEO Li Hao.

The TS signing meeting officially began.

One o'clock in the afternoon.

Seeing Zhang Yan returning from the bathroom, Lulu whispered: "White Fatty has come to the company!"

"Mm." Zhang Yan nodded and walked straight toward a simple glass partition office.

"Dong, dong, dong—"

"Come in." Bai Rui inside clearly saw her, his voice a bit impatient.

Zhang Yan took a deep breath and pushed the door to enter.

Bai Rui leaned in the office chair, not looking up, and said: "What is it? Say it."

It was very obvious that Zhang Yan’s tough attitude on the phone earlier had completely angered him.

Zhang Yan bit her lip, looked at him with courage, and said in a calm voice: "Director Bai, I already submitted my resignation application on DingTalk this morning, please approve it."

Bai Rui lifted his eyelids and glanced at her, "I know."

"My work has been handed over to Zhang Lu, I want to finish the resignation process today, and I have to go to the hospital this afternoon."

Bai Rui laughed, put down his phone, leaned forward, and looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze.

After a moment, he said slowly: "That won't do, those few clients you are responsible for are still quite important, according to the company’s regulations, I have to give you a one-month handover period."

Hearing this, Zhang Yan’s face changed, "The company’s resignation process shouldn't be this complicated, right?"

"I am doing it completely according to the Labor Contract Law. Employees resign, notify thirty days in advance, is there any problem? If you are not satisfied, you can apply for labor arbitration, right?"

He emphasized the word "arbitration," carrying a mocking meaning. Zhang Yan’s lips trembled, and her heart sank bit by bit.

The other party was indeed correct.

But in reality, most companies, after employees complete their work handover, will negotiate a reasonable resignation date and part on good terms.

Especially for an enterprise like Shucheng Technology that is undergoing large-scale layoffs, they are eager for employees to resign voluntarily.

It was very obvious that Bai Rui was using the rules to deliberately make things difficult for her.

Bai Rui looked at her appearance of daring to be angry but not daring to speak, and felt a burst of pleasure in his heart.

He pulled open the drawer, took out a document, and threw it onto the desk.

"This is the 'Agreement on Rescinding Performance Agreement by Mutual Consent,' you sign this, and then regarding your absenteeism and leave last Friday and yesterday, apologize to me. I will approve your resignation application immediately."

He had a most basic assessment standard for hiring employees, which was to see if their personality was honest and obedient enough.

Those who looked like "thorns" would be screened out by him during the interview stage.

He needed this kind of "tool person" who could be manipulated at will and worked hard without complaint.

In Bai Rui’s eyes, Zhang Yan was the most honest one, especially hardworking and serious.

So he handed all the bitter and tiring work to her with peace of mind.

Now that the company was in a "crisis" moment, wanting to keep his position and salary, he inevitably needed to "perform" in front of the boss—letting department employees give up performance and "share weal and woe" with the company, and then appropriately reducing staff, was the "achievement" he used to ask for credit from his superiors.

Combined with Zhang Yan and Lulu’s frequent leave recently, and their sudden tough attitude, he was certain that they must have found a new place.

As long as he stuck them on the resignation process, he wasn't afraid they wouldn't yield.

Zhang Yan’s gaze fell on that so-called "agreement."

In those beautiful almond eyes, clear calmness and firmness emerged.

From childhood to adulthood, she had lived in the shadow of inferiority.

Her childhood inferiority came from being "abandoned" by her parents, living under someone else’s roof, and even having to look at the faces of her aunt’s family to eat.

Her later inferiority came from that Liu Qingning who was as dazzling as the sun, and her long, hopeless crush on Tang Song.

She was always habitually retreating, habitually enduring.

But now it was different.

She could already support herself with her own hands in this huge city, and could also support a gluttonous cat named "Orange."

The boy she had looked up to for more than ten years responded to her confession and gave her a kiss more beautiful than any dream.

Her heart had never been as filled with a huge, solid sense of happiness as it was at this moment.

She looked at Bai Rui and said earnestly: "My performance and business trip reimbursement expenses total 18,327 yuan."

"This is what I deserve, I won't take a penny less, and I won't sign this agreement."

"As for arbitration, I will definitely go." She paused, her tone becoming increasingly clear and powerful.

"I have already screenshotted and saved all my attendance records, all evidence of overtime, as well as the company’s promised performance calculation method,

my assessment rating sheet, and relevant chat records—I have already organized all the materials."

Her speaking speed wasn't fast, but every word was like a small stone, throwing soundly.

Bai Rui’s face became uglier and uglier.

He never thought that this Zhang Yan, who was the most honest and obedient in his department, would be such a thorn.

"You really take yourself seriously?!" In a fit of shame and anger, he slammed the table and stood up from the chair, his voice rising accordingly, "I tell you, Zhang Yan! The company hasn't treated you badly, now the company is in trouble, you don't think about sharing weal and woe, but instead think about stabbing in the back?"

His voice was a bit loud, immediately attracting the attention of many people passing by outside.

Gazes were cast toward this office.

Facing his roar and the watching gazes, Zhang Yan’s expression was calm, and then she summoned her courage and said: "If we are really sharing weal and woe, then Director Bai, will you voluntarily apply for a salary reduction and give up all your performance bonuses this year?"

The expression on Bai Rui’s face froze, his eyelids twitching, "You—"

Zhang Yan bit her lip, no longer arguing with him, "Director Bai, there are still things at the hospital this afternoon, I'm leaving."

After saying this, Zhang Yan turned and walked out of the office directly.

Returning to her workstation, in front of everyone, she submitted her leave application for the afternoon on DingTalk, then picked up her backpack and told Lulu.

Amidst the stunned gazes of all her colleagues in the office area, she left the company.

Her pace became faster and faster, her whole person seeming to have shed an invisible lock.

2:30 PM, special care ward.

The attending physician walked into the ward with a smile, holding a stack of reports just sent from the laboratory department.

"The test results from yesterday are all out, the situation is better than we expected. Although the tumor has signs of transformation, the degree of malignancy is not high, and no distant metastasis has been found. All physical function indicators are also within the normal range, completely meeting the enrollment criteria for CAR-T treatment."

Hearing this news, the anxiety that Zhang Yan and Zhou Hui had been holding for a day finally settled.

Zhang Yan’s eyes grew hot, and she almost cried with excitement on the spot.

The doctor gave a few more precautions and then turned and left.

Zhang Yan sat by her mother’s bed, peeling an apple while thinking about how to resign from the company smoothly.

Just then, the phone rang.

On the screen, it showed two words—[Director Wen].

Zhang Yan quickly put down the fruit knife and answered the phone, "Hello, Director Wen?"

On the other end of the phone, Wen Ruan’s smiling imperial sister voice rang out: "Zhang Yan, I just finished my work here, checked the positioning, and it just happens to be near your Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center. If you don't mind, I want to go over and see Auntie, and by the way, officially meet the talent who is about to join our company."

This was the first time Zhang Yan heard her voice; it was very pleasant and exceptionally kind.

She almost stood up straight subconsciously, "This... this is so embarrassing, it should be me coming to see you."

"Don't be so polite, I just want to go see you, is it convenient?"

Zhang Yan was silent for a moment, "Okay, okay! It’s really too much trouble for you."

She hung up the phone.

Zhou Hui beside her asked curiously: "A-Yan, is someone coming?"

Zhang Yan took a deep breath, trying to calm her wildly beating heart, and whispered: "It’s a big leader from the company for the new job Tang Song introduced to me, and also a good friend of his."

Zhou Hui, upon hearing this, immediately struggled to get up, "This... this is so embarrassing to let someone come see this old woman? Should we go—"

"It’s okay, Mom." Zhang Yan quickly pressed her down, soothing her in a low voice: "Don't move around, she’s a big leader, just passing by to see."

Although she said so, her own heart was in her throat.

Less than ten minutes later, the ringtone rang again.

Wen Ruan had already arrived at the lounge area outside the special care medical center.

Zhang Yan gave another instruction to her mother and the caregiver, and then, with an anxious mood, ran out of the ward.

She arrived in front of that familiar lounge, and pushed open the heavy glass door.

At a glance, she saw the figure standing by the sofa, and beside her was a girl who looked like an assistant.

Zhang Yan’s throat rolled, looking at Director Wen in front of her with some amazement.

The Wen Ruan in front of her, and the appearance she saw in the news photo, were both the same and different.

She was wearing a black backless knitted top, outlining her proud curves to the fullest.

Her face only had very light nude makeup, but her skin was fair and firm, her features charming and elegant.

Her dark brown wavy hair was casually tied into a high ponytail, looking both capable and full of vitality.

Not as cold as in the magazine, but rather like a kind big sister.

She just stood there casually, but her body radiated an indescribable aura, full of the mature charm of a woman.

?C〇

In front of her, Zhang Yan felt like an underage little girl.