Chapter 502 Ice and Fire
Chapter 502 Ice and Fire
More than 6 o'clock in the evening.
Lin Muxue swiped her card to enter the Lanfeng International Luxury Apartments, her high heels making crisp sounds as they stepped on the marble floor.
She casually threw her bag on the custom shoe cabinet in the entrance hall and walked barefoot towards the floor-to-ceiling window.
Outside the window is the dazzling night view of Yancheng, with the buildings in the financial center brightly lit, neon lights flashing, and traffic flowing continuously.
She stood on a high place, overlooking it all.
My father’s words on the phone were still circling in my mind.
Date steamed buns, stone steamed buns, walnuts, and Qiongguo sugar...
Those words with a rural flavor were like a thin thread, gently pulling at the memories that she had deliberately sealed.
Scenes from the past came to mind along with the food.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, if I say I don’t miss the home where I grew up, I’d be lying.
But she felt really aggrieved and could not get over that hurdle.
Their family had two plots of land in the countryside, one of which was in his brother's name, and the other was agreed to be left for her.
As a result, in order for her brother to buy a house, she sold her share and gave all the 7 yuan, plus the family savings of 20 yuan, to her brother.
She still remembered the day her mother came to Yancheng to see her, carrying some homemade bacon, but at the dinner table she took out a mortgage calculation sheet and a house site transfer contract.
“Ding Dong——”
The notification sound of WeChat on her mobile phone brought her back to reality.
[Zhenzhen: "Sister Xiaoxue, I just returned to my hometown today. I will go to Yancheng with my classmates on October 10st and stay at her house. I will contact you when I get there."]
Lin Muxue thought for a moment and replied, "Okay, do you need me to pick you up at the station?"
[Zhenzhen: "No need. My classmate's family is from Yancheng. She is very familiar with the place."]
After chatting with her cousin for a few more words, Lin Muxue's eyes became full of reveries.
Lin Yuzhen was his uncle's daughter, only two years younger than her.
Although he likes to play, he is a good student and was admitted to a good undergraduate university. He is a junior this year.
Because we were close in age, we had a pretty good relationship in the past.
But later on, we had less and less contact, especially when she went to college in the south, started looking for a job on her own, had a falling out with her family, and no longer returned to her hometown.
In the past two or three years, we have basically had no contact.
She usually blocks these groups when posting to her Moments, mostly because she wants to say goodbye to the past.
She withdrew her gaze and looked at her reflection in the glass. She had exquisite makeup and expensive clothes.
Like a real urban elite.
No, not like.
She is now a true urban elite.
She works in the top office building, drinks hand-brewed Gesha coffee, lives in a luxury apartment, uses the best skin care products, and can wear new and beautiful clothes every week.
From a girl who had to budget carefully in the cafeteria with 500 yuan for living expenses, she has become what she once dreamed of.
As someone who loves to show off, she actually hopes that her family and relatives will know about her current decent life and make them proud of her.
This time, her cousin Zhenzhen suddenly came over, making her unable to suppress her desire to show off.
No matter what, this feeling of returning home in glory is the most satisfying for her.
Take a deep breath.
Lin Muxue picked up her phone and opened the banking app.
【Balance: RMB 5.3 million】
This is all her salary + the money she earns from part-time job.
In addition, she also had 5 gold bars given by Tang Song.
The reason why it was so little was, in addition to his own high consumption, mainly because he helped Xu Ning pay off a lot of debts.
However, because there is an extra-long holiday of Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day coming up, Rongliu Investment will pay this month's salary in advance tomorrow.
This is the first time she has received salary for the position of "general assistant". The annual salary is 150 million yuan, not counting the year-end bonus, she can receive more than 7 yuan per month.
Thinking about the money, the heaviness in her heart was instantly dispelled.
She is such a vulgar person who would break up with her family for money, but also enjoy the sense of security and satisfaction brought by money.
When my cousin comes, I might take her to the mall to show off my financial resources.
"Buzz buzz buzz--" the phone vibrated.
A message popped up.
[Lin Tiantian: "Muxue, our team has already contacted Imperial College, and all the materials have passed the review. Your admission letter (CAS) will be sent to your email in the near future."]
Lin Muxue smiled instantly and replied quickly: "Got it, thank you Tiantian!"
The excitement in her heart made her feel very excited.
I couldn't help but hear Tang Song's words in my mind.
[“Come on, Assistant Lin. When you are successfully admitted, I will give you a special gift. You will definitely like it very much.”]
I don’t know what the “special gift” he was talking about is.
Luxury goods? Gold bars? Couture? Jewelry?
It can't be a sex toy, right?
Thinking of this, a hint of shyness subconsciously flashed across Lin Muxue's face.
The game I played with the beautician last time seemed to have gone a little too far.
Now she feels a little embarrassed to see Qianqian.
A eloquent tongue and a sexy body odor.
I have to say that the beautician is becoming more and more charming. No wonder Tang Song likes her so much.
After a while, Lin Muxue rubbed her hot cheeks, sat down at the desk, and began to memorize words.
……
September 2023, 9, Thursday, the 29th day of the eighth lunar month.
There was a thin layer of bluish-white outside the window. The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the coolness of autumn seeped in through the half-open window.
Cheng Qiuqiu slowly opened her eyes, and her eyelashes trembled slightly.
I don't know why, but I felt like something was missing last night.
Although it wasn't as comfortable as yesterday, I still slept peacefully.
He slowly sat up from the bed and rubbed his head.
Looked at the time.
6: 15.
Normal biological clock.
Then, as if she remembered something, she quickly picked up her phone and checked, but there were no unread messages.
I opened WeChat again and refreshed it.
Still no news from him.
I refreshed the screen repeatedly for more than ten minutes, and the sky outside the window became brighter and brighter.
Cheng Qiuqiu pursed her lips, turned off the WiFi, switched to data, and refreshed the page again.
still none.
It was clearly around 6 o'clock yesterday. He sent a "good morning" WeChat message, then showed concern for herself and chatted with her for a long time. Why didn't he do that today?
Did I do something wrong yesterday and made him angry?
Suddenly, I felt a sense of inexplicable loss and anxiety.
Her fingers slid across the screen unconsciously, and she stared at the chat history in a daze.
I carefully recalled what happened in the company yesterday.
After drinking the coffee he gave him in the morning, he felt full of energy and was ready to work all day.
Am I being too distant?
Or...he doesn't really care about me that much, and everything that happened yesterday was just a courtesy?
But why do I have to ask him to care about me? I am not related to him.
And it was clearly me who took the initiative to say that I was "sexually apathetic" in Wushan, which was indirectly telling him not to get too close to me.
It seemed like the right thing for him to do.
Cheng Qiuqiu, what are you thinking about?
Rubbing his forehead vigorously, Cheng Qiuqiu changed into a sweatshirt and sweatpants, and walked out of the bedroom with an expressionless face.
When the curtains on the balcony were opened, the morning light immediately poured in, bringing with it a hint of the cool breath unique to autumn, which was very comfortable.
But Cheng Qiuqiu felt empty inside, as if something had been forcibly taken away.
After changing into sneakers, Cheng Qiuqiu took the elevator down to the first floor, put on Bluetooth headphones, and played music.
Su Yu's singing began to envelop her, and her mood gradually eased.
Qiuqiu put her hands in the pockets of her sweatshirt, lowered her head, and walked slowly out of the community.
The street stalls have become bustling with activity, with the aroma of fried dough sticks, soy milk and buns mingling in the air.
She ordered a portion of her favorite roujiamo and a cup of hot soy milk, and felt the faint warmth in her hands.
While standing on the side of the road waiting for the traffic light, she unconsciously took out her mobile phone to take a picture of the breakfast in her hand, and then opened Tang Song's chat box.
I don’t know why, but I just want to share the little ordinary things with him.
I hesitated 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 wildly.
I stuffed the phone into my pocket, forced myself not to look at it, lowered my head, and trotted back to the rental house.
I took out my phone to check, but still no reply.
Cheng Qiuqiu bit her lip, put her phone aside, and ate breakfast quietly, but her eyes couldn't help but look at the off screen.
After breakfast, it was already past 7 o'clock.
Cheng Qiuqiu was just about to wash up.
"Ding Dong——" a clear prompt sound rang out, and the phone screen finally lit up.
[Tang and Song Dynasties: Language News]
Cheng Qiuqiu quickly picked up her phone and clicked play.
Tang Song's pleasant voice came from the speaker: "I just came back from the gym. Wow, this Roujiamo looks delicious, golden and crispy. I must try it if I have a chance. I have loved Roujiamo since I was a child."
A faint smile appeared on Cheng Qiuqiu's cold face. She clicked play again and turned up the volume of her phone to the maximum.
I listened to it over and over again before I stopped.
The reply was: "It is indeed delicious. My senior and I eat it once or twice a week."
After thinking for a while, he took the initiative to ask, "Have you eaten? What did you eat?"
After a while, the phone vibrated.
【Tang and Song Dynasty: Breakfast.jpg】
The photo shows an extremely light breakfast: milk, purple sweet potato, boiled eggs, and blueberries.
[Tang Song: "In order to keep fit, I eat a vegetarian breakfast, so I'm particularly greedy when I see Roujiamo, haha."]
After a few simple conversations, Cheng Qiuqiu's mood completely relaxed, as if her inner desires were completely satisfied.
Wash up and change clothes.
I put on my bag and helmet and went downstairs.
Skilled ignition start.
Accompanied by the roar of the engine.
The white Suzuki GSX250 rolled over the fallen leaves and headed out of the community.
When passing the intersection, she caught a glimpse of the roujiamo stall out of the corner of her eye, and an idea suddenly flashed through her mind.
After driving forward for a few hundred meters, the locomotive suddenly turned around and returned to the intersection.
She parked the car and took off her helmet. The autumn wind blew her clothes and hair, outlining her sexy and graceful comic figure, which instantly attracted many people's attention against the backdrop of the motorcycle next to her.
Cheng Qiuqiu walked quickly to the familiar stall and said in a calm tone: "Boss, give me a fat and lean roujiamo!"
"Okay, seven dollars." The boss looked up at her and asked habitually, "Do you want more chili and coriander?"
He was deeply impressed by this sexy and beautiful female customer.
Except for being a bit aloof, he is pretty good in other aspects.
Cheng Qiuqiu was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to answer.
She didn't know whether Tang Song could eat coriander.
I wanted to ask on WeChat, but I felt that this was too direct and would appear to have ulterior motives.
After struggling and hesitating for a while, the boss asked repeatedly.
She suddenly blurted out, "I want three, one with none, one with everything, and one with only chili."
I've bought it anyway, so I can't go wrong.
When the boss heard her reply, he immediately smiled, this was a big order.
He responded quickly and started making it skillfully.
After a while, three roujiamo in a plastic bag appeared in her hand.
Put it carefully into the backpack.
Just as Cheng Qiuqiu was about to turn around and leave, a voice came from behind her: "Hello, beautiful."
She looked up and saw a handsome boy in sportswear smiling at her.
"I also buy breakfast here every day and have seen you many times. Do you live nearby too?"
There was no expression on Cheng Qiuqiu's face. She turned around and left without even looking at him again.
The cold and indifferent attitude instantly froze the smile on the boy's face.
He had indeed noticed the other person many times, but today he discovered that this girl was riding a motorcycle. She was so beautiful and cool, and extremely attractive.
I couldn't help but go up to her and strike up a conversation, but I didn't expect it to be so difficult to resist.
……
9 o'clock in the morning.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom is parked at B2 of Yunxi Building.
Tang Song got off the car and took the elevator directly to the 30th floor.
"Morning, Mr. Tang!"
"Boss, you are here!"
"Mr. Tang looks as handsome as ever today!"
Several colleagues who happened to be in the elevator immediately greeted me enthusiastically.
Tang Song smiled and nodded at them, then walked slowly into the passage on the left, which was the door leading directly to the office area.
Since Songmei Clothing occupies an entire floor, the area is over 2000 square meters.
In order to prevent employees from having to take too much detour, they can enter and exit through the nearest door if they do not need to punch in.
Just as I approached the door of the president's office, a figure came into view.
The simple and slim-fitting dark gray sweater and tight jeans outline the graceful body curves.
Her long orange-brown hair was smooth and silky, sparkling with charming luster under the light and shadow, and casually draped over her shoulders, adding a bit of gentleness and charm to her.
Cheng Qiuqiu leaned quietly against the wall in the corridor, carrying a backpack and holding a cup of coffee in her hand.
I heard footsteps approaching.
She raised her head and her eyes met Tang Song's, with a somewhat unnatural look on her face.
"Good morning, Qiuqiu." Tang Song came up to her with a smile and looked at the sexy and beautiful designer with gentle eyes.
Cheng Qiuqiu looked away, handed over the coffee in her hand, and whispered, "Thank you for the coffee yesterday. I'll treat you today."
"Oh? For me? Then I won't be polite." Tang Song took the coffee naturally.
Looking at Qiu Qiu with her eyes downcast, I couldn't help but pat her hair gently.
Cheng Qiuqiu's body trembled, her mouth opened slightly, and she subconsciously shrank back.
"Oh, sorry." Tang Song apologized quickly. This was completely a subconscious behavior in the dream.
"No...it's okay." Cheng Qiuqiu pursed her lips, and after a moment of silence, she suddenly asked, "Can you eat coriander?"
Tang Song was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "Sure."
Cheng Qiuqiu took off the bag on her shoulder, fumbled inside for a while, and took out a roujiamo wrapped in a plastic bag and a paper bag. "This is the one I ate this morning. Don't you want to try it?"
Looking at the roujiamo in her hand, Tang Song's eyes narrowed slightly and he took it seriously.
Looking at her, he showed a warm smile on his face: "Thank you, Qiuqiu, I really didn't have enough to eat this morning, and I have been thinking about your Roujiamo. Now I finally got what I wanted."
"That's good." Cheng Qiuqiu blushed slightly, "Then I'll go to work. Bye."
"Bye-Bye."
Watch her disappear.
A complex feeling surged in Tang Song's heart, as if he saw the figure of the little girl in his dream in her again.
Although she looked extremely cold, he could feel that Cheng Qiuqiu was actually very lacking in love.
Return to the president's office.
Tang Song untied the plastic bag and took a bite of the roujiamo.
Although it is not freshly out of the pan, the crust has become a little soft and less crispy, but the fat and lean braised meat inside is still fragrant, mixed with the flavors of chili and coriander, which increases people's appetite.
He ate it mouthful by mouthful carefully, not even leaving out 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.
The comment read: "(＾▽＾)／Very delicious."
Soon, the phone screen lit up and Cheng Qiuqiu replied with a smiley face.
Just as Tang Song was about to type a few more words in response, his phone vibrated and a new message popped up.
【Lingling: "Senior, I'm already downstairs at our company. I'll be right up there!"】
Seeing this message, Tang Song couldn't help but chuckle.
This junior high school girl is always full of energy, and every conversation is like a fresh breeze blowing through his life.
He now develops the habit of adding emoticons when sending messages from this cheerful junior high school girl, which he finds very interesting.
After thinking for a moment, he quickly replied, "Okay, I'll arrange for someone to pick you up at the elevator right away."
【Lingling: “('ω') get!”】
Returning to the main interface, Tang Song opened Cheng Qiuqiu's chat box and replied, "Qiuqiu, our company has a new employee joining today. She will be arriving on the 30th floor soon. Please go to the elevator entrance to greet her and help her complete the onboarding process."
【Cheng Qiuqiu: "Okay, Mr. Tang, what's her name?"】
...
Brand department office area.
"Buzzing—"
[Tang Song: "You'll know when you see her."]
Seeing Tang Song's ambiguous reply, Cheng Qiuqiu was stunned, but didn't know how to ask further questions.
He silently picked up his work badge and walked out in confusion.
Stood by the elevator and waited for a while.
With a soft "ding" sound, the elevator door slowly opened.
A familiar figure walked out.
When their eyes met, Cheng Qiuqiu's expression became stunned, "Lingling?"
"Qiuqiu!" Yao Lingling showed a pleasant smile on her face and held her arm affectionately, "Honey, why are you here?"
Cheng Qiuqiu was stunned for a moment, and quickly explained: "Our boss asked me to pick up a new person..."
Before he could say anything, she quickly reacted and looked at the other person with wide eyes, "Wait, are you the 'newcomer'?"
Yao Lingling blinked and nodded curiously: "If your boss is Senior Tang Song, then it should be me! But, when did you join Songmei Clothing? I haven't heard you mention it at all."
After a moment of silence, Cheng Qiuqiu said, "I just started working here not long ago."
The two looked at each other, and the atmosphere fell into silence for a short time.
Cheng Qiuqiu was used to keeping things to herself and rarely took the initiative to share her situation and feelings with others.
Although she gets along very well with Lingling, she will never take the initiative to disturb her if she doesn't want to chat.
Recently, Yao Lingling has been very busy attending clothing exhibitions and resigning and handing over her job, so naturally she rarely goes to chat with her.
After a brief chat, the information gradually became balanced and joyful smiles appeared on both of their faces.
...
Following Cheng Qiuqiu's footsteps, Yao Lingling briskly stepped into the door of Songmei Clothing.
What catches your eye is the decoration that is extremely modern and fashionable.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, you can see the bustling city.
The open workstations are neatly arranged, and each area is divided by signs of different colors, which maintains unity and vitality.
Yao Lingling blinked her watery eyes and looked around curiously, her eyes full of unconcealable excitement and surprise.
It’s worthy of being my senior’s company!
The office environment and atmosphere are better than expected.
It's like one of those high-end multinational companies in TV dramas.
She had just graduated for over a year and had been working at Shangya before. Suddenly she was in a new environment and a new company, so she naturally felt very curious and excited.
As it was during the team-building period, there were few people in the office area and it was particularly quiet.
Occasionally I meet colleagues, or someone looks over here.
While Cheng Qiuqiu was still hesitating about how to introduce herself, Yao Lingling had already taken the initiative to smile and wave to say hello:
"Hello handsome guy, I'm Yao Lingling, a new employee who joined today. I'm in charge of our company's clothing design. 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, and the enthusiasm that came from her heart seemed to infect everyone who looked into her eyes.
In just a few words, she left a deep impression on people.
……
Subsequently, with the help of HR Zhang Ying, Yao Lingling successfully completed the onboarding procedures.
After getting her access card and labor contract, she followed Cheng Qiuqiu to the workstation prepared for her.
A brand new high-end monitor, a high-performance host, and next to it are a drawing board, an ergonomic chair, and a small and exquisite green plant.
Yao Lingling put down her backpack, looked around, and felt very excited.
Friendly colleagues, impeccable office environment, and good-looking seniors...
very good!
She turned around and hugged Cheng Qiuqiu tightly, her tone revealing uncontrollable joy: "Qiuqiu, we will be colleagues from now on, please give me your guidance!"
"Yeah." Cheng Qiuqiu's body stiffened, but she didn't dodge.
At this moment, a familiar voice came from the side: "Qiuqiu, Lingling."
Yao Lingling turned around in surprise and saw Tang Song standing there. She smiled instantly: "Senior...ah, that's not right!"
Then, she imitated Liu Jiannan in "The Richest Tomato", raised her right hand, bent her waist, and called out sweetly: "Hello, Mr. Tang~"
Tang Song got the joke and laughed out loud, with a hint of pampering and teasing in his eyes: "It seems that you are in good condition. You got into the role so quickly."
"That's right. From now on, I will be supported by Mr. Tang just like Qiuqiu." Yao Lingling blinked, put her arm around Qiuqiu's waist, and spoke in a playful and relaxed tone.
Cheng Qiuqiu next to her was slightly stunned and pursed her lips awkwardly.
Tang Song's eyes wandered between them.
One is as cold as ice, the other is as lively as fire.
The two people have completely different temperaments, but they form a wonderful balance, just like the warm and cool tones in a painting, complementing each other.
(End of this chapter)