Chapter 10: The President and the Massage Chair 10

For the following week, Tang Bin had delicious meals every lunch.

The meals ordered by President Shang weren’t as extravagant anymore—at least, they looked pretty ordinary on the outside. His colleagues didn’t think much of it either, as everyone was quite busy and no one had the time to watch what others were eating every day.

On the other hand, Hu Xiaobing, who always ate with Tang Bin, and Colleague A, who often joined them for meals, enjoyed a variety of international cuisines and had plenty of delicious food.

As for Tang Bin, he felt increasingly guilty and couldn’t stop worrying about President Shang’s money.

This led him to gather the courage several times during the week and make several phone calls to President Shang, asking him to stop doing this.

“If you’re really feeling bad about it, then treat me to a meal this weekend,” President Shang said on the other end.

“Okay.” Tang Bin replied shyly, “I have to work overtime this weekend, but let me know when you’re free, and I’ll come find you.”

“Working overtime again this weekend?”

“Yes….” After all, the project was in the testing and debugging phase, and they would be able to finish it soon if they pushed a little more.

Tang Bin wanted to surprise President Shang, so he pretended to be vague about the work progress during the call.

“Oh.” President Shang’s voice sounded a bit duller than usual, with a bit of nasal tone, but it was still pleasant to hear. “How about I come over and keep you company while you work overtime?”

Tang Bin was shocked. “Huh?”

“I’m just kidding.”

“Haha.” Tang Bin laughed, feeling genuinely happy. He thought the male lead was so relatable, and the warmth around him made him feel so comfortable.

“Then let’s meet this weekend,” President Shang said.

“Okay.”

Not only was Tang Bin in a good mood, but even after the call ended, President Shang’s smile lingered, and there was an unusual, faint smile on his face.

It was rare for President Shang to smile so foolishly, especially about such a trivial topic. It was quite a sight.

President Shang’s colleagues could only watch as he got caught up in such a silly conversation. Love really could make a person behave differently.

The female secretary, adjusting her glasses, had a knowing look in her eyes.

Taking advantage of President Shang’s good mood, she quickly reported all the troublesome projects that she had previously avoided telling him about.

As for Tang Bin, knowing he would be seeing President Shang on the weekend, he was energized and in high spirits.

Normally, after such a long time of working on a project, most people would feel a bit weary or tired, but Tang Bin was still full of energy. He even spent the night at the office, typing away at the keyboard with a constant “clack” sound, which boosted the team’s morale.

However, when the weekend came, Tang Bin received a call from President Shang, saying that due to an urgent matter, he had to fly out of town and wouldn’t be able to meet him.

Almost in that instant, Tang Bin felt like a deflated balloon, completely drained of energy.

However, President Shang’s tone was filled with apology and guilt, constantly apologizing to him. Tang Bin felt embarrassed and didn’t even have the heart to show his disappointment. He tried to hide his feelings over the phone and instead reassured President Shang, telling him that once he returned, they would meet up for a meal.

President Shang was already at the airport, rushing as if he really had an urgent matter. Soon, it was time for him to board, and they ended the call.

Tang Bin slumped in his chair, feeling completely lifeless. If anyone had noticed him at this moment, they would probably have been startled by his appearance.

Fortunately, it was already Friday afternoon, and with everyone eager to head home for the weekend, no one was paying attention to him.

On the weekend, Tang Bin worked overtime as usual at the company.

He wasn’t sure when it had started, but “meeting President Shang” had become his emotional support, the lifeline that kept his life going.

“Although we didn’t meet this weekend, I’ll see him once he comes back.”

“Hmm, maybe he’ll be back by Monday.”

As long as he comforted himself with such thoughts, Tang Bin instantly felt full of energy and hope.

The weekend passed by in a blur, feeling both unusually long and empty, as if he hadn’t really experienced anything other than work.

When Monday arrived, Tang Bin did indeed see President Shang.

But he didn’t expect it to be in such a different way.

That morning, Tang Bin was called to Mr. Yu’s office early.

Mr. Yu’s office wasn’t large, after all, it was a small company. The office was temporarily partitioned off at the end of the hallway with steel plates, but it was the most imposing place in the company.

At least, that’s what Tang Bin always thought.

But now, there were quite a few people inside this small office. Tang Bin peered in briefly and saw Mr. Yu sitting behind his desk with an unreadable expression, Pang Yuqing grinning smugly when he saw him enter, and two other men he didn’t recognize—both dressed in suits and ties, their faces serious and aggressive.

“Mr. Yu?” Tang Bin knocked and entered, looking obedient and confused as he glanced at the people in the room.

“Mr. Chen, this is Le Yang. If you have any concerns, you can confront him directly,” Mr. Yu Mingcheng said.

Confront?

Tang Bin widened his eyes, confused by what was happening.

Mr. Yu Mingcheng spoke again: “These two are from Ruida’s legal department. They received an anonymous tip and suspect that someone from our company leaked the details of a project we were responsible for to Lian Shang.”

Ruida had a division dedicated to direct sales, and the app that Tang Bin was working on was related to this direct sales business. Many of the concepts were proprietary to Ruida and confidential, and they had signed a non-disclosure agreement beforehand.

Lian Shang, on the other hand, was a competitor in Ruida’s direct sales field, and someone had reported that Ruida’s concepts were leaked to Lian Shang. That was why Ruida had sent their legal team to investigate.

Mr. Yu Mingcheng looked at Tang Bin: “I believe you wouldn’t do such a thing, but we need to catch the bastard who sold out the company. Please cooperate.”

“Oh.” Tang Bin understood what was going on.

One of the two unfamiliar men in suits in the office said, “Mr. Le, we’re from Ruida’s legal department, and we’d like to ask you a few questions. You are currently in charge of our company’s business, correct?”

Tang Bin nodded. “Yes.”

“Then, regarding the programs in the app here, may I ask who is responsible for them?”

Tang Bin took the tablet the other person handed him and looked it over. “These are all designs I’m responsible for. Some are quite complicated, and I did them all myself.”

“Has anyone else been involved, or is anyone else aware of the specifics?”

Tang Bin shook his head honestly. “No.”

These items hadn’t even entered the later testing stage, so no one else knew about them.

“Do you know anyone from Lian Shang?”

“No.”

“Have you leaked our business secrets to Lian Shang?”

“No.” Tang Bin shook his head. He had never had any contact with anyone from Lian Shang.

The two men across from him exchanged a glance, their expressions still serious, clearly puzzled.

Usually, people who have done something wrong and know they’ve been caught tend to panic a bit, but the person in front of them showed no such signs.

Not only did his eyes seem sincere and honest, but his appearance was also very obedient and straightforward, making it hard to suspect him.

But if there had been a leak, people would typically distance themselves from the situation in their responses, trying to clear themselves. They would say something like, “We all work in the same office, so it’s normal for others to see the materials,” but the way this person answered the questions was unusually direct and confident, almost pointing the finger at himself. This made the two men uncertain and not sure of what to think.

The other man, who had remained silent, said to Tang Bin, “Mr. Le, you’d better think carefully. If this really involves a leak of confidential information, Ruida will pursue legal action. So, aside from you, did anyone else know about these designs?”

Tang Bin fell into deep thought, feeling confused.

Although he understood what had happened, he couldn’t figure out why it had occurred.

These designs were indeed unique to Ruida. When he was working on them, he was fully aware of this, so he had been very cautious about confidentiality. Later, when he found out President Shang was the main person behind the project, he was even more determined to keep things secret. He did everything himself, and no one in the team knew the details.

So, how could the information have been leaked? Tang Bin thought long and hard but couldn’t come up with an answer.

He couldn’t figure it out, and he couldn’t lie either, so he could only obediently shake his head at the person questioning him.

“Le Yang, think carefully.” Yu Mingcheng had also noticed that something was off with the way Tang Bin responded. Rationally, he believed that Tang Bin wouldn’t have done such a thing—he didn’t have the courage to.

He tried to guide Tang Bin: “Think carefully… has anyone asked you about the relevant details, or is there any possibility that the materials in your possession could have been stolen?”

“There’s no possibility.” Tang Bin’s crisp voice echoed through the entire office.

“Really no possibility?!” Yu Mingcheng felt a headache coming on. No matter what the truth was, with people from an external company present, he should have at least been vague about it, said something ambiguous, and then investigated further once the others were gone.

But the other party was being so adamant, not even attempting to deflect responsibility. Yu Mingcheng grew anxious, and his mood soured because of the situation. His tone became harsh: “…Think carefully again!”

Suddenly being shouted at, Tang Bin’s eyes reddened instantly.

He seemed to understand what Yu Mingcheng meant.

But he had already thought carefully, and there was no possibility.

He couldn’t just blame someone else to shirk responsibility.

So, under the pressure from Yu Mingcheng, he still shook his head.

The two men in suits exchanged another glance. One of them said to Yu Mingcheng, “We understand the situation here. We’ll conduct a further investigation when we return. We don’t want to escalate things before the software is officially launched, but if necessary, our company will file a lawsuit against yours.”

Yu Mingcheng had no choice but to nod. “We will cooperate fully.”

After that, he stood up and personally escorted the two men out.

Once the visitors were gone, Pang Yuqing, who had been sitting on the other side of the sofa, suddenly stood up, pointed her finger at him, and said, “Le Yang, I always thought you were an honest person. I didn’t expect you to do something like this!”

“What did you say?”

“You tell me, how much did Lian Shang pay you? How could you betray the company like this?!” Pang Yuqing said in distress. “I trusted you so much, handed the Ruida project to you to manage, and this is how you repay the company?!”

“No… I didn’t…” Tang Bin blinked in confusion, not understanding why she suddenly said this.

“You still say you didn’t? You’ve admitted that you were the only one handling this project, so tell me, how did Lian Shang find out about it?!”

Her voice was really loud, and since the office door was open, everyone in the departments outside could clearly hear her words.

“I don’t know.” Tang Bin shook his head urgently. He really didn’t understand what had happened, why something that had clearly been leaked now seemed to be pointing to him as the one who betrayed the company’s secrets.

He didn’t even know how it had gone from just another energetic morning, where he should have been working according to his plan, to him being in the office listening to a scolding.

He didn’t know any of it.

But his naturally sensitive nature, even though he knew he was innocent, made him almost cry out of frustration.

Apart from the injustice of being shouted at, there was fear. He vaguely knew that leaking business secrets was a very serious matter, and it could cause great harm to Ruida. He was afraid that President Shang would suffer losses.

At the same time, he was also afraid that President Shang might think he was the one who leaked the secrets.

If that were the case… he wouldn’t even have a chance to complete the task.

Just thinking about it made the tears in Tang Bin’s eyes swell even more.

At this moment, Yu Mingcheng returned. Pang Yuqing turned to him and said, “Mr. Yu, this is my fault. I trusted Le Yang too much. Otherwise, even though Le Yang is the chief engineer for Ruida’s project, I should have been checking on things regularly…”

Yu Mingcheng’s expression wasn’t very good, he looked a bit tired. He waved his hand at Pang Yuqing to stop him from speaking, and when he looked up, he saw Tang Bin standing there, looking flustered and helpless.

The young man stood there, thin and lanky like a bamboo stick, his shoulders trembling. He looked pitiful, no matter how you looked at it.

Yu Mingcheng had originally wanted to get angry, but when he saw Tang Bin’s pitiful state, the anger seemed to get stuck in his chest, and he couldn’t bring himself to express it.

Still, his tone was harsh when he asked, “Le Yang, tell me, what exactly is going on?”

The door to the office was open, and the subordinates outside could hear the commotion inside.

Regardless of the truth of this situation, and what the outcome would be, he needed the employees outside to hear the consequences of betrayal and selling out the company.

Yu Mingcheng said to Tang Bin, “You did the design yourself, and the project has always been under your management. How did it get leaked? If our competitors find out, how are we supposed to keep this company going?”

He paused for a long moment, waiting for the young man’s explanation.

But the frightened young man seemed unable to say anything, shrinking into himself, so Yu Mingcheng had no choice but to take a deep breath and continue, “Whoever sold the information to Lian Shang will be found! I want to see who would do such a stupid thing! Our circle is this small—selling out for a bit of cash and ruining your reputation. Do you think anyone will hire you in the future?!”

“Now, get out! I’ll investigate this thoroughly! If it really was you, even if you’re Le Yang, I won’t cover for you!”

After shouting at him, Yu Mingcheng turned away, but Tang Bin didn’t move.

In fact, whatever the other party had said had gone in one ear and out the other—he hadn’t heard a word.

His mind was occupied with thoughts of what would happen if President Shang found out and believed that he was the one who did it… Right now, all he could picture was President Shang looking at him with disappointment and coldness, telling him to leave and go as far away as possible.

Even though President Shang always smiled gently at him, Tang Bin had never seen such a terrifying side of him.

But this was like an endless nightmare, replaying over and over again in Tang Bin’s mind. Even though it was all imagined, it was frightening enough to rob him of the strength to even walk.

Tang Bin stood there motionless, looking dazed and making Pang Yuqing sneer.

“You’re this scared, could it be that you really did it?”

Although the corridor was quiet and empty, the doors of the offices on both sides were packed with people.

Everyone vaguely knew what was happening. This was a serious situation, and with the boss angry, no one dared to speak.

But Pang Yuqing enjoyed the feeling of publicly humiliating someone.

He said, “If you did it, just admit it now. We’ll handle it privately, and it’ll be better for everyone. But if this goes to court, you’ll end up in jail.”

Yu Mingcheng also looked at Tang Bin. He considered himself to know Le Yang well and instinctively knew this wasn’t something he would do.

However, he was already upset, and the youth standing there motionless looked suspicious…

“Le Yang, you didn’t really…”

This was the one sentence that Tang Bin heard.

He thought to himself that even President Lian must think it was him, and this time, even if he ^[1]“jumped into the Yellow River” is a Chinese idiom. It means to be in a situation where there is no way out or no way to clear one’s name—similar to the English expression … Continue readingjumped into the Yellow River, he probably wouldn’t be able to clear his name.

In an instant, more tears welled up in his eyes, lingering, as if they were about to fall but hadn’t yet.

“It couldn’t really be you…” Yu Mingcheng’s voice was interrupted, not because Le Yang was about to cry, but because, in the quiet corridor, where even the usual sounds of work were absent, the unmistakable sound of dress shoes tapping on the floor began.

Tap, tap. The sound grew louder, drawing closer.

Yu Mingcheng turned around, and there, at the end of the corridor, appeared a tall figure.

Dressed in an expensive suit that hugged the person’s long, well-proportioned frame, the man’s face was strikingly handsome, one of those faces that even in modern times few could rival. He was good-looking, but his features held an underlying sharpness.

“President Shang? Why are you here in person?” Yu Mingcheng’s voice was filled with confusion.

Tang Bin looked up in response and, sure enough, saw the person he had been thinking about day and night, the person who had occupied his thoughts and disrupted his peace, standing at the door of the office.

And almost at that very moment, the large, bead-like tears finally slid down from his eyes.

Tang Bin didn’t know what was happening, though he was frightened, he didn’t want to cry.

He knew that men don’t shed tears easily, and if he was going to cry, at least… at least not in front of so many people…

But he couldn’t control it.

At the moment he saw President Shang, all the terror that had clouded his mind seemed to be pierced and torn apart by the sunlight, the dark clouds dissipating in the blazing light. Despite President Shang’s serious expression, his gaze toward him was still soft, warm, and calming…

In that instant, as the tears fell, Tang Bin felt that he shouldn’t be crying.

It was so embarrassing.

He hurriedly lifted his hand, trying to cover his face, not wanting President Shang to see.

But just then, almost in that very instant, a shadow covered him. Before he knew it, Shang Chengjun had already stepped forward and pulled his head into his chest.

Shang Chengjun said, “Don’t be afraid, it’s okay, I’m here.”

“Mmm.” His face buried in President Shang’s broad chest, Tang Bin felt like a cowardly ostrich, thinking that at least this way President Shang wouldn’t see how embarrassed he was, and he could quietly keep his head resting against him.

And he really liked the feeling.

Shang Chengjun’s chest trembled with each breath, and his voice was so powerful it seemed to shake the very air.

He said, slowly and firmly, “I’m here today to see who’s wronging you and bullying you.”

“So… what exactly is going on?”