Chapter 15: The President and the Massage Chair 15

Tang Bin still finished the project for Ruida.

However, he didn’t go back to the office afterward, instead, he completed the work at Shang Chengjun’s house.

What happened that day in the office was like a sharp steel knife, inevitably leaving a crack in the hearts of those involved. Tang Bin didn’t come to work, and although Yu Mingcheng was very reluctant, he couldn’t say anything.

After all, this was the crucial moment for delivering the Ruida project. If Tang Bin had quit at this point, the losses would have been significant.

Tang Bin continued working on the project mainly because it had been entirely his responsibility from the start, and he wasn’t willing to give it up.

He also feared that others might not handle it well, which could delay Shang Chengjun’s arrangements.

Of course, Shang Chengjun didn’t want him to return to the company. He had clearly stated before that even if the project were delayed due to his resignation, it would be Yu Mingcheng’s responsibility and not his.

But Tang Bin felt that it wasn’t right to do that.

In the end, he still completed the work.

The other members of the team reported their progress to him remotely, and after submitting everything to Ruida, Tang Bin felt a sense of relief, as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders and he had the freedom to soar.

Of course, Tang Bin didn’t actually fly.

He simply submitted his resignation letter to Yu Mingcheng.

Tang Bin had mentioned his resignation to Yu Mingcheng, but there was no response from him.

In a small company like theirs, there weren’t many HR procedures to follow—resignation only required the boss’s approval and the settlement of wages. Since Yu Mingcheng hadn’t responded, Tang Bin simply considered himself fired.

When he went to the office to pack up, Yu Mingcheng wasn’t there, and many colleagues pulled him aside to complain: “You don’t know, Mr. Yu’s mood was so low these days when you weren’t at work. Everyone was already upset about the incident with Pang… and he still didn’t have a good attitude, making it feel like we were being punished just for showing up to work.”

Despite being framed and deeply wronged, Tang Bin had still completed all the projects he was responsible for before leaving. No one was a fool in the office, everyone knew the truth—Le Yang had acted with integrity and was a person of principles.

Obviously, everyone would prefer to work with someone like that.

One colleague said, “Hey Le Yang, now that you’ve resigned, where are you planning to go next? If the Ruida project takes off, you’re going to be famous, don’t forget about your brothers when you’re on top!”

Another colleague added, “Yeah, I don’t want to stay in this crappy place anymore. It’s a small company full of backstabbing and scheming, and we’re just barely making a living. Anywhere else is better than here, right?”

A third colleague said, “Le Yang, you’re a capable person. I want to switch jobs too, but I don’t have the time to look for something new. So Le Yang, we’ll be counting on you in the future, don’t forget the nights we stayed up together, working hard as a team!”

Tang Bin: “…”

“I… I haven’t found a new job yet,” he said, being quite straightforward.

It wasn’t that Shang Chengjun didn’t want him to work there anymore, or that he didn’t need to anymore. After everything that had happened, if he had any pride, he would have left by now.

As for finding a new job…

He needed to do that as soon as possible.

He still had the original owner’s parents to support, and the cost of living in a big city was high. The savings in his hands would soon run out.

Moreover, he couldn’t keep relying on Shang Chengjun for everything.

As soon as Tang Bin finished speaking, there was a brief moment of silence in the office.

For people like them, trying to make a living in a big city, a day without income meant a loss. Many people didn’t leave their jobs because they couldn’t find a new one, but because they couldn’t handle the gap between jobs during the transition.

So, they endured as much as they could.

“But it’s okay,” one colleague, who often mooched meals, broke the silence. “Our Ah Yang has been working hard lately. It’s fine to take a break, go on vacation, and relax. Besides, Ah Yang, you don’t have a wife to support. You’re a single guy, what’s there to be afraid of?”

“Yeah, yeah,” other colleagues quickly agreed. They realized—Le Yang was different from them. Young, accomplished, and without family responsibilities. He was better off than they were.

This is how the workplace works. Everyone sits in the same office, with similar positions, no one really answers to anyone else.

But when someone actually decides to leave, no matter how things go for them in the future, everyone wants to leave with a good impression.

Tang Bin, still confused, nodded and half-heartedly agreed with what everyone was saying.

In fact, he didn’t really understand much of what his colleagues said on a daily basis. Even if he tried to follow along, his brain didn’t have enough time to process everything. He had long developed the skill of “pretending to understand.”

After chatting with everyone for a while, Tang Bin returned to his desk to pack up.

There wasn’t much to take, just some of the original owner’s external hard drives and USB drives, which contained important professional information. He finished packing quickly.

Then, Tang Bin glanced diagonally across the room. Over there, Hu Xiaobing had just returned to his desk, holding Tang Bin’s water cup.

“Packing up?” Hu Xiaobing asked him.

Tang Bin nodded and said, “Thank you for what happened that day.”

He was referring to the incident when Hu Xiaobing helped expose Pang Yuqing’s conspiracy.

After that day, Shang Chengjun had fallen ill, and Tang Bin had been focused on taking care of him, so he forgot about it. By the time he remembered, he had never returned to the office and had only managed to express his thanks over the phone.

Now, he thanked him again.

Hu Xiaobing paused for a moment, then furrowed his brows and asked, “Are you like this with everyone?”

“Huh?” Tang Bin didn’t understand what he meant.

“You’re so open, so… without a temper?” Hu Xiaobing asked.

Tang Bin: “???”

Hu Xiaobing seemed to be in a bad mood.

He usually had a calm and indifferent demeanor in the office, making him seem unapproachable. But it seemed like he never got angry, and few people knew what he was thinking.

So, Tang Bin didn’t get it.

“Forget it,” Hu Xiaobing said, furrowing his brows. He put his cup down, then walked straight out of the office, heading toward the stairs.

Tang Bin didn’t know what was wrong with him. After thinking it over, he gathered his courage and followed him.

He couldn’t just ignore it when a friend seemed to have something on his mind.

Hu Xiaobing was smoking in the stairwell.

He faced Tang Bin with his side profile, not turning around. He simply said, “Actually, I’m leaving too.”

“Huh?” Tang Bin opened his mouth wide. “Where are you going?”

“Back home… there’s some business to handle, they don’t want me working here anymore.”

“Oh.” Tang Bin nodded in understanding.

There was nothing more to say. Tang Bin sniffed the faint smell of smoke and felt like sneezing.

This body didn’t like the smell of smoke, but Tang Bin personally didn’t have much of an opinion about it, he could tolerate it.

Still, Hu Xiaobing couldn’t help but say, “You need to be a little sharper when you’re out there, be tougher, don’t be so easy-going, or everyone will want to take advantage of you.”

Tang Bin: “Oh.”

Hu Xiaobing: “There are a lot of bad people in this world, don’t trust others too much.”

Tang Bin: “Mm.”

“You really make people want to bully you!” Hu Xiaobing’s tone was somewhat annoyed.

“Huh?” Tang Bin didn’t understand.

But Hu Xiaobing didn’t offer an explanation.

They looked at each other for a moment. Hu Xiaobing only said, “You really do have a good temper.”

Tang Bin: “?”

“If someone tried to teach me like this, I’d definitely find a way to smack them,” Hu Xiaobing said, his tone sharp. “Especially if they’ve done something to hurt me before.”

Hu Xiaobing exhaled a puff of smoke into the air.

Tang Bin: “…”

“It’s nothing…” Hu Xiaobing took another puff of his cigarette. “I’m leaving in a couple of days, but if you need anything, you can call me, anytime.”

“Oh.”

“Did you remember what I said?”

“I remember.”

Tang Bin nodded, still somewhat confused.

He didn’t really understand why Hu Xiaobing was being so persistent in giving him this advice, but he didn’t have time to think too much about it.

“Have you packed up your things?” Hu Xiaobing asked again.

“I’ve packed up,” Tang Bin replied.

“Then let’s go. We’re brothers, I’ll skip work and see you off.” As he said this, Hu Xiaobing stubbed out his cigarette, and his face returned to a smiling expression.

It was as if the somewhat violent and gloomy young man just now wasn’t him at all.

Tang Bin couldn’t help but think to himself: This person really knows how to change his face.

But as long as he’s back to normal, that’s good.

They were friends, and he didn’t want things to feel awkward at the parting.

Tang Bin said, “You’ll get fined for skipping work.”

“Pang’s gone, Yu’s not here, no one will remember.”

As he spoke, Hu Xiaobing, with a brotherly gesture, put his arm around Tang Bin’s shoulder and started walking with him.

However, just as they reached the door of the stairwell, a tall figure suddenly appeared. Hu Xiaobing stopped and said, “Looks like you don’t need me to see you off.”

“Huh?”

Tang Bin looked up and saw Shang Chengjun standing at the stairwell.

Almost instinctively, Tang Bin sweetly called out, “President Shang!”

“Mm.” Shang Chengjun said, “I was passing by here and thought I’d take you back.”

“Okay.” Tang Bin said, and immediately ran up to Shang Chengjun.

His tendency to blush hadn’t improved, and upon seeing Shang Chengjun, his face turned bright red, like a small apple.

This made Shang Chengjun unable to resist gently touching his handsome face:

“Let’s go then.”

“Okay!”

As soon as Tang Bin saw Shang Chengjun, he forgot everything else.

Excited, he skipped along behind Shang Chengjun as they headed out, not noticing Hu Xiaobing’s expression, which carried a hint of self-mockery.

At first, he had agreed to Pang Yuqing’s plan, never intending to hurt Le Yang, but he did have some playful thoughts—he wanted to personally design it, to stir things up and see if it would ruin Pang Yuqing’s reputation for daring to try and pull him in.

The plan had indeed been perfect, and it was just a small effort for him.

But he had overlooked the fact that Le Yang, who was involved, might get hurt.

Yeah, he was so fragile, always on the verge of crying. How could he possibly endure such an unjust situation?

…But for some reason, every time he saw the young man crying with red eyes, he wanted to torment him even more, to make him look pitifully at him, to make him…

On the way back, Shang Chengjun asked Tang Bin while driving, “That colleague, you’re pretty close to him?”

“Pretty good.” Tang Bin said, “When I can’t finish my work, he helps me, and he even brings me breakfast.”

“Mm.” Shang Chengjun responded with a slight hint of sarcasm in his tone as he thought about that person.

There were actually too many doubts about what happened that day in the office. For example, if it really was a plan to draw the snake out of its hole, why didn’t Hu immediately reveal the plan to expose Pang Yuqing’s scheme? Instead, he let Le Yang be insulted and humiliated in the office, waiting until Shang Chengjun showed up and brought in a professional agency before revealing the truth?

He had played a hand, and it was true that he had framed Pang Yuqing, but Shang Chengjun feared that his original intention wasn’t as pure as helping Le Yang.

Of course… Perhaps he was just overthinking.

None of that mattered anyway, since Hu would be staying far away from his family’s Le Yang from now on.

The young man didn’t pick up on the underlying meaning in his laugh. Rubbing his stomach, he shyly said, “President Shang… I’m a little hungry.”

Shang Chengjun had to go back to the company to handle some matters in the morning, so Tang Bin took the opportunity to return to the office and pack up his things. They had agreed to have lunch together later.

Now, by coincidence, it was just about noon.

Shang Chengjun smiled, this time gently and warmly, as he asked, “What would you like to eat?”

Tang Bin thought for a moment.

“Gugu Chicken!”

This was probably his last time coming to the company building, so of course, he had to eat Gugu Chicken once more.

Thinking about it, Tang Bin suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.

He couldn’t quite describe the feeling. It was probably the kind of emotion when you’re saying goodbye to the days of waking up early and working late, drenched in sweat, working hard. Although he breathed a sigh of relief and would never regret it, he still felt a little unaccustomed to it.

And this building was the place that carried all those memories.

“Let’s go eat chicken then.” Shang Chengjun said.

He noticed that the young man had stopped talking, his little tuft of hair sticking up on his head. The youth stared out the window, watching the streets pass by, looking a little lost.

Fortunately, they soon arrived at the fried chicken shop, parked the car, and walked into the familiar store.

The aroma hit them instantly, and the young man, who had been looking melancholic, suddenly brightened up the moment he smelled the scent. He hopped into the store like a little rabbit and quickly found a seat for them.

“Please bring me a Gugu Chicken.” Tang Bin blinked his big eyes and, polite and well-behaved, ordered from the waiter who handed them the menu. Excitedly, he added, “A large one, the whole chicken!”

—

After lunch, Shang Chengjun said he had to go back to the office at Ruida, and asked Tang Bin to accompany him.

Since Tang Bin was now unemployed, he naturally had no objections.

But unexpectedly, once they arrived at Ruida, during the usual greeting with people bowing to Shang Chengjun, he didn’t go back to his office. Instead, they went to a very empty-looking office.

This office was probably around 60 to 70 square meters in size. It was already equipped with partitions, desks, and chairs. On the wall directly opposite the door, the full set of projector equipment was mounted. In front of it was a set of conference tables and chairs, all brand new and unused. The office was fully functional, with complete facilities—it looked as though one could just move in and start working immediately.

“This office will be yours from now on,” Shang Chengjun said.

“Huh?” Tang Bin didn’t quite understand what Shang Zong was saying.

The young man stood there, his mouth slightly open, eyes bright and moist as he stared, looking dazed and soft, which made people want to ruffle his hair.

Shang Chengjun’s gaze deepened involuntarily as he looked at him.

Such a young man would be far too easy to bully outside.

Also… he was too captivating.

Le Yang was talented, down-to-earth, and hardworking, radiating brilliance in everything he did. His future would surely soar like an eagle taking flight under a clear blue sky.

Even if that eagle was still in its early stages.

But Shang Chengjun felt that he couldn’t trap him.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t, but that he shouldn’t.

So, whether for the other person’s sake or for his own, preparing an office like this was necessary.

Shang Zong said, “I’m planning for Ruida to establish its own IT elite team, and I hope you can come and help me.”

Tang Bin: “Huh??”

He took a step back, instinctively waving his hand in refusal.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help, but at that moment, he suddenly remembered hearing from his colleagues when he first took over the Ruida project. They had said that although Ruida was involved in a wide range of fields, they had no intention of venturing into the IT sector. That was why they had asked his company to design and develop the software for them.

Tang Bin didn’t understand much about these things, but since they were related to the male lead, he had always paid attention and listened carefully, so he had some knowledge of it.

…With the scope of Ruida’s business empire, there was no need to build an IT department.

However, just as Tang Bin took a step back, Shang Chengjun grabbed him, holding his wrist and pulling him into the office.

This office had never been formally used and was located in a more secluded part of the building, where no one usually came.

After entering the office, Shang Zong pushed Tang Bin against the wall.

The slender young man, pushed against the wall, looked like a bird with underdeveloped wings, flapping in surprise and staring at the person who had just “attacked” him.

Although the push didn’t hurt—it was done with skill—Tang Bin was still startled by the sudden action.

Tang Bin’s eyes reddened, and his eyes were slightly misty.

“…Sorry.” The two were no more than a few centimeters apart. Shang Chengjun’s deep voice lifted: “I just wanted to joke… I didn’t pay attention to my actions.”

He was startled by the young man’s expression, as he looked on the verge of tears. “Don’t cry, I really didn’t mean it.”

“No, it’s not that,” Tang Bin blushed, all his emotions replaced by shyness, and the tears stopped as well. He hurriedly explained, “You didn’t hurt me… I just, I was a little startled…”

“Sorry.” Shang Chengjun apologized again with frustration.

Tang Bin shook his head, still blushing as he emphasized, “Really, it was just a little bit.”

Shang Chengjun relaxed and, without letting go, wrapped both of his long arms around the slender waist.

He asked Tang Bin, “Does Ah Yang not like it here?”

Tang Bin answered honestly, “I like it.”

It was much larger than the office he had worked in before, the environment was great, and it even had central air conditioning.

Most importantly, there was a cafeteria in Ruida’s office building.

He didn’t know how much he wished he could work here!

“Then Ah Yang should come here,” Shang Chengjun said with a sigh. “Help me out.”

Tang Bin seemed moved, his big eyes staring at him without blinking, but he stubbornly shook his head. “I know Ruida doesn’t need me.”

“Who says so?” Shang Chengjun held him and spun him around, making him sit in a chair beside the partition. He explained, “The internet industry is the future trend. If Ruida only focuses on manufacturing, it will be eliminated in time. The board has already decided that now is the best time, and we should expand into the IT field.”

“Really?” Tang Bin was stunned as he listened.

“Of course.” Shang Chengjun said, “I already have a great idea, and I need you to help me complete it.”

“…”

Tang Bin became even shyer, especially with Shang Zong so close. His face was burning.

But he still forced himself to calm down and think—he just didn’t want to cause trouble for Shang Zong. Also, if he could work at Ruida, then he could stick to President Shang more openly!

It was truly a golden opportunity!

Tang Bin thought randomly, nodding in agreement. At the same time, to save President Shang some money, he emphasized, “Then you don’t have to pay me before I achieve results. I—I’ll do my best…”

By the time he finished speaking, Tang Bin couldn’t resist anymore and, under Shang Chengjun’s deep gaze, instinctively lowered his head.

Only his two small, red, and burning ears were visible, making him look quite adorable.

Shang Chengjun couldn’t help but laugh at him, but with the young man repeatedly requesting, he had no choice but to agree first. “Okay.”

Anyway, paying the salary was handled by HR and finance.

As long as his little treasure joined smoothly, everything would proceed according to the usual process.

Of course, he wasn’t doing all this just for the young man to come here and laze around or make people talk.

“Then let’s go back to my office now. I’ll tell you the specific details.”

“Okay.”

Guided personally by President Shang to the President’s office, Tang Bin sat next to him and opened the project plan—

“An… a delivery app?” Tang Bin exclaimed.

“Yes,” Shang Chengjun nodded, smiled, and said seriously, “When the app is launched, I plan to quickly seize the market. I remember you mentioned before, Ah Yang, that we could attract new users by distributing cash vouchers?”

“Mm.” That’s right, but… although Tang Bin didn’t fully understand this, he felt that a company like Ruida shouldn’t be doing this, right?

Shang Chengjun nodded and said with satisfaction, “There will be a lot of cash vouchers available for you to use. Ah Yang can spend very little money and order lots of takeout.”

Tang Bin: ???

Why did it feel like something was off…

At this moment, Tang Bin had no idea that after this app launched, he would never spend more than three yuan on takeout again.