Chapter 16: The President and the Massage Chair 16

Tang Bin was eventually convinced by President Shang.

He didn’t understand much about it, but since President Shang said it was possible, he agreed to do it.

While reviewing the plan in President Shang’s office, he received a call from his former boss.

On the other end of the line, Yu Mingcheng angrily shouted, “Le Yang! Who told you to leave? Did I agree to your resignation?”

Tang Bin flinched at the loud shouting — it was just a natural reaction. He instinctively looked towards President Shang, seeking support.

President Shang heard the noise and looked at him.

Under President Shang’s gaze, Tang Bin felt as if he had found his mental anchor. He gathered his courage and said to Yu Mingcheng, “No one told me to leave. I left on my own.”

“Technically, I don’t need your approval to resign. If you, Mr. Yu, have any dissatisfaction, we can take it to an arbitration agency and settle it there…!”

Tang Bin finished speaking all at once, and he felt a sense of relief, as if something heavy had been lifted from his chest.

The accumulated depression from when Pang Yuqing had bullied him, as well as Yu Mingcheng’s tacit approval, seemed to have been released at this moment.

He’s not really stupid.

Even if he had been naive at first and hadn’t realized much, there were still many gossipy colleagues in the office who would fill him in.

“Le Yang, we didn’t need to make it like this,” Yu Mingcheng clearly didn’t expect Tang Bin to be so firm in his attitude. His voice carried a hint of embarrassment, “If it’s about the previous matter, I admit I didn’t trust you completely, and I apologize. But you should know… I’ve never treated you badly.”

“I’m sorry… Mr. Yu.” Tang Bin still responded resolutely.

“Well, alright then.” Yu Mingcheng sighed, his tone sounding more compromised, “We’ve been colleagues. Let’s stay in touch from now on.”

“Okay.”

Yu Mingcheng then went on to complain about various things, probably about how difficult it was to start his own business and how tough it was to be a boss.

Tang Bin listened absentmindedly, feeling a bit lost. Mostly, it was because President Shang’s expression was so serious, it looked like he was about to devour someone. He was glaring at him with a dark face.

Tang Bin was frightened by such a look from President Shang. He didn’t know what he had done wrong; all he knew was that President Shang was upset and staring at him — probably because he didn’t like him anymore…

Before Yu Mingcheng could finish his rant, Tang Bin had already hung up the phone. He was trembling, “P-President… Did I do something wrong?”

However, President Shang’s expression suddenly lightened, as if the storm had passed.

In fact, when he saw that Tang Bin’s eyes were red, he seemed even more confused than before, “What’s wrong? Did Yu Mingcheng say something to you? That jerk, his company should go bankrupt.”

“No, no…” Tang Bin shook his head, feeling ashamed of himself. He couldn’t believe he had been scared to the point of tears.

He tried hard to hide the fact that his eyes were red, and simply buried his face in President Shang’s chest.

As for what President Shang had just said, he had been so anxious earlier that he hadn’t really listened. He only asked:

“President Shang… were you angry just now?”

“Mm.”

President Shang wrapped his arm around him and pulled him into his embrace, sighing, “I think I’m sick.”

“Ah?”

“As soon as you talk to someone alone, even if it’s just on the phone, I get angry.”

“Oh.”

The tears that had filled his eyes instantly disappeared.

“So, President Shang, you weren’t angry with me!” Tang Bin immediately understood, almost as if by instinct.

“No.” President Shang felt sorry for him. He hadn’t realized that just one expression from him could make the young man cry. He deeply regretted it and promised, “I will never be angry with you.”

“Really?!” Tang Bin’s head, which had been buried in his chest, suddenly lifted, his face flushed.

“Really.” President Shang controlled his expression, trying to show the most gentle and warm smile he could muster.

And so, Tang Bin smoothly started his new job. The next day, he wasn’t sure how President Shang managed it, but two other people joined the department besides him. They came to report to work and were assigned to Tang Bin’s team, where he would manage and delegate tasks.

Both of them were fresh college graduates, and the moment they saw Tang Bin, they respectfully called him “Brother Le.”

In their field, seniority was very important. Tang Bin’s previous work experience made him capable of taking charge, and even though he was only one year older than them, his qualifications and experience deserved the respect of being called “Brother.”

In fact, the two of them were so impressed by Tang Bin’s achievements at such a young age and his ability to be a supervisor at such a big company like Ruida that they practically wanted to lie on the ground and look up at him, curious about just how much of a genius he must be.

Tang Bin didn’t realize any of this.

After finalizing the details with President Shang yesterday, he hardly slept at all when he got home, constantly thinking about how to get started.

Now, he assigned the tasks and got to work on his own responsibilities. The new department was already full of energy and motivation on its very first day.

With the work getting into a routine, Tang Bin didn’t forget his main task — staying close to President Shang.

Tang Bin thought life was great like this. It seemed that sticking close to President Shang was part of the job, but it also seemed unrelated to the job at all.

He wasn’t sure himself; he just felt that being held by President Shang or holding onto him gave him a deep sense of security.

Except for one day every week when President Shang had business affairs and didn’t come home to sleep.

Tang Bin once again became deeply absorbed in his work, and he felt that this was a problem he needed to fix.

This was because President Shang had complained, saying that he had been so immersed in his work that he had neglected him.

It was another one of those days when President Shang went out for business and didn’t come back until the next morning. By the time President Shang returned, it was the weekend. He saw Tang Bin, who had been sitting at his desk early in the morning, writing code.

Tang Bin was frightened, realizing that this wasn’t good — the world was big, but nothing was more important than President Shang!

“Then… maybe I should quit this job…” Tang Bin said regretfully, tapping his head in frustration.

When he worked, he often thought about President Shang. Whenever he did, he felt a sweet, warm comfort in his heart.

And then, this comfort and warmth would make him lose all worries and fully immerse himself in his work, forgetting about President Shang…

It was all his fault for being so clumsy, only able to focus on one thing at a time.

The more he thought about it, the guiltier he felt, almost on the verge of tears.

Seeing him like this, President Shang didn’t dare make such jokes anymore. He quickly comforted him, saying, “I’m not stopping you from working. The most charming thing about you, Ah Yang, is when you’re working hard.”

It was a pity that, despite President Shang being so experienced and having the power to command attention anywhere, he still had to learn to sweet-talk and comfort the person he loved.

“I’m just worried that you’re too focused on work and not resting enough, which might hurt your health.”

Tang Bin shook his head. “No, it won’t happen.”

He then picked up his little alarm clock and shook it. “I strictly control my time, so I’ll get enough rest. And…”

“And?”

“And, if you’re not home, I can’t fall asleep.” Tang Bin said, his face turning red again.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t sleep; he was just tired from the day. Without having to do this and that, he almost fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

But he would always wake up very early in the morning.

Even earlier than the six hours of sleep recorded by his alarm clock.

Summer had already passed, and the weather was beginning to turn cold.

Tang Bin realized that he wasn’t used to sleeping alone anymore.

The young man had a tuft of hair standing up on his head, his expression unconsciously pitiful and aggrieved. President Shang, feeling sorry for him, pulled him into his arms, saying, “Then let’s take another nap now. I’ll sleep with you.”

Saying this, he slipped one arm across Tang Bin’s legs and effortlessly picked him up horizontally.

“Okay.” Tang Bin said. Having gotten up so early, he was indeed a little tired. A nap would definitely be very comfortable.

Tang Bin obediently curled up in President Shang’s arms, drowsily calling out, “President Shang… um…”

“Mm?”

“…Nothing.”

“Mm?”

“I really like you, President Shang.” But could you not always go out for business events…

Tang Bin muttered quietly, then fell silent.

When he woke up alone in the morning, he felt miserable and really wanted to say this to President Shang.

But when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he kept hesitating and just couldn’t bring himself to say them.

—He couldn’t interfere with President Shang’s work just to make him stay with him.

He was already hopeful about completing his task and wasn’t as afraid of the world anymore. He was becoming a more mature person.

He shouldn’t be making such requests to the male lead.

Lying next to President Shang’s warm body, gently held by him, Tang Bin soon drifted back into sleep.

This kind of life was so beautiful — so beautiful that many times Tang Bin thought he could just live in this world forever and eventually achieve a happy ending with President Shang.

But at this time, his understanding of human society was still vague and naive.

That day came again, the day President Shang had to go out for business.

At eight o’clock in the evening, President Shang came to pick him up from work and didn’t leave until he had safely settled him at home.

Tang Bin often worked overtime. In their line of work, overtime was the norm. Even though he was now a supervisor and his workload wasn’t as heavy as before, leaving early too often was still not a good idea.

On such occasions, President Shang would usually stay with him to work overtime. No matter what time it was, he would wait, handling business while keeping him company. They would both leave together at the end of the day.

But the days when President Shang went out for business events were an exception.

—President Shang couldn’t bear the thought of him going home alone, so on those days, he would come to pick him up at precisely eight o’clock, make sure he was safely home, and only then would he leave with peace of mind.

Tang Bin walked around the house. The cleaning lady, hired by President Shang, came once a week. When they ate at home, President Shang would take care of the dishes and cleaning the kitchen, and Tang Bin couldn’t help out or find anything to do.

Finally, Tang Bin returned to the desk to continue working.

He needed to finish the project at hand quickly to prove his worth.

Having spent so much time in the company, he had heard some gossip here and there. Especially when his department was first established, a woman named Manager Yu had caused trouble for him. But for some reason, he hadn’t seen her around recently.

…But still, Tang Bin knew how difficult it was for President Shang to establish this department for him, despite facing opposition.

He knew that President Shang did it only to give him a platform to showcase his abilities…

So, he had to hurry and make some progress.

“Come on,” Tang Bin tightened his fist to cheer himself up, planning to work a little longer while President Shang was away before going to bed.

But when he took out his computer and other equipment, he suddenly realized that some materials and meeting notes were still on the desktop computer provided by the company, and he had forgotten to transfer them over.

Without those materials, he wouldn’t be able to complete tonight’s work.

It was barely past eight o’clock now.

For Tang Bin, this was just the start of the night.

He thought about how he had no hobbies or entertainment activities to do, couldn’t sleep, and being at home felt like just… being at home.

Tang Bin couldn’t bear to waste time, so he grabbed his coat, went out, and called a taxi to go back to the company alone to retrieve the documents.

By the time it was after work hours, the office hallway was quiet and empty, with only the sound of his footsteps echoing, along with… the sound of high heels clicking on the floor.

Yu Shanshan walked briskly from the end of the corridor, her expression sharp. Tang Bin obediently greeted her, “Manager Yu.”

It was just a simple greeting.

No “hello,” nor would he ask why she was still here so late.

Tang Bin never knew how to handle these situations, especially with this woman who had once caused a scene in his office, looking so fierce…

“Hmm.” Yu Shanshan gave him a once-over, scanning him and his surroundings, then suddenly smiled and said, “What brings you back? Isn’t it after work?”

“…I left my documents here. I came back to get them,” Tang Bin replied honestly.

“Then how come President Shang didn’t come back with you? Aren’t you two always coming and going together?”

“President Shang has a social engagement today,” Tang Bin said.

President Shang had said that Ruida’s corporate culture was very free and wouldn’t interfere with employees’ relationships. He also mentioned that he would choose the right time to come out with him, so they had no need to hide their relationship and always went around openly, with him picking up and dropping off Tang Bin.

So it wasn’t surprising that Yu Shanshan would ask this.

Tang Bin, however, felt that her tone sounded sarcastic, and the red lips of her smile were a bit frightening, as if they could bite.

He was always afraid of her.

“A social engagement? I didn’t know that President Shang had someone to entertain today. Who is it?”

Tang Bin shook his head.

He didn’t know, as he had never asked President Shang about his work.

“Hahaha…” Yu Shanshan suddenly laughed loudly. “Then I guess he has to go out for one of these social events every week, huh? And always stays out all night, only returning after the sun comes up.”

Tang Bin: “?!”

Tang Bin was about to nod, but then suddenly realized something wasn’t right.

His instincts told him that this woman was not to be trusted, but no, what felt wrong wasn’t that… It was… How did she know that President Shang went out every week?!

But what Yu Shanshan said next quickly stopped him from thinking about that.

Yu Shanshan said, “How laughable. I have so many business friends, some of whom are in positions higher than Shang Chengjun. But I’ve never heard of anyone who goes out for social events every week, and stays out all night.”

Tang Bin: “What do you mean?”

“You’re a man too, so you should understand men better than I do. What exactly happens when someone stays out all night?”

“???”

“I only know that even if he’s out for a social engagement, if he really cares about you, he wouldn’t stay out all night.”

“……”

Tang Bin shook his head desperately.

What does she mean? What is she saying?

Tang Bin didn’t understand!

President Shang wouldn’t lie to him, he thought first.

But… when he thought about the few human men he had interacted with… it seemed like Brother Long never came home when he stayed out all night… he was out “picking up girls,” right?

Tang Bin had witnessed how Brother Long “picked up girls.”

But President Shang…

Just thinking about the possibility that President Shang might be letting a woman sit on his lap at this very moment, coquettishly calling out to him…

Tang Bin shook his head hard.

No, it can’t be!

“I used to envy you, but now I see you’re just as pathetic.” Yu Shanshan sneered when she saw his reaction, her voice devoid of any sympathy, almost as if she were watching a good show.

She had caused a stir when the new department was established, and President Shang had warned her not to provoke Le Yang. She didn’t dare to oppose someone who had such influence in Ruida. But her efforts these days, sending people to investigate President Shang’s whereabouts, had at least yielded some results.

For example, it had allowed her to see the young man’s breakdown.

“Thinking about it now, President Shang probably likes you because you’re too naive and innocent. He can be with anyone outside, do anything, and you wouldn’t even know.”

With those final words, she left the young man standing there helplessly, clutching his head. Yu Shanshan seemed satisfied, as if all her pent-up anger had been released. She turned around, and the sharp click of her high heels echoed on the polished marble floor.

But before she could leave, a sneer suddenly came from an unknown corner of the building—

“Who says I’ve been with anyone or done anything outside?”

Yu Shanshan froze in shock, quickly turning around, only to see a tall figure emerge from the depths of the darkness.