Chapter 7: The President and the Massage Chair 07

System: 【The daily settlement is complete. Congratulations, host, you have received ten landmines, three grenades, two rocket launchers, and one submarine torpedo!】

Tang Bin: “……”

Just now, the system reported a series of data in his mind. Tang Bin couldn’t help but feel that the system’s voice sounded a little different from its usual, and indifferent tone.

It seemed to have a slightly more elevated pitch at the end.

Tang Bin was terrified of failing his mission, and he feared this unfamiliar world. During the first few days after arriving here, the system’s voice had been his only reliance and mental support. He had almost regarded this voice as a divine decree, so he paid extra attention to it, making sure he didn’t mishear.

So he asked, “Did something good happen?”

He asked cautiously because the system always felt cold, and Tang Bin had always been a little afraid of speaking to it.

The system paused for a moment.

System: 【Yes, something good has happened. Among the new batch of strategy seekers, you are currently the one with the most rewards.】

“…So, does that mean I performed the best?” Tang Bin asked, feeling a bit excited. At least he wasn’t the worst, which gave him a little hope.

System: 【No.】

“……”

System: 【In other worlds, some strategy seekers have already successfully aligned with their targets.】

“……” That was too fast!

“Then I… should not be the worst, right?” Tang Bin asked hesitantly, since he was the one with the most rewards… although the system never told him what the criteria were for receiving rewards.

System: 【No, don’t worry. Your progress is currently in the middle range.】 The system tried to comfort him, though its tone had returned to its usual indifference.

So, the rewards and progress were not linked.

Although Tang Bin was timid and had a vague understanding, he wasn’t foolish.

So, what exactly were the rewards based on?

Tang Bin had vaguely felt that this was important before, but since he was afraid of the system and the system had coldly refused to tell him, he hadn’t asked again.

Now that the topic had come up again, he was just about to ask when, from the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw Shang Chengjun, who was only wearing swim trunks, his body completely stiff and unmoving.

The temperature in the hot spring room was relatively high, and the surrounding steam hit Tang Bin’s face, making his already flushed skin turn even redder.

Shang Chengjun, being such a tall person with long legs and a well-proportioned figure, even had clear abdominal muscles and a V-line visible on his torso.

It hadn’t been obvious when he was dressed, but now, his muscles were well-defined and strong, standing there in a way that gave off a wild, and masculine aura, which was completely different from his usual self.

Tang Bin couldn’t help but let his gaze sweep over President Shang once, finally landing on the man’s well-defined stomach. He couldn’t take his eyes away.

Shang Chengjun enjoyed Le Yang’s unconscious, and mesmerized gaze on him. Curious about what had captured Tang Bin’s attention so deeply, he followed his line of sight and glanced at himself.

His eyes moved past his flat abdomen and naturally landed on the bulge outlined by his swim trunks. Shang Chengjun smirked wickedly and gave a slight thrust of his hips.

Tang Bin blinked at him, puzzled as to why President Shang would make such a movement.

Still, his figure was truly incredible.

Touching his own slightly chubby belly, Tang Bin thought about how full he felt after two hearty meals today. His little belly had popped out.

Even before it stuck out, his stomach had always been just a soft mound of flesh, never as sculpted or sexy as President Shang’s.

As he drifted into his thoughts, the sound of splashing water snapped him back. Tang Bin turned to see Shang Chengjun entering the pool.

The pool was spacious, large enough that two men wouldn’t feel crowded.

Tang Bin watched as Shang Chengjun strode toward him with his long, powerful legs, each step bringing him closer and enveloping Tang Bin in his shadow. He couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Shang Chengjun adored the way Tang Bin gazed at him with such focused, and dazed admiration.

He recalled the two previous times when the young man sat on him, lost in thought… His blood heated, and his throat felt dry again.

“President Shang…” Tang Bin’s unsteady voice, paired with the soft splashing of water, was unexpectedly seductive.

Shang Chengjun swallowed. “Hmm?”

“I-I… I need to go to the bathroom.”

Shang Chengjun: “…”

“The restroom is outside,” Shang Chengjun said, tugging at his swim trunks.

“Oh.” Tang Bin climbed out of the pool and ran toward the restroom, his smooth, bare back leaving much to the imagination.

In the restroom, Tang Bin leaned his back against the door, his eyes filled with alarm as he took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself.

Once he felt a bit steadier, he approached the toilet, shakily removed his small swim trunks, and inspected the changes below.

Just now, his body had felt strange.

Although it wasn’t uncomfortable—there was even a peculiar kind of pleasure—the feeling of losing control over his body frightened Tang Bin.

In his memories, there had been fragments of the original host using his hand for comfort, during which similar changes occurred below. But those were just memories. Tang Bin couldn’t grasp what the sensations were like or whether they felt as strange as this.

So he had no idea what was happening to him.

“Uh… S-System…” After spending many days together, Tang Bin still found it awkward to address the system that way. However, with no one else around to help him, he asked, “Am I sick?”

【No.】 The system usually didn’t answer his questions, but this time it did. 【This is a normal physiological reaction for humans.】

“Oh.” Tang Bin knew what a physiological reaction was, but he was still confused.

At least knowing he wasn’t sick put him at ease.

The system paused before adding, 【If the host has any questions or needs, you can address me as 3376.】

“Three-three… seven-six?” Tang Bin stammered.

【…】 The system replied, 【3376 is my designation.】

Tang Bin: “…Oh.”

After using the bathroom and rinsing himself off, Tang Bin returned to the pool.

The latter part of their time together was much more normal, perhaps because Shang Chengjun’s body was hidden beneath the water’s surface, making it hard to see. Tang Bin didn’t experience the strange feelings from earlier.

The two of them lounged by the poolside, drinking wine and chatting.

It was Tang Bin’s first time trying alcohol. He found it sweet, though it had a bit of an alcoholic taste that wasn’t as good as grape juice. Still, it wasn’t too strong, and he could accept it. The more he drank, the better it tasted, and soon he and Shang Chengjun finished an entire bottle of red wine.

Afterward, Tang Bin began to feel sleepy, yawning repeatedly as he leaned there.

Since he usually didn’t get much rest and had drunk quite a lot of wine, the effects quickly overwhelmed him. In no time, Tang Bin fell asleep where he lay.

From that moment on, he remembered nothing.

The next day, the sun was already high in the sky when he woke up. Sunlight streamed through the thin gauze curtains, warming his body. Tang Bin slowly sat up in bed and stretched lazily.

“You’re awake?”

The sudden voice by his ear made every hair on Tang Bin’s body stand on end!

The voice was deep and sensual, especially in the sleepy haze of morning. It sent a jolt through Tang Bin as though he’d been shocked.

“I noticed you were fine while drinking yesterday, so I forgot about the wine’s strong aftereffects. How are you feeling now?” Shang Chengjun asked.

Tang Bin checked himself and felt that he was fine now. 

Perhaps it was because he finally had a good night’s sleep—he felt unusually refreshed, better than ever.

“That’s good,” Shang Chengjun said.

Although he said so, his tone still carried a hint of regret and frustration.  

Even his usual confident and striking demeanor seemed to have a trace of dejection.

Tang Bin didn’t understand why and became a little concerned. “Did President Shang not sleep well last night?”  

Some people got rowdy after drinking, like his housemate Brother Long. Could he have done the same…?

“No,” Shang Chengjun replied. “I slept well.”

Although nothing happened, thanks to the wine, he got to spend the night lying beside the young man in the same bed.  

The memory of last night, with this fragrant person curled up next to him, softly snoring in his sleep, made Shang Chengjun’s body react involuntarily.  

His eyes darkened.  

By this time, Tang Bin had already gotten up to wash. After coming out, he found his phone in the wardrobe and opened it. Seeing the screen, he let out a surprised “Ah!”  

He had received over a dozen missed calls last night, but because his phone had been on silent, he didn’t notice a single one.

“What’s wrong?” Shang Chengjun walked over to ask.

“It’s my supervisor. They called me yesterday, but I didn’t pick up,” Tang Bin said, switching his phone back to ring mode. After thinking for a moment, he decided to call back.  

“Aren’t you on a break?” Shang Chengjun said. Noticing Tang Bin making the call, he immediately fell silent.  

An irritable male voice roared over the phone: “Take a look yourself! I called you over ten times last night—ten times! And you had the audacity to ignore me! Le Yang, I guess you don’t want this month’s bonus, huh?”

Tang Bing’s phone didn’t suppress sound well, and with Shang Chengjun standing so close, he could clearly hear every single word from the call.

Tang Bing was already used to Pang Yuqing’s outbursts, it wasn’t the first or second time he had been scolded like this. However, even though it was over the phone, this body’s naturally sensitive reaction made his eyes redden as he said, “I’m sorry. My phone was on silent, and I fell asleep. I didn’t see your calls.”

“Alright, I’m not going to argue with you anymore. Check your email—I sent you some files. They all need to be finished before work tomorrow.”

Tang Bing hesitated. “…But I’m on break today…” His voice trailed off, growing smaller and smaller.

But Pang Yuqing’s booming voice completely drowned him out.

“I know you’re off today, but these documents are urgently needed by the company. I have no choice. Do you think I’d call you so many times otherwise? Besides, the company is so busy right now. You think it’s realistic to take two full days off? It’s just not possible. Everyone’s working hard, so don’t say I’m making things difficult for you.”

Blah, blah, blah.  

A torrent of words came pouring out without end, and Tang Bin’s phone amplified every word. He didn’t even need to turn on the speaker to hear Pang Yuqing’s rant.

Taking advantage of the pause, Tang Bin opened his email to check the files Pang Yuqing had sent him.  

…They were tasks that didn’t even fall under his responsibility—work from another team.  

Although labeled urgent, these tasks shouldn’t have been assigned to him, especially after he was transferred to the Ruida project. Such things were no longer his concern.  

Tang Bin’s crisp voice interrupted Pang Yuqing: “Manager Pang, I’ve reviewed the email you sent me. It’s the same maintenance work as before. I’m afraid I can’t do it.”  

“…What did you say? Say that again? Let me tell you, if you don’t get this done before work tomorrow, don’t bother coming in!”  

Before Tang Bing could respond, a deep male voice replaced his. Shang Chengjun had taken Tang Bing’s phone and coldly said, “According to labor laws, a company cannot terminate an employee without cause without providing significant compensation. In addition, forcing employees to work overtime outside their contract is a violation of the law.”  

“…Who are you?”  

Pang Yuqing’s aggressive tone instantly deflated, as if surprised someone else was present.  

Shang Chengjun completely ignored his question.  

“Furthermore, your inappropriate language and threats have been recorded. If you truly intend to proceed with termination, please provide an official written report from your HR department. Otherwise, we won’t hesitate to send you a court summons.”  

After saying that, he hung up the phone without waiting for a reply.  

Tang Bin stared blankly at Shang Chengjun, still dazed by the commanding and imposing presence he had just displayed.  

He was captivated—mainly because Shang Chengjun looked incredibly dashing with one hand in his pocket and the other holding the phone. He looked more handsome than any celebrity Tang Bin had ever seen in this world.  

Wait a minute…  

“President Shang, you… you just rejected him like that?”

“Sorry.” Shang Chengjun exhaled deeply, not entirely sure why he had been so agitated just now.  

He simply couldn’t stand seeing the young man in front of him being bullied.  

“No, no, no.” Tang Bin quickly waved his hand and let out a sigh of relief. After thinking for a moment, he said, “I don’t know how to reject him, even though I can’t do that work. Last time at the company, a colleague stepped in to speak up for me, but this time…”  

“You’re saying this person has given you a hard time before?” Shang Chengjun’s voice suddenly became dangerously cold.  

“Uh…” Tang Bing didn’t understand why he asked that.  

“He probably assumes you’re resting at home and is taking advantage of you being alone to assign you work—because you don’t know how to refuse.”  

“…”

This hit a sore spot for Tang Bing, who curled up in grievance, unsure of how to change his current situation.  

The room fell into a moment of silence. As he huddled there, he suddenly felt Shang Chengjun ruffle his head.  

Tang Bin looked up at him in confusion.  

Shang Chengjun’s Adam’s apple bobbed twice intensely before he finally steadied himself. His voice, slightly hoarse and filled with temptation, said, “Why don’t you come and be with me… I mean, follow me. I guarantee no one will dare to trouble you again.”  

“!!!”

Tang Bin: “President Shang, are you asking me to change jobs?”

Shang Chengjun: “…”

“But… I don’t know anything except programming. There probably isn’t a position for me at Ruida…”

Tang Bin said this and quickly shook his head. He only inherited the original owner’s skills, and as for everything else, he truly knew nothing. He couldn’t do anything, only bringing trouble to President Shang.

At this moment, due to his limited exposure, he couldn’t think of anything other than work and failed to realize that what President Shang said might have meant something else.

Shang Chengjun: “…”