Chapter 9: The President and the Massage Chair (09)

Not knowing who had sent the food, and not daring to touch it, Tang Bin stared at the meal box on his desk for a few seconds before getting back to work.

Then, half a minute later, he received a text message:

【Heard your meal has arrived, enjoy your lunch, baby~】

The sender was President Shang. The moment Tang Bin saw the two characters, he immediately tapped to view the content. But almost as soon as the message appeared on the screen, his entire face flushed red, all the way down to his neck.

Tang Bin froze for two minutes, then hesitated for another three minutes. Finally, he mustered the courage to call the number back.

However, the ringtone kept playing, but the call was never answered.

Tang Bin tried once, but when no one picked up, he didn’t dare to try again.

He suddenly remembered that he had once complained to President Shang about not being able to afford takeout. Back then, it seemed like President Shang had promised to help him with that. Could this be how he was solving it…?

It was too extravagant.

This meal was almost equivalent to his entire day’s salary.

But now that he knew who sent it, he felt a sense of relief and lightness.

Deep down, he even felt a warm, comforting sensation, a sense of quiet contentment.

It was lunchtime, so Tang Bin decided to open the meal box.

The box was divided into four layers. The first layer held coconut curry chicken, the second layer had roasted bass, the third layer was a serving of blanched Chinese kale and a vegetable salad, and the fourth layer contained several main dishes: sea cucumber congee, custard-filled buns with sweet red bean paste, and a small bowl of brown rice.

As soon as the lid was lifted, the fragrance immediately filled the entire office.

Originally, the office was full of coders who worked tirelessly, many of whom ordered takeout and ate at their desks. No one cared much about the smell, and they were used to the variety of odors filling the office all year round.

But Tang Bin’s meal box was so extravagant that as soon as he opened it, everyone gathered around to see what delicious food it contained.

“Wow, Le Yang, are you really going to finish all of this by yourself?” Colleague A, who was used to freeloading, eagerly eyed the food, waiting for Tang Bin to say he couldn’t finish it, so he could take the chance to help him out.

To his surprise—

“I can finish it.” Tang Bin answered seriously, with a completely straight face.

Colleague A: “…”

Tang Bin suppressed a laugh. He really could finish it, and he wasn’t trying to tease him, but seeing A’s reaction still made him laugh.

In the end, as usual, he invited Hu Xiaobing, who had always helped him out, to share lunch with him. He also, as always, shared some with Colleague A.

“So who exactly sent you all this delicious food?” Hu Xiaobing, who looked like she hadn’t fully woken up, casually asked.

“Just a friend,” Tang Bin answered.

He wasn’t hiding the fact that mentioning President Shang’s name in the office would cause a stir. He knew to keep things low-key. But more than that… he had reached the point where just mentioning President Shang made his heart race and his face flush.

This body’s thin skin made him easy to read, and he was always caught off guard.

So, when the words were on the tip of his tongue, Tang Bin instinctively dodged the question.

However, even though he thought he was being discreet, his fleeting, shy gaze gave him away.

Hu Xiaobing noticed and shrugged, saying, “Well, that’s a shame. I’ve made plans to go out for lunch with someone. You two enjoy. Don’t forget to leave me some.”

He then grabbed his bag and headed out.

Immediately, Colleague A jumped into Hu Xiaobing’s spot, grinning, “Then we’ll dig in! Go ahead, Old Hu, we’ll make sure to save you some salad!”

Hu Xiaobing waved his hand without turning back, leaving a cool impression as he walked away.

But he didn’t leave the building right away. Instead, he took a turn and headed to the smoking area.

“Let me guess,” Pang Yuqing’s voice came from behind. “Is Xiao Hu so down because of Le Yang?”

Hu Xiaobing turned to look at him, his eyes flashing with a sharp, intimidating glare. He looked a bit terrifying.

Pang Yuqing, however, wasn’t fazed. He just smiled and said, “The son of the President of the largest tech company in the country is actually working as a junior programmer in our company… Don’t be curious how I know who you are. I know plenty, including who Le Yang went on vacation with this past weekend.”

Hu Xiaobing continued to look at him without saying anything.

“You know President Shang, right? Seems like they’re getting pretty close, don’t you think? They even sent lunch again today.”

Hu Xiaobing asked, “What are you trying to do by repeatedly targeting a subordinate?”

Pang Yuqing’s eyes flashed with a dangerous gleam. “I want him to leave this company and stay far away from Mr. Yu. Of course, if you’re willing to help me, I can help you too. We can cooperate, and then Le Yang will be yours.”

Hu Xiaobing smiled briefly, seemingly unmoved by the suggestion.

He smoked in silence, while Pang Yuqing stayed put, adding, “I’m doing this to help you. Otherwise, I have plenty of ways to get Le Yang to leave. But he’d probably end up at President Shang’s side, which is exactly what I don’t want to see, and I’m sure you don’t want that either.”

“What do you plan to do?” Hu Xiaobing asked.

—

Tang Bin had just finished his lunch and was clearing his desk when his phone rang.

When he saw the bright, eye-catching name on the screen, his heart skipped a beat. He quickly grabbed the phone and walked into the stairwell, where he could be alone. His nerves kicked in as he answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Did you just call me?” President Shang’s pleasant voice was accompanied by a low chuckle. “I was in a meeting just now, just finished.”

“Oh? Oh…”

But he had just received the text and returned the call, right?

Tang Bin was confused. On the other end of the line, Shang Chengjun cleared his throat twice and then asked with a clear voice, “Did you finish lunch?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Was it good?”

“It was good!”

“Then, how about I order lunch for you every day from now on?”

“!!!” Tang Bin replied, “No… it’s fine, please don’t.”

Although he had eaten well and was satisfied, he couldn’t shake the feeling that, during that lunch, he had become the topic of discussion among his colleagues. As a result, his ears remained red the whole afternoon, and the heat didn’t subside for a long time!

“Oh…” Shang Chengjun seemed to understand, then laughed softly. “Silly, you can just say that you ordered it yourself tomorrow.”

“Oh, right… wait, no, forget it,” Tang Bin said. “It’s too expensive. They wouldn’t believe I ordered it myself.”

“Then… I’ll adjust it. I won’t order something so expensive.”

“But…”

It’s still too expensive! Just thinking about President Shang spending that much made Tang Bin’s heart ache.

Shang Chengjun interrupted him and said, “Then it’s settled. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to be mindful.”

Tang Bin: “…”

“Alright, take a break for lunch. I’m going to eat now too,” Shang Chengjun said gently.

Tang Bin suddenly realized—right, President Shang just finished a meeting, so he probably hadn’t eaten yet.

He didn’t dare to disturb him any longer and quickly hung up the phone.

In the time it took to have that brief conversation, his ear, pressed against the phone, became even redder and hotter.

On the other end of the line, President Shang, who had been called to eat and then immediately hung up, was so frustrated that he didn’t even know how to react. He stared blankly at the screen of his phone, then suddenly grabbed the office landline and called the secretary’s office.

“Come in.”

A moment later, a 175 cm tall, fair-skinned, beautiful secretary with long legs entered the room.

“President Shang, you called for me?”

“I need you to send him a text. Who told you to call him ‘baby’?” Shang Chengjun was furious, as though someone had taken advantage of his precious treasure.

The secretary looked stunned, not expecting President Shang to be so irrationally jealous.

But she didn’t panic. Calmly, she responded, “I sent the message entirely from your perspective, considering your position.”

“So?”

“So it wasn’t me who called him ‘baby,’ it was you, President Shang, who called him ‘baby.'”

Shang Chengjun: “…”

After a brief silence, he said, “Alright, you can leave now. It’s nothing.”

“Understood.” The secretary nodded and was about to leave when she heard the usually strict Shang Chengjun unexpectedly say, “Good job, you were very thoughtful.”

The secretary was genuinely stunned. The last time President Shang praised her like this… it seemed like he had never used so many words to compliment her!

Leaving the office, the usually composed and steady secretary was still taken aback by the unexpected praise. Meanwhile, President Shang, staring at the word “baby” on his phone screen, found himself growing more pleased the more he looked at them.

Yes, this word was sent by him—at least, that’s how it looked from the young man’s perspective.

And the other party didn’t show any dissatisfaction or impatience at being called this!

Does this mean…?

Shang Chengjun nearly pounded his chest in excitement in his office. He felt that his secretary was quite useful, and this test had been a success!

Since the other person didn’t mind, he could take it further…

Tang Bin was feeling dizzy all day, constantly thinking about President Shang, almost unable to focus on his work.

It was so frustrating—his brain could only focus on one thing at a time. He really wanted to think about President Shang, just thinking about him made him feel secure and warm inside. But he couldn’t afford to stop working.

After all, he had promised President Shang that he would finish this project ahead of time.

After all, this is his job.

His work efficiency had decreased significantly, and he worked late into the evening, almost until nine o’clock in the evening. By the time he finished all his tasks for the day, the office was nearly empty. Tang Bin, mentally and physically exhausted, finally completed everything.

Because his thoughts had been pulled in two different directions all day, he felt so tired. He decided to head home to rest and sleep, planning to pick up where he left off tomorrow.

—If he couldn’t see President Shang or hear his voice for more than ten hours, maybe he wouldn’t miss him so much.

That was the conclusion Tang Bin had come to after reflecting on his experience.

Once again, he took the subway to the shopping mall. He knew that by this time, the food court was probably closed, but for some reason, he still found himself walking in.

This time, he went straight to the massage chair area. It had been so long since he had visited due to his busy work schedule, and to be honest, he had really missed the sensation of the massage.

He remembered a colleague who had neck problems saying that massages could become addictive.

“Even though it was uncomfortable at first, it was actually quite enjoyable, and after the massage, I felt really good—my whole body was a lot more relaxed,” his colleague had said.

Tang Bin had never been to a massage parlor and had no related memories, but he thought the chair massage should be similar to a professional massage.

Because the sensation was initially uncomfortable, but after the massage, he felt really good, completely relaxed, and even somewhat addicted.

…Speaking of addiction, he couldn’t help but feel a little eager.

However, when he found the chair he liked and sat down, Tang Bin felt that the chair had become hard, and it didn’t seem as comfortable as the last time he sat in it.

Was it a illusion? It didn’t seem like it. Although he hadn’t been here for a while, the difference was too much, and it couldn’t just be his imagination.

Tang Bin checked the chair again in confusion. Since this was the only chair of this brand in this specific location, he was sure he hadn’t sat in the wrong one.

But why?

Tang Bin didn’t know, but since he was already here, he decided to continue.

He took out his phone, scanned the code, and selected an eighteen-minute package.

“Welcome to the Aimoji Massage Chair.”

— The previous voice had been a deep, magnetic male voice, but now it had completely changed to an electronic tone.

As the voice faded, the chair started moving… The massage sensation also felt different from before. It was hard and stiff, with many parts of the chair pressing in the wrong places.

Tang Bin wasn’t sure what was happening, but he felt somewhat disappointed.

However, since he had already paid, he decided to bear it and wait for the time to pass.

He was tired, and as he leaned back against the chair, his tense nerves slowly relaxed, his body becoming more at ease, and his consciousness began to drift.

Then, in his dazed state, it felt as though he was sinking into a fluffy yet firm cotton-like substance that supported his whole body. The areas in contact with the massage chair felt as though they were being gently caressed by countless skilled hands—comforting and reassuring.

Tang Bin fell deeper into this familiar comfort, reluctant to pull away, and his consciousness became more and more blurry.

Although “comfortable” might not be the best word—those countless hands were too dexterous, kneading and rubbing his body, seemingly especially fond of squeezing the soft flesh of his buttocks.

However, overall, it was still quite enjoyable.

So much so that Tang Bin, in his drowsy state, thought to himself that it would be nice if he could have such a chair every day…