254: Chapter 253: Li Xiang’s First Stirrings of Love 254: Chapter 253: Li Xiang’s First Stirrings of Love Wang Dazhuang pursed his lips, “Tangyu, you’re getting more and more composed lately, looks like you’ve gotten a handle on the beautiful Liu Shanshan.
Uh, don’t glare at me, right, Tangyu, you were gone all day and almost drove me mad.
Little Li Xiang kept asking where you went, I was nearly badgered to death by her.
Look, here she comes again.”
Before Tangyu had a chance to turn around, he felt a soft body throw itself against him and suddenly cover his eyes with her hands.
Without needing to look, Tangyu knew it was Li Xiang.
Her body was pressed completely against his own, and Tangyu could feel two soft masses pressing against his back.
This close contact was actually rather comfortable, but Tangyu really wasn’t inclined to think in that direction.
After all, Li Xiang was still an underage girl, and although she was also not bad looking, she was far less developed than Lin Feifei.
Tangyu didn’t feel anything towards Li Xiang.
“Guess who?” Li Xiang said.
Tangyu was speechless; there was no need to guess when Wang Dazhuang had already spilled the beans.
“Stop it,” Tangyu ordered gently.
Li Xiang pouted, visibly displeased as she released Tangyu, “You’re no fun.
Why so harsh?
I was only joking with you.
You and my brother are just alike, both so annoying.
Am I thirsty now?
I’ve got some black tea ready for you.” Saying this, Li Xiang produced a bottle of black tea as if by magic and handed it to Tangyu, but the look in her eyes was a bit odd—those were the eyes of a girl experiencing her first crush.
Seeing Li Li’s gaze, Tangyu paused for a moment; surely this young girl didn’t actually have those feelings for him?
Young girls like this were the most likely to develop a dependent adoration for a man, probably what you would call a crush.
Wang Dazhuang was sniggering to one side, his expression one of schadenfreude.
“No, thank you.
I don’t like drinking beverages,” Tangyu said diplomatically, wanting to nip any such thoughts from the young girl in the bud.
Seeing that Tangyu wouldn’t accept the black tea she had prepared since morning, Li Xiang’s face instantly showed her displeasure, but she quickly forced a smile and said, “If you don’t like tea, let me pour you a glass of water.
You must be thirsty.” Then she moved to pour Tangyu water.
“Really, you don’t have to.
I’m not thirsty,” Tangyu declined once again.
Li Xiang’s eyes suddenly brimmed with tears, threatening to spill over, a testament to how directly young girls wear their emotions on their faces, a testament to the charming innocence of youth.
Tangyu couldn’t bear to see a girl cry, but he knew he must sever this notion of hers, lest she sink deeper and it becomes even harder to resolve.
Her fondness for him was probably because he had rescued her before, a kind of hero worship that would likely fade quickly.
“Do you really dislike me that much?
Why can’t I please you no matter what I do?
I hate you, hate you!” Li Xiang couldn’t hold back her tears and, after speaking, she turned and ran out.
The scene quieted the office down, and everyone turned to look at Tangyu.
He shook his head, speechless; young girls were truly fragile at heart.
This was indeed a headache.
He kicked Wang Dazhuang and said without good humor, “Look at you, delighting in my misfortune with no sympathy at all, despicable.”
“What’s the use of you despising me, Tangyu?
I’m truly envious,” Wang Dazhuang said with a grin.
Tangyu aimed another kick at him, but this time Wang Dazhuang was ready and dodged.
Everyone else was already discussing the situation.
Li Jie walked in from the outside and nearly collided with a figure.
It was his sister Li Xiang, who was also tearful.
Li Jie frowned, “What’s wrong, Xiang?
Who’s bullied you?”
“You’re all mean, all bullying me.
I hate you all,” Li Xiang didn’t respond to Li Jie’s question and complained before crying and running off.
Li Jie was also taken aback, confused.
After a glance around the office, he quickly focused on Tangyu and had a rough idea of what had happened.
Li Jie walked over and Tangyu took the initiative to say, “I’m sorry, Jie, it’s my fault that Li Xiang is crying.”
Li Jie shook his head, “You don’t need to say that, Tangyu.
If you do, I’ll feel ashamed.
I know my sister’s temperament, she’s too mischievous.
Even if you hadn’t said it, I could pretty much guess what happened.
Sigh, it’s my sister who has caused you trouble, and I can see a bit of her little thoughts,” Li Jie said somewhat sheepishly, as he too could tell that Li Xiang had taken a liking to Tangyu; therefore, he could surmise what the magnitude of the situation was.
“It’s fine, she’s still too young, perhaps not mature enough in that regard, but I think she’ll be better in a few days,” Tangyu patted Li Jie.
Li Jie shook his head and sighed, “Well then, I’ll have a good talk with her tonight, and for now, keep her at home instead of coming to the office, so as not to bother everyone.”
Tangyu shook his head, “There’s no need for that; I can handle it.
Leaving her alone at home isn’t a solution either; who knows if she’ll start running around outside every day.
Your sister is just a little rebellious, that’s all; it’s not a big problem.
But if she isn’t properly guided, she might go astray, and it would be really hard to bring her back then.
It’s best for her to be in the company, so you can keep an eye on her.
I’m not around much anyway; I believe she’ll be over it in a few days.”
Li Jie looked at Tangyu, hesitated for a long while, and then nodded, “Okay then, thank you, Tangyu.
I’ll go home tonight and talk her through it.
She’s getting bigger and more unreasonable by the day, she doesn’t even listen to me anymore.”
Being a brother isn’t easy.
“By the way, Tangyu, Dazhuang, are you free tonight?
I want to invite you to a simple meal.
I’ve never had dinner with you guys and I feel a little guilty about it.
If you’re free, I’ll ask the others.
Come to think of it, I’ve never treated everyone to a meal; I really haven’t been doing my duties,” Li Jie said.
“I really don’t have time tonight,” Tangyu said.
Wang Dazhuang pouted and said, “What’s Jie doing tonight?
How about we do it on Friday night instead and all go to our usual haunt?”
After giving it some thought, Li Jie said, “That works for me.
Let’s do Friday night then.” Once they had agreed, Li Jie clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention before adding, “Brothers and sisters, I’ve always appreciated your support and cooperation, which has allowed our team’s work to be consistently excellent.
I may have been a bit too strict with you all before, and for that, I apologize.
I’m thinking of treating everyone to a simple meal this Friday night.
Would you all be free to honor me with your presence?”
“If Jie is treating, then of course we need to go.”
“Haha, Jie is too polite.
You’ve always been quite protective of us.
We’ve got to go.”
There weren’t many people in group one.
Excluding a few who didn’t fit in, there were only about fifteen or sixteen members.
Aside from those who were absent, everyone expressed their appreciation and readily agreed.
Ever since Tangyu joined, the atmosphere in group one had steadily improved, and it had become like one big, harmonious family.
“Alright then, it’s settled.
Everyone, please make arrangements, and don’t you dare say you’re not free at the last minute, or I won’t be happy.
Also, let those who are out know about this.
I’m a bit tied up at the moment and I’m afraid I might forget to inform everyone,” Li Jie said with a smile.
He really enjoyed this kind of atmosphere.
Looking at Tangyu, Li Jie felt truly grateful.
Tangyu had saved him and also helped him wake up to the fact that he had these friends.
“Tangyu, bring Liu Shanshan with you this time.
Spouses are definitely allowed,” Li Jie said with a smile, a rare moment of him cracking such a joke.
Tangyu grinned, the word “spouse” was certainly something he’d consider—eager to turn Liu Shanshan into just that: “Okay.”
Li Jie gestured to Tangyu with a tilt of his chin and said, “Well, speak of ‘spouse,’ and there she is.”
Looking towards the office door, Tangyu saw indeed that Liu Shanshan was standing at the entrance.
Liu Shanshan caught Tangyu’s eye, smiled, and nodded.
Tangyu returned the smile, patted Li Jie on the shoulder, casually kicked Wang Dazhuang, and walked towards the door.
Though Tangyu and Liu Shanshan weren’t officially a couple yet, in the eyes of the members of group one, they were already an item.
So when Liu Shanshan came looking for Tangyu, it was seen as nothing out of the ordinary.
“Jie, how are you feeling right now?” Wang Dazhuang had already forgotten the pain from Tangyu’s kick and asked, staring straight at the door.
“Envious, jealous, and hate, I guess,” Li Jie said.
“Me too,” said Wang Dazhuang.
Liu Shanshan was especially popular at Xinxin Culture and Art and had left a good impression on everyone, which meant she was very well-liked.
Naturally, anyone who garnered Liu Shanshan’s favor was bound to be the target of envy, jealousy, and hatred.
“Tangyu, Xinxin is calling you over,” Liu Shanshan said.
Tangyu smiled.
Xinxin was truly well-informed to know of his return to the office so quickly.
They quickly arrived at Zhao Xinxin’s office.
Today, Zhao Xinxin was in a particularly good mood, even great.
Indeed, she had shown off at the lunch table, displaying her heroic posture, dramatically turning the tide of battle and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.
She played a trump card that left an indelible mark.
Even now, Zhao Xinxin felt somewhat light-headed, as if she had experienced a beautiful dream.
This experience was quite a test on her emotional resilience.
Moreover, she had just received a call from the assistant manager of Dali’s new product line.
The executive level of Dali Group had already given the green light.
Huangfu Jing’s trump card had indeed been a game-changer.
All that was left was to announce it at tomorrow’s press conference, and the project would officially be handed over to Xinxin Culture and Art.
Zhao Xinxin’s own goals were now one step closer, making it impossible for her to not feel elated.
After today’s events, these past two or three months were probably the most relaxed and joyous for her.
“Tangyu is here, have a seat for a bit,” Zhao Xinxin said to Tangyu, her attitude towards him had changed completely from before, as the victory of this battle was solely due to him.
“I’ve already been informed by the new product line at Dali.
This case is pretty much settled, and we are the victors,” Zhao Xinxin said with a smile.
Tangyu returned the smile and said, “Then congratulations to Xinxin.
You’ve finally got your wish.”
Zhao Xinxin beamed with joy, “Yes, it’s apt to describe it as getting what I’ve wished for.
I indeed invested a lot of effort and determination in this case.
Tangyu, you are the biggest hero this time.
I have always been fair in rewarding and punishing.
Whatever reward you want, just ask, and I’ll fulfill it.
This is a one-time offer, don’t miss out.”