Chapter 2071 - 680: Night in Rong City
At dusk, the twilight deepened.
The lights inside the café were tuned to a soft yet bright glow, and the air was filled with the warm scent of roasted coffee beans and wooden tables and chairs.
The slanting afterglow fell in through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The office towers of Rong City’s CBD were lighting up with neon one after another, like stars awakened by the night.
Their eyes met.
Xie Shuyu looked at Tang Song standing there and was slightly stunned.
They hadn’t seen each other for more than half a month.
She keenly sensed that Tang Song in front of her seemed a little different again.
His aura was more composed, his gaze more resolute, even carrying an indescribable sense of unfamiliarity.
Yet this change also made him even more full of Charm.
"Shuyu." Tang Song stepped out from the booth and walked over to her of his own accord.
Xie Shuyu’s dignified face showed a gentle smile as she apologized, "Sorry, Tang Song, for making you wait. I just went to the restroom and didn’t take my phone."
"It’s fine." Tang Song smiled, pointed at Meng Ran opposite him, and said in a relaxed, natural tone, "I was having a pretty good chat with Meng Ran."
Hearing this polite line from Tang Song.
Meng Ran’s lips couldn’t help twitching as she rolled her eyes like crazy in her heart.
[Little brother, I’m really not happy at all!]
Just in that brief ten minutes, this man started with the online–offline integrated operation model of Hema, moved on to the underlying logic of community group-buying, then jumped to the restructuring of new retail supply chains, and even ended up talking about First Finance’s media strategy transformation this year!
His thinking was rigorous, his eloquence outstanding, and his knowledge broad.
Coupled with the powerful aura he’d had when they first met...
It made her feel like a trembling candidate being interviewed by a big shot.
Her heart was still thumping wildly even now.
In her early thirties, working in a hyper-intense, overcompetitive giant like Alibaba, she was under a lot of pressure too.
Excellent peers around her would from time to time be "graduated" for various reasons.
When it came to things like resigning, job-hopping, and interviews, she truly had a kind of PTSD-like physical fear.
This was also why, even though she was in a high-potential executive role at a big company, she still hesitated and kept weighing Shuyu’s COO invitation.
That said, her bestie’s boyfriend really was flawless.
Among all the men she’d ever met, she had truly never seen anyone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Tang Song in overall quality and personal Charm.
Xie Shuyu looked at her best friend’s slightly stiff expression and teased with a smile, "So what do you think of our future COO?"
Meng Ran’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, and she inexplicably started to feel nervous.
Like a candidate waiting to be evaluated by the final-round big boss.
Tang Song’s gaze lingered on Meng Ran for a moment, then he showed a meaningful smile.
"Mr. Meng really is impressive. Just casually chatting a bit had even an outsider like me listening with keen interest— I almost couldn’t help wanting to pull out a notebook to take notes."
Meng Ran froze for a second, then quickly said with a wry smile, "No, no, no, stop making fun of me. Yu, your boyfriend is the truly awesome one. Now I finally get why he was able to win you over."
Xie Shuyu pressed her lips together in a smile, her gaze drifting between Tang Song and Meng Ran.
She knew Meng Ran’s personality very well; for her to say something half-joking yet half-sincere like that already meant it came from genuine recognition.
And that recognition stirred up a faint, indescribable sense of pride and sweetness in her heart.
Just then.
Tang Song suddenly raised his hand and naturally wrapped it around her waist.
Then he lightly kissed her fair, smooth cheek. "Shuyu, did you miss me? I ran all the way to Rong City, and you don’t even have something nice to say?"
Xie Shuyu’s body stiffened.
She tried hard to keep calm, nudged him lightly with her shoulder, and lowered her voice in reminder, "Watch the occasion a little."
They were in Glimmer Coffee right now, with the store manager and staff all watching.
As the boss, she naturally had to maintain the proper composure and seriousness.
But before she finished speaking, Tang Song lowered his head again and pressed his lips to her rosy, soft ones.
His movements were unhurried, yet carried a kind of unquestionable certainty.
The dignified, bright face of the female CEO gradually flushed, and her breathing grew a little rapid.
But she didn’t dodge this time, only gently pressed her lips together.
Across from them, Meng Ran was force-fed a mouthful of PDA and felt sour to the core.
She muttered under her breath, "Alright, alright, just pretend I’m not here."
Xie Shuyu ignored her best friend, licked her slightly moist lips, and tried to keep her tone steady. "I’ve finished dealing with my work here. Let’s go; if we’re any later, we’ll hit the evening rush. Tang Song, where’s your luggage?"
"Don’t worry about it. Let’s head over first, I’ll have someone send it directly later."
"Mm, alright, let’s go, Ranran."
...
The three of them walked out of the café and got into Meng Ran’s black Audi A6L.
Tang Song and Xie Shuyu naturally took the back seat.
The car smoothly exited the underground parking lot of Yintai Center and merged into the heavy traffic.
It drove toward the direction of Great East Street.
To hide the nerves brought on by their imminent "cohabitation."
Or perhaps to cover up the tension that came with the prospect of soon living together, Xie Shuyu quickly switched into "work mode."
In a calm tone, she started talking with Tang Song about Glimmer Coffee’s expansion plans and the recent difficulties on the supply chain side.
Of course, she deliberately avoided any issues related to Zhongshu Group.
After all, that was too deeply entangled and not suitable to get into here and now.
Tang Song listened quietly, only occasionally giving a soft "mm," nodding along and chiming in with a few words.