The onlookers: “!”
Tang Yang: “!!”
Outside the classroom, curious onlookers peered in.
Inside, someone laughingly asked Tang Yang, “Deputy Tang, when did you and President Jiang get together? We hadn’t heard a thing!”
Tang Yang, inwardly wanting to crumple Jiang Shiyan into a ball, replied, “We’ve only been together for a short while.”
Hearing this, Jiang Shiyan, hands in his pockets, turned his head to hide a smile.
Tang Yang caught his smile and felt exhausted from being ambushed.
She truly hadn’t expected Jiang Shiyan to pull such a move, both unexpected and brazen.
The feeling was like being playfully scratched by her puppy. What could she do? What was she supposed to do?
After answering her classmates’ questions, Tang Yang gathered her bag and left the classroom, linking arms with Jiang Shiyan.
Jiang Shiyan licked his lips.
Without looking at him, Tang Yang introduced him to the others outside with a mix of resignation and indulgence: “This is my boyfriend, Jiang Shiyan.”
This was the Hui Shang classroom, and Jiang Shiyan was aware of being an outsider. He spoke in a gentle voice: “I’m Tang Yang’s boyfriend, Jiang Shiyan.”
Tang Yang, in high heels, barely reached Jiang Shiyan’s shoulder. As he spoke, he naturally leaned slightly towards her.
Tang Yang had a clear, likable appearance, while Jiang Shiyan’s face was as refined as jade, with dashing eyes. Whether intentional or not, the soft blue trim on Tang Yang’s skirt echoed the embroidery on Jiang Shiyan’s shirt collar.
Several older men and women praised them: “Deputy Tang and President Jiang make a talented and beautiful couple.”
Tang Yang nodded shyly, while Jiang Shiyan responded graciously: “Thank you.”
Another person complimented, “President Jiang earns the money, and Deputy Tang manages it. Clear division of labor, harmonious family.”
Jiang Shiyan accepted again: “Thank you.”
“…”
Yet another person: “May you have a hundred years of good marriage and three children in three years.”
“Thank you.” Jiang Shiyan smiled from his heart, while Tang Yang’s dignified and cold academic persona had long since crumbled into a small animal with slightly red ears.
After more polite exchanges.
“Thank you all. Have a pleasant lunch break,” Tang Yang said, her hand hooking around Jiang Shiyan’s arm as she retreated towards the elevator, bowing in gratitude. Noticing Jiang Shiyan’s irrepressible smile, she felt both embarrassed and annoyed, unable to resist pinching his waist.
B City, despite its remote location, was known for its endless array of local specialties.
After leaving Hui Shang, Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan went to a street known for its snacks. Tang Yang bought two identical gift boxes for Jiang’s mother and her mother to send out, then took Jiang Shiyan to an old, established Chinese restaurant.
On Monday noon, there weren’t many diners. They chose a quiet private room.
Tang Yang thought her middle-aged and elderly classmates wouldn’t use Weibo, and that people in high positions wouldn’t gossip. However, while waiting for their food, she received congratulations from Jiang Ya’nan, Qin Yue, and others.
Tang Yang opened Weibo’s hot search and was stunned—
It started with B City’s branch manager Fan happily posting on Weibo: “I thought I could play matchmaker, but if I did, I’d probably be a fake one.”
Manager Fan had over a hundred thousand followers, but his usual posts about lucky draws or news rarely got likes. However, this post attracted many comments from colleagues. Even Hui Shang’s official Weibo account reposted it, joining in the fun: “Heard there was some good news today [sneaky smile].”
YiXiu’s official account, with several million followers, then reposted Hui Shang’s post.
Previously, when Jiang Shiyan reposted Tang Yang’s Weibo about Zhang Zhilan, it left a trace among netizens. Now, someone, using an alternate account, posted screenshots.
Whenever Tang Yang saw travel guides or recommendations, she would post on her Weibo friend circle saying “Noted,” and Jiang Shiyan would repost Tang Yang’s Weibo saying “Accompany her to go.” Occasionally, when Tang Yang posted a normal Weibo, Jiang Shiyan would comment. The content was ordinary, but the waves and exclamation marks at the end of each of their sentences made countless netizens feel like they were being force-fed dog food through their screens.
Moreover, people dug up the previous viral height difference photos. The tall and short figures hugging a bear in the amusement park were Jiang Shiyan and Tang Yang.
There was even a netizen who took a selfie at Guo Se Tian Xiang, and in the background, not far away, a short girl was standing under a tree eating candy art, while a tall boy held his hand above the short girl’s head, shielding her from the sun. Although their side profiles were blurry, the seven-figure watch on the boy’s wrist was a frequent guest in Jiang Shiyan’s interview appearances.
As soon as phrases like “Hui Shang female executive” and “YiXiu President’s romance” started trending, YiXiu’s marketing accounts gently pushed them down.
But the more they did this, the more it seemed like a cover-up.
Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan were high school classmates and university classmates. Tang Yang visits Jiang Shiyan’s home, and the two of them enter and leave shopping malls together, Jiang Shiyan picks up Tang Yang after work…
More and more details were dug up along the timeline.
More and more netizens flooded in.
Most were saying things like “super sweet,” “Friends becoming lovers is so lovely,” and “I also have a good friend of many years but I don’t dare to confess.”
There were also skeptical voices: “Tsk tsk tsk, they’re all adults, who the hell believes in pure friendship between men and women? First time I’ve heard someone describe being kept so nicely.”
“Finally understand why YiXiu is always thriving: they can make up whatever trending topic they want, and when they run out of ideas, even the CEO has to step up. According to YiXiu’s topic manipulation techniques, what should appear in this position at this time should be ‘kept woman,’ but it’s Jiang Shiyan and Tang Yang. Do the math, the comment above is correct.”
“To be fair, with Jiang male god’s configuration, forget being kept, even if I had to travel a thousand miles to deliver myself… wuwuwu crying from excitement.”
“…”
The waiters at the old restaurant were well-trained. Even though they were excitedly scrolling through Weibo at the door just a moment ago, when they entered with the dishes, their faces showed only smiles.
Tang Yang scrolled through Weibo, and as she scrolled, she let out an “Ow” and unhappily burrowed into Jiang Shiyan’s arms.
“Sheng Ni’na and Cheng Siran’s cousin are having a flash wedding. They’re set to post on Weibo at 13:14 today, which should overshadow this,” Jiang Shiyan knew Tang Yang didn’t like this kind of exposure, especially when some comments were unpleasant.
He pulled the small, delicate bundle closer into his arms and turned his head to kiss the top of her head: “Keyboard warriors have brains full of shit. You lose if you argue with them. Listen to the nice things, and treat the unpleasant ones like farts. Yang Yang, let’s be more tolerant and not take it to heart.”
The heat was indeed slowly decreasing, probably disappearing soon.
Besides venting, was there any other way? Tang Yang sighed: “It’s not like I can use an alt account and fight with them like elementary school kids, saying ‘You’re a pig, bounce back, bounce back again’…”
Yang Yang’s voice was as soft as cotton.
Jiang Shiyan couldn’t resist kissing the corner of her lips: “Baby is so understanding.”
“Who’s a baby,” Tang Yang mumbled, “I’m a middle-aged young lady.”
The warm light from the octagonal crystal lamp outlined Jiang Shiyan’s smooth profile.
Hearing this, he chuckled softly and whispered something in her ear with a slightly hoarse voice.
Tang Yang refused to answer.
Jiang Shiyan continued.
Tang Yang’s little face suddenly turned bright red. She raised her fist, pretending to hit him. How could he be so bad? She was a science student, okay? How was she supposed to know the difference between a middle-aged young lady and a middle-aged young wife!!
“Alright,” Jiang Shiyan closed her fist, coaxing softly, “Let’s eat. It’ll get cold if we don’t, and you still have class to go back to.”
Tang Yang grudgingly let him off.
Jiang Shiyan ladled soup for her, then put down his chopsticks after eating just two bites and picked up his phone.
Tang Yang thought he had company business, so she didn’t urge or ask, just picked up the dishes he liked and put them in his bowl first.
Meanwhile, Jiang Shiyan, wearing a serious face as if discussing a billion-yuan deal, switched to his Weibo alt account. He opened those few negative comments, which already had YiXiu people controlling the situation: “Slandering without knowing the facts,” “Will need to bear legal responsibility,” “The woman needs to be kept? Wash your brain…”
Jiang Shiyan replied following these responses, typing swiftly: “F**king idiot MMP.”
The haters cursed back, and Jiang Shiyan viciously retorted.
Tang Yang poked Jiang Shiyan’s arm: “The food’s getting cold, eat first.”
“Just a moment, still hammering out some details here,” Jiang Shiyan said, leaning over with his mouth open.
Tang Yang pretended to be annoyed, patting his face, but still fed him.
Meanwhile, at a café in New Light World, A City.
Light and shadow intertwined, and music flowed like a spring. In a corner, two women sat facing each other.
One wore a crisp black and white professional outfit, the other a light green spaghetti strap short dress, exuding youth.
“We’ve discussed the general points over the phone. If you think there’s no problem, you can sign this confidentiality authorization form,” the professionally dressed woman took out a document and a pen from her bag, pushing them toward the woman in the short dress.
If Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan were here, they might recognize the woman in the short dress as Qian Qian, Gan Yiming’s “cousin.”
“Is YiXiu being too considerate? Or do you need to sign something like this to submit to marketing accounts nowadays?” Qian Qian picked up the items.
“No,” the professionally dressed woman frankly admitted, “YiXiu is doing such a large-scale collection this time to find material for filming movies on fringe topics. After the material is selected, there will be a series of marketing and promotion,” she explained. “If your material passes the topic selection meeting, you’ll receive the corresponding amount of copyright fees as stated in the contract. If it doesn’t pass, you’ll still receive the corresponding amount of collection fees.”
“Of course,” the professional woman thought of something, “The unfriendly part of this contract is that if the exposure increases, although faces will be blurred, your relatives and friends might still recognize you from clothes or other details. Some submitters just want to share experiences and don’t want the exposure to affect their normal lives.”
But Qian Qian was not one of those.
Qian Qian pretended to be calm as she glanced at the amount on the contract, then immediately lost her composure. Her eyes flickered, and she pointed outside: “Can I go out and discuss this with my husband?”
Even though she knew what the short-dressed woman meant by “husband,” given that YiXiu’s collection theme was “hidden love” not “kept woman,” the professional woman’s face remained unchanged: “Please, go ahead.”
Outside the café was an open-air balcony, bathed in beautiful daylight.
Qian Qian stood in the shadow of an umbrella and dialed a speed dial number.
The first time she was hung up on, she dialed again and got through.
Qian Qian called carefully: “Yiming—”
“This month’s living expenses have been transferred to your card. I won’t be coming over this week.” The man’s voice on the phone was extremely impatient.
Qian Qian didn’t know what she had done wrong: “Yiming—”
“I remember we were very clear at the time,” the man’s voice seemed to come from a confined space, cold and gloomy, “What you do is your duty, whether I come or not is my freedom.”
“Yiming…”
Qian Qian wanted to say more, but Gan Yiming directly hung up the phone.
He hadn’t come to see her for almost half a month.
Qian Qian’s hand hanging at her side clenched, her eyes closed to hide her emotions. She stood there for quite a while before opening her eyes again and turning to walk back inside.
After Gan Yiming hung up the phone, he turned on the faucet at the sink and splashed water on his face before returning to the living room.
Before he had gone to the bathroom, Wei Changqiu had been smiling while playing with her phone. When he came out, she threw the phone at him.
Gan Yiming felt the pain but didn’t frown.
He picked up the phone, sat down on the sofa, and pulled the plump woman close, saying in a flattering tone, “Is the phone misbehaving?”
“I remember you brought me a candy painting one day. You said you bought it from a street vendor, thinking young girls might like it,” Wei Changqiu took the phone from his hand and scrolled to a certain point. “Just now, Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan were trending. Someone posted this photo – Tang Yang is also holding a candy painting, just like the one you gave me. There’s a straight line at the bottom,” Wei Changqiu pointed. “The comments say this is from Guose Tianxiang, and only the candy artist there habitually draws a straight line at the bottom.”
“That day, you told me you went back on the weekend for reinstatement and worked some overtime?” Wei Changqiu smirked coldly. “Did your overtime take you to Guose Tianxiang?”
The smile on Gan Yiming’s face slowly froze. “Qiuqiu…”
“Also,” Wei Changqiu lit a cigarette, “The housekeeper said you weren’t home during the days I was away?”
“Qiuqiu…” Gan Yiming’s face showed an anxious expression as if wanting to explain.
“Go on.” Wei Changqiu took off her earrings, carelessly tapping off the cigarette ash.
Gan Yiming reached out to catch the hot ash. “When I was sick, Zhou Zisheng arranged for Tang Yang to be the acting director. Tang Yang has only been at Huishang for a year; what capabilities could she have? She put on a good show on the surface but left everything in a mess internally. She just swanned off on a business trip, leaving me with a complete disaster,” Gan Yiming, now on a roll, looked indignant. “I’ve been super busy every day. How could I have any energy to go to Guose Tianxiang? Qiuqiu, I was working overtime.”
Wei Changqiu, halfway through her cigarette, handed it to Gan Yiming. “Men lie with their mouths.”
Gan Yiming took a deep drag, his gaze seeming to disperse in the smoke.
He thought of something and smiled bitterly. “Although you’ve never had many expectations of me, sometimes I want to try harder, to stand closer to you. Between husband and wife…”
“Enough.” For men, a career is like a rib. Wei Changqiu had feelings for Gan Yiming, and whenever he pulled out this rib, she found herself unable to blame him.
Wei Changqiu had met Tang Yang before and knew full well her capabilities.
When Gan Yiming spoke of Tang Yang, Wei Changqiu didn’t say anything to him. She clutched her earrings, found her slippers, and went upstairs. Gan Yiming followed, but Wei Changqiu, with her back to him, said, “Don’t come up at noon. I want to rest alone.” Then, she addressed the housekeeper who had been waiting at the foot of the stairs, “Wake me at 2:30.”
Gan Yiming obediently replied, “Alright.”
The housekeeper nodded and said, “Yes, madam.”
Wei Changqiu dragged her heavy body upstairs. The sound of her footsteps lasted for a while, then stopped, followed by the sound of a door opening and a “click” as it closed.
The bedroom door had good soundproofing.
In the ensuing silence, Gan Yiming let out a sigh of relief and glared at the housekeeper. “So you told her I wasn’t here while she was away? Learned to tattle, have you? Did you do it on your own, or did Zhou Mo teach you?”
The housekeeper replied flatly, “Madam Wei pays my salary—”
Gan Yiming slapped the housekeeper hard across the face.
Gan Yiming had used considerable force, causing the housekeeper to stagger sideways.
Upstairs, Wei Changqiu, who should have been in the bedroom, stood outside the door. Hearing the sound, she moved her jaw slightly, a fleeting depth passing through her eyes.
Meanwhile, in the café, when Qianqian returned, the woman in professional attire was on the phone with her internet celebrity friend, her tone very cheerful: “You went to Semporna? I thought it was Phuket. The sea view is really beautiful… Yang Shulin is so cheap? Okay, let’s check it out during the mid-year festival. Forget about the crocodile skin, you dare to send it, and I wouldn’t dare to accept it… Yes, yes, yes, you VV are my goddess, okay? 25 years old, five million Weibo followers, eight-figure online store turnover, single rich beauty, free to fly anywhere… I really can’t accept it…”
The professionally dressed woman noticed the short-skirted woman returning from outside, briefly concluded her call, and asked, “Have you considered it?”
“If it’s uncensored,” the short-skirted woman hesitated, “could the amount in the contract be increased a bit?”
The professionally dressed woman’s expression paused. “I’ll need to discuss this with the higher-ups.”
Five minutes later, the professionally dressed woman amended the contract amount and reprinted it. Please download the novel app Aidu app to read the latest content.
Qianqian’s mind echoed with “Semporna,” “Yang Shulin,” “25 years old,” “single rich beauty,” “fly anywhere”…
She gently caressed her flat abdomen and signed her name on a more thorough contract.
For the next three days, B City experienced continuous clear weather.
The news of Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan dating stayed on the hot search for half an hour on Monday, and almost everyone at Huishang knew about it.
These days, Jiang Shiyan was staying in Tang Yang’s room. Occasionally, when they encountered Huishang colleagues in the elevator, they would smile and say, “Director Jiang and Deputy Tang are close.”
Tang Yang would blush.
With more familiar colleagues, Jiang Shiyan would joke, “Two people living together, using only one lamp, one bathroom, saving water and electricity, responding to the national call.”
The person would give a teasing look, and Jiang Shiyan would hug Tang Yang, laughing contentedly.
Back in the room, Tang Yang lamented, “I used to fantasize about us dating without others knowing. Then a strange man wearing a mask and sunglasses would secretly leave my room, and others would gossip about a single old woman like me being lonely and calling for… you know. Then I’d call you over, have you take off your mask and sunglasses, and tell them, ‘Ta-da! This is my boyfriend.’ They’d ask why I didn’t say anything before, and I’d say they never asked.” Tang Yang clicked her tongue, “Wouldn’t that be surprising! Unexpected! Exciting!”
Jiang Shiyan strutted like a model, walking up to Tang Yang. He stopped, started undressing, and said with his chin up in an affected tone, “This establishment exclusively provides Tang CEO with a quality hunk with eight-pack abs, strong and long-lasting…”
Tang Yang stood on the bed, looking down at him, hugged his neck, and hummed a tune while trying not to laugh.
Hunk Jiang’s expression froze for a moment, and in the next second, he suddenly picked up CEO Tang in his arms.
Jiang Shiyan played with Tang Yang for a long time, thinking he could continue to play with her for four more days and return next Monday.
However, early Friday morning, his assistant made an urgent phone call.
“The Lost Pearl” had been broadcast ahead of schedule and broke viewing records. Logically, after the celebration party, this project should have been considered finished.
But later, Yixi and Thompson’s collaboration was pleasant, and Leo had a very good impression of Jiang Shiyan. He couldn’t help mentioning the precedent of “getting international distribution for the documentary,” which Jiang Shiyan took to heart.
“The Lost Pearl” had a sensitive theme. When Jiang Shiyan told Tang Yang about submitting it for approval, Tang Yang frowned: “Won’t the State Administration block it or make you go because the content is indeed quite…”
Her words became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
On Friday afternoon, Jiang Shiyan had to fly to the capital for an urgent matter.
At noon, while other classmates were taking their lunch break, Tang Yang accompanied the unhappy little boy to the rest area next to the hotel lobby.
They sat side by side.
Jiang Shiyan crossed his arms, pulling a long face with furrowed brows.
Tang Yang tilted her head to look at him, then imitated his expression, frowning.
Jiang Shiyan threw a little tantrum and turned to the left, Tang Yang followed and turned to the left. Jiang Shiyan turned to the right, and Tang Yang followed and turned to the right.
Back and forth a few times.
Jiang Shiyan stopped acting up and said to Tang Yang with a face full of despair: “You have to say something to me. You have to say you’ll miss me, you have to say you’ll think of me.”
Tang Yang laughed and leaned softly on his shoulder: “Men look especially charming when they’re working seriously.”
Especially a certain someone who was arranging things on the phone while whining and throwing a tantrum about not wanting to leave.
Listen, listen, Yangyang is praising me! Praising what? Especially charming! Especially, tsk!
The invisible little tail behind Jiang Shiyan was almost curled up to the sky, but his mouth still wouldn’t give in: “Quickly say you’ll miss me, don’t try to gloss over it.”
She indeed would miss him. Tang Yang tightened her grip on his arm: “You’ll be gone for so many days…”
Jiang Shiyan: “I’ll miss you too.”
Tang Yang thought for a moment: “Did I just say I’d miss you?”
Jiang Shiyan affirmed: “Yes.”
Tang Yang didn’t argue with him, tilting her head to secretly kiss him. Jiang Shiyan’s heart fluttered, and he held her a bit closer.
The two cuddled and chatted for a while until Jiang Shiyan’s car arrived.
Tang Yang saw him off at the door. Jiang Shiyan held onto Tang Yang, giving detailed instructions: remember to pay attention to the weather, remember to bring an umbrella, remember to close the windows, turn off the electricity, a girl should be careful about safety…
“Since Director Jiang is leaving, does that mean I can continue to send flowers to Deputy Tang this week?” A clear male voice came from the side.
Jiang Shiyan and Tang Yang looked up towards the source of the voice. A man walked up to the two of them.
He wasn’t tall, about 1.70 meters, but his well-tailored black suit gave him a smart appearance. His skin was fair, he had a baby face with big eyes, and wore metal-rimmed bottle-bottom glasses. He smiled as he approached, revealing an adorable little fang.
Xiao Qin, Huishang’s strategic analysis director, is a 23-year-old… kid.
Jiang Shiyan inwardly sneered disdainfully but showed no expression on his face.
He casually put his arm around Tang Yang’s shoulders: “I thought Director Xiao already knew that Deputy Tang was taken,” he glanced at Xiao Qin, lazily pulling a smile, “Her boyfriend is Jiang Shiyan.”
Tang Yang’s delicate throat bobbed slightly, which counted as acknowledgment.
Xiao Qin looked at Tang Yang with innocent eyes: “Are you married?”
Jiang Shiyan: “No.”
Xiao Qin asked again: “Have you met the parents?”
“No.” Jiang Shiyan’s expression deepened.
Xiao Qin, who had completed his doctorate at 22 and had a considerable annual salary at 23, was one of heaven’s favored children, just like Jiang Shiyan. Not only was he not afraid of Jiang Shiyan’s intimidating aura, but he also chuckled lightly: “Even married couples can divorce, and engagements can be broken even after meeting the parents. If neither has happened, then we’re on the same starting line.”
Tang Yang felt so awkward she wanted to leave. Jiang Shiyan withdrew his hand and rubbed Tang Yang’s shoulder.
Xiao Qin’s gaze shifted from Tang Yang to Jiang Shiyan. He looked up directly into Jiang Shiyan’s eyes: “Although you’re taller, older, and seem like the kind of mature man that people like, you’re about to leave,” his eyes curved in a smile, and he said in that clear voice that hadn’t quite lost its youthful innocence, “You’ll be gone for so many days, and I’ll be here every day. What if Deputy Tang suddenly changes her taste and likes young guys like me? I’ll accompany her to movies, shopping, and playing games. She’ll become cute when she’s with me. I’ll care for her and protect her.”
Xiao Qin paused, “I can even act cute, whine, and throw tantrums,” he looked at Jiang Shiyan with the pride of being “young”, smiling and enunciating each word, “Can you do that, Director Jiang?”