Chapter 22: Apology

"Lina, it's been a while, and you're still so beautiful," his trusted deputy and the company's female face met him. Finally, Yao Wang's mood improved a little.

"Ah, Yao President, what happened to your eyes?" Lina asked in surprise. Why did Yao Wang look like a half-panda?

"Hmph, ask him," Yao Wang rolled his eyes at Lin Tianran, who was wearing a security guard jacket.

"Yao President, I really didn't mean to. I'm willing to compensate you, and I hope you can forgive me and not be angry." Lin Tianran was genuinely aggrieved. He never dreamt that he would give his superior a black eye, let alone the renowned director of the Marketing Department, Yao Wang. He felt like he might lose his job this time, and it was just his bad luck.

"You're willing to compensate me? What do you want to use to compensate me?" Yao Wang laughed. He was wondering what a security guard like Lin Tianran could offer as compensation.

"How about... how about I give you a punch?" Lin Tianran really couldn't think of any other way to compensate him. He had nothing to offer. After spending most of his salary on necessities and treating himself to crab, he was practically broke. He figured Yao Wang could punch him to vent his frustration.

"Do you think I'm that kind of person? Am I so rough?" Yao Wang never expected that this limping guy would actually close his eyes and wait to be punched. His long eyelashes trembled in fear, and he looked somewhat pitiable.

In reality, this limping guy was fair-skinned and quite handsome, which was Yao Wang's type. However, Yao Wang had always separated work and play. All the men and women he had been with over the years were unrelated to his work and career. He never mixed emotions and work, and that was his consistent principle throughout his years of navigating through relationships.

"Oh my, Yao President, don't make it hard for this little employee. Our Marketing Department knew you were coming back today and had already bought a cake waiting for you in the department. If you don't hurry upstairs and open the champagne, those newcomers might sneak a bite!" Lina stifled a laugh as she persuaded them.

"Really? You guys are good at making me happy!" Yao Wang was a playful person. He smiled happily upon hearing Lina's words, but then he quickly restrained his smile, pretending to be angry, and said to the department manager and Lin Tianran, "Manager Fang, your subordinate doesn't recognize me as Yao Wang. Let's punish him by hanging my photo around his neck for three days. Let's see if he still can't recognize me in the future!"

"Okay, okay, that's a good idea." Manager Fang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worrying about what to do if Yao Wang wanted to retaliate against Lin Tianran. If Yao Wang had actually punched him, that would have been a real problem. Fortunately, it seemed like Yao Wang just wanted to play a small prank, and he wasn't one to hold grudges.

"Huh?" Lin Tianran didn't expect the situation to develop like this. His reaction was slow, and by the time he regained his senses, Yao Wang had already left with Lina's support, pulling his suitcase with big strides.

"Ah, it's just making a big deal out of nothing. Let's not dwell on it." Manager Fang relaxed and patted Lin Tianran's shoulder. "It's just three days; you can endure it."

"I understand, Manager Fang," Lin Tianran pouted.

Well, this was better than losing his job or paying money. Just hanging a photo around his neck, which didn't cost anything, seemed like a fair deal.

Li Yicheng didn't see his little sweetheart from home the entire noon.

He was feeling restless, and unable to focus on his work, and he found this meeting extremely boring. His mind was filled with thoughts of Tian Tian. He took out those night pearls and played with them, but he still couldn't feel satisfied.

Why wasn't Tian Tian coming? Was he unwilling to come?

Was he pushing Tian Tian too hard, or was Tian Tian too tired, and he really wanted a break at noon?

As he was thinking, there was a knock on the CEO's office door.

Could it be Tian Tian?

Li Yicheng was overjoyed, almost rushing from his chair to greet him. However, when he met the bright eyes, it was the face he had seen once on a video call.

"Mr. Li, I'm back," Yao Wang gracefully entered. Before the disappointed Li Yicheng could greet him, Yao Wang took a seat in the chair across from him as if it were his own, with the air of an experienced minister.

"Welcome back, Director Yao," Li Yicheng controlled his emotions. "But, Director Yao, why are your eyes so black?"

"Oh, I accidentally bumped into something," Yao Wang cursed Lin Tianran in his mind. Damn it, he rarely made appearances with such prestige, and you, a limping guy, ruined it.

"This business trip to Europe has been very fruitful. If things develop smoothly from here on, our Huamao can expand into the European market, not just limited to Southeast Asia! This will open up another source of income for Huamao. We won't just rely on Southeast Asia anymore, and I believe we will reach greater heights!" Yao Wang was confident about Huamao's future development. His expertise in foreign trade sales was not just for show; he played a significant role in expanding the Southeast Asian market in the first place.

"That's great. If we can truly increase our market share, it will be a godsend for Huamao!" Li Yicheng nodded with anticipation. "Now, with the economy in a slump and domestic sales sluggish, Huamao's sales are mostly supported by exports. However, the competition in the Southeast Asian market is fierce, and the European market hasn't received much attention due to distance and shipping costs. If we can take a sip of the soup over there, the profit potential will be..."

At this point, Li Yicheng and Yao Wang exchanged a knowing smile.

"I didn't expect Mr. Li to have such foresight, to see what short-sighted businessmen can't see. In the past, the old man was too conservative and never supported me going to Europe," Yao Wang sighed and shook his head. "Otherwise, Huamao wouldn't be in its current situation. By the way, I just returned to the country. Can you take me to visit the old man whenever you have time?"

"Sure. It's been a while since I visited him. How about tonight?" Li Yicheng agreed.

"After work, I'll wait for you at the front gate, and you can drive," Yao Wang didn't hesitate to use Li Yicheng as his chauffeur. Fortunately, Li Yicheng wasn't the type to mind such matters. In his eyes, Yao Wang was a person with the capital to be so straightforward, and he was currently desperately seeking talent.

Lin Tianran had indeed hung Yao Wang's photo around his neck.

Luckily, he had the photocopying room all to himself, and there weren't many colleagues who could see him. Even if someone came by occasionally for copying documents, he could simply turn the photo around so Yao Wang's face was against his chest, leaving the blank side facing out.

He was an honest person and didn't engage in any sly tactics. In fact, following Manager Fang's hint, he could have secretly taken the photo off, especially since the photocopying room was on a different floor from the Marketing Department. Yao Wang also rarely came out of his office. If they were to cross paths by chance, it would only be during the daily commute, between the stairs and the time clock. He could have waited until then to put the photo on.

But Lin Tianran never had such thoughts. He believed that in everything he did, he needed to give it his all, wholeheartedly. Deceitfully playing tricks would not only be unfair to others but also to his own conscience.

"Sigh," Lin Tianran sighed as he looked at Yao Wang's photo, where Yao Wang made a cool peace sign with a face touched up to perfection. "I forgot about visiting Mr. Li during lunch today. I wonder if Mr. Li will be angry?"

The moment Lin Tianran realized he had stood up to his boss, he felt a chill down his spine. Could it be that Mr. Li waited for him the entire lunch break? But someone as busy as Mr. Li probably wouldn't do that, right? Maybe he just forgot about it after turning around.

But after work, he definitely needed to apologize to him properly, Lin Tianran thought to himself.

Today, Li Yicheng left work on time.

At exactly 5:30, Li Yicheng shut down his computer, descended the stairs, clocked out in the office building lobby, and then walked to the garage with his long legs.

He drove his black Mercedes out of the garage to the security booth, where Yao Wang was already waiting for him. As soon as he stepped on the gas pedal, they were on their way.

Just after Lin Tianran had finished clocking out in the office building lobby, he saw the car, plate number 6888, with Li Yicheng at the wheel, pausing at the security booth. He immediately wanted to stop him.

"Mr. Li, Mr. Li!" Lin Tianran was so anxious that he was practically stumbling over himself. Combined with his limp, he hadn't made it far from the gate when he lost his balance and fell heavily onto the concrete.

When he looked up again, Li Yicheng's car had already turned a corner and disappeared.

"Are you okay?" Suddenly, a pair of legs in ten-inch high heels appeared in Lin Tianran's field of vision.

"I'm... I'm fine." Lin Tianran looked up and realized it was Lina.

"Come on, let me help you up." Lina helped him to sit on the flowerbed by the roadside.

"Thank you, thank you so much." Lin Tianran felt a bit embarrassed. Although he had encountered Lina twice before, the first time was when Lina brought documents to the photocopy room for him to type. At that time, Lina had left a strict and demanding impression on him. The second time was earlier today in the HR department when Lina came down to escort Yao Wang.

"No need to thank me, it's just a small gesture. Oh, your knees are scraped!" Lin Tianran had felt a burning sensation on his knees, and when he looked down, he indeed saw blood.

"I'll find some tissue!" Lina quickly rummaged through her LV bag.

"No, it's okay, thank you." Lin Tianran was most uncomfortable when people were nice to him because he didn't know how to repay their kindness.

"Oh, come on!" Lina finally managed to retrieve a pack of tissues and handed it to him. "How about this, should I take you to the first aid room?"

"Thank you." Lin Tianran could only accept the fragrant tissue to cover his wound. "No need, I'll rest for a bit and go on my own. Thank you."

"You're such a strange person. Why are you so unwilling to accept help from others? But forget it." Lina no longer pressed him and, recalling something, her curiosity got the better of her. Instead of leaving right away after work, she asked, "By the way, are you a clerk in the photocopy room or a security guard?"

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