novellhall Chapter 33 Tea Talk
Chapter 33 Tea Talk
There wasn't much wine drunk at the wrap party, and it was still early when Lin Dong returned to Tengda.
I had just sat down in the chair and unbuttoned my cuffs when there was a knock on the door.
"Enter."
Chen Xinjian pushed open the door and came in, holding a folder in his hand.
He sat down at Lin Dong's gesture, opened a folder and pushed it over. Inside were six resumes, each with a photo and a densely packed resume.
"Mr. Lin, I've taken care of the bodyguards." Chen Xinjian's tone was as efficient as ever. "Six men, all retired former G4 personnel. I've had dealings with them before when I was in the police force. They have clean records and are tight-lipped."
An annual salary of $100,000 per person isn't low in the market, but I've spoken with them, and they're all willing to come.
Lin Dong flipped through the resumes; each one listed over eight years of service, and two of them included positions as leaders of VIP protection teams. He closed the folder and nodded.
"Okay, have them report for duty tomorrow. You handle the contract matters."
Chen Xinjian nodded, put away the folder, and was about to get up when Lin Dong called him back.
"There's one more thing. Arrange for two people to go to Shanghai and follow Li Jiaxin."
Chen Xinjian paused for a moment, then bowed slightly: "Understood. I'll arrange it right away so they can take the earliest flight tomorrow."
He then turned and left.
The door had been closed for less than ten seconds when it opened again.
This time, it wasn't pushing the door open, it was peeking inside.
Zhang Baizhi peeked halfway in through the crack in the door, her ponytail hanging over her shoulder, her eyes crinkling into a smile.
Today she wore a floral dress, white with blue flowers, the hem of which was three inches above her knees, and a thin white belt around her waist, which perfectly accentuated her eighteen-year-old figure.
Standing at the doorway, she resembled a gardenia that had just been watered.
"Dong-ge," she called him, her voice softer than usual.
Lin Dong leaned back in his chair, his gaze moving down from her face to the large black bag she was carrying, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Come in."
Zhang Baizhi pushed open the door and came in, placed the black bag on the sofa in the reception area, and then walked to the desk and stood there.
"Why are you here?" Lin Dong asked knowingly.
"Michele's busy, isn't she?" Zhang Baizhi put her hands behind her back, tilted her head slightly, and looked at him with bright eyes. "I'll take care of you these next few days. I just learned how to make soup; it takes several hours to simmer."
Lin Dong smiled. He could tell, of course. The kitten was sneaking over when the big cat wasn't looking, wagging its tail beautifully.
"Soup?" He leaned back in his chair, speaking casually. "That sounds good."
"I went to find a master to learn from a few days ago."
Zhang Baizhi took a few steps forward, walked around to the side of the desk, rested his fingers on the edge of the desk, and leaned forward slightly. "It's so delicious!!"
The neckline of her floral dress opened slightly by an inch as she leaned forward.
Lin Dong glanced at it and nodded, amused. "Then we should give it a try!"
Zhang Baizhi's eyes lit up, and a smug look appeared on his face, which he quickly concealed. "Then—Michele won't be here these few days, so how about I take care of you?"
Lin Dong looked at her.
This woman has a very peculiar skill. Every word she says is meant to please you, take care of you, and make you happy, yet you yourself will feel that she is a well-behaved girl who needs protection.
This is the realm of skill.
"Alright, put these away. I'm coming to your place tonight!" Lin Dong shook his head, but he was still satisfied.
Zhang Baizhi's eyes lit up, then he turned and walked to the reception area, picked up the large black bag from the sofa, glanced back at Lin Dong, a sly look in his eyes, "Brother Dong, I'll go back and make some soup!"
"No rush." Lin Dong leaned back in his chair and beckoned to her. "Come here."
Zhang Baizhi put the black bag back on the sofa and walked up to him.
Lin Dong pointed under the desk, "Crawl in."
Zhang Baizhi was taken aback. The space in the middle under the desk was just big enough for one person to squat down.
She looked up at Lin Dong, her eyes drooping slightly, and her lips pursed.
"Brother Dong..." Her voice carried a hint of grievance, a hint of hesitation, and a deeply hidden excitement, "Someone will see us."
Lin Dong didn't speak, nor did he force her; instead, he just smiled and looked at her.
Zhang Baizhi bit her lower lip and hesitated for about two seconds. Then she bent down, lifted the hem of her floral dress, knelt on the carpet, and slowly moved under the desk.
Her body was small, huddled in that cramped space, like a kitten that had crawled into a cardboard box.
Lin Dong pulled the swivel chair forward half an inch...
Just then, there was a knock on the office door.
Zhang Baizhi's movements suddenly froze, his face filled with fear, but deep in his eyes there was a trace of longing.
"Come in," Lin Dong replied in a deep voice, adjusting his posture as he did so.
The door opened, and Xiang Hailan walked in, holding a document in her hand.
She walked to her desk and glanced around habitually—a large black bag sat on the sofa in the reception area, but there was no one else in the office.
Her brow furrowed slightly, but quickly relaxed. She was probably overthinking it.
"Mr. Lin, the company's legal department has confirmed that Director Jiang's contract is correct. We need your signature." She opened the document and pushed it in front of Lin Dong.
Lin Dong picked up his pen. As the pen tip touched the paper, a very slight sound came from under the desk—like someone's knee accidentally bumping into a drawer.
Xiang Hailan's gaze shifted downwards by an inch.
Without looking up, Lin Dong signed his name on the last page of the contract with crisp, clean strokes.
He closed the file and pushed it back.
"Alright. Have the legal department file it."
"Okay." Xiang Hailan took the documents, hugged them to her chest, and turned to walk out.
She paused at the doorway. Then she reached for the doorknob, opened the door, stepped out, and gently closed it again.
After confirming that the door was closed, she let out a soft breath, and the scene from earlier flashed through her mind—Lin Dong was sitting in a chair, signing something with his right hand, while his left hand was under the table, resting on the armrest at an odd angle.
It's—Zhang Baizhi!!
Xiang Hailan's face flushed instantly. The redness ran from her neck to her ears, as if she had been forced to drink a glass of strong liquor.
She pursed her lips tightly, walked quickly back to her seat, put the documents on the table, and then picked up the water glass on the table and took a big gulp of cold water.
After a long while, the blush on her face slowly subsided.
Meanwhile, inside the office, Zhang Baizhi crawled out from under the desk.
Her hair was messy, her ponytail was askew, the hem of her floral dress was wrinkled, her makeup was smudged, and there was a thin layer of red at the corners of her eyes.
She stood up, looked at Lin Dong, her eyes misty with tears. Then she raised her hand and gently tapped Lin Dong's shoulder.
"Dong-ge, you're so mean."
Her voice was soft and husky, carrying a hint of reproach and coquettishness. The slap was very light, as light as a touch.
Lin Dong leaned back in his chair, a smile playing on his lips. "What's wrong with me?"
"It's bad everywhere." Zhang Baizhi rolled his eyes at him, but the corners of his eyes were curved.
She pulled a small mirror out of her bag, tidied her hair in front of the mirror, and retied her crooked ponytail.
"Alright." Lin Dong pointed to the door. "Go back and get ready—remember to bring all those clothes."
Zhang Baizhi's eyes lit up even more. "You're bringing all those outfits?"
"Bring them all."
"I've fully charged the camera battery too." She picked up the large black bag from the sofa, walked to the door, glanced back at Lin Dong, her eyes sparkling, "Brother Dong—I'll cook you something delicious tonight."
After saying that, she pushed open the door and went out.
Lin Dong sat in his swivel chair, picked up the now-cold Pu'er tea from the table, and took a sip. The bitter tea lingered on his tongue for a moment, then a sweet aftertaste surged up, filling his entire mouth with sweetness.
He put down his teacup, took out a stock trading machine from the drawer, and turned on the screen.
Amazon, 133.02.
It dropped slightly, but the drop was very small. It's just normal fluctuation and consolidation, nothing to worry about.
Lin Dong put the stock trading machine back in the drawer.
Happy Valley, at night.
The sound of a camera shutter came from the bedroom.
"...This is so embarrassing."