CIATB Chapter 67 Delivering Food!
Chapter 67 Delivering Food!
Leaving the bustling cafeteria, Zhang Yan ignored the shocked or admiring gazes behind him.
For him, the farce that had just happened was not as important as the pot of freshly cooked noodle soup in his hand.
The noodles were made on the spot by borrowing a fire from the school's kitchen.
The hand-pulled noodles are chewy, and the soup base is made from chicken bones and pork bones. The surface oil has been skimmed off, leaving only a clear and fresh broth. Finally, it is sprinkled with a handful of finely chopped scallions and a few drops of sesame oil.
This kind of simple food is the most nourishing and best suited for even the most discerning stomach.
Half an hour later, the taxi came to a steady stop in front of the Qingcheng International Building.
Although it was already 7 p.m., the skyscraper standing in the core area of Jinghai CBD was still brightly lit.
The white-collar workers coming and going were in a hurry, and each of them had the kind of fatigue and excitement that comes with working hard in a big city.
Zhang Yan, carrying a thermos, entered the private elevator by scanning his face, seemingly familiar with the process.
"bite--"
The elevator doors slowly opened on the top floor.
This floor was very quiet, with only a sliver of light shining through the crack in the CEO's office door.
Linda isn't here; she's probably been sent out to clean up the mess left by the Zhou family.
Zhang Yan pushed open the heavy mahogany door.
The air conditioning in the office was on full blast, making it feel rather chilly.
Behind the large desk, the usually ruthless and decisive queen was now sprawled on the desk without any regard for her image.
Nie Qingcheng buried her face in her arms, her once meticulously styled long hair now scattered messily over her shoulders.
Hearing the door open, she didn't look up, but just hummed in a muffled voice, her voice filled with exhaustion and irritability.
"Linda, didn't I tell you, unless the sky falls, don't bother me... I want to sleep."
Zhang Yan remained silent.
He gently closed the door, walked to the huge leather sofa, and unscrewed the lid of the thermos.
A warm steam, a mixture of wheat aroma, rich broth, and the fresh scent of scallions, instantly filled the space that was filled with the cold smell of ink and electronic devices.
The one who was lying on the table pretending to be dead twitched his ears.
Immediately afterwards, that messy head suddenly lifted up.
Nie Qingcheng sniffed, and her fox-like eyes, which were originally bloodshot and somewhat dull, suddenly lit up with an alarming brightness the moment they caught that familiar scent in the air.
"Zhang Yan!"
She practically sprang from the boss's chair, not even bothering to put on her shoes, and rushed barefoot onto the thick carpet to the sofa in just a few steps.
"Why are you so late?! I'm starving!"
At this moment, where was the slightest bit of the majesty of the head of a multi-billion dollar conglomerate?
The collar of her impeccably tailored haute couture shirt was slightly open, and the sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, making her look exactly like a wildcat that hadn't eaten for three days.
Zhang Yan handed her the chopsticks and casually tucked her slightly disheveled hair behind her ear.
"Eat it while it's hot, otherwise it won't taste good."
Nie Qingcheng took the chopsticks, not even bothering to check if they were hot, and picked up a mouthful of noodles to put in her mouth.
"Phew...it's so hot...it tastes delicious..."
She mumbled indistinctly, her cheeks puffed out, a satisfied look on her face.
Zhang Yan sat beside her, quietly watching her eat.
She must be exhausted these past few days dealing with the Zhou family's project and some personnel changes within the group.
The dark circles under his eyes couldn't be concealed even under the warm yellow light.
She ate the entire bowl of noodles, soup and all, clean.
Nie Qingcheng put down her chopsticks, let out a burp without any regard for her image, and then slumped onto the sofa as if all her bones had been removed, resting her head on Zhang Yan's lap.
"He's alive..."
She sighed deeply, closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly, "But these past few days have been so tiring, I feel like my neck is going to break, and it feels like there are hundreds of flies buzzing in my head."
As she spoke, she grabbed Zhang Yan's hand and placed it on her temple, her tone a mix of coquettishness and domineering self-righteousness.
"Hey Zhang, quick, give your boss a massage. If you do a good job, you'll get a reward."
Zhang Yan looked at her shameless behavior with amusement.
"What will you reward me with?"
"I'll reward you..." Nie Qingcheng opened one eye, her gaze shifting, and gently scratched his palm with her finger. "Don't you have to sleep on the sofa tonight?"
Zhang Yan shook his head, but his fingers were already on her temples.
[Top-Tier Massage Technique] Activated.
His fingers were long and strong, with warm fingertips.
It didn't use much force, but rather followed the direction of the meridians, gently massaging with a very special rhythm.
"Um……"
Nie Qingcheng let out a comfortable hum from her nose.
That feeling was wonderful.
Unlike the masseuses outside who massage painfully, Zhang Yan's fingers seemed to possess some kind of magic.
Each press sends a warm current through the acupoint, gradually dissolving and drawing away the deep-seated soreness and fatigue.
From the temples to the Fengchi acupoint at the back of the head, and then to the tense and stiff shoulders and neck.
Zhang Yan stood up, went around to the back of the sofa, and pressed his thumbs on her trapezius muscles, which were already as hard as rocks.
"It's blocked here."
Zhang Yan said in a low voice, increasing the pressure slightly, "Bear with it."
"Ouch—be gentle! That hurts!"
Nie Qingcheng cried out, her body instinctively trying to dodge.
"Don't move."
Zhang Yan's hand firmly gripped her shoulder, preventing her from moving, while his movements became even more delicate and prolonged. "If it flows smoothly, it won't hurt. Just bear with it for a little while."
Gradually, the soreness and stinging sensation disappeared.
Instead, there was an unprecedented sense of relaxation.
It felt like a long-held burden had been lifted, leaving me feeling light and airy, as if I were about to take flight.
The office was quiet, with only the slight hum of the central air conditioning.
Nie Qingcheng's breathing became more and more steady and long.
His tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and his face, which always carried a hint of sharpness and calculation, now appeared exceptionally serene and gentle under the soft light.
Five minutes later.
Zhang Yan stopped what he was doing.
On the sofa, the queen who once dominated the business world was now curled up like a well-fed cat, emitting soft snores.
She fell asleep.
Zhang Yan did not wake her up.
He took off his coat and gently covered her with it, then turned up the air conditioner temperature by two degrees.
Then, he sat down on the single sofa next to him, picked up a financial magazine from the table and started flipping through it, enjoying the quiet of the room.
Time passed by, second by second.
The city lights outside the window gradually thinned out, and the moon climbed high in the sky.
I don't know how much time passed.
"Well……"
The person on the sofa shifted, and half of their coat slipped off.
Nie Qingcheng opened her eyes groggily, staring blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling. It took her several seconds to realize that she was in her office.
She sat up abruptly and glanced at the clock on the wall.
It's 1:30 a.m.
"woke up?"
A gentle voice came from the side.
Nie Qingcheng turned her head and saw Zhang Yan sitting not far away, holding a glass of warm water, looking at her with a smile.
"I...I slept for that long?"
Nie Qingcheng rubbed her hair in annoyance, took the water Zhang Yan handed her and took a sip. "Why didn't you wake me up? There are still so many documents to approve."
She slept so soundly and deeply that although she felt much better when she woke up, the thought of the mountain of work still gave her a headache.
You look so tired.
Zhang Yan walked over and picked up his coat from the ground. "Work is never-ending, but your health is the most important thing."
"What do you know?"
Nie Qingcheng shoved the empty cup back into his hand, sat back down at her desk, sighed at the computer screen, and her tone conveyed a deep sense of helplessness.
"This isn't just a matter of workload."
She pointed to the densely packed PowerPoint presentation on the screen, her brows furrowing into a deep frown.
"The Group is preparing to enter the new energy battery field, which is a core strategy for the next ten years."
"But we're stuck on this crucial technical solution."
"This plan was put together by the technical department team over half a month, but I always feel that something is wrong. Whether it's the energy density calculation or the thermal management logic, it's too... too conservative."
"If we try to compete with those international giants using this proposal, we won't even get a ticket to the game."
Nie Qingcheng became increasingly agitated as she spoke, and reached for the cigarette case on the table.
But Zhang Yan stopped him halfway through reaching out.
"Smoke less; it's bad for your skin."
Zhang Yan took the cigarette box and threw it into the trash can.
Nie Qingcheng glared at him, about to lash out, when she saw Zhang Yan walk around the desk and stand behind her.
Instead of comforting her as usual, he bent down slightly, his long, slender hand reaching over her shoulder to grasp the black mouse.
The two were very close.
The faint scent of soapberry emanating from Zhang Yan, mixed with the lingering warmth of the bowl of plain noodles, instantly enveloped Nie Qingcheng.
Her heart skipped a beat, and just as she was about to speak, she heard Zhang Yan's calm and focused voice in her ear.
"Is this your technical department's solution?"
Zhang Yan swiped the mouse, his gaze quickly scanning the complex professional document.
His eyes changed.
He was no longer that gentle boyfriend, nor that indifferent student.
At this moment, he was focused and sharp, like a sophisticated scanner examining a pile of flawed code.
"Hmm, what's wrong? You can understand it?" Nie Qingcheng asked, somewhat surprised.
This is a cutting-edge document on solid-state battery technology, filled with numerous chemical formulas and physical models. Even a professional PhD student would need some time to understand it.
Zhang Yan did not answer.
He simply stared at a structural diagram on the screen, a playful smile curving his lips.
"This plan is not conservative."
He released the mouse, straightened up, looked down at Nie Qingcheng's surprised face, and spoke with certainty.
"This is suicide."
"With the electrolyte formulation here, the probability of thermal runaway increases exponentially as long as the temperature exceeds 45 degrees Celsius."
"If you actually proceed with production according to this plan..."
Zhang Yan stretched out his finger and gently tapped the tip of Nie Qingcheng's pert nose.
"Then I might have to deliver prison food to you in the future."
Nie Qingcheng was completely stunned.
She stared blankly at Zhang Yan, as if he were an alien who had suddenly appeared.
"You...you know how to do this?"
Zhang Yan smiled but didn't say anything.
He pulled over a chair next to him and sat down, then casually grabbed a piece of white paper and a pen.
"Throw this trash away."
He quickly drew a complex molecular structure on the paper and said without looking up.
"I'll get you a new one."
"Since we're going to play, let's go big and take down those international giants..."
Zhang Yan put down his pen, raised his head, and his clear eyes gleamed with an arrogance that made Nie Qingcheng's heart tremble.
"Clear the area."