Chapter Thirty-Four: Shameless

No matter who belongs to whom, whether she’s the dominant one or the tables have turned, Lin Yang no longer dwelled on such trivialities. He had finally come to understand one thing: regardless of anything, since he had kissed and embraced her, from this day forward she was his girlfriend. Even if she claimed he belonged to her, she was still his girlfriend, and that was beyond dispute.

At last, the final barrier between them shattered. The two became truly intimate, again and again growing more familiar with the technical intricacies of their passionate kissing. Each time, they parted only when both were breathless and panting, reluctant to let go. Fortunately, the embarrassing mishap of biting tongues never occurred again.

Yet Lin Yang’s wandering hands nearly caused Tang Yixue to lose her innocence right then and there. Even as he reached the door on his way out, he was still grumbling incessantly, “Why were you so obedient? If only I’d been a little more impulsive, just a bit—slipped off those black lace panties and gone straight for it, she’d have been marked as mine forever.”

Overwhelmed by passion, they lingered in their embrace, each movement growing bolder. In the end, Tang Yixue was left with nothing but her black lace panties, and Lin Yang was no exception. When it looked like things would truly go all the way, she pressed his misbehaving hand with a shy, vexing whisper.

“Wait… wait a few days. I’m on my period.”

She’d left her words hanging there; Lin Yang was no brute and did care for her feelings. So he left, face full of grievance, feeling rather dejected at being gently shown the door.

In truth, even if she hadn’t sent him out, he wouldn’t have dared stay. He was afraid that if he lost control and went too far, he’d do something he’d regret. Besides, there was still that troublesome Leng Nini at home. Who knew what she might do if he didn’t return for the night? Call the police? Search the city with a tiger at her side? Lin Yang didn’t even dare imagine it.

When he drove home, it was still early—just nine o’clock. The light was still on in the little girl’s bedroom. She stood by the window, restless, peering out into the night. The moment she saw Lin Yang return, she called out excitedly, “Brother Yang!”

With his heart still burning, Lin Yang dared not linger with this unpredictable girl. Fearing he’d lose control, he came up with a plausible excuse and retreated to his own room, leaving her disgruntled and muttering, not to mention throwing things in protest.

Lying in bed, Lin Yang found himself unable to sleep for a long time, not even sure when he finally drifted into dreams to meet the Sandman.

When the first rays of morning sunlight streamed through the window and fell on his face, Lin Yang was startled awake. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was already past eight thirty. In a panic, he dressed quickly—today he had to go to Tianchen District to sign a contract with Baifu Pharmaceuticals and Bai Jing. Being late was not his style.

He rushed through his morning routine and, after much persuasion, managed to convince Leng Nini to stay home. Only then did he drive his Audi toward Baifu Tower, speeding all the way. Luckily, he was familiar enough with the layout of Jinhai City and didn’t waste much time. With a screech of tires, he stopped beneath a building emblazoned with the words “Baifu Pharmaceuticals.”

Looking up, the building stretched twenty-five stories high. Through the glass windows, he could vaguely see the busy figures of employees moving about. Getting out of his car, he glanced at his watch—he was lucky, with one minute to spare before the clock struck nine. At the entrance, Bai Jing stood waiting in a blue uniform.

Catching sight of Lin Yang approaching, Bai Jing smiled and hurried to greet him. After all, he was her prospective goldmine, someone to be treated with care.

“Haha, Sister Jing, it seems the Bai family is quite well-off!” Lin Yang teased with a smile.

“Ah, all thanks to my father’s hard work. I’m just the phoenix who came out of the nest. Compared to those truly powerful families, we’re still far behind. Let’s go.” Bai Jing smiled wryly, not saying more, and led Lin Yang straight through the door.

“Good morning, Vice President Bai.” Two burly security guards greeted them with respectful smiles as soon as they entered.

“Thank you for your hard work,” Bai Jing nodded warmly, with none of the airs of a superior.

Amidst a chorus of greetings, Lin Yang was escorted to the nearby elevator.

“Sister Jing, what a presence, what a show of power!” Lin Yang exclaimed, giving her a thumbs-up as the elevator doors closed.

“Oh, you have no idea how exhausting it is,” Bai Jing replied, a look of weariness crossing her face. She knew too well that the position of vice president was no easy seat, especially with the pharmaceutical industry in a slump, fierce competition, new products constantly emerging, rivals slashing prices, and the company’s finances stretched thin. The pressure was immense; if things continued this way, the company could very well go under.

Lin Yang could only smile awkwardly, not pressing the issue. He’d heard enough about the cutthroat world of business to know it wasn’t pretty.

In no time, they reached the fifteenth floor. Bai Jing led Lin Yang through a quiet corridor to the glass doors of the Human Resources Department. Before they even opened the manager’s office, Lin Yang could see through the glass a beautiful woman in professional attire and large glasses, dutifully working at her desk.

As the door creaked open, the woman looked up, and upon seeing Bai Jing enter, she quickly got up and greeted her.

With a flower-like complexion, curvaceous figure, narrow waist, and ample bosom, she was about one meter seventy with perfect proportions. Her fashionable, large-rimmed glasses revealed lively, alluring eyes, a high nose bridge, cherry lips, and skin as fair as porcelain, exuding the air of a mature beauty—an absolute enchantress.

“Vice President Bai,” she said respectfully, pausing before Bai Jing.

“Xiaomei, has the company’s situation improved at all recently?” Bai Jing asked directly, her brows furrowed with concern for the company’s finances.

The girl hesitated, glancing at Lin Yang and visibly uneasy at discussing confidential matters in front of a stranger.

“Go on,” Bai Jing urged in a low voice, understanding her apprehension. However, Lin Yang was soon to be made vice president as well, so hiding things from him would only breed mistrust.

“Fangyu Pharmaceuticals has just launched a new product, Anle Health Capsules, at an alarmingly low price, so…” the girl trailed off, her tone deflated.

“I see,” Bai Jing replied, her brows knitting even tighter. She turned to Lin Yang for a serious introduction. “This is our new Vice President, Lin Yang. He has the same authority as I do. You get back to work—we’ll be going now.” With that, she didn’t linger, but led the still-stunned Lin Yang away.

“A vice president? That young and handsome?” The girl muttered in disbelief as she watched them go.

Outside the department, Lin Yang paused, lowering his voice in a half-question, “Sister Jing, what’s going on? Judging by what I’ve heard, the company’s not in great shape.”

“Well… I should have told you yesterday. I’ll explain everything in detail later. Come, let me introduce you to the procurement department first,” Bai Jing replied, recovering quickly and changing the subject. There was a reason she wanted Lin Yang to get to know the procurement staff first.

Compared to the tense atmosphere in Human Resources, the procurement department was almost leisurely, with only five people present. A shifty-eyed young man was engrossed in playing a farming game on his computer; two older men were openly playing chess and bickering, their chess etiquette questionable as they argued over moves; in the corner, a bespectacled intern was diligently working through paperwork; and a chubby man sprawled across a row of pushed-together chairs was snoring away in a dream, drooling and muttering lewdly—this department looked more like a playground.

“Vice President Bai!” The shifty-eyed young man, delightedly engrossed in his game, caught sight of the newcomers out of the corner of his eye and nearly jumped up in fright, greeting them nervously.

The tremor in his voice snapped the others to attention. They stood up, heads lowered, tense and anxious, none daring to meet Bai Jing’s icy, menacing gaze.

“Firing one foolish manager clearly wasn’t enough of a warning. Now you’re all even more brazen. Or do you want to pack your bags and leave as well?” Bai Jing erupted in anger at the slack scene before her, her voice cold and sharp, a stark contrast to her earlier warmth.

Ah, women—so quick to change moods. Lin Yang now truly understood the wisdom of the ancients.

After her tirade, Bai Jing calmed herself with a deep breath and began introductions. “This is our new Vice President Lin Yang. From now on, you report to him. If there are any more problems, I don’t need to spell out the consequences.”

With that, she left Lin Yang to get acquainted with the team and turned to leave herself.

“I’ll be in the top-floor office. Come find me if you need anything.” At the door, as if remembering something, Bai Jing paused and flashed a smile barely perceptible to the others.

“Got it,” Lin Yang replied with a grin, then turned to the five and began chatting amiably, quickly winning them over.

The fat man was Wu Dong, responsible for receiving goods—a gossip, fond of sleeping and overeating, hence his melon-like physique. The bespectacled girl was Lin Wanying, an intern from Jinhai Institute of Technology, majoring in Economics and Management, now in her senior year. The shifty-eyed “Farming Bro” was Wen Yang, an old hand in charge of documentation. The two older men, Zhao Yu and Zhao Qi—the twin brothers—were in charge of identifying medicinal herbs, having worked here for over twenty years. No wonder they acted with such impunity, barely offering Bai Jing a bow.

From their descriptions, Lin Yang gathered there were about twenty others out purchasing goods; these five merely held the fort, which explained their idle behavior.

“Vice President Lin, you and Vice President Bai seem pretty close,” the fat man ventured, sensing Lin Yang was approachable, and shot a glance at the others.

“Yeah, Vice President Lin, what exactly is your relationship with Vice President Bai?” Wen Yang followed up, itching for gossip and not letting the matter drop.

The two older men, seasoned as they were, continued their chess game, paying Lin Yang no mind, clearly testing the new boss with a show of indifference.

“Check,” Zhao Yu announced triumphantly.

“Wait, take that back—I made a mistake,” Zhao Qi protested, grabbing at the red cannon piece, shamelessly taking back his move.

Faced with such unruly old-timers, Lin Yang’s expression darkened. As the saying went, “A new official must light three fires.” If he wanted their respect, he’d have to show some authority. So, he strode toward the two, determined to assert himself.