Is not being able to do as you please also called rebirth?

Chapter 202 Tang Yufei's New Way of Playing

Tang Yufei's family's courtyard house, located near Houhai, a quiet oasis amidst the bustling city, has now become the temporary office space for "Douyin Technology Co., Ltd."

The rustic blue bricks and gray tiles create a unique eclectic style when combined with modern office equipment.

The largest main building has been transformed into an open-plan office area, where Zhang Yiming, Qin Yanan, and several key technical staff are gathered around a whiteboard, engaged in a heated discussion. The air is filled with the aroma of coffee and the unique "struggle" atmosphere characteristic of programmers.

A quieter side room in the west wing was set up as Jiang Xun's temporary office and reception room.

Sunlight streamed in through the antique carved window lattices, casting dappled shadows on the mahogany table.

Jiang Xun leaned back in the large armchair, relaxed, listening to Tang Yufei's animated account of how she had "easily won over" several mobile phone manufacturers' channel managers who had initially been skeptical of Toutiao's app promotion model.

"...That guy surnamed Liu, at first he was all high and mighty with me, saying things like cultivating user habits takes time, pre-installation costs are high, blah blah blah..."

Tang Yufei wore a stylish dark red velvet bodysuit, her long hair slightly curled and draped lazily over her shoulders. She sat on the armchair opposite Jiang Xun, her legs crossed, her long legs encased in jeans with beautiful lines.

She picked up the blue-and-white porcelain covered bowl on the table, took an elegant sip of tea, and a smug, triumphant smile curved her red lips.

"And the result? I simply presented him with two data reports: one showing the average daily launch frequency and average dwell time of our beta testers, and the other comparing similar news aggregation apps on the market. Tsk, the difference is obvious! Then I 'casually' mentioned that my father had just played golf with their group's CEO a couple of days ago... and sure enough, he scurried over the supplementary agreement yesterday afternoon!"

She put down her teacup, leaned forward, rested her elbows on the table, and propped her chin up. Her bright, captivating eyes looked at Jiang Xun with undisguised admiration and straightforward interest.

"So, Mr. Jiang, how about it? Does my move deserve a 'special' reward?"

Jiang Xun looked at her, who resembled a proud and cunning fox, and couldn't help but chuckle: "With Miss Tang in charge, nothing is ever impossible. What reward do you want? Double your year-end bonus?"

"Tch! So tacky!" Tang Yufei curled her lips, stood up, walked around the large mahogany desk, and went directly to Jiang Xun's armchair.

A rich, slightly aggressive rose perfume scent then wafts over.

She looked down at him, her gaze bold and intense, carrying the untamed and controlling nature characteristic of aristocratic women from Beijing's elite circles.
"Money? Do you think I need that little bit of profit sharing?" She leaned forward slightly, her slender fingers, slightly cool, gently touching Jiang Xun's chest, then slowly sliding down, with a teasing undertone.
I want you~

Her fingertips carried an electric current, precisely transmitting a dangerous signal through the thin cashmere sweater.

Jiang Xun didn't move, but simply looked up at her, his eyes deep and filled with a hint of amusement: "Oh? How do you want it?"

“For example…” Tang Yufei’s fingers slid to his lower abdomen, pressed down slightly, and she felt his abdominal muscles tighten instantly. Her red lips curved into an even more alluring smile, and her voice was extremely low, almost breathy.

“For example… now, we can try something new.” Her voice was alluring, her breath hot, and from her eyes, Jiang Xun could tell that she seemed to have been looking forward to this moment for a long time.

Jiang Xun felt a great sense of accomplishment at the changes in Miss Tang. She, who used to only like women, now seemed to be increasingly interested in him.

He suddenly raised his hand and grabbed her wrist, which was wriggling around on him, with a slight pull. Tang Yufei cried out in surprise, lost her balance, and fell directly onto his lap!
The armchair groaned slightly, as if it were about to succumb to its weight.

“Miss Tang, you haven’t fulfilled your promise to me yet.” Jiang Xun wrapped one arm around her slender yet resilient waist, preventing her from struggling to get up, and pinched her chin with the other, forcing her to look at him. Their noses almost touched, and they could hear each other’s breaths.

His gaze lingered on her full, alluring red lips, the implication being self-evident.

Tang Yufei sat on his strong thighs and could clearly feel the heat of his body and a kind of power that was about to be unleashed.

This sudden intimacy made her heart race, but proud as she was, she wouldn't easily admit defeat. Instead of backing down, she boldly reached out her free hand and hooked it around Jiang Xun's neck, her red lips close to his ear, her breath sweet and alluring.
"Okay, I'll pay you right now. Do you dare to take it?"

The scorching heat and the ambiguous challenge instantly ignited the air in the room.

Outside the window, the faint sounds of employees discussing could be heard; inside, the tension was almost explosive.

However, Jiang Xun would never allow Tang Yufei to fulfill her promise here, as the occasion and time were inappropriate. But satisfying his cravings and desires was still fine. Of course, Miss Tang also had her fill, and the two of them left satisfied after a full hour or two.

The way Qin Yanan and the others looked at them was ambiguous yet tinged with delight. Jiang Xun being able to cling to Tang Yufei was certainly a good thing for them, his employees.

……

After Jiang Xun finished dealing with company matters, he directly joined Yan Jin's current project. However, this project only had four or five people, and because of the differences in experimental projects, Yan Jin usually worked alone in the sterile laboratory.

Jiang Xun is now once again acting as her assistant.

The constant 25-degree air in the high-performance instrument center seemed to have taken on a slightly imperceptible heat due to Jiang Xun's arrival.

Yan Jin, dressed in a spotless white lab coat, stood beside the electron microscope, pointing to the images on the screen, her cool voice explaining a new set of cell observation data.

Jiang Xun stood slightly behind her, seemingly listening attentively, but his gaze would occasionally drift to the fair and delicate skin of her neck beneath her meticulously styled hair.

"...Therefore, the targeted aggregation effect of these nanoparticles under specific wavelengths of light is very significant, providing a basis for the next step of photothermal therapy..." Yan Jin's words stopped abruptly because she noticed Jiang Xun's gaze, which seemed to be completely off-putting to her.

"Focus your attention on the experiment." Yan Jin glared at Jiang Xun reproachfully, the slight sternness in her tone completely diluted by her slightly charming voice, leaving it without any intimidation.

"I'm sorry, Professor Yan, you're too beautiful." Jiang Xun smiled innocently, his gaze falling on her tense profile.

“Just looking at this cell morphology,” he said, pointing to a magnified area on the screen, “it seems… a bit abnormal? The transparency seems higher than expected, like there’s some kind of… vacuum effect?”

In fact, with his current mental state, he is fully capable of multitasking and naturally cannot afford to lose focus.

Yan Jin looked carefully in the direction he pointed, holding her breath.

There was indeed a cell there whose edges looked a little blurry, and its internal structure seemed... somewhat different? She frowned, leaned closer to the screen, forgot about the little incident earlier, and began to focus intently on checking the parameter settings and sample status, her fingers rapidly tapping and adjusting on the control panel.

"Focus is fine... staining concentration is also standard... no air bubbles on the slide..." she murmured to herself, her body unconsciously leaning slightly forward with the change in observation angle. Just then, Jiang Xun moved closer once again.

This time, he didn't touch her hand, but instead pressed his body almost against her back.

He leaned down slightly, his chin almost touching the top of her head, his breath brushing lightly against her sensitive earlobe. His arm crossed her shoulder, his long fingers pointing to another area on the screen, his deep voice whispering in her ear:

"Professor Yan, look here... the distribution of organelles, isn't it a bit strange? It looks like it's been... stretched by some kind of external force?"

His warm breath brushed against her ear, and the intense scent of his masculine hormones enveloped her completely. Yan Jin's body instantly tensed up like a fully drawn bow.

She could clearly feel the heat emanating from his chest and the vibrations in his chest cavity when he spoke.

She could even smell the refreshing scent of his aftershave mixed with the laboratory atmosphere, creating a strange, heart-pounding ambiguity.

For a moment, her mind went blank, and the so-called "abnormal cells" on the screen became blurry in her eyes.

"You..." She wanted to tell him to get away, to push him away, but her body felt like it was nailed to the spot, unable to move.

That cold, aloof will appeared so fragile under the impact of intense emotions. She could even sense, deep within her heart, a secret, shameful... yearning for this sudden intimacy.

“Could it be a slight deviation in the osmotic pressure of the fixative? Or the centrifugal force parameters…” Jiang Xun seemed completely oblivious to her stiffness and inner struggle, continuing to analyze in a professional and “serious” tone, while his other hand very “casually” gently rested on her narrow waist covered by her white coat.

Yan Jin patted the back of his hand, but not hard, even letting him do his outrageous thing, simply because what he said seemed to make a lot of sense.

The two discussed the experiment in such an intimate and ambiguous manner. When they finished their discussion, Yan Jin found herself completely embraced by Jiang Xun.

As soon as she looked up, she met Jiang Xun's burning gaze, and then Jiang Xun lowered his head and captured her lips.

……

In the afternoon, at an elegant bookstore and cafe in Beijing.

By the window, sunlight streamed in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, casting warm dappled patterns on the wooden floor.

The air was filled with the aroma of roasted coffee beans and the unique scent of paper and ink. Soft jazz music flowed through the quiet space.

Liu Shishi sat in a single sofa in the corner, wearing a loose beige turtleneck sweater and simple jeans, with her long hair flowing smoothly over her shoulders.

A steaming cup of black tea sat in front of her, and a thick, hardcover novel lay open on her lap.

The sunlight outlined her delicate profile, her demeanor serene and tranquil, exuding a serenity detached from the hustle and bustle of the world. She was lost in thought, her long eyelashes casting soft shadows beneath her eyes.

Jiang Xun pushed open the door and came in, the wind chimes making a crisp tinkling sound.

He sat down on the empty sofa opposite Liu Shishi, moving very quietly and almost making no sound.

He opened the journal in his hand and began to read quietly. Time passed by, and the two of them, separated by a small round table, were each immersed in their own world of words, with only the occasional soft sound of turning pages and melodious music playing in the background.

After an unknown amount of time, Liu Shishi habitually reached for her teacup, her gaze inadvertently meeting a pair of deep, smiling eyes opposite her.

A hint of joy flashed in her eyes, then she shyly looked away.

She put down her teacup, a faint yet beautiful smile curving her lips, carrying her unique sense of calm and detachment.

"When did you arrive? Why didn't you say anything?"

Jiang Xun closed the magazine, smiled and nodded in response, "I just arrived not long ago. Do you come here often, Senior Sister?" His voice was not loud, just loud enough for her to hear clearly without breaking the tranquility of the book cafe.

"Hmm," Liu Shishi's voice, like her personality, was clear and melodious, with a touch of ethereal beauty. "It's very quiet here, perfect for reading. Is this your first time here?"

“Yes.” Jiang Xun picked up his black tea and took a sip. “I only knew that Shishijie was a good actress before, but I didn’t expect that the way she quietly reads her book is even more like a beautiful painting.” His praise was direct but not frivolous. His gaze fell sincerely on her face with pure appreciation.

Liu Shishi lowered her eyes slightly, her long eyelashes trembled, and there was no obvious blush on her face, but a very faint pink tinge quietly appeared at the base of her ears.

Jiang Xun smiled and changed the subject to the book on her lap, "What are you reading, Senior Sister?"

"Gabriel García Márquez's *Love in the Time of Cholera*." Liu Shishi picked up a section of the heavy book to show him the cover. "Every time I reread it, I have a different feeling."

"A love story spanning half a century..." Jiang Xun nodded thoughtfully. "A very touching theme. But I think there are many forms of love."

He looked at her meaningfully, "It doesn't have to be as long and patient as Ariza and Fermina's relationship; it can be as warm and direct as the sunlight right now."

Liu Shishi raised her eyes and looked at him quietly.

Her gaze was crystal clear, as if she could see through people's hearts, yet it also carried the unique sensitivity and inclusiveness of an artist.

She didn't speak, but simply met his gaze silently. The sunlight outside the window danced in her eyes, forming breathtakingly beautiful spots of light.

Jiang Xun didn't say anything more, but simply raised his teacup and gave her a silent salute.

Liu Shishi looked at him, and after a few seconds, the corners of her lips curved into a light, chrysanthemum-like arc again. She also picked up her teacup and clinked it with his across the small round table.

There were no superfluous words, no deliberate attempts to get close.

Only the rustling of pages, the aroma of coffee, the warmth of the sunlight, and the silent, subtle, and tacit current flowing between the two of them.

The tranquility and resonance of this moment speak louder than a thousand words.

This time, the two did not feel awkward because of their previous intimate contact (the time they were drunk). Instead, there was a warm feeling of old friends reuniting, but also a hint of ambiguity.

However, Liu Shishi had work to do, and this time she only took the time to meet with Jiang Xun after learning that he had returned, to talk about some things related to Luo Ning.

After their conversation, although she felt a little reluctant to leave, Liu Shishi still got up to say goodbye and depart.

Jiang Xun watched her figure disappear through the door, picked up his red tea and took a sip, the lingering taste of their silent exchange still seeming on his lips.

She is as aloof as a chrysanthemum, yet not unapproachable. She is like a book that needs to be read attentively; each time you open it, you will discover something new.

……

(End of this chapter)