Chapter 250 – Report to the CEO: Madam Has Run Away Again – Reconciliation (14)
Bai Tang was led downstairs by Gu Yan, then led back upstairs by him again. The large box of mixed nuts was carried by Gu Yan the whole time, and Bai Tang—the little squirrel—never once took his eyes off Gu Yan’s left hand holding the nuts.
To avoid disturbing Grandpa Gu’s rest, they returned to the house Bai Tang had moved into.
Gu Yan checked the time. It was nearly midnight. Thinking Bai Tang must be hungry, he opened the fridge, took out some ingredients, and started preparing a meal.
Not wanting Bai Tang out of his sight, Gu Yan found the best spot in the kitchen where he could see into the living room. He moved a small sofa to that spot, set out some snacks for Bai Tang, and even turned on the tablet for him.
He still remembered—Tang Tang loved watching nature documentaries the most.
“Watch a nature documentary for a bit. Lunch will be ready soon,” Gu Yan said, tying on an apron.
“Mhm~ Do you need my help?” Bai Tang looked up, his round apricot eyes clear and pure like a fine gem.
“I’ve learned some new dishes. Let me cook them for you to try.”
Since it was Gu Yan’s way of showing care, Bai Tang didn’t insist. When Gu Yan leaned down to lightly kiss his lips, Bai Tang smiled shyly.
Perhaps Bai Tang’s two disappearances had left Gu Yan with some trauma. Even though he could hear the tablet playing outside, he still peeked out every few minutes to make sure Bai Tang was still there before continuing to cook.
Bai Tang was finishing the nature documentary he hadn’t completed while staying at Sha Yao’s house. Fifteen minutes later, it ended, and he switched to a comedy variety show.
Hearing laughter coming from the living room, Gu Yan’s lips curled into a smile. This was the little home he had always dreamed of. It looked like he’d have to start cutting back on his workload.
Thinking back to those days of working overtime at the office—how could they compare to the happiness he had now?
“Tang Tang, time to wash your hands and eat,” Gu Yan called, setting the dishes on the table.
Bai Tang had already filled up on snacks and now sat at the table poking at his rice with chopsticks, not looking very hungry.
“Did I make something you don’t like?” Gu Yan asked nervously.
Bai Tang shook his head. “I’m just not very hungry.”
Seeing the trash can full of empty snack wrappers, Gu Yan became even more mindful of Bai Tang’s love for nuts.
Snacking on nuts was fine, but how could that be a substitute for a proper meal?
Noticing Gu Yan seemed deep in thought, Bai Tang assumed he was upset with him and quickly said, “I can still eat.”
As he spoke, he didn’t even pick up any side dishes—just shoveled rice into his mouth.
Gu Yan, both amused and exasperated, gently reached out to stop him.
Bai Tang lifted his head from the rice bowl, two grains of rice still stuck to the corner of his mouth.
“Just this once,” Gu Yan said. “Next time, no filling up on just snacks.” He grabbed a clean bowl and ladled in half a bowl of soup for him. “You can skip the rice, but you have to drink the soup.”
Today, Gu Yan had made soybean, kelp, and pork rib soup—a flavor Bai Tang liked. He ended up drinking two bowls. Afterwards, he rubbed his now-round little belly and declared he was full and couldn’t eat another bite.
After the meal, Gu Yan gently massaged Bai Tang’s stomach to help with digestion. Bai Tang lay on the rocking chair on the balcony, basking in the warm sunlight. The cozy warmth made him feel lazy and drowsy, his eyelids growing heavier and heavier.
Once the young man’s breathing grew deep and steady, Gu Yan stood up and covered Bai Tang with a light blanket. Then he sat beside him, not moving an inch, his eyes fixed intently on Bai Tang’s face.
Their hands were clasped, a light breeze drifted through—time seemed to slow down in peaceful stillness.
That evening, Jiang Hongzhe suddenly received a call from Gu Yan, asking him to take over all the projects currently in progress.
All the projects…
Jiang Hongzhe froze for a few seconds. “Wait, wait, brother—we’re working on five projects at the same time. Five! And you’re just throwing them all at me like it’s nothing? I’m going to die…”
Gu Yan replied coldly and ruthlessly, “Until I’ve confirmed my relationship with Tang Tang, the work’s yours.”
Jiang Hongzhe felt like he was about to have a breakdown.
He stared at the mountain of data files on his desk, his head pounding.
As he mentally replayed Gu Yan’s words, something clicked. Wait a second—did he find Bai Tang?!
He quickly called Gu Yan back. “Gu Yan! Did you find Bai Tang? Let me talk to him—I want to apologize!”
Jiang Hongzhe’s voice wasn’t exactly quiet. Bai Tang, sitting next to Gu Yan, heard every word—even without the speakerphone on.
He took the phone from Gu Yan. “Hello, this is Bai Tang.”
“Ah—Tang Tang!” Jiang Hongzhe was clearly emotional hearing Bai Tang’s voice. “I’m so sorry. Last time, I misunderstood what Gu Yan meant. I thought he was interested in Sha Yao. I, uh… I was projecting my own feelings onto the situation, because, well, I… I have feelings for Sha Yao…”
Jiang Hongzhe had been explaining smoothly up to that point, but when it came to the last part, he started to stammer.
Although the office was fairly well soundproofed, by sheer coincidence, Sha Yao happened to be approaching the door with some documents in hand. Just as she was about to knock, she sharply caught the sound of Bai Tang’s voice—and her own name.
She suddenly pushed the door open, startling Jiang Hongzhe so much that the words at the tip of his tongue vanished.
Sha Yao asked, “Was that Tang Tang?”
Jiang Hongzhe nodded. Delighted, Sha Yao quickly snatched the phone from him. “Tang Tang, it’s me, Sha Yao! Are you okay? Why did you leave without saying anything? Where did you go…”
Faced with her barrage of questions, Bai Tang didn’t even know where to start. In a soft, sticky voice, he said, “I’m sorry…”
“Come back, Tang Tang. Where are you living now? I’ll come pick you up.”
Her voice was full of genuine concern. Bai Tang felt warmth bloom in his heart. He looked up at Gu Yan, who was gazing at him gently, then replied to Sha Yao, “It’s okay. I’ve found a new place, and it’s really nice here. You can come visit me when you’re free.”
Since he wasn’t actually related to Ling Xue by blood, if word got out, people might start gossiping and it could damage Ling Xue’s reputation.
After Bai Tang reconciled with Gu Yan, he enjoyed many peaceful days being doted on by his devoted partner.
Meanwhile, Jiang Hongzhe wasn’t having it so easy. Not only did he have to treat the company like his second home—on call 24/7—but Sha Yao, as “revenge” against him, deliberately took on an extremely difficult project. It didn’t just make Jiang Hongzhe feel like one day lasted a year; Zhao Lou and the rest were suffering too.
They couldn’t believe it—how had they missed that Sha Yao was a workaholic when they interviewed her?!
They had thought that with President Gu on vacation, they could finally relax a little. Who would’ve expected to be defeated by one of their own?
Perhaps it’s the fate of male leads to have turbulent love lives—just as Gu Yan was enjoying his sweet time with Bai Tang, it was abruptly interrupted by a nurse.
That day, Gu Yan and Bai Tang had accompanied Grandpa Gu to the hospital for a check-up, and by chance, they ran into the same nurse—Fan Xiaonan—who had previously tried to get Gu Yan’s contact information.
Fan Xiaonan was surprised to see Gu Yan again. What a coincidence!
Since that last encounter, she hadn’t been able to get him out of her mind. She even saw his photo in a financial magazine, and the more she learned about him, the more infatuated she became. He was the very definition of a rare, eligible bachelor.
Holding Grandpa Gu’s medical report, Fan Xiaonan smiled and said, “Hi! Remember me? We meet again—such a coincidence!”
Bai Tang looked at Fan Xiaonan, then glanced at Gu Yan. His puzzled little expression made Gu Yan instantly declare his loyalty on the spot.
He grabbed Bai Tang’s hand. “I don’t know her. I swear.”
Bai Tang pouted. “I never said I didn’t believe you.”
But deep down, he was still very happy to hear it.
Fan Xiaonan was stunned. She had never heard any gossip about Gu Yan being in a relationship.
“I forgot to tell you my name. I’m Fan Xiaonan. I was also the one who helped collect the check-up report for the elderly gentleman last time,” Fan Xiaonan reminded them.
“Sorry, I don’t remember,” Gu Yan replied honestly. He truly had no memory of irrelevant people or events. Back then, he only had two things on his mind: Bai Tang and Grandpa Gu.
Grandpa Gu looked at Fan Xiaonan for a moment before finally reacting, “Oh, I remember now—you were the young lady who helped me to the check-up.”
Fan Xiaonan lit up. “Yes, that was me!”
“I thought you worked in the surgery department. How did you end up in the physical examination unit?”
“I’ve always been part of the check-up department. I just happened to be over there last time because of something, and the other nurses had stepped away, so I helped out,” Fan Xiaonan explained cheerfully, seizing the chance to chat with Grandpa Gu. As long as she pleased the old man, getting close to Gu Yan wouldn’t be a problem.
Gu Yan was still wary of Grandpa Gu’s matchmaking skills. Over the years, his grandfather had introduced several girls to him. Though he had refused them all, Grandpa Gu only became more determined with each failure. Don’t tell me he’s taken a liking to this girl too…
Gu Yan assumed Grandpa wouldn’t be able to accept a male grandson-in-law. Just then, a call came through—it was from Assistant Jin.
“President Gu, there are some unpleasant rumors about you spreading outside, and I’ve also discovered someone is maliciously acquiring our floating shares,” Assistant Jin said, his tone slightly anxious.
Before Gu Yan could respond, another call came in—this time from Jiang Hongzhe.
“Send the rumor details to my email. I’ve got another call coming in. I’ll get back to you shortly,” Gu Yan told Assistant Jin, then switched to the other line.
“Gu Yan, our data’s been leaked. The Jianxiu Project is now demanding compensation. I suspect there’s an internal mole,” Jiang Hongzhe said—his usual casual tone gone, replaced with seriousness.
“Got it,” Gu Yan replied, hanging up with a blank expression.
Bai Tang looked at him with concern. “Did something happen?”
“There’s an emergency at the company. I need to head back now. Sorry, I won’t be able to stay with you,” Gu Yan said apologetically, giving Bai Tang a soft smile.
“It’s okay. You go take care of it. I’ll bring you dinner later,” Bai Tang said.
After Gu Yan left, Bai Tang turned to Grandpa Gu, interrupting what looked like an ongoing conversation. “Grandpa Gu, let’s head home.”
Grandpa Gu slapped his forehead. “Ah, my memory! I’ve been chatting so long I forgot to introduce you. Xiaonan, this is my grandson-in-law, Tang Tang. He’s got a great temperament and amazing cooking skills.”
That boast, delivered under the admiring gazes of his chess buddies, gave Grandpa Gu something to proudly brag about for quite a while.
Author’s Note:
Grandpa Gu: I’m not only great at matchmaking, I can also cut off unnecessary peach blossom lines. (smug)