HLnovel Chapter 497 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (108)
Chapter 497 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (108)
Chapter 497 "Infecting the World" Male Mother (108)
Although Lu Liruan had never met this boss, who was rumored to be of a very high status.
But deep down... there was no fear left.
Although the boss said he was away on a business trip, his packages kept coming back, so frequently that sometimes he would receive two packages in the morning and two in the afternoon.
The villa area here has dedicated delivery personnel. Several deliverymen from different courier brands have already become familiar with the residents of the villas.
When he first met Lu Liruan, he even took the initiative to ask, "Oh! Little sister, are you new here?"
Another deliveryman asked with a grin, "Why are you hiring such a young kid again? You look about the same age as Xiao Qi."
Xiao Qi is An Tang's partner.
“Our company needs this kind of young blood…after all, we have to deal with a boss who shops online every day.” An Tang took a bottle of water from inside the house and handed it to the other person.
"This box is quite heavy today, let me carry it in for you."
The delivery guy seemed like an honest person. Seeing that only An Tang and Lu Liruan came out, he volunteered to help carry the things into the living room before leaving.
"What did the boss buy again..." Lu Liruan tried to lift it, and it was indeed very heavy. She tried twice but couldn't lift it.
Today, Liao Tingyuan said he was going somewhere to deliver materials, leaving Lu Liruan and An Tang looking at each other in bewilderment.
An Tang also tried it, and then found a paper cutter: "Let's open it and take a look. If there's a lot of stuff, we'll sort it out separately."
The adjective "a whole bunch" is really because I understand my boss's shopping habits very well.
Upon opening it... sure enough, there was a whole bunch.
Upon seeing the object, Lu Liruan was suddenly speechless... No wonder it was so heavy, it was a pile of stones!
They were all dusty and gray, each one placed in its own protective packaging. Lu Liruan felt that the packaging looked more like something worth buying than the stones themselves.
"What's this?" Lu Liruan picked up a piece; the weight of just one piece was considerable.
Lu Liruan looked down at the notice posted outside.
Then I noticed the words "Shipping fee at your own expense".
……
Holy crap, how much did it cost to ship this pile of rocks over?
Lu Liruan dared not think about it.
Just how rich does someone have to be to do something like this?
An Tang had already found the product instructions inside the box.
“Oh, they are decorative stones for the fish tank.” An Tang showed the list to Lu Liruan.
Lu Liruan: ...
Looking down at the stone in her hand, which didn't seem particularly unusual or well-shaped, Lu Liruan asked from the bottom of her heart, "Can't the boss just call and tell us to go outside and pick up a few?"
An Tang raised an eyebrow: "Even the things he picked up in the yard are better looking than what he bought. The shop owner has never had any taste."
Yes, people with good taste wouldn't buy several ugly fish tanks.
It looks like something you'd use to sell fish at a flower, bird, or fish market.
The two men looked at each other and smiled.
"Never mind, let's move them first... Move a few pieces next to each fish tank first, and put them in after we wash them clean." An Tang sighed and bent down to pick up two pieces herself.
As they climbed the stairs, Lu Liruan couldn't help but ask, "Sister Tang, how much do you think these stones cost?"
An Tang paused for a moment, then advised, "It's best if we don't know."
“Hmm.” Lu Liruan pondered for a moment, then expressed her deep agreement.
It's better to be a little oblivious to some things.
When Liao Tingyuan returned, he had just entered the house when he felt a... moisture?
Then I heard a gurgling sound.
Turning to the back door, you see Lu Liruan and An Tang, wearing rubber gloves, with their trousers and sleeves rolled up, and a large basin for washing dogs in front of them.
The wind was blowing and the water was flowing... washing the stones inside.
The weather is no longer hot; it's comfortable during the day without needing air conditioning, but it's still a bit cool in the mornings and evenings, requiring a light jacket.
"Be careful not to catch a cold!" Liao Tingyuan frowned, stepped forward, and pulled Lu Liruan's wrist, trying to pull down her sleeve.
"It's okay! I'm still hot!" Lu Liruan said with a smile, and even splashed water on Liao Tingyuan a couple of times.
"You'll catch a cold if the wind blows for a while." Liao Tingyuan patiently took the stone out of her hand, glanced at An Tang, and An Tang shrugged.
"You two go and dry yourselves off, I'll take care of the rest." Liao Tingyuan was never the kind of person who only talked the talk but didn't walk the walk. He took off his suit jacket and put it on a stool to the side, and started to unbutton his shirt sleeves.
When he grabbed Lu Liruan's arm, his hands were wet, and now it was slippery to unbutton his shirt with one hand. He tried twice but couldn't get it undone.
Seeing that Lu Liruan was about to bend down to get the stones from the basin, Liao Tingyuan stopped her: "Ruanruan, help me untie my sleeves."
"Oh, okay!" Lu Liruan reached out to help him after hearing his words. The two of them got very close. Lu Liruan's hair fell on Liao Tingyuan's chest, and Liao Tingyuan lowered his head, his chin almost touching the top of Lu Liruan's head.
He looked down at Lu Liruan's somewhat clumsy movements.
An Tang suddenly felt... that she was quite an eyesore here.
Raising an eyebrow, she took the washed stone and went through the back door. Once inside, she called out, "Li Ruan, I'm going upstairs first!"
"Mmm!" Lu Liruan replied absentmindedly as she was still unbuttoning Liao Tingyuan's other sleeve.
"All done!" Lu Liruan was used to watching Liao Tingyuan work at home, so after helping Liao Tingyuan unbutton his shirt, she thoughtfully rolled up his cuffs.
Liao Tingyuan's skin was very white, almost pale, with clearly visible bluish veins beneath, yet his slender wrists exuded a sense of strength.
Lu Liruan's fingertips brushed against his forearm. Liao Tingyuan's body temperature had never been high, but Lu Liruan had just touched cold water, and her fingertips were icy cold. When they touched Liao Tingyuan's skin, both of them subconsciously flinched.
Lu Liruan didn't look up, but for some reason, she felt her face getting hot.
She rather roughly rolled up his other sleeve as well, then patted Liao Tingyuan's shoulder forcefully: "Alright! You go ahead and wash, I'll carry the washed ones upstairs first!"
Before Liao Tingyuan could answer, Lu Liruan scooped up the largest piece from the basin and ran into the house.
When he rushed up to the second floor, he startled An Tang, who was studying how to arrange the fish in the tank.
"...What are you going to do?" she asked softly.
"what?"
"Why are you holding that rock so high? I thought you were going to smash it down on me." An Tang looked at the big rock and gestured to Lu Liruan, "Put it in that jar over there..."
"Oh, okay!" Lu Liruan rushed over in a flurry of activity, still clutching the stone.
An Tang watched her retreating figure, wondering what was wrong.
Looking out the window, Liao Tingyuan was still washing the stones, and nothing seemed amiss.
After a period of time with frequent deliveries, the boss was finally about to return from his business trip.
"What is he doing on his business trip?" Lu Liruan had heard that her boss had been away on a business trip for quite some time.
"Basically, it involves inspecting the work at other branches... supervising the progress of the work, allocating personnel, and holding meetings to discuss any strange or unusual spaces..." An Tang explained to her simply.
"It's not just the boss who goes on business trips; people who have worked here for a long time also help the boss with some of the business trips they usually take."
"Why do we need to report to him? Aren't these units parallel institutions?" Lu Liruan was puzzled and didn't quite understand the relationship between them.
But Liao Tingyuan said it was a parallel unit.
“Yes, they are parallel organizations in terms of function. Each branch has its own leader, but the boss should actually be the highest-ranking person, basically managing all the people in all the branches.” An Tang pointed in the direction of the boss’s office: “But the boss is not very willing to be the so-called highest leader, so most of the time, decisions are made through meetings held by the leaders of each branch. But he still needs to preside over them.”
"Huh?" Lu Liruan seemed to understand but not quite.
"Because these units don't have many people, they were originally small research institutions. Later, different units were established in various places to deal with emergencies. Overall, none of them have been established for very long. They are all in the stage of exploring and learning from each other, and none of them are very mature." An Tang gave her a brief introduction to the past origins of these units.
"The boss was the former director of the research institute and one of the first people to discover and begin researching space. He was his student. The former director suddenly passed away a few years ago, leaving the mess to the boss."
"Is it... because of the space?" Lu Liruan asked.
"It was sudden death. In short, it happened very suddenly, and the specific cause of death was not disclosed to everyone. But the old director was not young, and he had always had heart problems. He died in the research lab, not in the space, so everyone has been..." An Tang lowered her voice:
"But these are just things people talk about among themselves. They have nothing to do with us. We just make money and live our own lives. We do whatever jobs we're supposed to do."
These weren't secrets, but An Tang felt that Liao Tingyuan didn't seem like the type to tell Lu Liruan these things, so she told her when Lu Liruan asked.
Sure enough, Lu Liruan looked like she was digesting the information.
"So... is there anything I should be careful about?"
"It's nothing. You'll know when you meet the boss. He's a very easy person to get along with and doesn't have any bossy attitude. Just do your job well, and you don't need to worry about anything else." An Tang smiled.
Lu Liruan felt that there might be something she hadn't told her yet, but Lu Liruan wasn't the type to delve into these things and wasn't particularly interested in them.
As long as I can make money, that's all that matters; the rest is none of my business.
Since An Tang had said so, Lu Liruan felt relieved.
A few days later, when they came to work, there were only a few of them in the office in the morning. When Lu Liruan and An Tang returned from lunch, they found that there was another person in the living room.
She was standing by the fish tank that they had just cleaned a few days ago, bending over slightly and looking at it intently, occasionally stretching out her fingers to count the number of fish in the tank.
Hearing the voice, he turned around, and Lu Liruan finally saw what he looked like.
He was a middle-aged man who looked to be around fifty years old. He was tall and thin, with noticeable white hair mixed in with his hair and wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, but he had a very gentle demeanor. He wore a pair of tortoiseshell-framed glasses on the bridge of his nose.
He wore a loose-fitting gray Chinese-style shirt, with a large jade ring on his left thumb. He looked very composed, exuding the air of an elder who had experienced the wisdom of time.
He glanced at An Tang first, then turned his gaze to Lu Liruan.
He then asked, "Why do I feel like there aren't enough fish in this tank? I bought the fish according to the number of tanks..."
Lu Liruan: ? ?
Who are you? Why are you making comments about the fish tank as soon as you come in?
"You didn't include the dead ones in your order, and we don't know how to raise fish!" An Tang sighed. "We're not zookeepers..."
"I was just worried you'd be bored, so I was giving you something to do," the man said with a smile, as if he was also thinking of everyone's best interests.
“There’s no need for that…” An Tang sighed.
The man spoke to Lu Liruan: "You must be Xiao Lu? Hello, nice to meet you. My surname is Chen. Call me boss, or Lao Chen, whatever you like."
Lu Liruan shook hands with him with considerable trepidation. Although the man's attitude was very gentle, he did have a leader's aura, which was completely different from the bosses Lu Liruan had worked with before.
"boss……"
Lu Liruan called out.
Liao Tingyuan came in from outside with some things, and nodded when he saw the man.
"Xiao Liao!" The boss didn't seem surprised to see him at all, and his gaze shifted back and forth between him and Lu Liruan.
He didn't hide his gaze, and Lu Liruan could clearly sense that the boss had a hint of interest in his expression.
Just as Lu Liruan was confused and didn't know what he was looking at her for...
The other person suddenly spoke, their tone gentle, but the question they asked was quite puzzling: "Do you two... live together?"
"what?
Lu Liruan was taken aback by the question and subconsciously turned to look at Liao Tingyuan, not quite understanding what was going on.
Seeing Lu Liruan's reaction, the boss waved his hand and said, "I've looked at your information, and it's the same as Xiao Liao's. We don't have many people here, and I personally review every document."
“Oh, I see…” Lu Liruan pursed her lips: “We live upstairs and downstairs, we’re neighbors…”
When their eyes met, Lu Liruan instinctively looked away, for some reason. Liao Tingyuan didn't say anything more; he just accepted whatever Lu Liruan said.
The boss nodded: "Oh, I see. I thought you two were a couple living together."
Before Lu Liruan could say anything more, he added, "I was just about to tell you that if you get married, your company can subsidize your wedding home."
Lu Liruan: ? ?
Some words I wanted to say suddenly got stuck in my throat, turning into a single sentence: "Huh? There's a subsidy for this too?"
An Tang and Liao Tingyuan, who were standing nearby, turned to look at them at the same time.