Jiang Jingyu was taken aback. "Aren't you coming with me?"
"I live quite far away..."
"Then how are you planning to get back?"
She'd have to transfer buses and hoped she could catch the last subway. If not, she'd just have to grit her teeth and take a taxi.
"I'll take a taxi."
"It's so late, how can I let you, a young lady, take a taxi? If something were to happen, would it be your fault or mine?"
Jiang Jingyu tilted his chin up, his expression leaving no room for argument.
"Let's go, I'll give you a ride."
Tong An'an was very reluctant to go with him, but how could Jiang Jingyu not know her thoughts?
"If you really feel too inconvenienced and embarrassed, you can treat me to a meal another time."
This made her feel much better.
The boss really knew how to give people an out.
Tong An'an no longer hesitated and got into his car.
Perhaps it was because she was full and satisfied, but her mood was exceptionally good.
Jiang Jingyu connected to Bluetooth as soon as he got in the car and played some old songs.
Since they were close in age, the songs popular during their school days were all similar, and Tong An'an had heard them all.
Feeling happy, she couldn't help but quietly tap along to the beat. Jiang Jingyu caught her small movements.
"Do you like to sing?"
"It's alright. Mostly because these songs you're playing were popular when we were in school, so I've heard them all."
Jiang Jingyu nodded. "We're the same age, so our experiences during our student days must be similar. Where did you go to middle school?"
Tong An'an told him the name of a school and then asked him, "What about you?"
Jiang Jingyu also answered.
As they chatted back and forth, they talked for a long time about their school days.
He realized a saying he'd seen online was very true: sincerity is a killer move.
Tong An'an gave him a feeling of being grounded, sincere, and genuine. Whatever she said, she made people want to listen.
It had been a very, very long time since he had chatted with someone like this. The nearly hour-long drive felt like it passed in the blink of an eye.
When Tong An'an said goodbye to him, smiling as she unbuckled her seatbelt and told him to be careful, Jiang Jingyu felt a sense of emptiness.
"Wait a moment. The laptop."
He leaned back and retrieved the laptop, handing it to Tong An'an.
"Take it and use it. Don't work too late. You've only been here two days, it's not that urgent. It won't be too late to submit it later."
An'an was so touched she almost cried.
What kind of god-tier boss was this?
He treated her to a meal, drove her home, and now let her use his computer.
"Doesn't your computer have any confidential information? Aren't you afraid I might leak it?"
It wasn't that Jiang Jingyu underestimated her, but the password he'd set was something that most IT staff couldn't crack, let alone someone who studied history.
Even if the opportunity were placed before her, she wouldn't be able to leak anything.
He smiled. "I'm not afraid. I believe you wouldn't do anything illegal or criminal."
Tong An'an was also amused by his words and took the laptop.
"Alright then, I'll come to work early tomorrow and return it to you. Thank you, Mr. Jiang."
Because of her mention of coming to the company early tomorrow, Jiang Jingyu had a new sense of anticipation on his way back.
That night, he slept soundly, eagerly wishing for morning to come quickly. He forced himself to fall asleep fast and was asleep in less than two minutes.
While he slept soundly and sweetly, Tong An'an was not so lucky.
He had given her too much information to sort through; just organizing his records alone took over an hour.
After organizing everyone's, it was almost two in the morning.
Remembering to return the laptop to him, she had to go to the company early, so she woke up at six in the morning.
She had barely slept all night.
Getting up, she looked at her dark circles and had no choice but to put on a little light makeup. She left a note for Ma Weiwei and slipped out of the house.
After taking the bus and subway, she arrived at the company a little after seven.
Fortunately, everyone else arrived just in time, so she was considered early.
She carried the laptop to the President's office, hoping to catch him. She thought, what if Zhang Yang was already there, or if the President liked to arrive early? She wanted to return it while no one was around to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.
When she reached the President's office, the two glass doors were wide open, and the door to the President's office was also ajar, with bright light spilling out from inside.
She hadn't expected Mr. Jiang to be here so early. Elated, she walked in with the laptop and knocked on the door.
Jiang Jingyu, looking energetic and dressed smartly, was standing by the window, drinking coffee.
Hearing the knock, he turned around and saw the sweet and soft Tong An'an. He couldn't help but smile. "Good morning."
"You're the one who's early. Mr. Jiang, I didn't expect you to be here so early."
"You should be even earlier than me. I drove, after all, and you had to take so many buses."
"It's alright, it's alright. Early to bed, early to rise, healthy body and mind."
Tong An'an respectfully placed the laptop on his coffee table.
"Thank you for lending me your laptop yesterday. You carry on with your work, I'll go down and prepare for mine."
Jiang Jingyu raised his wrist to check the time. It was only 07:20.
"It's still early, there are still 40 minutes left. The company isn't that stingy and doesn't work you to death. Enjoy another 40 minutes of freedom."
Tong An'an couldn't help but sigh again. A young boss really understood young people. This was too good!
But she didn't know what to do if she stayed, so she could only make small talk.
"Did you have breakfast?"
No.
He had rushed out as soon as he got up and ready to see her.
Jiang Jingyu asked back, "Did you?"
Tong An'an naturally hadn't either. "No, how about I treat you to breakfast to repay the meal I owe you from yesterday?"
She said this with a gamble, betting that the boss would understand humor, enjoy a joke, and wouldn't disdain a simple breakfast or be petty about it.
Her gamble paid off.
Jiang Jingyu, looking refreshed, walked over with his coffee cup.
"Sure, what are you planning to treat me to?"
"I've eaten lunch in the cafeteria twice, and it was delicious. Plus, I heard the breakfast is even more lavish, not worse than what you can buy outside. It's a bit late to go out now. How about I treat you to the cafeteria?"
Jiang Jingyu couldn't help but laugh heartily. "You're quite the calculator, treating me to the cafeteria. Alright, let's go. I haven't had breakfast at the company cafeteria before, let's try it."
The two of them amicably took the president's private elevator to the cafeteria, which was indeed very well-stocked.
It was like an outdoor snack street; if you couldn't think of it, they couldn't make it. It was simply dazzling.
Even though Tong An'an had eaten so much the night before, her eyes still lit up at the sight of the food.
"This, this, this..."
She ordered a very lavish spread and then, on her own initiative, ordered the exact same items for Jiang Jingyu and brought them to him.
Jiang Jingyu looked at the piled-high plate of food and was truly stunned. "Can you finish all this?"
"It's not a lot. I only got two shaomai, one egg, two crab roe buns, and half a bowl of rice noodles... Anyway, they're all bite-sized. You're a big man, you won't be unable to finish it. Go for it."
Jiang Jingyu focused on fitness and was very particular about his food. Yesterday's hot pot had already felt decadent for him, and today so many carbohydrates?
But seeing Tong An'an take a bite of a shaomai with such enjoyment, he couldn't help but feel tempted.
At worst, he could do a few extra sets of exercises when he got back.
Eat.