AMTWPICL Chapter 47

On the seventh day of the first lunar month, Song Linchu went to Wanuo with a well-designed draft for the packaging.

Today was a workday, and unlike the emptiness of the second day of the lunar year, Wanuo was bustling. As soon as he entered the automatic glass door downstairs, he was greeted by the standard smile of the receptionist.

“Welcome, are you here to see President Tan?”

She recognized him from the annual company dinner.

Song Linchu nodded, “Yes.”

“Very well, please follow me.”

The receptionist led him to the elevator and considerately pressed the button for him. The elevator went all the way up to the 38th floor, and as Song Linchu stepped out of the elevator at Tan Yue’s office, he ran into his personal secretary, Cheng Bin.

Cheng Bin came out of Tan Yue’s office with a worried look on his face, but when he saw Song Linchu, his face lit up.

“Little Lin, please persuade Mr. Tan to take a break. He hasn’t slept for more than 60 hours.”

This number startled Song Linchu, and he anxiously asked, “What happened? Is the situation that serious?”

Cheng Bin sighed and said, “The opposing company has taken away some of our core technology and will hold a product launch on Valentine’s Day.”

Valentine’s Day was the day after tomorrow.

Wanuo had announced that it’s product release would be on the Lantern Festival, which was still a few days away. These people were obviously trying to beat them to the punch and release their new product before them.

Song Linchu asked, “Isn’t there evidence to prove their plagiarism? Can’t we sue them?”

Cheng Bin shook his head, “On the surface, that company has nothing to do with the one Li Li mentioned. The evidence is insufficient, and suing them won’t do any good. But Mr. Tan already has a solution to this. You don’t need to worry about that. Just persuade Mr. Tan to rest.”

Song Linchu nodded, “Alright.”

Cheng Bin opened the door for him, and when Song Linchu walked in and saw Tan Yue, he was also taken aback.

Tan Yue looked haggard, tired, and his chin had become quite pointed. He looked very unwell.

“Get me a cup of coffee, thank you.”

Tan Yue didn’t look up to see who it was, and casually gave an order.

But this time, the response he received was not “Okay, Mr. Tan,” but the sound of a stack of papers being placed on the desk with a “snap.”

In the entire company, no one dared to throw things in front of him like this.

Tan Yue raised his eyes and saw someone with an angry face.

“I heard from Secretary Cheng that you haven’t rested for more than 60 hours. Gege, do you not care about your body?”

Tan Yue slightly furrowed his brows, Cheng Bin was really talkative .

“Don’t worry, I know my body.”

But Song Linchu was even more angry: “You know your body? You’re the most reckless person I’ve ever seen when it comes to your own body! Aren’t you the boss? Why can’t you delegate these tasks to others?”

Tan Yue touched his nose, not knowing how to explain to this workplace newbie.

He tried to reassure him: “Once we’re done with today’s work, I can rest.”

Song Linchu was about to say something, but the phone on Tan Yue’s desk rang again.

Tan Yue picked it up, listened to the other side, and said “got it”. He then looked up at Song Linchu and said, “Has the packaging design been finalized? We need to make a decision today.”

Song Linchu had come over to deliver the draft, but seeing Tan Yue’s dismissive attitude, he didn’t want to give it to him anymore.

Song Linchu’s eyes flickered as he said, “You go rest, and I’ll give you the draft.”

Tan Yue replied: “I’ll finalize the draft, then go to a meeting, and then rest.”

Song Linchu wasn’t sure if Tan Yue would end up having another meeting, but before he could say anything, Tan Yue stood up, placed both hands on his shoulders, and pushed him into his chair.

The seat was still warm from Tan Yue’s body heat, and it enveloped Song Linchu in a way that was a little too intimate.

Tan Yue leaned over the armrests and looked down at him.

The posture was oppressive and overly intimate. Song Linchu’s ears turned hot, and he tried to avoid Tan Yue’s gaze, attempting to stand up from the chair, but Tan Yue pushed him back down.

He said, “This project is very important, not only for the company’s interests, but also for the interests of our family. I have to personally oversee it to be at ease. I promise this is the last day.”

Song Linchu turned his head away and remained silent.

Tan Yue suddenly lowered his head and kissed Song Linchu’s lips before he could react, his voice low: “Is that okay?”

This was the first time Tan Yue had kissed Song Linchu while he was awake. As he gazed upon the man’s handsome face so close to him. The cold eyes were now softened with tenderness, as if one could drown in them.

Song Linchu fell into the older man’s honey trap, and stuttered out, “Th-then, it’s alright.”

A hint of a smile flickered in Tan Yue’s eyes as he reached out with his thumb and wiped the corner of Song Linchu’s mouth. Feeling the young man’s body tense up slightly, Tan Yue stood up and picked up the design sketches he had placed on the table, asking, “Are these the sketches for the packaging box that you designed?”

Feeling a little embarrassed from being seduced, Song Linchu grunted in response.

Tan Yue opened his file bag and took out the design sketches inside. Song Linchu had drawn them very meticulously, not only including three views, but also detailed disassembly drawings and explanations for each part of the design. It took up a stack of paper, and Tan Yue flipped through them one by one.

Unlike other people, his emotions weren’t apparent in his expression as he looked at something, so Song Linchu couldn’t judge the quality of his design from Tan Yue’s face.

Song Linchu’s heart was as nervous as it was when he was waiting for his college entrance examination results.

After all, Tan Yue was the chairman of Wanou, and his evaluation was as important as a college entrance exam score.

At this moment, there was a knock on the office door.

Tan Yue was about to let the person in when he heard some shuffling sounds behind him. He turned and saw someone nervously shifting from his office chair to the nearby seat.

He smirked and said, “Come in.”

The person responsible for the product packaging walked in, looking anxious. “President Tan, you rejected both design proposals I sent you. Could you tell me what’s wrong with them so I can ask them to make changes?”

Tan Yue bluntly replied, “They’re shoddy and poorly made.”

The person’s face turned green. It meant the designs were not good at all.

“The deadline is approaching, and they have been working overtime. Their designs are already good enough. Even if we were to use our own designs, we wouldn’t be able to produce a standard design within such a short time.”

Normally, this person would never dare to speak to Tan Yue in such a manner. However, after working extra hours for a few days, everyone was becoming irritable.

The person added fearlessly, “Didn’t you ask your partner to do it? If he’s so capable, he should make a non-shoddy design and surprise us.”

The person knew from his conversation with Song Linchu on WeChat that he studied jewelry design. Although both involved the word “design,” the difference between them was like night and day, like mathematics and chemistry.

He didn’t believe that Song Linchu could come up with a good design in such a short amount of time.

Of course, if Tan Yue looked at his husband’s design and found it perfect, then he would have nothing to say.

Tan Yue didn’t say anything. He simply tossed the papers he was holding in his hand onto the table in front of the person. It made a loud “snap” sound as it landed.

“See for yourself,” Tan Yue said expressionlessly.

The person picked up the papers, feeling a bit disdainful at first. However, when he actually looked at the papers, his pupils shrank in surprise.

He flipped through the papers with an incredulous look on his face, growing more and more impressed with every passing moment.

It was no wonder. The design that Song Linchu had made was truly exceptional.

Their product theme this time was “Spring,” and the design of this packaging not only perfectly fit the theme but every pattern and detail also had its origin and closely related to the culture of their company, demonstrating the designer’s intention.

Compared to this, Tan Yue’s remark that the outsourcing company produced rough work was already a mild criticism. Under usual circumstances, he would have used five sharper words: a pile of waste paper.

Tan Yue asked in a flat tone after he finished reading, “Did it broaden your horizons?”

“Yes…it did,” the person in charge couldn’t help wiping off a bead of sweat.

He pulled Song Linchu out to be a shield, thinking that Song wouldn’t be able to come up with anything good, and this would make Tan Yue less picky.

Who knew that he would be proven wrong?

Song Linchu was supposed to study jewelry design, why could he produce something better than a professional?

After the annual meeting, many people still privately discussed their boss’s partner, afraid that he was just a beautiful vase who, like those extravagant wives of wealthy families, only knew how to spend money and make a pendant for Tan Yue.

When this packaging comes out, who knows how many people will be proven wrong.

The person in charge asked, “So, are we choosing Mr. Song’s design?”

Tan Yue said calmly, “Send it to the project group and let everyone vote.”

In fact, Tan Yue could have made the decision directly, at most with a few executives’ consultation. But he did not want Song Linchu’s design to be chosen just because of their relationship. He wanted him to rely on his own abilities.

The person In charge nodded quickly and said, “Okay, I’ll scan it now.”

Song Linchu tried hard not to let his mouth and tail join the sun’s shoulders throughout this whole process.

He blinked and asked, “Gege, did I pass?”

“Well,” Tan Yue paused and added four words, “you are very impressive.”

Song Linchu immediately smiled and said, “So, college students are still better than pigs, right?”

Tan Yue: “…”

Song Linchu looked at Tan Yue, who was made speechless, and stood up happily from the chair. “You go ahead and work, gege.”

He knew that Tan Yue had a lot of things to do, so he didn’t delay him for long, but he didn’t leave either. He wanted to supervise Tan Yue. Now that the task of packaging the gift box was completed, he could rest when Tan Yue went to a meeting.

Tan Yue asked his secretary to scan Song Linchu’s draft, and when he looked up, he saw Song Linchu supervising him like a foreman. He simply pushed the empty coffee cup towards Song Linchu.

“Help me make a cup of coffee, no sugar.”

“Oh,” Song Linchu picked up the coffee cup, but couldn’t help saying, “Drinking too much coffee is not good.”

Tan Yue teased him, “I know, boss.”

Song Linchu was teased by this “boss” and his ears turned hot, so he turned around and ran away.

Tan Yue watched the back of someone running away, his lips slightly curved, but suddenly he seemed to see three Song Linchu’s backs. He shook his head and reached out for the support of the desk, wanting to sit on the office chair, but the chairs also became seven or eight in his eyes.

Suddenly, Tan Yue realized that his head was heavy and he felt like he was carrying a thousand pounds…

Song Linchu took Tan Yue’s coffee cup and walked to the door. He was about to help him close it, but unconsciously looked back inside the room.

With just one glance, his soul was almost scared away—Tan Yue was falling straight to the ground.

“Gege!”

Song Linchu rushed back to the office, but his speed was still slower than Tan Yue’s fainting speed. Tan Yue’s body fell on the thick carpet and made a muffled “thump”…

…

Aikang Hospital.

When Tan Yue’s grandfather and his uncle, Tao Yunli, arrived, Tan Yue was still in the emergency room. The executives and secretaries who followed them had been sent away. Now only Song Linchu and Cheng Bin were waiting outside.

Song Linchu was sitting on the sofa outside the emergency room, his eyes red.

“Little Lin, how is Ah Yue?” Grandpa Tan asked anxiously.

At this moment, Song Linchu was still in shock and remained silent for a while before finally muttering, “The doctor said there is no immediate danger to his life.”

Hearing this, Grandpa Tan breathed a sigh of relief, having heard of many cases of sudden death from overwork. He comforted Song Linchu, who seemed lost in thought, “It must have been due to working too long and too hard. There is no need to worry. He pulled through last time and will surely recover this time.”

“Mhm,” Song Linchu responded with a heavy heart.

God knows how scared he was when Tan Yue collapsed. He couldn’t remember how people were called, how 120 was dialed, or even how they arrived at the hospital later. All he could see was the moment Tan Yue collapsed.

He had always been aware that Tan Yue would eventually pass away, but when things became a reality, he found it hard to accept and even felt anxious.

Uncle Tao Yunli also said, “Yes, don’t worry. Believe in the doctor. He will be fine.”

Just then, the door to the emergency room opened, and Tan Yue was pushed out, still unconscious and frowning.

Everyone crowded around.

The doctor took off his mask and said, “Don’t worry. Mr. Tan just had shock caused by hypoglycemia from inadequate food intake and high-intensity brain usage due to overwork. His old problem has also relapsed due to irregular eating habits. Although medication was used to suppress it, it still needs to be taken seriously.”

Tan Yue’s old stomach problem was gastritis. It would recur if he had irregular eating habits, and he had been so busy these days that he sometimes had to eat all three meals at once. This was not unexpected.

But Song Linchu did not know this.

He bit his lips. Although he knew the answer, he couldn’t help but ask, “Is there any treatment available?”

The doctor said, “There is basically no cure. He just have to take care of himself and have regular meals. If he has a regular diet, it will not easily recur.”

If Song Linchu had not been biased in his assumptions, he would have been able to tell that the doctor’s statement was not entirely accurate. There is no such thing as an incurable illness that will not recur if you have a regular diet. However, Song Linchu’s mind was entirely focused on worrying about Tan Yue at this moment, so he naturally only paid attention to the first half of the sentence.

He nodded and said, “Okay, I understand. Thank you, doctor.”

Cheng Bin went to handle the hospitalization procedures.

Grandpa Tan and his uncle accompanied him for a while, but when the doctor said Tan Yue wouldn’t wake up so soon, they went back first, leaving Song Linchu and Cheng Bin to keep watch and notify them as soon as there was news.

Cheng Bin originally wanted to persuade Song Linchu to go back and rest, but Song Linchu stubbornly insisted on staying here and he didn’t persuade him any further.

Tan Yue was probably really tired. He was unconscious at first, and later mostly slept, and the drip he was hooked up to also had a sedative effect. He slept all the way until the next day when he woke up.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was a furry head by his side. The young man was lying on his blanket, half of his face buried in the blanket. His jet-black hair was messy and scattered on the white blanket, his arm was cushioned under his head, and his clean, slender fingers were slightly curled up like a splash of ink in an ancient painting.

However, the owner’s eyes were closed and his eyebrows were tightly furrowed, obviously not sleeping well. Tan Yue still remembered the panicked look on Song Linchu’s face when he rushed over just before he fell unconscious. He must have scared him. He felt guilty and rubbed Song Linchu’s head.

Song Linchu, who usually sleeps very soundly, was startled awake by his little movement. He suddenly lifted his head, and his gaze met Tan Yue’s. “Gege, you’re awake! How do you feel? Are you uncomfortable?”

“I’m fine,” Tan Yue’s voice was a bit hoarse. “I’m just a little thirsty.”

Song Linchu hurriedly went to pour warm water for him to drink.

Tan Yue drank two cups of water in a row before asking, “What happened to me?”

At this moment, Song Linchu was still upset and scared, so he scared Tan Yue by saying, “It’s a relapse of your illness. There’s no cure. The doctor said if you work overtime and don’t sleep again, you’ll die.”

“…” Tan Yue chuckled, feeling apologetic. “Sorry, I made you worry.”

Song Linchu rolled his eyes and sat down by the bed, looking down with a gloomy expression. “You know I worry, but you still don’t take care of yourself.”

The young man’s voice was low. Tan Yue paused for a moment and then reached out to hold the hand that was resting on his knee, saying in a low voice, “This time was just an accident, there won’t be a next time.”

Who would believe that? You can’t trust a single punctuation mark in a dog man’s words!

Song Linchu hung his head and didn’t say anything. Tan Yue thought he was still angry and was about to comfort him again when he suddenly felt a warm sensation on the back of his hand. A hot tear had fallen onto his hand.

Tan Yue was taken aback.

Was he… crying?

This was more deadly than the other party throwing a tantrum or simply ignoring him.

Something in Tan Yue’s heart collapsed with a bang. The surging emotions were like the sunshine pouring in through the window, filling his entire chest and making him fall further into them.

The subtle thoughts that had not been noticed by the owner spread out like fine threads, restless and active. Tan Yue reached out and wiped the corner of Song Linchu’s eye.

“Don’t cry,” Tan Yue comforted in a low voice, “I’m really okay.”

“Who’s crying?!” Song Linchu wiped his eyes randomly, turned his back, and said with a sulk, “You stinky straight steel man, I wish you could die early so I become a rich widower who keeps a tender and considerate little handsome guy by his side and…”

Before he could finish his words, his body stiffened.

Tan Yue hugged him from behind, the man’s scorching body temperature wrapping him up tightly. Song Linchu instinctively wanted to struggle, but was held tightly by the man.

The man’s strength was heavy, as if he was holding the most important treasure of his life and wanted to rub him into his body.

“I’m sorry…”

The man’s breath was close to his ear, low and deep, bringing a tingling sensation.

At first, Song Linchu struggled a few times, but then he gradually relaxed his body and leaned against the man’s chest.

After a while, he turned his body and hugged Tan Yue back.