Chapter 356: A Forceful Kiss...
Alice woke up groggily, realizing it had already grown dark outside the window.
However, the office door was ajar, allowing a sliver of light to seep in.
She stood up and accidentally kicked the coffee table with a loud bang.
"You're awake?" Li Tang opened the door and switched on the office lights. "In winter, it gets dark early. It's only six o'clock now. Are you hungry? Should we eat downstairs or go out?"
Alice hadn't expected to sleep for so long. She rubbed her eyes, feeling disoriented and unsure of why she'd slept so deeply.
"Have the employees left already?"
"Most of them have," Li Tang replied as he took the blanket from the sofa and neatly stowed it in the cabinet. He beckoned her with a gesture. "Let's go grab a bite. You've been working too hard lately; don't overexert yourself."
Alice picked up the cup of water from the table and drank deeply to quench her thirst, then followed Li Tang's footsteps.
"Let's just eat downstairs," she said, even though she didn't feel particularly hungry.
The cafeteria downstairs was quite good, both in ambiance and food quality.
Li Tang specially ordered several hearty dishes and scooped a bowl of rice for Alice. Smiling, he began the conversation: "I'm planning to reward everyone generously this year. We've just received two large sums of money, and it doesn't make sense to leave them idle, so we'll distribute them as bonuses. I spoke to He Runqi this afternoon, and he prefers cash. I'll give him a cash bonus between one and a half to two million yuan. Other managers will receive similar rewards—some want to upgrade to larger homes."
He reached out naturally and placed some food on Alice's plate.
Such actions were considered polite in Huaxia.
However, Alice felt slightly startled by this intimate gesture.
"What about you? Have you made up your mind yet?" Li Tang asked again before offering his suggestion: "Property prices will continue to rise. I'd suggest choosing a villa. Holding too much cash isn't practical. I know you've worked hard, so I'm making a special arrangement—choose any villa within ten million yuan, and the company will pay for it. If you opt for cash instead, the amount will likely be considerably less."
"I'll follow your advice." Alice sipped some black chicken soup, feeling immediately warmed from within.
"Then it's settled. Once you've chosen your villa, just inform the logistics department, and they'll handle the arrangements."
Li Tang put down his chopsticks, noting Alice's absent-minded eating. His tone suddenly became stern: "During the company's year-end vacation period, you must also give yourself a proper break to fully relax!"
Alice lifted her head, ready to object, but Li Tang quickly cut her off: "This time you have to listen to me—don't let your health collapse!"
"Alright." Perhaps due to fatigue or residual sleepiness, Alice appeared unusually compliant today.
Everyone had worked hard for the entire year. As the holidays approached, spirits lifted, especially after receiving either housing rewards or generous year-end bonuses, leaving everyone cheerful and eager to return home for the holidays.
Li Tang continued coming into the office as usual, but he was also preparing to head home in a few days.
Knock knock!
As he was sorting through final documents, a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
Looking up, Li Tang saw a familiar figure standing in the doorway—none other than Qin Maocai, who had recently left in disgrace.
"What are you doing here?" Li Tang asked warily.
People driven to desperation were capable of anything.
Qin Maocai, with dark circles around his eyes and a face full of weariness, seemed to have aged considerably within just a few days.
"President Li..." Qin opened his dry, cracked lips, his voice hoarse.
"If you have something to say, say it calmly. Don't do anything rash!" Li Tang glanced around cautiously, spotting a vase nearby that could serve as a weapon if needed.
"I know I was wrong!" Unlike before, Qin didn't kneel or beg desperately, but his voice was weak and lifeless.
His entire demeanor suggested a person hanging by a thread, like a candle flickering in the wind.
"Our matters have been settled. We're not pursuing any further action against you," Li Tang clarified, unable to gauge Qin's intentions.
"I haven't dared tell my family I've left the company—I just can't bring myself to say it," Qin continued listlessly. "I'm the sole breadwinner. Without this job, our family has no income. I can't face telling them my greed destroyed everything."
"You can find another job. Given your qualifications, experience, and expertise, there will surely be other companies willing to hire you."
"I've already asked around. The few companies that were willing to hire me offered salaries far below what our family needs for mortgage payments, food, and childcare expenses."
Running his fingers through his disheveled hair, Qin lamented bitterly: "I thought I'd be at this company for many years. With my income here, all our financial pressures could have been resolved within three years. But I made a fatal mistake—I was too eager to make quick money, which led me astray."
"It's all over now." Li Tang gradually relaxed, recognizing Qin wasn't intending any violence.
"These past days, I haven't even dared go home. I've been living in internet cafes and cheap hotels, lying to my family that I'm working overtime at the company and staying overnight."
Qin's circumstances were genuinely pitiable. A middle-aged man, burdened by obligations to his family, facing financial ruin meant dragging everyone else down with him.
Li Tang wasn't heartless, but ultimately, this wasn't his problem.
"President Li, please give me one more chance!" Qin's voice trembled with desperate hope.
He wasn't crying this time, but his raspy voice carried deep weariness.
"How can I give you a chance?" Li Tang's expression remained indifferent.
"I'm willing to start over—as an ordinary entry-level employee. No management role, no high salary, no special privileges!"
Qin's desperation deepened, fearful of hearing a rejection.
"You've probably heard about our generous rewards this year, haven't you?" Li Tang speculated. "Truthfully, had you not made mistakes, your year-end bonus would've easily been half a million to a million yuan. You were impatient, sacrificed long-term gains for short-term profits, losing everything."
Li Tang's cold questioning pierced Qin's heart: "Do I seem stingy to you? Were our salaries and benefits insufficient?"
Hearing these words intensified Qin's regret.
Where else could he find a position offering hundreds of thousands annually?
But remorse had come too late.
"I don't need the bonuses. I just need stable employment!" Qin humbled himself completely: "Let me stay—even if it's sweeping floors, cleaning windows, or sorting mail!"
"Why torment yourself?" Li Tang genuinely couldn't understand. "If you return now, you'll face ridicule and disdain from your former colleagues."
"I just want to stay here!" Qin repeatedly insisted, driven by his deepest desire. "Then I can still tell my family I'm employed at Li Tang Prosperity Holdings!"
After some deliberation, Li Tang took Qin's plea seriously for the first time, weighing pros and cons.
"You understand a new hire only earns about two thousand yuan base salary plus allowances, totaling roughly three thousand a month—not even enough for your mortgage!"
"I know. I also know about overtime and travel allowances, which can boost income."
Seeing no immediate refusal from Li Tang, Qin's eyes lit up with hope: "I'll prove myself by working diligently. I'll dedicate my life to showing you that I'm a useful fool who learned from his mistakes!"
"I don't want your life—everyone's life belongs to their parents," Li Tang dismissed. He didn't immediately agree, instead calling Alice.
Alice arrived shortly after, refreshed from her rest, looking radiant with her golden curls, porcelain skin, and sleek black suit—every inch the confident career woman.
She was taken aback seeing Qin Maocai in Li Tang's office.
"What's going on?"
"Qin Maocai knows the company well and has valuable skills," Li Tang explained carefully. "I want to give him another chance at the lowest level."
"No way!" Alice firmly objected.
Qin's fragile hope flickered, threatening extinction.
"Everyone deserves another chance," Li Tang reasoned calmly.
Alice stared intensely into Li Tang's eyes before reluctantly nodding: "I hope you won't regret it."
Li Tang smiled gratefully at Alice before turning to Qin. "Thank Minister Alice for this opportunity—make good use of it."
"I will!" Qin replied eagerly.
Li Tang warned sternly, making the risks clear. Qin happily accepted all conditions, leaving to rejoin the company excitedly.
Alice, puzzled by Li Tang's generosity, closed the door behind Qin.
"Are you crazy?" she challenged.
"His presence will serve as a cautionary tale to others," Li Tang countered calmly.
"You're too kind!" Alice protested.
Li Tang relaxed on the sofa, holding out pictures of luxurious villas. "Enough of that. Have you picked out your villa yet?"
Alice stood motionless, suddenly leaning toward Li Tang.
"What are you waiting for? Choose whatever you want," Li Tang insisted, amused.
"I want you!"
Alice grabbed Li Tang's face and passionately pressed her scarlet lips against his.
"Mm-mm-mm..."
He wanted to speak, but only a strange gasp escaped his throat, unable to articulate a clear word.
Right after, he was pinned onto the sofa by Alice, the tall woman overpowering him entirely.
With one hand, she pulled at her blouse's bowtie, and with the other, she began tugging at Li Tang's belt…
Knock knock!
Right at that critical moment, there was a knock at the door.
Li Tang was startled—if someone saw this scene, his image at the company would be utterly ruined!
He tried to jump up, but Alice was riding atop him, immobilizing him completely.
Thankfully, Alice had not completely lost her reason. Still sitting on Li Tang's stomach, she stopped, opened her collar wide, revealing an expanse of snow-white skin. The waves of pale skin surged before Li Tang's eyes.
"How annoying!" she complained irritably.
At least she stopped her actions, sliding down from the sofa and moving to sit on the couch opposite Li Tang, slowly buttoning her blouse again and tying her bowtie.
Her gaze was captivating, her cheeks and neck flushed pink, and she stared at Li Tang as if she wanted to devour him whole.
Li Tang shot up swiftly, fastening his belt and zipping up as quickly as humanly possible. He adjusted his clothing carefully to ensure no mistakes before walking over to open the office door.
The door wasn't locked, but the person outside was very courteous, knocking twice and patiently waiting at the door.
After getting no immediate response, the person turned, intending to leave. Just as he moved, the door swung open.
"Minister Dai," Li Tang called, opening the door wide.
Dai Yingchi hesitated briefly but then turned back around. "I thought you'd stepped out."
"No, I was discussing work with Minister Alice from the Investment Department." Li Tang stepped aside to allow Dai Yingchi into the office. "Come on in, we just finished our discussion."
"Oh, were you two also discussing Qin Maocai?" Dai Yingchi asked.
"Yes, did Qin Maocai come looking for you?" Li Tang returned to sit on the sofa.
Dai Yingchi walked in, nodded briefly at Alice, and was about to sit when he suddenly noticed something peculiar…
Alice's cheeks were still flushed red!
But what was even more telling was her blouse—her buttons had been fastened incorrectly, causing an uneven appearance at her collar!
Had he walked in at the wrong moment?
He stood frozen for several seconds, quickly realizing that it was none of his business. Opting for brevity, he chose not to sit down. Standing, he asked directly, "Both of you agree to Qin Maocai's reemployment, correct?"
"Yes, agreed," Li Tang nodded.
"That settles it. I'll arrange his reinstatement right away."
Dai Yingchi turned and exited the room.
To be precise, he practically jogged out.
He sensed an awkward tension in the air, a danger he couldn't precisely define—best to leave quickly.
"What were you thinking?" Li Tang wiped his mouth and angrily stared at Alice, scolding her.
Alice merely pouted, seemingly still savoring the moment. With a somewhat triumphant expression, she wiggled her waist provocatively and stuck her tongue out at Li Tang mockingly.
She said nothing, but her attitude clearly conveyed her feelings.
She had let herself go, disregarding the consequences entirely.
"Never again!" Li Tang didn't want their perfectly professional relationship to deteriorate into chaos.
If things moved to the bedroom, work would become complicated, and their professional dynamic irreparably muddied!
"You're not married, what are you afraid of?" Alice enjoyed seeing Li Tang flustered. Content with this small victory and without further pressing him, she stood, waved dismissively, and strode away.
"Which villa do you want?" Li Tang called after her as she walked away.
"You pick for me!" Alice left without looking back.
"How am I supposed to choose?" Li Tang felt a headache coming on.
Eventually, he selected the most expensive villa available and informed the logistics department.
The New Year holiday arrived, and employees happily packed their bags, cheerfully heading home.
At Li Tang's strong encouragement, Dai Yingchi returned home early with his girlfriend, Xiao Lu.
Alice also gave herself a long holiday, returning to America to reunite with her father and younger sister.
After consulting Li Xinqi, Li Tang decided to return alone to Qianzhou Province, visiting his grandparents in their countryside home.
The day he arrived in the countryside, a gentle snowfall covered the mountains. Everything was cloaked in silvery white; the air was crisp and cold. Bare tree branches were glazed with ice crystals, streams flowed gently, and fish floated motionless beneath the water's surface…
Everything seemed beautiful, except he had aged another year.
Quiet days passed swiftly, and time slipped away silently.
Li Tang returned briefly to Zhucheng, stayed two days, met officials from the Qianzhou Geological Bureau, then quickly returned to Yanjing.
He never expected the person greeting him at the airport to be Lu Chenyi.
Seeing Lu Chenyi at the airport was astonishing. "Chairman Lu, are you spending the New Year in Yanjing, or have you just landed by coincidence?" Li Tang asked, bewildered.
"I came here specifically to wait for you." Lu Chenyi had arranged his personal car to pick Li Tang up. Once inside, he explained his reason for being there. "Your flight ticket was booked by your company staff. Knowing that you and I are close acquaintances, they informed me about your flight. So I came over especially to greet you."
"Chairman Lu, you're the head of Haigang Steel; to travel all this way to personally greet me at the airport—I'm genuinely overwhelmed. I don't deserve such an honor!" Li Tang was honestly astonished by Lu Chenyi's influence, recognizing him as someone whose actions could shake the domestic industrial landscape.
"Actually, I had just returned from abroad to Yanjing. When I heard you were returning, I decided to wait around a bit longer rather than rush back to Haigang immediately." Naturally, Lu Chenyi wouldn't have flown from Haigang specifically just to meet Li Tang at the airport.
Hearing this explanation, Li Tang felt somewhat relieved. "Chairman Lu, you waited specifically for me—must there be something important?"
"This year's Spring Festival was difficult," Lu Chenyi sighed. "I had a hurried dinner at home on New Year's Eve, then left the country again on the first day of the New Year, negotiating iron ore contracts with Alba, chairman of Lituo."
"How did it go?" Li Tang guessed the result from Lu Chenyi's expression.
"We failed again," Lu Chenyi admitted openly. "Both sides were insistent on their own terms, making any short-term resolution unlikely. All domestic steel enterprises now must procure iron ore from the spot market. Lituo, Bihabituo, and Xianshuihaigu—the three giants—are satisfied with this sales model, but it's not suitable for us. Previously, we had long-term supply agreements."
"Failed again," Li Tang sympathized deeply with the anxiety domestic steel companies felt. Huge enterprises needed millions of tons of iron ore annually, and relying on the spot market meant higher prices and uncertainty, complicating production schedules and severely disrupting their pace.
"The worst-case scenario could occur," Lu Chenyi added gravely.
"What scenario?" Li Tang asked.
"The complete abandonment of long-term agreements, moving entirely to spot market transactions."
"Impossible, right?" Li Tang knew historically such an outcome hadn't occurred.
"Bihabituo is already considering a new pricing mechanism—quarterly or daily market-based pricing," Lu Chenyi said heavily.
This would severely disadvantage steel producers.
Currently, it was a seller's market; market-based pricing meant iron ore producers could achieve even higher prices and greater profits.
If that truly occurred, prices could spiral out of control.
"If this happens, both sides might suffer," Li Tang said, knowing fully market-based iron ore pricing wouldn't realistically last.
The ore producers wouldn't truly dare squeeze downstream steel enterprises excessively, knowing such actions would equate to killing the goose laying golden eggs.
"We're mentally prepared that negotiations may not succeed," Lu Chenyi admitted.
Finally, Lu Chenyi asked about Lianying Mining and the Malihe Iron Ore project in Jia Country, showing great interest. Li Tang reassured him these were still early stages, with no confirmed reserves yet.
Hearing this, Lu Chenyi understood and didn't press further. Yet, he expressed hope for cooperation in the future if the project moved forward.
Finally, Lu Chenyi asked Li Tang's future plans.
"I'll be going to Congo soon for a copper mine project," Li Tang revealed.
Lu Chenyi was stunned by this rapid shift in focus. After Jia Country, now Congo?
However, he had no interest in copper mining and thus ended their conversation, feeling only marginally reassured by their talk.
(The End of the Chapter)
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