"This is Liu Dalie, our workshop's waterworker. We all call him 'Panghu.'" Director Lu was also an astute person and, with a glance at Liu Dalie and Lin Tianran, immediately figured out what had happened earlier.
"Liu Dalie." Li Yicheng repeated the name, indicating that he had remembered it.
Director Lu silently mourned for Liu Dalie. Even if Mr. Li didn't intervene, Liu Dalie couldn't stay after this.
Seeing Mr. Li remain silent, Director Lu said, "Xiaoliu, go call the cafeteria lady and get some cleaning tools to quickly tidy up the floor."
"Okay." Panghu was tactful this time, not daring to disobey in front of his boss. He picked up his tray and left with his buddies.
"Mr. Li, let's go have lunch," Director Lu said with a smile on his face.
"We can have lunch in the private room over there. Would you like to join us?" Li Yicheng extended an invitation to the still-dazed Lin Tianran.
"Huh? No, it's fine, really." Lin Tianran hurriedly waved his hand, noticing the handkerchief in Li Yicheng's hand, his face turning red. "Oh, Mr. Li, thank you for this. I'll return it to you after I, uh, wash it."
"If you don't want to go in, we can eat outside together," Li Yicheng said with a smile.
Director Lu looked puzzled.
"Director Lu, you can go inside and have your meal," Li Yicheng hinted with his eyes.
Director Lu didn't say anything and went inside alone.
Now, Lin Tianran and Li Yicheng were left facing each other. Lin Tianran began to feel nervous.
He and Mr. Li had only met a few times. However, Mr. Li seemed to show great enthusiasm towards him, as if they had known each other for a long time.
In any case, it was abnormal, very abnormal.
Seeing Lin Tianran was a bit nervous, Li Yicheng became more familiar, "Oh, I don't have my meal card. Could I borrow yours to swipe it?"
Lin Tianran was a kind-hearted person, and besides, Mr. Li had helped him. There was no reason not to lend it, so he answered somewhat modestly, "Uh, sure, you can."
"By the way, what should I call you?" Li Yicheng acted as if he was making a new friend. He knew that to get close to Tiantian, he had to start with being friends.
"You can call me 'Xiao Tian'." Lin Tianran scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Xiao Tian, then you don't have to call me 'Director Li.' I'm Li Yicheng, you can call me Yicheng." Li Yicheng could finally openly use 'Xiao Tian,' and he was delighted, wagging his tail figuratively.
"But you are Director Li." Lin Tianran had a strong hierarchical concept, honed from many years of working in the factory. How could he call the boss's son by his first name? It would be impolite.
"Alright, during working hours, you can call me Director Li." Li Yicheng unconsciously tried to accommodate him. "But now it's off-duty time, and you should call me Yicheng."
Li Yicheng noticed a slight blush on Tiantian's face.
"Let's go get some food; I'm starving." Li Yicheng was indeed hungry. The aroma of the food made his stomach growl.
"The line over there is shorter." Lin Tianran pointed to the shortest queue and took the "newbie" from the cafeteria to join it.
Perhaps Li Yicheng's handsome appearance influenced the cafeteria lady's portioning, as she scooped an overflowing plateful of food onto Li Yicheng's tray when she served him.
Lin Tianran watched and felt that the cafeteria lady was showing favoritism. She usually served people with just half-spoonfuls of food, so why had she doubled the portions this time?
With a soft "click," Lin Tianran swiped five yuan from Li Yicheng's meal card.
"Thanks, Xiao Tian. I'll treat you to a meal next time," Li Yicheng was enjoying himself. He walked to the side, smiling while waiting for Lin Tianran to fill his own tray, and then they went to find a place to sit.
However, when he picked up his own tray, he found that the dishes inside were indeed meager, with only half a spoonful of each.
Unable to help himself, Li Yicheng sighed, realizing that being handsome really could get you extra food.
Li Yicheng looked at the few dishes in his tray, then took a few bites with his spoon. However, his expression changed immediately after swallowing.
"Xiao Tian, do you usually eat these dishes?" Setting aside the issue of vegetarian or non-vegetarian, Li Yicheng felt uncomfortable after just a few bites. The food seemed to have gone down into his stomach, but the oil felt like it was still stuck in his throat, making him feel uncomfortable. He couldn't fathom how Tiantian managed to eat these nutritionless and unhealthy dishes every day.
Eating this way regularly, wouldn't it lead to health issues? Li Yicheng was a bit worried about Tiantian.
"Yeah." Lin Tianran had just taken a spoonful, and he had already felt that sitting together with Li Yicheng, who had a different social status, was a bit presumptuous. When he heard the question, he felt even more embarrassed. "Li Zong is not used to it? How about you go eat in the small cafeteria?"
"I told you before, don't call me 'Director Li' off-duty," Li Yicheng selectively ignored the latter half of the sentence, scolding, "Why are you so disobedient?"
Now, Lin Tianran was completely baffled, his face turning bright red. As a grown man, he had never experienced someone speaking to him like this, using such ambiguous words. Could he not blush when confronted with this?
"Well, we're not that close..." Lin Tianran was somewhat afraid of this young boss. After all, saying the wrong thing could result in losing his job. But he couldn't adapt to addressing a stranger so intimately.
"Wrong, we've known each other for quite some time now. We're old friends." Li Yicheng pinched his fingers secretly, remembering that it had been 17 years.
"Huh?" Lin Tianran was stunned. He thought it was impossible. Li Yicheng must be joking; this kind of relationship was something he, a small fry, couldn't possibly attain. He quickly replied, "Don't joke around."
"I'm serious." Li Yicheng looked sincere. "But you may not remember me, but you shouldn't deny knowing me."
Lin Tianran seemed to be pondering the authenticity of Li Yicheng's words. However, when it came to the boss's words, he remembered clearly that the boss was always right. Well, if he said they knew each other, then they did.
Lin Tianran originally intended to let this topic pass and continue to eat his meal quietly. But this guy acted like a child and wouldn't give up. "Quick, call me, call me."
Lin Tianran blushed once again.
"Yi... Yicheng." The word 'Yicheng' was spoken as softly as a mosquito's buzz, but it was enough to make Li Yicheng happy for several days.
Lin Tianran, embarrassed, quickly buried his face in his plate, eating big spoonfuls of food.
"Take your time, don't choke," Li Yicheng chuckled, giving a friendly reminder. However, he was already planning how to improve Tiantian's cafeteria food.
He had finally found his Tiantian again, and he was determined to take good care of him, like raising a pig.
The opportunity to have lunch with Tiantian for the first time made Li Yicheng wish he could eat this meal more slowly. But Lin Tianran had to rush back to work in the afternoon and wanted to finish quickly to get some rest in the dorm.
Li Yicheng eventually considered this and stopped trying to talk about unrelated topics. However, most of the conversation was Li Yicheng speaking while Lin Tianran listened.
Both of them finished their meals. Before leaving, Li Yicheng quickly asked, "I owe you a meal. When should I treat you?"
He had originally planned to invite him to another meal, but Tiantian wanted to be practical. After a moment of thought, Tiantian replied sincerely, "No need for the trouble. You're the boss, just give me an extra five yuan in my wages next month."
Li Yicheng felt utterly defeated. He had wanted to take Tiantian out for a nice meal and improve his quality of life, but it seemed Tiantian wasn't giving him that opportunity.
"Then how about this? Tomorrow, I'll take you out to eat. I know a great restaurant, especially famous for their oysters..." Li Yicheng laid out his entire plan. Tiantian was too introverted, and if he didn't take the initiative, they might go back and forth forever.
"No, no," this completely startled Lin Tianran. How could a nobody like him, a cripple with no connections, suddenly become involved with someone so influential? "Consider these five yuan as my treat for lunch with Mr. Li, no need to pay it back."
Lin Tianran didn't understand Li Yicheng's intentions for getting close to him. He was just a crippled man with nothing special to offer. He wasn't a stunning beauty or a business genius. What could possibly attract Li Yicheng to him?
It was best to keep some distance. That way, it would be safest for him.
"How about this? Tomorrow, I'll treat you to a five-yuan meal in the cafeteria," Li Yicheng almost despaired. After circling around, he still couldn't persuade him, nearly jeopardizing their next encounter.
However, he understood Tian Tian's personality now. Lin Tianran was gentle and not good at socializing. His physical disability made him feel inferior and caused him to shut himself off from others. Tian Tian was an honest person who didn't try to take advantage of anyone, nor did he blindly flatter someone just because they were superior.
When dealing with such a person, one couldn't be too hasty. They needed to take it step by step and follow a slow and steady approach. If they acted too eagerly, it could backfire.
Li Yicheng adapted his strategy after understanding Lin Tianran's character.
Sure enough, Lin Tianran agreed without hesitation. Equal treatment was the best outcome. Lin Tianran accepted because he didn't want to feel like he was taking advantage of anyone.
"Alright, we'll meet here tomorrow at noon," Li Yicheng said, noticing that Lin Tianran was looking a bit tired. He let him go back to his dormitory for a nap.
"Okay," Lin Tianran agreed.
Back in his CEO's office, Li Yicheng was so excited that he didn't need a nap at all. He was savoring the moments in the cafeteria with Lin Tianran, every smile, and frown, as if he couldn't get enough of it.
At the same time, he was looking forward to their lunchtime meeting tomorrow.
In high spirits, he watered the lucky bamboo on his desk for the first time and fed the fish in the nearby tank. He felt like an emperor, experiencing a joyous and celebratory mood.
When the clock struck 1:30 PM, he immediately dialed Manager Fang's internal line.
Manager Fang patted his chest in relief, grateful that he hadn't been late to work in the afternoon; otherwise, he might have missed the young boss's call.
"Manager Fang, please help me get a cafeteria card; I'll be using it for lunch tomorrow," Li Yicheng instructed.
Manager Fang was confused. What was going on with Li Yicheng? Instead of using the kitchen in his CEO's office or going to the leader's cafeteria where no card was needed, he wanted to swipe a card at the regular cafeteria's public counter.
However, Manager Fang knew that when your superior asked you to do something, you should do it diligently without questioning why. In the world, there aren't always reasons for everything.
So, he was clever. He didn't ask questions, just noted down the instructions and got ready to carry them out.
"Oh, and one more thing," Li Yicheng almost forgot about this issue, "Install a camera in the security room for me. Make sure it connects directly to my computer. Tell everyone it's for monitoring the security staff, but don't mention I'm the one watching."
"Understood," Manager Fang quickly jotted it down in his notebook.
"One more thing," Li Yicheng added as he almost missed it, "There's an employee named Liu Dali in the workshop. Find any excuse and fire him for me." Li Yicheng remembered the nasty look on his face when he bullied Lin Tianran, and it disgusted him. Anyone who bullied Tian Tian shouldn't be allowed to stay!
"Alright," Manager Fang confirmed and hung up the phone.
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