The gathering was held at a private restaurant chosen by Zhang Gong. It wasn't high-end, but it had a good reputation for its cuisine.
Due to the number of people, two tables were set up in the private room.
The atmosphere throughout the meal was lively. Everyone toasted each other, discussing work and future plans, projecting an image of close camaraderie.
As the conversation progressed, they began to comfort Tang Nan Nan, assuring her that it was okay not to be familiar with the new company or its business, and that they would do their best to help her.
This made Tang Nan Nan feel touched, but also a little guilty, as she felt she was being unworthy of their trust.
Hu Jia Sheng did not drink because he had to drive.
Zhang Gong said it was fine, they could just call for a designated driver.
"Actually, I'm allergic to alcohol. I break out in hives as soon as I drink, and in severe cases, I need to go to the emergency room. It's not that I'm being uncooperative, I really can't joke about it."
Everyone stopped urging him and turned to persuade Tang Nan Nan.
Tang Nan Nan couldn't drink either.
"I rushed over as soon as I received the interview notification from the company. I started working after I was hired, and I haven't had time to rent an apartment or settle my luggage yet. I have to work tomorrow, so I really can't drink today."
"Thank you, everyone. Once I'm settled, I'll treat you all to drinks to make up for it."
With her words, the planned after-party at the KTV was also cancelled.
Though displeased, everyone could only agree.
"Alright then, you go back and pack your things. We have plenty of time in the future for gatherings."
Zhang Gong had already booked the KTV, and didn't want to waste it. After eating their fill, the others decided to go out and have fun.
Hu Jia Sheng said he had something to do and had to leave first. Zhang Gong asked him to give Tang Nan Nan a ride, and she naturally got into his car.
She had expected him to at least ask where she was going, to pretend to be concerned, especially since he knew she only knew him in this city.
However, from the moment she got into the car until they were two blocks away, Hu Jia Sheng said nothing.
He was driving an indigo Porsche, which had excellent soundproofing.
The noise from outside was irrelevant to them. There was no music in the car; it was as quiet as a chicken. Tang Nan Nan suddenly felt it was rather dull.
After passing the next intersection, she unbuckled her seatbelt and forced a smile onto her face.
"Thank you for the ride, Mr. Hu. You can just drop me off on the side of the road."
Hu Jia Sheng, driving attentively, glanced at her with a faint look.
"Drop you off on the side of the road? You live around here?"
"Yes, a friend of mine lives nearby. I'm going to stay at her place for now."
She only had a little over ten yuan on her and was sure she'd be sleeping in a park tonight.
"You have friends in Nancheng?"
As far as Hu Jia Sheng knew, this was her first time in Nancheng.
She had mentioned before that after her family troubles, she no longer kept in contact with any old classmates or friends. Her lies were contradictory.
Hu Jia Sheng thought she was being polite, thinking: You weren't so polite before you came, but now that you're here, you're being polite?
Almost exposed, Tang Nan Nan's face showed a hint of embarrassment.
"Yes. A classmate of mine is from Nancheng..."
Hu Jia Sheng cut her off directly.
"Is that so? Male or female?"
His voice was unreadable, and his expression was neutral, as if he were genuinely asking.
Tang Nan Nan met his gaze and tried to open the car door, but he had locked it, and it wouldn't budge.
"Female."
"What's her name?"
Tang Nan Nan was a bit speechless: "What? Do you think you might know her if I told you her name?"
"Whether I know her or not isn't important. What's important is that you are now my employee. In the middle of the night, if I leave you alone and something happens..."
Oh, so he was asking for such details to clear himself of responsibility if something were to happen.
Tang Nan Nan felt a pang of bitterness in her heart and made up a name.
Hu Jia Sheng continued to press: "What's the name of this street? Which neighborhood does she live in, and what's her apartment number?"
Tang Nan Nan was truly stumped.
She had just said it casually, not knowing the name of the street.
Seeing her completely flustered, Hu Jia Sheng started the car again.
"Tang Nan Nan, you are a smart person, a brave and smart person. Since you dared to come this far, you have the confidence to see it through."
"You've already calculated that I wouldn't help you, so why are you being so hesitant?"
Sometimes, dealing with overly intelligent people wasn't easy.
Adults all cared about their dignity. Even if everyone knew the truth, it was better to maintain a thin, transparent veil of pretense than to confront the truth directly.
Hu Jia Sheng's directness could be seen as a good thing at times, but at others, it seemed like a lack of social grace, a failure to save face.
Tang Nan Nan did not feel happy about his offer to take her in.
"I just realized I overestimated myself, overestimated my judgment of you. You're not as willing to help me as I imagined, so..."
"Then what do you want me to do? Welcome you with fanfare and fireworks like Zhang Gong and the others?"
Tang Nan Nan: "..."
Hu Jia Sheng: "Believe it or not, when I was dating, I rarely spent time alone in the same room with my girlfriends. Although there's nothing between us, you are already within the maximum limit of my tolerance."
This statement made Tang Nan Nan's day-long heavy heart float up to the clouds.
He didn't get this close with his girlfriends when he was dating them?
So Hu Jia Sheng liked women.
And she was receiving this special treatment from him.
Regardless, she was already by his side.
Think less, work hard, and things will definitely get better. Tang Nan Nan told herself.
They returned to Hu Jia Sheng's residential complex together. The car entered the underground garage, and they walked towards the elevator.
Hu Jia Sheng, with his long legs, walked a step ahead of her with his laptop bag. Midway, they encountered someone.
It was a colleague from his real estate company, a technician who was honest and quite liked by Hu Jia Sheng. They hadn't seen each other for a month, so they naturally stopped to greet each other.
Tang Nan Nan pretended to be looking at her phone, consistently staying a step behind to wait.
A moment later, Hu Jia Sheng turned back to her side and handed her a key.
"You go sleep first. I have something to attend to and need to go out."
Tang Nan Nan retrieved her small suitcase and went to his apartment alone.
It was large and spacious, neat and clean, just like her old home.
She dared not touch his belongings randomly. She went to the guest bedroom, took a bath, washed her hair, hand-washed some clothes, set her alarm, and changed into her pajamas. Seeing that he was still not back, she fell asleep before him.
The technician's wife had recently been arguing with him about a divorce and had quietly returned to her hometown with their child. Hu Jia Sheng, feeling troubled, ended up drinking with him a bit too much.
He couldn't remember who helped them hail a taxi, but when he regained consciousness, he was lying at the base of a large tree by the entrance to the residential complex.
There were mosquitoes around the green belt, and he had gotten a patch of bites on his arm.
Hu Jia Sheng wasn't allergic to alcohol, but it didn't affect him much less; he became drowsy as soon as he drank.
It was dead silent. There wasn't a soul in the complex, and the security guards had also fallen asleep.
Feeling dizzy and disoriented from sleepiness, he ascended the stairs with unsteady steps. He unlocked the door with his fingerprint and lay down in the dark.