MLMD -Chapter 334 A Sudden Appearance

Dressed in a professional suit, Zhang Xiaoxiao carried a briefcase as she walked out of the office building. She glanced at the gloomy sky and felt a touch of helplessness. Lately, Pearl City had been plagued by this kind of awful weather—constant drizzles and slightly low temperatures—which was rare for such a typically southern city.

She shifted her bag to her right hand and extended her left to hail a taxi. Just then, a black Porsche slowly appeared from nowhere, pulled up beside her, and blocked Liu Shengnan’s line of sight.

Zhang Xiaoxiao frowned her delicate brows, stepped aside, and was about to try flagging another cab when the car door opened. Two young men got out. One wore a pink casual suit, the other a light-blue suit. Both were over 1.7 meters tall, wearing shiny leather shoes, handsome and well-groomed—clearly styled like successful businessmen.

The man in the pink suit walked over and said with a grin, “Miss Zhang, you’re finally off work. We’ve been waiting for you for quite a while. Why didn’t Miss Liu come down as well? Why don’t we all go have a casual meal together? I happen to have a business deal I’d like to discuss with you.”

A trace of panic flashed through Zhang Xiaoxiao’s eyes. She shook her head and said, “Mr. Zhuang, there’s really no need for dinner. If you want to discuss business, please come to our company during office hours. We’ll have someone specifically assigned to receive you.”

Though her refusal was clear, the man surnamed Zhuang was like sticky taffy. Still smiling, he said, “Ah… don’t be like that. Young Master Luo and I came especially to wait for you and Miss Liu. This is a big deal, and I think only you and Miss Liu can make the decision.”

“A big deal?” Zhang Xiaoxiao hesitated, then asked, “Sister Shengnan isn’t here right now. I can’t decide on my own. Why don’t you and Mr. Luo come back after she returns?”

The man surnamed Luo, who had been silent, asked suspiciously, “Miss Liu really isn’t here?”

Growing impatient, Zhang Xiaoxiao puffed out her cheeks. “Of course it’s true. Do you think I’m lying to you?”

“Ah, no, no.” Seeing that Zhang Xiaoxiao seemed upset, Zhuang quickly apologized. “Miss Zhang, please don’t be angry. Young Master Luo has that kind of temper—don’t take it to heart. I’ll apologize to you on his behalf. How about this—I’ll treat you to dinner later, all right?”

As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Zhang Xiaoxiao’s youthful, innocent face, still carrying a hint of baby fat, and her petite figure with striking curves. Desire flickered unmistakably in his eyes.

Faced with their persistent invitations, hesitation crossed Zhang Xiaoxiao’s eyes. In the end, she shook her head again. “Thank you for your kindness, but my answer is the same. If it’s official business, please come to our office during work hours. I’m going home now—please step aside.”

Rejected repeatedly, the two young men’s expressions clearly soured. Young Master Luo said coldly, “Miss Zhang, we’re sincerely inviting you to dinner. Are you really going to refuse us like this?”

Zhang Xiaoxiao was soft-natured by disposition. In both work and life, she had always been well protected by her best friend Liu Shengnan and had little experience dealing with situations like this. Seeing their faces change, she became flustered, her eyes instantly reddening. “You… how can you say that? If it’s business, you can talk at the company. How can you…”

“Hey—Young Master Luo, that’s no way to speak to Miss Zhang.” Zhuang quickly stopped his companion, then smiled at Zhang Xiaoxiao. “Miss Zhang, don’t mind him. That’s just his bad temper—he doesn’t mean anything by it. I apologize for him. But honestly, Young Master Luo and I are sincerely inviting you to dinner. You refusing us again and again—it really isn’t very considerate.”

“I… I…” Though she had graduated nearly two years ago, Zhang Xiaoxiao was no match for the two of them. Under their coordinated pressure, she panicked. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Alright then… I’ll go with you.”

Seeing the innocent, girl-next-door beauty agree to dine with them, the two young men exchanged a subtle glance, excitement flashing in their eyes. Just then, however, an unpleasant voice came from nearby.

“Go where? Where are you going, and what do you think you’re doing?”

As the voice fell, someone stepped out from the side and slowly appeared before them.

The two young men, who had been in high spirits, were furious at this sudden interruption. Turning around, they saw a young man in black casual wear walking toward them. Zhuang’s brows rose as he said in a low voice, “Kid, if you leave now, I’ll pretend nothing happened. Otherwise…”

The newcomer smiled faintly. “Otherwise what? Planning to teach me how to behave?”

Zhuang was someone of standing in Pearl City and wasn’t used to being looked down on. Anger surged, and he was about to lash out when Young Master Luo stopped him. With one hand holding Zhuang back, Luo said darkly to the newcomer, “Friend, you look like an employee of Guangyuan Trading. We have official business to discuss with your Department Head Zhang. It’d be better if you avoided this.”

Seeing that the newcomer wore only ordinary casual clothes—clearly worth no more than a thousand yuan—Luo made his judgment at once.

The newcomer sneered. “Didn’t you just say you had official business with our company? Now that I’m here, you want me to avoid it? Are you playing us for fools?”

“Who are you?” The two felt a growing sense of unease.

“I’m the chairman of Guangyuan Trading. What—am I not qualified to discuss official business with you?”

“What? You’re the chairman of Guangyuan Trading?”

“You must be joking,” Zhuang said in disbelief. He was about to mock him when Zhang Xiaoxiao—who had been frozen in place since the man appeared—walked over, tugged at his sleeve, and said softly with reddened eyes, “Boss, you’re here!”

The young man was indeed Zhang Xiaoxiao’s boss—Yue Yang.

“You really are Guangyuan Trading’s boss?” Zhuang and Luo exchanged glances, instantly awkward. After all, they knew their own intentions—business was just a pretext. With the real decision-maker present, even with thick skins, they felt embarrassed.

“Gentlemen, if I heard correctly, you have official business to discuss with our Department Head Zhang. Unfortunately, she’s in charge of HR and, by company policy, isn’t authorized to receive clients. If you don’t mind, you can discuss it with me instead.”

Yue Yang smiled lightly, but the authority in his eyes grew heavier.

“I…” Zhuang and Luo looked at each other, at a loss. Their true purpose was unspeakable, and now they were cornered.

Finally, Zhang Xiaoxiao, kind-hearted, couldn’t bear to see them humiliated. She tugged Yue Yang’s sleeve and tried to smooth things over. “Boss, forget it. Let’s just go.”

“You…” Yue Yang glared at her, then sighed. Turning to the two men, he said, “Fine, I won’t say more. You can leave. But let me make this clear—don’t come here again. This is a company, not a place for you to pick up women.”

Zhuang and Luo’s faces flushed red and green in turn. They had never suffered such humiliation. Luo pointed at Yue Yang and said grimly, “Yue—say that again if you’ve got the guts!”

Yue Yang laughed. “What, can’t understand human language? Listen carefully: do whatever you want elsewhere—I don’t care. But Zhang Xiaoxiao is with Guangyuan Trading. She’s not someone you can touch. If there’s a next time, don’t blame me for being rude.”

His words were domineering. Zhang Xiaoxiao’s face burned as she gazed at him with undisguised admiration.

She was entranced—but the two men were enraged. Unable to hold back any longer, Zhuang stepped forward and threw a punch.

Smack—ah!

With a soft sound and a scream, Zhuang clutched his right hand and collapsed. Yue Yang pulled out a handkerchief, wiped his hand, tossed it aside, and said disdainfully, “You want to fight me? Train for another twenty years first. Get lost—if you don’t, it won’t be this cheap next time. And judging by your eyes, you’ll probably want revenge. Go ahead. Just remember—this time it’s only a broken hand. Next time won’t be so simple.”

Luo helped Zhuang up, shot Yue Yang a venomous look as if engraving him into memory, then got into the car and drove away.

Watching them leave, Yue Yang sighed. “I didn’t expect to run into this the moment I arrived. Reality really is more melodramatic than TV dramas.”

He turned to Zhang Xiaoxiao. “Come on. I’ll treat you to dinner, then we’ll discuss some matters.”

An hour later, they sat facing each other in the restaurant of Pearl City’s famous Miluo Lai Hotel.

Yue Yang put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and said, “Tell me—why were those two pestering you?”

Zhang Xiaoxiao lowered her head awkwardly, her face crimson. In a voice as soft as a mosquito’s, she said, “I… I don’t know. Last month, Sister Shengnan and I met them once at a trade fair. Since then, they’ve kept bothering us, always finding excuses to invite us to dinner. It’s been so annoying. The goods from Guangshen haven’t arrived yet, so Sister Shengnan went there personally to urge delivery—just to avoid them.”

Yue Yang snorted. “So once Liu Shengnan leaves, it’s quiet. But did she think about your situation?”

Flustered, Zhang Xiaoxiao defended her. “It’s not Sister Shengnan’s fault. I chose to stay. I thought Young Master Luo was targeting her—if she wasn’t here, it’d be fine. I could watch the company alone. They couldn’t do anything to me anyway.”

“Couldn’t do anything?” Yue Yang laughed coldly. “Believe me—if you’d really gone to dinner with them, within two hours you’d have been unconscious in a hotel room. You can imagine what would happen next.”

“Boss, don’t scare me. This is a society governed by law—aren’t they afraid I’d call the police?” Zhang Xiaoxiao turned pale.

“Scare you? Call the police?” Yue Yang shook his head helplessly. “Forget it. For someone as naive as you, those seasoned scoundrels have a hundred ways to make you comply. Just remember—never go out with strangers, and never drink or eat anything they give you. Then you’ll be fine. Pearl City’s public security is decent—they wouldn’t dare do much in broad daylight. Huh… what’s wrong?”

Zhang Xiaoxiao had collapsed onto the table, sobbing softly.

“Hey… what are you crying for?”

Yue Yang sighed. She had likely grown up sheltered by her parents, then protected by teachers and classmates, and later by Liu Shengnan. With Liu Shengnan gone, she’d felt the darkness of society firsthand. If Yue Yang hadn’t arrived in time, she might really have suffered.

Handing her a tissue, he said gently, “Don’t worry. Just ignore those people from now on. Remember—don’t talk to strangers, and don’t go out with them, men or women. Got it?”

Zhang Xiaoxiao lifted her head, eyes red like a rabbit’s, and protested pitifully, “Is it really that serious? Weren’t you a stranger too? I still came to eat with you.”

“Heh—you’ve gotten bold, talking back to me. I’m your boss, you know!”

“So what? I’ve seen plenty of bad bosses. Hardly any good ones.” She pouted, dimples forming on her babyish cheeks, radiating an indescribable cuteness.

Yue Yang felt a stir. Zhang Xiaoxiao wasn’t as stunningly beautiful as Liu Shengnan at first glance, but the more you looked, the more appealing she became—petite yet voluptuous, very much fitting certain tastes.

Perhaps his gaze lingered too long. Her cheeks flushed as she shot him a glance. “What are you looking at?”

“Haha… fine, I won’t look.” Yue Yang composed himself. “Alright, enough of that. Let’s talk business. Are the goods I ordered last time ready?”

Her mood dimmed slightly as she replied, “Most of them are ready. But the sulfur machines and potassium nitrate—because the quantities are so large—we haven’t been able to gather enough yet. That’s why Sister Shengnan went to Guangshen to press the manufacturers.”

Yue Yang frowned. He had come to transport supplies urgently. In the other time-space, he was facing the Qing army, with limited food and ammunition. Without timely resupply, the consequences would be dire.

He had set up a fireworks factory to produce black powder and hired skilled craftsmen to make granular powder—barely meeting demand. Now, hearing that raw materials were insufficient was troubling.

Lost in thought, Yue Yang tapped the table lightly, sinking into contemplation.