Why is this top-tier Alpha boss acting like this? - Chapter 23

No, he didn’t want it.

Cheng Yan steadied his breathing, trying his best to maintain a neutral tone. “President Song, what exactly is inside those two cups of yours?”

Song Yang looked at the black thermos in his hand and replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “Water, of course. $H_2O$.”

Cheng Yan was speechless for a moment before pressing further, “Ice water or warm water?”

Song Yang said expressionlessly, “Room temperature. Do you want some?”

Does room temperature water really need to be kept in a thermos?

He pulled a bottle of mineral water from his bag and declined politely. “No thank you, President Song. I have my own.”

Song Yang gave an “oh” and stuffed both thermoses back into his bag. Just then, the bus hit a bump, and the two metal bottles collided with a “clink.” The sound wasn’t loud, but to Cheng Yan’s ears, the effect was like a pair of crashing cymbals, making the veins in his temples throb.

Mount Qing was located in the suburbs, a two-hour drive away. Even though the group was used to sitting in the office, they all arrived at their destination feeling achy. However, out of respect for the divine, everyone rested at the foot of the mountain for a while before obediently beginning the ascent up the stone steps that seemed to vanish into the clouds.

The mountain stood at a total height of 1,632 meters with 3,498 steps. It sounded manageable—the total height and step count combined weren’t even as high as their monthly salaries—but actually climbing it was a different story.

Cheng Yan looked up at a marker indicating step 1,500, his brow furrowing tightly.

He was panting slightly, feeling as though all the nutrition and stamina Qin Leyan had painstakingly built up for him recently were being sacrificed right here. He remembered that back in university, climbing a mountain like this was child’s play; he wouldn’t even be winded by the time he reached the summit.

Could it be… I’m getting old?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, he looked back and saw Xiao Lin and the others, who had shrunk to the size of ants far below. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

Have they fallen that far behind?

Someone had been following closely behind him the whole time; he had assumed it was Xiao Lin’s group.

He stopped in place, thinking he should find a spot to sit and wait for the others. Suddenly, the weight on his shoulders lightened—someone had taken the crossbody bag he was wearing.

He froze. In the next second, Song Yang’s low, resonant voice sounded in his ear. “Can you still keep going?”

He looked up to see Song Yang standing beside him, naturally slinging Cheng Yan’s bag over his own shoulder.

The heir of the Song Corporation is carrying my bag?

He reached out, trying to take it back. “Thank you, President Song, I can manage.”

He was tired, but he still had enough strength to carry a bag.

Song Yang clearly didn’t believe him. He shifted his body and nimbly dodged Cheng Yan’s hand. “You can manage?”

His tone was dripping with skepticism.

Cheng Yan opened his mouth to defend himself, but the dryness in his throat caused by his rapid breathing forced him into a fit of coughing.

A bottle of water appeared timely by his hand. He looked at it; it was the bottle he had packed in his own bag. Following the hand holding the water, he saw Song Yang holding the bottle in one hand while the other pinched the zipper pull of Cheng Yan’s bag.

Seeing him hesitate, the man frowned and urged, “Drink. Or do you want to drink my water instead?”

Drink from one of those black or pink thermoses?

He quickly took the water, twisted the cap, and took several gulps.

Song Yang zipped the bag shut and said softly, “Keep the water with you so you can drink whenever you need. I won’t walk behind you anymore.”

With that, Song Yang gave him a look—his gaze slightly clouded—and before Cheng Yan could refuse, he turned and continued upward. He moved quickly, climbing a dozen steps in the blink of an eye.

Cheng Yan watched Song Yang’s back. If he wanted his bag back now, he would have to chase him. He let out a soft breath and set off again. After a few steps, Song Yang’s voice drifted back through the mountain wind: “Your breathing is too loud.”

Loud?

Seriously, who doesn’t pant while climbing a mountain?

It was the weekend, so Mount Qing was crowded with people of all ages. By the time he reached the summit, the temple was already packed, yet he could still pick out Song Yang at a glance, standing to the side waiting with two bags slung over him.

He steadied his breathing before walking over and extending his hand. “Thank you, President Song. That was hard work. My bag…”

He can return it now.

His bag contained the offerings Qin Leyan had prepared: a few apples, a bunch of bananas, and a bag of biscuits. It wasn’t heavy, but carrying it up thousands of steps was certainly a burden.

Song Yang looked at him but didn’t return the bag. Instead, he pointed to the stone steps nearby. “Sit for a bit. They won’t be up for a while.”

The rest area of Lingyin Temple had stone benches, but since they arrived late, those were all taken. Cheng Yan wasn’t picky; he sat directly on the stone steps next to Song Yang. Once he was settled, Song Yang sat down right beside him.

Song Yang had picked a good spot under a large patch of shade. With the mountain breeze blowing, it didn’t take long for them to cool down.

When Xiao Lin and the others finally crawled their way to the top, they looked up to see their boss and their manager sitting on the ground as casually as international supermodels, drawing the lingering gazes of every passerby.

Despite being half-dead from exhaustion, the group somehow found the strength to pull out their phones. Under the guise of taking pictures of the scenery, they began snapping photos of the two of them frantically.

Cheng Yan looked at them with a mix of laughter and exasperation. “Aren’t you tired?”

Xiao Lin couldn’t even catch his breath, yet his hand holding the phone was rock steady. “Tired… I’m dying, okay! A dog isn’t as tired as me.”

“Boss, I don’t have the strength to speak right now.”

“No strength +1.”

“+1.”

Fine. No strength to talk, but plenty of strength to take photos.

The group rested for twenty minutes before they recovered. During those twenty minutes, they weren’t idle, taking all sorts of commemorative photos. Song Yang was unusually patient, agreeing to take photos with anyone who asked. The staff didn’t hold back either, posting the photos to the group chat immediately. The “ding-ding” of message notifications was non-stop.

Cheng Yan looked down and selected a few landscape photos to send to Qin Leyan.

Someone leaned over. “Ooh! Who is the boss texting?”

Cheng Yan replied casually, “Family.”

Song Yang, sitting beside him, stood up at that moment. He brushed the dust off his clothes and said to the group, “It’s getting late. Everyone up, it’s time to head in.”

Many people like to offer incense early, and by now, the first wave of pilgrims had finished and were leaving in groups. The temple wasn’t as crowded as when they first arrived, making it the perfect time for the latecomers to take over.

The group responded as they scrambled up from the ground, busily organizing their belongings.

When no one was looking, a bag landed on Cheng Yan’s lap. He hadn’t even had a chance to stand up yet, and he frowned slightly. He had actually forgotten his bag was still with Song Yang.

He looked up toward Song Yang to thank him, but found the man had already walked a distance away, standing in an open area waiting for them.

He moves so fast!

He stood up, clutching his bag, and trailed at the very back of the group.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out ahead. Accompanied by several suppressed gasps of surprise, his attention was instantly drawn forward.

Song Yang was pulling small square boxes out of his bag and handing them one by one to Xiao Lin and the others. “This is a benefit from the company. The weight isn’t much, so you can keep it for yourselves or give it to relatives and friends.”

Weight? His first thought was: Is it gold?

Cheng Yan looked ahead curiously and indeed saw that inside each small box was a red string threaded with gold.

Xiao Lin ran over joyfully with his company perk. “Boss, Boss! Look at this, doesn’t it look like the one you’re wearing?”

Cheng Yan glanced at Xiao Lin’s red string bracelet, and his eyebrow twitched involuntarily. Inside the small box lay a hand-braided red string. The familiar red cord was woven into complex patterns, with a piece of gold shaped like a bamboo stalk threaded in the middle, flanked by several small gold beads.

A promotion? (A play on the phrase “bamboo rising joint by joint”).

He had to admit, they were remarkably similar. At first glance, they looked like pieces from the same collection.

Song Yang walked over and spoke warmly, “What are you looking at?”

Cheng Yan looked up and, after a moment’s thought, replied, “Looking at… the company benefits.”

Xiao Lin chuckled and patted his shoulder. “President Song is probably here to give you your benefits, Boss! I’m going to find Zhang Qing and the others. You guys hurry up!”

Cheng Yan nodded. “Okay, go ahead.”

Xiao Lin waved to Song Yang and ran toward the others, leaving only Cheng Yan and Song Yang standing there.

Song Yang came to a halt a short distance in front of him. With his eyelids lowered, he took the last box out of his bag and held it out. “This is yours.”

With that, he looked at Cheng Yan’s wrist, his gaze landing on the red string with the small silver bar. With a look that wasn’t quite a smile, he said, “Since you already have a hand-string, I prepared something else for you.”

Cheng Yan looked at the box in Song Yang’s hand, his fingertips twitching imperceptibly. Song Yang was clearly looking at the red string on his wrist, but for some reason, Cheng Yan’s fingertips felt strangely numb. As Song Yang spoke, a wave of soreness emerged from some corner of his body, racing through his meridians to meet the numbness in his fingertips, leaving him feeling incredibly itchy.

He frowned, forcing himself to break away from that strange sensation, and reached out to take the company benefit from Song Yang.

It was a wooden box, heavy in his hand. Exquisite patterns were carved into the wood; the colored lacquer was slightly worn, but the hues remained vibrant. He didn’t know much about wood and couldn’t identify the specific material, but judging by the intricate carvings, this was much higher grade than the others.

Perhaps because he hadn’t moved for a long time, Song Yang’s deep voice rang out again. “Aren’t you going to open it?”

Cheng Yan hesitated for a moment before opening the wooden box.

The item inside had nothing to do with gold. It was a pure white jade pendant. The jade was delicate and smooth with a soft luster, free of any veins or cracks. It wasn’t carved into anything complex; it seemed the outer skin had simply been removed.

The corners of his eyes lifted, filled with shock.

Song Yang had actually given him “mutton-fat” nephrite? Based on this quality, a single gram would cost twenty or thirty thousand yuan. The piece in this box was at least a hundred grams.

Was this really something that could be handed out as a “company benefit”?

Seeing his reaction, Song Yang’s expression turned a bit sour. “What? You don’t like it?”

Cheng Yan closed the box, unsure if he should accept such a thing. “It’s not that…”

Before he could finish, Song Yang interrupted him. “If it’s not that, then take it. This is something I… found in the mountains a while ago. If you don’t want it, I’ll just throw it back.”

With that, Song Yang turned and walked away. Seeing that Cheng Yan wasn’t following, he looked back and urged, “Let’s go, the others have been waiting a long time.”

Cheng Yan hesitated, but ultimately tucked the box away and followed.

Found it? Who would believe that?

He decided to keep it for now. If Song Yang regretted it later, he could just return it untouched. It wasn’t a big deal.

The two walked one after the other toward the main hall where the statues were enshrined. Before stepping inside, Song Yang seemed to remember something and suddenly said, “Oh, right. You’d better not give that jade to anyone else.”

Cheng Yan looked at Song Yang, puzzled. “Why?”

Although he had no intention of giving it away, he couldn’t help but wonder why Song Yang was forbidding it.

Song Yang glanced back at him, then quickly turned away, replying indifferently with his back turned, “Your name is on the back of that jade.”

Cheng Yan stopped in his tracks, his brain failing to process the information.

Wait, my name is on the back?

He pulled the wooden box back out of his bag and took out the mutton-fat jade. He flipped it over and, without even having to search, saw his name right in the center of the back. The two characters “Cheng Yan” were carved there and it wasn’t just initials, but bold, square Chinese characters!

Song Yang stopped as well and turned to look at him. Seeing Cheng Yan’s expression, the corners of the man’s mouth curled up, and he tilted his chin slightly. “See it?”

Cheng Yan remained silent, momentarily speechless.

A piece of mutton-fat jade that they hadn’t even dared to carve a design onto actually had his name brazenly etched on the back.

What kind of spendthrift operation was this?

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