A few days later, Xiao Xiao messaged him, saying she needed a favor. Tan Janglin returned her call.
“Well, you know, that scarf you gave me is the latest seasonal limited edition. A friend of mine saw it and really liked it, but after checking, they found out it’s basically sold out nationwide and impossible to buy. So I wanted to ask, do you have any special purchasing channels?” she said.
“Sort of,” Tan Janglin asked, “If you need it, I can try to find a way for you.”
“Really?” Xiao Xiao was very happy. “Thank you!”
Tan Janglin smiled. “No problem. Let me check and get back to you later.”
After hanging up, he messaged his assistant and received a reply twenty minutes later. Then he called Xiao Xiao back.
“Is it convenient for you to go to the street where we had dinner last time?” he asked.
“Convenient! Do they have stock in the flagship store there?” she asked. “I’ll have her go today!”
“Don’t rush, it takes time to restock,” Tan Janglin said, “Go after next Wednesday, and just mention my name when you go.”
Xiao Xiao seemed stunned for a moment, then asked, “Can I ask… who exactly are you, Boss TJL?”
Tan Janglin hesitated for a moment, choosing a more tactful way to express it: “I’m an employee of their company.”
He was indeed the current designer of the brand, but at the same time, he was also a shareholder of the group company to which the brand belonged.
The latter came from inheritance rather than his own efforts, so he rarely mentioned it proactively.
“Can you give me an employee discount then?” Xiao Xiao asked.
Tan Janglin was somewhat surprised. “Are you still planning to pay?”
“Of course, I’m just inquiring about purchasing channels!” Xiao Xiao chuckled, “I don’t mean to take advantage of you.”
Tan Janglin felt it was unnecessary, but he also knew that forcing a gift might make people uncomfortable, so he replied, “Okay, I’ll give you an employee discount.”
“Thank you, thank you, you’re a lifesaver,” Xiao Xiao was very happy, “I’ll speak highly of you in front of Xiao Wen!”
Tan Janglin’s heart sank at her words.
“No need,” he told Xiao Xiao, “I don’t have those kinds of intentions. Don’t bother him with such things.”
“Um…” Xiao Xiao hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Did something happen between you two later on?”
“No,” Tan Janglin replied truthfully, “It’s just that these kinds of things are never forced.”
Xiao Xiao didn’t respond for a moment.
Tan Janglin said casually, “Can you be sure that he didn’t mention anything to you?”
“I’m not sure if this counts,” Xiao Xiao said hesitantly, “He seemed unhappy, but he didn’t go into detail with me.”
“Unhappy… because of me?”
“Yeah,” Xiao Xiao said, “We were chatting fine, but when I mentioned you, he suddenly… Do you really have no idea?”
Tan Janglin thought for a moment. “Because I resemble his ex, so he dislikes me?”
“Definitely not,” Xiao Xiao denied firmly, “He likes this type of Alpha, so why would he dislike you?”
“…” Tan Janglin didn’t know whether to be happy or more confused upon hearing this, “After that, we didn’t have any private communication. I might have offended him, but I didn’t have a chance to.”
“Weird…”
“So, I guess maybe he already has a partner, so he’s drawing a line with me.”
“That’s impossible,” Xiao Xiao vetoed again, “He really doesn’t. There’s no need for him to lie to me about this.”
But there were condoms on his desk.
That was something Mu Nianwen intentionally concealed, and Tan Janglin wouldn’t spread it around, so he remained silent.
“Are you serious about him?” Xiao Xiao suddenly asked.
Tan Janglin hesitated for a moment.
Being serious at the wrong time only adds to the other person’s burden and is not worth boasting about.
“How much do you like him?” Xiao Xiao asked again, “After all, those gifts you gave him might not be a big deal for you. I want to know your real thoughts.”
“I…” Tan Janglin took a deep breath, “This is the first time I’ve had such strong emotions for someone.”
“Okay,” Xiao Xiao said, “I’ll believe you this time. Let me inquire about it for you!”
A few days later, Xiao Xiao brought back some strange news.
“Did you give him something strange?” her attitude changed noticeably, “Don’t pretend in front of me. I… I feel pressured to report this!”
“I gave him headphones, a necklace, a pack of snacks, and a watch,” Tan Janglin was also puzzled, “Is there something inappropriate about that?”
“Nothing else?”
Tan Janglin racked his brains, “There was also a box and a bag for packaging.”
“Really? Why do I find it hard to believe?” Xiao Xiao was confused, “How could he be so concerned about these things?”
“Didn’t you ask him what exactly he’s dissatisfied with?” Tan Janglin inquired.
“He didn’t want to say, he just said it’s… uh…”
“What?”
“It’s disgusting,” Xiao Xiao said.
Tan Janglin was stunned.
“To the extent that he’s completely disappointed in you,” Xiao Xiao said very seriously, “I thought you gave him some adult items.”
“Absolutely not!” Tan Janglin denied hastily.
Xiao Xiao didn’t say anything, possibly doubting him.
Naturally, she trusted her friend more, and perhaps she was already regretting digging into this information for him.
“I swear,” Tan Janglin emphasized, “It’s just what I said.”
“Xiao Wen would never lie to me,” Xiao Xiao said, “He has no reason to.”
“But if I knew the reason, why would I bother you?” Tan Janglin said, “It’s unnecessary.”
“I don’t know, I’m so confused,” Xiao Xiao sounded overwhelmed, “I’ve never felt so upset even when I was in a relationship myself!”
“Could you ask him in more detail?” Tan Janglin suggested to her.
Otherwise, he would die unclear, which he couldn’t accept.
Just then, a dialogue box popped up on Tan Janglin’s computer screen, and a message came from an old friend of his.
— Lao Tang, the product you helped design last time is officially launching tomorrow! I’ll send you some when it launches haha.
Tan Janglin looked at the words and felt a slight sense of discomfort in his heart.
Something seemed off.
“Okay… but it might not go smoothly,” Xiao Xiao hesitated, “He’s quite sensitive about this. If he finds out I spilled the beans, he’ll definitely be unhappy.”
“Wait a minute,” Tan Janglin frowned and opened the drawers of his desk one by one, rummaging through them, “… never mind, I think I know the reason.”
“Huh?” Xiao Xiao was curious, “What is it?”
That “glove.”
How could something that hadn’t even been released be with Mu Nianwen?
And the sample that he had originally received was nowhere to be found.
Tan Janglin found it difficult to say, afraid that Xiao Xiao would turn hostile on the spot after he said it.
“It seems that a… personal item of mine got mixed in,” he said, “It’s a product from my friend’s company.”
“It better not be some adult item,” Xiao Xiao said, “It sounds like an excuse.”
“No, no,” Tan Janglin felt extremely embarrassed, “Let’s not talk about that for now. I’ll find a way to explain it to him in person.”
“Wait!” Xiao Xiao was very nervous, “Please don’t mention that I tipped you off!”
“Okay, I understand,” Tan Janglin said, “You can relax.”
After hanging up the phone, Tan Janglin immediately called for his assistant.
“Last time I asked you to help me wrap the gifts, what did you put in that box?” he asked.
The assistant recalled and replied, “According to your instructions, I put everything from the first and second drawers on the right side and the corresponding items from the top corner of the desk into it.”
“What were they respectively?” he inquired further.
“A jewelry box of this size,” the assistant gestured, “A blue box of this size, a pair of headphones, a pack of snacks, and…” he glanced at Tan Janglin, “a condom.”
Tan Janglin felt his head spinning.
He couldn’t imagine what kind of psychological process Mu Nianwen had gone through when he unpacked such a thing from the gift.
“You should have asked me before putting in such special items,” he said.
The assistant looked wronged, but the high salary made him give up arguing. He accepted the blame and apologized, “Sorry, I overlooked it. I’ll pay more attention in the future.”
“Never mind, it’s my fault for being careless, not yours,” Tan Janglin quickly realized he was unfairly venting his anger, “You can go now.”
As a subordinate, he dared not speak out of turn, especially when he had casually placed it on the table and orally instructed it to be included.
The problem was, what should he do now?
He promised Xiao Xiao not to mention her, but if he didn’t, abruptly explaining it to Mu Nianwen would seem suspicious.
How could he prove that he didn’t intentionally put that thing in there?
Just saying he accidentally discovered the problem afterwards seemed like an excuse for realizing his own stupidity.
Amidst the headache, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat relieved.
This whole misunderstanding at least proved that Mu Nianwen really didn’t have a partner, and he might have had some feelings for himself originally.
Should he pretend to be unaware and brazenly contact him?
Tan Janglin mentally prepared himself: about the condom, if he doesn’t ask, I won’t mention it. If he brings it up, I’ll act surprised.
