Chapter 56: The Lost Heartbeat

While waiting for the elevator.

Hu Mingli looked at Tang Song and remarked with a click of her tongue, "You've changed so much this past month. It's a complete transformation; you're a total hunk now."

She nudged Zhao Yue with her shoulder, winking suggestively. "Speaking of which, Tang Song started working hard on his weight loss because of your advice before, didn't he? Doesn't that give you a great sense of achievement?"

Zhao Yue froze, remembering the words she had spoken in the car on the night of the April 1st team building.

[Song-ge, actually you're quite excellent. You're capable, have good features, and you're tall—it's just that your weight is a bit over the limit. Hurry up and lose weight and build some muscle; the girls in our company will definitely be lining up to chase you!]

It seemed he really had started losing weight, changing his style, and fixing his hair from that very day.

Now that he had slimmed down and his skin had improved, he was already quite outstanding in terms of appearance.

The only problem was his poor family background, and now, his unemployment.

She smiled and said, "A huge sense of achievement! Song-ge is so excellent; once you get to a new company, those girls will definitely be chasing you. Keep it up! Get a girlfriend soon!"

Guo Peng chimed in, "With your abilities, finding a job will be easy. Maybe your next job will be a leadership position straight away."

The group was intentionally or unintentionally saying kind things, seemingly trying to comfort Tang Song.

After a bit of joking around, the atmosphere lightened considerably.

Since it was rush hour, they had to wait for several elevators before they could squeeze in.

After a period of stops and starts, they finally arrived at the B2 parking lot.

Stepping out of the elevator lobby, they were immediately met by an Audi A5 in an ice-berry pink color scheme.

A two-door coupe with a smooth, dynamic body, it looked incredibly beautiful.

Guo Peng couldn't help but exclaim, "Manager Tian really has the strength. An A5 worth over 400,000, and such a great parking spot too."

"Is that Manager Tian's car? It's so beautiful. I heard she lives in the Yanjing Huating community, in a large luxury flat." A deep sense of envy and admiration flashed in Wang Chaoyang's eyes.

To become a compensation manager at such a young age and be a standard "rich, beautiful, and successful" woman—if he could land her, he'd save himself twenty years of struggle.

Zhao Yue gritted her teeth and said sourly, "That's just because she was born with good luck; we can't compare."

In her heart, however, she was secretly thinking that she must find a boyfriend who drives a luxury car in the future to win this battle!

The group followed Tang Song through the underground garage.

Both Guo Peng and Wang Chaoyang were car enthusiasts, nodding in appraisal at the passing vehicles from time to time.

"That Cadillac CT5 belongs to our President Zhou. He says the steering wheel always pulls to one side, always heading toward the bathhouses."

"The Mercedes E-Class with the standing star looks so grand."

...

"That BMW isn't bad either. The pure black one is really striking; it looks like a new car, the paint is so shiny."

"A man's life isn't complete without a 3 Series. When I strike it rich, I'll definitely buy one."

Seeing Tang Song suddenly stop, Hu Mingli asked curiously, "Where did you park your car? Why haven't we seen it yet?"

She had seen photos of Tang Song's car in the group chat; it had a very unique design and should have been quite conspicuous in the Linjin Building garage.

However, she didn't see it around here.

Guo Peng looked left and right but didn't see that familiar little Wuling either.

Tang Song smiled and pointed to the black BMW in front of them. "This is the one. I just picked it up. Actually, Sister Mingli, you'll be its very first passenger."

Hu Mingli blinked and laughed, "Well, that's quite an honor. If you've got the guts, let me actually sit inside."

Guo Peng teased jokingly, "Not bad, Tang Song! I didn't realize you were a hidden rich kid! Are you leaving this job just to take over the family business?"

Zhao Yue looked at the pitch-black, glossy BMW with hopeful eyes, sighing, "This car is so beautiful. It looks a bit different from a regular 3 Series."

Wang Chaoyang explained, "Looking at the body kit and the rims, it should be a 330i M Sport Shadowline edition. With the options, the on-the-road price is over 400,000. It's about the same as Manager Tian's A5, much more expensive than a standard BMW 3 Series."

Hearing this, Zhao Yue's eyes brightened even more. She couldn't resist reaching out to touch the emblem on the hood.

She imagined the scene of herself opening the car door, stepping out while carrying a designer handbag.

If she had a car like this, her popularity in the company would definitely overshadow Tian Jing.

Thinking of this, Zhao Yue became even more determined in her heart.

When it came to finding a boyfriend, she absolutely could not settle for less.

Tang Song took the lumbar support from Wang Chaoyang's hand, walked to the car, and said, "It is indeed a 330i Shadowline. I got it at an internal discount; the on-the-road price was less than 400,000."

As he spoke, he placed his hand on the rear door handle.

With a "click," the car unlocked, and the LED daytime running lights flashed.

He opened the door, tossed his backpack and the lumbar support inside.

"Thud!" Closing the door casually, Tang Song beckoned to Hu Mingli. "Sister Mingli, do you want to sit in the back or the passenger seat?"

Hu Mingli's mouth hung open in shock. "Wait, Tang Song, are you serious!?"

Wang Chaoyang swallowed hard, saying in disbelief, "Holy crap! This is really your car?"

Guo Peng was a bit slow to react. He had gone with Tang Song to order that Wuling Hongguang S—how had it suddenly turned into a BMW 330 in the blink of an eye?

Tang Song patted the roof of the car and smiled. "Genuine and authentic. Just picked it up yesterday. Carbon Black + Volcano Red. Isn't it cool?"

Young men in their twenties, more or less, all have a bit of a desire to show off.

Although Tang Song didn't intend to deliberately show off in front of his old colleagues, seeing their shocked and envious eyes felt quite good.

"Let's head out. I had a fat-loss meal for lunch and I'm starving. Let's treat today's buffet as a cheat meal."

Hu Mingli took a deep breath, opened the passenger door, and sat down.

"Good heavens, Xiao Song, you really were hiding your light under a bushel." Guo Peng rubbed his hands together excitedly. "I'm not driving my own car today; I'm hitching a ride in your BMW."

With that, he squeezed into the back seat, touching this and looking at that.

Zhao Yue stared blankly at the car, then at Tang Song, her gaze somewhat lost.

The black body sat low and crouched, looking like an elegant predator in the dim garage.

The smooth lines outlined a fashionable and dynamic exterior, with the high-end paint reflecting arcs of light.

And standing by the car, Tang Song was upright, elegant, and composed, exuding an aura of effortless grace.

She had originally thought he was just pretending to be strong to mask the sadness of being laid off, but it turned out he truly had the means.

Song-ge, a 400,000-yuan BMW, a hidden rich and handsome man.

Connecting these three keywords, Zhao Yue's heart began to race violently.

"Chaoyang, Zhao Yue, you two head back to your work. I'll come find you at the company when I have time." Tang Song said goodbye to the two, opened the door, and sat inside.

"Vroom—" The roar of the engine sounded, and the bright lights instantly flickered on, startling the dazed Zhao Yue awake.

She hurriedly moved aside to stand to the side.

"Screech—" The sound of tires friction against the ground rang out.

Tang Song rolled down the window and waved goodbye to his two old colleagues.

His fingers were long and smooth, appearing exceptionally fair in the dim light of the garage, possessing a strange sense of beauty.

Zhao Yue felt as if her heart had skipped several beats.

She took a few steps forward, her mouth opening as if she wanted to say something, but the car had already disappeared around the corner.

(End of Chapter)