"No need, the older sister outside just poured water for me,"
Gu Qingqing said with a light chuckle.
It seemed Boss Tan had seen through her little thought process of buying milk tea last time and specifically mentioned it.
"Sit for a bit, I'll make you a cup of coffee; I'm going to have some too."
After speaking, Tan Jincheng looked Gu Qingqing over again for a moment:
"It's the first time I've seen you wear a dress; it's quite beautiful."
"The weather's getting hot,"
Gu Qingqing said, blushing.
Actually, her outfit today was put together by her roommates; Gu Qingqing rarely wore dresses, and this was strongly requested by them.
However, Boss Tan's attire today was also quite handsome; his jacket was a light gray denim shirt, and he wore black trousers with sneakers, looking very energetic.
If no one mentioned it, one would certainly assume he was a student.
What made Gu Qingqing a little embarrassed was that Tan Jincheng's inner top was also a white crew-neck T-shirt; unintentionally, the two seemed to be wearing matching outfits today.
Speaking of which, this was the second time Tan Jincheng and Gu Qingqing had met this year, but their relationship seemed a little closer; being able to chat casually like this was something neither Gu Qingqing nor Tan Jincheng themselves had noticed.
"Boss Tan, are you going on a business trip in a few days?"
Gu Qingqing asked curiously, taking the coffee Tan Jincheng handed her.
In an era when tourism had not yet formed a concept or industry, and without excessive capital involvement, someone like Gu Qingqing, even with a good family background, rarely traveled far.
She was curious about long-distance trips that were also business-related.
Many rural children had never even left their county before high school.
Tan Jincheng and Zhang Xupeng getting on the ship in such a muddled way actually shared the same mentality: an inner desire to understand the world and go out to see it.
"Yes, it's a pity you're a student, otherwise we could go together to see the world. There are many foreigners there, and many places where English will be used, which might be helpful for your major."
Gu Qingqing was quite interested in this topic:
"More than the International Trade City on our side?"
He had forgotten that this girl was from Yiwu.
Tan Jincheng couldn't answer this question because he had never been to the International Trade City.
But considering that the Yiwu International Trade City had been popular for so many years, and Yiwu locals even called themselves "International Yiwu," there must be quite a few foreigners there.
"I can't really answer that; I haven't been to your place. But there shouldn't be much comparability. An exhibition has a large one-time flow of people, while your place is more like a steady stream."
"I often saw foreigners when I was studying, and my family recommended I major in English, saying it would make it easier to deal with foreigners in the future, whether for work or business."
"There's some truth to that. Learning English well certainly makes work much more convenient."
After the millennium, Chinese people's attitudes towards foreigners changed somewhat; it wasn't as exaggerated as in the 80s and 90s.
However, mastering a foreign language indeed offers some help in life.
We don't need to belittle ourselves, nor do we need to be arrogant; we can learn anything that is useful to us.
"What about you, Boss Tan? Where did you learn your English? Why is your spoken English so fluent?"
Gu Qingqing finally used this topic to voice the doubts in her heart.
"Ah, that's a long story,"
Tan Jincheng said with an air of aged wisdom.
How he learned it?
Of course, it was forced out of him by two maritime experiences and over a decade of struggling in society in his previous life.
Otherwise, what good would a bit of high school knowledge do?
"Then, Boss Tan, if you don't mind, could you talk about it?"
"Why are you interested in this?"
"Because this is my major, and I want to improve."
Looking at Gu Qingqing's curious eyes, Tan Jincheng said somewhat amusedly:
"You rich kids are all so diligent, huh? Alright, then I'll talk about it."
In response to Tan Jincheng's teasing, Gu Qingqing remained silent, only staring with her big eyes, full of curiosity.
Seeing this, Tan Jincheng could only briefly summarize the absurd things he and Zhang Xupeng did after graduating from high school in '03.
After that, he used his maritime experiences as a blueprint to fabricate some self-taught foreign language experiences.
There wasn't much else to explain besides this.
However, Tan Jincheng's later English learning in his previous life was indeed greatly influenced by this maritime experience.
Without that year of experience, Tan Jincheng probably wouldn't have realized the importance of mastering a foreign language.
Living in a port city, and in an era of rapid industrial development, mastering an additional language was like learning an extra livelihood skill.
One spoke seriously, the other listened intently.
Gu Qingqing truly hadn't expected Tan Jincheng to have such experiences.
Meanwhile, the Li sisters, who were working outside, were somewhat curious about what Tan Jincheng and the beautiful girl were discussing.
It didn't seem like they were talking about work.
The office was separated by transparent glass, and Tan Jincheng had left the door ajar, so the sound insulation was quite good.
The two didn't dare to get too close.
"Sis, what do you think the relationship between those two inside is? They don't look like they're discussing work,"
Li Jinglan whispered to Li Yanning.
Gossip is human nature.
Boss Tan, who usually showed no special favors to women and seemed cool, actually chatted and laughed like this today.
It was unbelievable.
Don't be fooled by Boss Tan's usual respectful demeanor towards women; at work, there were no special treatments whatsoever.
When busy, he treated men like dogs and women like men, showing no mercy.
Privately, Li Jinglan often complained that Boss Tan's work style was nothing like what a person not yet 20 years old could achieve.
Li Yanning was actually a bit curious herself.
Judging by her appearance and attire, Gu Qingqing seemed to be around her sister's age, or perhaps even a little younger.
This was the first time she had seen a young woman come to the company office since she started working there.
And what made Li Yanning most curious was that Boss Tan and this lady were discussing something that even Boss Zhang wasn't privy to; Boss Zhang had even been sent away for it.
This had never happened before.
The two inside naturally didn't know what was happening outside.
After learning that Tan Jincheng had learned English in such circumstances, Gu Qingqing became curious about his experience on the cruise ship.
During its voyage, the cruise ship would stop in different countries to replenish supplies.
Although there were various restrictions on going ashore and entering, one could still experience some different sceneries.
In Tan Jincheng's vivid descriptions, Gu Qingqing became somewhat captivated.
At this moment, Gu Qingqing felt that the well-traveled Tan Jincheng was exceptionally charming.
"Holy crap, what kind of look is that?"
Tan Jincheng only reacted at this moment.
Isn't this just the trick old men use to fool young girls in the future?
Alright, can't keep chatting about this; let's get back to work.
"Alright, that's enough for today. Let's take a look at the samples."
(End of this chapter)
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