Chapter 71 Xing Li, what are you doing again...?
Chapter 71
The sunlight outside the window was intense.
The carpet in the bedroom was a mess.
The Okamoto lubricant bottle tipped over and fell to the ground. Fortunately, the cap was on and it didn't spill.
The pink cat paw and the toy's rope were tangled together, and it was casually placed on a low table, its battery almost completely depleted.
A fair, slender arm dangled from under the covers on the bed, covered with deep red bruises from sucking and kissing.
Upon closer inspection, there was a tooth mark on the wrist, not very obvious, but enough to be hard to ignore.
Chu Xingli's eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Blinded by the dazzling sunlight, he instinctively turned his head, raised his hand to shield his eyes, and looked at the sky outside the French windows.
...It's already noon.
Chu Xingli wearily reached for her phone to check the time.
This only made me more surprised.
It's been fifteen hours since I dropped my older sister off last night...
He vaguely remembered that he was able to lie down on his pillow and start to sleep just as the sky was about to brighten.
When I wake up again, it will be now.
"Hmm..."
Chu Xingli struggled to regain her senses and sat up, propping herself up on a pillow with her elbows.
Seeing the marks left on his arm, he was overcome with grief and tears welled up in his eyes.
Thinking she should glare at the culprit, she turned her head and found that Luo Xiaoran was still asleep.
Chu Xingli then moved quietly and tiptoed to put on her clothes.
There was metal on the drawstring of his pants. When he remembered it and was about to pinch it, the metal tips had already touched each other, making a very slight knocking sound.
Chu Xingli hurriedly checked Luo Xiaoran's reaction.
Seeing that he was not affected by the faint sound, he was relieved.
The moment Chu Xingli turned to leave, she saw the toys on the low table and immediately became furious.
He lifted his leg, intending to kick it off the table, but hesitated for a moment and ultimately gave up.
...What if I wake Luo Xiaoran up, and he gets the urge to play with the toys again in the future?
It would be better to take advantage of him while he's still sleeping and quietly dispose of it so that Luo Xiaoran will never see it again.
*
After leaving the master bedroom, Chu Xingli went to the guest bedroom's bathroom to take a shower.
Although Luo Xiaoran had already helped him wash up after the event last night, Chu Xingli still felt something was off and insisted on washing up himself to feel at ease.
After leaving the bathroom, Chu Xingli roughly ran a towel through her half-dry hair and slowly strolled to the kitchen.
He wanted to make breakfast for Luo Xiaoran.
After all, last night was really tough.
Seeing all sorts of unfamiliar kitchen utensils in the kitchen, I felt a little lost.
To be honest, Chu Xingli isn't very good at cooking.
...or rather, almost never.
He worried that if he actually made breakfast for Luo Xiaoran, it would probably end up sending him to the hospital.
It would be better to just cut a few slices of bread and put a cup of hot milk on the table; at least that would be safer for Luo Xiaoran.
Chu Xingli ate a couple of bites of bread, tilted her head back and finished her glass of milk, then grabbed her car keys and went out.
.
Chu Xingli arrived at the company before the lunch break ended.
Fortunately, many employees are not at their workstations during this time, so he can pretend that he didn't arrive at noon.
However, the energetic Anna didn't rest. She lay on her desk, idly scrolling through the same old marketing accounts and gossip news.
Chu Xingli wanted to sneak back to her office, bypassing Anna's gaze, but she accidentally bumped into the leaves of a potted plant in the corner that was taller than a person.
The sound of "whoosh" made Anna look up.
Anna hasn't seen CEO Chu for many days.
She made soy milk as usual today, and before she even started drinking it, she saw Mr. Chu's figure and waved to Chu Xingli with delight: "Mr. Chu! You're here for work today?"
Caught red-handed, Chu Xingli was embarrassed and could only walk over helplessly: "Why didn't you take a lunch break?"
“I’m not sleepy,” Anna stretched and went to the tea room to get the cup that Young Master Chu usually uses to drink soy milk at her place. She added an extra sugar, filled it with soy milk, and handed it to Chu Xingli. “Young Master Chu, have a cup.”
"Thank you~" Chu Xingli took the soy milk Anna handed him, took a sip, and asked with a smile, "How's the beating up of the homeless going? Want me to top up your diamonds again?"
Anna was too embarrassed to ask her boss to top up her diamonds again, so she quickly shook her head: "No need, no need, I still haven't used up the diamonds that Mr. Chu topped up for me last time."
After saying that, she smiled and corrected him, "Young Master Chu, that's a vagabond style."
Chu Xingli has a bad memory, so when Anna corrected him, he just smiled and corrected himself, "Sorry, I got it wrong."
Anna smiled, her eyes crinkling, clearly delighted by the arrival of Young Master Chu.
Having spent all her days surrounded by ordinary men, she couldn't be luckier to have Young Master Chu here to feast her eyes on.
Chu Xingli glanced at her watch and realized that there was still half an hour left before lunch break ended, so she thought she would chat with Anna for a while.
It was a way to unwind before the afternoon's work.
"During the days I was away, did anyone enter my office?"
Chu Xingli asked this question not because he had noticed anything.
He simply asked casually because he felt that the things on his computer were embarrassing to show to others.
However, the speaker may not have meant anything by it, but the listener took it to heart.
As soon as Chu Xingli finished speaking, Anna suddenly held her breath, blinking her round eyes rapidly, afraid that she might accidentally say something wrong.
Seeing Anna's expression, even if Chu Xingli was slow to realize, she could tell that something was wrong with Anna's reaction.
"What's wrong?" Chu Xingli's heart skipped a beat, and she asked in bewilderment, "There really is?"
...Could it be my older brother? He probably doesn't have that much free time.
As long as it's not that swordsman Gu Zezhou, it's fine.
Otherwise, he would definitely spread the word about his love for watching Phoenix Comics in great detail, making sure the whole world knows.
Thinking about this, Chu Xingli couldn't help but feel that she had been overthinking things.
Why would Gu Zezhou come to his office for no reason?
Unless Old Master Chu or his elder brother faints in the office, there is absolutely no chance that Gu Zezhou will come to Chu's Group.
At other times, the probability of coming here is extremely low.
……etc.
There's also Luo Xiaoran and his eldest sister.
The eldest sister had to accompany Ms. Ye Huihui shopping and didn't have time to peek at his secret.
Only Luo Xiaoran is left...
Will Luo Xiaoran sneak into the company to peek at his Phoenix Comics when they're not together?
Unless he is sick.
"Obviously not...it's ridiculous." Chu Xingli chuckled at her own thought.
Hearing him mutter to himself, Anna asked curiously, "Young Master Chu, what can't you do?"
Chu Xingli relaxed.
“I have no doubt about your work ability,” Chu Xingli said, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, casually admiring the scenery outside, her hands behind her back with confidence. “Of course, no one would be so bold as to walk into my office.”
Anna: "..."
Well, that's not necessarily true.
Chu Xingli didn't hear Anna's reply, so he turned around and glanced at her.
Thinking of her confidentiality agreement, Anna shook her head firmly, then nodded vigorously.
“Of course, of course,” she tried to sound sincere, “no one has ever been in your office.”
Chu Xingli nodded in satisfaction.
They forever missed their chance to get as close as possible to the truth.
"I'm going back to my office," Chu Xingli said, holding her half-finished soy milk. Suddenly remembering something, she said to Anna, "Recommend some good cakes for me later, and make sure they're nicely designed. Thanks!"
Anna could tell with a snap of her fingers that President Chu bought the cake to give to Luo Xiaoran.
Upon hearing this, he immediately put on a "I've been hit with another one" expression and replied to Chu Xingli with a grin.
.
Chu Xingli pushed open the office door.
He let out a soft breath.
I didn't overexert myself last night, so when I woke up today, I felt relaxed and refreshed, not particularly tired.
But Chu Xingli knew that her body was extremely weak.
No matter how much I think I'm not tired, my state is still different from that of others who have experienced that kind of thing.
Upon entering the office, Chu Xingli slumped onto the sofa, lay there blankly staring at the ceiling for a while before finally managing to sit up by propping herself up with her elbows.
What should he do today?
After playing for so many days, it's time to get down to business.
Why don't we go find the eldest brother first?
My older brother will definitely make him rest and not do anything.
He might even have his driver take him home, and he won't even be able to stay in the office in peace.
"Buzz, buzz."
Chu Xingli's phone fell from his suit trouser pocket onto the sofa.
The vibration sound was louder than usual.
After last night, Chu Xingli became particularly sensitive to the sound of vibrations.
I was even a little scared.
Following the sound, I looked down and saw it was a cell phone, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
Chu Xingli picked up her phone.
It turned out the message was from the stars.
[My Star: Good afternoon, Pear]
[My Star: How was your day? Are you in a good mood?]
Chu Xingli was indeed in a good mood, and felt even more relaxed after seeing the news about Xingxing.
[A ton of tangerines: Good afternoon~]
[Showing off a ton of tangerines: I'm in a really good mood today. I'm going to read some novels and comics later, and then buy some small cakes when I get back.]
I don't know if she's interested in her own novel and Phoenix Comics, or in the little cake.
The other side responded quickly.
[My Star: A Mini Cake?]
[My Star: Pear, are you in a relationship?]
Upon seeing Xingxing's question, Chu Xingli hesitated for a moment.
What should he say?
They didn't date, but they got married.
Although we're married, we're about to get divorced.
Even if they're getting a divorce, he and his soon-to-be ex-husband are still having sex.
...What a strange relationship.
He doesn't want to tell.
While I was hesitating, Xingxing sent a new message.
[My Star: We're all adults, let's talk about it~]
[My Star: [Kitten rubbing its paws expectantly.jpg]]
Chu Xingli had made up her mind not to say anything, but unexpectedly, Xingxing sent her next message directly to the group chat of the four of them.
[My Star: Would anyone be interested in hearing Pear's love story?]
[My Star: Pear's in a relationship! We're going to buy some mini cakes tonight!]
For some reason, Chu Xingli didn't feel uncomfortable at all with Xingxing's rhythm of cuing the process; in fact, she even felt a little awkward.
The image of bringing a small cake home to Luo Xiaoran that evening also becomes tangible at this moment.
Chu Xingli pursed his lips; the thought of Luo Xiaoran made him inexplicably thirsty.
[Estuary: Oh? You're in a relationship? Congratulations!]
[Estuary: Remember to send out wedding invitations]
Chu Xingli was somewhat surprised by the Estuary brothers' remarks.
In the past few days, Estuary has only spoken a handful of times in the group chat.
Why did he suddenly jump in today whenever the topic of dating came up?
Thinking that the four of them shared the same interests, and that it was fate that brought people from all over the world together as friends, Chu Xingli's reply became more enthusiastic.
[A ton of tangerines: Hahaha, okay, definitely!]
[A ton of tangerines is on display: Estuary brothers, hurry up and get started!]
As expected, Chu Xingli did not receive a reply from the aloof Estuary brothers.
He didn't think much of it, walked to his desk, and prepared to turn on his computer to see what everyone's recent work was like.
"Buzz, buzz."
Before Chu Xingli could put down his phone and turn on his computer, the vibration sound caught his attention again.
This time it's Luo Xiaoran.
[Liaoyuan: Thank you for the brunch you prepared for me.]
[Liaoyuan: [Bread and Milk.jpg]]
Chu Xingli's cheeks flushed.
[One punch to shatter this world: You woke up so early]
Luo Xiaoran didn't seem very busy today, as he was fully absorbed in chatting with Chu Xingli.
[Liaoyuan: Weren't you here before me?]
[Liaoyuan: Aren't you feeling unwell?]
Remembering what she had just said to Xingxing and Estuary, Chu Xingli couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
[I punched the world to pieces: Luckily, I'm not feeling unwell.]
[I'll smash this world with one punch: I need to get back to work now, see you when I get home tonight]
Luo Xiaoran replied with "Okay, hug," and then fell silent.
.
"Knock knock knock—"
A knock came at the door.
Chu Xingli raised her voice and said "Please come in" before continuing to type on the keyboard.
"Young Master Chu, I've sent you the locations of all the shops," Anna said with a smile as she came in to deliver coffee to Chu Xingli. "If you're not in a hurry, there are two shops near my house. I can bring them to you tomorrow morning."
After she finished speaking, she suddenly realized that when Mr. Chu asked her about the shop earlier, it was probably because he needed the supplies today and didn't have enough time tomorrow.
Sure enough, Chu Xingli shook his head: "Tomorrow won't work, I have to buy it today."
“Mr. Chu, if you’re in a real hurry, wouldn’t it be more convenient to arrange for one of your hotels to do it?” Anna suggested.
Chu Xingli sighed, her tone full of disappointment with the overly ornate and elaborate pastries at her hotels: "They're not original. I want something more varied and more down-to-earth."
Ideally, they should all be in the shape of little pigs, rabbits, or turtles.
That's what makes it cute.
Thinking that she had nothing to do at the company, Chu Xingli glanced at the time and had a flash of inspiration: "Anna, shall I take you to skip work? You can come with me to go shopping now."
Upon hearing this, Anna quickly put down the coffee she was holding and took two steps back, clearly indicating that she wanted to distance herself from Chu Xingli.
Chu Xingli: "???"
what?
“Young Master Chu,” Anna held up three fingers to show her loyalty, “please don’t lead me astray. I still want to serve the Chu family for another hundred years.”
She didn't want to risk losing her secure job by skipping work with her incompetent boss, as President Chu, who held her power, would kick her out of the game.
Chu Xingli: "..."
He is, after all, the young master of the Chu family. Shouldn't he have the right to skip work with others?
After a five-second deliberation, Anna couldn't resist the temptation of a paid drive and grabbed the car keys, following Mr. Chu downstairs.
"After you come with me to buy the cake, just go straight home from get off work," Chu Xingli said with a smile, twirling her car keys on her fingertips as she leaned against the elevator wall. "It'll save you the trouble of going back and forth."
Anna was almost moved to tears: "Mr. Chu, you are truly the best leader I have ever met. I will follow you forever."
Chu Xingli raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I'll most likely be my older brother's employee forever, so you'll be the employee's employee's employee?"
The two chatted and laughed as they arrived at the underground parking garage.
When Chu Xingli arrived at the parking space, she looked closely and found that her car was gone.
“The other key to my car is with my older brother… He drove my car away,” Chu Xingli said, rubbing his earlobe in distress. “He must have found out I came to the company.”
Anna doesn't understand the world of the rich and wants to compete with them.
“Then drive my car, Mr. Chu,” Anna pointed to the light green car not far away, “My chopped chili fish head is pretty cool too.”
Chu Xingli readily nodded: "Okay."
Considering that Anna had been busy at the company for most of the day, Chu Xingli took the initiative to sit in the driver's seat and became her driver, despite Anna's objections.
Following the navigation, the two quickly arrived at Anna's favorite cake shop.
Chu Xingli selected a few items, asked the shop assistant to wrap the cakes nicely, handed one to Anna, and placed the rest on the back seat.
Anna was too eager to eat, and since she wasn't in a relationship, she sat in the passenger seat and started eating the cake that Mr. Chu had given her.
“Mr. Chu, there are still more than two hours before we get off work,” Anna said, seemingly very passionate about her job. “Let’s go back to the company together. Otherwise, if I go straight home, it won’t be convenient for you to take a taxi with all these cakes in your hands.”
Chu Xingli thought about it and agreed, so he adopted Anna's suggestion.
"Young Master Chu, why do you want to buy small cakes?" Anna asked, gossiping as she ate her cake.
She wanted to hear how Mr. Chu and Teacher Luo actually got along.
Ideally, I'd make her swoon with sweetness.
...because Luo Xiaoran wanted to eat it.
The answer instantly came to Chu Xingli's mind.
But of course he wouldn't say it aloud, only vaguely replying to Anna, "...Of course it's because I want to eat it."
Anna would never believe that.
She's known Mr. Chu for quite some time now.
Although Xiao Chu has a sweet tooth, he's not so greedy as to travel across half the city during work hours just to buy a few cute and appealing little cakes.
She's really into it!
Young Master Chu and Teacher Luo will never get a divorce!!!
Chu Xingli was focused on driving and had no idea that his secretary was secretly gossiping about him.
Suddenly, Chu Xingli frowned and glanced at the rearview mirror: "Why is that car behind us following us?"
Anna's heart skipped a beat. She quickly turned around and looked closely: "Damn it, what a small world! How did I run into him here?"
"Who is it?" Chu Xingli skillfully changed lanes, preventing the car behind from following too closely.
“A single man in his late twenties has been bothering me for days,” Anna said, scratching her head in frustration. She had lost all appetite for her cake. “He runs a supermarket near our neighborhood. He must have seen my car, which is why he chased after me. Mr. Chu, let’s hurry up and drive off.”
Anna's car always has window tinting.
So that people behind can't see whether the driver is male or female.
"Beep beep—"
"Beep beep beep—"
The cars behind kept honking their horns.
There weren't many cars on this road, and by pressing the button like that, he was clearly urging Anna's car to stop.
Chu Xingli frowned.
They continued to use lane changes to shake off the persistent cars behind them.
However, the person behind him seemed unwilling to give up this hard-won opportunity easily today.
He pressed the accelerator and caught up, even tilting his car to slow down the other two vehicles.
Chu Xingli was already a bit irritable, and she loathed this annoying man who didn't even realize it.
Seeing that the road ahead was flat and there were no cars blocking the way, he silently stepped on the gas pedal to the floor.
Unexpectedly, the man did not back down; instead, he charged headlong into the car.
They had made up their minds to use this method to force Anna to stop.
"Bang--!!!"
Chu Xingli reacted extremely quickly. Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, he suddenly steered the ship, preventing Anna, who was sitting in the passenger seat, from being hit on the head.
The rear door of his car was slammed hard against the guardrail by the car behind him.
"Ah—!!!" Anna screamed in fright, but more than that, she was furious.
The man in the car behind didn't do anything. He got out of his car, walked over quickly, and knocked hard on Chu Xingli's car window.
"Hey beautiful, how were you driving? Look, you've had an accident! How about we exchange contact information, privately..."
Chu Xingli seized the opportunity, suddenly pushed open the car door, and violently shoved the man who was almost leaning against the door to harass her, forcing him to take four or five steps back before he regained his footing in a panic.
Seeing Chu Xingli get out of the car, he frowned: "...Why is it a man?"
"What you're doing is illegal!" Anna's hands were still trembling as she struggled to open the car door, pointing at the man and angrily shouting, "I'm calling the police right now!!!"
Upon seeing Anna, the man immediately perked up, grinning with his yellow teeth, and said, "Oh, your boyfriend? You like this kind of pretty boy?"
Anna wanted nothing more than to rip down the roadside guardrail and smash it over his head: "Shut your filthy mouth! You just wait! I'm calling the police right now!"
As she spoke, she reached into the car to touch her phone.
"You get in the car first, I'll handle it."
Chu Xingli didn't call Anna by her name, worried that the other party would remember it and use other means to retaliate against Anna in the future.
The less he knows, the more Anna can be protected.
Over the years, Chu Xingli has witnessed many disgusting and vile thoughts among some men in the business world.
Anna wasn't too frightened by the car crash, but she was terrified by the man's reaction.
Compared to a car accident and a disgusting man, it's not so scary after all.
Upon hearing Chu Xingli's words, Anna quickly responded while fearfully sitting back in the car, waiting for Chu Xingli to resolve the situation.
Chu Xingli took out her phone and quickly reported the incident to the traffic police and public security bureau.
Ignoring the man's persistent nagging, he returned to the driver's seat to rest, only then realizing he was feeling dizzy.
While he was swerving to avoid being rear-ended, his head hit the A-pillar due to the limited space inside the car.
The noise and force were considerable, but I didn't have time to pay attention at the time.
"Young Master Chu, how are you?" Anna asked anxiously.
"...I feel a bit nauseous." Chu Xingli's voice was weak and feeble, clearly indicating that she was in great discomfort.
It's far more than just what he described as "a little bit".
Chu Xingli sat stiffly in the driver's seat.
He paid no heed to the dull pain in his forehead.
The moment the two cars collided.
In the blink of an eye, countless fragmented memories flashed before Chu Xingli's eyes and into his mind.
He was certain that it was a memory from his past.
The main characters in the clips are mostly him and Luo Xiaoran.
But ever-present is Pei Jianian, who haunts people like a ghost and refuses to let go.
Chu Xingli felt uncomfortable every time she thought of Pei Jianian.
He didn't know why.
However, he clearly knew that his reason for disliking Pei Jianian was not just because Pei Jianian was Luo Xiaoran's official love interest in the original book.
...The fog is thick and hazy; when will it finally dissipate?
Yu Guangzhong: A black SUV stopped next to Anna's car.
The person in the driver's seat got out of the car.
Chu Xingli felt dizzy and had no interest in seeing who the other person was.
After all, the other person didn't give him the feeling of being an acquaintance...
"Xing Li?" The newcomer's voice was gentle and pleasant to the ear.
As Anna let out a soft "Oh my God," Chu Xingli opened his eyes in surprise.
...Did he guess wrong?
It turns out it really is someone I know?
Chu Xingli turned her head away.
He inevitably saw a face he really didn't want to see.
Pei Jianian promptly withdrew his sinister gaze from the perpetrator and turned to look at Chu Xingli, his eyes filled with worry:
"Xingli, what happened to you again?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com