Chapter 31 The Apartment Showdown Day Eleven: The President Hasn't Smiled in a Long Time (...)
He really wanted to...
I want...
Xie Ruan kissed him.
For the very least, Zhou Jingchi felt his own heavy breathing.
His breath seemed to carry a little moisture, all of which landed on Xie Ruan's well-behaved face.
Xie Ruan seemed completely oblivious to everything.
She just blushed and dodged away.
Zhou Jingchi noticed Xie Ruan's eyelashes flutter slightly.
In my line of sight, Xie Ruan's eyelashes were blinking slowly, unlike usual.
Instead, there was a slight tremor as if her body was shaking.
So cute...
Zhou Jingchi's breathing became even more rapid.
Zhou Jingchi was very certain.
He's straight.
Zhou Jingchi has never been in a relationship.
From childhood to adulthood, he never understood what it felt like to like someone.
Zhou Jingchi even has a strange view of interpersonal relationships.
Even with family members, Zhou Jingchi didn't show any affection whatsoever.
Zhou Jingchi had always felt that it was because he didn't have a younger sister.
If he had a younger sister, he might like her.
Unfortunately, this idea has not yet come to fruition.
Zhou Jingchi has been making excuses for many years. He has never thought about why he is convinced that he might like a sister who can make him dote on, when he has no interest in other people's sisters or his own brothers.
Zhou Jingchi has always believed this.
But...
When it came to Xie Ruan, it took on a different meaning.
Zhou Jingchi wasn't sure what this inexplicable feeling was either.
He just felt as if all the moisture had been suddenly drained from his throat.
Xie Ruan's thin lips...
It's very soft.
It's very eye-catching.
Zhou Jingchi's calloused hands brushed against Xie Ruan's thin lips.
Xie Ruan's shaking became even more intense.
Zhou Jingchi didn't know what was wrong with him, but when his fingers brushed against the other person's thin lips...
He always felt that the touch of red on Xie Ruan's thin lips...
It became even more seductive.
Zhou Jingchi's heart was pounding intensely.
The blood seemed to flow faster in the blood vessels.
Zhou Jingchi even felt his blood run hotter.
Even his breath was scalding hot, making him feel dizzy.
Xie Ruan whispered softly in his ear.
If they weren't so close, Zhou Jingchi wouldn't have even heard Xie Ruan say, "Wh-what's wrong?"
...
Zhou Jingchi's breathing became a little heavier.
The atmosphere around them became oppressive.
Zhou Jingchi looked at Xie Ruan's bewildered face turned to the side, and felt a sudden burning sensation. He blurted out, almost without thinking, "Xie Ruan, could you...?"
?
Xie Ruan tilted her head.
Zhou Jingchi's voice was extremely low, so low that he could barely hear it himself: "Kiss me, for a moment."
*
...?
The sound is too soft.
Zhou Jingchi is clearly a spirited and masculine boy.
Why are you suddenly speaking so softly?
Xie Ruan didn't hear Zhou Jingchi's voice clearly at all.
He even felt that...
Is there something wrong with your ears?
I didn't hear it clearly.
Xie Ruan stared at Zhou Jingchi with a bewildered expression.
But Zhou Jingchi's ears were almost completely red.
Normally, Zhou Jingchi would always approach him aggressively.
Xie Ruan couldn't escape.
This time, it was Zhou Jingchi who was dodging?
Xie Ruan sensed something was wrong and looked in Zhou Jingchi's direction.
But Zhou Jingchi turned his head away silently.
She seemed guilty and didn't look at him.
Xie Ruan: ?
Xie Ruan: What happened?
Xie Ruan watched as Zhou Jingchi's ears and neck grew increasingly red...
Zhou Jingchi is not usually this strange.
Zhou Jingchi is different from him; she is not socially anxious and doesn't blush when she looks at people.
Xie Ruan's eyelashes twitched inexplicably, and she reached out her slender hand to poke Zhou Jingchi.
It's a bit hot.
But it doesn't seem to be the kind of illness.
Xie Ruan's fingers moved downwards.
The tentative touch caused Zhou Jingchi's skin to turn white.
It doesn't seem so hot anymore.
so.
Isn't it a fever?
What causes localized redness?
Xie Ruan didn't know much about illness; to him, as long as he didn't die, it wasn't a big problem.
But people in this era seem very fragile.
Xie Ruan had read in the book that whenever someone had a fever, many people would care for and look after them. Even with just a minor cold, the male protagonist and various friends would send them all sorts of heartwarming gifts.
Xie Ruan didn't know what kind of illness Zhou Jingchi had.
But Zhou Jingchi treated him very well.
Xie Ruan tiptoed and placed her palm on Zhou Jingchi's forehead. Too nervous, she couldn't speak clearly: "Are you sick?"
Xie Ruan took another step closer.
To everyone's surprise, Zhou Jingchi's reaction was even stronger; he not only took a rare step back, but also...
Even when he saw Xie Ruan take a step forward and approach him, he seemed to resist.
He suddenly turned and ran in the opposite direction.
then--
Snap.
Zhou Jingchi was facing the ground.
He tripped and fell to the ground.
Xie Ruan: ...
Xie Ruan stood there, stunned.
Then Zhou Jingchi, who had his hands and feet off the ground, suddenly covered his face and got up.
Xie Ruan was about to take another step forward.
Zhou Jingchi shuddered.
In a flash.
They've all disappeared.
Xie Ruan tilted her head, looking completely bewildered: ?
*
He ran out, slammed the door shut, and Zhou Jingchi found himself breathing heavily.
He wouldn't have left the villa so early.
Zhou Jingchi's work was delayed until very late, but he still instinctively came up with it.
Zhou Jingchi felt that his whole body was very strange.
He felt his body was very hot.
The burn wasn't the kind of burn he had imagined, the kind that makes you sick.
Instead...
Everything left behind after Xie Ruan's sudden contact was strange, scorching hot.
He knew Xie Ruan's temperature all too well.
Xie Ruanming's temperature wasn't that scalding.
So, his body temperature now...
It was his own?
Zhou Jingchi's breathing became increasingly labored.
He felt his heart beating faster and faster.
This caused his breathing to become increasingly erratic.
Only the breaths swirling in the mist remained, slowly rising into the air.
He was left alone with a chaotic consciousness, a silent manifestation—
He seems to be...
To Xie Ruan.
No, too, one, the same.
But he didn't know why.
*
Unbeknownst to them, Xie Ruan, who had just left with Jiang Zhi and Zhou Jingchi, quickly recovered from her confusion.
Then, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
What came to mind was—
so good?
The employer just left so easily?
Then he can go home again!
Xie Ruan happily spun around in place.
*
outdoor.
Pei Zhi left the villa in the morning.
Zhou Jingchi left a little later than Pei Zhi.
Pei Zhi got into the car after Li Teshu opened the door, just in time to see Zhou Jingchi running away in a disheveled state like a gust of wind.
Assistant Li chuckled dryly: "Mr. Zhou, you really have a lot of energy."
Pei Zhi got into the car calmly, his gaze lingering only for a moment before shifting away without saying a word.
Pei Zhi's back was ramrod straight, and his ever-present black suit was almost wrinkle-free. Only the opal cufflinks on his sleeves and his crossed legs left a heavy, oppressive feeling in the car.
Even Li, who had spent a lot of time in front of Pei Zhi, could only grit his teeth and accept this oppressive feeling.
Assistant Li glanced at his boss in the rearview mirror.
It wasn't until he looked at his boss's tie that he realized—
What kind of tie did Xie Ruan give to the CEO?
? ? ?
It should be noted that Pei Zhi's attire is always impeccable.
From the moment Assistant Li met Pei Zhi, Pei Zhi remained an unyielding, icy figure.
He is not only extremely obsessive about perfectionism.
Even the creases in the suit were few and far between, almost nonexistent.
Despite his extreme fastidiousness, demanding of himself to be spotless at all times, Assistant Li surprisingly noticed his boss's impeccably tailored figure—broad shoulders and a narrow waist—out of the suit, and a style that was... remarkably rare...
It came with an extremely expensive black tie, but the way it was tied was worse than the red scarf I wore for the first time in first grade...
Assistant Li suddenly realized that the excessively suppressed emotions around him could be traced back to something: "..."
Could it be that he lacks vision and angered the CEO?
Assistant Li kept looking in the rearview mirror.
Assistant Li wanted to strike up a conversation, but the car was moving, and no matter what, he couldn't simply step over to the back to tie the president's tie.
Assistant Li felt like he was suffocating: "..."
His forehead was covered in cold sweat.
Thinking back carefully, it seemed to have been since he became Pei Zhi's special assistant.
The only time.
A mistake.
Assistant Li dared not speak. He kept staring at Pei Zhi, but Pei Zhi acted as if nothing had happened, crossing his legs indifferently and letting his well-defined fingers turn the pages of an exquisite magazine.
Assistant Li thought he probably wouldn't lose his job: "..."
Assistant Li didn't even know how he got to the company.
As soon as they arrived at the car, Assistant Li hurriedly ran to open the door for the president.
Then he said, "Shall I tie your tie? Is it loose?"
Assistant Li forced himself to speak.
Normally, the CEO would handle these matters himself.
But why is this time different?
Could it be that the president trusts Xie Ruan too much?
So you didn't check?
Assistant Li quickly stepped forward.
However, Pei Zhi stepped aside before she could get closer.
Pei Zhi: "No need."
Pei Zhi's tone was icy cold.
Hearing this, one could not detect a trace of emotion, but it was enough to stump Assistant Li, who usually handled everything in an orderly manner.
?
What does it mean?
No need?
Assistant Li quickly followed, carrying the documents.
Pei Zhi walked at the very front.
Logically speaking, Assistant Li thought that his boss should refuse to let him wear the tie and then wear it himself.
If that's the case, Assistant Li can understand, given the CEO's obsessive-compulsive disorder.
but……
Assistant Li kept a close eye on his boss.
Keep staring...
Keep an eye on it.
"Bang!" Assistant Li crashed into a pillar.
I didn't see his CEO wearing a tie either.
The room was completely silent.
Pei Zhi walked ahead.
Assistant Li hurriedly followed.
Pei Zhi exuded a strong aura. As soon as he entered, the employees who had been laughing and joking just moments before fell silent.
The president's voice was too loud.
All that remained was Pei Zhi leaving directly, and Assistant Li frantically pressing the floor button as they got on the elevator.
Assistant Li was in a panic: Why isn't he wearing his tie yet?
The receptionist's well-mannered greeting almost came to an abrupt halt when she bumped into her boss's crooked tie.
No one could remain indifferent to Pei Zhi's incongruous, disheveled tie.
What happened?
The receptionist couldn't resist sending a message in the group chat.
Others also gradually noticed Pei Zhi's unusual behavior—
[The president is acting strangely? Didn't Assistant Li see it either?]
[Why is Assistant Li's forehead red? It looks like there's a bump on it.]
Assistant Li just bumped into the wall; that's awful!
That must hurt a lot!
This is the first time I've ever seen Assistant Li so distracted.
...
The keyboard started clattering.
The chat window kept flashing with pop-up messages.
With a "ding".
Pei Zhi had already reached the top floor.
Unlike the employees below, those at the top are extremely busy; being busy is practically their defining characteristic.
None of the top-level employees viewed the messages in the group chat.
But in that instant, she stood up and greeted the president.
He bumped into Pei Zhi's stubborn, unyielding tie...
Out of order.
Although it did not affect Pei Zhi's sharp features and extremely delicate features in the slightest.
It even gave people the inexplicable feeling that Pei Zhi seemed more approachable than usual.
Even so...
This also made them too afraid.
Is their CEO having a mental breakdown?
Everyone was still in shock and thought.
Then they heard Assistant Li clear his throat and say, "Let's start the meeting."
Everyone nodded immediately, organized their own documents, and stopped thinking about the matter.
*
"The president should have straightened his tie by now, right?" they wondered.
I never expected that when they had all finished organizing the documents and were welcoming the president...
What they saw was still the CEO with his messy tie.
"..."
Everyone: Are they really in reality now, or are they sleepwalking? Hi? Spit out their proper CEO persona.
Facing the president with his icy gaze.
Everyone only dared to talk about it in their minds.
Then, they focused their gaze intently on their own CEO.
Then, looking at Pei Zhi, he calmly took his seat in the main seat.
Pei Zhi casually rested his elbow on the side of the chair, turned his head to the side, and bent his slender index finger, indifferently supporting the weight of his head.
Then he turned his fingers indifferently, raised his eyes, and gestured for the start.
Assistant Li turned off the lights.
The employees were chatting away, but every time they saw their boss's messy tie, they couldn't help but glance at it again.
Employee: Help! Such a conspicuous tie, no one can possibly miss it, right? He's been possessed.
The employee was distracted several times.
It wasn't until Assistant Li coughed lightly to remind him.
He then came to his senses and continued speaking.
Everyone in the meeting room was acting strangely.
Only Pei Zhi remained, indifferently marking one sentence after another on the proposal: "This needs to be changed."
The employee nodded in sudden realization: "..." As expected of the president, he was concise and to the point, and then raised the question.
"bite."
The employees just came down.
Everyone was alerted by a notification sound.
They looked up abruptly, wondering who was so suicidal as to not mute their microphone during a CEO meeting.
The account being projected was their CEO's computer.
Everyone: ...
Everyone: If it's the CEO, you can do whatever you want...
Everyone froze on the spot, watching helplessly as a notification message popped up on the CEO's device—
Hello, your VIP Black Card was used to make a 2 RMB purchase of ice cream at the VIP Mall [Mi Moumou City] store. Please be informed.
?
How much?
Two yuan for an ice cream?
Hello, your VIP Black Card was used to purchase chilled lemonade worth 4 yuan at the VIP Mall [Mi Moumou City] store. Please let us know.
?
How much is that?
Four yuan for lemonade?
How come the CEO's spending habits are even more down-to-earth than theirs?
They usually drink Starbucks coffee at noon, which costs thirty or forty yuan a cup.
Why would their CEO order a 4-yuan lemonade for takeout?
Their company is about to go bankrupt?
That's not right.
Their Pei Group is a leading enterprise in the country.
Its subsidiaries have countless industries.
How could it possibly go bankrupt??
The employees were all puzzled, but before they could even process what was happening, a message pop-up from Pei Zhi appeared.
[Jiang, Boss Jiang, what bank is this card from? Why are they saying they can't withdraw money?]
Jiang, Boss Jiang?
This, this.
Who is this?
Nobody said their CEO had a pseudonym.
The shocking news came so suddenly that for a moment, no one remembered to look down or look away. They were all just staring at the screen instinctively.
Then I looked at the screen and saw a photo that the other person had sent.
[Photo.JPG]
On the screen, the photo sent by someone named [。] is only a very small image if it is not opened.
However, in the unopened photo, a small section of fair and tender thigh was unintentionally revealed when the card was taken, which still dazzled everyone's eyes for a moment.
This too.
Taibai.
Isn't it too thin?
*
The employees each had their own thoughts.
Until a distant gaze fell upon me.
All the talents instinctively lowered their heads and said, "Well then, the meeting is over. President, I'll go revise the plan."
"I'll go too."
"I'll contact the clients too."
...
The employees left as if in a swarm.
Only the employees who went outside were in an uproar, whispering amongst themselves as if they had just recovered from their shock.
"Unbelievable? The CEO has an alias?? Boss Jiang???"
"What's even more shocking is that the CEO's black card was used by someone else? Wasn't it said that our CEO didn't have a fiancé or fiancé? With this personality, it seems like he can't possibly have a boyfriend or girlfriend either???"
"Could it be a lover? Those legs... I didn't look closely, but they look really good."
"Sorry, I'm a girl, I don't have legs like that. I think it must be the legs of an extremely pretty young girl, right?"
"Thinking about it this way, the messy tie seems to make sense. The president probably can't bear to take off the tie that his boss tied."
"The CEO has blossomed like an iron tree???"
The employees walked and talked, none of them willing to go back to their workstations.
It wasn't until Assistant Li coughed lightly that they seemed to suddenly realize something and quickly ran to their workstations to start working.
*
I waited for a long time.
Pei Zhicai walked out of the conference room.
Assistant Li opened the door for Pei Zhi.
Pei Zhi's gaze remained icy, as if nothing had happened. Extremely calm, he entered the office with his messy tie.
Assistant Li was unsure whether to go in or not, so he cautiously sat down at his assistant's desk after he had a full view of Pei Zhi entering the president's office.
There was not a sound in the room.
Pei Zhi strode forward and sat down on the president's desk with utmost composure.
The person on the phone was still sending incessant, troubling messages.
Pei Zhi lowered his eyes and just in time to see Xie Ruan carefully typing and sending each word.
Every word Xie Ruan sent seemed to have been carefully considered.
It's as if attention can only stay on whether there's a problem with the text.
They overlooked what kind of photo they actually posted.
Pei Zhi's index finger traced Xie Ruan's photo.
Xie Ruan's photos appear to be taken while she is lying down.
Xie Ruan was completely unprepared, as if she had found a very comfortable position.
However, she didn't notice that her shorts were a little too short.
Xie Ruan was very frugal with money. Because she was used to being poor, the clothes she wore were all left behind by the original owner of the body.
Xie Ruan didn't know why, but adult boys liked to wear such short shorts, not only above the knee, but also up to the thigh.
Xie Ruan wasn't sure if his thigh circumference had increased or if the black shorts were a bit too small, but he felt that the leg rings on his legs created a soft, tactile effect.
The area where it was strangled is a little red.
However, this is the only design available for the shorts.
Xie Ruan felt that these pants were very cool.
There was no one else in the villa, so they tolerated the pants.
He didn't even realize that he was too focused on the clarity of the card and didn't notice that his fair, half-curled thighs, adorned with black leg rings, suddenly appeared in the frame.
Xie Ruan still hadn't received a reply from the man.
Xie Ruan was somewhat dejected, and the gray hairs on her head fell down in a flurry.
Is Jiang Zhi trying to renege on his debt?
Xie Ruan pouted her thin, moist lips.
I haven't replied to him.
He searched for a long time but couldn't find out which bank the black card belonged to.
Xie Ruan could not retrieve it.
You can't find out how much money they have.
Xie Ruan looked sullen as she carefully examined her card.
Even though she was sure the photo was clear, she still subconsciously and reluctantly got out of bed again, took another picture from the bed, and sent it.
[Can you see it clearly now? I spent six yuan.]
I don't know how to withdraw the remaining money.
I took another picture.
Can you see it clearly?
[I'll take a picture of the back too.]
Xie Ruan typed the words rapidly.
He's actually not good at communicating with people.
Even when communicating online, he still has some social anxiety.
But for some reason, Jiang Zhi didn't reply. Instead, he gained some courage and typed more and more smoothly, sending one picture after another.
Pei Zhi opened the photo.
Caught completely off guard, Xie Ruan was now slightly parting her curled-up legs.
Pei Zhi noticed Xie Ruan's oversized shirt, which slipped slightly as the boy sat up, partially covering Xie Ruan's shorts and revealing her fair thighs with a delicate, pearly sheen.
He took a breath away for a moment.
All that remained was the sound of Pei Zhi's long, slender fingers slowly tapping on the table.
And the sound of Pei Zhi typing, his fingers gently tracing the screen.
Unable to retrieve.
*
Can't get it out?
Xie Ruan's ahoge (cowlick) stood up.
Are you taking advantage of him because he's poor and ignorant?
In the apocalypse, there are no bank cards, and people don't even need currency to obtain food.
However, Xie Ruan knew that the world needed currency, or electronic currency. Therefore, both electronic currency and real currency could be freely deposited and withdrawn.
But Jiang Zhi actually told him no.
How could that be!
Xie Ruan's ahoge (cowlick) stood up even straighter.
He refused to believe it, thinking that Jiang Zhi must not have looked carefully, and took another picture.
[Such a huge head!]
[Look closely, are you sure you're not mistaken? QAQ! Hey bro, this should definitely work, I've already spent six yuan on it.]
Is Jiang Zhi saying it can't be removed because she doesn't want him to take it out?!
Xie Ruan refused to believe it and posted photos of her bank card from every angle.
The desire for money is too strong.
Completely unaware, Pei Zhi was watching Xie Ruan send him photos.
I happened to see the shadow of the cowlick in Xie Ruan's photo.
From normal.
To fall.
It should be tilted up slightly.
It rises even higher as the air is released.
The air got so thick it curled up and bent over.
The photos, like comic strips, were sent over quietly without Xie Ruan's knowledge.
Assistant Li knocked on the door and entered.
Unexpectedly, they happened to see Pei Zhi, who was still wearing Xie Ruan's messy tie.
He gently touched his thin lips with his fingers.
He chuckled softly.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Assistant Li: HI?
Assistant Li: Is it finally my turn to say that classic line?
already.
long time.
I haven't seen it.
The CEO smiled.
PS: I've changed the update time to 11 PM to midnight these past few days. Sending you lots of love!
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