"You're being unusually proactive today?"
On Sunday noon, Lu Zhe took the initiative to come upstairs to Xia Xiaobing's suite and made her lunch.
Spicy chicken, shredded pork with green peppers, and stir-fried cabbage are all simple home-style dishes, yet they made Xia Xiaobing's smile exceptionally bright.
She continued, "Why are you being so proactive? What are you planning to do?"
Lu Zhe: "I want to take a vacation and go out for a walk to relax."
Xia Xiaobing was slightly taken aback: "Leave? Leave where?"
Lu Zhe calmly explained, "Tomorrow is Monday, but I've been feeling rather... how should I put it, a bit stressed these past two days. So I'd like to go for a drive outside the city tomorrow."
In a sense, it can't be considered a lie. Because the school Tang Qi was going to was indeed outside the main urban area, near the ring road.
Xia Xiaobing picked up a piece of chicken, put it in her mouth, and chewed slowly. She looked down at the meat on the plate, her slightly lost gaze indicating that she was thinking.
Lu Zhe added, "I've calculated it, and the overtime hours I'll work this month are definitely enough for time off in lieu. Our company's policy is that overtime hours are either counted as overtime pay or time off in lieu, so we can choose. I'd like to choose one day of time off in lieu."
Xia Xiaobing said in a low voice, "Of course there is no problem, as long as you make sure that there are no mistakes in the work at hand."
The two continued eating, but as they ate, Xia Xiaobing suddenly raised her face and stared at him.
"Are you only taking one day off?"
Hearing that gentler, more mature voice than usual, Lu Zhe looked at her and met her concerned gaze.
Before he knew it, a grain of rice almost went into his trachea, causing him to cough violently.
"Cough cough cough... cough cough cough!"
Xia Xiaobing silently took a bottle of mineral water, twisted it open, and placed it in front of him.
Lu Zhe took a sip of water, calmed his breathing, and then said, "It's just to adjust my mood. One day off is enough."
Xia Xiaobing: "If one day isn't enough, just let me know and I'll invite you again."
Lu Zhe smiled and said, "That doesn't sound like something a boss would say."
Xia Xiaobing didn't laugh, but said somewhat seriously, "Because I care about you more."
Lu Zhe: "..."
Xia Xiaobing: "Since you joined the company, I've been the one arranging everything for you, from your daily work to your future career planning and how you spend time with me... With all these things combined, has it put a lot of pressure on you?"
Looking into the pretty woman's concerned eyes, Lu Zhe suddenly realized. So, Xia Xiaobing felt that the reason he specifically asked for a day off was because he felt pressured by her?
Lu Zhe also stopped smiling, pondered for a while, and said, "Of course there's some pressure, but I'm still very grateful to you..."
“No, you don’t need to thank me,” Xia Xiaobing interrupted him before he could finish, “because I’m actually doing this for myself. I know I’m a very selfish person. Not only selfish, but also self-righteous, hoping that everyone around me will follow my plans.”
Lu Zhe smiled wryly and said, "Let's not talk about selfishness and arrogance. I think you're just a little bit self-centered."
Xia Xiaobing: "In short, when I planned your future, I didn't really ask if you were willing. It's just that I felt it was the future I wanted to see, the future I wanted to spend with you. Of course, I've tried my best to consider things from your perspective, but... such arbitrary interference in your life will definitely put some pressure on you. I just don't know how much pressure it will put on you."
Lu Zhe believes that if the result of enduring this kind of 'pressure' is a well-paying job and a beautiful and alluring boss/girlfriend, then most men wouldn't refuse it. The reason for saying "most" rather than "all" is that there are, after all, seasoned gay men like Mr. Tang among them.
He took another sip of water, swallowed it, and said, "The pressure is actually not too bad. It's just that I've been staying in the same place and seeing the same people lately, so I suddenly wanted to go to some unfamiliar places."
Xia Xiaobing picked up a few more shredded meat pieces, but didn't eat them immediately. Instead, she asked softly, "Should we make it again today?"
Lu Zhe: "Why not?"
————
After dealing with Xia Xiaobing in the afternoon, Lu Zhe returned to his suite downstairs and made dinner for the two girls. He also mentioned that he would be taking the day off tomorrow.
Xue Xiaodie asked with slight concern, and after confirming that he was not feeling unwell and just wanted to clear his head by himself, she did not ask any further questions.
Tang Qi's eyes lit up, but she didn't say a word, just lowered her head and silently ate her rice...
After dinner, Lu Zhe and Tang Qi played games for a while. Around ten o'clock, when Xue Xiaodie went back to her room to prepare for bed, he and the young lady went out again and entered a nearby hotel.
Tonight we're staying at a different hotel, one that's closer than the first one.
It took almost an hour of running around, including everything.
When the clouds dispersed and the rain stopped, the two washed up, dried themselves off, lay on the bed, wrapped in a thin blanket, hugged each other, their faces almost touching, and started chatting.
Tang Qi: "Are you coming with me tomorrow?"
Lu Zhe: "Right, by the way, will you need to live on campus during your military training and later when you're in class?"
Tang Qi's tone suddenly became troubled: "This is the problem I've been thinking about... I don't want to live at school, because living at school means being separated from you."
Lu Zhe: "Could you continue to stay here and have a bodyguard or driver pick you up and drop you off every day?"
Tang Qi thought for a moment and said, "It should be possible, it's just a little troublesome. Oh well, troublesome is troublesome, I still don't want to be separated from you."
Lu Zhe smiled and said, "That's good, otherwise I would really be worried that President Xia and Xiao Die would find out."
Tang Qi was somewhat bewildered: "See through what?"
Lu Zhe: "The reason I gave them wasn't to help you with your enrollment, but to go out and relax. If they find out in a couple of days that you're not staying here but at the school, they'll definitely remember that you're starting school and then they'll connect that to the leave I took today."
Tang Qi remained silent for a while, then whispered, "You're really thoughtful... But can't we tell them yet?"
Lu Zhe: "It's your decision not to announce the relationship to them. And think about it, President Xia is the boss, and Xiaodie is our friend. It doesn't seem right to tell either of them."
Tang Qi said weakly, "But Sister Xiaodie already knows."
Lu Zhe asked in astonishment, "She told you?"
Tang Qi nodded in his arms.
Lu Zhe fell silent.
Thinking back to what Xue Xiaodie had said to him not long ago, and adding what she had said to Tang Qi... he felt that his guess was pretty much confirmed.
That most ideal guess.
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