Chapter 523 - I am still picky with my food even when I am hungry.

Pei Ge, I… can give you time.”

He continued to stare at her nape. This was his bottom line.

What the man and the woman, who had her head lowered, did not realize was that there was gentleness and helplessness in his eyes.

He himself did not know why he was so adamant on them living together.

What he had intended to say just then was: I won’t force you to stay with me anymore if you really don’t want to. Just treat my earlier words as though I never said them.

However, just when he moved to speak, he realized that he could not utter those words about letting her live separately from him, which should have been easy to say.

Hence, after that realization, what he said, instead, was being able to give her time.

“Okay.”

As he fell into a deep thought of why he had changed his words, he heard her speak.

She lifted her head to look at him again, her expression already schooled back to her calmness.

“Okay, I get it, CEO Ji.” She smiled lightly at him while addressing him as ‘CEO Ji’ again instead of ‘Ziming’.

Pei Ge, you must keep in mind that, no matter how intimate you call and act with him, the relationship between you two are fake through and through.

He will forever be your CEO Ji and never your Ziming.

“Pei Ge…” For some reason, her words made him feel uncomfortable.

“He he, I know. You will dock my pay for calling you CEO Ji. I was just teasing you. Ziming, you won’t be so petty, right?” She grinned at him and adjusted her posture to sit comfortably while staring at the man with extraordinary good looks in the driver’s seat.

He felt strangeness in his heart toward her words and smile, yet he did not know why he did so.

“Are you thinking that it’s strange how I changed my mind so fast?” She grinned when she noticed his frown.

His brows moved ever so slightly as he grew more confused at her 180-degree change in attitude.

Clearly, this dumb woman… was still furious moment ago. Why is she suddenly happily smiling at me in the blink of an eye?

Did something happen while I wasn’t paying attention?

“Of course, it’s because I’ve thought things through!” She blinked at him, seemingly at ease. “You are my boss and I am getting my salary from you. Most importantly…”

She paused for a bit.

Noting the strangeness in her smile, he lightly hummed for her to continue. “Hmm?”

She blinked innocently at his baffled look and said happily, “Ziming, since you don’t like me, even if we stay together, nothing will ever happen between us!”

He was made a little stunned by her words, and he looked at her blankly for a moment.

“Right, Ziming? While our relationship is fake, it’s not exactly proper for a single man and woman to live together, but it’s okay now because our relationship is not between a man and a woman. Instead, it’s between an employer and an employee.”

The longer she talked, the more eloquent she became.

“In your eyes, I’m not a woman, and in my eyes, you’re not a man, so… there’s no longer any issue with us staying together!”

“HM?!” Her words struck him very hard his face turned ghastly.

What did this dumb woman just say?

In her eyes, I am not a man?!

His face turned black.

“Why? Is that not right?” She crossed her arms before her chest and eyed him warily.

The corners of his mouth twitched at her actions.

“Relax, I am still picky with my food even when I am hungry,” he spat disdainfully, regarding her with squinted eyes.

His current mood was extremely! very! bad!

This d*mn woman. How dare she say that she doesn’t see me as a man? Seriously…

“Great, great!” She laughed and brought her hands down from her chest, as if she did not mind his words at all.

Faced with her silly look of relief, he only felt his heart cramping.

“What are you planning to tell your mother?” he coldly questioned.

This dumb woman is so stupid, so if she can’t think of a reason, I can help her think of one.

The man soon realized that he was underestimating her, though.

“Oh, I will just tell my mom that I’m moving to the company’s dormitory.” She shrugged her shoulders with a smile.

“…” He was a little dumbfounded by her casual tone.

“CEO Ji, don’t tell me that you’re not aware of our company having a dormitory?” She blinked at him innocuously once more when she noticed his shock.

“I’ve thought of this already. I plan to tell mom that the company is organizing a training camp, so I must stay in the company dorm for convenience’s sake.”

What she did not know, though, was that he was on the verge of breaking down right now!

Didn’t this dumb woman adamantly express her unwillingness to cohabit with me time and again?! She even said that she doesn’t want to tell her mother a lie!

How is it that, in the span of a few seconds, she’s already all smiles? She even came up with such a legit-sounding excuse!

Something… seems a little amiss with her!

“I believe you said that you don’t want to tell your mother a lie just earlier.” He regarded her with a look of suspicion.

Unflustered, she slowly explained, “I have no choice. Who made you my boss? I still want my paycheck!”

“Then… Why did you resist so much at the start?” He lightly peered at her with a cocked brow.

“That’s because I haven’t thought of that idea at first! Now that I’ve thought of it, I am not that resistant anymore! Don’t tell me…” She grinned and blinked at him. “That you actually don’t want to live with me and are just teasing me?”