CH 9

TL: Hua

Watching several people disappear in the elevator room, the lady at the front desk slowly sobered up. She suddenly opened the social media app in the small right corner and fiercely typed out:

[Melon Skin No. 1: Oh my god, do you know what I just saw? I saw our serious boss bring a super-beautiful young man over. You can’t imagine how beautiful he is. To say that he looks like a celebrity is simply elevating the face value of all the celebs out there.]

[Melon Skin No. 2: Come here, come here, how beautiful, how beautiful, are there any photos? ]

[Melon Skin No. 1: What are you thinking? Of course, there are none. ]

[Melon Skin No. 3: How can we believe your words without seeing any photos?]

[Melon Skin No. 1: You can sneak a look at the CEO’s office. ]

[Melon Skin No. 2: I don’t have the courage.]

[Melon Skin No. 3: No such courage.]

[Melon Skin No. 1:…]

[Melon Skin No. 1: In short, he is very beautiful, and our boss has an ambiguous attitude towards him. I suspect that our boss has an owner! ]

[Melon Skin No. 2: Really? [Awe Face] So he’s in love; can he show us a smile at the next meeting then?]

[Melon Skin No. 3: You think too much. He will just sneer as usual.]

[Melon Skin No. 2:…]

[Melon Skin No. 1: The beauty is really super beautiful, and he is also very gentle. When he smiles, the corners of his eyes are curved, like a peony blooming.]

[Melon Skin No. 2: Wow! ]

[Melon Skin No. 1: After he finished smiling, the boss gave me a look. That look—how should I put it? It’s like the death stare when the boss carried out a random sample inspection and the people in the office watched the department head rush into the door with the document.]

[Melon Skin No. 2: … My condolence.]

[Melon Skin No. 3: My condolence.]

…

Xia Shu’an and Shen Boyan took a direct elevator to the CEO floor, where only Shen Boyan, as the general manager, and his assistant were present. The rest were conference rooms, and there was a dedicated lounge for the general manager.

Xia Shu’an was taken to the lounge.

“I’ll ask someone to bring over something to eat. You can rest after eating.”

“Thanks.”

Xia Shu’an didn’t eat much at noon, so he ate some snacks and then laid down to rest. He had slept on this double bed in the lounge countless times before, so he didn’t feel shy at all and soon fell into a deep sleep.

His nap was not long—an hour short of about ten minutes before he woke up. When he woke up, he saw a missed call on his mobile phone, and he dialed it back.

“Dad.”

“Hey, Xiao An, where are you?”

“I’m at Shen Boyan’s company.”

“What?!” There seemed to be some quarrel over there, there was a woman complaining. Xia Shu’an smiled, and after listening to it for a while, his father took back control of the phone: “Why did you go to Shen…Shen Boyan’s company? Didn’t you say you went to eat with Wenzhi?”

Xia Shu’an said with a smile, “I came here after eating.”

This natural tone made Father Xia’s heart ache. His good son, why…huh!

“Okay, okay, stop talking; my son is on a date.”

“What kind of date? Who is dating at the company…”

There was another quarrel on the other end of the phone, and finally a woman’s gentle voice came: “That’s all right, Xiao An; you can continue hanging out.”

“Ok, I’ll hang up first, then.”

Xia Shu’an hung up the phone, looked at it, and then shook his head.

After a while, he walked out of the room.

The lounge is directly connected to the general manager’s office. Xia Shu’an didn’t go through the general manager’s office but went to Shen Boyan’s office. He was the only one in the spacious and bright room, so Xia Shu’an subconsciously took a step forward and said, “Good afternoon.”

Behind the desk, Shen Boyan’s hand on the mouse was paused slightly: “Good afternoon.”

“I’m a little thirsty; I want a glass of water.”

There are cups and milk drinks in the general manager’s office. You can go and get them yourself.”

Hearing him say so, Xia Shu’an opened the door and walked towards the assistant outside very naturally and poisedly. Shen Boyan looked at his back as he disappeared behind the door; his gaze was still scrutinizing.

“Boss, boss, who was that just now?”

A male voice stammered in Shen Boyan’s earpiece.

He chuckled: “Your sister-in-law.”

“What, sister-in-law? My sister-in-law is so beautiful!”

Shen Boyan smiled without saying a word and only told him to shut up and continue reporting work after the male voice protested a few more times. Among the shrunken avatars in the right corner, only one person suddenly frowned, and a light flashed in his eyes.

…

Shen Boyan’s several assistants and Xia Shu’an all know each other. The two general assistants are Assistant Lin and Assistant Qi. Assistant Lin is mainly in charge of official affairs, while Assistant Qi handles all aspects of his life. The two cooperate tacitly and are Shen Boyan’s right-hand men. They haven’t been replaced for five years.

Compared to Assistant Lin, Xia Shu’an was more familiar with Assistant Qi. He walked up to Assistant Qi and said: “Hello.”

Assistant Qi quickly got up and said, “Hello.”

“I want to drink something. Is there any hot cocoa?”

Xia Shu’an has insufficient qi and blood, and the doctor suggests that he drink some hot cocoa to supplement his sugar, especially after taking a nap, which can refresh his mind.

“Yes, just wait a moment.”

Assistant Qi immediately got up and went to get the cocoa from the cabinet at the back of the office. When he got up, Xia Shu’an noticed that his face was white and his hand was inadvertently placed on his stomach area.

After five years of getting along, Xia Shu’an knew that he had a stomach problem. In fact, he always believed that Shen Boyan had harmed those around him. If Shen Boyan hadn’t been such a workaholic and neurotic, it wouldn’t have caused people to have no normal meal time.

“you……”

Xia Shu’an pondered for a while and said while he was making cocoa, “I still want to eat some snacks; is there any food in the company?”

Assistant Qi looked a bit embarrassed. “Sorry, there are no snacks.”

Shen Boyan himself is a cold-working machine, and the management of his subordinates is also extremely strict. Although the company pays well, it still lacks a humane system. You can tell by the business smiles on all the employees’ faces.

Xia Shu’an glanced at the office inside and said, “Then can I order takeaway?”

Assistant Qi was taken aback for a moment, then quickly glanced at the office inside and made a judgment in an instant.

“Sure.”

“Great.”

Xia Shu’an smiled, picked up the cocoa, walked to the side, and took out his phone.

Several assistants in the office looked at each other, but no one said anything.

Shen Boyan finished the video conference and was about to get up when he heard movement outside.

The General Manager’s Office was the closest to him, arguably the most strictly managed place in the entire company, and several of the assistants were elites who had never panicked before. He looked outside in confusion and saw the office door being opened and Assistant Qi walking over with a plate of snacks.

Shen Boyan frowned. “What is this?”

“It’s the dim sum that Mr. Xia ordered for everyone to eat.”

This sentence quickly extinguished the unkindred displeasure in Shen Boyan’s heart. He raised his head, and in the office outside, Xia Shu’an was also holding a plate with some cakes on it. He was surrounded by two people who were pleasantly talking to him.

The young man had a smile on his face; his brows were full of gentle reserve, and when he turned his head, his eyes met Shen Boyan’s. His smile was subconsciously restrained but soon bloomed again.

Shen Boyan took the plate in silence and stopped the assistant when he turned around.

“What do you think of Xia Shu’an?”

Assistant Qi thought about it and said, “Mr. Xia is very gentle and polite.”

At the end, he added another sentence: “He also cares about everyone.”

Shen Boyan chuckled lightly and said, “That’s ok. You can go back.”

Assistant Qi nodded and went out.

Xia Shu’an didn’t want to face Shen Boyan, so he drank the afternoon tea slowly outside and only re-entered the office near the clock-out time.

“I should go back,” he said.

“Don’t you want to eat together tonight?”

Knowing that he was asking this question on purpose, Xia Shu’an still replied, “I was full just now. I can’t eat dinner.”

Shen Boyan was obviously in a good mood today, and he didn’t make things difficult for him, so he said, “That’s fine, I’ll take you back.”

“Then I’ll trouble you.”

President Shen drove the car himself and sent Xia Shu’an back. When they arrived downstairs, Shen Boyan looked up and said:

“Do you still need a hug?”

“Whatever you want.”

Shen Boyan looked into Xia Shu’an’s eyes. Xia Shu’an’s gaze was gentle and calm, without any forced reluctance or resentment. Looking at such beauty, even Shen Boyan couldn’t help but feel a sense of tranquility and peace in his heart, feeling that it would be good to go on like this.

Shen Boyan stretched out his hand and rubbed Xia Shuan’s lower lip twice with his fingertips: “Be good; I’ll pick you up this Saturday.”

Xia Shu’an stood downstairs and watched Shen Boyan drive away. He suddenly collapsed: Ah, I’m so tired.

Don’t you just want to get laid? There are so many things to take care of.

After Xia Shu’an went upstairs, he had a premonition before opening the door. As soon as he opened the door, sure enough, there were two people waiting for him inside.

“What, what’s the matter?”

Father Xia coughed twice: “Xiao An, didn’t you go out to eat with Wenzhi? Why did you suddenly go to Shen Boyan’s company?”

“We went on a date.”

Xia Shu’an had an innocent expression on his face: “We’re two adults; can’t we go on a date?”

“No, are you really, really dating?”

“Of course it’s true; otherwise, Dad, what do you think it is?” Xia Shu’an couldn’t laugh or cry.

Mother Xia pushed Father Xia away and reprimanded him: “I told you that Xiao An and Xiao Shen are in love. You just don’t believe it. How do you want your son to prove it to you?”

“I’m just worried…” Father Xia muttered a few words, and Mother Xia scolded him again.

It was Xia Shu’an who helped him out of this predicament: “Okay, okay, dad is just worried about me; it’s okay; you both can feel at ease.”

Looking at the noisy couple, Xia Shu’an had a gentle look in his eyes. At least this time, he reassured the two elders.

…

On Saturday morning, Shen Boyan’s car arrived as scheduled. The car was parked at the entrance of the villa. Xia Shu’an didn’t have many things to take away, and all of them could fit in one car. Looking at this scene, the two elders couldn’t help feeling like marrying off their daughter, ah no, their son. Father Xia was still worried and secretly pulled him aside: “You and Shen Boyan are really dating, right? It’s not because of our family situation…”

“no!”

Xia Shuan denied it without hesitation: “I know what you’re worried about. But Shen Boyan and I are serious, and even if it wasn’t him, it’s not surprising that your son had a crush on someone. I’m twenty-five after all.”

“It’s not surprising; it’s just this timing…Shen Boyan also has that status.”

Xia Shu’an deliberately said, “What’s wrong with that status? Doesn’t your son deserve an excellent person?”

“Of course!”

“Then it’s settled.”

Father Xia was completely trapped with his words, and he always felt that no matter what he said, it didn’t sound right. Looking at his son’s face, who inherited his mother’s gene, he suddenly came up with a sentence:

“Is it because your mother and I gave birth to such a fine…”

Xia Shu’an: “Dad!”

“Okay, okay, I won’t say anymore; you can go.”

Xia Shu’an got into the car, which carried two people and a load of luggage, and slowly drove out of the gate of the community. Shen Boyan looked normal in front of Xia’s parents, but when he got in the car, he no longer smiled and started dealing with his business again.

Xia Shu’an didn’t bother him. He sat on the leather seat beside him with a calm demeanor. Seeing the car driving in the direction he was familiar with, he felt a sense of fulfillment in his heart, as if all the resistance that could be poured out in the future dissipated with the clouds and smoke.

[Anyway, it has come to this point, so just lie flat1躺平 This slang term, tang ping, has a deeper meaning in Chinese society. You can read more about it on Google. So basically, it’s a movement or protest against societal pressures like overworking and overachieving..]

Xia Shu’an “laid flat” for a while, and suddenly he remembered something: “Wait, I want to go to the supermarket.”

The assistant, who is also a part-time driver in the front, answered on his behalf: “Don’t worry, Mr. Xia, all the items you need have been delivered, and they are all the brands you usually use.”

Assistant Qi is very reliable in handling affairs. But when Xia Shu’an thought of the tragedy in his previous life, he was still not at ease, so he confirmed it again:

“Did you buy the sheath2cough cough condom as well?”