Chapter 37: Surprised?
“Put it on the desk.”
Li Qi glanced at Chen Jiamu from the corner of his eye. Seeing him intently staring at the computer screen, he didn’t say anything else.
Zhang Xin, seeing Li Qi so calm, was secretly pleased. She heard that Chen Jiamu had returned and had even gone into the boss’s office.
She immediately thought of the newly arranged workspace in the office. Was that space for Chen Jiamu?
But how could Chen Jiamu, a poor college student, know the boss?
And even receive his favor?
If so, she needed to investigate and consider her next move.
She took the task of delivering the documents as an opportunity to check if Chen Jiamu was at that workstation.
Entering the office, she only saw the top of a head, confirming only that a man was sitting there.
She couldn’t be sure it was Chen Jiamu. What if it was a rumor? Seeing it with her own eyes was the only proof…
Chen Jiamu hit three mines in a row and lost interest. Seeing Zhang Xin’s slow movements, he guessed her intentions.
She probably heard he was back and had gone into the boss’s office, wanting to confirm it. After all, they had a falling out two days ago.
“What are you looking at?”
“Are you trying to see who’s at the new workstation?”
“What? Are you disappointed or shocked to see it’s me?”
“Zhang Xin?”
Zhang Xin was still hesitating whether to get a closer look when Chen Jiamu suddenly popped his head out, startling her. She took a few steps back.
“You…”
Zhang Xin belatedly realized she’d been acting strangely, quickly steadying herself and taking a breath.
“You’re so funny.”
To avoid conflict with Chen Jiamu, Zhang Xin stiffly almost ran out of the office.
“She now sees you like she sees a ghost.”
Their little drama was amusing; Li Qi couldn’t help but tease Chen Jiamu. Chen Jiamu didn’t mind Li Qi’s teasing; he opened Minesweeper and continued to click.
“Isn’t that normal? Everyone in the company thought I was fired.”
“You don’t even need to think about it. Is it legal to fire an employee without a reason?”
“They’re all legal illiterates, making a fuss over nothing.”
Li Qi chuckled lightly at his tone, “It seems you’ve read the Labor Law thoroughly.”
“Of course, after all, I’m a ‘poor’ college student. For survival, I have to read the Labor Law to avoid exploitation by unscrupulous companies.”
“That’s pretty good.”
The two exchanged words, the atmosphere very harmonious. There wasn’t much work in the morning, so Chen Jiamu played games for the entire morning.
Li Qi watched him play. Seeing the head getting closer to his shoulder, Chen Jiamu curiously asked, “I seriously suspect you put my new workstation in your office to monitor me?”
“Monitor you?”
“Monitor you slacking off and playing games?”
“And you’re so bad at it. What’s the point?”
Chen Jiamu…
Li Qi turned his head; their faces were only an inch apart. They could smell each other’s warm breath.
Feeling his neck being warmed by Li Qi’s breath, Chen Jiamu shrank his neck, creating distance.
This feeling… was so strange…
“You…”
“I…”
“Okay, you win. I’m really bad.”
“And I’m slacking off at work.”
“So, are you going to kill me?”
Chen Jiamu had no choice but to act like a scoundrel. Li Qi helplessly shook his head. “Alright, play.”
“Have you decided what you want for lunch?”
Li Qi’s words made Chen Jiamu raise an eyebrow, staring at him. “Boss is treating?”
“Yes.”
“Then I want to eat at that place across the street. I heard it just opened, and I haven’t tried it yet.”
“Okay.”
Hearing that he could get a free meal, Chen Jiamu happily stood up and stretched.
His black sweatshirt rose with his movements, revealing a section of his white waist.
Li Qi stared at that patch of white, instantly recalling their intimacy, his eyes flashing a dark gleam…
That night, he had held that slender waist while moving wildly…
Did it feel like someone was watching me?
Chen Jiamu retracted his arm, looking around curiously.
Noticing his overly intense gaze, Li Qi immediately lowered his head, composing himself.
By the time Chen Jiamu tried to find the source of that gaze, Li Qi had already lowered his head and immersed himself in the documents.
Finding nothing unusual, Chen Jiamu thought he was just imagining things.
Two different worlds inside and outside the office. Inside was quiet and harmonious. Outside was chaotic.
After leaving the office, Zhang Xin sat at her desk in a daze, her face full of worry.
So that workstation was Chen Jiamu’s?
Why him?
What’s the relationship between him and the boss?
Zhang Xin couldn’t figure out a reasonable explanation. Chen Jiamu was a country boy from Beicheng. Although he shared the same name as the only son of the wealthy Chen family in Beicheng, they weren’t related.
And their boss, Li Qi, had just returned from abroad. He’d never met Chen Jiamu, so it was impossible for them to know each other.
So where did things go wrong?
“Xinxin, what are you thinking about? You look troubled.”
Just as she was lost in thought, a pair of large hands suddenly landed on her shoulders, startling her. She almost fell off her chair.
“Ah…”
“Man…Manager…”
Seeing who it was, Zhang Xin patted her chest in fright. Qian Chengfeng awkwardly retracted his hand, his tone very gentle. “What are you thinking about?”
“It’s almost noon. There’s a new restaurant downstairs. Do you want to go together?”
“Ah?”
“I… I have a lunch date with Jingjing, I’m afraid…” In the past, Zhang Xin might have agreed. Climbing the ladder by pleasing the manager was also an option.
As long as he gave her money, she didn’t care if he had a family or not.
But now that a better target had appeared, she considered Qian Chengdong’s invitation more carefully.
“It’s fine.”
“Let’s make it another time.”
Qian Chengfeng understood he shouldn’t rush. He patted her shoulder and, as he left, his fingertips brushed against the soft flesh of her shoulder…
Zhang Xin showed little expression, but inwardly rolled her eyes at him. This old lecher always touched her whenever he had the chance…
Soon it was noon. Chen Jiamu was afraid that going out together would attract attention, so he went out first and told Li Qi to go later.
Unexpectedly, as he reached the elevator, he bumped into Zhang Xin…
In the spacious elevator, there were only the two of them. In the past, it would have been full of romantic bubbles, but now Chen Jiamu only found her annoying…
“Jiamu…”
“Shut up!”
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