Zhou Yanxing watched Cen Chi’s retreating figure and let out a cold chuckle.
Still putting on that cultured façade, huh? Let’s see how long that little act lasts once you find out Chi Zhan has a boyfriend.
***
In the break room.
Chi Zhan felt utterly drained. He hadn’t expected things to spiral like this. Just moments ago, Zhou Yanxing had made that ridiculous suggestion about “pretending to be his fiancé for the time being,” and the next thing he knew, he’d slapped him in the face with a brutal truth.
It was over.
Whether as boss and subordinate, or… anything else.
Chi Zhan had already mentally prepared himself for this outcome, but he never imagined it would come so soon.
He hadn’t even brought his resignation letter.
With a wince, he slowly got to his feet. His injured waist made every movement excruciating, but he gritted his teeth and stood up, eyes falling on the snow globe on the table.
Just now, Zhou Yanxing’s outburst had knocked the floating snowflakes clean out of the air. What was once a gentle snowfall had become scattered granules on the ground. The little house inside had collapsed into a sorry mess, like it had been struck by lightning. The warm light inside was out—probably shattered too.
Even the glass dome was now etched with spiderweb-like cracks.
That’s how much force Zhou Yanxing had unleashed in his fit of rage.
Maybe he hadn’t been bluffing when he said he could win with just two hands. After all, he had just taken down an entire group of players single-handedly in under five minutes.
Chi Zhan let out a humorless chuckle. Dark jokes were the only comfort he had left.
He carefully straightened his shirt before finally opening the door.
Zhou Yanxing had just come out of the bathroom, hair damp, water still dripping from his face and neck. Combined with the cold fury radiating off him, he looked like a water ghost out for blood.
Zhou gave him a look—deep, unreadable. The earlier rage seemed to have subsided, replaced with something far more complex.
“Your back’s fine now?” Zhou asked coolly. “You’re walking already.”
“…Much better,” Chi Zhan muttered.
The tension between them was bizarre—like Zhou had just been cuckolded but was forcing himself to maintain a polite façade for the sake of appearances, every fiber of him awkward and strained.
“I’m going to change. Don’t try to sneak off. If you get hit again, your boyfriend’s going to come after me.”
Chi Zhan blinked, confused.
“I can get home on my own…”
“Who said I’m giving you a ride?”
Zhou cut him off.
Chi Zhan could only stand by the door and wait, not sure what else Zhou had in store for him.
When they finally got into the car, Zhou said, “Back seat.”
Chi Zhan hesitated, then shut the passenger door and climbed into the rear, sitting primly.
Zhou glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
“Didn’t Cen Chi tell you to lie down?”
Chi Zhan shook his head.
“It’s fine.”
Zhou didn’t press further.
Chi Zhan had a license, but since they were out for work, Zhou usually drove while Chi Zhan rode shotgun.
This was the first time he’d been relegated to the back seat—while the mighty President Zhou played chauffeur.
Chi Zhan half-worried Zhou might lose it and start speeding like a maniac, but the drive remained surprisingly smooth. Zhou’s emotions, too, seemed to have settled.
The only sound in the car was the rhythmic ticking of a waving lucky cat figurine. The air carried a faint scent from the car freshener. Chi Zhan, distracted by his aching back, couldn’t even enjoy the scenery. When the car finally stopped, he looked out and realized with surprise that they were parked right outside his building.
His heart twisted with a mix of emotions.
Zhou got out first. Chi Zhan opened his door and gingerly bent down to get out. Zhou was only wearing a dress shirt, unfazed by the biting winter cold. Seeing him struggle, he reached out a hand.
“……?”
“Lean on me,” Zhou said impatiently. “Unless you’d rather I carry you?”
Chi Zhan had no choice but to take the hand. It was warm—completely unaffected by the freezing air. In contrast, Chi Zhan’s own fingers were icy despite his thick down jacket.
Zhou’s expression stayed stony as he helped Chi Zhan into the elevator and all the way to his apartment door.
Chi Zhan had no idea what was going through Zhou’s head. He stood at the entrance and offered a polite thank-you.
Zhou raised an eyebrow.
“You’re really going to send me away at the door? Not even a cup of tea?”
“…It’s a mess inside. Not the best time.”
Zhou scoffed.
“It’s not like I haven’t been here before.” He paused, then added, “Or are you worried your boyfriend will mind?”
“……”
In the end, Chi Zhan let him in—who knew what kind of nonsense he’d come up with otherwise.
Zhou was no stranger to this place. He changed his shoes like he owned the place, then scanned the room like a guard dog on high alert. Nothing had changed since his last visit—no eye-sore couple’s mugs, no matching slippers. It didn’t seem like that “boyfriend” had made it past the threshold.
Still, just thinking about it soured his mood.
“Do I know your boyfriend?”
Chi Zhan shook his head.
“Not someone from our company?”
Zhou looked skeptical. He and Chi Zhan were practically glued together during work hours—when would he have met anyone new?
Had it been during his injury?
But that was only a few days ago. To already be in a relationship? The guy had to be trouble.
Zhou ruled out Cen Chi immediately. If it were him, Cen Chi would’ve said something by now. No need for the cold war between them. And Chi Zhan had already said he didn’t need either of them to look after him.
So—Cen Chi, out.
Could it be Chu Xingxiao?
No. Office relationships were strictly forbidden at the company. Violators faced serious fines. And knowing Chi Zhan, there’s no way he’d go for someone like that brat.
Then…
That livestreamer?
The more Zhou thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
He cursed himself for not being more alert. He’d been too busy locking horns with Cen Chi and completely overlooked that shallow bastard who made a living off his looks.
Shameless.
“We met online,” Chi Zhan said, mixing truth with fiction. “We hit it off. One thing led to another.”
