“You said we’d compete fairly,” Cen Chi said. “Don’t tell me you’re going back on your word.”
Zhou Yanxing replied coolly, “Or maybe… you want Chi Zhan to pick again?”
Chi Zhan glanced back.
“What are you two whispering about? Did you find the key yet?”
“Not yet. Don’t slack off,” Zhou Yanxing replied casually, casting a sidelong glance at Cen Chi—there was a subtle trace of menace in his gaze.
Cen Chi merely smiled, letting the tension slide off him. Instead, he turned to Chi Zhan.
“Ah-Zhan, I’ve got something to take care of. I’m heading out.”
“You’re leaving already?” Chi Zhan asked, just as he recalled Cen Chi once saying someone had really ‘caught his eye.’ Realization dawned on him. “Ah, I see. In that case, you’d better hurry. Don’t keep them waiting.”
Cen Chi changed his clothes, grabbed his medical kit, and waved.
“See you tomorrow.”
No sooner had Cen Chi left, Zhou Yanxing spoke up, “Forget the key—I’ll look for it myself. Drink your soup; it’s getting cold.”
I’d honestly rather keep looking for the key.
“I thought you said your boyfriend was coming to take care of you. Where is he?” Zhou Yanxing crossed one leg over the other, leaning back with an air of leisure as he eyed Chi Zhan. “Don’t tell me… Cen Chi is your boyfriend?”
“……”
Why are you so obsessed with this?
“No,” Chi Zhan said firmly. “My boyfriend’s… at work. He’s been really busy lately.”
“So busy he doesn’t have time to take care of you.”
Zhou Yanxing nodded as if that explained everything. He didn’t press further, only motioned for Chi Zhan to drink the soup.
Chi Zhan braced himself, grabbed two bowls, and felt like he might as well die then and there.
“President Zhou, thank you for your concern. You should have some too,” he said, filling both bowls in the hopes Zhou Yanxing would drink more and talk less.
Luckily, Zhou Yanxing took the bait. Even better, the soup wasn’t the chicken broth Chi Zhan had grown sick of—it was something else today.
Chi Zhan took a sip. The taste was surprisingly good. As he went for a second, Zhou Yanxing asked nonchalantly, “So… what does your boyfriend do?”
The question caught Chi Zhan off guard, and he choked on his soup. He coughed violently for a good while, eyes watering and turning red before he finally managed to respond.
“President Zhou, you care a little too much.”
“What’s wrong with caring about my personal secretary?” Zhou Yanxing said evenly, not nearly as irritable as last time. “After all, your job is to stick to me like glue. I wouldn’t want your boyfriend getting jealous.”
“Oh,” Chi Zhan muttered. This was the first time he’d seen Zhou Yanxing act so magnanimous. Could the system’s method really be working? Maybe all it took was calling someone his ‘boyfriend’ for Zhou Yanxing to finally back off.
If he’d known it’d be this effective, he would’ve said it from the start. No need for the system to nag him so much. Chi Zhan made a mental note of it.
“He’s…” Chi Zhan hesitated, then said vaguely, “pretty popular.”
Zhou Yanxing glanced at the keyboard mounted on the wall. A lightbulb seemed to go off.
“Don’t tell me he’s a gamer. And a livestreamer too? Secretary Chi, I don’t have a problem with you dating,” Zhou Yanxing said, putting his spoon down and locking eyes with Chi Zhan. “But if you’re dating a male streamer, that, I take issue with.”
Chi Zhan’s eye twitched.
Zhou Yanxing, do you have something against male streamers in particular? You just wait—when Seven’s fans come for you, you’ll regret this.
“It’s not him. I already told you—you don’t know him.”
“Oh.” Zhou Yanxing’s expression didn’t change. “Then when are you going to introduce us?”
“……”
Why is this conversation suddenly veering into the Twilight Zone?
“Next time. When he’s free.”
Zhou Yanxing gave a smile—but it wasn’t the friendly kind. It sent a chill straight down Chi Zhan’s spine.
Chi Zhan resumed drinking his soup and went back to searching for Zhou Yanxing’s missing key.
Where the hell was it?
“Don’t tell me you dropped it somewhere else?”
Chi Zhan muttered. His apartment wasn’t that big; they’d practically turned it upside down already and still no sign of the key.
He didn’t dare bend over too far, suspecting it had rolled under the sofa. He was just about to ask Zhou Yanxing to fetch a broom when—
“Found it,” Zhou Yanxing announced from beside him, holding the key like it had appeared by magic. “See? It was here the whole time.”
“…???”
“I’m heading out. Get some rest and recover soon. No need to walk me out.”
With that, Zhou Yanxing went downstairs, retrieved his car, and returned to the office.
Without Secretary Chi, the company continued running just fine. Everything stayed on track, no matter who was missing—except Zhou Yanxing.
He tossed the key aside and sat down at his desk, where a half-shattered crystal globe lay waiting to be mended—smashed earlier in a fit of anger.
He started with the tiny furniture inside the globe’s miniature room. The chairs and tables were in pieces. With industrial-strength glue, tweezers, and cotton swabs, Zhou Yanxing carefully began piecing the splinters back together.
A knock came at the door.
“Come in,” Zhou Yanxing said. His hand slipped just then, accidentally gluing the table to the chair.
In the business world, Zhou Yanxing was unstoppable—but carpentry wasn’t his forte. Especially when it came to fiddly little details like this. It just chipped away at his patience, bit by bit.
Still, whenever he thought of Chi Zhan, his patience instantly refilled to the brim.
Then he’d remember his boyfriend—and it would drain away just as quickly.
Full—empty. Full—empty. Full.
It was like a mental seesaw, swinging between emotional extremes, borderline psychotic.
“President Zhou.” The man who entered clearly wasn’t a company employee—he was dressed casually and held a thick folder. “Here’s the report you requested.”
“What’s the conclusion?”
“There are three people with close offline contact with him…”
“Three?” Zhou Yanxing’s brows shot up. He hadn’t expected a surprise name—someone he didn’t even know about. His temper flared. “Other than Cen Chi and Chu Xingxiao, who’s the third?”
Could it really be that damn male streamer?
“Oh, forgot to mention,” the man added. “One of the three is you.”
“……”
***
After Zhou Yanxing left, Chi Zhan pulled out his phone, about to message X, when he heard the sound of wheels sliding across the floor.
