“All of it,” Zhou Yanxing said expressionlessly, locking eyes with Chi Zhan.
“…He is my boyfriend,” Chi Zhan admitted after glancing at Chu Xingxiao—who was still acting all sweet and affectionate, as if he’d completely forgotten that Zhou Yanxing was their direct superior and could fire them both with a single sentence. Chi Zhan had no choice but to smooth things over. “As for the rest, that was just him… talking nonsense.”
“I’ve never said anything bad about you, President Zhou,” Chi Zhan added sincerely. But he wasn’t exactly a pro at flattery. He tried offering a few compliments, but they had no effect—Zhou Yanxing’s expression remained icy and unreadable, like the ominous calm before a storm.
“It was all nonsense,” Chu Xingxiao chimed in. “Please don’t take it to heart, President Zhou.”
“Great. Wonderful,” Zhou Yanxing said, nodding with a stormy face, like he’d already hit his limit. “So you’re both just blatantly ignoring company policy now? Dating is that important to you?”
Zhou Rui Group had infamously strict regulations—every rule was codified to the letter. Even the ban on office relationships was thoroughly documented.
If you were caught secretly dating a colleague, you had two options: forfeit three months of bonuses and performance evaluations, or break up immediately. If you refused both, you were shown the door—with a severance package, of course.
The harshness of this rule made it a running joke in the company. But since Zhou Yanxing enforced it with unwavering impartiality, many secretly hoped he’d be the first to break it himself. After all, if the boss could date someone at work, who else could be expected to follow the rule?
Chu Xingxiao could see Zhou Yanxing was about to throw down the gauntlet. Personally, he didn’t care. But if Chi Zhan lost his job because of this, he’d feel awful.
…Even if, deep down, there was a strange flicker of satisfaction—a dark, selfish little hope he couldn’t quite suppress.
Being Zhou Yanxing’s secretary was far too risky for someone like Chi Zhan. It was like leaving a helpless bunny at the wolf’s den—he couldn’t help but worry he’d be snatched away at any moment.
But if ge lost his job… he’d be devastated, right? If it came to that, Chu Xingxiao was ready to set up a studio with a few friends and make ge his personal agent—with a salary even higher than Zhou Yanxing’s. That actually didn’t sound like a bad plan at all.
“Choose,” Zhou Yanxing said coolly. “Bonus cuts—or break up.”
“……”
He hadn’t expected to bleed financially for this fake boyfriend stunt. If he’d known X was Chu Xingxiao, he would’ve dragged Tao Ran into this instead.
“Just deduct both our penalties from my salary,” Chu Xingxiao said decisively. “We’re sharing finances anyway. Anything else? If not, we’ll really be heading out now. The milk tea’s going cold.”
He even sounded a little heartbroken about it.
Chi Zhan shot him a sidelong glance. His bonus could buy thousands of cups of milk tea. Chu Xingxiao’s salary probably wouldn’t even cover both penalties—he’d end up owing the company tens of thousands instead.
Before Zhou Yanxing could reply, Chu Xingxiao was already leading Chi Zhan toward the exit.
“Drink it, ge,” Chu Xingxiao urged. “I got three parts sugar—shouldn’t be too sweet. Try it?”
He leaned close and whispered in Chi Zhan’s ear, “He’s still watching. Gotta finish the act. If he follows us out, there’ll be gossip headlines tomorrow.”
Chi Zhan’s emotions were a tangled mess. He slipped the straw in and took a sip. It was exactly his preferred level of sweetness—he’d mentioned it on the profile form he sent to X.
The two of them walked farther and farther away. Only after they stepped out the main doors did that icy, almost tangible gaze from behind finally dissipate.
Chi Zhan stuffed the milk tea back into Chu Xingxiao’s arms and put some distance between them.
“You knew it was me?”
“Didn’t realize at first,” Chu Xingxiao said, clutching the milk tea a bit more carefully now, his tone softening. “Later on, I started to suspect it, but I couldn’t believe it. I only confirmed it just now.”
“You can change your voice.”
“Just a little,” Chu Xingxiao scratched his head. “I studied voice acting for a while. It’s not hard, really—just takes some technique.”
“Use that voice again. The one that sounded like a scumbag.”
But Chu Xingxiao shook his head. “Nope.”
“…What?”
“You said it sounded like some sleazy old guy,” Chu Xingxiao said matter-of-factly. “I’m not an old man, so I won’t use it.”
“……”
“Wanna go eat?” Chu Xingxiao asked, trailing behind him like a big, clingy puppy. “There’s a really good couple’s restaurant nearby.”
“……”
“…Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you really mad?” he asked, seeing Chi Zhan’s frosty expression and growing more flustered. Finally, he gave in. “Alright, fine—I’ll say it.”
Chu Xingxiao, the image-conscious idol, cleared his throat. After a long pause, he muttered in a low, gravelly tone, “I hate this voice.”
Chi Zhan hadn’t expected him to actually say it. Then Chu Xingxiao switched to a light, crisp tone, cycling through several voices like it was magic before finally landing on his normal one again. “There—do you believe me now, ge?”
He casually picked up the milk tea and took a sip without even thinking about the shared straw.
Chi Zhan hummed a quiet “mm,” not even glancing at him.
“When you get the chance, move your stuff out.”
Chu Xingxiao froze in his tracks, staring at Chi Zhan in shock.
“Ge… you’re kicking me out?”
Chi Zhan had never been good at saying harsh things.
“I just thought… it’s not great making you sleep on the sofa. It probably wasn’t comfortable last night, right?”
“I thought it was great!” Chu Xingxiao said immediately, flustered. “I love sleeping on the couch—really!”
“……”
He must be really panicking if he’s saying stuff like that.
Who the hell actually likes sleeping on a sofa?
“…Maybe I’m just not used to living with someone else yet,” Chi Zhan said as gently as he could. “It’s my issue.”
Chu Xingxiao went quiet. After a pause, he asked in a low voice, “Is it because of what happened last night? …Because I kissed you? Is that why you can’t stand me now?”
Chi Zhan turned his face away and didn’t answer.
