Boss, Please Go Easy On Me (GL) - Chapter 25

An Yao froze for a moment, seeing Yan Xiaomi look at her with great expectation. After a long while, she spoke helplessly, “I don’t really like wearing these.”

Yan Xiaomi was disappointed, but she had guessed An Yao might refuse, so the letdown wasn’t too big. She smiled and handed the hair accessory to the sales assistant, “Please wrap it nicely for me.”

Carrying the birthday gift back to the company, Yan Xiaomi felt a bit like they were walking back to the dormitory after a shopping trip in university. She felt quite nostalgic for that time.

Before the afternoon was over, Li Weisa called. “Xiaomi-mi, when are you guys going to get here? I’ve been singing so much my throat is smoking.”

“Sister Weisa, I don’t know. You have to ask President An,” Yan Xiaomi was innocent. She didn’t have the final say on this matter, so why ask her?

“I called her three times, and she didn’t pick up. She must be busy. It’s okay, just call me when you’re on your way.”

“Mhm, okay.”

Hanging up, Yan Xiaomi looked towards the office door, mustered her courage, and walked in. To her slight surprise, An Yao, who was usually immersed in work, was holding a magazine and reading it, looking quite relaxed. As for why she didn’t answer Li Weisa’s calls, that wasn’t for her to ask.

“President An, Sister Weisa asked when we’ll be arriving.”

Hearing her speak, An Yao finally put down the magazine, picked up her phone, and looked at it—three missed calls.

They must all be from Li Weisa. An Yao didn’t call back. Seeing that it was already close to six, she stood up. “Let’s go, to the Golden Joy Hotel.”

Li Weisa had booked three tables at the Golden Joy Hotel, all for her good friends, both male and female, many of whom An Yao didn’t know.

On the way, Li Weisa called Yan Xiaomi. “If you don’t get here soon, a bunch of foodies are going to starve to death.”

Hearing her voice, she sounded somewhat gloating. Yan Xiaomi smiled and answered, “We’ll be there right away, right away.”

The traffic was smooth, and they arrived at the Golden Joy Hotel quickly.

“An An, Xiaomi-mi.”

As soon as Li Weisa saw them step out of the elevator, she wedged herself between them, hugging them as she led them to the private room.

Yan Xiaomi felt quite awkward being hugged like that. She glanced at An Yao, noticing her slight frown, as if she wasn’t too happy.

“Gift.” An Yao handed the bag to Li Weisa.

Li Weisa took the bag, looked at it, and said with much dislike, “Why do you only remember that I like red? How dare you buy such a flashy color?”

“It’s not for me to wear anyway.”

“You really are…” Li Weisa was both annoyed and amused by her. She turned to Yan Xiaomi. “Where’s yours?”

“Here.” Yan Xiaomi immediately presented it like offering a treasure, saying with a grin, “Sister Weisa, Happy Birthday $\sim$”

“Good girl $\sim$” Li Weisa’s hand, which was wrapped around her waist, smoothly pinched her butt. Yan Xiaomi was so shocked she almost fell. Li Weisa quickly held her up, laughing uncontrollably.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I just did it out of habit…”

Yan Xiaomi was blushing profusely, and could only scratch her hair to mask her embarrassment. “No, it’s nothing.”

An Yao glanced at the two of them, frowning.

The private room was much livelier. An Yao and Yan Xiaomi sat together, near the window. By leaning out, they could see the lights below. The view was quite nice.

“I’m so happy everyone could come to my birthday party today,” Li Weisa stood up and said with a smile. “I’ve been so lucky to meet all of you in my life. Thank you for every moment of your company. Eat your fill today, play whatever you want. I’m paying the bill.”

Shouldn’t this be the time for applause? Yan Xiaomi, feeling a bit silly, started clapping, and everyone else followed, responding, “Alright, let’s drink till we drop!”

“All-nighter!”

Yan Xiaomi thought, These women are truly crazy! They can party so hard!

Yan Xiaomi scanned the people around her. Aside from the four men at the table next to them, everyone else was a woman. These women were dressed smartly and looked like ladies when sitting quietly, but once they got comfortable with each other, they let loose. They ate what they wanted and drank what they wanted. This bold and uninhibited style was indeed the same as Li Weisa’s.

Compared to the table next door, Yan Xiaomi’s table was much quieter. An Yao had her back to the other table, eating calmly. The others, apart from those they knew well enough to exchange a few words with, were also eating quietly.

The meal was only half over, and some people were already drunk and starting to talk nonsense, which resulted in a lot of jokes and a very lively atmosphere.

“Little beauty, come on, let’s have a drink.”

Yan Xiaomi turned and looked at a girl about her age, who looked quite innocent. Was she inviting her to drink?

Since someone had come over from another table to ask for a drink, Yan Xiaomi couldn’t be a buzzkill, so she picked up a glass and poured some beer.

After drinking with Yan Xiaomi, the girl looked at An Yao. “Great beauty, would you honor me by drinking with me?”

Perhaps slightly tipsy, her words were soft, sweet, and cloyingly affectionate.

“I’m sorry, I don’t drink.”

An Yao was quite indifferent, polite but maintaining her distance, elegantly eating her food, as if the surrounding noise had no effect on her.

“Why don’t you drink?” The girl reached out and lightly stroked An Yao’s face with her index finger, her tone becoming somewhat flirtatious.

An Yao’s eyebrows furrowed into an inverted ‘V’. She still didn’t turn her face to look at her. Before she could speak, she heard Li Weisa say with a cheerful laugh, “Our An An doesn’t drink.”

Li Weisa’s steps were already unsteady as she walked over, nearly falling onto An Yao, but the girl caught her in time.

“Hey, I said Wen Zhen, why are you so senseless?” Li Weisa pretended to be angry, then smiled again. “Wouldn’t it be great if I just fell onto the great beauty An?”

An Yao looked up at Li Weisa’s tipsy smile, her frown deepening. How much had she drunk?

“No,” Wen Zhen looked at Li Weisa and said seriously. “I’m standing right here. Why rely on someone else when you won’t rely on me?”

Others wouldn’t understand these words, but Li Weisa sobered up quite a bit. The smile on her face faded, and she looked at Wen Zhen in front of her with a slight frown. The atmosphere suddenly cooled down. After a long while, Li Weisa finally called out again, “Everyone finish eating, and then we’ll go downstairs to sing and party all night. Those who want to sleep, go upstairs and check into a room. No leaving until you’ve had fun tonight!”

“Yeah!” Everyone responded in unison.

“Miss An, I must insist you have a drink with me today,” Wen Zhen suddenly said to An Yao.

Yan Xiaomi was unhappy. Who are you? Why should President An drink with you just because you ask? Dream on!

Before she could speak, Li Weisa’s expression was already very grim. “You want to drink, do you?” Li Weisa poured a glass of wine. “I’ll drink with you.” She then tossed it back.

“Is this okay? Huh?” Li Weisa suddenly became agitated like a provoked lion. She went to the side, grabbed two cans of beer, put them on the table, and asked Wen Zhen, “How much do you want to drink today? You name it, I’ll drink with you.”

“Enough!” Wen Zhen looked at her angry face, clenched her fists, her eyes red, and her face full of hurt. The two stared at each other for a few seconds. Suddenly, they heard the sound of someone opening a beer can. They turned and saw An Yao about to drink.

“An An,” Li Weisa called out, reaching for the beer to grab it. An Yao calmly glanced at her hand, blocked it, and smiled. “This drink is definitely in order today, Weisa. Happy Birthday $\sim \sim \sim$”

It had been a long time since Li Weisa had heard An Yao call her so intimately. The voice carried a smile, like the simple, happy times in college. Back then, they ran in the sun, the wind messed up their hair, but the smiles on their faces were so radiant. She still remembered An Yao saying, while lying on the grass and looking at the sky, “Weisa, we both have to become the people we want to be.”

An Yao had smiled and called her “Weisa” like that back then.

But now, neither of them had become the people they wanted to be. Unrequited love—you don’t stop, and I won’t stay.

An Yao tilted her head and chugged an entire can of beer, startling Yan Xiaomi so much her eyes almost popped out. I thought An Yao truly couldn’t drink! So the saying ‘the great hermit is hidden in the city’ is true.

Drunken An Yao was indeed different from sober An Yao. Her face quickly turned red, and even her breathing became somewhat intoxicating. She looked at Li Weisa, who was squatting beside her, reached out, and gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, suddenly smiling. “Why are you crying?” She hooked Li Weisa’s chin and asked with a smile, “Who bullied our great beauty Weisa this time?”

Li Weisa looked at her charming face and slightly squinted eyes, clearly affected by the alcohol. She didn’t know why, but whenever An Yao drank, she would quickly become very relaxed, as if all her worries were forgotten, only thinking about what she wanted to do, as long as she felt happy.

“A big idiot,” Li Weisa wiped her tears and forced a smile.

“Alright, it’s your birthday today. Stop crying here and being a joke. Go greet your guests.”

An Yao waved her hand, indicating she could step back.

“Hey? Has anyone seen Wen Zhen? My phone is in her bag.”

Someone suddenly asked this question. After searching the private room, everyone realized Wen Zhen was missing.

“I just saw her leave, I thought she went to the restroom. What? She hasn’t come back?”

“The women’s room is empty,” a woman said, standing at the door, panting.

“No one is answering the phone,” another added.

Li Weisa’s brows were tightly furrowed. She stood up and muttered through gritted teeth, “That damn woman!”

While saying “damn,” her feet involuntarily stepped towards the door, heading to the restroom.

Li Weisa, wearing high heels, searched every stall in the women’s restroom, but there was no sign of Wen Zhen. She asked others, but no one had seen her either.

“Now you know how to be anxious?”

An Yao looked at the visibly annoyed Li Weisa, her tone carrying a hint of a smile. Li Weisa initially wanted to explode, but the spark ignited and then extinguished.

Li Weisa sighed softly. “I know she has feelings for me, and I know she’s a good girl. That’s why I don’t want her to follow my path because of a momentary confusion. I just thought I could put it off for as long as possible. If she meets a good man and decides to marry him, fine. If not, I’ll spend my life with her.”

When Li Weisa said this, it felt appropriate for her to light a cigarette, her slightly tipsy eyes half-closed, a bit helpless and resigned.

“Actually…” Li Weisa turned to An Yao. “After Wen Zhen appeared, I started to understand your feelings, and I also understand the guilt-ridden internal struggle beneath your cold expression.”

After more than ten minutes, Li Weisa received a text message from Wen Zhen.

— I’m home. Happy Birthday $\sim$

Li Weisa called, but she didn’t answer again. She sent a long message criticizing Wen Zhen, essentially saying, You’re a grown-up, and you suddenly left without a word. Everyone was very worried about you.

— Does ‘everyone’ include you?

Seeing this message, Li Weisa wanted to reply, Can’t you understand human language? Yes, it means me!

Knowing Wen Zhen was safe, everyone was relieved. Those who wanted to party continued to party, and those who wanted to sleep went to sleep. After Li Weisa arranged the KTV and rooms for them, she still decided to go talk to Wen Zhen.

Before she left, An Yao put her arm around her shoulder and said with a smile, “Even if the butterfly cannot cross the sea, the boat should not drift anymore. Stop and rest.”

Hearing An Yao say this, Li Weisa instantly burst into tears and hugged her tightly. She, of course, knew what An Yao meant. The woman she had loved for so many years was now truly letting go, allowing her to flutter alone across the vast ocean. She really couldn’t bear it, but even if she couldn’t bear it, she wouldn’t possess her. Life is like a play; the ending of the story is already written. But facing this moment, she still couldn’t help but feel sad.

After everyone left, only An Yao and Yan Xiaomi remained. An Yao grabbed a can of beer, poured it for herself, and poured a cup for Yan Xiaomi as well.

After taking a sip, she asked Yan Xiaomi, “Do you want to hear a story?”

It seemed An Yao wanted to talk about the history between her and Li Weisa. Yan Xiaomi nodded.

An Yao told a fairy tale.

It was about a butterfly that met a small sailboat by the ocean. She asked the small sailboat: “Do you know what’s on the other side?”

The small sailboat replied: “I don’t know, I haven’t seen it.”

The butterfly said: “Then do you want to go see it with me?”

The small sailboat replied: “Okay.”

So the two set off together, heading towards the other side of the ocean. They traveled onward, full of fighting spirit, but after half a day, both were tired.

The butterfly’s wings were almost broken, and the small sailboat was largely soaked and felt like it would sink soon.

The small sailboat asked weakly: “Are you tired? If you are, lean on me and rest for a while.”

The butterfly replied: “Okay.”

The two leaned on each other and traveled for a distance until the butterfly realized that the other side was no different from the side they had left. The only difference was the ocean below. The butterfly fell in love with the ocean, but the ocean couldn’t hold her, so she could only keep flying and flying.

The small sailboat breathed faintly: “Are you tired? If you are, lean on me and rest for a while.”

Seeing the small sailboat about to sink, the butterfly was very sad.

The butterfly said: “Little sailboat, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I’m the reason you’re like this now. You should find a place to stop and rest.”

The end of the story was that the small sailboat refused to stop, eventually sinking into the ocean. The butterfly cried and shouted, trying to grab him and pull him up, but in vain, they both sank into the ocean together.

So, An Yao was the butterfly, and Li Weisa was the small sailboat.

An Yao’s meaning was, I might not stop, but you should stop and rest.

“That’s just a story. Real life has many differences. Why wouldn’t the butterfly give the sailboat a chance?”

Yan Xiaomi felt depressed by the ending of the story. If they knew they would sink together, why didn’t they just stay together earlier? They waited until it was irreversible only to be left with regret. The sailboat must have been very sad, especially since the butterfly wouldn’t stop, even when it died.

An Yao chuckled and took another sip of wine. “You said yourself it’s just a story. Why are you taking it so seriously?”

An Yao’s gaze towards her became soft and hazy, and her voice was gentle. Yan Xiaomi had no resistance to this An Yao. She immediately pinched her own thigh to keep herself sober.

“Then, if the butterfly encountered a place where she could stop later, like a small piece of wood, a small island, or something like that, would she choose to stop?”

Yan Xiaomi looked at An Yao, her face very red, already looking a little tipsy. She didn’t know how many cups she had drunk.

“Who knows?” An Yao smiled somewhat bitterly. She propped herself up on the table, preparing to stand up. Perhaps a little dizzy from the alcohol, Yan Xiaomi quickly helped her. “President An, be careful, slow down.”

Fortunately, Li Weisa had booked a room for them before leaving. If Yan Xiaomi had to pay for a room here herself, she would rather carry An Yao back to her own place in a taxi.

“I’m not drunk. You don’t need to, don’t need to help me,” An Yao gently pushed her away and staggered a few steps, which made Yan Xiaomi truly terrified. If she fell, it would be heartbreaking.

An Yao walked while leaning on the wall, and after a few steps, she stopped, leaning against the wall and catching her breath. Then she looked at Yan Xiaomi, gently beckoning her. Yan Xiaomi moved closer and asked, “President An, what’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable?”

An Yao suddenly wrapped her arms around Yan Xiaomi’s waist and pulled her into a hug, leaning her back against the wall to keep herself from falling. While Yan Xiaomi was caught completely off guard, An Yao kissed her lips, gently lingering, deeply affectionate.

Yan Xiaomi was shocked on one hand and anxious on the other. She didn’t dare to touch An Yao with her hands, thinking, I’m not a desperate woman. I’m not taking advantage of her.

However, besides these panicked emotions, there was a greater thrill. This was the third time An Yao had kissed her. Before she had any feelings for her, she just thought the kiss felt comfortable. But now it was different. It felt not only comfortable but also agonizing. It was quite tormenting. She really wanted to hold An Yao in her arms, but she was timid, she didn’t have the guts.

Yan Xiaomi didn’t have the guts, but An Yao did.

The effect of the alcohol combined with her passion forced An Yao’s intelligence to go offline, so much so that she reached out and tried to lift Yan Xiaomi’s clothes, startling Yan Xiaomi so much that she immediately jumped away.

After helping An Yao onto the bed, Yan Xiaomi, like last time, prepared to wipe her body for her. But she didn’t dare to take off her clothes after unbuttoning them halfway. Before, she had no feelings, and even if she saw everything, she wouldn’t feel anything. But now it was different. Facing the person she liked with all her heart, could she restrain herself from not touching her?

Yan Xiaomi was truly timid. Her hand reached An Yao’s face but she didn’t dare to touch down, afraid An Yao would suddenly open her eyes and look at her coldly.

As it turned out, An Yao actually opened her eyes, scaring Yan Xiaomi so much that she immediately withdrew her hand and retreated to the bedside. “President An, I, I, I… I wasn’t trying to touch you. It, it, it… was just that you had something on your face, and I, I wanted to remove it for you.”

“Oh? Is that so?” An Yao lay on her side, propping her head up with one hand, and her eyes moved as she spoke. Oh my god! Is this charming woman President An? Yan Xiaomi felt that An Yao, after drinking, was like a completely different person, very much like Li Weisa’s personality had attached itself to An Yao’s body.

“It’s true, it’s true,” Yan Xiaomi nodded vigorously.

An Yao beckoned her again, exactly the same gesture as before. Is President An going to kiss her again?

Yan Xiaomi thought probably not. Who would use the same move on the same person? Unless that person is an idiot.

The fact proved that Yan Xiaomi was too clever for her own good. The offline An Yao was accustomed to simple and crude movements. After Yan Xiaomi approached, An Yao pulled her hand, and Yan Xiaomi fell onto An Yao.

Yan Xiaomi never knew An Yao was so strong when drunk. She couldn’t flip over while being pressed beneath her. The main reason was that she was afraid of hurting An Yao again, so she could only lie down obediently and let An Yao have her way.

Remembering the pictures she looked at last time, she had wondered what An Yao would be like in bed. She never expected that she would be the one pressed beneath her this time. If An Yao really decided to try out those positions on her later, should she resist to the death or pretend to refuse while welcoming it?

Resisting to the death was out. She finally had a chance to get cozy with An Yao. Resist what? No resistance. The key was that resisting might not even result in winning. Tears.

If she pretended to refuse while welcoming it, and something really happened, what would she do if An Yao didn’t acknowledge it the next day? Could she cry and demand An Yao take responsibility? That would be too embarrassing.

So what to do?