My Boss Always Flirts With Me - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: The Movie

Fang Ci hadn’t planned how he would spend this weekend. He really liked staying in. Sometimes, he’d play a game, and a day would just fly by. He had also asked others if they had any hobbies for relaxation, and the answer was always no.

According to the two assistants, He Chi’s weekends were either spent on business trips or working overtime at the company or at home. As for his boss’s other hobbies, they truly had no idea. Yesterday, when he asked so suddenly, Yuan Cheng thought for a few hours before finally saying, “Reading, I guess. CEO He reads reports and data every day, so he must be very knowledgeable.”

It was an answer that told him nothing.

Fang Ci thought that for two people to live together, there must be some differences, otherwise why get married? While frying eggs, he recalled what his parents used to do at home.

His parents were both teachers, one teaching mathematics at a high school and the other teaching painting at an art institute. Their life was a collision of rationality and romanticism. When his father was engrossed in studying numbers at home for too long, his mother would pull him out to go shopping or dancing. During summer and winter breaks, they would go on vacation. It was his mother who cultivated his father’s love for travel.

Thinking this way, perhaps they could cultivate a shared hobby?

The eggs in the pan were golden brown on both sides. Fang Ci stared at the rising steam, feeling that this was a very challenging task.

“What are we eating today?”

Fang Ci turned off the heat and listed a bunch of dishes, including what they would have for lunch.

He Chi opened the refrigerator, took out a small carton of milk, and started to pour it into a cup, but Fang Ci stopped him. “You can’t drink it cold.”

He Chi watched as the milk was unceremoniously taken away from his hands. A small pot was placed on the induction cooker. Fang Ci frowned and lectured, “Drinking cold milk is bad for your stomach. It has to be heated up.”

He Chi was speechless.

“You have cold food three times a day. Is your body really okay?” Fang Ci couldn’t help but ask.

It had been this way since he first invited him to dinner. He had thought that fried salmon and cod for lunch would count as hot food, but later he realized that wasn’t the case at all. With the intensity of He Chi’s work, there was no way he could eat lunch on time. On some days, Fang Ci saw He Chi’s takeout still sitting on the table after he had already finished his meal.

“…” He Chi had never paid attention to it.

In his life, other than his father, no one had ever taken care of him like this. He stood by the kitchen counter for a moment, feeling a bit dazed, unsure of what to do next. Fang Ci was busy, muttering softly to himself, but there was a strange, calming power in his presence.

At work, the boss managed his subordinates. At home, the roles seemed reversed. He Chi felt that this experience wasn’t so bad.

The milk that was placed back on the table was very hot. He Chi felt the warmth of the cup in his hand.

After its visit to the vet, Qiumiu the cat was given special permission to eat on the large dining table. Fang Ci gave it a few pieces of boneless meat, and the meal for the two people and one cat was complete.

He Chi ate very quietly, swallowing his food with great elegance. Even the movement of his Adam’s apple was exceptionally refined. Fang Ci couldn’t help but look at him a few more times, then he quietly picked up his phone.

He Chi heard the shutter click. Fang Ci smiled at him. “Qiumiu is really cute.”

There was a second half to that sentence that he didn’t dare to say: he thought his boss was also very cute, a perfect match with Qiumiu—one black, one white—like two cats.

After tidying up the dishes, Fang Ci asked He Chi what he would be doing today. He learned that He Chi was going to work out. Only then did Fang Ci remember that there was a gym at home. Determined to cultivate a shared hobby, he said he’d go check it out, since he hadn’t opened that room since he moved in.

He Chi’s eyes deepened as he asked, “Are you sure?”

There was no need for hesitation. Fang Ci said, “I’m curious.”

He followed He Chi like a little tail. He peeked inside and saw that the gym equipment was quite professional. Being a couch potato, he only recognized the treadmill. He couldn’t name any of the other machines. He Chi, with one hand in his pocket, gave him a brief introduction. Just as Fang Ci nodded, ready to leave, He Chi stopped him with a single sentence. “Want to try?”

Fang Ci: “It looks difficult. I’m not very good at this.”

He Chi: “I can teach you.”

Fang Ci suddenly understood the look He Chi had given him before they entered the room. He was serious!

And so, Fang Ci reluctantly lay on a professional machine, like a lazy fish. There was a 15-kilogram weight hovering above his arms. He could barely push it up a little, while He Chi had already effortlessly done several pull-ups. Fang Ci was making no progress at all.

He Chi reduced the weight for him, his arm held out in front of him. His muscles were especially well-defined after a workout. Fang Ci’s eyes kept darting around. He Chi was always strict, and he didn’t let him off the hook even with exercise. His voice was calm and cool. “Tighten your abs.”

Fang Ci obediently held his breath, his face turning red. He Chi placed his fingers on his stomach and directed him. “Breathe.”

But Fang Ci couldn’t help but let out a little laugh. He Chi looked up. Fang Ci mumbled softly, “It tickles.”

“Tickles?”

He Chi’s fingers hadn’t even applied any pressure. Fang Ci just felt a tickling sensation. His body curled up, and he quickly wiggled out from under the machine, almost rolling off. He Chi reached out to help him, but Fang Ci didn’t manage to touch his arm and instead crashed straight into his chest.

“Sorry.” He bounced away again in an instant.

The warmth of He Chi’s chest only lasted about 0.2 seconds.

Fang Ci’s face felt hot.

He was very ticklish. He had many sensitive spots on his body. When he was a kid and played around with friends, a slight touch to his leg or stomach would make his hair stand on end and his whole body tremble. It wasn’t a quality a man should have, and he was quite ashamed of it.

“This is all too complicated. I’ll just go for a run.” Fang Ci sprinted and jumped onto the treadmill to avoid the awkward atmosphere.

He Chi watched him hop around like a rabbit, amused, and let him do as he pleased.

Fang Ci’s heart raced as he ran, but as he calmed down, a sense of frustration inexplicably arose.

The two of them still weren’t very familiar with each other. Even sleeping in the same bed, it felt like there was a layer of transparent glass between them. His interactions with He Chi often felt like looking at a beautiful piece of art in a display case.

Other than that one confused night, they hadn’t held hands or hugged. Now, even the hobby of working out had to be crossed off the list.

This mood continued into the evening. He Chi had a last-minute meeting in the afternoon, and Fang Ci was left alone on the sofa, with nothing to do. He couldn’t find the motivation to do anything, and he even rejected Shen Liu’s invitation to play a game online.

When He Chi finished his brief work and returned to the living room, he saw Fang Ci scrolling on his phone, not really doing anything, just staring into space.

“What are you doing?”

Fang Ci was startled, his phone almost falling onto his face.

“Just looking at things.”

He asked again, “Do you have to be busy?”

He Chi replied, “I’m done with everything for today.”

Fang Ci hesitated for a moment, trying to take a step forward. “If you don’t have to work overtime, what do you usually do in the evening?”

He Chi thought for a moment and replied, “I read industry reports.”

Fang Ci: “…” It was almost exactly what Yuan Cheng had guessed. What a true role model for the workplace! He even felt like he was interrupting a “high-mountain flower’s” cultivation. Was marriage really so useless to a successful person?

Fang Ci’s confidence was shattered, but then he heard He Chi ask, “Do you want to watch a movie?”

Fang Ci couldn’t believe his ears. Did his boss just say, watch a movie?

“Together?” He Chi asked again patiently.

Fang Ci’s heart leaped with joy. He quickly nodded, afraid that if he missed this opportunity, there wouldn’t be another. “Should we go to the movie theater?”

He Chi said, “We have a projector here.”

Fang Ci immediately got up. “I’ll go get snacks!” The snacks He Chi had bought a few days ago were finally going to be put to use.

There was no coffee table in the living room, so he dragged a small round table over to the side and put the snacks on it. The latest movies could be paid for and watched. The projector screen was huge. With no lights on in the room, it was very similar to a movie theater.

He Chi gave him the choice of movie.

Fang Ci chose a mystery thriller, having heard the box office was good. He guessed that He Chi probably wouldn’t like comedies or romance films.

The two of them sat side by side on the sofa, waiting for the opening credits to pass. He Chi had his arms crossed at his side, dressed neatly as he was on weekdays, with a calm expression. In contrast, Fang Ci was sitting cross-legged, one hand holding snacks and the other stroking the cat. He was very “ungraceful.”

Fang Ci held the snack bag out to He Chi. He Chi shook his head, saying he didn’t have a habit of eating snacks.

Fang Ci didn’t insist and happily munched on the potato chips and biscuits himself.

A third of the movie had passed, and they had reached a minor climax. Fang Ci whispered, “I thought that woman was the murderer, but it turns out she’s just an NPC. Could it be the doctor?”

He Chi: “No.”

“Why?” Fang Ci was curious.

He Chi calmly analyzed. “If he was the murderer, he would subconsciously lie, but this person didn’t try to hide his motive in his panic. It must be the chef.”

Not only did he spoil the plot, but he also explained the logic behind the murder. Fang Ci chewed his snacks loudly: People who love to spoil things are not good people! Fang Ci sighed inwardly, and the chips in his mouth no longer tasted good.

“What if it’s not?” he struggled to hold on to hope.

He Chi frowned. “It has to be.”

Fang Ci: “…”

The ending, as expected, was exactly what He Chi had predicted. He had even guessed the logic of the crime with a frightening accuracy. This was spoiling the plot on a whole new level, comparable to Fang Ci reading the script himself and then reading two reviews.

When the end credits began to play, Fang Ci’s resentment lingered.

The screen returned to the main interface. He Chi asked him if he wanted to rest. On days without overtime, his routine was very regular. Since Fang Ci moved in, their routines had almost synchronized. Today, he uncharacteristically refused.

He Chi didn’t insist. Fang Ci watched him leave, feeling a lump in his chest. So, with a feeling of indignation and giving up, he clicked on an animated movie to watch by himself.

However, after about half an hour, He Chi, now in his pajamas, reappeared in the living room. Fang Ci was surprised. “Did I bother you?”

He Chi: “No, you didn’t.”

He glanced at the chasing cat and mouse on the screen and suddenly asked, “Are you in a bad mood?”

Fang Ci subconsciously shook his head, denying the idea.

But He Chi seemed to have a certain theory. “What’s the reason for your bad mood?”

Fang Ci had never heard anyone analyze a problem this way. His first reaction was still denial. “I’m not.”

He Chi walked over, his figure casting a shadow over him. He took the remote and paused the animated movie. Fang Ci, holding Qiumiu, looked up into his eyes. He Chi’s hair hadn’t had time to dry yet. The wet strands hung on his forehead, making him look both serious and gentle.

Fang Ci instinctively moved back half an inch. He Chi suddenly reached out and touched the top of his head. “Fang Ci, at home, I am not your boss.”

It was the first time he had used his name so formally. In his astonishment, Fang Ci’s heart started beating uncontrollably. He wanted to say something, but not a single word would come out.

He was right. When he had denied being in a bad mood just now, he had indeed placed himself in the role of a subordinate, just like when a leader asks, “Did your emotional issues cause a mistake at work today?” a subordinate would definitely deny it to cover up the problem.

“Ah… I’m sorry.” Fang Ci blurted out.

He Chi, however, said, “It’s my fault.”

Fang Ci fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. He wasn’t very good at handling emotional issues, which was probably why he had always been single. He Chi had suddenly broken through that wall, catching him off guard.

“I’m not used to family life. I don’t have a plan for how to handle some problems. If I do something wrong, you have to tell me directly, otherwise, I might keep making mistakes.”

Fang Ci was stunned. Was this problem that serious? But the man’s expression was so earnest that he had to take his words seriously.

“Why were you unhappy just now?”

Seeing the conversation return to the original topic, Fang Ci pursed his lips. This time, he answered honestly. “I… don’t really like spoilers.”

“So it’s not because you don’t like watching a movie with me?”

Fang Ci was stunned again. This time, he gave a genuine denial. “No, I like being with you.”

He Chi emphasized, “Don’t use honorifics.”

He paused, then said, “Again.”

Fang Ci obediently repeated, “I like being with you.”

He Chi was finally satisfied.

Fang Ci suddenly realized what he had just said, and his entire body felt hot, from his neck all the way to the top of his head!