My Boss Always Flirts With Me - Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Getting the License
The morning after their sudden marriage, Fang Ci still felt like he was dreaming. It was a little bizarre and a little comical.
He woke up, got ready as usual, chose a comfortable jacket, and slung his white sports crossbody bag over his shoulder to go to work.
On the way, looking at the people around him, he kept thinking: Am I dreaming?
As a new powerhouse in the industry, Zhiyue Technology’s office building was located in a famous business district. There were six elevators for entry and exit. Fang Ci stood in front of one, waiting to go up. He turned his head and realized he was surrounded by colleagues. They greeted each other and started chatting.
At first, they talked about project progress, mindful of their manager, Fang Ci, being there. Fang Ci could even join in. A few minutes later, they shifted from work to gossip. Xiao Zhu, a team member, said mysteriously:
“I heard that Young Master Xue from Yongcheng is back and is pursuing Boss He again. A few days ago, someone saw him buying coffee downstairs with Boss He’s name on the cup.”
Everyone was clearly more interested in gossip. After a moment of exclamation, a male colleague added, “I think he’s been pursuing Boss He for a while now, right?”
Fang Ci knew who “Young Master Xue” was. When He Chi’s tech company was going through a bottleneck in its Series B funding, Yongcheng Capital invested and supported them all the way. The largest shareholder of Yongcheng Capital was named Xue, and Young Master Xue was his eldest son.
Fang Ci had a purely superior-subordinate relationship with He Chi before. He occasionally had the mindset of a fan toward an idol but never lusted after his boss, so he never paid attention to the people around him. When he’d seen them together before, he’d assumed they were friends. Were they not?
He wasn’t overwhelmed with emotion, just curious. He didn’t turn around or say anything, just secretly pricked up his ears to listen to what came next.
“I heard that for a while, he sent food to Boss He every day, with a different dish each time, and even wanted to drive him home from work!”
“Really? That’s intense! Why do you think Boss He didn’t agree? I heard Boss He likes guys, and that Mr. Xue—what’s his name—is a rich second-generation heir. I think they look good together.”
“Shh, don’t just say anything. What if they’re secretly dating? The anonymous forum post was deleted before I could even read it.”
The little person inside Fang Ci’s heart also “shushed.” He’d seen some strange rumors on their company’s anonymous forum. Some people had indeed said the two were in a relationship. Could it be that he was really just dreaming yesterday, and he was just an idiot?
The people behind him got more and more excited, and even Fang Ci felt a surge of emotion. When the elevator dinged and arrived, the chatter behind him stopped abruptly. Fang Ci, standing in front, was the first to step inside, but he froze when he looked up.
The person who followed him in was none other than Boss He, the subject of all the gossip. His colleagues scattered, as if on cue, and said politely, “Hello, Boss He. You go first. We’ll wait for another elevator. It’ll be here soon.”
They spoke in perfect unison. Fang Ci was dumbfounded. It was fine for employees to defer to their boss and avoid awkwardness, but why did they have to leave him alone with him? There were only him and He Chi left in the elevator!
Xiao Zhu and the others stood side by side, giving him warm but apologetic smiles. In a flash of panic, Fang Ci wondered if he should also defer, but He Chi didn’t give him a chance. He reached out and pressed the floor button, his sturdy arm blocking him. The elevator doors closed just like that.
He Chi stood in front of him, his back to him, with his coat draped over his arm. His back was straight and the muscle lines were smooth. Fang Ci could even feel the warmth of his skin. His eyes went wide, and a few seconds later, his cheeks felt hot. He averted his gaze and watched the numbers go up.
“Just now…” He Chi suddenly spoke.
Fang Ci subconsciously said, “Yes?”
He Chi looked at him through the reflective elevator door. Their eyes met, and He Chi continued, “Those are just rumors. Xue Ran and I have no relationship.”
Xue Ran? Who was Xue Ran? Fang Ci was confused for a moment before he realized he was talking about “Young Master Xue.”
“Oh… okay,” Fang Ci didn’t know what to say.
As they approached the 27th floor, he added, “But this is your private matter. You don’t have to explain it to me.”
The elevator stopped. He Chi looked back at him and said, “It’s a part of our agreement.” With that, he took a long stride out of the elevator.
Fang Ci blinked. Mentioning the “agreement” finally brought him back to reality.
Oh. He hadn’t been dreaming. He had indeed messed up and slept with his boss, and then casually got married. It was bizarre yesterday and dreamy today. Fang Ci felt like his brain and his heart had been in the wrong places.
He floated into his cubicle, pulled open his drawer, and reread the agreement to make his heart beat again. He looked for the clause He Chi mentioned but couldn’t find it on any of the four pages or among the dozens of clauses.
He took another two minutes to think about it and finally understood. It must be the clause about “negotiating a divorce if you find someone you like.” He Chi’s words, when translated, meant:
He doesn’t have anyone he likes right now, and he won’t be getting a divorce anytime soon.
Fang Ci couldn’t help but sigh. His boss was so meticulous!
He put the agreement down, took a few deep breaths, and quickly got back into work mode. He had a lot to do today.
Zhiyue Technology was planning to go public, and this new smart device needed to lead the way. The pressure was on Fang Ci. Product adjustments had to be made before sales could begin. Developing a single product was already a huge task, and Fang Ci, as the person in charge of it all, had even more on his plate.
After several rounds of work, he finally finished the new report around 4 PM.
He rubbed his wrist and sent the email. About ten minutes later, He Chi called him directly to his office.
Fang Ci reported on the project progress and highlights. He Chi accurately pointed out the issues and simply said, “Change it again.” Fang Ci groaned internally but promised to revise it as soon as possible.
He Chi nodded, still meticulous and a bit cold. Besides agreeing, he added another instruction:
“Try to finish the revisions today. I hope you can keep tomorrow morning free.”
Fang Ci’s heart tightened. “Is there something else?” Help! He was terrified of a new project being thrown at him.
He Chi seemed to sense his tone, raised an eyebrow, and said, “I’d like to finalize our documents tomorrow. Is your schedule okay?”
Fang Ci was dumbfounded. “What documents?”
He Chi looked at him calmly. Fang Ci swallowed hard. Was he talking about the little red book?
He Chi gave him the answer: “Our marriage certificate. Of course, if the timing isn’t convenient, we can reschedule.”
Fang Ci was silent for a moment, then said, “…It’s convenient.” He wasn’t lying. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have signed the agreement. He was just slow to process it.
He couldn’t be blamed. It was just too fantastical. One moment, He Chi was his cold boss; the next, they were discussing getting married. The transition was so abrupt, and he wasn’t used to it yet.
He sat back in his seat and stared blankly at his laptop for a while. Okay, it was pointless to overthink it. He would just take things as they came. He was a sucker for good looks, after all.
…
Getting the License
The Civil Affairs Bureau opened at 9 AM, the same time they started work. He Chi came to pick him up. Both of them were wearing white shirts. However, He Chi wore black dress pants, while Fang Ci wore comfortable jeans. At first glance, they looked like a proper couple, and Fang Ci was amused by his own thoughts.
It was rush hour at 8 AM, and the roads were a bit congested. He Chi still had the radio on. At first, neither of them said a word. Then He Chi initiated a conversation about work. Since Fang Ci had turned in his proposal late last night, he perked up to hear the feedback. He Chi didn’t give him a hard time, and the work discussion ended in about five minutes. Then, someone started a random topic, and they talked about everyday things.
Fang Ci learned that He Chi liked to work out, and He Chi learned that Fang Ci was a homebody.
Fang Ci recalled a popular quote he saw online: “Successful people are disciplined.”
This proved to be true.
Fang Ci then thought of Xue Ran, who also ran a business, and felt that those two were the ones who truly fit together. He asked, “Why do you want to get married? Why not wait for someone you like or who likes you?” The conversation was surprisingly direct between two people who had no romantic involvement.
He Chi replied, “Dating is a waste of time. When ‘liking’ is involved, you have to put in effort to coax them, which is too troublesome.”
Fang Ci didn’t quite understand the mindset of a successful person. In a fantasy novel, this would be the “path of no emotion.”
“What about you?” He Chi asked in return.
Fang Ci said, “I’m a lot like you. I’ve never really dated, and being single for so long, I feel it’s pretty good this way.”
He also expressed his own thoughts: “Don’t worry, I won’t fall for you, and you don’t need to fall for me. My mom used to say I was easy to raise, not clingy or troublesome, like a pet.”
A pet? He Chi looked at him, smiled, and suddenly said, “I have a cat at home.”
Huh? Then He Chi added, “I take pretty good care of it.”
He said it so seriously that Fang Ci’s heart skipped a beat, and his ears started to feel warm. He subtly moved his fingers to the window button and opened it a little.
A cool breeze hit his face.
After being stuck in traffic for half an hour, they finally arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau. After filling out the registration forms, Fang Ci secretly peeked at He Chi’s information.
He was 29, born in City A in the South.
He was only five years older than him and wasn’t even from the area. He started from scratch. This was the difference between people! Fang Ci thought to himself as they went through the process, “My boss is so amazing!”
“Alright, you two, stand here for a picture!” They followed the staff member’s instructions and stood on the platform. Fang Ci recalled the nine-photo grids he saw on social media of newlyweds and quickly adjusted his expression.
The photographer glanced at him and nodded, but his gaze got stuck on He Chi.
“Young man, you’re a bit too serious. Don’t be nervous. Marriage is a happy occasion. Come on, give me a smile.”
The tone was like coaxing a child. Fang Ci’s peripheral vision caught a glimpse of He Chi’s face, which seemed to flush. It certainly wasn’t from nervousness, since a CEO who spoke confidently at a global AI summit would have strong psychological fortitude.
Maybe the process was just too uneventful, leading to a blank expression?
The photographer offered a suggestion: “How about you get a little closer? Tilt your heads, or put an arm around their waist. Relax, think of something happy you two did together.”
Fang Ci felt his boss’s face was a bit stiff. To prevent the atmosphere from becoming just as stiff, he quickly said, “It’s okay, just take it like this.”
The words had barely left his mouth when he felt a sudden warmth around his waist. The person next to him had put an arm around him. The warmth seeped through his thin shirt. He Chi’s voice came from his side: “Is this okay?”
It sounded like he was asking him. Fang Ci was focused on the camera and bit his tongue, unable to speak.
The intimacy that had been so hastily removed the other day was now revived through touch. Fang Ci forced himself not to overthink it, held his breath, and smiled when the photographer said, “Three, two, one.”
The photos were ready in a minute, delivered to them still warm.
The staff stamped a seal on them. In the photos, they were both smiling warmly, with their names written side by side underneath.
Fang Ci had once imagined his own wedding registration. A man would stand beside him, and they would happily go through the process with their hearts pounding.
Now, the person beside him had a clear face, and when he touched his heart, it was indeed beating very fast.
Hmm, perfect.