My Boss Always Flirts With Me - Chapter 24
Chapter 24: The Diagnosis
Fang Ci went home and used the study. He translated the proposal into English and Chinese versions to cross-check the information with the R&D team. He needed to re-confirm these details many times and didn’t dare to be careless.
Incidentally… it was also a good excuse to let He Chi go to sleep first and create a time gap.
As expected, around 10 p.m., He Chi came in and asked if he was going to rest. Fang Ci replied, “I need one more hour.”
This time, He Chi didn’t ask for details. He just said, “Mm,” and went into the study himself.
Fang Ci looked up and asked, “Is something wrong?”
He Chi pulled a book on product architecture from the bookshelf. “I don’t feel like sleeping yet. I’ll read for a bit. I won’t bother you, will I?”
Fang Ci shook his head.
The two of them stayed in the same space in silence. Fang Ci slowly relaxed from his initial tension. He Chi seemed genuinely absorbed in his book and was wearing his glasses.
Fang Ci lowered his head, searching for corresponding terms in the document, re-immersing himself in work.
“That sentence isn’t quite right.” Fang Ci’s eyes were starting to blur when he suddenly heard a voice behind him. He Chi had gotten up without him noticing.
Fang Ci made the correction He Chi suggested and asked, “Are there any other places?”
He Chi said, “No. The rest can be handed over to the R&D department. If there are any issues with their final version, I’ll hold them accountable during my business trip the day after tomorrow.”
Fang Ci felt the pressure just listening to him. He also picked up a new piece of information. “Are you going on a business trip to the R&D center?”
“Yes.”
Zhuyun Tech had three R&D centers: two local and one overseas. Clearly, He Chi was going abroad this time. Fang Ci asked, “How many days?”
He Chi took off his glasses and rubbed his brow. “Three days.”
“Most of that will be spent traveling, right?”
He Chi: “Pretty much.”
Looking at the side profile of the person in front of him, He Chi asked, “Have you picked out a birthday gift?”
This question stumped Fang Ci. He didn’t understand. “What birthday gift?”
“The one you said you wanted to give to a friend. If you need, I can have Yuan Cheng buy it overseas.”
Fang Ci was stunned. How could He Chi remember that so clearly? He had even forgotten he said it himself. He quickly waved his hands, afraid He Chi would bring it up again. “I already bought it and mailed it to him. He’s very busy.”
“What did you buy?”
Fang Ci made something up. “A rice cooker. The kind you use at home. He likes to eat.”
He Chi nodded. “That’s good. I thought the friend you were talking about was me.”
“Ah?” It was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. Fang Ci was terrified by He Chi’s powerful deductive logic. “How could you think that?”
He Chi just looked at him silently. Fang Ci couldn’t help but look away, then back again. “Why would you think that?”
He Chi, with his hands in his pockets, said calmly, “You said that friend was very important, but I’ve never heard you mention them before. I’m the only one who has had a birthday recently.”
Fang Ci’s defenses were on the verge of collapsing. He almost gave up. “Okay…”
But He Chi seemed to have found the answer in his response. He didn’t let him vaguely change the subject but continued relentlessly. “Why do you feel our marriage is just so-so?”
Fang Ci opened his mouth. Under He Chi’s sharp gaze, he felt he had nowhere to hide. Awkwardly, he clutched at the corner of the table, admitting it was embarrassing but not that it was painful.
He Chi: “Are you… dissatisfied with something?” His tone wasn’t sharp, but the question was. At least, Fang Ci was caught off guard and couldn’t handle it.
He Chi was like a curious student or a teacher doing research. He even started using an exhaustive search method, one by one, to verify the conditions that led to this result.
Fang Ci bit his lip, feeling a little wronged by the questioning. That frustrated feeling bubbled up again. “No.”
He Chi stopped. His gaze had been on the person in front of him, taking in every subtle expression. After a moment, he seemed to understand something. “I know.”
Fang Ci turned to look at him and saw He Chi tilt his head slightly, laying out his logic for him. “I’ve heard that many couples break up because of a lack of a physical relationship. Is that why you feel our relationship isn’t normal?” The question was a rhetorical one, a statement disguised as an inquiry.
Fang Ci’s head went “boom.” His mind was in a state of shock. “You… you…”
His face was so hot he couldn’t even say a full sentence.
He Chi paused for a few seconds, then continued in an unprecedentedly serious tone. “It is indeed my oversight. If you need…”
Fang Ci was initially hurt and shocked, but now he was so embarrassed and shy that his ears were beet red. He just wanted to stop him from saying anything more. He didn’t care about the boss-employee dynamic anymore and clamped a hand over He Chi’s mouth. “Who told you that?!”
He used a little too much force, and He Chi was pushed against the bookshelf.
Fang Ci’s palm was against He Chi’s lips, and his breath was hot and moist. He couldn’t decide whether to keep his hand there or take it away. It felt like he had been electrocuted. He only let go when He Chi pointed to his hand. The blush on his face hadn’t faded. “If you want to talk… say it properly!”
How can a proper conversation turn into that? Where did you get that conclusion from?!
He Chi seemed to genuinely want to have a frank conversation with him. The two went back and forth, answering each other’s questions.
“Who told you I’m dissatisfied because of something like that?”
He Chi was silent for a moment. “That friend you saw last time, and online.” He said it as seriously as if it were a work topic, with a thesis and supporting evidence.
Fang Ci knew about Shen Liu, but what did “online” mean? Fang Ci was stunned. “Online?”
He stared at He Chi’s eyes for a long time, then it seemed to click. He opened a web page and searched: Reasons Affecting Marital Happiness. The phrase was in the top ten results. He held his phone, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
It was hard to imagine such a cool and detached person browsing through these forums. What was going on? He was CEO He, for goodness’ sake!
Even holding the phone felt hot in his hand. After being tense for a while, Fang Ci’s nerves miraculously relaxed.
What should I do? I kind of want to laugh.
“Teacher He, you believe everything you read online?”
He Chi still had his hands in his pockets, and his facial expression hadn’t changed. He clearly didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. “It’s my first marriage. It’s normal to be inexperienced.”
Fang Ci was helpless. This time, he really did laugh.
“You’ve been avoiding me these past few days. Is it not because you’re dissatisfied with our marriage?” He Chi looked at him.
Fang Ci was defeated. He sighed and, with a softening heart, replied, “No.”
He Chi raised an eyebrow, a questioning look in his eyes.
Fang Ci carefully chose his words, telling him his thoughts. “I think we should understand each other better. If you have something that’s making you unhappy, you can tell me too.”
“Even though I don’t have as much experience as you, you can’t have a double standard.”
He Chi: “Double standard?”
Fang Ci nodded. “Yes. It’s always you asking me, but when it’s about you, you don’t say anything.”
He Chi was silent. “Okay, I’ll remember that.”
Fang Ci’s mood brightened considerably. “So, that day you…”
He Chi’s voice overlapped with his. “I wasn’t unhappy.”
Fang Ci: “…” He had said all that for nothing.
However, there were times when He Chi really didn’t seem to care about himself—his eating habits, feelings, emotions… He was too rational. Once he classified these things as “unimportant,” he would use quantified data to suppress, dissolve, and then forget them.
Fang Ci looked at him as if looking at a misty forest. The trees were real, but the mist was intangible. But it was so amazing that a person so emotionally dense could still sense his own emotions.
“Is the problem solved?” He Chi asked in the end.
Fang Ci couldn’t bring himself to ask any more questions. He paused for a few seconds helplessly. “It wasn’t that serious in the first place.”
He Chi nodded, the lines on his face much softer. “Let’s rest.”
Fang Ci followed behind him. “Okay.”
They returned to the bedroom. The lights were dim. Fang Ci turned over in bed, waiting until He Chi lay down before finally settling down himself.
He Chi reached out and tucked in the corner of the comforter that Fang Ci had disturbed.
“Fang Ci.”
“Hmm?” Fang Ci responded softly.
He Chi said, “The marriage agreement has many imperfections. You can add clauses to it at any time.”
Fang Ci looked at him, blinking. “…Can I add just one or two?”
He Chi: “You can.”
Fang Ci’s eyes curved into a smile.
So that night, their “goodnight” turned into a kiss.