My Boss Always Flirts With Me - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Phone Call

When He Chi got home, Fang Ci was already asleep. The room was pitch black and silent. He walked softly to the bed and placed the new figurine on the bedside table.

He had noticed something unusual in Fang Ci’s reply.

On most days, Fang Ci was cheerful, like a little bird, circling around him, both on WeChat and in real life.

However, today, their conversation had been brief, with only three messages on WeChat, the last of which was Fang Ci’s refusal.

Fang Ci rarely refused him. Sometimes, when he said one thing, Fang Ci would reply with two or three, always saying more than him.

He Chi, being a natural analyst, quickly concluded that Fang Ci was in a bad mood. So he chose to ignore his petulant reply and bought the figurine anyway.

It was from the same series as the one Fang Ci already had. The store clerk said they would make a perfect pair.

Unfortunately, Fang Ci was fast asleep and couldn’t see it yet.

I’ll just wait, he thought. We have the whole day tomorrow. He changed into his pajamas. After getting into bed, he held Fang Ci in his arms as usual and said, “Good night.”

Of course, Fang Ci had no idea about any of this.

He slept for a full 14 hours that night. The dreams from the past two days were all connected, which was physically and mentally exhausting. It took him a while to wake up and open his eyes.

He instinctively reached for his phone but touched something hard on the table. He looked up and saw a brand new figurine.

It was a style he hadn’t been able to buy before because it was out of stock.

He was stunned for a moment and reached out to touch it.

“Do you like it?”

He Chi’s voice came from behind him.

Fang Ci turned his head. He Chi seemed to have just finished some work and was still sitting at his desk.

Fang Ci was silent for a brief moment before replying.

He Chi walked closer and said, “I heard this is from the same series as the one you have. I’m glad you like it.”

Fang Ci nodded. “Thank you.” His tone was still distant.

He Chi watched him for a while, one hand in his pocket. He subtly frowned. Seeing that Fang Ci still wasn’t speaking and kept avoiding his gaze, he asked, “Shall we talk?”

He had always been direct. When there was a problem, he solved it. Now that the problem was obvious, he wasn’t going to pretend he didn’t see it. If Fang Ci wouldn’t speak, he would ask first.

Fang Ci didn’t answer him directly. Instead, he asked, “About what?”

He Chi: “Why are you unhappy?”

Fang Ci immediately retorted, “I’m not unhappy. You’re mistaken.”

He Chi’s expression was serious and earnest.

Fang Ci sat up and looked at him, repeating, “I’m just a little tired. There’s nothing else.”

Before, when he was sad and He Chi asked him about it, he was always happy. He even wanted He Chi to notice he was unhappy and come and comfort him. But now his mindset had changed. He hoped He Chi would act like nothing was wrong and let him be.

After a pause, he asked him, “Why do you think so?”

He Chi said, “You’ve been sleeping for a long time these past two days, and you haven’t smiled for a while.”

Fang Ci was stunned.

He Chi: “You said before that if you’re unhappy, you should tell the other person.”

Fang Ci: “…”

He Chi: “Are you being a hypocrite now?”

Coming from the dignified CEO He, these words were still so earnest and endearing. Fang Ci’s withered heart almost sprouted new grass in the spring breeze.

He knew he couldn’t talk to He Chi. The more he talked, the less he could control his heart. But he hadn’t figured out what to say yet. The most important thing now was to stay away from He Chi, get his thoughts in order, and then speak.

The distance between them was close enough to hear their breathing. The familiar woody scent filled his nostrils again. Fang Ci retreated slightly, leaning against the headboard, while he tried to find a way to get out of the conversation.

“How about we talk some other time?”

He Chi raised an eyebrow.

“It’s Cheng Wen’s birthday today. Our team is having a dinner party. Can we talk when I get back tonight?”

He Chi considered the feasibility of this plan in his mind. Then he looked at his watch. “What time will you be back?”

Fang Ci: “8 p.m.”

He Chi was silent. Postponing a problem wasn’t a good choice in his opinion, but he was willing to compromise. “Okay.”

Fang Ci breathed a sigh of relief and didn’t say anything else.

Cheng Wen’s birthday celebration had been planned last week. Thanks to this event, Fang Ci’s weekend was packed.

The colleagues in the group were all similar in age and got along well. They often hung out together. They had originally only planned for dinner, but Fang Ci asked a few people about their plans and moved the birthday party to the afternoon, taking up most of the day.

Cheng Wen had rented a place for entertainment, where they could sing, play cards, and it even had a bar.

Everyone started to arrive. Xiao Zhu, who lived the farthest away, was the first to arrive.

She still remembered Fang Ci’s plan to confess and wanted to share in his happiness, but she hovered around Fang Ci for a long time, and he acted like he didn’t see her, completely avoiding the topic. Xiao Zhu wasn’t stupid and quickly understood, so she didn’t bring it up.

Fang Ci really needed this lively atmosphere now. Since it was a birthday party, they had a cake and gave their blessings, so the evening’s activities were moved to the afternoon.

“Come on, let our manager say a few words!”

Fang Ci was pushed up. He smiled and said, “Congratulations, Brother Cheng, on getting one step closer to 30.”

Everyone sighed and laughed, lamenting how time flew by.

Fang Ci put down the microphone and returned to his seat.

Xiao Zhu turned to talk to Fang Ci but saw a team member handing him a drink. She watched for a moment, frowned, and sent a private message to Cheng Wen: [Keep an eye on Little Ci Ci today.]

Cheng Wen: [Huh? Why?]

Xiao Zhu knew some inside information but couldn’t say it, so she could only be vague: [Later, pull him away. I saw him drinking just now, and he was chugging it. That’s not right.]

Cheng Wen, being a little dense, looked at the table and saw that Fang Ci had already finished a bottle of beer. He didn’t know if he was chugging it, but he was drinking faster than everyone else. He raised an eyebrow and replied: [Okay.]

The party was lively until the evening.

After dinner, there were quite a few empty bottles on the table. He looked at the paper cup in Fang Ci’s hand and suggested, “Let’s play ‘I’ve Never.'”

“Everyone takes turns saying something they’ve never done. After you say it, everyone who has done it loses one life. If no one has done it, the person who said it loses one life. You have five lives. The first person to lose all their lives gets a punishment: Truth or Dare.”

Fang Ci had played this game before, and it was quite simple. Everyone gathered around the table, and Fang Ci sat next to Cheng Wen.

Xiao Zhu glanced at Fang Ci and said to Cheng Wen, “Brother Cheng, why don’t you start?”

Cheng Wen thought for a moment and said, “I’ve never been in a relationship before college!”

The crowd gasped. “That’s too weak. You’re probably going to get punished.”

Cheng Wen: “Everyone has five chances. Have all of you been in a relationship?”

Xiao Zhu: “Hehe. I had a crush in high school.”

Cheng Wen looked at Fang Ci for help. Fang Ci said, “I’m the same as you. I haven’t.”

Cheng Wen: “Great! Our Manager Fang is on my side!”

Cheng Wen was saved from the punishment.

It was Xiao Zhu’s turn. She said, “I’ve never owned a cat.”

Fang Ci lost one life.

Xiao Zhu was surprised. “When did you get a cat?”

Fang Ci said, “Recently.”

Xiao Zhu asked, “Quick, show me a picture.”

Fang Ci found a picture of Qiuqiu. Everyone gathered to look. “It’s a Ragdoll. So beautiful.”

Then someone suddenly said, “I remember CEO He also has a Ragdoll.” The person didn’t mean anything by it, but Fang Ci froze for a moment and turned off his phone.

Everyone shared pictures of their pets and then returned to the game.

Xiao Zhu passed the round easily. The turn went down the line. They said a few more, like “never been to Europe” or “don’t have five family members.” When they got to the fifth one, Cheng Wen couldn’t hold on anymore.

He wiped his face, gritted his teeth, and chose “Dare.”

A team member told him to chug a bottle. Cheng Wen said, “You just want to get me drunk!”

He had drunk half of it when Fang Ci stopped him and helped him finish a quarter. Xiao Zhu hissed, “Little Ci Ci, take it easy.”

Fang Ci smiled. He had indeed drunk a bit too much. His face was red, but his eyes were still bright.

The game started over with the person who was punished. Cheng Wen held the bottle and said, “Wait, let me think!”

Then he said, “I haven’t had a crush recently!”

Xiao Zhu almost spit out her water. “Change that one!”

Cheng Wen: “Why?”

Xiao Zhu’s eyes glanced at Fang Ci. She said, “Are you targeting people like me who are hopeless romantics?”

Cheng Wen said, “Didn’t you break up with your blind date?”

Xiao Zhu: “…”

The other team members said, “Don’t change it. This one is good. Thanks, Brother Cheng, for the scoop!”

Cheng Wen: “Screw you guys.”

Xiao Zhu held her forehead.

The question wasn’t changed. When it was Fang Ci’s turn, he automatically lost a life and said, “I have.”

A few people were shocked. “Seriously?”

Fang Ci said, “I like Kirby.”

Cheng Wen: “…That doesn’t count!”

Fang Ci: “You didn’t define ‘like,’ so I’m not wrong in saying that.”

Cheng Wen thought about it carefully. He was right…

“Fang Ci, if you play like that, you’re going to lose this round.”

Sure enough, less than five minutes later, Cheng Wen lost.

The crowd clapped and laughed.

This time, the punishment was for him to go outside and shout the name of the person he liked three times. Cheng Wen actually did it, but he shouted his brother’s name. He came back and said, “I learned from Fang Ci. I won’t be so honest this time.”

The alcohol was starting to get to Fang Ci. He was a little dizzy and leaned back on the sofa, laughing.

Cheng Wen was a sore loser and started another round. Everyone played more and more comfortably than before, and the questions became more explosive. Fang Ci had a hard time keeping up. He held on until the end and finally lost. He rubbed his head and was willing to accept the punishment.

Xiao Zhu said, “Why don’t we take a break first?”

Cheng Wen was also drunk and said, “Let’s think about what the punishment should be!”

Xiao Zhu patted him.

Fang Ci’s cheeks were burning. He lay on the sofa.

The word “like” had been repeated too many times in the game, burrowing into his heart. In his stupor, he felt like he had forgotten something but couldn’t remember what it was.

The alcohol amplified his feelings. He couldn’t help but think of He Chi again, and a wave of sadness washed over him.

Oh, right. He had promised to talk to him when he got home.

But he didn’t want to talk. He just wanted to escape.

If only he could digest his feelings like alcohol. It was just his own business anyway.

He had thought about whether to continue liking him many times these past few days, but he couldn’t come up with an answer.

Cheng Wen’s voice rang out again. He said, “Okay, here’s the punishment: make a voice call to the first person on your WeChat list and say one sentence!”

Someone next to him asked, “What should he say?”

There could be many people on the pinned list. Who knew who the first one was now? Thinking about how Fang Ci helped him drink just now, Cheng Wen was merciful. “Anything. Anything is fine.”

After he said that, Xiao Zhu was the one who sighed in relief. If it was the pinned list, it might be a family member or Fang Ci’s partner.

Fang Ci’s mind was fuzzy, but his ears weren’t. He didn’t seem to be completely drunk.

Everyone gathered around the table and watched him steadily pick up his phone and make a voice call. Someone suggested, “Speakerphone, speakerphone. If it’s a family member, we’ll all say hello.” Most of them guessed it was his parents.

Fang Ci obediently put it on speakerphone.

The call rang twice and was quickly picked up.

“Where are you?”

Everyone was stunned for a few seconds when they heard the voice.

Cheng Wen: “Why does that voice sound so familiar to me…”

Then, they heard Fang Ci say into the phone, his voice slurred, “He Chi, I’m sad. I hate you!”

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Cheng Wen: “Holy crap!”

Xiao Zhu: “Holy crap!”

Everyone: “Crap!”

Cheng Wen: “Are you trying to get fired!?”