My Boss Always Flirts With Me - Chapter 55

Chapter 55: Critical Hit

It was strange. Fang Ci was incredibly calm this time, even to himself. As he stared at the ceiling, he found himself dissecting his own feelings far more than analyzing He Chi’s. After a huge sense of loss, an extraordinary quietness settled over him. His bl00d flow and heart rate slowed down, so much so that he could hear a low-frequency echo in his ears. If he were a machine, his gears would be grinding, sputtering, and on the verge of falling apart.

But these subtle changes were invisible on the surface. Fang Ci still slept in He Chi’s arms that night. He even got up early on Saturday to make breakfast for him. The sandwich tasted the same, and the milk was warm. Everything was normal. When He Chi asked if he had done anything embarrassing yesterday, Fang Ci smiled and said “yes,” then deliberately refused to say more, letting him guess. He Chi saw that Fang Ci seemed fine and assumed nothing had happened, so he let it go.

Fang Ci was free that morning. After the press conference, his workload had decreased. If he wanted to, he could take time off and fast-forward to vacation mode. He didn’t know what to do, so he turned on the TV and flipped through channels.

The first channel was airing an idol drama. The male and female leads were childhood sweethearts but grew apart because of a third party, going their separate ways after graduation. Nope, change the channel.

The second channel was showing a movie with a ridiculously dramatic plot. The male lead was terminally ill but refused to tell the female lead. Countless people tried to convince him in two minutes, but he wouldn’t listen. Okay, change the channel.

The third channel was actually good. SpongeBob SquarePants was on. Patrick Star was lugging a box of toys, grunting and groaning, to SpongeBob’s door. He handed SpongeBob a toy. It seemed they had had a fight. Patrick, being simple-minded, was determined to figure out why. SpongeBob, also kind-hearted, didn’t really want to argue. In the end, the two little guys didn’t even understand why they were fighting and just made up.

Patrick said, “Everyone else gave up on you, but I didn’t, because I’m not very smart.”

Fang Ci put down the remote and watched two episodes. A simpleton like him was only fit to watch SpongeBob SquarePants.

He might have watched it all day if his mom hadn’t suddenly called.

“You’re not home?”

His mom’s first words stunned him.

Thankfully, it was the weekend, so he had plenty of excuses. Fang Ci calmly said, “No, I’m out having fun.”

“Mom, how did you know I wasn’t home?”

His mom said, “Your dad and I were out shopping and passed by your place. We went up to see you and knocked for a long time, but you didn’t answer. I figured you might have gone out.”

Fang Ci had always been independent and had moved out to live on his own after college. His parents respected his choice and maintained clear boundaries. Even when they missed him, they would call before coming over. This time was an exception. If his parents hadn’t been so hands-off, he wouldn’t have dared to make such a huge decision as getting married so suddenly.

His mom continued, “Your dad and I need to buy some insurance and need a photocopy of the household registration booklet. It took us a while to remember it might be with you.”

Of course, it was. He had taken it a few months ago under the pretense of handling business, but it was really to get his marriage certificate.

Fang Ci quickly said, “Yes, it’s in the drawer on the left side of the entrance. You can go in and get it.” He then gave them the passcode. His mom told him to have fun and not to worry, then hung up.

“Family?” He Chi said as he walked over with two glasses of water, placing one in front of him.

“Thank you,” Fang Ci said. “They were asking why I wasn’t home.”

He Chi nodded. He knew Fang Ci hadn’t told his parents about the marriage. This was something that couldn’t be rushed. It had to be handled properly with his parents, but it couldn’t be delayed for too long either. He discussed with Fang Ci, “Do you want to go home next week?”

Fang Ci said, “Do you have time?”

He Chi said, “Whenever they’re free is fine with me.”

The implication was that he wanted to meet his parents officially. Fang Ci wasn’t ready, but his family had brought it up several times. He couldn’t keep making excuses.

“Okay, I’ll ask them.”

He Chi: “What are their hobbies?”

Fang Ci was slightly taken aback. “Isn’t it a little too early to prepare gifts?”

He Chi said, “It’s not early. It’s already a few months late.”

Fang Ci’s heart softened. He realized what he was thinking, lowered his head, and gave a helpless smile.

“My parents love to travel and collect local specialties. My mom teaches painting and likes to buy anything she finds beautiful. My dad has a very logical mind and is more practical. They don’t have a fixed hobby.”

“Their biggest hobby,” Fang Ci thought for a moment, “is bickering.”

A hint of a smile appeared in He Chi’s eyes. “Who wins?”

Fang Ci: “My mom, of course. My dad can only get the first two sentences out, and then my mom just takes over. She can go on all day.”

He Chi: “I can’t tell.”

Fang Ci: “You’ve never met them.”

He Chi looked at him. Fang Ci clearly hadn’t inherited his mom’s style. He was well-behaved most of the time. When he was angry, he would just leave a tooth mark on him. He wouldn’t talk all day. It was rare for him to be uninhibited. They had never truly argued or bickered.

It was hard to say whether he was satisfied or not. In fact, a reckless Fang Ci was also very good. He didn’t know why, but besides the time he was drunk, Fang Ci had never shown that side of him. But he felt that Fang Ci should have that side.

He was the youngest department manager in the company, having been promoted four times in two years. He could argue for the department’s interests and had experienced being in front of hundreds or even thousands of people. He was sharp and firm, yet in front of him, he was only well-behaved.

Was this really reasonable? Was he too overbearing and suppressing his personality?

“You can argue with me, too, if you’re not happy with something,” he quickly proposed his solution.

Fang Ci was quiet for a moment. He said, “Why would I argue with you?” His tone was calm, with a hint of a sigh.

When they first got married, he didn’t dare. An employee could present data, arguments, and questions to their boss, but they couldn’t be unreasonable. Now, he couldn’t bear to, because he was a little fool. He was a little fool who would get a zero on a test and even have his paper thrown away by the teacher. He had a position, but no confidence. What could he argue with him with?

He Chi was speechless for a moment. It seemed he didn’t know how to handle this. Things he hadn’t experienced were also difficult for him to grasp.

Not wanting to dwell on the topic, Fang Ci chose another one and asked He Chi, “What are your parents like, Teacher He?”

He Chi leaned on the sofa, his fingers rubbing the rim of the glass. After a long time, he said, “My father is very overbearing.”

Fang Ci had heard about it from He Chi’s cousin. If he could make He Chi feel resistant, he must be very overbearing. Besides that word, He Chi had no other descriptions. Fang Ci then asked, “And your mother?”

He Chi said, “She’s very stubborn.”

It was a standard, concise summary.

“They separated a long time ago. They each live their own lives. The rules of survival are complex, and their lives and logic have become self-contained, so there’s no need to meet them, which is why I didn’t mention it.”

“Oh, I see.” Fang Ci half-understood. The only thing he could gather was that He Chi was not very willing to talk about his parents. He had cut ties with them, for better or worse. Fang Ci felt strange but was considerate enough not to ask further.

Rather than talking about himself, He Chi was more willing to learn about Fang Ci. With a few leading questions, Fang Ci talked about his parents’ daily lives and the fun stories of their family of three when he was a child. The mischievous little Fang Ci who followed neighbors to get candy and the cute, well-behaved young man in front of him merged, making his heart flutter. The timeline of Fang Ci’s life stretched longer, adding many precious moments.

“…Wasn’t I very naughty?” Fang Ci stopped mid-sentence.

He Chi: “Very cute, just right.”

“Huh?” What did “just right” mean?

He Chi said, “Not too well-behaved.” It seemed that a mix of naughtiness and good behavior was the real Fang Ci.

While they were talking, Qiuqiu finished its dried fish and ran over from the kitchen. Fang Ci picked it up and held it in his arms. “That’s why my mom says raising me is like raising a pet. Sometimes I’m very obedient, and sometimes I’m rebellious.”

He Chi stroked Qiuqiu’s head without commenting.

Sunlight poured in from the floor-to-ceiling windows, warming them and dispelling some of the gloom. Fang Ci had been adjusting for a long time through their conversation and was gradually recovering. The fatigue was locked away in a corner by the sunlight.

He had figured out how to spend the rest of the weekend.

“How about we get a bigger cat tree for Qiuqiu tomorrow?” It would take a whole day to assemble the disassembled cat tree.

“Okay.”

Fang Ci gave Qiuqiu a kiss.

His phone vibrated again. Fang Ci opened it and saw the “Family of Three” WeChat group. His mom had sent a picture—a few thin A4 papers. He couldn’t make out what they were.

Fang Ci put Qiuqiu down and typed: [Couldn’t find the household registration booklet?]

His mom’s call came right after. “What is this? I found it in your drawer.”

Fang Ci was all too familiar with this tone. When he did something wrong as a child, his parents’ tone would become like a teacher’s, extremely oppressive. He could clearly tell his mom was suppressing her anger.

Fang Ci was still confused. He quickly zoomed in on the picture.

The title on the papers was clearly magnified. Fang Ci was dumbfounded.

“What have you been doing behind our backs?!” his mom yelled in a tone he had never heard before.

Fang Ci was so anxious that he was on the verge of tears. “No, Mom, listen to me…”

“Getting married secretly—do you not care about your parents at all?”

“Fine, fine, I won’t scold you for getting married. But you tell me, what is this marriage agreement?!”

Fang Ci bit his lip, unable to speak. His heart was pounding in his chest, and his mind was a blank slate.

What to do? What to do?

Just as he was at a loss, his phone was taken from him.

He Chi held his hand with his left hand and the phone with his right. He said, “Hello.”

“Who are you?” the person on the other end was still furious.

He Chi said, “I am the person who married Yuan Yuan. I apologize for contacting you this way. If Auntie and Uncle have time, would you be willing to have dinner with us tonight?”

“Regarding the marriage agreement, it was my oversight. I hope to have a chance to apologize to you.”