My Boss Always Flirts With Me - Chapter 59
Chapter 59: Video Call
The next day, Fang Ci received a friend request from He Yun.
[Xiao Ci, I’m He Chi’s cousin. Hello there, may I add you as a friend?]
Fang Ci accepted. He Yun almost immediately sent a new message: [We talked on the phone before, do you remember?]
Fang Ci: [I remember. Is there something you need, cousin? (Little bunny nodding)]
He Yun: [I heard you were sent on a business trip to Southeast Asia. I wanted to say hello and ask if you’re doing well over there.]
Fang Ci: [Thank you, cousin. I’m doing well. The scenery here is beautiful, so I’m treating it like a vacation. (Little bunny with squinting eyes)]
After saying that, he also sent her a few pictures: a cart full of fruit, lush green plants, and a small cat. He Yun’s heart melted. She had never met Fang Ci and had barely spoken to him, but from his words and the pictures, she concluded that he was a good person. How to put it? He was like that little cat, with bright, dewy eyes and a sweet demeanor.
A boy like this had to be the kind of person you’d have your first crush on in school, the only one left after the Big Bang!
She felt a bit indignant just thinking about how her block-of-ice cousin got so lucky for heaven to send him an angel!
Fang Ci had no idea that in just a few moments, He Yun’s mind had gone from a single picture to God’s private garden. He only felt He Yun’s enthusiasm, similar to Wei Lin’s casual friendliness.
The two chatted casually. With He Chi as their connection, they quickly became familiar. Fang Ci started calling her “jiejie” (older sister), making it feel more intimate.
He Yun had heard some things from Wei Lin but wasn’t sure if they were true. Since they had just become friends, it wasn’t appropriate to ask directly, so she patiently got to know him first.
Fang Ci didn’t seem too busy. He Yun asked where he was, and he said he was at a shopping center, helping a colleague buy office supplies.
[Does that supermarket have any banana cream?]
Fang Ci: [What is banana cream?]
He Yun said, [It’s for moisturizing.]
She paused, then said, [Could you ask for me while you’re there? If they have it, could you bring a bottle back for me?] The first step to building a friendship is to trouble each other. It didn’t matter if he bought the moisturizer or not; the key was to interact with Fang Ci, and it would give her a reason to see him again when he returned home.
Fang Ci replied: [Please wait, I’ll ask a store clerk.]
A little while later, he didn’t type a response. Instead, he directly called her on WeChat video. He Yun answered. “Is this a good time? It’s fine if you can’t find it.”
A row of creams appeared on the screen. Fang Ci said, “There are a lot of brands. Which one do you want?”
He Yun actually found the brand she mentioned. Fang Ci picked up four of them. He Yun quickly said, “You don’t need to get so many.”
Fang Ci: “I only come here once every few years, so I might as well buy a few extra. You can always give them to friends if you don’t use them all.”
He Yun was touched. Look how considerate he is! Aaaah, I love it!
Fang Ci then held his phone up and turned it around, asking if there was anything else she needed to buy. He Yun said, “I can’t think of anything right now. If I do, I’ll let you know. Thanks!”
Fang Ci politely turned the phone to face himself. He said, “Okay. I’ll be here for three weeks, so you can tell me anytime.”
The angle wasn’t very good, and the sun was behind him, but He Yun could still make out his appearance through the distorted halo of light.
Hiss, he’s good-looking.
He was stunningly beautiful, completely overturning her impression of straight-laced, science-and-engineering-type men. He Yun admired the beautiful face on the screen for a long time, nodding in satisfaction. Yes, this WeChat add was worth it. After three months, I finally know what He Chi’s partner looks like.
Hey, don’t even get me started. He Chi’s taste is pretty good. His eye for people is as good as his eye for business.
The two chatted for a few more minutes, and Fang Ci’s colleagues and the streetscape came into view. He Yun didn’t hang up until he was almost back at the office.
She leaned back in her lounge chair and lit a cigarette. After a while, she exited Fang Ci’s chat, opened He Chi’s, and with a smirk, sent him a screenshot of the video call.
He Chi was busy and didn’t reply.
He Yun wasn’t in a hurry. She put her phone aside and continued sunbathing.
Just as she was getting drowsy, she heard a “ding-dong” sound.
He Chi replied with: [?]
He Yun: [Xiao Ci is so cute.]
He Chi sent a string of ellipses. He Yun didn’t care. She didn’t mind his reaction when she was face-to-face with him, so she cared even less through a phone. She was just showing off a little.
…
“Boss, do you have any additions to the report just now?”
He Chi was in a meeting. The participants were arranged in a U-shape, and when the question was asked, they all looked at him.
He Chi pressed his phone screen to turn it off. He said, “Just tell me the market rollout results. I don’t need to know the process.”
The employee giving the report was a bit flustered. He frantically skipped a few pages and turned to the KPI section.
He Chi: “Continue.”
The boss had been in a bad mood for the past two days, and those familiar with the CEO’s office had already received a heads-up. Yet, when they faced him, they were still a bit nervous. The group fell silent, obediently doing as he said.
He Chi was rarely irritable. He didn’t know what was wrong with him today, but listening to the lengthy report, he was actually a little impatient.
He adjusted himself, or rather, temporarily suppressed his feelings, trying his best to focus.
“The original KPI was 12 million, but now it’s only 9 million. What’s the reason?” He held his pen upright and tapped on the table.
The room was utterly silent. The person on the stage looked at Yuan Cheng, seeking help with his eyes.
Yuan Cheng opened his mouth, but He Chi stopped him. “The meeting was for half an hour, and you’ve already gone overtime. Since you can’t come to a conclusion on the most important part, go back and revise the report, then come see me alone.”
Yuan Cheng closed his mouth. He Chi stood up and said to him, “Which conference room is the next meeting scheduled for?”
Yuan Cheng also stood up and said, “It’s right next door, in five minutes.”
“Okay.”
He Chi left immediately. The people present also knew that the report hadn’t met his standards. They looked at each other, watching him leave. Yuan Cheng, walking behind him, gestured to them to discuss among themselves, and only then did the atmosphere in the conference room relax.
Five minutes was just enough time for a cup of coffee.
While drinking coffee, He Chi glanced at the screenshot He Yun had sent.
The duration displayed on it was twenty minutes, four times longer than five minutes.
Had Fang Ci talked to him for five minutes yesterday? Probably not. Two lines of text probably took less than ten seconds.
The data gap was a bit big.
The coffee cup clinked softly against the table. He Chi tapped on the chat box, just about to type, when Yuan Cheng walked into the lounge and reminded him, “President He, everyone is here.”
He Chi paused.
His principle was that private matters don’t interfere with work. At this time, Fang Ci was probably also at work, so he decided to wait.
…
On the second day of his business trip, Fang Ci still received He Chi’s message at nearly 10 o’clock.
Habits that have been formed are not easily broken. He Chi would handle work first every day, then private matters. Even when Fang Ci was home, their casual chats on weekdays were concentrated in the evening. The temperature in Southeast Asia was high, and even the daytime seemed much longer than in China, giving Fang Ci more time to think.
For example, he guessed that He Chi would ask about He Yun today.
[You guys have talked.]
Fang Ci: [Mm, we chatted for a bit.]
[What did you talk about?]
Seeing this, Fang Ci’s eyes curved in a smile. He replied: [My cousin asked me to help her buy something.]
[Mm.]
Fang Ci then gave a brief summary, telling him: […My cousin is very friendly. The people around Teacher He all have very interesting personalities.] This included many people, but Fang Ci didn’t list them.
He Chi replied a few seconds later: [The definition of interesting?]
There it was, Teacher He’s “100,000 Whys.” Fang Ci thought for a moment and replied: [They’re quite enthusiastic.]
The chat box was briefly blank.
He Chi: [Before bed, video call?]
This time, it was Fang Ci who was silent.
He sent a “little bunny poking its finger” emoji: [How about we skip it today.]
He Chi: [?]
Fang Ci: [I’m a bit tired and want to sleep.]
[Also, it’s a bit hot here. I just showered and I’m not wearing pajamas. I’d have to change for a video call.]
In the night, only the screen flickered with a faint light. The chat box flashed.
[Yuanyuan,]
[You should know that’s not a valid excuse.]