The Boss Always Thinks I'm After Him - Chapter 16

Chapter 16 – Heartbeat Progress 1.6%

No, no, no, I’m not that kind of person…

Gu Che abruptly stopped in his tracks and turned around. The eyes behind his frameless glasses trembled slightly.

Is this… a confession?

Gu Che’s heart pounded violently. He pursed his lips, looking serious as he pondered how to respond.

Seeing his serious expression, Xiao Yang quickly reined in his wild thoughts and hurriedly explained, “No, no, no, I didn’t mean that. Please don’t misunderstand.”

“What I meant is, boss, you’re a very kind and generous person. I really appreciate you.” Xiao Yang raised his hands, waving them left and right. “Absolutely no improper thoughts or anything like that—please don’t misunderstand.”

No way — this is the boss, the one who puts food on his table. Who would dare to think that way?

Xiao Yang was panicking, his cheeks involuntarily flushing a faint pink.

Gu Che understood immediately. He must be afraid of rejection, so he used this way to save face.

“Hmm.” Gu Che nodded and turned to continue walking.

Xiao Yang didn’t speak for the rest of the way, afraid of making things worse.

The food street branched out in all directions, and they had no idea where the others had gone, so they sent a message notifying them and returned to the hotel to rest.

The crowded street was bustling, with Gu Che walking ahead and Xiao Yang following closely behind. Both were lost in their own thoughts, not speaking to each other.

By the time they returned to the hotel, the people from Jinli had already disappeared.

Xiao Yang couldn’t help but smugly say, “See? Luckily, I was smart. Otherwise, those Jinli people would have come looking for you.”

Gu Che only glanced once toward the front desk but didn’t say anything.

The elevator was empty, with only the two of them inside.

After pressing the floor button, the elevator began to ascend, emitting a faint “hum” that was almost inaudible.

The elevator walls were all covered with mirrors, making it feel especially bright and spacious.

Bored, Xiao Yang glanced around and suddenly noticed in the mirror directly ahead that Gu Che was staring straight at him.

He shivered and rubbed his arm. “Boss, why are you staring at me like that?”

“Nothing.” Gu Che blinked and withdrew his gaze, hiding all emotions behind the glint of his glasses. “Pay close attention at the exchange meeting. Try to learn new techniques from other companies.”

Xiao Yang raised his fist confidently, “No problem, boss. Leave it to me.”

Ding — the elevator reached the 12th floor, and Xiao Yang waved goodbye as he stepped off.

The elevator continued upward, carrying Gu Che to the 28th-floor luxury suite.

After swiping his card and entering, Gu Che flopped back onto the sofa. In the dim light, he closed his eyes. Noisy voices constantly popped up in his mind, disturbing his peace.

“No wonder Mr. Gu likes it.”

“It’s really delicious, you should try it.”

“Boss, you’re so kind. Thank you, boss. Love you, boss.”

…

Alongside these voices, the vivid image of someone appeared. That person’s nervous expression when caught making a mistake, the way they apologized and tried to make amends, their happy and joyful demeanor, their smug and proud look—all were clear in his mind.

Looking back on nearly thirty years of life, Gu Che had never encountered someone who affected his nerves so deeply, as if they had moved into his brain and couldn’t be driven out.

Could this be what they call liking someone? It was making him lose control and feel unlike himself, and that feeling wasn’t exactly pleasant.

Gu Che took a deep breath, smelling the faint scent of cooking oil on his suit. He got up and took a shower to calm down.

On the 12th floor, after Xiao Yang got off the elevator, he suddenly realized that the room card was still with Xu Mubai. Without the card, he couldn’t get back into the room, so he sat on a sofa in the corridor to wait.

He took out his phone to call his parents but saw the battery was almost dead.

Looking at the elevator, he hesitated whether to go to the boss’s room to charge his phone but suddenly remembered the awkward conversation earlier at the food street.

Forget it, too embarrassing.

Night fell, lights began to twinkle, and the honking cars on the street came through the window. The waiting time felt especially slow.

A quarter of an hour later, the elevator dinged, and Xu Mubai came out alone, looking very tired.

He didn’t notice Xiao Yang and, after swiping the card to open the door, was startled when someone tapped his shoulder.

“Oh, it’s you.” Xu Mubai opened the door, swiping the card into the slot, and the room lights came on.

“What’s wrong, social phobia? Did a food street tour drain all your energy?” Xiao Yang joked as he walked in and put snacks on the TV stand.

Xu Mubai sighed deeply and sat down in a chair, staring at the ceiling in a daze.

Xiao Yang sniffed, frowned, opened a suitcase to find clothes, and then went into the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water came from inside.

Twenty minutes later, Xiao Yang came out drying his hair, while Xu Mubai was still motionless like a wooden puppet. Concerned, Xiao Yang asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”

Xu Mubai snapped back to reality, took a deep breath to prepare mentally, and decided to confess, “I have a secret I need to tell you.”

“A secret?” Xiao Yang’s eyes rolled, recalling previous events, and declined, “If it’s a secret, then just keep it. Why tell me?”

Xu Mubai shook his head with a firm tone, “Actually, Yu Qian isn’t just a good friend—he’s my boyfriend. We’re a couple.”

After the incident with Liu Zhenfeng, he realized deeply that this matter needed other people who knew about it, perhaps to help in a critical moment. If Xiao Yang hadn’t helped today, this secret might not have stayed safe.

“Oh.” Xiao Yang nodded nonchalantly. After his brain caught up, he opened his mouth in surprise, “Ah? You guys are a couple?”

His mind froze for a few seconds before he finally reacted, “No wonder, no wonder I felt something different between you two. So that’s it.”

He then continued to rub his hair and looked for a hairdryer to dry it.

Xu Mubai stared nervously at him, watching his calm reaction, slowly relaxing.

So his words earlier in the afternoon were true. He really had no ill will toward them and wasn’t just speaking to scold Liu Zhenfeng.

Xiao Yang dried his hair and plugged in his phone to charge. Only then did he sit across from Xu Mubai.

“You guys used to work at the same company, right?” Xiao Yang recalled what Liu Zhenfeng said, something about Yu something. “Are you afraid that if people find out about your relationship, the company will fire you, so you’re very nervous?”

Xu Mubai nodded, his shoulders drooping. “If it weren’t for your help today, the boss might have found out. We finally got into Phantom and don’t want to be fired over something like this.”

Xiao Yang clenched his fist and punched his own chest in a brotherly manner. “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely keep your secret.”

Xu Mubai blinked, curious, “Don’t you have anything to say?”

“What to say? This is your private matter. Why should I care what others say?” Xiao Yang turned sideways and lay on the chair, yawning. “Forget about that idiot Liu Zhenfeng. If he dares to cause trouble again, I’ll beat him up.”

His decisive attitude moved Xu Mubai, who remained silent for a long time.

The hotel bed was very comfortable, and everyone slept well that night. The next day, the exchange meeting officially began.

The huge conference hall arranged seating according to company status. Phantom employees sat in the third row, with older companies like Ji Xing and Cilan ahead of them.

Each person had a laptop in front of them, listening to the speakers on stage while typing away.

Xiao Yang looked especially serious, briefly recording the new technologies and ideas shared by other companies, and adding his own thoughts in the margin.

Gu Che glanced at them from time to time, then quickly looked away.

Despite nearly two days of meetings, no one felt tired. Xiao Yang was like a sponge, absorbing new information rapidly, stimulating his brain to generate even more ideas. This trip was very rewarding.

When the meeting ended, Xiao Yang parted ways with others and took the high-speed train home.

After a long time away, the youngest son suddenly showed up at the door with a big bag, surprising Xiao Zhengbo and Shen Yun, who happily welcomed him in.

Xiao Zhengbo tied his apron and asked, “Hey, busy guy, finally decided to come back. What do you want to eat? Dad will make it for you.”

Xiao Yang put the local specialties on the coffee table. “Anything is fine, Dad. Don’t bother.”

He divided the gifts he brought back from Haishi into three parts. “Mom, this is the local specialty I brought back from Haishi for you and my older brother and sister.”

“So much? That’s a lot of trouble.” Shen Yun smiled and pulled him to the sofa, carefully looking him over. “Our little Yang is growing up. After all this, you really look handsome.”

“Are you used to living in the capital? Are you tired? If you’re too tired, just come back. Dad, Mom, and your siblings will chip in and buy you a place in Tingxi and find you a wife…”

“It’s so good at home. Dad and Mom are here, and your siblings are here. You’ll have someone to rely on no matter what. Why run so far…”

Xiao Yang frowned as he listened and quickly interrupted, “Mom, I’m grown up now. I can earn my own money. I’ll decide on my own about houses and cars. Don’t treat me like a kid.”

“Besides, I’m not even 24 yet. No way I’m getting married.”

He said this, and Shen Yun was a bit unhappy, nagging, “Time flies. You’ll be 24 later this year. Before you know it, you’ll be 28, then 30. The older you get, the harder it is to find someone.”

“I don’t want to hear it, I don’t want to hear it…” Xiao Yang covered his ears and went to his room, searching and finally finding some old clothes to change into.

Originally, he planned to take a few more days off to spend time with his parents, but the next morning, Shen Yun started arranging blind dates for him, scaring Xiao Yang enough to fly back to the capital immediately.

After knowing about Xu Mubai and Yu Qian’s relationship, they naturally got along better.

On Monday morning on the way to work, talking about family pressuring him to marry, Xiao Yang remembered the weekend dinner party. He scratched his head in frustration and said, “Maybe I should just confess and say I only pretended to have a girlfriend to save face. Actually, I don’t have a girlfriend or boyfriend.”

“Even though I know if I say that, I’ll definitely be laughed at…”

Xiao Yang rubbed his face hard, regretting that he insisted on keeping up appearances. Now he didn’t even know how to start explaining.

When they reached the company entrance, the three of them queued for the elevator.

Seeing his miserable look, Xu Mubai tugged at Yu Qian and said, “How about I lend him to you? Pretend he’s your boyfriend for a while?”