The Boss Always Thinks I'm After Him - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Heartbeat Progress 2.0% – The Boss Likes You, You See…

Judging by his expression, it was clear he wasn’t telling the truth. Gu Che looked at Zhang Rui again, his gaze intense and pressuring.

Xiao Yang also looked at Zhang Rui, eyes full of pleading.

Zhang Rui glanced left, glanced right. Saying something would be bad, not saying something would be bad—so he simply bolted. “You explain it to the boss yourself.”

Xiao Yang wanted to run too, but as soon as he looked up, the boss was staring right at him. It didn’t seem like he was going to let this go.

He sighed and surrendered. “Alright, but you have to promise not to laugh at me after you hear it.”

Gu Che’s face showed no emotion. He turned toward the company entrance. “Mm.”

Normally, he wasn’t curious about other people’s private affairs, but for some reason, today he just had to get to the bottom of it.

Xiao Yang caught up with him and explained the situation using the simplest words: “Last time when I went to buy a potted plant, I ran into an old childhood friend…”

“I never found the right time to explain, and things just turned out like this.”

“Just now I asked Zhang Rui to help me pretend to be my boyfriend, but then he jokingly suggested I ask you. Isn’t that outrageous?”

“That said, since the potted plant was for the boss, technically speaking, you do bear some responsibility for this whole mess.”

Xiao Yang’s words started to ramble, and he quickly backtracked: “No, no, I was joking. It’s not your fault. It’s all on me—I just have too much pride and now I’m paying for it.”

The two reached the front of the company. Gu Che stopped and looked at the traffic on the road.

“That’s it, story over.” Xiao Yang turned to the left, waving goodbye. “See you, Boss.”

Gu Che turned to look at him, frowning slightly, thoughts swirling. The neon lights reflected off his glasses in a dazzling glow.

He was always like this—consoling himself, testing the waters again and again, and retreating again and again.

One step, two steps, three steps… Seeing him walk farther and farther away, Gu Che finally spoke: “So what are you planning to do?”

His tone was light, so Xiao Yang didn’t hear it clearly. He turned around and walked back a few steps. “Boss, what did you say?”

Gu Che put his hands in his pockets, acting as if it were no big deal. “I said, what are you planning to do tomorrow?”

“What else can I do? I’ll just come clean honestly.” Xiao Yang shrugged, resigned. “If they laugh, let them laugh. I can’t really ask the boss to go with me, that’d be outrageous.”

He was just joking. No way he’d have the guts.

Gu Che looked at him for a while, then pulled out his phone to check his schedule. Clearing his throat, he said, “I don’t have anything scheduled for tomorrow. I can help you out.”

The moment he said it, he felt a bit impulsive and looked over with a slight nervousness.

Xiao Yang blinked, his brain slowly processing what he’d just heard. “Weird… Did I hear that right?”

He raised his hand and seriously dug at his ear.

This was surreal. It sounded like the boss had offered to help him. Must be an illusion—definitely an illusion. No matter how nice the boss was, he couldn’t possibly be this nice. Way too unbelievable.

“You don’t need it? Then forget it.” Gu Che’s expression cooled instantly, and he turned to the roadside to hail a cab.

“Hey, wait, that’s not it…” Xiao Yang rushed over and grabbed his arm. “I heard you! I heard you! I just didn’t dare believe it.”

“I must have done a ton of good deeds in my past life to have such a kind boss in this one.”

Grinning, Xiao Yang pulled out his phone and sent a message. “Thanks in advance, Boss! I’ll send you the address—see you at six tomorrow.”

Gu Che’s phone rang; someone was calling. He picked up while raising his hand to flag a cab. “I’m coming.”

A taxi stopped right in front of them. By the time Xiao Yang had forwarded the restaurant address, Gu Che was already getting into the car.

He raised both hands above his head and formed a big heart shape. “Thanks, Boss! Love you, Boss! See you, Boss!”

Gu Che glanced at him, quickly looked away, and said to the driver, “To Baiyue Residence.”

The driver hit the gas and disappeared down the road.

A few dozen meters out, Gu Che placed his hand over his chest and took a deep breath to calm down.

“Hell yeah!” Xiao Yang clenched his fist in celebration and happily went home.

He was clearly too happy today—humming while entering the house, while doing the dishes, even while showering. It made Xu Mubai extremely curious.

Finally, when Xiao Yang emerged from the bathroom, Xu Mubai couldn’t resist asking, “What happened? Why are you so happy?”

“You’d never guess,” Xiao Yang said mysteriously, his face beaming. “Guess who I’m bringing to meet my childhood friend tomorrow?”

Seeing how smug he looked, Xu Mubai thought for a second and guessed, “The boss?”

Xiao Yang’s eyes widened in disbelief. “How did you know? Who would guess the boss? That’s totally impossible, right?”

Xu Mubai gave him a knowing smile. “Impossible for other people, sure—but with you, it makes sense.”

“Why?” Xiao Yang was confused and genuinely curious. “Am I really that different?”

Xu Mubai didn’t answer right away. He poured two cups of warm water and handed him one. “The boss likes you. Can’t you tell?”

“What are you talking about…” Xiao Yang took a big gulp, then suddenly processed what was said. “Well yeah, I’m a diligent, outstanding, and loyal employee. What boss wouldn’t like that?”

“Uh…” Xu Mubai was speechless for a second, then decided not to ruin the moment.

Xiao Yang excitedly asked for tips—what should he pay attention to when bringing his boss to meet his friends, how to act like a real couple so no one would see through it.

Xu Mubai gave him some advice, which Xiao Yang carefully noted down. Then he ran back to his room and started messaging Gu Che.

[XYZ]: Boss, remember not to wear a suit tomorrow. Go casual, otherwise we’ll look mismatched.
[XYZ]: Also, please don’t keep a cold face the whole time. Be more friendly, or people might think you look down on them.
[XYZ]: Just to be safe, let’s meet at four. We can walk around first and get into character.

Watching how seriously he was taking it—it looked exactly like someone preparing for a date with their crush.

Xu Mubai shook his head but kept his thoughts to himself.

Meanwhile, at Baiyue Residence, Gu Che and Xing Lu were having dinner in a private room.

Gu Che’s phone kept buzzing nonstop—messages popping up one after another, screen lighting up then going dark again.

Xing Lu glanced at the phone and teased, “Tsk tsk, which admirer is so passionate and persistent? Gotta admire the spirit.”

“Just wondering if they’ll be able to melt our Gu Ice Cube’s heart.”

Gu Che didn’t bother responding and picked up his phone.

On the screen were tons of messages from Xiao Yang—reminding him of this and that, afraid the boss might mess up their little act tomorrow. It made Gu Che smile unconsciously.

He opened the keyboard and started typing a reply.

It was the first time someone as composed as Gu Che ever replied to messages with a smile on his face.

Xing Lu lunged over, trying to peek at the chat, but Gu Che locked the screen just in time.

“You’re acting weird.” Xing Lu pointed at him. “You look like you’re in love. Who is it, huh? Who’s managed to melt you? Spill it.”

“Bring them to meet the bros sometime. Don’t keep it a secret.”

Gu Che shook his head, took a sip of wine, and didn’t say much. “Maybe later.”

“Maybe la—cough…”

Even though he hadn’t been drinking, Xing Lu suddenly felt like he’d choked on air. He grabbed his phone and started furiously texting in their friends’ group chat.

[Xing Lu]: Guys, big news.
[Xing Lu]: The ice cube is melting—he’s falling in love!
[Xing Lu]: I’m telling you, he’s all glowy! It’s not him at all!

Just as he was typing up a storm, he saw a familiar profile picture and his face fell.

[Dai Ya]: Are you saying… Gu Che is dating someone?

The group chat went dead silent. No one dared say another word.

“Oh crap, I forgot Dai Ya is in this group.” Xing Lu looked toward the side. “It’s over. If you’re really dating, she’s going to be devastated.”

Hearing that name, a trace of coldness flashed through Gu Che’s eyes. He put down his wine glass.

His phone screen lit up again—it was another message from Xiao Yang.

Earlier, Gu Che had only replied with a curt “Mm,” which must have spooked Xiao Yang into realizing he’d been too cheeky. Now he was sending message after message filled with apologetic emojis.

[Xiao Yang]: Sorry Boss, I got a little too carried away. Please pretend you didn’t see anything.
[Xiao Yang]: Memory wipe spray.jpg

Gu Che fought back a smile and replied.

[Gu]: I’ll pick you up at four.

Seeing that the mood had sweetened, Xing Lu dropped the subject of Dai Ya, not wanting to ruin Gu Che’s good mood.

When it comes to love, there’s no such thing as “first come, first served.” Nothing beats being the one they actually like. Even if you’ve had a crush for ten years, it’s meaningless if someone else is the right fit.

Xing Lu sighed and finished his glass of sake.

The long night passed—some people slept soundly, others lay awake with racing hearts.

Sunrise came quickly. A new day had arrived.

Xiao Yang got up early, rummaged through his closet, carefully picked out an outfit, and even styled his hair. He looked fresh and sharp.

Once everything was ready, he sat on the sofa hugging his phone, waiting for a message from his boss.

Xu Mubai glanced at the clock—it was only 11 a.m.—and snuck into the kitchen to whisper to Yu Qian.

“Look how anxious he is, like he wants to head out right now.”

“Let him be.”

“How long do you think it’ll take before they’re officially together? I give it a month—both of them clearly like each other.”

“Wanna bet?”

“What’s there to bet on?”

“If they’re not together in a month, you’re on top.”

Xu Mubai punched him in the shoulder.

“Xu Mubai!” Xiao Yang shouted from the living room, “So bored! Come play games!”

Xu Mubai flinched and slowly walked out of the kitchen.

They played games, had lunch, watched some shows, and finally, Xiao Yang made it to 3:30 p.m.

At 3:50, Gu Che messaged—he was downstairs.

Xiao Yang jumped up from the couch and dashed out the door.

He wore a white hoodie, a khaki coat, jeans, and sneakers. When he got downstairs, he saw Gu Che leaning against the car in a black coat.

Xiao Yang skipped over and smiled. “What a coincidence—I’m wearing a coat too. We’re pretty well matched today.”