The Boss Always Thinks I'm After Him - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Heartbeat Progress 21% — Call My Name:

Gu Che wasn’t wearing a suit today, nor had he styled his hair meticulously. He looked a lot more approachable than usual. He casually opened the car door.
“Get in.”

Xiao Yang bent down and got into the passenger seat, buckled up out of habit, and glanced around.

His boss was personally driving him, and he was sitting in the front seat, on their way to have dinner with Zhang Heng and the others. The whole thing felt surreal.

Gu Che fastened his seatbelt and started the car.
“Where to?”

“Let’s drive around nearby first,” Xiao Yang yawned and took out his phone, opening a memo.
“Boss, I jotted down some stuff last night. Let me read it to you, just in case they ask.”

Gu Che checked the rearview mirror and turned the steering wheel.

Xiao Yang turned to make sure he didn’t look annoyed before beginning to read aloud.

“I’m 23 years old, born on October 8th, height 1.75 meters. My favorite color is…”

“I don’t have many hobbies, just gaming, anime, and snacking.”

“I don’t eat celery or bitter melon…”

…

Gu Che kept one hand on the steering wheel, eyes mostly fixed on the road and mirrors, his expression neutral. Xiao Yang had no idea if he was actually listening.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at Central Avenue.

Central Avenue was one of the capital’s iconic commercial centers, lined with all kinds of stores, always bustling with people.

Walking side by side, they wandered down the street. Aside from their eye-catching looks, they blended in with the crowd.

They passed by an anime pop-up store. Xiao Yang’s eyes lit up.
“Boss, over here!”

The shelves were filled with various anime merchandise—plushies, trading cards, figurines—all dazzling to the eye.

Xiao Yang eagerly pointed out his favorite characters and started explaining them to Gu Che.

Gu Che was listening attentively at first but suddenly stopped.
“Xiao Yang.”

“Huh?” Xiao Yang turned around curiously. “What is it, Boss?”

Boss, boss, boss—every sentence started with “Boss.” Gu Che found it jarring. He turned to him and said,
“Call me by my name.”

Xiao Yang opened his mouth, but couldn’t say it. He looked embarrassed, lips pressed tight.

Come on—who would dare call their boss by name?

“I can’t,” Xiao Yang muttered, eyes shifting away, avoiding Gu Che’s gaze.

Gu Che chuckled helplessly and adjusted his glasses.
“Think about it. Who calls their boyfriend ‘Boss’? You’ll blow our cover.”

It was a solid point. Xiao Yang was speechless. But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t say it, his face scrunched in frustration.

Gu Che noticed something on a nearby shelf and reached for it. But every step he took forward, Xiao Yang instinctively stepped back. Gu Che narrowed his eyes and stepped forward again, Xiao Yang backing up until his back nearly hit the display.

Gu Che, both amused and exasperated, asked,
“Are you seriously this scared of calling my name?”

Xiao Yang was so nervous his heart was pounding. He swallowed again and again, but still couldn’t say it.

After a few seconds of this silent standoff, Gu Che gave up and turned away.

“Don’t go…” Xiao Yang quickly reached out and grabbed his sleeve, took a deep breath, and finally squeezed out the words,
“Gu Che.”

Gu Che turned around, acting like he hadn’t heard.
“What?”

Xiao Yang’s face turned bright red, ears burning. He raised his voice out of frustration.
“Gu Che!”

Even though they were out shopping together, and their relationship now felt closer than a typical boss-employee dynamic, Xiao Yang still found it incredibly hard to overcome that mental barrier.

Seeing how genuinely anxious he was, Gu Che took a small step back, giving him some space and not pushing him further.

The atmosphere turned a little strange. Xiao Yang wandered around for a bit, finally relaxing enough to pick out a cute squishy toy and brought it to the register.

The cashier packed it up and said,
“That’ll be 88 yuan. Please scan here.”

Just as Xiao Yang reached for his phone, Gu Che had already opened his payment code and scanned it to pay.

“I—uh… You’ve already done me a big favor by coming, how could I let you pay too?” Xiao Yang started to say “Boss,” but stopped halfway, then asked awkwardly,
“You really don’t mind me calling you by name? You’re my boss.”

“It’s just a name. Why would I be offended?” Gu Che put away his phone and walked out of the store.

Xiao Yang hesitated, then chased after him, transferring the money.
“I’ll send you the money.”

“Don’t. I’m not taking it.” Gu Che shoved his hands into his coat pockets, looked around, and headed toward a nearby café.

“Why not?”

“Are you giving me a gift?”

“Why would I give you a gift?”

Xiao Yang rattled off questions as he followed him into the café.

Gu Che ignored him and tapped on the counter.
“What do you want?”

“Cappuccino.” Xiao Yang answered obediently.

Their drinks were ready quickly—again, Gu Che paid. He took his coffee and chose a table with a good view, motioning for Xiao Yang to sit beside him.

Xiao Yang sat down, puzzled.
“What?”

“See for yourself,” Gu Che gestured outside and took a sip of coffee. “Watch how other couples act.”

From that angle, they could see the anime store they just visited, nearby shops, a music fountain in the distance, and streams of pedestrians walking by.

Xiao Yang held his coffee and looked out, observing carefully.

Young couples in love walked hand-in-hand, chatting and laughing as they browsed stores. At checkout, the girl would hand over her items, and the guy would instinctively raise his phone to pay.

It all happened so naturally. Their actions were close and affectionate—sharing drinks, snacks, moving as one.

Watching them, Xiao Yang suddenly thought of Xu Mubai and Yu Qian.

They’d been dating for years. Yu Qian called Xu Mubai “Little Bao,” and Xu Mubai called Yu Qian “Brother.” They weren’t as clingy as Zhang Heng and his girlfriend, but Yu Qian was always attentive and caring, and Xu Mubai was used to it.

That quiet, harmonious, unspoken connection he had noticed before—that was the intimacy developed over a long-term relationship.

With that comparison, Xiao Yang finally realized: he had never truly regarded Gu Che as a “boyfriend,” so he was still stuck thinking of him as “Boss,” uncomfortable even letting him pay.

“Wow!” he suddenly gave Gu Che a big thumbs-up.
“You’re amazing, Boss! You got into character so fast. Experienced, huh!”

“No wait, you’re right. I shouldn’t call you Boss.”

He cleared his throat, focused seriously, and called out properly,
“Gu Che.”

Gu Che turned to look at him, sensing something odd in the way he said it—but couldn’t quite figure out what.

“I’ve never dated anyone before,” Gu Che explained.

“You haven’t?” Xiao Yang looked surprised.
“Then you’re a natural.”

It was meant to be a compliment, but Gu Che didn’t feel happy at all—something felt off.

“Don’t be so serious,” Xiao Yang’s fleeting courage deflated instantly. He glanced at the time.
“It’s almost five. We need a plan.”

If just calling his name felt this awkward, how were they going to get through dinner?

Thinking hard, he suddenly brightened.
“Do you play games? Let’s play a couple of rounds.”

Gu Che pulled out his phone and silently launched a game.

He didn’t seem like a gamer, but to Xiao Yang’s surprise, he was really good—his skills smooth and decisive, easily leading the match.

Xiao Yang looked at him with growing admiration, repeatedly exclaiming,
“You’re awesome, bro!”

Near 6 p.m., Xiao Yang shut off the game and went to the restroom.

Gu Che sat alone, staring out the window, deep in thought.

Something was off. Something didn’t add up. Had Xiao Yang been pretending not to understand all along? Was this dinner even a coincidence—or had Xiao Yang set it up with his friends?

He didn’t look it on the surface, but maybe beneath that obedient exterior… was a dating expert?

Gu Che took a deep breath and composed himself.

Just then, a ringtone sounded. He answered the phone.

“Who are you? Your voice sounds different.”

“Isn’t this Xiao Yang’s phone? Where is he?”

Glancing at the caller ID, Gu Che realized he had picked up Xiao Yang’s phone by mistake.
“He’s in the restroom.”

“He’s in the restroom…”

Zhang Heng immediately realized who was on the other end. His tone turned sharp.
“We’re here. Tell him to come over now.”

He hung up without even waiting for a reply—blunt, even a little rude.

The caller clearly knew this was the person Xiao Yang was bringing to dinner, yet still said “Tell him to come,” not “Tell you both to come.”

Gu Che put the phone down, pondering the subtle implications.

Soon, Xiao Yang returned. Seeing messages from Zhang Heng and Yao Hu, he quickly led Gu Che over.

Before entering, he whispered,
“Don’t be nervous. I’ll answer their questions. You just focus on eating.”

Gu Che glanced at him and teased,
“I think you’re the nervous one.”

“Me? Nervous? Pfft…” Xiao Yang puffed up, then deflated.
“Okay, fine. I am a little nervous. We’re not really dating. If they catch on, it’ll be super awkward.”

“Yangzai, over here!”

Yao Hu waved high and even whistled playfully.

Xiao Yang spotted them and headed over with Gu Che.

The table was by the window. Zhang Heng sat on the left with his girlfriend, Yao Hu was on the right. One seat had bags on it.

As they got closer, Xiao Yang took a deep breath and made introductions.
“This is Yao Hu, we call him Huzi. That’s Zhang Heng and his girlfriend.”

“And this is my bo—”

Xiao Yang nearly said “boss,” but quickly corrected himself.
“This is Gu Che.”

“Oho~ What ‘bo’ were you about to say?” Yao Hu teased, grinning.
“Was it boyfriend?”

Xiao Yang’s face turned bright red.
“Shut up.”

Gu Che had originally been standing to Xiao Yang’s right, but after locking eyes with Zhang Heng, he deliberately walked around to the left, separating the two.

The server came over with a tray, handed them the menu, and poured tea for everyone.

Xiao Yang passed the menu to the only girl.
“Ladies first.”

Then he leaned in and whispered to Gu Che,
“Almost forgot—can you eat spicy food? If not, we’ll get a half-and-half pot.”