The Boss Always Thinks I'm After Him - Chapter 22

Chapter 22 — Heartbeat Progress 22%
I fell in love with him at first sight, relentlessly pursuing him…

Gu Che slightly nodded. Noticing the gaze beside him, he suddenly said, “Order whatever you want, my treat.”

“You…” Xiao Yang was shocked, eyes wide open. He had to lower his voice to avoid being overheard. “Why? We agreed to split the bill.”

Gu Che turned his head and deliberately whispered into his ear, mimicking Xiao Yang’s volume, “Don’t worry about it.”

Sure enough, when he turned back, that guy named Zhang Heng’s face was getting darker and darker, his gaze sharper and more piercing.

In an instant, Gu Che understood perfectly and smirked slightly.

Someone was treating them, and Yao Hu applauded repeatedly, praising, “Generous.”

“Not bad, where’d you find a partner who’s tall, handsome, and rich? Didn’t expect you, Yangzi, to be so capable.”

He shifted his chubby body, grinning, and asked, “How did you two meet? Who chased whom? Be honest.”

All these years, no one had realized Xiao Yang liked guys. But it wasn’t anything shocking; instead, everyone was more curious about their romance gossip.

“You’re so nosy,” Xiao Yang blushed, his mind racing as he shamelessly started making things up.

“We met through work. I fell in love at first sight, pursued him relentlessly, clung onto him until he couldn’t take it, and finally agreed.”

Zhang Heng’s girlfriend had ordered the dishes and was quietly leaning in, eavesdropping on their conversation.

Gu Che took the menu and casually placed it in front of Xiao Yang. Xiao Yang sketched and marked on it, occasionally asking if Gu Che wanted this or that.

Zhang Heng watched everything with growing irritation.

Hearing that Xiao Yang was the one pursuing Gu Che, Zhang Heng snorted coldly, “So desperate? Does that mean you have no status at home?”

“No way, I’m the boss at home,” Xiao Yang directly retorted, puffing out his chest. “When I say east, he absolutely doesn’t go west.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Of course, why would I lie to you?”

…

No matter what they asked, Xiao Yang answered immediately, getting more and more into it as he performed well.

On the surface, he handled it confidently like a proud rooster, but secretly he took out his phone and messaged Gu Che.

[XYZ: kneeling.jpg]
[XYZ: I’m just making things up, boss, please don’t take it seriously.]

Soon the waiter brought the food.

The bright red hotpot broth bubbled and boiled, and the dishes were put in one after another, steam rising.

Yao Hu called for a few bottles of alcohol, placing two bottles in front of each person. “It’s been a while since we met, so we must drink a couple of rounds tonight.”

Xiao Yang blocked for Gu Che, “He doesn’t drink, he’s driving.”

“Then you drink for him.” Yao Hu immediately put all four bottles in front of Gu Che.

“Come on, it’s just two bottles. Worst case, call a driver.” Zhang Heng took the bottles back and slammed them down in front of Gu Che again, challenging, “Right?”

Gu Che didn’t respond, reaching out and grabbing the two bottles in front of Xiao Yang too, earning a loud “bravo” from Yao Hu.

“That’s brave.”

It was obvious they wanted to force him to drink. Xiao Yang panicked, reaching for the bottles, “No no no, I can’t drive, if you get drunk I can’t support you.”

“It’s fine, I have a good tolerance.” Gu Che stated calmly, casting a faint glance at Zhang Heng.

A tense atmosphere spread subtly, but no one else noticed except the two involved.

Xiao Yang couldn’t stop it, only continuously feeding Gu Che food to soak up the alcohol.

In no time, all the bottles on the table were empty.

Zhang Heng seemed especially drunk tonight, flushed and red-faced, calling the waiter to bring a whole case over. They found various reasons to toast Gu Che again and again, and Gu Che didn’t refuse, accepting all.

Xiao Yang pleaded repeatedly but couldn’t stop him, growing angrier, afraid Gu Che would be ruined by the drinking. He reached out and grabbed the bottles and glasses in front of Gu Che, “Enough already.”

Seeing Xiao Yang’s expression, Yao Hu stopped pushing, laughing awkwardly, “Alright, alright, I’m done too.”

“Done?!” Zhang Heng bent down, pulled out two more bottles from the basket, and put them in front of Gu Che. “A real man doesn’t stop until he’s drunk.”

Whether the provocation affected Gu Che is unclear, but it definitely affected Xiao Yang.

He stood up angrily, unable to contain his fury, “I said enough already, can’t you hear me?”

“You forced me to bring him here, just to get him drunk? I don’t want friends like you.”

Xiao Yang pulled Gu Che up and turned to leave, “Tonight’s on me, no more gatherings in the future.”

He held Gu Che’s arm tightly as they walked to the cashier to pay.

Yao Hu hurried after them, making a face, “Hey, why are you angry? We were just trying to check his drinking habits. Is it worth fighting with your brothers over your partner? We’ve known each other so long since childhood, can’t you put him first?”

Xiao Yang stayed cold, very angry, “If it were you bringing your partner here and we did this to him, would you be happy?”

“If you really considered me a friend, you wouldn’t treat him this way.”

Xiao Yang was usually carefree and easygoing, and Yao Hu had never seen him so angry before. Awkward, he was speechless.

By the window, Zhang Heng was staring intensely at the cashier as they left. His gaze accidentally met Gu Che’s faintly amused eyes, making him slam his fist on the table loudly, scaring his girlfriend.

After piecing tonight’s strange events together, she finally realized, “Are you in love with Xiao Yang? If you like him, why are you dating someone else?”

“Break up. It’s disgusting.”

She grabbed her bag and left without looking back.

“Eh? What’s going on now?” Yao Hu was confused why Xiao Yang left and Zhang Heng’s girlfriend left too.

He sat back down with no appetite, complaining, “I told you this was a bad idea. You insisted on forcing him to drink, and look what happened. Nobody’s happy.”

Zhang Heng said nothing, grabbed a bottle and drank hard, making Yao Hu dumbfounded.

Outside the hotpot restaurant, the temperature was much lower. A cold wind blew, and Gu Che was much clearer now, taking out his phone to call the driver.

“Sorry, if I’d known they’d behave like this, I wouldn’t have troubled you to come,” Xiao Yang supported his arm as they slowly walked to the parking lot, feeling very guilty. “Are you okay? Dizzy?”

Gu Che shook his head, face normal, “I’m fine.”

Xiao Yang looked at him carefully several times but still worried, unwilling to let go. He thought for a moment and apologized again sincerely, “I troubled you again, and couldn’t stop them from making you drink. I’m really sorry.”

“As compensation, when you’re free someday, I’ll take you out to eat alone.”

Gu Che responded with a “hmm” but didn’t say anything more.

It was a bit of a walk to the parking lot. When they found the car, the driver had just arrived.

The driver was supposed to drop Xiao Yang off first, then drive Gu Che’s car home.

Xiao Yang was uneasy and insisted on seeing Gu Che home first. Only after Gu Che lay safely on his bed did he take a taxi home.

He left happily but came back with a gloomy face — something was wrong.

Xu Mubai saw but didn’t dare ask more.

The scenes from the table kept replaying in Xiao Yang’s mind. Zhang Heng’s attitude toward Gu Che was not like treating a childhood friend’s partner but like having a grudge.

Xiao Yang was really grateful that his boss was willing to help him, but in the end, Gu Che got forced to drink so much. He felt so guilty he couldn’t sleep.

Tossing and turning, he got up and ordered some hangover medicine delivered to Gu Che’s house, then kept calling him while watching the time.

The first call: no answer. The second and third: still no answer.

Xiao Yang’s heart tightened. Despite it being past midnight, he threw off the covers, got dressed, and went out.

In the elevator, he booked a ride on his phone and kept calling Gu Che, his mind spinning with wild thoughts.

Maybe the boss was already asleep and didn’t hear it, but what if, what if something happened to him… The Phantom boss—if anything went wrong, how could he take responsibility?

No drivers accepted his ride request for now. Xiao Yang ran to the roadside to find a taxi, still calling Gu Che.

The busy signal sounded again and again, burning him up inside, sweat pouring down his forehead.

“Hello?”

Finally, the call connected. Hearing the familiar voice, Xiao Yang breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly asked, “How are you? Did you get the hangover medicine?”

“I got it and took it.” Gu Che put down his water cup, lying back with eyes closed, his head spinning.

“That’s good, that’s good.” Xiao Yang felt a surge of fear, tears suddenly rolling down his cheeks uncontrollably. Choking up, he apologized, “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault for being stubborn. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have—”

His voice was breaking, which made Gu Che’s heart tighten. He sat up and cheered him on, “Don’t cry, I’m really okay.”

Gu Che’s alcohol tolerance was well trained. Now he just felt a little dizzy, but hearing the crying voice on the other side made him even more sober.

Xiao Yang realized he was crying and hurriedly wiped his tears, “I’m not crying, I’m not crying.”

“Good that you’re okay, boss. Rest well, I won’t disturb you. Goodbye.”

He hung up, staring blankly at the empty street, his mind a mess.

The night was deep and cold. Apart from the lonely streetlights and occasional passing cars, few people were outside wandering.

Xiao Yang gradually calmed down and realized the whole thing was absurd from start to finish, and his own reaction was unusual.

He thought that from the start, when the boss offered to help him, he should have refused. Then none of this would have happened.

The strangest part was that seeing Zhang Heng and Yao Hu deliberately forcing Gu Che to drink made him angry, even a little inexplicably protective.

Xiao Yang couldn’t figure out why he felt that way.

Until Monday at work, he still couldn’t understand, and what scared him most was that he didn’t dare face his boss.