The Boss Always Thinks I'm After Him - Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Heartbeat Progress: 0.5% – Boss, You Really Are a Good Man…

Seeing the atmosphere turn tense and everyone visibly distracted from their work, Gu Che’s expression darkened. His voice carried a sharp edge of anger:

“What? You all don’t want to work anymore?”

At once, everyone snapped their heads back to their screens and pretended to work. Even if they weren’t mentally focused, they had to at least put on the act.

Gu Che stared at them for several minutes until the only sounds left in the office were the clicking of keyboards and mouse movements. Then he looked toward one workstation.

“Xiao Yang, come to my office.”

Just like last time, Gu Che meticulously reviewed the proposal, demo, and presentation animation in front of Xiao Yang. When he looked up, he saw Xiao Yang watching him nervously.

“It’s…” Gu Che deliberately paused, clearly noticing the tension on Xiao Yang’s face. Only then did he finish, “Not bad.”

Visibly relieved, Xiao Yang finally relaxed and even had the mood to joke around. He pulled out a chair and flopped down into it.

“Come on, if it’s good, just say it’s good. Did you have to take a dramatic pause like that to scare me?”

Tomorrow was Friday. If Gu Che still wasn’t satisfied, it might as well kill him.

“Nicole will be attending the Miss launch event tomorrow. Have that assistant of yours come along with us.” As he spoke, Gu Che gave Xiao Yang a once-over. “Do you even have a proper suit?”

Xiao Yang shook his head and answered honestly, “Nope.”

Back when he was in Tech Team Three, it was always Ding Zhanyang who went to formal events with the deputy team leader and the product manager. Xiao Yang never had to attend, so he wore whatever was comfortable.

He looked down at himself—puffer jacket, sweatpants, sneakers—a walking office drone. Then he looked at Gu Che: suit, tie, leather shoes, expensive wristwatch, sharply dressed with an air of elegance. The contrast was stark.

Xiao Yang scratched his head awkwardly. “Yeah… I don’t look the part. Maybe… you should take someone else instead?”

He didn’t like being in the spotlight, and he didn’t want to embarrass his boss either.

Gu Che didn’t respond to that. He simply pressed the button to summon Zhang Rui, then told him to take Xiao Yang out to get fitted for proper formalwear.

“No, no, no, that’s too much,” Xiao Yang waved his hands frantically, trying to refuse. “It’s not like I need to wear suits often—buying one would be a waste. And decent ones are expensive. It’s not worth it.”

But Gu Che shut down his objections with an unyielding tone, “Think of it as your reward.”

Since the boss put it that way, refusing again would seem ungrateful. Xiao Yang had no choice but to accept, “Then… thank you, Boss.”

“Once you’re done, just go home and rest. Be sharp tomorrow.” Gu Che waved them off, and both Zhang Rui and Xiao Yang left the office together.

There weren’t any shopping areas near the office—just office buildings—so Zhang Rui had to drive Xiao Yang to a mall a few kilometers away.

Xiao Yang had no clue about suits, barely ever wore one. Zhang Rui brought him straight to the biggest menswear store in the entire mall and had the staff bring out styles that would suit him.

“Secretary Zhang, this… might be a bit much,” Xiao Yang said as he glanced at one of the price tags, his eyes going wide in shock. He leaned in and whispered, “I know the boss said it’s a reward, but isn’t this kind of price too much?”

These suits were outrageously expensive—just one set cost nearly half a month of his salary.

“Relax. The boss has money to burn.”

Zhang Rui took the clothes the attendant handed him and shoved them into Xiao Yang’s arms. “Go try them on.”

True to its luxury branding, the quality matched the price. The staff had a great eye too—every outfit they picked looked amazing on Xiao Yang.

He might not be into sports, but at 1.75 meters tall with a well-proportioned frame, he actually looked great in a suit. Even his youthful, baby-faced features took on a more mature look.

The attendant stood by, quick to flatter. “Sir, you have long legs and a great build. You look very handsome in a suit. Which one do you like best? We’ll wrap it up for you.”

Truthfully, Xiao Yang thought he looked incredible in the mirror too. But he had peeked at the price tag earlier—shirt, suit, shoes, the whole set easily cost forty or fifty thousand yuan. He simply couldn’t afford that.

Noticing his hesitation, Zhang Rui patiently reassured him, “Don’t worry. The boss is worth billions. This amount means nothing to him. You don’t need to feel any pressure.”

“Besides, the boss is actually a really good guy. He just keeps a cold face to keep the team in check. You don’t have to be afraid of him.”

Thinking back over the past few days, Xiao Yang realized… that might actually be true.

Then he thought, well, he’s wearing this suit to represent the company and to uphold the boss’s image. Of course he should wear something decent.

Once he made peace with that, Xiao Yang still picked the cheapest set among the options. Zhang Rui paid for it.

Before they left, Zhang Rui even brought him to a salon to get a fresh haircut and personally drove him home afterward.

Xiao Yang was genuinely touched and made sure to thank him.

In the driver’s seat, Zhang Rui smiled warmly and added with meaning, “Keep it up, Engineer Xiao. You’ve got a bright future ahead.”

Whether as a colleague or from another angle, he had a strong hunch—Gu Che’s attitude toward Xiao Yang wasn’t ordinary.

That night, Xiao Yang was too excited to sleep.

He even went next door to find Xu Mubai and invited him to the bidding conference the next day—startling Xu Mubai so much he could barely get his words out and had to beg for mercy.

Xiao Yang tossed and turned in bed most of the night, replaying Zhang Rui’s words in his head. The more he thought about it, the more he felt… the boss really was a good person.

That night, he only got a few hours of sleep. The next morning, dressed in brand-new clothes with a sharp new haircut, he headed to the company full of energy and confidence.

While waiting for the elevator, he ran into Ding Zhanyang and some of Team Three’s members. They immediately started teasing him.

“Well, well, well, who is this dashing guy? Looks a bit like our Yang-zi, doesn’t he?”

“Looks like Xiao Yang’s finally moving up in the world!”

“I heard you’re the boss’s new favorite now. Don’t forget your bros when you’re big time, alright?”

“Yeah, don’t forget us—”

Xiao Yang was so overwhelmed by their teasing that he actually blushed a little. Ding Zhanyang shooed the others away and slung an arm around Xiao Yang’s shoulders.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough. You’re embarrassing the guy.”

Amid the laughter, the elevator doors opened—and an icy glare shot out like a laser beam.

Gu Che’s gaze zeroed in on Xiao Yang and locked on.

The teasing died instantly.

Like he’d touched a live wire, Ding Zhanyang quickly dropped his arm and shoved Xiao Yang into the elevator, waving goodbye.

Xiao Yang stumbled in and turned around, puzzled. “You guys aren’t coming?”

There was only the boss inside—this wasn’t a private elevator or anything. Why weren’t they getting in?

Ding Zhanyang waved stiffly, his smile awkward. “You two go ahead. We’ve got too many people—it’s crowded.”

The elevator doors slid shut and began rising.

Something about that reaction felt… off.

One of the others joked, “What’s wrong, Ding-ge? I thought you and the boss were tight. Don’t tell me… you’re actually scared of him?”

“You don’t get it.” Ding Zhanyang shivered slightly, still feeling the chill on the back of his neck. “That was killing intent just now.”

As for where it came from or who it was directed at, he wasn’t entirely sure. He just instinctively reacted.

The elevator moved smoothly. Aside from its mechanical hum, the cabin was dead silent.

From the first to the nineteenth floor, the elevator stopped a few times. But the moment people outside saw Gu Che inside, no one dared to step in—they all waited for the next one.

Xiao Yang stole a glance at Gu Che from the corner of his eye. Eventually, he couldn’t hold it in and quietly said, “Thanks for the suit, Boss. You really are… a good man.”

Gu Che didn’t react much, only responded with a calm “Mm” to show he heard.

His indifference didn’t dampen Xiao Yang’s mood at all—especially when they reached the 19th floor, and the members of Tech Team One cheered and teased over his fresh new look. He was over the moon.

Soon it was time to clock in, and everyone returned to their workstations.

The Miss launch event would officially begin at 11 a.m., and they were still racing to finalize details, monitoring all online trends. Related news had already climbed the trending charts.

The venue for the smart assistive glasses bidding conference was far from Phantom HQ, so Gu Che’s team had to leave that morning to get ready.

Zhang Rui drove, with Gu Che, Xiao Yang, and Meng Yue all in the car.

It was a spacious, smooth business vehicle—the back seats even had a small table, perfect for Xiao Yang’s laptop.

The whole way there, Xiao Yang focused intently on his screen, his expression serious.

Up front, Meng Yue stayed silent too, monitoring breaking news.

Miss wasn’t just some casual dating app—it carried government orders, years of effort, and intense competition to win the project. If all went well, Phantom’s reputation would skyrocket in the industry and nationwide. But if they failed… that wasn’t an option.

At exactly 10 a.m., Jixing Technology suddenly held a surprise press conference, claiming to be launching a “revolutionary smart social app” using groundbreaking technology that would “redefine the user experience.”

Though it came without warning, the event was packed with media—and publicity launched simultaneously across platforms. Clearly, they were well prepared.

The news exploded.

Within seconds, Meng Yue’s phone blew up with messages. She hurriedly answered one.

“What? You’re saying Jixing stole our app and is launching it now?!”

She couldn’t believe her ears. Looking for guidance, she turned to Gu Che.

“Boss, what do we do?”

Gu Che’s expression didn’t change. He turned on the car’s built-in monitor and quickly pulled up Jixing’s live-streamed event.

A familiar voice rang out from the speakers.

It was Tao Hong, former deputy team leader of Phantom’s Tech Team One, now presenting Jixing’s “new” technology at their product launch.

And that so-called “new tech” wasn’t even his. It was developed by none other than Xiao Yang, who was sitting calmly right there in the car.

Gu Che glanced sideways. Xiao Yang showed no reaction—still focused on his laptop. Meng Yue, on the other hand, was boiling with anger.

“Seriously? Tao Hong has no shame. He stole our source code and now he’s claiming credit for Xiao Gong’s work!”

She was fuming, but the two men in the back remained calm. She turned again.

“Boss, aren’t you going to do anything? We’re just gonna let Jixing steal all our hard work?”

“Why panic?” Gu Che said leisurely, watching the live stream and glancing occasionally at Xiao Yang’s screen.

He knew exactly what Xiao Yang was doing.

People might not notice it at first glance—but behind that usual cheerful demeanor, Xiao Yang was dead serious when it came to work.