You Must Marry Me! - Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Yan Yiyun’s face flushed red instantly, her fair cheeks tinged with a rosy glow, and even her petite ears were pink, like she had just had a drink. Her blushing, peach-pink face made her look especially adorable.
But Qi Zhen didn’t let her off the hook. Her voice carried a teasing lilt as she asked, “Is it true?”
How was Yan Yiyun supposed to answer that? She quickly covered her face with her hands and whispered, “Stop talking!”
Qi Zhen chuckled softly, feigning a touch of sadness. “So, there’s someone better than me?”
Her long lashes drooped, lips slightly pursed, her eyes filled with a soft melancholy, like a drizzling rain. The sight made Yan Yiyun’s heart collapse inward. All her previous stubbornness and pretense melted into pure tenderness.
Yan Yiyun reached out to hold her hand and whispered, “No, you’re the best.”
Qi Zhen’s hand was a bit cold, nestled gently in her palm, soft to the touch, slender fingers conveying a kind of delicate fragility.
She looked up and asked, “Really?”
Yan Yiyun had seen Qi Zhen’s indifference, her aloofness, her composure, her stubbornness—but never this gentle gaze, asking her if they were really the closest.
Her heart pounded even harder. She wanted so badly to tell Qi Zhen that not only was she her best friend—she wanted to always be her best friend. She only wanted to be that person for her.
But after all that, all she dared say was, “Yes, you’re the best.”
In her heart, she silently added: Only you.
Qi Zhen finally looked satisfied. With a flip of her wrist, she held Yan Yiyun’s hand, her index finger gently and flirtatiously brushing over the back of it before letting go. “I believe you,” she said.
Yan Yiyun’s heart wouldn’t stop racing. It felt like that brief touch lit a spark that ignited all the way to her chest.
She stared blankly at Qi Zhen, and Qi Zhen, seeing her dazed look, found her utterly adorable.
Reaching out to pat her head, Qi Zhen smiled and said, “I’m heading off. Be a good little kid and get back to work.”
Yan Yiyun watched her walk away and shouted indignantly, “Who are you calling a little kid?!”
She was furious!
She had to admit—she did kind of enjoy Qi Zhen patting her head. It felt affectionate, like being spoiled. But did she really have to call her a little kid?
And what was with telling her to be good at work—like she was in grade school or something!
Outside in the hallway, Yu Xiaotao heard the shout and nervously peeked into the office—sure enough, Yan Yiyun was puffed up like a pufferfish.
She then looked at Qi Zhen, who was calmly back to work, and couldn’t help but admire her composure. Qi Zhen’s mental fortitude was seriously next-level.
Yu Xiaotao stood at the door, hesitating. Should I still be working right now…?
“Yu Xiaotao, why are you still standing at the door?” Yan Yiyun spotted the corner of her blouse and realized she’d heard everything. At this point, she might as well give up and grumble, “Hurry up and shut the door!”
How many people have heard this already?!
Yu Xiaotao scurried inside, shut the door, and huddled at her desk like a quail.
Yan Yiyun didn’t bother with her. After all, Yu Xiaotao was a competent assistant—not only good at her job but also good at pretending not to see or hear things.
That was exactly the kind of person she needed right now.
Fuming, Yan Yiyun sent Qi Zhen a message: “Who are you calling a little kid?!”
She waited and waited, until she was about to storm out with her mug and hunt Qi Zhen down, when Qi Zhen finally replied:
“Little kid, no texting during work hours.”
Yan Yiyun nearly exploded:
“I’m not a little kid!”
“Alright then.”
This time, Qi Zhen replied quickly—with a screenshot.
When Yan Yiyun opened it, it was a GIF of Qi Zhen updating her contact note from “Little Kid” to “Little Crybaby.”
Yan Yiyun: “……”
Not to be outdone, she sent a screenshot back.
Qi Zhen saw that her own nickname had been changed from “Adorable Zhenzhen” to “Big Bad Wolf.” She chuckled softly, which made the people around her uneasy.
Hou Yunlan was just about to ask if she was dating someone when she glanced at Qi Zhen’s phone—and saw the chat profile picture was unmistakably… President Yan herself!
She swallowed her question and frantically told herself: No way. That’s impossible!
Qi Zhen and President Yan are both women!
Qi Zhen felt her gaze and subtly frowned. Her computer had a privacy screen, but her phone didn’t since she rarely used it in the office. Looks like Hou Yunlan had seen something she shouldn’t have.
That woman was such a gossip—and always so sharp-tongued.
Qi Zhen grabbed her mug from the shelf and strolled out of the office.
She filled it with coffee at the break room, but instead of going back, she walked toward Yan Yiyun’s office.
At Xingyun Entertainment, no matter how busy things got, there was always time for coffee. And as for where one drank it, no one really cared.
Besides, with all the awards she’d racked up, Xu Haiyang would be thrilled if she actually relaxed a little instead of staying wound up like a stretched wire.
Yu Xiaotao opened the office door and saw Qi Zhen standing there. She took the hint, grabbed her mug, and said, “I’m off to grab a coffee.”
Qi Zhen smiled. “Thanks for your hard work.”
Yan Yiyun was hunched over her desk reading some documents, looking troubled. But the moment she saw Qi Zhen, she instantly brightened up and sat up straight. “Why are you here?!”
Oh no, did she just see how slouchy I was a second ago? So embarrassing!
Qi Zhen held up her coffee cup. “Just here for a drink.”
Yan Yiyun let out a soft “oh” and opened a bottle of milk for herself. Qi Zhen had brought it that morning. It tasted richer than fresh milk and had a hint of sweetness—she really liked it.
Qi Zhen looked at her with a smile—one of those warm smiles that reached the corners of her eyes. Just one look made Yan Yiyun feel tipsy.
She felt a bit guilty. She had just changed Qi Zhen’s nickname—and now here she was. Was she upset?
Big Bad Wolf might’ve been a little harsh…
But still, was Little Crybaby any better?!
Thinking this gave Yan Yiyun a little more courage. She straightened up and said boldly, “You changed my nickname first! I’m not changing it back!”
No way was she going to change it back. The two nicknames Qi Zhen had given her—Little Kid and Little Crybaby—were both way too embarrassing. Her reputation was being ruined!
Hearing this, Qi Zhen smiled with a confident, knowing look. “Let’s set that aside. When you were messaging me just now—were you using the company Wi-Fi or your own data?”
“Huh?”
The question caught Yan Yiyun off guard. She’d never thought about that before. Both 4G and Wi-Fi were always on—whichever one connected first got used. Was that even an issue?
She checked her phone. It was connected to the company network. “The company’s.”
“Ohhh—”
Qi Zhen dragged out the syllable, her eyes gleaming.
“My dear President Yan, did you know… on our company’s network, all messages can be accessed by the IT department?”
When Yan Yiyun heard “my dear President Yan,” her face flushed again. Even if Qi Zhen didn’t mean it that way, the phrase still sounded… nice.
Like some kind of exclusive bond. A mutually possessive one.
It was only then that Yan Yiyun realized she wanted that possessiveness. She wanted Qi Zhen to belong to her—and herself to belong to Qi Zhen. That’s why when Yi Jingyu casually mentioned Qi Zhen’s boyfriend, she got so upset.
She’d even subtly asked Yu Xiaotao about it that morning, and once she heard there was no such person, she was finally relieved.
Her feelings for Qi Zhen really were special.
She didn’t want Qi Zhen to have any deep connection with anyone else—except her.
This wasn’t friendship. Not anymore.
She’d never liked anyone before, but she had close friends. Like Yi Jingyu—they met during boarding school and had stuck together through thick and thin overseas. But she’d never cared a bit about Yi Jingyu’s boyfriends—they were just irrelevant background characters.
But Qi Zhen was different.
Just imagining the possibility made her want to explode.
Now that she knew Qi Zhen didn’t have anyone, she was truly happy.
But wait—what did Qi Zhen mean just now? That the IT department could see everything?
Yan Yiyun looked at her, confused. “See what?”
Qi Zhen sighed. She really didn’t know… No wonder she messaged so recklessly.
“Little Kid, our company uses an encrypted network.”
She explained:
“To prevent data leaks, everything sent through the company Wi-Fi is backed up by the IT department. So if they wanted to, they could see that you changed my nickname to ‘Big Bad Wolf.’”
She smiled meaningfully. “And also that you’re called ‘Little Crybaby.’”
Yan Yiyun: “!!!”
She immediately stood up and headed for the door.
Qi Zhen asked, “Where are you going?”
“To IT, obviously! I need them to delete the logs!”
Qi Zhen burst out laughing. “Silly girl, if there’s no breach, those logs automatically delete after three months. But if you go now and ask them to delete it—believe me, the whole company will know you’re ‘Little Crybaby’ by the end of the day.”
Yan Yiyun froze mid-step.
She believed it. Of course she did!
In an entertainment company, gossip was a professional skill. If you weren’t nosy, how could you keep up with all the industry drama?
She begrudgingly walked back to her desk and muttered, “So I shouldn’t go?”
“I don’t mind either way.”
Qi Zhen never cared what others thought. She was hired for her design skills—let her work speak for itself. But Yan Yiyun was here to inherit the throne. She had to lead by example.
“But you might want to be careful. Some people might twist it against you.”
Yan Yiyun’s face darkened. Of course she knew there were malicious people in the company.
If word got out that she and Qi Zhen were more than just colleagues, people would start questioning whether the internal promotion was fair. Qi Zhen’s work would prove itself—but as the chief interviewer, her reputation would suffer.
If Qi Zhen got the job through merit, what about the others? Did they get promoted because they were close to her too?
Baseless rumors were the hardest to disprove.
It had never been about just this promotion—it was about all the ones after.
Qi Zhen rarely saw Yan Yiyun in this work mode, but when she did, her heart beat faster. She looked so different—so charismatic.
She handed her a milk candy and said, “No rush. Think it over.”
“No need to think,” Yan Yiyun said as she popped the candy in her mouth. Despite the sweetness, her expression didn’t soften one bit. “I’ll just delete it myself.”
Qi Zhen was surprised. “You know how?”
“I don’t,” Yan Yiyun said coolly. “But I have an admin account.”
Qi Zhen: “…”
Well then. Being the boss does have its perks.