Chapter 5

Chapter 5

That night, Drink More Hot Water launched a brand-new story. It was a clean romance.

The female lead was a woman so straight she was made of steel-purely, hopelessly straight. Straight to the point of stupidity.

She had a boss. He was the herbivore type, painfully shy, and gave off an extremely similar vibe to Drink More Hot Water.

The boss spent the whole night rolling around under his blanket before finally mustering the courage to compliment her, saying she looked really pretty today.

The female lead stared blankly and said there had been a free makeup service by the subway entrance, so she’d gone to try it. It turned out they were pushing products, and after they finished half her face, they refused to do the other half unless she bought something. So she’d come to work with makeup on only half her face.

The boss gave a stiff “Oh,” then woodenly returned to his office and slammed his fist into his executive chair in utter regret.

Damn it, I deserve to die! Of all the things I could have brought up, why did I have to bring up that? Having makeup on only half her face must have been so embarrassing for a girl, and I actually made her say it out loud.

Hugging the chair, he spun around anxiously for ages, drowning in remorse.

But when he poked his head out, the female lead had already slipped off to the bathroom, washed her face, and was now typing up documents while secretly gnawing on a breakfast crepe under her desk. With every bite, her face glowed with the bliss of an office worker getting away with slacking off.

After work, the boss ran to the mall to buy makeup for the female lead.

Once he got home, he stood on his bed, happily shadowboxing at the air while imagining the female lead’s shy gratitude tomorrow and their beautiful future life together.

He stared at the makeup gift box. The more he looked at it, the more he realized there was a foolish grin hanging on his face.

And then, the next day.

When he handed the makeup gift box to the female lead, she was following close behind him in high heels, reporting his schedule. She took the box into her arms without missing a beat, then continued her report.

The boss glanced at her. Then he glanced at her again, pitifully.

Only then did the female lead, rather perceptive for once, stop her report. Then, with a complete lack of perception, she weighed the gift box in her hands and asked, “Boss, which client should I send this to? SF Express, or should I deliver it in person?”

The boss opened his mouth, stammering, his face a little red.

He had just been about to say something when the female lead looked down. Then she showed an expression that was smart, but not particularly smart, and smiled as she flattered him. “Boss, you have great taste. This mooncake gift box is pretty nice. It’s even in a foreign language.”

The boss’s face went blank. “SF Express. Send it back to my house.”

He walked back to his office, then silently punched his fist into the soft backrest of his executive chair. The chair, like a troubled fleshy belly, accepted the blow with a wronged little sag.

Damn it, I deserve to die! I knew her English wasn’t that good, so why did I have to give her something like that?

The boss crouched on the chair, covered his face, and reflected on his mistakes. As he thought, his heart grew sad again. She had never seen anything truly nice before. In the future, he would make sure she saw them all properly.

The boss remained indomitable, growing braver with every setback.

He set up a candlelit dinner, and the female lead reminded him worriedly to be careful of fire hazards in the office.

He hinted that he had an extra concert ticket, and the female lead sincerely suggested he list it on a secondhand app.

He clutched his head and said he was sick today. The female lead asked if he wanted her to call emergency services, then said it might be better to drive to the hospital, since calling an ambulance cost money.

…

I read the new story, absolutely delighted, laughing my head off.

Whoa, is this female lead an idiot? Hahaha.

Ahahaha… My smile suddenly froze. For some reason, something felt a little strange.

Hiss. Why did I have this weird feeling that I was, maybe, just a tiny bit, a teensy little bit like this female lead?

Just as I was puzzling over it, my phone suddenly received a message.

“President Xue: Xiao Yu, help me push back tomorrow’s schedule. I think I might have a bit of a fever.”

I quickly replied and was just about to open my computer when Xue Niwen sent another message. “You can handle it tomorrow. No rush. No overtime after work hours.”

I had just started typing a long, vaguely grateful message praising my boss and sucking up to him, but halfway through, I suddenly thought of Hot Water’s story. After hesitating for a moment, I asked, “Boss, is there anything I can help with?”

I absolutely could not be like the female lead in Hot Water’s story and suggest my boss drive himself to the hospital.

Although I agreed with her point. Calling an ambulance really did cost money.

Xue Niwen was silent for a while, then sent, “It’s fine. I’ll have a doctor come over later.”

I thought about it, then very intelligently added another sentence to show how concerned I was for my boss. “Boss, how about I come see you? I’ll buy you a funeral wreath.”

Xue Niwen went quiet.