Jiang Zhou came out of the conference room and strode towards his office. A secretary followed him and reported what had happened outside during the meeting.
“Boss, there were three calls just now. Two were answered by sales consultants from our partners, and one was for your private line.”
“Well, I got it. Just ask the sales consultant to come in later and report the situation to me.” Jiang Zhou took off his coat and tossed it on the sofa aside. He pulled a chair and sat down, loosening his tie and closing his eyes. “You don’t need to mention calls to my mobile in the future if they are not work-related.”
“Understood, because I saw that Boss had a nickname saved for that number, that’s why I mentioned it. I won’t do it next time, Boss.” The secretary said quickly.
Jiang Zhou paused, raised his eyelids slightly, and said, “What nickname?”
“Little Orange.” The young secretary was frightened. He had only worked for a few days and was about to face the big boss of headquarters. He was afraid that he would do something wrong.
“Bring it here.” Jiang Zhou stretched out his hand.
The young secretary was stunned for a moment, then quickly handed Jiang Zhou’s cell phone over with both hands.
“You can leave now.” Jiang Zhou took the phone and said coldly.
The young secretary felt relieved and left the office hastily, as if escaping.
Opening his phone, he found not only a missed call, but also a text message. When he clicked on it, there was only a short message: Jiang Zhou, Merry Christmas.
Jiang Zhou frowned and checked the calendar. It turned out that it was already Christmas.
After staring at the message for a moment, he threw his phone on the table, closed his eyes again, and leaned back in his chair.
It was just a kid’s holiday, what an idiot.
*****
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Countless times had Chen Ju taken his phone out to check it. All of the text messages and phone calls were empty. His mood also became empty.
P olcjiis tjv j vjs boo abvjs, yea tf vlvc’a offi ilxf vblcu jcsatlcu. Vevvfcis, ws qtbcf gjcu. Jtfc Ae tegglfvis rja eq ogbw atf rboj jcv lwwfvljafis qgfrrfv jcrkfg.
“Jtfc Ae, Wljbzlcu tjr ajxfc atf cluta boo abcluta. Jbeiv sbe mbnfg tlr rtloa? Jbwf lc ja rfnfc, jcv sbe mjc olclrt ja wlvcluta.” Ktf mjiifg kjr atf wjcjufg, cba Aljcu Itbe.
“Alright, I’ll do it.” After hanging up the phone, Chen Ju fell back on the sofa.
The two hadn’t been in contact since Jiang Zhou had gone on a business trip. Chen Ju knew that Jiang Zhou was very busy. Also, they only had a contractual relationship and there was no need to call each other every day. It was the frequent meetings some time ago that had given him an illusion.
Moreover, the contract explicitly stated that outside of the role-playing period, one should not disturb the other’s life. So, Chen Ju endured it for one night. But he still couldn’t help but make a phone call in the morning. He really missed Jiang Zhou; just hearing his voice would have been enough.
However, the call didn’t go through, so he ended up sending a blessing text message.
After calming down, Chen Ju started to feel conflicted. On the one hand, he regretted that he shouldn’t be so impulsive. What if Jiang Zhou was upset? But on the other hand, he secretly hoped for Jiang Zhou to call back.
In this way, until before going to work, Jiang Zhou hadn’t made a single call or sent any messages.
Before heading to work, Chen Ju took one last look at his phone and locked it in the closet.
There was still no response on the other side of the phone. The blue screen light reflected in the man’s eyes, radiating a subtle chill.
*****
“Hey, why is Young Master Jiang so good?” Liu Shengyue, carrying a small bag, walked over with a confident and graceful stride. She playfully sized up Jiang Zhou teasingly. “I rushed back with just one phone call. People who don’t know might think you love me so much~”
Jiang Zhou put away his phone, looked at Liu Shengyue, and ignored her jokes. He said: “You’ve just come back from work. What’s with your outfit?”
“Recently, I’ve been going for a sexy style,” Liu Shengyue said with confidence, giving her long hair a dramatic toss and extending her delicate jade hand. “Boyfriend, hold it up.”
Jiang Zhou stretched out his hand without any expression and said coldly: “Hold it to yourself.”
“Hey, are you so ungraceful?” Liu Shengyue linked her arm with Jiang Zhou’s and walked to the bar. “By the way, it’s Christmas today. Where’s that little cutie from last time? Why weren’t you with him?”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhou’s eyes darkened, and he replied coldly: “It’s just Christmas. Why do I have to be with him?”
Liu Shengyue was momentarily stunned and looked at Jiang Zhou in surprise. She examined him from head to toe and clicked her tongue, saying, “I can’t believe it. Even the great Young Master Jiang, this iceberg, can get so excited sometimes. It looks like that cute guy has quite some charm~”
Jiang Zhou stopped, his gaze icy as he looked at Liu Shengyue. He said, “Say one more word, and I’m leaving.”
“Alright, I won’t say anything. Calm down, handsome~” Liu Shengyue said with a smile on her face. He grabbed Jiang Zhou’s sleeve and shook it playfully. “You know my dad’s temper, and we haven’t had any activity for so long. He will definitely be suspicious.”
“Song Qingtan is a pretty nice person,” Jiang Zhou remarked.
Liu Shengyue couldn’t hold back the smile on her face. As expected, the man was very vindictive.
“Well, I won’t talk about the little cutie anymore, and you don’t mention him either. How about we call it even?”
Jiang Zhou said nothing and silently agreed.
After ordering two drinks, Liu Shengyue led Jiang Zhou to a spot and sat down. Then, she took out her mobile phone, moved closer to Jiang Zhou, and said, “Quick, let’s take a selfie. I want to post it on my social media.”
Jiang Zhou subtly furrowed his brow, but when facing the camera, he managed to raise the corners of his mouth and put on a professional smile.
As soon as the photo was taken, the two of them immediately distanced themselves, each minding their own business in the space between them, enough for one person to sit. Liu Shengyue expertly edited the picture, while Jiang Zhou leaned on the sofa, sipping his drink, his gaze wandering aimlessly.
A low grunt was heard from the corner, and feeling Jiang Zhou’s gaze, the person immediately crouched down and started shuffling like a crab towards the direction of the back kitchen.
*****
“Qing Ge, what are you doing?” Chen Ju, holding a glass of wine, looked surprised as he watched the crouching figure on the ground.
Upon hearing Chen Ju’s voice, Li Jing immediately stood up, grabbed his arm, and without saying a word, pulled him behind the wall.
“Chen Ju! Just now, I…” Li Qing’s indignant words came to a halt when he met Chen Ju’s innocent and pure eyes. The scene he had just witnessed was something he couldn’t put into words.
Chen Ju is so simple and kind-hearted. The last time he saw Jiang Zhou, he thought that man was Chen Ju’s true love, finally someone who could protect and cherish him properly.
Unexpectedly, he turned out to be a scumbag who favoured both men and women. Thinking about this, Li Qing’s eyes turned red. He couldn’t hold back anymore, hugged Chen Ju and choked with sobs: “I’ll help you and the manager get some time off. It’s Christmas today. Ge will take you out, little bro.”
Chen Ju said embarrassedly: “Well, isn’t that a bit too much? I’m quite busy tonight.”
“No problem, getting you a day off is just a word from me!” Li Qing said, pulling Chen Ju into a private room at the back. The manager was leaning on the sofa, smoking, and there was SpongeBob playing on the iPad in front of him.
“What’s wrong?” The manager shook the cigarette in his hand. “You two look like you are about to elope.”
“Yan Qiu, I’ll take Chen Ju out and get him a day off!” Li Jing said bluntly.
Yan Qiu’s eyes remained fixed on the iPad as he waved his hand dismissively, saying: “Approved, step aside and don’t disturb me while I’m watching the show.”
Chen Ju didn’t expect to succeed in asking for leave so easily. When Li Qing pulled him out, his head was still spinning.
“Qing Ge, I haven’t changed my clothes yet.” Chen Ju came to his senses, realising that he had already been pulled onto the dance floor next to the door by Li Qing.
Li Qing held Chen Ju’s hand and said with a smile: “Let’s change after this song. We don’t often get to have fun like this, so enjoy it to the fullest!”
Chen Ju was not used to such crowded places, so he followed Li Qing nervously, not knowing how to place his hands and feet. Suddenly, he bumped into someone from behind. He turned around in a hurry and apologized repeatedly: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
The man didn’t speak. Chen Ju raised his head in confusion. When he saw the man’s face, he froze in place.
*****
It’s hating the scum Jiang Zhou day again! Thank you for the chapter!
+1 Yesirrr
I hope you update soon
Oh another misunderstanding. That scumbag will think that he go out with another man. Tsk.
“Kid’s holiday” he says 🙄
Jiang zhou is so heartless and downright unattractive with that kind of personality, what does chen ju even see in this guy 😩 he seems tiring to be around tbh
jiang zhou’s suffering wife chasing arc better sopping wet and pathetic 🗿🗿🗿🗿
Agreed. Nothing else would pacify me
Qing Ge is a real one
LI QING THE OFFICIAL MVP AND OG, HE CAN HAVE MY WHOLE HEART 🫶💕💕💕