Translator: Abo Dammen
“Tao Mingzhuo,” Yang Kening remarked, “You might not have realised it, but Vice President Jing has been attentively watching you since earlier.”
Tao Mingzhuo didn’t immediately respond because he was focused on the shrimp he had in his hand.
The company cafeteria would always cook tom yum every two weeks. It’s tangy, flavorful, and its meat was tender.
Tao Mingzhuo had a clear objective. Forget about the rice! He dived straight in eating the soup, piling a platter of peeled shrimp.
After Tao Mingzhuo processed what Yang Kening pointed out, his hands briefly froze.
He snickered, “Nonsense. What are you even trying to say?”
“I’m not kidding.” Concern grew in Yang Kening’s mind. “I know you’re too hyper focused on eating everyday so you’re too dull to even notice your surroundings. But trust me, I’d really notice that Mr. VP’s eyes would settle on y——”
“It’s probably nothing, stop minding it,” Tang Mingzhuo interrupted her. “Focus on your food.”
Yang Kening, “But—”
“Xiao Ning,” Xu Yi, who was beside him, suddenly spoke. “I got a soup stain on my sleeve. Can you pass me a napkin?”
Yang Ke exclaimed, “Oh no,” and immediately grabbed him a table napkin. “Where is it? Let me see.”
Xu Yi absentmindedly wiped the tissue on his sleeve for a moment, then exhaled, “Huh, looks like it’s a false alarm.”
Yang Kening, “Are you kidding me?”
Xu Yi is a straightforward and honest young man who seldom takes the initiative to speak up. He would typically prefer to observe from the sidelines, taking pleasure in listening to their discussions.
Seeing that he was reluctant to answer Yang Kening’s barrage of questions, Xu Shi likely intervened to help Tao Mingzhuo out, probably the driving force behind his seemingly irrational actions.
Tao Mingzhuo smirked and nodded, then sped up his eating.
But as time passed, the more he chewed, the tasteless the food became. His eyes travelled around until it landed on a conspicuous figure near the window.
He saw a plate of peeled shrimp in front of Jing Ci.
Moving slowly from one shrimp to another, Jing Ci handled them as delicately as if they were priceless artwork rather than just shrimp with sauce.
Jing Ci raised his eyes as if perceiving a focused stare.
Tao Mingzhuo clenched his jaw and subtly turned his head aside.
Actually, no one knew better than Mingzhuo that what Yang Kening said was true.
Nevertheless, there’s a discrepancy between the adjective she gave and the truth: Jing Ci has never been “secretly” staring at him.
He has been openly eyeing Tao Mingzhuo.
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.
The audacious stare had persisted for nearly a month, reaching a level that Tao Mingzhuo could no longer turn a blind eye to.
Tao Mingzhuo was one of the gaming company’s key-animators and illustrators. One of the games he had illustrated achieved success, his contribution significant to it. Furthermore, there was a laid-back vibe across the entire team, to which he could say that his experience working with teams was quite great.
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There have been speculations that Yu Ci was somehow connected to the CEO. He had exceptional skills and had graduated from an esteemed school abroad. His wisdom in decision-making was further solidified after he took office.
In a nutshell, senior executives like Jing Ci don’t really interact with R&D department artists like Tao Mingzhuo.
It would be appropriate for the team’s chief artist to be the person with whom Jing Ci would have contact directly should he suddenly desire to lead the art department.
Therefore, at first, he thought it was just random that his superior was “eyeing” him.
To this day, Tao Mingzhuo still clearly remember the precise moment he caught Jing Ci’s intense stare. It was when he ate a bowl of beef noodles that one particular noon.
When compared to the average person, his eating habits were strikingly different. He was tall, for one thing, and he’d had a voracious appetite from an early age. His mental state would always be one of laser-like focus as he delved headfirst into his meal.
He was going to slurp the noodles, but a salty aftertaste made him gag. Swiftly, he grabbed a water bottle and downed it. He then soon found a certain someone’s stare after he put down the bottle.
Tao Mingzhuo choked.
Jing Ci was positioned near the window, his eyes trained on Tao Mingzhuo.
The beam of light cast from the window radiated brilliantly. Jing Ci glowed, bathed in its inviting warmth.
Seeing this, Tao Mingzhuo doubted he might be just delusional.
So instead of dwelling on it further, he gingerly ate his noodles. The sun had already set behind the billowing clouds when he raised his eyes to look up.
His vision no longer impeded by the bright sun, Tao Mingzhuo could see better. His heart skipped——
Jing Ci was still watching him.
Worry slowly crept up Tao Mingzhuo.
Not even a nonchalant person who’s dull enough to their surroundings could keep on eating if their boss would stare at them. Especially with such a sharp gaze.
Tao Mingzhuo thought that the red sweater he had been wearing that day was too flashy. The following day, he changed into a low-key white T-shirt, ready to become a wallflower in the cafeteria.
Nothing changed. Jing Ci’s gaze was still on him.
And it lasted for two weeks in a row. Every lunch time, Jing Ci would remain seated in the same spot, expressionlessly staring at Tao Mingzhuo’s face.
He had never made any sort of moves like walking up to Tao Mingzhuo. He just stayed in the same spot, silently watching over him.
Not knowing what it was about him that drew Jing Ci’s observing gaze, Tao Mingzhuo’s worry grew. He only felt like Jing Ci could see through him, down to his underwear. That was the feeling that was really bothering him.
With these circling in his mind, Tao Mingzhuo found it hard to even eat.
He couldn’t just possibly go up to ask, “Can you stop staring at me? I can’t eat anymore”. Although most game companies had a flat organisational structure, Jing Ci was still his boss, and Tao Mingzhuo didn’t want to find himself fired the next day.
The only solution he could come up with was to switch seats with Yang Kening.
So he did, so that his eyes wouldn’t meet Jing Ci’s whenever he looked up. Surprisingly, Yang Kening was perceptive enough to see through his plan.
Yang Kening babbled after a brief silence, “For real! Mr. Jing’s looking at you again. Trust me. If you don’t believe it, try seeing it for yourself.”
Tao Mingzhuo felt his head pound. Yang Kening exclaimed, “Aahhh wait wait wait, nonono… He stood up!”
Tao Mingzhuo said helplessly, “Can you stop watching and guessing? Maybe he’s done eating so he wants to leave?”
Yang Kening’s voice rose, “He’s walking towards you!”
Suddenly, Tao Mingzhuo could no longer joke around.
Intrigued, he turned his head and noticed Jing Ci approaching him, a plate in hand.
To be honest, these past few days, Tao Mingzhuo could slowly feel his sanity on the verge of collapsing because of overthinking.
That’s why, seeing the culprit of his overthinking standing before him, Tao Mingzhuo experienced an indescribable sense of relief.
Tao Mingzhuo was a bit unsure where to look, so he could only pretend to be indifferent and instinctively focused his gaze at the plate in Jing Ci’s hand.
The shrimp in tom yum soup should be really delicious. Tao Mingzhuo found that Jing Ci only ate the shrimps and did not touch any other dishes.
Then he heard Jing Ci ask, “Tao Mingzhuo, right?”
Tao Mingzhuo regained his senses and responded positively.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you alone,” Jing Ci smiled then carried on, “but you seemed quite busy when I passed by your station twice, so I didn’t bother you.”
Yang Kening’s mouth gaped open, and Xu Yi also showed a bewildered expression.
He sounded a bit too considerate. But he’s the boss!
After a brief hesitation, Tao Mingzhuo explained, “Everyone has been so preoccupied with designing skins for summer events, and development has been somewhat sped up, that’s why…”
Jing Ci let out a soft hum.
“Is it alright if I take a seat?” He pointed to the empty seat next to Tao Mingzhuo.
Before his voice even died down, Yang Kening immediately took the initiative to clear the food on the table. Tao Mingzhuo had never witnessed such lightning-fast hand speed from this girl before outside of playing rhythm games.
Jing Ci expressed his gratitude and occupied the seat.
“Mr. Tao.” He addressed Tao Mingzhuo with an easygoing voice. “I have a request which I hope you will consider.”
In just a few seconds, everything Tao Mingzhuo did at work flashed back in his mind.
Tao Mingzhuo was always on top of his game, and he had success with previous themed skins he had designed as well. His honesty in his work allowed him to feel he had nothing to fear or feel guilty about.
So he calmed himself. “Please continue.”
Jing Ci stared into his intense eyes.
“May I ask if you would be willing to have lunch alone with me tomorrow around 12:30 in the afternoon?” Jing Ci asked.
Tao Mingzhuo, “Ha?”
Tao Mingzhuo’s response was a bit slow, caught off-guard by the sudden invite. “T-That’s fine.”
Jing Ci exhaled a light breath.
However, it seemed he still wasn’t done with his business. Tao Mingzhuo saw Jing Ci purse his lips before he continued.
Jing Ci, “Actually, I have an additional special request in addition to having lunch with me. However, I want to find out about your take on the matter before disclosing it as it might offend you.”
Tao Mingzhuo seldom encountered people who spoke with such decorum and modesty; his discomfort was alleviated by Jing Ci’s pleasant voice.
Tao Mingzhuo paused. Then he said, “Continue.”
Jing Ci didn’t bring it up right away. He focused on Tao Mingzhuo’s face, then darted his eyes elsewhere.
This was the first time Tao Mingzhuo had ever sat this close to his new boss.
The girls of the research and development department, including Yang Kening, couldn’t wait to talk about how handsome Jing Ci was when he first arrived at the company.
Jing Ci took his time bringing it up. His eyes stayed on Mingzhuo’s face for a bit and then he looked away.
From time to time, Tao Mingzhuo and Xu Yi overhear their talk, which would kick off with more normal adjectives like handsome face and fantastic waist, but eventually escalated to beautiful and kucha seeds flying.
At one point, Tao Mingzhuo felt as if his ears were going to burst.
Now that the two sat face to face, Tao Mingzhuo, who does character design, had to admit that Jing Ci indeed looked like a 2D character.
Being attractive was a plus, but having a demeanor that was so balanced, clean, and composed was really unique.
The world around them serves as a driving motivation for artists. Capturing what they consider beautiful was instinct, let alone the rare and elegant handsome 3D man before him.
Jing Ci had lovely lips too, however they were a little bit pale. Tao Mingzhuo noted Jing Ci’s sickly complexion.
Meanwhile, while Tao Mingzhuo was lost in thought, Jing Ci had already lifted his eyes and scrutinised Tao Mingzhuo’s own.
The corners of his eyes curved as he smiled sheepishly.
“Would you mind if I stare at your face while I’m eating?” Jing Ci asked.
Translator’s Feed:
Welcome to my new project!!! I’ve only completed angsty abo novels so my heart and soul’s now looking for something lighter. I’ll try my best to update at least twice a week. Also, I know BATO has already been completely translated by someone else but since I’ve already bought the whole novel I want to translate it until the end. The updates will be sporadic but I’ll definitely finish it.
Also, gonna warn you guys in advance. You might see a typo of Tao Mingzhuo’s name. Just please tell me if you do see it. I keep writing Tang Mingzhuo for some reason 😭😭😭 It’s a good thing my friend saw some of the mistakes (spaced out fr) so yeah 🫶 Time to delve into the world of an extremely imaginative (delulu) and amazing artist with his pretty boss.
*le gay pants off*
Glad to see the first chapter, this seems so fun! Thank you for picking up this novel ^^
Thank you for reading
I would be stressed out to death if my boss come to me to talk, haha 😂 This novel seems great, can’t wait to read more ^^ Don’t worry about updates and take Your time! ❤
I would definitely overthink it 😆 thank you for reading
what in a fetish is this
Like it!!! I thought it would be similar as “The Director Who Buys Me Dinner”, but I think it’s not and it’s good
Thank you for your translation 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖