Chapter 20: Sent to warm the bed as soon as he loses his job.

The dark green curtains were pulled back mostly, looped through the tiebacks and hung on the side hooks. The sunlight fell just right so it didn’t shine onto the bed.

The octagonal window provided excellent lighting. With the curtains half-drawn and the sheer, transparent curtains hanging in front of the window slightly open, the bedroom was already bright enough.

The atmosphere in the room was as clear as the sunlight, leaving no trace of obscurity. Qi Yingzhu leaned slightly against the dresser, appearing right before Chu Fuxuan’s eyes.

One had a face full of surprise, like a computer forced to freeze right after booting up. The other’s expression was unreadable but looked imposing, evidently having waited a long time for the former to wake up.

The two suddenly locked eyes. Qi Yingzhu didn’t give Chu Fuxuan a chance to escape; every word in his sentence packed a punch.

…Why would he follow his boss after getting drunk?!

Let alone Qi Yingzhu needing answers, Chu Fuxuan also found it bizarre and couldn’t figure out what he had been doing.

Showing confusion, he tentatively tested the waters with trepidation: “I was a bit dazed then, I might have only remembered your name.”

Chu Fuxuan’s memory of last night stopped at the restaurant’s private room; once he stepped out, it became disjointed.

He tried in vain to search his mind for clues, but turning it upside down was useless. He only remembered being too drunk to walk in the hallway and, in his dizzy state, actually calling Qi Yingzhu’s name a few times.

Other than that, it was as if his memory had been extracted. How they communicated at the time, and how things developed subsequently—those scenes dissipated into the night along with the alcohol.

Thinking of this, Chu Fuxuan’s heart sank, and his face became even more bewildered.

Since he was packed up and taken away by Qi Yingzhu, and the other party acted thoroughly, he definitely wouldn’t have let other colleagues see him making a fool of himself. Therefore, what exactly he did after getting drunk, only the person in front of him knew best.

Chu Fuxuan’s tone carried a hint of prayer as he asked out of concern: “Boss, was I noisy after drinking? Did I cause any trouble here?”

“It seems sleeping does help. At least now you know I’m your boss.”

Hearing this, Qi Yingzhu sighed seemingly, not giving a direct answer as to whether he had made a mistake.

Chu Fuxuan: “.”

It sounded like there was a hidden meaning. What had he taken Qi Yingzhu for before?

Everything upon waking up was too impactful. Even if Chu Fuxuan still had a bit of lingering drunkenness, he was suddenly startled awake now, his inner thoughts extremely colorful.

At first, he felt surprised, not believing he could act wild right under Qi Yingzhu’s nose. But now, having been abducted to this person’s territory, he felt that what happened in between wasn’t so simple.

While feeling conflicted, Chu Fuxuan looked around guiltily. Then he looked down at his pajamas—the buttons were misaligned down the entire row!

Did he fiddle with this himself, did Qi Yingzhu help him out, or did he call the apartment manager to come to the rescue halfway?

With the doubts piling up, Chu Fuxuan was going crazy, yet he didn’t have the courage to ask and find out the truth.

He was terrified of hearing a progression of events he couldn’t face. What if Qi Yingzhu had cleaned him up personally? How were his clothes taken off? Was he stripped naked?

Right, he couldn’t possibly have taken a bath with his sweater on, could he? Outside, he had to rely on Qi Yingzhu to support him while walking. On the other man’s home turf, wouldn’t he be even more easily manipulated? Chu Fuxuan’s imagination ran wild, ringing alarm bells in his mind.

He felt there were words that could more accurately describe his situation. But after wracking his brain for a long time, he couldn’t come up with “at the mercy of others,” and instead squeezed out “doing whatever one pleases.”

Pondering over it secretly, such a description seemed a bit weird, as if he had unwittingly had an affair with Qi Yingzhu.

“What are you pondering?” Qi Yingzhu interrupted.

Seeing Chu Fuxuan’s evasive demeanor, he said with some realization: “I didn’t help you take a bath. You reeked of alcohol, so I just stuffed you in the bathtub. Please don’t think so…”

Speaking coldly up to this point, he also got stuck as if he had forgotten his words. The momentum he intended to build up for an accusation failed to follow through.

Chu Fuxuan stiffened his neck, pretending to be tough: “Think so what?”

“Erotic.” Qi Yingzhu seemed to find it hard to say, feeling ashamed on Chu Fuxuan’s behalf.

Chu Fuxuan: ?

He took a deep breath, as if he had suffered a massive slander, and equally anxiously voiced his clarification.

“Absolutely not, how could I guess in that direction? Even though we haven’t known each other for long, I have an idea of what kind of person you are. Even if I were drugged with an aphrodisiac, I’d still be completely innocent with you.”

As he answered, he used this to sort out his thoughts.

Just now his thoughts had wandered wildly. Calming down gradually, he added: “Besides, I blacked out very early on, and I still don’t have any strength right now. How could I have the energy to cause any incidents?”

Qi Yingzhu said meaningfully: “You don’t know your own drinking behavior, haven’t you seen friends go crazy? It’s exactly when you’re unconscious that you do these sorts of things.”

“They can’t be used as references.” Chu Fuxuan frowned, thinking those behaviors were too outrageous. “They either look for their ex to beg to get back together, or run around howling and screaming. Most often, they throw up in the toilet until they can’t come out.”

Having said that, he cautiously scanned the surroundings, verifying the scene once more.

There was no mess in the room, and the bed surface was very neat. This was definitely a bedsheet previously arranged by housekeeping. Qi Yingzhu didn’t look like someone who could take care of people; he couldn’t possibly have made it so tidy.

Chu Fuxuan relaxed upon realizing this, believing he wasn’t as completely lacking in restraint as his friends. He then rolled his eyes around, repeatedly stealing glances at Qi Yingzhu’s reaction.

Hearing him righteously draw a line, Qi Yingzhu’s expression was somewhat subtle, but he didn’t refute anything.

Taking advantage of their stalemate, Chu Fuxuan felt it wasn’t appropriate to stay long in someone else’s house. He tried to smooth things over, preparing to slip away quickly.

“Thanks for your hard work yesterday. I’ll find a temporary cleaner to come over and tidy up. I’ll treat you to a meal when I’m free,” he said politely. “Actually, you could’ve just left me at the hotel, saving you the trouble of taking care of me all night.”

Just when he thought he had wrapped things up, Qi Yingzhu seized the opportunity to speak, muddying the waters with just a few words.

“I’m not that loving. The main thing was you threatened me with death, warning me that if I didn’t take you away, I’d become a widower.”

The voice was nonchalant, crashing right into his face. Chu Fuxuan momentarily thought he had auditory hallucinations.

Who threatened who? Who yielded because they were afraid of being a widower?

He felt it was ridiculous, yet couldn’t help but start panicking because of it: “How could I say such a thing to you? No, can things I said while drunk be taken seriously?”

Qi Yingzhu said self-righteously: “You called out my full name and even bragged to the doorman about how capable I am. How could I dare leave you outside? If I didn’t keep an eye on you, what if our marriage photo spread around the company and couldn’t be unsent?”

Chu Fuxuan widened his eyes even more: “What did I brag about you?”

“Can’t remember at all?” Seeing Chu Fuxuan’s blank face, Qi Yingzhu deliberately picked only the parts that justified his actions to reveal. “So sorry, you were talking about what happens in my bed.”

“Are you kidding me? How would I know about topics regarding your bed?”

After Chu Fuxuan retorted, he suddenly realized he was lying in Qi Yingzhu’s bedroom and suddenly lost some confidence.

Then he noticed a smirk on Qi Yingzhu’s lips, secretly thinking he had fallen for a rhetorical trick. There was absolutely some linguistic trickery involved.

Qi Yingzhu shared: “After arriving here, you suspected you were a fish and insisted I release you. I had no choice but to contribute my bathtub.”

Having nearly been fooled just now, Chu Fuxuan became even more guarded: “Even if I can’t remember anything, I didn’t turn intellectually disabled. How can fairy tales come out of your mouth?”

Qi Yingzhu said indulgently: “You couldn’t breathe underwater, so you actively awakened into a human. Congratulations, in the end, you walked here with your two legs.”

Chu Fuxuan: “…”

The two looked at each other, then turned their heads away, each with their own thoughts.

Qi Yingzhu discovered that Chu Fuxuan was completely oblivious to the events of the latter half of the night, so he deliberately avoided mentioning the momentary intimacy he was unwilling to face.

Those colliding gazes, intertwined breaths, and perhaps the night that secretly heated up and quietly subsided—he didn’t mention a single word about them.

However, just discussing these inconsequential interludes already made Chu Fuxuan alertly sense danger.

With some reservations, Chu Fuxuan inquired: “Anyway, the truth right now relies entirely on what you say. Let me ask you, did you dig any traps for me while I was drunk?”

He understood Qi Yingzhu’s character too well. If you sliced open his chest, the heart underneath might be pitch black from the inside out.

Now that the other party had taken the initiative and was pressing him step by step, it wasn’t guaranteed that everything he said was the truth. He might be blurring the focus and twisting right and wrong. Either way, Chu Fuxuan had no way of telling.

Qi Yingzhu spoke with deep sincerity: “Just taking extra care of a new employee. I’m very honored to have received your trust and entrustment. You grabbed me and poured your heart out about the harassment from the Art Director. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it. I’ll rectify the atmosphere in the art department as soon as I get back.”

“Can drinking too much turn someone into this?” Chu Fuxuan felt his world flipped upside down, thoroughly experiencing how terrifying excessive drinking was.

Being dizzy on the spot was secondary. Afterwards, hearing someone spout nonsense and being unable to refute it was a bolt from the blue for Chu Fuxuan: “Was it me starting rumors or you lying? Speak with your hand on your heart.”

Heaven knows if Qi Yingzhu possessed such a thing as a conscience: “You also planned to usurp the throne. The next step was to kick out the Producer, and the step after that was to replace the Director. So next, do I have to vacate my seat for you too?”

Speaking of this, Chu Fuxuan was somewhat moved, eagerly plotting to reach the sky in a single bound.

“Can the transition be by designated succession? Never mind, it’s not very good. What would you do if you lost your job? You haven’t even reached thirty yet. It’s too early to wash your hands of the business.”

After speaking with faux humility, he turned and made a promise to Qi Yingzhu.

“The day you vacate your seat for me, my home will need a full-time househusband. After all, braving the winds and waves during the day, I’ll need someone to silently support me at night.” He audaciously teased his boss.

When he was groggy, Chu Fuxuan was so easy to deceive. Lemon water was whatever Qi Yingzhu claimed it to be. After drinking it, he didn’t forget to obediently say thank you. When tired, he grabbed Qi Yingzhu’s wrist and fell asleep against his shoulder without needing to be coaxed.

Now, with clear eyes, he wished he had a mind full of eyes. Listening to Qi Yingzhu’s narration, he would question three out of every five words the man said.

Qi Yingzhu ground his back teeth and spoke with veiled sarcasm: “Oh, as soon as I lose my job, I should be sent off to warm the bed. So the ultimate end of working in the internet industry is to prostitute oneself to make a living.”

Chu Fuxuan wanted to bicker some more, but a call suddenly came through on his phone. He had previously booked an apartment viewing for the afternoon, and the agent was asking if he needed to reschedule.

He had almost forgotten about this. Good properties were always in high demand, so he quickly stated he would rush over immediately.

Qi Yingzhu threw his dried clothes to him. Before Chu Fuxuan could hastily unbutton his pajamas, he stepped out of the space first, closing the door behind him.

Chu Fuxuan swiftly washed up a bit. He drank until his mind was fuzzy last night and still had a missing piece of memory. Fortunately, after resting sufficiently, his overall state wasn’t much affected.

Qi Yingzhu watched him come out of the bathroom. He was looking at his reflection in the glass while scratching his hair, seemingly worrying about the flyaways: “Is my sleeping posture really bad? Damn it, it’s sticking up.”

Qi Yingzhu, who had blow-dried his hair, silently looked away: “.”

Although Chu Fuxuan didn’t acknowledge that messy debt, he sincerely thanked him again before leaving. There was a bag of toast at the entryway, and Qi Yingzhu motioned for him to take it.

Right now, Chu Fuxuan hadn’t eaten anything, and he was rushing to take a taxi to see the apartment. He had no way to go elsewhere to fill his stomach. A bag of toast wasn’t worth being coy over, so he smiled and opened it directly.

He left in a hurry. After he was gone, Qi Yingzhu went to the kitchen and turned off the gas stove.

In the pot, a tender tomato beef brisket stew was simmering. The cooking time was just right. Once the lid was lifted, a sweet and sour fragrance overflowed, indicating how refreshing and appetizing the taste would be.

Qi Yingzhu put the lid back on and received a message from Chu Fuxuan: [I must emphasize, it’s impossible that I badmouthed my colleagues yesterday! They are all my partners.]

Qi Yingzhu replied with obvious implications: [So your colleagues hold such a high position in your eyes?]

Chu Fuxuan didn’t catch his underlying meaning and picked a side: [Your status is the highest. Comrade Little Chu follows your command. If you tell me to go west, I definitely won’t run off with my partners.]

He said it so nicely. Just now, Qi Yingzhu had attempted to deceive him. Chu Fuxuan was now extremely guarded against him, scrutinizing him as if weighing the most cunning old fox in the den.

However, the fox surprisingly didn’t try to confuse him from afar again. Chu Fuxuan was a bit surprised at first. Later, he went everywhere with the agent to look at apartments, and on Monday he was busy coordinating work, so he quickly shelved this farce for the time being.

Until Thursday afternoon when there was a management meeting. Qi Yingzhu had been working around the clock these past few days. Passing by his cubicle in the morning, he rarely had the free time to stop, and casually asked if he was attending the meeting.

If Chu Fuxuan had been willing to carefully ponder his words, he would have found that Qi Yingzhu spoke with deep meaning, seeming as if he finally had a free hand to handle things, intending to give him a chance to escape.

Unfortunately, he was reviewing audio files and had no time to spare for this.

“I’m coming,” Chu Fuxuan said without thinking. “It seems you’re coming over to supervise this time? Others plan to hide, but I’m an upright person, not afraid of a crooked shadow.”

Qi Yingzhu was amazed and sighed: “I’ve re-acquainted myself with your backbone.”

Chu Fuxuan said: “I hope I didn’t disappoint you. If the sky falls on our team, I’ll hold it up with my own body. If you have something to say, say it at the meeting. It’s super noisy on my end.”

Qi Yingzhu said lightly: “Okay, turn down your headphone volume.”

Chu Fuxuan’s back felt cold at his instruction. He muttered about why the leader was suddenly so meticulously considerate. In the past, even when he almost collapsed at his office door, the man had never asked if he was dead or alive.

Maybe he just finished a huge task and felt empty, so he dropped by to act all lovey-dovey.

Chu Fuxuan pondered. The reality was exactly the opposite of what he thought. Qi Yingzhu had specifically wrapped up his schedule early, freed up time to rush to the ninth floor, and with a clear trajectory, detoured to his cubicle.

As for the so-called “acting lovey-dovey,” the thought gave him goosebumps for a moment. Qi Yingzhu’s intentions were even further off the mark.

After reminding him about the headphone volume, Chu Fuxuan received a file from Qi Yingzhu, assuming it was a new batch of workload to be inserted into the game.

However, when he clicked the play button, his own noisy voice actually came through.

Not long ago, he had repeatedly clarified that his colleagues were all partners. In this file, however, Chu Fuxuan grandly announced to Qi Yingzhu: “I am your master.”

At eleven o’clock on Thursday morning, three hours away from using his backbone to hold up the entire team, he finally thoroughly realized what a monstrous crime he had committed last Saturday.