What To Do When The Boss Takes A Liking To You chapter 31
You’re just relying on your looks
Despite having a young, strong man subdued, Lan Qing’s expression remained unchanged as he looked at Xu Le.
“Are you okay?” Lan Qing asked.
Xu Le was still in a daze, thinking: Wow, as expected of someone from the fighting nation, President Lan is incredibly cool!
Seeing Lan Qing’s beautiful blue eyes staring at him, Xu Le snapped back to reality. “Oh, I’m… I’m fine.”
“Who the hell are you? Let go of me, or I’ll call the police!”
Humiliated in front of his new girlfriend, Zhao Zhiang’s face turned red with anger. Despite his struggles, the man behind him used some unknown technique, rendering Zhao, who was over 1.8 meters tall, completely immobile.
Just as Zhao Zhiang was about to make a strong effort to break free, Lan Qing suddenly let go. Coincidentally, a waiter with a castle-shaped cake was passing by, and Zhao, losing his balance, crashed straight into the intricately designed cake.
“Ah!” The waiter screamed, unable to dodge.
“Damn it, what is this?”
Zhao shouted in horror, and when he pulled his head out of the cake, his face was entirely covered in white cream. The surrounding diners were stunned.
His girlfriend: “…”
Lan Qing: “?”
Xu Le couldn’t hold it in and laughed uncontrollably. “Hahaha, oh my god! Hahaha…”
Zhao Zhiang was furious. Being someone who valued his reputation, this public humiliation was unbearable for him.
His girlfriend hurriedly approached, stifling her laughter. “Zhiang, are you okay—”
“Get lost!”
Zhao Zhiang pushed her away. Seeing even his girlfriend seemed to be mocking him, his facade of affection crumbled, leaving only impotent rage.
The girl, wearing high heels, stumbled from his push. Fortunately, Xu Le quickly steadied her by holding her arm. Once she regained her balance, he let go.
“Are you okay?” Xu Le asked, worried she might have sprained her ankle in her high heels.
“Thank you.” The girl, her eyes slightly red and cheeks flushed, looked at him.
The boy in front of her was fresh and handsome, with sincere concern on his face. Even his touch was gentle and courteous, in stark contrast to Zhao Zhiang’s earlier roughness. He seemed like an angel.
Lan Qing’s blue eyes glanced in their direction before quickly looking away.
Zhao Zhiang, seeing this, felt even more furious.
He couldn’t help but recall the humiliation from his university days.
It was he who confessed to the campus beauty, with Xu Le and Li Dongming promising to support him.
At that time, Li Dongming was in charge of the equipment, Xu Le played the guitar, and he stood in the spotlight, singing a love song to the girl he adored, hoping to win her heart with his sincere feelings.
“I like you, will you be my girlfriend?”
Zhao Zhiang watched the girl walk out of the dormitory. Her skin was fair, her hair cascaded like a waterfall, and she wore a white dress, her youthful and beautiful face blushing. At that moment, his heart raced, eagerly awaiting her positive response.
“I’m sorry, I can’t accept.”
Then he watched as the girl walked toward Xu Le in the shadows, boldly yet shyly saying, “I… I like you. Can we be together?”
At that moment, all the students watching fell silent.
Li Dongming was dumbfounded, and Xu Le was stunned and bewildered.
Zhao Zhiang, on the other hand, was full of resentment, feeling as if he’d been publicly slapped. Though the slap was invisible, it shattered his proud self-esteem.
He felt utterly betrayed, even though Xu Le didn’t accept the girl’s confession and later apologized in the dorm.
“Zhao, don’t take it to heart. I really didn’t expect this to happen. How about I treat you to a meal, and we move past this, okay?” Xu Le said cheerfully, trying to put his hand on Zhao’s shoulder.
With a slap, Zhao knocked his hand away, snorting coldly. “You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you? Stop pretending.”
Xu Le’s ingratiating smile faded as he frowned. “I had no idea this would happen. Why would I pretend? Your words make no sense.”
“You’re pretending to be clueless. We’re all men; who doesn’t know what’s in each other’s hearts? The girl I pursued ended up confessing to you like a lapdog, leaving me standing there like an idiot while everyone laughed at me!” Zhao grew increasingly angry as he spoke.
Especially seeing Xu Le’s smiling face, he felt it was a mockery. He believed Xu Le was pretending to be a good guy but secretly mocking him along with Li Dongming.
Xu Le saw Zhao Zhiang’s overreaction, clearly still angry, so he could only comfort him, “Don’t think too much, nobody will—”
Before he could finish, Zhao Zhiang’s anger flared up even more, and he stood up directly, grabbing Xu Le’s collar. “Don’t give me that fake sympathy, Xu Le.”
“Let go of me, Zhao Zhiang, are you out of your mind?” Xu Le was not one to be pushed around. Zhao Zhiang’s words were one thing, but now he was getting physical, and Xu Le was getting annoyed.
Seeing Xu Le’s handsome face only fueled Zhao Zhiang’s rage. He might not be as attractive as Xu Le, but he definitely had decent looks. He couldn’t understand why he was losing to Xu Le.
He glared at Xu Le, breathing heavily.
Whether it was because he found Xu Le’s face truly unpleasant or not, Zhao Zhiang clenched his left hand into a fist, poised to strike Xu Le’s face with a heavy blow at any moment.
But Xu Le was not foolish. He was already irritated being grabbed by the collar, and now facing the possibility of getting punched, he struggled harder.
Just as the tension escalated, Li Dongming, who had just finished class, rushed back and intervened upon seeing the tense situation.
“Hey, hey, we’re all brothers here, let’s talk it out. A gentleman settles disputes with words, not fists,” he said. Being from the north, tall and strong, and the oldest in the dorm, he always acted like the big brother.
With his strength, Li Dongming soon forced Zhao Zhiang’s hand open.
Unexpectedly, just as Zhao Zhiang was about to release his grip, he seized the opportunity to push Xu Le. Xu Le nearly lost his balance, stumbling backward and catching himself on Li Dongming’s desk.
“Ouch…” Xu Le sucked in a sharp breath.
“Brothers? Who the hell said we’re brothers?” Zhao Zhiang sneered, then left the dorm with a cold expression.
As he left, he slammed the dorm door shut with a resounding bang.
Li Dongming sighed. “What a mess.”
“He’s an idiot,” Xu Le muttered, rubbing his hand, only to realize there was a bloodied hole in his palm from the compass on the table.
It hurt.
Once the seeds of resentment were planted, it was hard to eradicate. Since then, the relationship between Zhao Zhiang and Xu Le completely deteriorated, with them standing on opposite sides.
“Why are you blushing at him? What, did he seduce you too?” Zhao Zhiang said to his girlfriend, seeing her slightly flushed face, with annoyance.
“What are you talking about? How could I…” His girlfriend was extremely aggrieved.
Xu Le found it all inexplicable. He couldn’t understand Zhao Zhiang’s thought process. He tried not to show any amusement towards the cream-covered figure in front of him. “Zhao Zhiang, have you lost your mind?”
But Zhao Zhiang ignored him, instead sneering at his girlfriend, “You’re with me just for my money, aren’t you? Well, I—”
Smack! His girlfriend slapped him hard. “Zhao Zhiang, you jerk, we’re done!” With that, she angrily left in her high heels.
Xu Le: “…?” He swore to the heavens he hadn’t done anything!
Lan Qing approached Xu Le quietly, coldly eyeing Zhao Zhiang.
At this moment, the restaurant manager and security rushed over. Upon seeing Lan Qing, they bowed respectfully. “Mr. Lan, we are deeply sorry for the conflict that occurred in the restaurant. We will handle it promptly.”
Then, turning to the disheveled Zhao Zhiang, the manager said, “Sir, if you require bathing services, you can book a room in our hotel. Alternatively, if you wish to leave immediately, we can refund you half of the amount paid. As for the losses caused to other customers by you, you will be held responsible.”
A meal that ended with losing a girlfriend, being humiliated like a criminal, and having cake cream smeared all over his head. In the end, he had to compensate for the cake too.
Zhao Zhiang had no choice but to pay up and then go book a room for a shower.
The handsome mixed-race man next to Xu Le seemed exceptionally noble; he was not someone Zhao Zhiang could afford to offend.
Before leaving, he gave Xu Le a fierce glare. “Xu Le, you just wait and see.”
But as soon as he finished speaking, that cold and imposing mixed-race man glanced at him.
Just one glance, but the chill in his eyes made Zhao Zhiang shiver involuntarily.
He had no doubt that the man could crush him effortlessly. Perhaps even easier than crushing an ant. He left quickly, feeling like a beaten dog with his tail between his legs.
Seeing Zhao Zhiang leave, Xu Le breathed a sigh of relief, feeling indignant. “Phew… I didn’t do anything. President Lan, you saw it all. It’s his own disrespect that led to his girlfriend breaking up with him.”
The coldness in Lan Qing’s eyes dissipated, replaced by a hint of gentleness as he looked at the intern before him.
“Yes, I saw everything.”
The restaurant manager, sensing the situation, respectfully asked, “Mr. Lan, would you like to dine here? We have a VIP room reserved.”
At the mention of a VIP room, Xu Le knew it was definitely not something he, an occasional visitor, could afford. He feared that one meal would cost him half of his monthly salary.
Glancing at Lan Qing, whose handsome face remained indifferent, Xu Le cautiously spoke up, “Well, President Lan, I think I’ll just—”
“Xu Le, would you like to have dinner with me?”
Lan Qing looked at Xu Le, his voice low and melodious like red wine, his deep blue eyes resembling rare sapphires, seemingly carrying an invisible charm and temptation.
Under the warm orange light of the restaurant, Lan Qing’s facial features became more three-dimensional, enhanced by his mixed-race heritage. Clad in a black high-end suit with a meticulously tied tie, he exuded an aura of restraint and allure from head to toe.
Standing there, he looked like a perfectly refined figurine.
Whether it was due to his overpowering presence or the irresistible allure, Xu Le found himself unable to refuse.
His mind was a bit muddled, having dinner with President Lan?
What did it mean when a boss invited a subordinate to dine together? Xu Le’s mind couldn’t quite grasp it, feeling like something was off but also normal.
But one thing was certain: President Lan definitely valued him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have initiated the invitation.
Would it be inappropriate to refuse?
“Um… Okay, President Lan,” Xu Le nervously replied, his throat swallowing hard.
He was conflicted. If he had dinner with President Lan, who would foot the bill for the private room? He had just recently managed to save up a bit, and he didn’t want to see his savings dwindle again.
“This hotel is also under the Starlight Group, so there’s no need to worry about the bill,” President Lan explained, seemingly noticing Xu Le’s slight concern.
Xu Le’s face flushed deeply. “Oh…”
Oh no, President Lan wouldn’t think he’s stingy, would he? But he was just a poor worker; he really didn’t have much money!