What To Do When The Boss Takes A Liking To You chapter 25
Your driving skills are really good
“I’m not…” Xu Le felt his mouth dry up, his heart racing abnormally.
“I don’t like being lied to, Xu Le,” Lan Qing’s rich, deep voice had a cinematic intimacy in the confined space, “Don’t lie to me.”
Xu Le struggled a bit more, seeing the CEO’s eyes deeper than usual staring at him, making him even more flustered.
Wait, what?
They were both men, right? What was this weird, pink-tinted ambiguous atmosphere?
Although Lan Qing was indeed very handsome, especially with those captivating blue eyes that made Xu Le, a straight guy for 21 years, feel a bit overwhelmed, but still, he was straight!
“President Lan, I… just feel this is a bit strange. Can you let go of me, please?” he asked softly, feeling the grip on his hand tighten.
Even the warmth from Lan Qing’s hand was more pronounced with their skin touching.
“Ты очень милый.” Lan Qing chuckled, finally releasing Xu Le’s hand.
“Huh?” Xu Le quickly withdrew his hand.
He was good at English but had no clue about Russian. Hearing Lan Qing speak Russian for the first time made his brain freeze.
Oh right, he almost forgot Lan Qing was of mixed Russian descent. This was the first time he heard him speak Russian, which sounded very different from his usual Mandarin.
When Lan Qing spoke Russian, his voice became even deeper, sounding very soothing.
“Was that Russian? What did it mean?” Xu Le asked curiously, hoping it wasn’t something negative.
He thought dejectedly, maybe it could be…
“Didn’t you say to let go of you? It’s time to go, hold on.”
Upon the CEO’s command, Xu Le obediently closed his mouth.
One had to admit, President Lan drove quite aggressively. When conditions allowed, he would overtake cars whenever possible, and he’d accelerate through the last few seconds of a traffic light, clearly demonstrating the skills of a seasoned driver who often drove himself.
This was very different from what Xu Le had imagined. He thought that someone as usually quiet and composed as President Lan would drive in a steady and careful manner, not in this race-against-time style.
No wonder he’s from a “warrior nation”! Xu Le felt like he was beginning to understand that part of President Lan’s foreign bloodline.
The car President Lan drove wasn’t an exaggerated luxury vehicle but a Mercedes S400L, a business car costing between 800,000 to 1 million yuan. To Xu Le, it was undoubtedly a luxury car, but for someone like President Lan, whose net worth was at least ten figures, if not eleven, it was practically a toy.
Xu Le looked at the fast-receding cityscape outside the window, thinking that President Lan was quite “down-to-earth.” If he were driving something like an Aston Martin or Lamborghini, Xu Le would probably be too nervous to even sit in it.
The car was silent, except for the occasional cold, sweet voice of the GPS: “Turn left in 50 meters onto Haibin West Road, then continue straight for 1.2 kilometers…”
Xu Le sneaked a glance at Lan Qing’s profile. President Lan looked very focused while driving, like a serene piece of art, exuding a kind of solemn beauty.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he nervously licked his lower lip, feeling he should say something to break the awkward silence.
He was not someone who could stand uncomfortable silences.
Moreover, as a low-level employee, sitting in silence with the CEO of the company might make it seem like he was treating him like a chauffeur, which wouldn’t be appropriate…
But what should he say?
“Uh, President Lan, you—” Just as he started, he suddenly got stuck.
Great, his mouth ran ahead of his brain, and he hadn’t even thought of a topic.
“Hmm?” Lan Qing glanced at him with the corner of his eye, seeing his conflicted expression. He found it amusing but kept a straight face.
Xu Le was so nervous that his back was sweating. Despite President Lan’s strong presence, he refused to admit he was scared!
He straightened his back, tactically rubbed his nose, and said, “Uh, well, you… you…” Xu Le racked his brain for a topic. Praising President Lan wouldn’t work, criticizing him was out of the question, so what could he talk about that was neutral?
He stole another glance at Lan Qing’s long fingers on the steering wheel, and suddenly thought, “Your driving skills are really good, hahaha…”
What a stupid topic. Was he implying President Lan was just a good driver? He felt annoyed with himself.
He wasn’t usually inarticulate, so why did he become so tongue-tied around President Lan?
“Because I liked racing in college and was an amateur racer for a while. Even now, I prefer to handle the steering wheel myself unless it’s a special situation where I can’t.” Lan Qing’s response was brief and to the point.
Xu Le was stunned. Racing?
President Lan was a racer in college? That’s so cool!
Men’s fascination with cars is universal. Xu Le had gotten his driver’s license right after high school but hadn’t had many chances to drive. He dreamed of one day driving a supercar down the highway.
Suddenly, he looked at Lan Qing with sparkling eyes, his admiration rising another level.
“Wow, a racer, that’s so cool!” he exclaimed sincerely.
“Surprised?” Lan Qing glanced at Xu Le and raised his eyebrows slightly at his astonished expression.
Xu Le’s dark eyes were shining as he nodded. “You’re very different from what I imagined.”
“What did you think I was like? A workaholic completely immersed in work with no recreational activities?” President Lan seemed intrigued by the topic.
Xu Le sheepishly said, “Something like that… Also, the first time I saw you was in the elevator, and you sternly told me not to take photos. Then during the interview, the first thing you said was, ‘I’ll give you one chance, either come in or leave now.’ I was scared to death! I thought you must be a very strict boss, not the type to smile at employees…”
Maybe it was the dim light that made Lan Qing’s expression seem softer, or perhaps it was his unusually relaxed tone, but Xu Le suddenly didn’t feel as afraid of him.
So now, he even dared to speak some truths, though he still cautiously watched Lan Qing’s expression after speaking, a bit anxious.
“That’s why you’re afraid of me?” Lan Qing recalled that he had indeed said those things, but he didn’t expect them to leave such a strict impression on the intern.
He couldn’t help but smile slightly. “I don’t need to be friends with my employees. They provide labor, I provide fair compensation. It’s a simple transaction—if they can do the job, they stay; if not, they leave.”
Xu Le thought about it and realized that made sense…
“I also don’t need to be immersed in work all day. Otherwise, those highly paid professional managers I hire would be useless.”
“As for that day in the elevator, I told you not to take photos because my face is very expensive, and you couldn’t afford it. The last media outlet that tried to upload my photos without permission no longer exists.” Lan Qing said casually, his tone as calm as ever.
Xu Le was shocked into silence, not daring to explain that he hadn’t intended to take a photo of him at that time.
He stole a glance at Lan Qing’s handsome, chiseled profile, thinking that indeed, he couldn’t afford it—even if he sold everything, he couldn’t afford it.
Author’s Note:
The Russian phrase means “You’re really cute.” President Lan secretly said Xu Le is cute, haha!