What To Do When The Boss Takes A Liking To You chapter 26
Meow~
After arriving at Xu Le’s apartment, Lan Qing slowly pulled the car to the side and parked.
“Thank you, President Lan. I’m really sorry for the trouble today. Goodbye!”
Xu Le bowed his head to thank Lan Qing, got out of the car, and gently closed the door. He thought about how he hadn’t seen the orange cat for two days, so he reached into his gym bag, which still had a pack of chicken breast.
He bent down to look in the flower bed and, sure enough, saw the orange cat nestled there. When it saw Xu Le, the cat got up and walked out, swaying its little butt.
“Meow~” The orange cat called out coquettishly.
Xu Le squatted down, stroked the cat’s head a few times, and opened the pack of chicken breast for it to eat.
There was a “bang” sound behind him as a car door closed. Xu Le turned around in surprise and saw that Lan Qing hadn’t left yet. Instead, he had gotten out of the car and was walking towards him.
Xu Le was momentarily stunned, dropping the chicken breast, which caused the cat to meow in displeasure and start eating it off the ground.
“President Lan, you haven’t left yet?”
“I wanted to see this cat. Didn’t you say it looked like me?” Lan Qing stopped not far from where Xu Le was squatting, watching the intern and the cat.
Because of his squatting position, Xu Le looked very obedient, seriously feeding the cat, a scene that resembled something from a comic, warm and pleasing to the eye.
“Uh, did I say that? Hahaha…” Xu Le laughed awkwardly, trying to brush it off with humor.
“In your Moments post. Do you need me to repeat the caption for you?” Lan Qing watched as the young intern nervously touched his nose and lowered his head, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand but leaving its bottom exposed.
Failing to brush it off, Xu Le grimaced and thought, President Lan has a really good memory!
“Alright, President Lan, I was wrong. You’re a big person who wouldn’t hold a grudge against a small employee like me, right?”
As he spoke, he grabbed the orange cat’s front paws, turned to face Lan Qing, and made the cat gesture “please, please” with its paws. Synchronizing with the cat, he let out a “meow~” and then blinked his bright black eyes at Lan Qing.
Since brushing it off didn’t work, he resorted to acting cute. After all, he had developed a thick skin from his previous streaming days, and who could hit a cute smiling face?
Xu Le was clean-cut and handsome. When he deliberately made cute expressions, it wasn’t overly sweet, but full of youthful charm, fresh and adorable.
Lan Qing’s deep blue eyes darkened. The subtle change in his expression was hidden by the night, but he was indeed momentarily stunned.
“Wow, you’re so cooperative, my little lucky cat, you’re amazing!” Xu Le happily stroked the cat a few more times. His eyes sparkled, and despite working late into the evening, he didn’t seem tired at that moment.
“Meow~” The aloof orange cat, unwilling to pay Xu Le any more attention, broke free from his “iron grip” and continued eating the chicken breast.
Xu Le, still smiling, stroked the cat and said to Lan Qing, “President Lan, don’t you think it’s super cute?”
Lan Qing lowered his eyes, “Yes, very cute. Do you like pets?”
Xu Le nodded, “I’ve always been close to cats and dogs since I was little. They’re really cute, just looking at them makes me happy. I have a little mutt at home. I even took a lot of pictures of it to make stickers. It’s the same dog I often send you on WeChat.”
Lan Qing remembered that the young intern indeed frequently sent him stickers of the same dog.
“I also have a pet at my home in Russia.”
“Really? I didn’t expect you to have a pet. Is it cute too?” Xu Le’s eyes widened in surprise.
He couldn’t tell that President Lan kept pets. Was it a cat or a dog? Was it cute or majestic? However, if President Lan kept a cute pet, it would be quite a contrast.
“Cute?” Lan Qing thought for a moment, “It was very cute when it was little.”
As Xu Le stroked the cat, he curiously asked, “So it was very cute when it was little, but majestic now?”
“Something like that. It’s been with me for many years. My family got it when I was eight.”
Xu Le clicked his tongue, “So it’s almost twenty years old now? That’s quite long-lived.”
“Yes, almost.”
Xu Le himself was only 21, and President Lan’s pet was nearly his age. It seemed the cat or dog had quite a long life!
“Why not bring it to China, then you could see it every day.” Xu Le, engrossed in the conversation, momentarily forgot to address Lan Qing formally.
Lan Qing shook his head, “It’s too big and not suitable for keeping in China.”
Xu Le exclaimed, feeling regret for President Lan’s pet. He knew that aggressive dogs weren’t allowed in the country. It was probably an aggressive breed.
“That’s really a pity,” he agreed.
Xu Le noticed Lan Qing still standing there, his gaze fixed on him. He thought Lan Qing wanted to pet the cat but was hesitant because of his formal suit.
He picked up the orange cat and carefully held it out to Lan Qing, “President Lan, do you want to pet it? It’s quite well-behaved but might be a bit shy.”
Lan Qing glanced at Xu Le. The young intern’s face showed anticipation, and the cat in his arms occasionally peeked out but stayed quietly in his embrace, meowing softly at Lan Qing.
The intern and the cat both had wide eyes, looking at him.
After a moment, Lan Qing extended his hand and gently stroked the cat’s head.
“Meow~”
The orange cat meowed softly, then surprisingly stuck out its tongue to lick Lan Qing’s slender, fair fingers and rubbed its head against his hand.
“Oh my! You little ingrate, I’ve fed you so much, and you barely let me pet you. President Lan pets you once, and you’re all cuddly and affectionate!” Xu Le felt a bit unbalanced. He still had marks on his arm from the cat’s claws!
Lan Qing withdrew his hand, “I think it resembles you quite a bit.”
“Ah?” Xu Le raised his head in confusion, synchronized perfectly with the orange cat in his arms, both looking eagerly at Lan Qing. “How do we look alike?”
“Meow~” the cat meowed simultaneously.
Lan Qing couldn’t help but chuckle softly, then, regaining his serious demeanor, said, “In every way.”
Especially that bewildered expression, it was identical.
Xu Le: “…?”
Was this really the boss he knew? The boss who used to always speak with a stern face was now approachable and amiable. Even the once insurmountable sense of distance had significantly lessened.
In short, Lan Qing no longer seemed like a cold, perfect bionic robot on a pedestal. Instead, Xu Le felt an illusion that they might become good friends in private.
However, a boss is still a boss, and Xu Le didn’t dare to really consider him a friend.
He gently put the cat down, watching it wiggle its way back to the flowerbed, then thanked Lan Qing again. “President Lan, it’s getting late. You should go back and rest early. Thank you so much for bringing me back tonight!”
Lan Qing responded with a soft “Hmm,” and added, “You should get some rest too.”
Just as he was about to see Lan Qing off, Xu Le noticed that Lan Qing hadn’t moved and quickly asked, “President Lan, is there anything else?”
“I’ll be going abroad for a business trip for a few days. Work well at the company, and if you have any issues you can’t resolve, go to Lucy and the others. Or—” Lan Qing paused and continued, “You can directly contact me. There’s no need to keep grievances to yourself.”
Xu Le was extremely surprised, warmth flooding his heart. He was touched and said, “I… I understand, thank you, President Lan!”
Seeing the little intern’s expression of being overwhelmed by favor, Lan Qing knew Xu Le probably still wouldn’t dare to reach out to him. So, he stretched out his hand and flicked Xu Le’s forehead.
“Ow!” Xu Le instinctively tried to dodge but didn’t really dare to, looking at Lan Qing with an aggrieved expression.
Lan Qing’s strength wasn’t light. Though it didn’t hurt much, Xu Le felt a bit inexplicably embarrassed. He wasn’t a primary school student, after all; how could he get flicked on the forehead?
“If it hurts, listen to what I say, no need to be evasive.”
Xu Le rubbed his forehead and whispered, “I wasn’t… I usually consult with Jiang Wan jie and the others if I have any questions.”
“Not that part, the latter part.”
“Huh? The latter part…”
Seeing Xu Le’s puzzled expression, Lan Qing couldn’t help but laugh and lightly flicked his forehead again, this time with less force.
“My WeChat isn’t just for show, understand?”
Author’s Note:
Guess what kind of pet Lan Qing has, haha, feels easy to guess, hehe~