What To Do When The Boss Takes A Liking To You chapter 32

Intoxicated

Above them was a flowing galaxy ceiling, dreamy and surreal. The lighting and air conditioning were adjusted to the most comfortable levels for humans. On the outer side was a full-length window, with the restaurant located on the 39th floor, overlooking the shimmering lights of the city buildings against the night sky.

Inside the private room were two well-groomed male waiters in black suits with matching ties. Their crisp white shirts added to the luxurious ambiance of the room.

Xu Le had never been in such a fancy private room before, so he felt a bit awkward sitting down.

“Take a seat,” Lan Qing said naturally, patting his shoulder. Through the thin fabric of Xu Le’s T-shirt, Lan Qing could feel the warmth of his slender back, including the beautiful shape of his butterfly bones.

Feeling the warmth of Xu Le’s skin beneath his clothes, Lan Qing’s fingers lingered for a few seconds before slowly retracting.

Watching the waiter pull out the chair respectfully, Xu Le hesitated for a moment before sitting down with Lan Qing.

 Being born into a wealthy family, Lan Qing was accustomed to such occasions. But Xu Le felt out of place. Where should he sit?

In front of them was a large round table that could accommodate several people. If he sat opposite Lan Qing, it would seem too formal and distant. If he sat next to Lan Qing, it would seem too intimate…

After much deliberation, he decided to take a middle ground.

Trying to minimize his presence like a timid turtle, he slowly moved to a seat three places away from Lan Qing.

He had hoped to quietly pull out the chair and sit down, but the waiter beside him reacted very quickly. With keen eyesight, he promptly pulled out the chair and even exclaimed, as if not loud enough, “Sir, please have a seat. Just let me know if you need anything.”

Xu Le: “…”

He felt like crying.

Seeing Xu Le’s embarrassed and awkward expression, Lan Qing, who clearly noticed his discomfort with having someone around during the meal, instructed the waiters, “You can leave for now. We don’t need you here.”

Finally relieved when the two “eager” waiters left, Xu Le let out a sigh of relief.

Just as he was about to sit down, Lan Qing suddenly spoke up, “Why sit there?”

Xu Le’s heart skipped a beat. Did President Lan think he was sitting too close and wanted him to move farther away? 

So he obediently replied, “Oh, okay, President Lan.”

Having said that, he started to walk towards the door, which was farthest from Lan Qing.

“Stop,” Lan Qing called out to him.

“Huh?” Xu Le froze in confusion, turning to face the sitting president with a similarly awkward movement.

“Come here.” Lan Qing beckoned him with a crooked finger.

His finger was long and white, his gesture elegant, not giving off any discomfort, but rather a compelling force that made one involuntarily follow his command.

Xu Le’s body reacted faster than his brain. “Oh,” he said, walking over in the same awkward manner until he stood beside Lan Qing.

“President Lan, what’s wrong?”

“Sit,” Lan Qing said, pointing to the seat beside him.

Xu Le was a bit surprised but obediently followed the CEO’s instructions and sat down beside him.

Although he felt extremely awkward.

After all, it was his first time dining with the CEO. It was impossible not to feel nervous.

He vaguely remembered Lucy and the others telling him that in the eyes of many employees, President Lan was a cold and ruthless boss. Except for necessary work interactions, he usually wouldn’t interact with subordinate employees.

This was just a polite way of putting it. Lucy’s exact words were…

“President Lan, he only sees two types of people: those he can use and those he can’t. Of course, both types are included in the category of people he rejects.”

But Xu Le always felt that Lan Qing wasn’t like that. He was surprisingly easy to get along with, if you ignored his standard icy CEO face.

“Order whatever you want,” a deep, cool voice sounded, handing Xu Le a menu tablet. Xu Le looked up in confusion and instinctively took it. “Oh, okay.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his stomach growled loudly.

He felt extremely embarrassed and had to order while trying to find a topic to ease the embarrassment. “Um, President Lan, it’s quite a coincidence that you’re here…”

“I happened to be here for business discussions. When I came out, I heard your voice, so I came over,” Lan Qing replied.

Xu Le wondered if he was imagining it, but he felt like President Lan had just laughed?

“Oh, I see…” he looked at the dazzling array of dishes. He wanted to taste every single one, but with President Lan here, he felt too embarrassed to eat like a glutton.

He slid his fingers left and right, unable to decide what to select.

Seeing his hesitation, Lan Qing directly picked up the tablet in front of him. “Do you eat New Zealand crayfish?”

The ordering tablet in the private room allowed real-time sharing of the menu. Lan Qing’s selections could be seen by Xu Le. Hearing the question, Xu Le hurriedly nodded, “Yes, yes!”

“What about the Eastern Star Turbot, Bluefin Tuna Sashimi, and oysters?”

“I’m not picky, I’ll eat anything. President Lan, you can just order whatever you want.” Xu Le quickly replied.

Lan Qing paused his fingers on the tablet and looked at Xu Le. “Do you drink?”

“Drink?” Xu Le thought for a moment. He wasn’t incapable of drinking alcohol; it’s just that he didn’t have a high tolerance. But if Lan Qing wanted to drink, he, as an employee, had to accompany him. “I do.”

Lan Qing nodded.

Then Xu Le saw the menu items continuously increasing, gradually reaching an exaggerated level. It could be said that Lan Qing almost ordered every dish available.

But there were only two of them. Could they finish so much food? Xu Le was astonished.

Moreover, he even saw that Lan Qing had ordered several bottles of vodka.

Vodka was a strong liquor. Xu Le’s face would turn red after just a few cans of beer, let alone vodka with a proof of fifty or sixty.

He weakly said, “Presidet Lan, um, vodka seems a bit… um, too strong. I’m not good with alcohol.”

Lan Qing paused, looking at him. “Then should I order some soft drinks for you?”

Xu Le nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes!” He didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of the CEO because of getting drunk.

So Lan Qing ordered several bottles of fruit wine and red wine, considering them as soft drinks.

Perhaps due to Lan Qing’s privilege, the dishes in the room arrived quickly. In less than five minutes, the waiter pushed the dining car in.

Looking at the table full of delicacies, Xu Le felt dizzy. He had never seen so many expensive ingredients at once. The Boston lobster in the middle was simply huge, and the Bluefin Tuna sashimi arranged like flower petals…

He swallowed and then looked at Lan Qing. Seeing the smile in Lan Qing’s eyes, Xu Le began to eat happily with his permission.

Lan Qing didn’t seem hungry; he just sipped vodka leisurely, occasionally picking up a few slices of sashimi. He had an extremely good alcohol tolerance, and with his Russian heritage, vodka was just a regular drink for him.

Xu Le also tried to drink some vodka. As soon as it entered his throat, it felt too spicy, and his face quickly turned red. Looking at Lan Qing’s calm demeanor, whose pale face remained unchanged throughout, Xu Le couldn’t help but admire his Russian genes.

Under the influence of alcohol, Xu Le’s courage grew, or perhaps Lan Qing seemed particularly approachable at the moment. He started to confide in Lan Qing as if he were talking to a normal friend, telling him about his time in university and his relationship with Zhao Zhiang.

“President Lan, hiccup, I feel like… hiccup… I’ve been wronged. That jerk, hiccup… we used to play basketball and have meals together in our freshman year. Our relationship was really good. Why did it become like this? I’m really… a little unwilling…”

“That’s because of his narrow-mindedness and ingratitude. It has nothing to do with you, and you don’t need to feel resentful about it,” Lan Qing said calmly.

“You’re right, but hey, he’s my friend. We used to get along so well, but now every time we meet, it’s just sarcastic remarks and arguments. I can’t believe he turned out like this…” Xu Le shook his head.

“Let’s not talk about this anymore, change the subject,” Lan Qing changed the topic.

“What should we talk about?”

Lan Qing pondered. “Let’s talk about your university.”

“My university?” Xu Le’s eyes drifted away as he recalled, “During my university days, besides studying, I joined a few clubs, like the guitar club, skateboarding club, and photography club. I had a fulfilling life. I learned to play the guitar during university!”

“Oh, and I used to love going to offline anime conventions. Basically, I worked as a part-time photographer, offering services from lighting to shooting to editing, which helped me save some money. Occasionally, I would also cosplay myself…”

At this point, Xu Le suddenly looked up, his eyes shining as he looked at Lan Qing.

Lan Qing was amused by his persistent gaze. “What’s wrong?”

“President Lan, do you know, with your face and figure, you would be an amazing cosplayer!” Xu Le exclaimed. He was probably really drunk at this point, hence his boldness.

Lan Qing raised an eyebrow. He didn’t expect the intern, under the influence of alcohol, to be so unrestrained… and cute.

“Why?” he asked cooperatively.

Xu Le earnestly leaned closer to him, looking at Lan Qing up close. “Your eyes are so beautiful. When I first saw you, I thought you were wearing contact lenses. And your nose is so straight and high, it’s really suitable.”

As he spoke, Xu Le reached out and gestured on Lan Qing’s face in the air.

The intern’s sudden closeness made Lan Qing’s long eyelashes tremble slightly. He spoke softly, “Do you want to touch it?”

“Huh, can I…?” Xu Le’s dark puppy eyes blinked, looking a bit dazed.

Lan Qing grabbed his hand and placed Xu Le’s fingertips on his nose. “How is it?”

Under the influence of alcohol, Xu Le dared to touch Lan Qing’s high and delicate nose. Unable to resist, he muttered softly, “The higher a man’s nose bridge, the bigger… um, his… you know. With such a high nose, he must be very domineering…”

“Lan Qing: ?”

Author’s note:

Come on, multiple-choice question, what makes Lan Qing seem domineering?

a) Alcohol tolerance

b) Nose

c) Fighting ability