What To Do When The Boss Takes A Liking To You chapter 48

“Little Girlfriend” is President Lan

Pop!

White foam spurted from the bottle as the bartender skillfully mixed various drinks, creating a variety of cocktails with different flavors.

The singer on stage had already sung several classic old band songs from the last century in a row.

Delicious cocktails and a rich, story-like voice paired with the Gothic castle-style decor made for a truly unique experience.

“Lele, check if your friend has replied yet?” Cao Xinyi asked curiously.

Xu Le responded, wondering why Li Dongming hadn’t replied yet.

Normally, if he sent Li Dongming a message and he was free, he’d reply immediately. It was evening, so he should have finished work and shouldn’t be away from his phone.

Xu Le was puzzled.

Nearly ten minutes had passed, and his phone screen hadn’t lit up.

Something was off. Was Li Dongming still working overtime? But he said he had already quit his job and handed over his responsibilities.

Just as Xu Le picked up his phone, it vibrated and lit up.

Here we go!

Jianxin teased, “Quick, check if it’s a message from your friend. He might actually come, considering how long it took to reply.”

“No way!”

Xu Le laughed, wondering how his good buddy would respond to that ambiguous message. If Li Dongming were in Hai City, he might actually come, but he was in Beijing, halfway across China.

However, when he saw the contact’s name on the screen, Xu Le’s smile froze, and a chill ran down his spine.

What?!

He had sent the message to… President Lan?!?

Xu Le confirmed it three times, even considering uninstalling and reinstalling WeChat. After staring at Lan Qing’s profile picture for nearly ten seconds, he realized he had indeed sent it to the wrong person.

And worse, Lan Qing had replied.

[I’ll be there within half an hour.]

Xu Le: “???”

No way, President Lan was actually coming?!

Xu Le’s hands trembled. After calming himself, his tipsy mind sobered up significantly as he quickly thought of a solution.

Retracting the message was out of the question; not only had too much time passed, but President Lan had already seen it.

Should he directly tell President Lan that he was playing a game with Jiaxin and the others, drew a dare, and that’s why he sent the message?

This won’t do, President Lan would probably think I’m intentionally teasing him… Besides, he is already on his way.

Xu Le had a splitting headache; he really shouldn’t have drunk! This time, he was truly in trouble, wasn’t he?

Cao Xinyi noticed Xu Le’s unusual expression. “What’s wrong, Lele?”

Xu Le took a deep breath, his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously. His throat felt dry, so he grabbed the nearby glass and took a big gulp.

“Whew…” He exhaled the pent-up breath, then looked somewhat timidly at the two opposite him.

“Um,” Xu Le nervously touched the back of his neck, “Uh, I have to meet a friend later, could you ladies please…”

Honestly, it was Cao Xinyi who invited him out, and now he was asking them to leave first. It was quite impolite, but if President Lan really showed up later, how would he explain?

He had President Lan’s WeChat; it might already be quite unexpected. If President Lan really appeared here, Xinyi and Jianxin might misunderstand…

Thinking of this, Xu Le’s gaze drifted, looking at the singer on the stage. The singer’s unique orientation made his thoughts wander as well.

Why did President Lan reply to his joke message and solemnly say he would come over? Could it be true…

Now, Xu Le was truly confused. If before he was just suspicious, President Lan’s attitude now practically confirmed it.

President Lan indeed harbored such thoughts towards him.

Although it sounded absurd, Xu Le wasn’t stupid. On the contrary, sometimes his thoughts were quite delicate, especially when the situation was so obvious.

Seeing his handsome face clouded with melancholy, Jianxin, who was close by, pinched his smooth cheek and teased, “Oh, was that message to your girlfriend? Alright, Xinyi and I will leave first, give you guys some time to chat.”

“No—” Xu Le was about to deny it outright, but suddenly choked up. At this point, he could only admit along with the flow, “Oh, um, yes… she’s coming over, I need to, um, talk to her.”

Yes, he really had to talk to President Lan, at least to make it clear to him that even though he was really good-looking, rich, and had status, Xu Le was straight and couldn’t be easily swayed!

“Wow, your girlfriend? Can Xinyi and I meet her too? Don’t worry, we’ll sit far away, won’t disturb you, and if you have any problems, we can give you advice,” Cao Xinyi’s gossiping heart stirred, smiling.

Xu Le was taken aback. How could he tell them that his so-called “girlfriend” was President Lan himself?

“Oh, no need, I feel a bit embarrassed with you guys around…” Xu Le nervously touched the back of his neck, which was damp with sweat.

Jianxin straightforwardly stood up, pulling Cao Xinyi along. “Alright, Xinyi, let’s give Lele and his girlfriend some space. Young love is so pure, let’s not meddle in it.”

Xu Le breathed a sigh of relief at their departure but still felt guilty and nervous.

“Um, I’ll settle the bill, Xinyi jie.”

“Weren’t you treating us next time? It’s my treat this time. Have a good chat with your girlfriend, don’t quarrel again. We’ve seen you moping around for days!”

“Oh, is it that obvious?” Xu Le was surprised. He thought he hid it quite well in front of his sisters.

“I did minor in psychology in college,” Cao Xinyi winked.

Jianxin patted Xu Le’s head. “Have a good talk, we’re leaving. See you tomorrow.”

When settling the bill, Cao Xinyi specifically told the front desk, “Send two drinks to that table.”

The bartender nodded. “Sure, what would the lady like to order?”

Jianxin smirked, her beautiful eyes narrowed, “When lovers quarrel, give them a Pink Paloma first, and then an Godfather. After tonight, they might reconcile happily again.”

With that, the two looked at Xu Le sitting at the table, who was looking anxiously at his phone.

“Okay,” Cao Xinyi said with a smile.

Before leaving, Jianxin instructed, “Give the guy the Godfather, and when the person he’s waiting for arrives, send the other one. Keep an eye on the situation and time it right.”

The bartender understood perfectly when was the right time to deliver the drinks to create the right atmosphere, smiling, “Of course, ma’am.”

After Jianxin and Cao Xinyi left, Xu Le breathed a sigh of relief.

He felt uneasy, staring at the singer on stage. Although the singing was captivating, he couldn’t focus at all.

Suddenly, he had a thought. If President Lan said he would come over, had he already returned to the country? He opened A Station, wanting to confirm if Ivan’s IP had changed.

The signal at the bar was excellent, and A Station quickly refreshed.

Nervously, Xu Le clicked on Ivan’s profile.

Sure enough, the IP had changed, from Y country back to the city.

This was a hammer blow; “Ivan” was President Lan…

He felt dazed, resting his head on his palm, staring blankly at the half-finished cocktail in front of him.

His mind was blank, devoid of basic reasoning. Though he wanted to lie to himself, saying maybe the person was just using a VPN, deep down he already had an answer.

So, what he needed to think about next was how to refuse President Lan’s advances?

To bolster his courage, Xu Le deliberately finished the remaining cocktail in one gulp.

Regardless, alcohol emboldens the timid; as long as he had courage, there was nothing he couldn’t say!

When Lan Qing found this Qing Bar, he arrived about seven or eight minutes earlier than agreed, because he felt the driver was driving too cautiously, resulting in too slow a speed. So, he simply had the driver stop and switched to driving himself.

His eyesight was good, and after entering the bar, he quickly spotted his target.

Xu Le was sitting low, alone at a booth, compared to the groups of three or five friends nearby, he seemed particularly lonely.

“Xu Le.”

The cold tone was deep, and Xu Le lifted his head in surprise, his gaze colliding with Lan Qing, who was standing in front of the booth.

“Lan… President Lan?” In the dim light, unable to illuminate Xu Le’s slightly flushed cheeks, but his bewildered expression and somewhat watery eyes were quite charming.

Lan Qing sat down beside him smoothly, noticing his somewhat dazed look and the empty glasses on the table. “How much have you had to drink?”

Shaking his head, Xu Le tried to sober up. “Uh, not much, just one glass, but I can’t hold my liquor well.”

When he saw Lan Qing, his mind was actually blank at that moment, feeling like he was dreaming. But only after the other person sat down beside him did he belatedly realize, oh, President Lan really did come.

But next, how should he explain that message?

Just as he was about to say something, the bartender approached them with a tray. “Sir, here’s the drink you ordered.”

On the tray were a glass of pale pink cocktail, adorned with a beautiful rose, the Pink Paloma, and a sleek and simple-looking Godfather.

“Drink?” Xu Le was confused; he hadn’t ordered any drinks, had he?

“Yes, you ordered it just now.”

As the bartender served the drinks, he hesitated a bit because he had initially thought Xu Le was waiting for a girl, but who arrived was—

He quickly glanced at Lan Qing, the exceptionally handsome mixed-race man, with a cold and noble demeanor.

He instinctively wanted to place the Godfather in front of Lan Qing, but recalling the advice from the two beautiful women just now, he ended up handing the Godfather to Xu Le.

Then, he gently placed the pink, girly cocktail in front of Lan Qing.

“Please enjoy, and feel free to ask if you need anything.” After bowing, the bartender left.

Lan Qing looked at the bubbly, girly cocktail in front of him, his eyebrows lightly raised, his graceful lips slightly curved.

“Xu Le, is this the drink you ordered for me?”

Author’s Note:

Haha, the unexpected assistance from the sisters~