When modern people say 'I'll consider it,' it's actually like saying 'let's have dinner sometime'—a polite way of implying refusal. Qi Sui knew this well.
However, she didn't hesitate to curl her fingers and knead the resilient pectoral muscle with her fingertips, watching the man's face flush a faint pink.
She praised him sincerely: "General Manager Xiang, you are truly gifted."
This reaction left Xiang Yu both embarrassed and helpless. He could only close his eyes, ignoring the mischievous hand on his chest, and pressed her hand firmly against himself.
"You are really—" he muttered, then gave up resisting as he pressed Qi Sui's hand tightly against his chest, stopping her from saying anything outrageous while also asking in confusion: "Does it feel good?"
"Of course," Qi Sui said matter-of-factly. "It's like food in someone else's bowl. I have my own, but eating someone else's always feels like I'm getting a bargain."
"Hmm..." Xiang Yu's gaze involuntarily drifted to Qi Sui's chest. He didn't have any ulterior motives. When Qi Sui was younger—no, he shouldn't phrase it that way; she was still quite young now. In college, her figure was healthy and slightly plump. 'Slightly plump' meant she had a bit more flesh on her chest and legs than others. Later, after she started dating Qian Jin, he thought she was overweight and urged her to lose weight quickly. Qi Sui hated exercise, so eating one meal a day became her habit, and she quickly slimmed down. That habit stuck with her, and now her body was in suboptimal health. She looked visibly thin with prominent bones, especially her arms and hands, with small, protruding wrist bones that seemed like skin wrapped around bone with no fat cushioning underneath.
Weight loss always hits the chest first—a cruel fate for all women. Qi Sui was no exception. Although she had lost unhealthy fat, she had also lost her breasts.
"What are you looking at?" Qi Sui's voice brought Xiang Yu back to reality.
He looked up with the awkwardness of being caught doing something wrong, slowly removing Qi Sui's hand from his chest. "Nothing... I was just thinking, doesn't Qi Sui look flatter than before? Has she been eating properly?"
Qi Sui watched as he held her hand and placed it back on his warm thigh muscles. She blinked at him and said, "General Manager Xiang, I'm hungry."
She didn't know why. During the team-building event, she was so busy eavesdropping on gossip at other tables that by the time she snapped out of it, there was hardly any food left. After the event, she followed the international department to a tea room and filled her stomach with water. Now her stomach was completely empty.
"You..." Xiang Yu was exasperated. Being hungry was easy to fix; a late-night snack was no problem. But Qi Sui's eyes were staring intently at his chest—was she hungry or just craving something else? "What? Do you want milk?" he said irritably, letting go of her hand, standing up, and walking to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and looked inside. "Stir-fried noodles?"
The fridge had some leftover mixed vegetables and fresh noodles from yesterday. Qi Sui followed him, took two eggs from the fridge, and held them out with a fawning smile. "And steamed egg custard..."
Xiang Yu frowned disdainfully. "What's so good about that?"
But Qi Sui had already tiptoed to take a small bowl from the overhead cabinet, cracked the eggs into it, and asked matter-of-factly, "Aren't you going to eat?"
If her boss was cooking for her, she couldn't just offer nothing. Of course, she couldn't give him anything random either—if he had an allergic reaction in her home, she would be guilty.
Seeing Xiang Yu skillfully take down the light green floral apron from the wall, tie it behind his back, and put it on, Qi Sui felt a bit disappointed. But she quickly cheered up. The man's muscular chest was perfectly framed by the edge of the small floral apron—it looked great, very attractive!
Qi Sui politely admired the sight for ten seconds, then filled the steamer with water, whisked the egg mixture, added plain water, and placed it in the steamer. Her rough-and-tumble method made Xiang Yu frown. He blocked her hand, took the small bowl of egg mixture, grabbed a small spoon from the drawer, and carefully skimmed off the bubbles on top. Then he extended his pinky, dabbed a bit of the egg liquid left on the spoon, and licked it to taste. After this series of actions, he shot Qi Sui a glare, found the salt in the small cabinet, and sprinkled in a little less than half a spoon. Finally, he covered the small bowl with a perfectly fitting heat-proof lid, put it back in the steamer, and turned it on.
Such attention to detail.
Since this steamed egg custard was Qi Sui's offering to Xiang Yu, she humbly accepted his criticism and correction. His glare even gave her a strange feeling—that tingling sensation spreading from her ears to her cheeks returned. She couldn't help pressing her slightly sore gums and bustled around Xiang Yu until he grabbed her hand and gently told her to settle down. Only then did she lean obediently against the counter, watching him skillfully heat the oil in the pan.
He cut the mixed vegetables into thin, neat strips. First, he stir-fried the carrot shreds to release their nutrients with oil, then added the other ingredients, seasoned them, and finally added the boiled fresh noodles, tossing and stirring until the noodles in the small pot looked enticing.
It smelled delicious.
Qi Sui kept pointing and commenting, and Xiang Yu, unfazed, followed her instructions good-naturedly.
He lifted the small pot and motioned for her to get a bowl. Qi Sui quickly complied. The steamed egg custard was ready too. Xiang Yu, holding the bowl edges, gracefully carried both bowls to the dining table. The sight of him in that floral apron, carrying two small bowls like a butler, was so pleasing that Qi Sui's stomach growled even more.
"Didn't you eat?" Xiang Yu asked as he picked up his spoon, seeing Qi Sui shoving a whole mouthful of noodles with her chopsticks and scalding herself. "You paid the bill but didn't get enough to eat? Are you an idiot?" He scooped a spoonful of egg custard and placed it by her bowl. "I should have taken you to eat before coming back."
Qi Sui chewed and swallowed before mumbling, "There were too many people at the table."
She hadn't intentionally skipped a meal; she was just too engrossed in hearing gossip about Xiang Yu. Recalling the employees' opinions of him, she was somewhat curious. But that was about it.
Qi Sui tilted her head, watching the man elegantly finish the simply seasoned egg custard, wondering if he had no taste buds while also thinking about how to ask him to leave. She watched him pick up the bowl, walk into the small kitchen, wash it, dry his hands with a paper towel, and sit back opposite her, still wearing the apron.
"What are you doing?" Qi Sui asked with noodles in her mouth.
Xiang Yu chuckled softly. "Eat up. I'll wait and do the dishes."
Qi Sui praised, "General Manager Xiang, you're so virtuous."
"Not as virtuous as you," Xiang Yu replied blandly, his tone unchanged but with a hint of sarcasm. "Six years of cooking and washing for someone, and now you're telling me you didn't get enough to eat."
He was conflating two unrelated things and taking out his frustration. Qi Sui finished the leftover noodles and shamelessly handed him the oily bowl for washing. Xiang Yu didn't get angry. He took the bowl, lowered his eyes, and carefully washed it at the sink. Then he took off the apron, hung it properly on the hook, washed his hands, and declared he was leaving from the living room.
Qi Sui waved. "Bye~"
"You!" Xiang Yu glared. "Are you trying to drive me crazy?"
Qi Sui looked innocent. "What did I do to upset you now, General Manager Xiang?"
"Nothing." Xiang Yu gave up completely. Instead of expecting Qi Sui to say something nice to comfort him, he'd rather pursue what he wanted on his own. He bent down to change from his house slippers into his leather shoes, took his trench coat from the rack, put it on, and nodded to Qi Sui. "I hope to see you at the company next week."
Then he pushed open the door and left without a fuss. His refusal to compete for favor made Qi Sui grit her teeth slightly and press the spot on her cheek where the tingling sensation had spread. She rushed over, grabbed the belt of his trench coat from behind like catching his tail, and said, "I've considered it. I agree."
"?" Xiang Yu turned around, his expression as calm as ever. "Miss Qi, before abruptly starting a topic, you could at least give me a hint about which topic you want to discuss. What do you agree to? Do you agree to have an affair with me? Do you agree to accept my pursuit? Or do you just want to transfer to headquarters?"
His words were harsh. Qi Sui lowered her hand and said softly, "The last one."
To her surprise, Xiang Yu didn't get angry. He just nodded calmly, his voice deep. "I understand." After a pause, he added, "You've made up your mind, right? If you later regret it because of your marriage or your ex-husband, I won't withdraw my offer."
The distance between the headquarters and the subsidiary wasn't just operational; it was also geographical. The headquarters wasn't in the city where Qi Sui currently worked. If she decided to transfer, it meant she wouldn't be able to return to this city for a long time, and even her mother's wedding house would become a distant fixed asset. It would be troublesome, but the salary would more than double. Moreover, with Xiang Yu's recommendation, she would likely be assigned to his team, which would be much more comfortable than her current company. Of course, she was troubled by more than just that.
Xiang Yu looked at her sideways, his voice soft but firm. "Of course, I won't let go either."
Qi Sui hummed in acknowledgment. "Whatever you say."
The man turned, his voice cheerful. "Then I'll trouble you, Miss Qi. Please tie my belt."
Qi Sui paused. She had just been regretting not being able to help Xiang Yu put on the apron, and now he was handing her the two tails. She reached out and easily tied a bow, which, combined with Xiang Yu's slim waist and long legs, looked quite sweet—not a sweet atmosphere, but rather that he looked sweet. The image of a man with a perky butt. The thought made her chuckle softly.
Xiang Yu looked down slightly, saw the neat bow, and returned the compliment: "Miss Qi, you're very virtuous."
"Hmm, not bad," Qi Sui said unabashedly.
Xiang Yu waited by the elevator, glanced at the pretty face peeking out from the door, and raised an eyebrow. "Remember to think it over.
Whether it's about work or feelings, I'm happy to oblige."
In response, the pretty face rolled its eyes at him, and the door slammed shut.
He shook his head with a smile. The car was parked downstairs, just a short walk away. But next to the car, a man was crouching miserably, hugging his briefcase, occasionally swatting at mosquitoes.
Xiang Yu paused, and the man's eyes lit up as he looked at him.
Tsk. What kind of act is this now?
Qian Jin hurried over in two steps and nervously called his name, "Um—Xiang, Xiang Yu..."
Xiang Yu opened the car door expressionlessly, took two allergy pills with practiced ease, and asked, "Director Qian, is there something else?"
His cold demeanor didn't dampen Qian Jin's enthusiasm. He stepped closer, eager to explain. "Um, General Manager Xiang, I wanted to ask you... you and Sui Sui—"
Before he could finish, Xiang Yu interrupted with a frown. His sharp features were shadowed by the light, showing some displeasure. "Why do you call her Sui Sui?"
Qian Jin was taken aback. He stammered, "We... we're married."
"You're already divorced," Xiang Yu said, his eyes unreadable. He added, "Even if the paperwork isn't complete, there's no going back, right, Director Qian?"
"As for me, I'm just a suitor of Miss Qi's, insignificant. I don't think there's any competition between us. So please, Director Qian, stay away from her and stay away from me."
With that, he swung his long leg into the SUV, not sparing Qian Jin a glance.
Qian Jin was left standing there, dazed, inhaling exhaust fumes. "Is the world going crazy?"
Of course, no one could answer him.
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Author's Note: Our Boss Xiang is making his move, move, move. He really has the potential to be a wife. I've also thought about the next story: a simple country bumpkin and a city boy with azoospermia. The goofy Sui Sui is incredibly charming—she can tempt the young master just by breathing.