Chapter 69 Chapter 67: You Hurt Me

After lunch, by the time Ye Chen returned to the company, it was already half past one in the afternoon. It was the lunch break; most people chose to nap at their desks or recline in their chairs for a rest. Yet, no sooner had Ye Chen stepped back into the office than he received a call from Feng Zhi Xiao.

“Brother Chen, didn’t you say you’d already secured the hotpot restaurant in University Town? I’ve been waiting at home for days, and there’s no sign of anything!” Feng Zhi Xiao was frantic—he’d already boasted to his crew that within three days they’d be running the place together. Now, as the third day approached, if Ye Chen didn’t hand over the contract or whatever, he’d risk losing face with his men.

“Ah, I’ve just been swamped these past couple days. Okay, I’ll head over to Xinhai Apartments now. Wait for me at the entrance!” Ye Chen slapped his forehead, hurried downstairs, and sped toward Xinhai Apartments in his little Alto. Outside the apartment complex, he spotted Feng Zhi Xiao’s skinny frame, clad in a yellow striped vest, squatting by the gate smoking. As soon as he saw Ye Chen’s car, his eyes lit up, he stubbed out his cigarette, and waved eagerly.

“Brother Chen, over here!” Feng Zhi Xiao called out, waving energetically. Ye Chen rolled down his window and remarked, “You’re pretty proactive, aren’t you?”

“Heh, I’m anxious, and so are the guys—everyone’s raring to go!” Feng Zhi Xiao grinned.

“Alright, let’s go inside!” Ye Chen parked and led the way up. He grabbed the contract from the table—a white sheet with black lettering, still dusted with a bit of dirt. Feng Zhi Xiao stared in disbelief, “Brother Chen, you just leave such an important document lying around?”

“Hey, this dump is so safe, even rats don’t bother coming here!” Ye Chen chuckled, fetched two cans of beer from the fridge, tossed one to Feng Zhi Xiao, and said, “Have some cold beer, cool off.”

“No time for beer, I’ve got to hurry and take over the hotpot restaurant!” Feng Zhi Xiao nervously tucked away the contract and dashed out.

Ye Chen watched Feng Zhi Xiao braving wind and rain, so invested in this, and felt quite satisfied. If he’d gone to all this trouble to secure such a valuable spot for him, only for Feng Zhi Xiao to be indifferent and need coaxing to run it, it would render the whole effort pointless.

After a lunch and a bottle of beer, the southwestern wind blowing through the window nearly lulled Ye Chen to sleep. He sprawled out on the sofa, too lazy to return to work. After all, he was a supervisor—being in management meant coming and going as he pleased, finding excuses not to work when he wanted. He slept the entire afternoon away.

As the workday drew to a close, Li Ruo stretched after a busy day and glanced at her watch.

“Where’s Ye Chen?” Li Ruo asked Lin Ziwen beside her.

“President Li, isn’t he working in the business department now?” Lin Ziwen replied, curious.

“I know. I meant, how’s he doing in the business department?” Li Ruo pressed, her cheeks flushing slightly. She was annoyed with herself—why was her mind immediately drifting to that slick-talking guy as soon as she paused to catch her breath? She opened her drawer and looked at the contract Ye Chen had signed—the so-called servitude agreement. Her lips involuntarily curled into a slight smile.

“President Li, I’m not really sure!” Lin Ziwen answered, embarrassed.

“No matter, let’s go take a look ourselves!” Li Ruo quickly tidied up and stood.

The two of them took the elevator to the business department. People in that department were usually busy, overtime was routine, and those not present were likely out working. When Li Ruo and Lin Ziwen arrived at Business Group One, the office was empty and dark. In contrast, Groups Two, Three, and others were still burning the midnight oil, bustling with activity.

“What’s going on?” Li Ruo was stunned.

“President Li, maybe since it’s Ye Chen’s first day, they all went out for a celebratory meal?” Lin Ziwen hastily tried to explain. No sooner had she spoken than the supervisor of Group Two came over, bowing and smiling, “President Li, you might not have heard—Group One’s supervisor hasn’t been here all afternoon. Without assigned tasks, the team had no choice but to leave early.”

“Damned fool!” Li Ruo gritted her teeth and turned to leave. Lin Ziwen shot the Group Two supervisor a fierce glare and hurried after Li Ruo, who stormed out, fuming, “The company is at a critical juncture, and this guy skips out for an entire afternoon, taking his whole team with him. No way—I won’t let him off so easily!”

“President Li, what do you plan to do?” Lin Ziwen inquired tensely.

“Tomorrow morning, have the business department’s project manager come to my office. I’m going to put some pressure on Group One!” Li Ruo’s eyes narrowed, gleaming with a cold light. She smiled faintly, “Ye Chen, you’ve forced my hand. Don’t blame me for being harsh!”

“President Li, Ye Chen’s just started—wouldn’t too much pressure be a bit inappropriate?” Lin Ziwen grew worried. Deep down, she sided with Ye Chen, so when Li Ruo spoke of putting pressure on him, she became anxious.

“Hmph, I think he’s not just new, but simply disregards the job!” Li Ruo snorted, then said, “Alright, Ziwen, let’s head home.”

With that, Li Ruo stepped into the elevator, leaving Lin Ziwen standing there. Once inside, she quickly dialed Ye Chen’s number.

Ye Chen was thoroughly relaxed, splayed out on the sofa in a starfish pose, his left hand and foot dangling off the edge, sleeping in a contorted position. Suddenly, his phone vibrated on the sofa; he rolled off, instinctively grabbed it, scanned his surroundings warily, and answered lazily, “Hello, who is it?”

“Ye Chen, it’s Lin Ziwen. Where did you go this afternoon? Why weren’t you at work?” Lin Ziwen asked, frowning.

“Heh, Assistant Lin, I’m not your boyfriend—why ask such private questions?” Ye Chen teased, now wide awake and bored. Lin Ziwen wasn’t as beautiful as Li Ruo, but was still a well-known company beauty, and her personality wasn’t nearly as prickly. Ye Chen grinned, “Has Assistant Lin taken a liking to me? Although I’m unmarried, I’m not promiscuous. If you’re interested, buy one get one free, flat rate—five hundred a night, guaranteed satisfaction, high difficulty moves included. If you have any preferences, that’s fine too—wax play, whips, queen... I’m open.”

“Idiot, what nonsense are you spouting?” Lin Ziwen blushed fiercely. Fortunately, no one else was around, or imaginations would have run wild. She snapped, “Let me tell you—President Li already knows you skipped work this afternoon. Brace yourself! She said she’ll put pressure on you. Be careful!”

She hung up immediately. Leaning against the elevator wall, she gasped, Ye Chen’s words leaving her flustered. Images of him wielding a whip danced in her mind, sending a shiver down her spine. She rushed into the elevator, not noticing her face had flushed red to her ears and down her neck.

Meanwhile, in the parking lot, Li Ruo couldn’t shake the feeling something was amiss. On a whim, she drove straight to Ye Chen’s residence at Xinhai Apartments. Upon arrival, she suddenly realized, “Strange, how did I end up here?”

As she turned to leave, she reconsidered. Since she’d come, why not go up and see for herself?

So, Li Ruo drove into the complex.

Ye Chen’s nap stretched until well past five-thirty. He suddenly recalled he’d promised to treat Li Tie Niu and his security buddies to a meal. These guys barely made ends meet, most were retired soldiers with no connections, forced into security work—the most thankless of jobs. Ye Chen didn’t pity them; he simply wanted to cultivate good relations, and Li Tie Niu struck him as no ordinary man.

Just as he was about to call Li Tie Niu, someone knocked at the door. Ye Chen assumed it was Feng Zhi Xiao returning and, clad only in boxers, went to answer it. Normally, among men, meeting in underwear was nothing unusual.

But as soon as the door opened, Ye Chen realized his mistake—it wasn’t anyone else, but his elegant, beautiful boss, Li Ruo. Li Ruo froze, staring at Ye Chen—bare-chested, with nothing below but a skewed pair of briefs.

“Ah?!” Li Ruo shrieked in panic. Ye Chen quickly clamped a hand over her mouth and pulled her inside. If her scream attracted the neighbors, he’d never live it down. He had to act first, drag her in, then explain later. Li Ruo, dragged so suddenly, became even more flustered, thinking: This is it, I’m doomed—falling into the hands of this lecher.

Ye Chen wrapped his arms around Li Ruo, almost lifting her off her feet, then kicked the door shut and pressed her onto the sofa. Looking at the nervous and excited Li Ruo, Ye Chen pleaded, “President Li, let me explain—I’m not a bad person! Really, I’m not! Please believe me.”

“Mmm mmm…” Li Ruo shook her head, then realized and nodded.

“I’ll let go, but don’t scream, or people will misunderstand. Okay?” Ye Chen said helplessly. Li Ruo, her mouth still covered, nodded vigorously. Ye Chen released her, only to notice how close they were—somehow, their chests pressed together. He could feel the warmth radiating from Li Ruo’s full bosom. Li Ruo, pinned beneath him, felt Ye Chen’s hot breath on her face.

“Don’t… don’t press on me!” Li Ruo turned her head away.

Ye Chen didn’t want to move—not just because he was besotted with beauty, but because his lower half was… inconveniently aroused. Damn it, of all times! Couldn’t it have happened later? Now he’d make a fool of himself in front of Li Ruo. He glanced downward, about to get up, just as he caught sight of Li Ruo’s ample curves, her shirt inadvertently slipping open as she lay there—two round, snow-white little beauties peeking out. A blaze of fire erupted in Ye Chen’s mind, and his arousal surged like it had been injected with adrenaline.

“Ah!” Li Ruo exclaimed, “Idiot, why are you poking me with a stick?”

“I… I’m not! Really, I’m not!” Ye Chen was on the verge of tears—he really wasn’t, but who would believe him? Li Ruo scolded, “Get up, it hurts!”

Ye Chen hurriedly scrambled up, using both hands to cover himself, doing his best to hide his predicament from Li Ruo.

“Hmph, what are you hiding in your hands?” Li Ruo’s face was flushed, lips bitten, her mischievous eyes fixed on Ye Chen’s hands, which were firmly cupping his groin, refusing to reveal the bulge. Ye Chen shook his head desperately, “N-no, nothing!”

“Hmph, you’re so sneaky, you must be hiding something. Out with it!” Li Ruo demanded.

“Oh, my dear lady, I really haven’t hidden anything!” Ye Chen, exasperated, opened his hands, revealing briefs tented high by his little buddy, resembling a miniature Everest. Li Ruo stared in shock—she’d never witnessed such a ‘ferocious’ sight before. Her mind went blank. Ye Chen blurted, “You’re a beauty, and with such intimate contact, if there’s no physical reaction, it’d be an insult to you—or to me, wouldn’t it?”

Pfft—

Li Ruo suddenly burst out laughing, covering her lips, casting Ye Chen a coy, scolding look. “Idiot, hurry up and put on some pants. Do you plan to stand here like this the whole time?”

Ye Chen felt liberated, raced into the bedroom, grabbed a pair of trousers from the wardrobe, and slipped them on, though the tent remained conspicuously pitched. When he emerged, Li Ruo had composed herself, sitting upright on the sofa.

As Ye Chen stepped out, Li Ruo’s gaze involuntarily drifted to his lower half. Her cheeks flushed anew.

“Ahem… Ye Chen, tell me—why weren’t you at work this afternoon?” Li Ruo demanded.

“Well…” Ye Chen paused, grinning, “Who said I wasn’t at work?”

“Hmph, you weren’t at the company this afternoon—you think I don’t know?” Li Ruo frowned. This scoundrel dared lie to her face—she was determined to expose him. Ye Chen smiled, “President Li, since I’m now in the business department, my work isn’t limited to the office. Doing business means going out to get deals.”

“Hmph, so where are your results?” Li Ruo pressed.

“Relax, I’ve already secured a deal worth over a hundred thousand for the company!” Ye Chen grinned, “The hotpot restaurant in University Town needs renovations; all the materials will be supplied by our company. Would you call that an achievement?”

Though it was only a hundred thousand or so, perhaps a drop in the bucket for Li Ruo, but the company’s profits stemmed from every employee’s efforts. Li Ruo couldn’t deny Ye Chen’s accomplishment. She smiled faintly, “I suppose it counts.”

Beep beep beep—

Ye Chen’s phone rang—it was Li Tie Niu. Ye Chen answered, “Tie Niu, I’ve got a little something to handle—come over now, at the gate of Jianghuai University. Yes, yes… Let’s grab some draft beer and barbecue by the roadside. Heh… Okay, go ahead, I’ll be right there!”

“You… you’re going out to eat?” Li Ruo asked, surprised.

“Yeah. President Li, if you don’t mind, you can join us!” Ye Chen said warmly, though he doubted she’d accept. Li Ruo immediately shook her head, “Since you’re dining with others, I won’t intrude. But remember our agreement—you’re my slave now. Your phone must be on twenty-four hours a day, ready for my summons. If you dare turn it off, I’ll make sure Zhang Yantong hears all about it!”

“Uh…” Ye Chen gulped, thinking: In this world, nothing is harder to serve than petty men and women.

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