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Hearing the phone ring, Shen Mi instinctively prepared to answer, but she froze when she saw the caller ID on the screen.
The group fell silent, curious eyes darting between Xie Rongzhuo and Shen Mi.”
“Just as Shen Mi looked up in confusion, Xie Rongzhuo hung up the phone.
“Wrong number.”
He then leaned forward slightly, picked up the glass in front of him, and drank it down in one gulp.
His words, however, were more suggestive than reassuring.
How could someone make a wrong number like that? If it were anyone else, people might believe it, but Xie Rongzhuo was an extremely cautious person, and he would never accidentally call his ex.
The atmosphere in the private room became increasingly ambiguous as the silence lingered.
Until someone broke the quiet with a laugh: “What are you all looking at?”
Zhang Zhiqing put her arm around Shen Mi: “Could it be that Mimi is secretly dating my uncle behind my back? No way, it was just a wrong number!”
Shen Mi suddenly couldn’t tell if Xie Rongzhuo had actually dialed the wrong number.
But why did he choose to drink after making the call?
A girl gossiped: “Since it was a wrong number, why don’t you call again, Uncle Xie?”
“Zhang Zhiqing glanced at Shen Mi, seeing her poor complexion, she gave the girl who spoke a knowing look and chuckled: “Well, whose turn is it? Let’s continue.”
She thought to herself, if Xie Rongzhuo really had a “white moonlight” (a term for a beloved person), what would happen if Shen Mi found out?
This guy, even if he had one, should pretend he didn’t!
From the moment of that phone call, Shen Mi had been absent-minded. When it was her turn with the darts, she was still lost in thought.
“Mimi, it’s your turn.”
“…Okay.”
Shen Mi stared at the rapidly spinning wheel, praying in her heart that she wouldn’t land on another strange question this time.
The dart flew out of her hand, and this time Shen Mi landed on: “Kiss the person on your right.”
To her right was Xie Rongzhuo.
“…”
Everyone was particularly excited because of the previous little incident, eager to see the drama unfold: “Miss Shen, drinking again would be boring!”
“Zhang Zhiqing put on a serious face and persuaded: “No, there’s no such rule. You have to drink once and then execute once. You already drank.”
“Can’t I?”
Shen Mi was playing this game for the first time, she didn’t understand the rules, and she didn’t want to dampen the mood, so she could only awkwardly look at Xie Rongzhuo and ask him with her eyes.
She didn’t care.
He looked like that, kissing him, it was not certain who would get the better of the deal.
Xie Rongzhuo turned his head, feigning ignorance: “Why are you looking at me?”
“Boss, you see,” Shen Mi was panicking but tried to appear calm, “Do you want to…” she trailed off.
Xie Rongzhuo raised his eyelids: “Do you want to?”
Shen Mi: “…”
How was she supposed to answer that!
Silence for a few seconds.
Xie Rongzhuo: “If you want to, come.”
Shen Mi: ???
“Wow!” The crowd erupted in cheers, everyone holding up their phones, ready to record this breathtaking moment.
“Kiss, kiss, kiss!”
Someone turned on the wall lamp in the corner, Xie Rongzhuo’s handsome face and tall figure became clear, Shen Mi held her breath, looking at his eyebrows, his nose, finally landing on his lips.
Suddenly, her mouth felt dry.
In just a few seconds, a thin layer of sweat had formed on her palms.
On the contrary, Xie Rongzhuo was very calm. He wasn’t wearing a jacket, broad shoulders and narrow waist, his shirt flowed smoothly into his trousers, his sitting posture was casual, his long legs seemed to have nowhere to go. Outside of work, he was always so relaxed and composed.
Shen Mi moved closer to him, hinting that he could start, but Xie Rongzhuo didn’t cooperate, maintaining his previous sitting posture, looking down at her, as if waiting for her to take the initiative.
—Couldn’t he just cooperate a little!
Not knowing whether it was shame or annoyance, Shen Mi went for it, grabbing Xie Rongzhuo’s shirt, she half-knelt and fell onto him.
Xie Rongzhuo probably hadn’t expected her to be so proactive, his body stiffened for a moment, then he slowly lowered his head.
Feeling his breath against her, Shen Mi was so nervous she felt like she was suffocating.
Looking at herself in Xie Rongzhuo’s black pupils, Shen Mi blinked, suddenly not knowing what to do.
“Don’t know how to kiss?”
Xie Rongzhuo’s voice was soft, as if he were whispering to her.
“…”
Shen Mi wanted to die.
Her wrist was caught, Xie Rongzhuo suddenly pulled hard, Shen Mi was unprepared, her body instantly lost support, and she fell onto him. The next second, Xie Rongzhuo held her head, two fingers pressed against her neck, his thumb gently pressed against her lips.
He lowered his eyelids, leaned down, and kissed his thumb.
There was a “buzz” in her head, everything around her became unreal, as if the sound had been muted.
Shen Mi stared blankly at Xie Rongzhuo’s eyes, his expression was so focused that she ignored the finger separating their lips.
It was like they really kissed.
The whole process took less than five seconds.
But Shen Mi felt like she had kissed him until the end of time.
“Ahhh, they look so good together! Kill me to help them celebrate!”
“Keep kissing! Don’t stop!!”
The cheers in her ears became clearer, and the temperature of her cheeks rose. Thankfully, Xie Rongzhuo released her.
His fingers lingered on her lips for a moment, the cool pads brushed against the corner of her lips, pressing lightly and intentionally.
Shen Mi’s eyelashes trembled.
Knowing Xie Rongzhuo was looking at her, she hurriedly avoided his gaze and sat up straight, pretending nothing had happened.
“……We’re done kissing.”
“We know, we know,” a group of screaming chickens chirped from the side, “We recorded it all!”
Zhang Zhiqing added, “I recorded it too! I’ll send it to you.”
Shen Mi: “…”
Xie Rongzhuo withdrew his gaze, picked up the glass in front of him and took a sip. The coolness went down his throat, but it couldn’t suppress the turmoil in his heart.
He lowered his head and fiddled with his watch, grabbing his coat. “You guys have fun, I have something to do. Put the bill on my tab.”
Shen Mi glanced at the time, it was already 10:30, and she had to get up early for work tomorrow.
“……I should go back too.” She picked up her bag, her smile bright, only her eyes betraying her panic. “Thanks everyone for tonight, have fun.”
“Okay, okay,” the girls collectively gave her a “we understand” look, “Go home and get some sleep!”
Shen Mi: “…”
Leaving the private room, neither of them spoke, they walked side by side towards the exit. The vastness of the square couldn’t dissipate the thick awkwardness between them.
Old Zhou had already driven the car over, Xie Rongzhuo opened the door and motioned for Shen Mi to get in.
“I’ll take you back.”
Shen Mi gathered her long hair behind her head, using the movement to slightly turn her head away, her eyes dodging as she said, “Thank you for that.”
Xie Rongzhuo stared at her profile for a few seconds before bending down and getting into the car.
The car sped along, the city’s noise cut off by the windows.
Shen Mi lowered her head and looked at her phone, not daring to open the video Zhang Zhiqing had sent.
Thinking back to the staged kiss just now, the temperature that had barely come down rose again, and she seemed to smell Xie Rongzhuo’s clean, light scent again in her breath.
She couldn’t think about it anymore!
Whether it was a mistake or not, the fact that she made that call meant that Xie Rongzhuo’s “ex” existed.
It was just that he seemed to regret it later, so he chose to drink.
It wasn’t appropriate for her to be infatuated with someone else’s boyfriend.
Shen Mi felt a pang of discomfort in her heart.
But then she thought, who doesn’t have a memorable first love? Besides, Xie Rongzhuo, with his high looks, had so many beautiful and outstanding girls around him, it was only natural that he had dated.
Since it was an ex, it meant it was over, and she wasn’t stealing anyone’s love.
But what if the rumors about the white moonlight were true, and Xie Rongzhuo still hadn’t let go?
Forget it.
She’d better focus on work.
Making money was more suitable for her than dating.
She lowered her head, her phone screen had gone dark, but she was still staring intently at it. Her facial expressions were also varied, sometimes frowning, sometimes relaxing, and sometimes pursing her lips, looking very troubled.
As if she had suddenly figured it out, she suddenly raised her head, her expression gradually becoming serious.
It was a bit like the mentality of “if it’s broken, just let it be.”
And a bit like having seen through the mundane world.
Xie Rongzhuo asked, “Thinking about what happened just now?”
Shen Mi followed his lead, “You’re quite good at kissing.”
Xie Rongzhuo: “?”
Shen Mi: “…”
What was she saying, ahhh!!
What she actually meant was to compliment Xie Rongzhuo for being good at playing the kissing game, knowing to use his fingers to block.
But now it seemed like it couldn’t be explained clearly.
Xie Rongzhuo’s gaze shifted downward, fixating on her lips. “Did I touch you?”
Shen Mi looked away. “……No, I didn’t touch you.”
Xie Rongzhuo chuckled, “Then maybe you were praising me too soon?”
“…”
The familiar entrance to her residential area came into view. Shen Mi unbuckled her seatbelt, waited for the car to stop, and opened the door to get out.
“Shen Mi.” Xie Rongzhuo’s voice suddenly rang out, “Your new hairstyle looks good.”
He noticed she had changed her hairstyle!
Shen Mi paused, turned back and smiled, “Thank you. And also for… earlier, thank you.”
Xie Rongzhuo’s gaze lingered on her lips for a moment before he looked up, “Thank me for what?”
Thank him for pulling her back when she was in a difficult position and kissing her in a staged way?
“…”
She couldn’t say that.
“Anyway, just thank you.” She got out of the car and ran back to the apartment complex as if she was escaping.
Old Zhou followed his boss’s gaze, didn’t drive right away, and smiled, “Secretary Shen is really cute lately.”
Xie Rongzhuo chuckled, “She’s just a little girl.”
Back home, Shen Mi threw herself onto the bed and rolled around with a pillow.
That bubbly feeling of “online dating” came back.
She didn’t want to touch something so unrealistic, but it insisted on coming to her.
Since it had come, she had no reason to push it away.
Men were stumbling blocks on the road to success, Xie Rongzhuo wasn’t.
Xie Rongzhuo was her mentor, creditor, and boss.
She needed to know whether he had someone in his heart, understand his needs in a timely manner, and help him solve his problems!
The next day during lunchtime, Shen Mi poked Ning Xinlei who was lying on her desk playing with her phone. The latter immediately took off her earphones, “What’s up? Is there some new gossip?”
Shen Mi handed her a cup of coffee and pointed upstairs, lowering her voice, “Let’s talk outside.”
With gossip to hear, Ning Xinlei ran quickly, and the two of them went to the rooftop.
Shen Mi pondered for a while before speaking, “You said last time, how do you test if a man likes you?”
“Ning Xinlei was stunned for two seconds before she remembered: “Last time I said the boss might like you, right? Your reaction time… is a bit too slow, isn’t it?”
“No, the boss already has a white moonlight, why would you even dare to try?”
Xie Rongzhuo’s white moonlight was clearly tailored for her.
It couldn’t be more fake.
“How could that be.” Shen Mi laughed dryly, turning her head to look at the distant traffic: “It’s someone else. My good friend, I’m helping her ask.”
“Then she asked the right person.”
Ning Xinlei took a sip of coffee and started giving Shen Mi advice: “Let me tell you, when it comes to dating, confessing directly is the worst strategy. What if the other person doesn’t like you? You might not even be friends anymore. If you meet someone with bad character, they might even string you along, showing off that you’re chasing them, making you look like a fool! Don’t ask me how I know.”
“Yeah, don’t ask.” Shen Mi corrected nervously: “It’s not me, it’s my friend.”
Ning Xinlei: “Your friend wants to chase that man, what’s his character like?”
Shen Mi: “He’s pretty good, not a scumbag.”
Ning Xinlei scoffed: “Some scumbags are hard to spot on the surface, they’re secretly bad! Don’t believe it. The main thing is, how is your friend’s relationship with him normally?”
Shen Mi: “They talk about everything.”
“Then it’s easy, you can have your friend take the conservative route – the rival stimulation method.” Ning Xinlei looked mysterious: “Of course, it’s not about making him jealous, just say someone is chasing her and ask him to help screen them, see his reaction and then make your next move!”
This method, why does it feel familiar?
Oh, Zhang Zhiqing used it before, using her childhood sweetheart to stimulate the boy she liked, but the boy wasn’t stimulated, the childhood sweetheart blocked her first.
Shen Mi didn’t want to be blocked by Xie Rongzhuo: “Are there any other, more novel methods?”
Ning Xinlei shook her head: “No. The occurrence of love is just that cheesy.”
“Okay, then I… I’ll have my friend try it.”
“Stay in touch!”
Back at her workstation, there were ten minutes left before work started.
Shen Mi opened Xie Rongzhuo’s WeChat: Master Father, good afternoon~
The office door was open, Xie Rongzhuo glanced at his phone, then looked up, his expression clearly saying “Do you have something to say?”
Meeting his gaze, Shen Mi lowered her head nervously and continued typing.
Shen Mi: I need to tell you something
Shen Mi: Someone is chasing me
After sending the message, she looked up secretly to observe.
This time, Xie Rongzhuo didn’t look at her, he was looking down at his phone, probably replying to her message.
However, Shen Mi waited for a while but didn’t get a new message.
“…”
He’s ignoring her???
Just as she was about to turn off her phone, a new message popped up in the chat box.
dsm: Bring him/her out, let me see.
He even added a period at the end.
Shen Mi immediately called Ning Xinlei.
“I asked, he wants me to bring the person out for him to see.”
The man at the desk a few meters away suddenly raised his head, meeting Xie Rongzhuo’s gaze. Shen Mi remembered that he could read lips, so she quickly turned her chair and turned her head away.
“I… my friend, what should I say now?”
Ning Xinlei: “He… isn’t angry at all?”
Shen Mi secretly glanced at the man in the office.
“It seems like he’s not angry.”
Ning Xinlei: “Then he must be very handsome.”
Shen Mi: “?”
Ning Xinlei: “This is about to face off against the rival in person, only a man who is confident in his appearance and ability would dare to say such things!”
Shen Mi secretly felt happy inside: “So, you mean, he likes my… friend. Right?”
“Not necessarily.” Ning Xinlei analyzed very responsibly: “It could also be a senior’s mentality, wanting to help screen them.”
Shen Mi put her hand to her forehead: “So, the judgment of your method is based on whether the other person is angry or not? If they’re not angry, you can’t tell?”
Ning Xinlei: “That’s right.”
Shen Mi: “…”
She asked for nothing.
“But it works every time! If the man likes you, he would definitely be jealous at this time! You don’t believe me, just keep observing him, I bet he’ll…”
“That’s it, A Lei, it’s time for work, I’ll hang up now, bye bye.”
Shen Mi stopped thinking about the problem and started to work.
Two hours passed after she finished the documents.
Looking up, she saw Xie Rongzhuo standing in front of her workstation. Shen Mi hurriedly got up, smiling a little stiffly: “Old… Boss, do you need something?”
Xie Rongzhuo’s tie seemed to be loose, there was no emotion on his face, he glanced at her, turned around and threw out a sentence: “Come to my office.”
Is he unhappy?
Xie Rongzhuo is jealous!
Shen Mi suppressed the upturn of her lips and followed him obediently into the office, closing the door behind her.
Actually, Xie Rongzhuo usually rarely closes the door, except when talking to important clients. He seems to like to look at the green plants outside.
But at this moment, Shen Mi inexplicably felt that Xie Rongzhuo was looking at her.
He leaned back on the sofa, unbuttoned two buttons of his shirt, and pointed to the side, motioning for her to sit there.
After Shen Mi sat down, Xie Rongzhuo lifted his eyelids: “Who is chasing you?”
He looked at her straight, his extremely oppressive gaze made it a bit hard to meet, Shen Mi said calmly: “A man.”
Xie Rongzhuo: “Can he kiss better than me?”
Shen Mi was stunned for a few seconds before she was sure she heard correctly.
“I haven’t had a real experience.”
Perhaps the question was too shocking for Shen Mi, under Xie Rongzhuo’s piercing gaze, she blurted out her inner thoughts: “Why don’t you kiss me again.”
Xie Rongzhuo narrowed his eyes, stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly reached out and pinched her chin.
His fingertips were cool, the tingling sensation spread throughout her body, Shen Mi’s mind instantly flashed back to the scene on the KTV sofa last night, she hurriedly turned her head away.
Xie Rongzhuo turned her face back: “Didn’t you want me to kiss you?”
“…”
“What are you hiding?”
“…”
Author’s Note:
He went up A!!!