After Becoming a Full-Time Employee, I Signed a Romance Contract with My Ice-Cold Boss - Chapter 15

A Bowl of Chicken Soup

Xu Que was kicked out once again, but this time, her eyes were filled with laughter, unlike the despondency she felt the last time.

“Why are you so happy after going to get a signature from President Jiang?”

He Shuyi, sitting at her workstation, reached out toward the empty-handed Xu Que. “Where are my documents?”

“Oh,” Xu Que replied, still smiling, “I forgot.”

He Shuyi: “…”

“Then what did you go in there for?”

Unexpectedly, as soon as she asked, Xu Que’s face turned an eerie shade of red.

He Shuyi: “???”

He Shuyi: “!!!”

The scent of gossip was in the air. She immediately leaned forward, looking excited. “You and President Jiang…”

Blushing, Xu Que interrupted her: “President Jiang and I are innocent!”

“Yes, yes, yes, you two are perfectly innocent.”

He Shuyi pulled her down into her seat and whispered, “So, what happened between the ‘innocent’ you and the ‘innocent’ President Jiang?”

Xu Que remained silent, but the flush on her cheeks only grew more pronounced.

“Forget it, I know even if you don’t say it.” He Shuyi, having imagined some scenario, smiled and cheered Xu Que on. “Keep it up! I’ve always been rooting for you and President Jiang!”

Xu Que couldn’t help but look back at the tightly closed office door, wondering if Jiang Fengyi felt any better and if her body would continue to be uncomfortable.

“Hey!” He Shuyi shook her shoulder vigorously. “What are you daydreaming about? Did you hear a word I said?”

“W-what?”

“I knew you weren’t listening,” He Shuyi repeated. “Our department is going to a newly opened resort in the neighboring city for a team-building trip this weekend. Do you want to join?”

Xu Que didn’t say whether she would join or not; instead, she asked, “Is Jiang Feng… is President Jiang going?”

He Shuyi shrugged. “Haven’t had a chance to ask her yet.”

“I’ll follow President Jiang.”

“Fine, fine, I get it. You’re utterly devoted to her.”

Xu Que kept a close eye on that closed office door, but unfortunately, as quitting time approached, the person inside had yet to come out.

Suddenly, she stood up.

He Shuyi, who was packing her things to leave, was startled.

“Is something wrong?”

“I left a document in President Jiang’s office. I’m going to get it.”

He Shuyi advised her, “It’s almost time to clock out. Maybe just wait until tomorrow…”

“It’s fine, you go ahead.”

With that, she turned and headed straight for the office.

At her desk, He Shuyi scratched her head, thinking to herself: Isn’t the frequency of Xu Que entering and leaving President Jiang’s office a bit too high?

The furnishings in the room were no different to Xu Que, yet this time, she felt everything looked beautiful—none more so than Jiang Fengyi, who was buried in work at her desk.

No longer affected by pheromones, Jiang Fengyi had returned to her usual cold, composed, and tranquil self. She was focused entirely on her work, not even lifting her eyelids.

“Is President Jiang not going to look at who came in?”

“You are the only one who enters my office without knocking.”

Xu Que was speechless. She walked all the way to the front of Jiang Fengyi’s desk before stopping.

“Then isn’t President Jiang going to ask me what I’m doing here?”

Jiang Fengyi focused on the reports on her computer screen. “The folder you left is on my right, the one placed separately.”

Xu Que wanted to talk to her more, but seeing how busy she was, she couldn’t bear to keep disturbing her.

She had no choice but to sit quietly to the side, waiting for her to finish.

Night fell, and the city lights began to glow.

After finishing her overtime, Jiang Fengyi massaged her stiff neck, raised her arms over her head, and stretched comfortably. Her work had finally reached a stopping point.

Only then did she have the time to look toward Xu Que on the sofa.

The person on the sofa had fallen asleep at some point. She had tucked an orange knitted blanket under her head to serve as a pillow, her face turned toward Jiang Fengyi. The cold white light shone directly on her face, and her long eyelashes cast a shadow like a crow’s wing beneath her eyes.

As Jiang Fengyi went over to wake her, her gaze swept across the room, and she realized the changes in her office.

The documents that had been piled messily on the desk were now categorized and neatly arranged. The cushions on the sofa were lined up as if by someone with OCD, the spacing between each one identical.

Although a cleaner tidied the office, she never touched the documents. Wu Qi also wouldn’t take the initiative to sort files other than those Jiang Fengyi specifically assigned. Consequently, the office had existed in a state where cleanliness and clutter coexisted.

Now that Xu Que had organized everything, Jiang Fengyi suddenly felt the office looked much more pleasant. Such a large workload completed by Xu Que alone—no wonder she was sleeping so deeply.

Jiang Fengyi softened her movements. Passing the square handbag on the low table, she stepped lightly to Xu Que’s side, lowering her head to quietly observe her in sleep.

Her gaze moved from the eyes to the tip of the nose, and all the way down—thin lips, jawline, collarbone…

“Mmm…”

“What are you looking at?”

The moment Xu Que opened her eyes, she saw the person from her dreams right in front of her, and at such close proximity. She clutched her racing heart.

She asked, feigning naturalness, “Is there something dirty on my face?”

Perhaps it was dust from organizing the files. To maintain her good image in front of Jiang Fengyi, Xu Que wiped her face without a second thought.

Jiang Fengyi hadn’t expected Xu Que to wake up so suddenly. She was trying to find an excuse to rationalize her behavior when the person across from her provided the perfect pretext.

Following Xu Que’s lead, she said, “There’s a little bit of dirt here. Let me help you wipe it.”

Her fingers brushed against Xu Que’s cheek a few times, pretending to wipe it clean.

“There, it’s gone now.”

Though Xu Que was suspicious, she still thanked her. “Th… thank you.”

Jiang Fengyi’s hand had touched her cheek, but there was no force behind it; could a few movements as light as a dragonfly skimming water really wipe away dirt? She felt doubtful.

When she looked up again and saw Jiang Fengyi’s hurried retreat and her crimson earlobes, she finally understood.

She really wanted to let Jiang Fengyi look at her openly, but fearing she might scare her off, she simply pretended not to know.

“Are you done with work?”

“Yes, mostly.”

Jiang Fengyi had finished her tasks for the day, but since Xu Que had already organized the documents on the desk, she took the opportunity to push forward the next stage of the workflow.

At the same time, she was hiding a bit of uncertainty about how to face Xu Que.

“Since you’re mostly done, come have some chicken soup.”

Xu Que opened the handbag on the low table; the pale yellow packaging and the knitted blanket on the sofa complemented each other perfectly.

In the cold, indifferent office, Xu Que’s belongings were slowly filling the space, quietly intruding into the other’s life.

“What chicken soup?” Jiang Fengyi asked in confusion. “Where did it come from?”

Xu Que had already unscrewed the lid. Instantly, the rich aroma of chicken soup filled Jiang Fengyi’s nose.

As she ladled the soup, she explained to Jiang Fengyi, “I put it in the pot to simmer on a timer beforehand. I originally intended for the two of us to drink it after work at home.”

She placed a full bowl in front of Jiang Fengyi.

“I just didn’t take into account that you would need to work overtime, so I had to find a delivery person to pack the soup and bring it over.”

“You must be hungry after working so long. Have some soup to settle your stomach first.”

The office lights were still a cool tone, but from the steam rising from that bowl of chicken soup, Jiang Fengyi felt a sense of melting warmth.

Jiang Fengyi took a sip. The warm soup indeed soothed her internal organs, and she felt her whole body enveloped in warmth.

Xu Que: “By the way, do you want to join the department team-build—”

Jiang Fengyi: “This Friday, we are going to the Civil Affairs Bureau to register our marriage.”

The two of them spoke at the same time.