After Becoming a Full-Time Employee, I Signed a Romance Contract with My Ice-Cold Boss - Chapter 20

Initiating Hand-Holding

The Zhao family was a local household of great wealth. Although they lacked the deep-rooted heritage of the Jiang family, they were undeniably affluent.

The guest of honor for the birthday banquet, Old Madame Zhao, was already in her eighties. As people reach such an advanced age, they often crave lively atmospheres. For this occasion, she had invited a multitude of guests, covering almost every prominent family in the region.

Xu Que had requested leave in advance and, as per Jiang Fengyi’s requirement, followed her home.

What she didn’t know was that after her colleagues learned she and Jiang Fengyi had taken leave on the same day, the chatter about the two of them in the pantry wouldn’t stop.

“Hey! Have you heard? The newcomer, Little Xu, took leave at the same time as President Jiang again.”

“Last month, I saw President Jiang skip over Sister Wu, who has top-tier professional skills, for a business trip. Instead, she took this obscure little assistant.”

“Huh? I thought President Jiang disliked Little Xu. She frowns every time she sees her.”

“That’s only recently. A while ago, Little Xu was a real favorite in front of President Jiang; President Jiang loved taking her along for everything.”

He Shuyi was in the corner, “crunch-crunching” on potato chips, thinking to herself that they had finally discovered the CP (couple) she was shipping.

A colleague spotted her and pulled her into the gossip.

“Little He, you’re usually close with Little Xu. Quick, tell us what’s so special about her that she gets such favor from President Jiang.”

The chips weren’t even swallowed yet as He Shuyi said indistinctly, “Does being exceptionally beautiful count?”

She counted on her fingers: “She’s young and easy on the eyes, her professional skills aren’t bad, and she knows how to make the boss happy. If it were me, I’d love to take her on business trips too.”

Someone said, “I know how to make President Jiang happy too!”

He Shuyi glanced at her. “Every time you report for work, you’re the one who runs the fastest in the opposite direction. Your tongue gets tied just looking at President Jiang, and you think you can coax her?”

“President Jiang keeps a cold face all day. Even if she doesn’t say a word, just standing in front of her makes me tremble.”

“What do you know? That’s called a ‘flower on a high peak.’ A cold beauty, you know? Even though Little Xu’s face is indeed good-looking, when it comes to beauty, who can beat President Jiang! Every time I see President Jiang, a lot of my workplace resentment vanishes.”

“Haven’t you noticed that President Jiang has been pulling a long face at Little Xu lately? Every time Little Xu takes documents for a signature, the air around President Jiang drops by two degrees.”

Someone speculated: “Little Xu probably did something wrong and made President Jiang unhappy.”

“Sigh, it’s really hard to serve a superior well.”

“Then do you think Little Xu’s leave this time has anything to do with President Jiang?”

“It should just be a pure coincidence. I saw that many people in high management took leave too. Their leave is related to President Jiang; Little Xu probably just happened to bump into the same day.”

“I heard the Zhao family is holding a birthday banquet and invited many people from the circle.”

“You even know that? Sister, tell me more about other wealthy family gossip.”

“Could Little Xu also be from their circle?”

“That doesn’t seem right. I feel like Little Xu is an ordinary person like us. Last time, she even taught me how to grab discount coupons.”

Xu Que, staying at Jiang Fengyi’s house, woke up early due to her biological clock. She waited until the sun was high in the sky, yet the styling team Jiang Fengyi mentioned had not yet arrived.

Xu Que confirmed with Jiang Fengyi, who was eating breakfast: “We didn’t get the date wrong, right? Are you sure it was booked for today?”

“The styling group might have been delayed by something.”

Jiang Fengyi changed the subject, seemingly casually: “It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten your cooking.”

Xu Que glanced at the breakfast on the table. These were just things she had whipped up after waking up early; she hadn’t expected Jiang Fengyi to eat them.

“If you like it, I can cook for you often.”

She met Jiang Fengyi’s gaze, her eyes filled with absolute sincerity.

Jiang Fengyi felt as if she were about to be scorched by the other’s burning gaze. She lowered her eyes, breaking eye contact with Xu Que.

She gave an “Mhm” and praised softly, “It’s very delicious.”

As soon as the words fell, it was as if fireworks exploded in Xu Que’s eyes. With a “bang,” her entire world became brilliant and dazzling.

No one cared exactly what time the styling team arrived; Xu Que’s thoughts were entirely swayed by Jiang Fengyi.

At this moment, Jiang Fengyi was holding up a dress in each hand, asking Xu Que:

“Do you want to wear the one on the left or the one on the right?”

Xu Que tilted her head and replied with a smile: “Which one do you want me to wear?”

She opened her arms and stepped toward Jiang Fengyi.

“I’ll listen to you.”

Jiang Fengyi looked left and right, and after some thought, chose the one on the right.

“Try this on first.”

Xu Que took the clothes without looking at them, her words coming out effortlessly: “This dress seems a bit hard for one person to put on.”

She feigned pitifulness: “Can you help me?”

She really was taking an inch and wanting a mile. After Jiang Fengyi gave her a glare, she finally behaved and took the clothes into the dressing room.

Not only did Xu Que cling to Jiang Fengyi with endless questions while choosing clothes, but she also wouldn’t leave her side while Jiang Fengyi was getting her makeup and hair done.

“This set looks good!”

“Actually, this outfit looks great too!”

“Wow, every single look of yours is so stunning! Try that one on the side too!”

With Xu Que’s “help,” Jiang Fengyi’s efficiency plummeted. By the time the two finished their styling and left the house, the day was already late.

Arriving at the Zhao residence, Jiang Fengyi handed the prepared gift to the butler. Then, she took Xu Que’s hand and walked inside.

Xu Que was stunned by Jiang Fengyi’s sudden action. Once she reacted, she immediately gripped the other’s hand firmly.

She gave a passionate and steadfast response at the first opportunity.

She tried her best to suppress the upward curve of her lips, interlocking their fingers and continuously transferring the warmth of her palm to Jiang Fengyi.

“Let’s go.”

As soon as Jiang Fengyi walked into the banquet hall, the eyes in the room automatically focused on her. Many young faces stepped forward to exchange pleasantries. Everyone reached a tacit understanding—being able to strike up a conversation with “Little President Jiang” was a great honor.

However, as everyone’s gaze swept over Xu Que, whom Jiang Fengyi was holding, the look of honor was replaced by curiosity.

Everyone wanted to ask: Who is this? But no one wanted to be the first to speak, and Jiang Fengyi had no intention of introducing her proactively—until Butler Zhao arrived.

“Miss Jiang, our Old Madame invites you for a gathering.”

Jiang Fengyi first looked at Xu Que.

“It’s okay, go ahead.”

Xu Que patted the back of Jiang Fengyi’s hand, giving her a reassuring look. “I’ll wait right here for you to come back. I’m not going anywhere.”

The other’s bag was still in her hands, so Xu Que naturally stayed in place to watch it.

Once Jiang Fengyi left, the crowd gathered there dispersed spontaneously, but many gazes remained on Xu Que. They all wanted to see what was so special about her that she could be President Jiang’s female companion.

Xu Que turned a blind eye to these gazes. She knew these people were just jealous. If she encountered an excessive stare, she would glare right back.

With the only person she knew in the banquet hall gone, Xu Que found a nearby seat and sat down, pulling out her phone to pass the time.

Jiang Fengyi took the initiative to hold her hand!

Just thinking about it made Xu Que want to find someone to brag to.

Xu Que excluded anyone she knew in real life. The only thing left was…

She logged into “Little Green Book” (Xiaohongshu) and clicked into a familiar dialogue box.

He Shuyi, who had just returned home and pushed open the door, felt her phone vibrate. She clicked it open; someone had sent her a private message on Little Green Book.

“My boss, who I have a crush on, initiated holding my hand. Does she have feelings for me?”

He Shuyi: !!!

Sure enough, the CP she was shipping was handing out candy again!

She didn’t even bother to change her shoes, standing right at the entryway to chat.

He Shuyi typed a reply: “She initiated holding your hand, and you still don’t understand her heart?

The person who falls in love first is always prone to insecurity.

Xu Que said uncertainly: “I don’t know if she did it from the heart or if she’s just performing ‘affection’ in front of outsiders.”

Even though she thought the latter was more likely.

“But regardless of the case, my feelings for her won’t change.”

He Shuyi was feasting. Dinner hadn’t even started, and she was already stuffed from the “sugar” the young couple was giving out.

She patted her chest and promised Xu Que: “Sister, believe me, based on your previous descriptions, I believe your boss definitely has feelings for you!”

He Shuyi put on her slippers and walked from the entryway to the living room.

She continued to offer advice: “You should strike while the iron is hot. While the other person has those hazy feelings for you, take the initiative to break through that layer of window paper.”

“Isn’t that a bit too fast?”

“You like her, she likes you.”

He Shuyi’s hands were typing so fast they were smoking. Two people with mutual feelings should just get together already!

Xu Que sat alone in a corner of the banquet hall, chatting intermittently with the netizen. At this moment, the kind “Wan Juan Shu” (He Shuyi’s username) was teaching her confession techniques.

This spot was secluded, far from the noisy crowd. The lights were dim, and there was a man-high green plant next to her that almost completely obscured Xu Que’s figure. Without looking carefully, it was easy to overlook that someone was there.

Xu Que looked down, and after seeing the other person’s reminder that “you must be sincere,” she was about to reply when a familiar voice reached her ears.

“Did you bring the thing I wanted?”

On Xu Que’s first day at Jingjiang, she had been truly impressed by this person.

Zhao Ruxuan hurriedly glanced around. Seeing that no one was paying attention to this area, she continued in a low voice to the red-haired Wu Ren, “There’s no problem with the potency, right?”

Xu Que: Medicine? What medicine?

She held her breath and continued to listen.

Wu Ren pulled out a small bottle and gave it to her: “I brought it, I brought it. It guarantees the other person will be obedient.”

While giving the medicine, she didn’t forget to reassure her: “Don’t worry, this medicine metabolizes very quickly in the human body. I guarantee it won’t be detectable after 12 hours.”

Zhao Ruxuan was afraid of being seen and quickly took the medicine, stuffing it into her handbag.

Wu Ren found it funny: “Since Miss Zhao is so afraid, why did you dare to arrange the transaction here?”

Zhao Ruxuan curled her lip: “You think I wanted to? My sister grounded me. Before the grandmother’s birthday banquet ends, I can’t go anywhere.”

After getting what she wanted, Zhao Ruxuan had no intention of continuing the pleasantries: “The item has been delivered. If you have nothing else, leave quickly.”

How could Wu Ren be willing? Having finally obtained the invitation Zhao Ruxuan gave her and sneaking into the Zhao family birthday banquet, she wanted to stay and watch the excitement. At the very least, it would be good to see the world of a high-society banquet.

“Who do you plan to use this medicine on? This isn’t my little bar.” Wu Ren looked around; everyone here was a local figure of status.

She reminded Zhao Ruxuan: “Even though it won’t be easy to detect afterward, you should be careful.” Don’t drag her down when the time comes.

Zhao Ruxuan gave her a sidelong glance: “That’s none of your business. Leave early if there’s nothing else.”

The other party had directly asked her to leave, so even if Wu Ren wanted to stay, there was nothing she could do. She had no choice but to leave dejectedly.

After seeing the person leave, the malice in Zhao Ruxuan’s heart surfaced on her face. The viciousness in her eyes was palpable, almost oozing out.

Xu Que watched her walk toward the crowded area, where she casually stopped a waiter and asked:

“Where is Jiang Fengyi?”

Her heart suddenly leaped into her throat.

That medicine of unknown origin—could it be intended for Jiang Fengyi?