After Becoming a Full-Time Employee, I Signed a Romance Contract with My Ice-Cold Boss - Chapter 41

Secret Lover

At the dining table, it was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Even Xu Que did not dare to breathe too loudly.

Jiang Fengyi had received the long-awaited apology, but she didn’t feel the joy she had anticipated; instead, she felt a lingering melancholy.

After apologizing, Jiang Xuan wasn’t as calm as she appeared on the surface. she didn’t even dare to look Jiang Fengyi in the eye, her gaze fixed on the dinner plate in front of her as if the dish were unexpectedly captivating.

“When does Mother want to return to the nursing home?”

“Just… just this afternoon.”

After the estranged mother and daughter finished their brief lunch, they didn’t delay for a second, getting back into the car headed for the nursing home.

This time, the two of them shared the same car, sitting much closer than they had the day before.

On the return trip, Xu Que noticed Jiang Fengyi’s somber mood. A thought flashed through her mind about the “20-minute park effect” she had once read about. It was said that staying in a park or other natural environment for a period of time—even if you do nothing at all—can significantly improve your mood. On a bright, sunny afternoon, embracing the breeze and feeling nature allows one to release unhappy emotions in a timely manner.

“Before we go home, let’s go somewhere first!”

Jiang Fengyi’s emotions shifted slightly: “Where to?”

Xu Que started the car: “Allow me to keep it a secret for now.”

Doubling as the driver, she steered the vehicle toward a lush, vibrant area and pulled over. Jiang Fengyi unbuckled her seatbelt to find a view of shimmering lakes and verdant mountains.

“A forest park?”

Jiang Fengyi followed Xu Que out of the car. Just as she was about to ask what they were doing there, a gentle breeze blew, carrying the fresh scent of greenery to her face. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly, as if she were transforming into a plant herself, feeling her own quiet growth within nature. With every breath in and out, she was exchanging information with the environment, feeling the tranquility of the flora and receiving nature’s baptism.

The answer was right before her eyes; she understood why the other woman had brought her here.

Xu Que took Jiang Fengyi’s hand and led her to a bench under the shade of the trees. Overhead, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the dense foliage, falling near their legs. The mottled shadows on the ground shifted and changed with the rhythm of the breeze. The crisp, pure wind dispersed the stagnant gloom in Jiang Fengyi’s heart. She let out a long breath, venting all her troubles.

The long afternoon stretched their shadows. A beam of sunlight pierced through the layers of leaves, landing unerringly on Jiang Fengyi’s shoulder. When she turned her head, she saw Xu Que’s smile, which was more radiant than the afternoon sun.

“See? There is always a beam of light falling on you!”

Jiang Fengyi’s tightly pressed lips finally curved into a smile, and a shimmering light rippled in her eyes. The bench stood by the lake; whenever the wind blew, ripples spread across the calm surface. The water sparkled, and the tree shadows swayed.

Jiang Fengyi leaned in and kissed the corner of Xu Que’s mouth.

Xu Que didn’t know when the wind had stopped. All her senses were concentrated on her lips. This touch-and-go kiss made her heart race even more than she had imagined.

This was the first time Jiang Fengyi had initiated a kiss!

Those bright eyes were as fierce as the sun overhead, staring intently at Jiang Fengyi. Lowering her head, Xu Que returned the overflowing love with a burning, passionate movement.

There was a follow-up to the news of the Jiang family heir’s car accident. According to the latest reports, Jiang Fengyi was fine and had been discharged from the hospital. The senior executives of Jingjiang Company simultaneously received news that Jiang Fengyi would attend the Monday morning meeting. No matter how shocked they were, they maintained a normal appearance, merely feeling relieved that they hadn’t taken the opportunity to stir up trouble.

Where some were lucky, others were not.

Xiao Wang was caught red-handed sneaking into Wu Qi’s office. Caught with the evidence, she couldn’t even find an excuse to quibble.

Wu Qi sat at her desk: “Tell me, who sent you?”

Xiao Wang was still being stubborn: “No… no one.”

“Don’t tell me you were just curious about the documents on my desk, so you decided to flip through them.” Wu Qi looked at the document she had deliberately placed on the table as bait; Xiao Wang had already spread it out neatly.

Xiao Wang: “…”

Everything she wanted to say had been voiced by the other party, so she could only stay silent like a mute.

Wu Qi didn’t care whether she spoke or not. The surveillance had already recorded evidence of Xiao Wang’s suspected theft of company secrets; the company could call the police and pursue charges at any time.

She only left her with one sentence: “I hope the Zhao family behind you is worth this.”

Xiao Wang’s pupils dilated instantly. She hadn’t revealed any information—how did the other woman know she was sent by the Zhao family? Could it be that they had known about her little tricks all along? At that thought, Xiao Wang felt a chill run through her entire body.

“You… you’re deliberately saying that to bluff me?”

Wu Qi continued her work, not even bothering to look at her: “You aren’t worth my time.” She pressed the intercom: “Xiao He, take her to the HR department to process her resignation.”

“Of course, don’t mistake this for letting you off. The company reserves the right to pursue this; we might take action at any moment in the future.”

The ambiguous answer gripped Xiao Wang’s heart tightly, like the Sword of Damocles hanging over her head; she would have to live in fear until the final judgment arrived.

Xiao Wang closed her eyes: “Just… just give it to me straight.”

Wu Qi didn’t answer, and eventually stopped looking at her altogether.

Beside her, He Shuyi was still urging: “Let’s go. I’ll take you to the HR department for the paperwork first. It’s late; don’t delay people from getting off work.”

Suffering from intense internal torment, Xiao Wang didn’t even make it out of the company doors before her fear got the better of her. She returned to Wu Qi’s office with a crestfallen face.

“Sister Wu, I’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything.”

“I’ll tell you everything I know. Please, I beg the company to be merciful and let me go.”

Xiao Wang poured out every detail of how the Zhao family had used money to entice her, hoping that Wu Qi would not call the police in light of her confession.

Monday.

Having finished her “vacation,” Jiang Fengyi returned to the office to deal with the internal moles who had been bribed by the Zhao family.

When He Shuyi arrived at her workstation and saw the person who hadn’t been there for several days, she exclaimed, “You’re back today too?”

“President Jiang also happens to be back at work today.”

He Shuyi put down her bag and sat down: “Honestly, the frequency with which you and President Jiang take leave is identical. I’m starting to wonder.”

Xu Que thought to herself: Please, keep wondering.

But she said: “It’s just a coincidence.”

He Shuyi, being thick-skinned, didn’t think too much of it. Instead, she shared with Xu Que what had happened in the office while she was away.

“…That Xiao Wang was really blinded by greed. For the sake of those small benefits from the Zhao family, she almost ruined her professional career.”

“After betraying the company, who in the industry would dare to hire her?”

“Money makes the world go ’round. With the benefits the Zhao family gave her, even if she doesn’t work for the rest of her life, it’s enough for basic expenses.”

He Shuyi reminded her: “That’s only if she isn’t caught. She’s been caught red-handed now. Never mind working or not; she might face prison time.”

“Greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.”

As they were chatting, a colleague came to announce that President Jiang would hold a departmental meeting in ten minutes and required everyone to attend. Their department rarely held meetings; full attendance was only required for major events.

He Shuyi stood up, straightened her clothes, and tidied her appearance: “President Jiang must be holding a meeting because of the Xiao Wang incident.”

Xu Que also smoothed the wrinkles on her shirt and fixed her hair while looking at the unlit computer screen, a shallow smile lingering on her lips.

This action caused He Shuyi to give her a second look, muttering softly, “Why do I feel like I’m going to a meeting while you’re going on a date?”

Xu Que didn’t hear clearly: “What did you say?”

“I said you’re being so solemn it’s as if you’re going on a date with President Jiang!” He Shuyi checked the time. “Stop messing with your hair; you’re already radiant enough.”

Shortly after Xu Que arrived at the meeting room, Jiang Fengyi also arrived. The two shared a glance across the crowd and then, with tacit understanding, looked away at the same time.

The person who was truly radiant was someone else.

Sitting next to Xu Que, He Shuyi spoke suspiciously: “Did President Jiang just look over at us?”

“Did she?” Xu Que suppressed the urge to curl her lips upward. “President Jiang was probably just scanning the room, not specifically looking at us.”

The meeting began.

As expected, Jiang Fengyi warned everyone about guarding against commercial espionage regarding the Xiao Wang incident. During this time, it was hard for her not to notice that burning gaze. She deliberately avoided Xu Que’s line of sight, not looking in her direction, but this only invited the other person to stare even more brazenly.

The gaze swept over her eyebrows, lips, the side of her neck… and finally stopped at the collar of Jiang Fengyi’s shirt, where a single button was undone. Fortunately, the air conditioning in the meeting room was strong enough; otherwise, the pink flush would have spread from Jiang Fengyi’s ears to her cheeks.

After the meeting ended.

As Jiang Fengyi was about to walk out of the hall, she couldn’t help but look back and glare at Xu Que, intending to warn her to behave herself in the company if she didn’t want to go public.

But in Xu Que’s eyes, this look became a sign that her “wife” was reluctant to part, even turning back to look at her before leaving. The smile on her face grew even wider.

Beside her, He Shuyi looked on in confusion: “Why are you smiling like that after a meeting?”

Worried about being discovered, Xu Que didn’t dare reveal too much, saying vaguely: “Mmm… I just thought of something happy.”

“Why so mysterious?”

After returning to her workstation, Xu Que frequently glanced toward the door of Jiang Fengyi’s office during work intervals. Having gotten used to being inseparable from Jiang Fengyi over the past few days, she found it hard to adapt after being apart for less than a morning.

Just as she couldn’t resist finding an excuse to go into the office to see Jiang Fengyi, Wu Qi, who had just finished reporting her work, knocked on her desk.

Xu Que looked up: “What is it?”

“President Jiang wants you to go in for a moment.”

Xu Que’s eyes lit up: “I’ll go right now!”

She was so happy she didn’t look like she was entering a superior’s office; she looked like she was going to a secret moonlight tryst with a lover, the smile in her eyes almost overflowing.

He Shuyi, right next to her, saw everything clearly. She pulled back Wu Qi, who hadn’t left yet.

“Don’t you think she’s acting strange?”

Wu Qi spoke with an ambiguous tone: “Is she the only one who’s strange?”

“Now that you mention it…” He Shuyi thought back carefully. “President Jiang also seems a bit strange.”

As they talked, He Shuyi watched Xu Que walk into President Jiang’s office with a light step. Immediately afterward, Xu Que turned around and firmly closed the office door, which had been halfway open all morning.

“This…”

“Did you see that?” He Shuyi pointed at the tightly shut office door, her mouth hanging open in shock. She shook Wu Qi’s arm forcefully: “Sister Wu, did you see that?”

Wu Qi pulled her arm away from the other woman’s grasp and said calmly: “I saw it.”

“Who goes into a superior’s office and deliberately closes the door so tightly? Doesn’t that just tell everyone there’s something going on between them?”

Wu Qi added: “Well, it’s not the first or second time they’ve been like this.”

“What?”

A suspicion formed in He Shuyi’s mind. At the thought of this possibility, she gasped. She leaned close to Wu Qi’s ear, asking in a whisper so cautious it was barely audible: “Sister Wu, did you… did you already know?”

Wu Qi looked at He Shuyi’s face changing several times, curious about what she was secretly imagining. “Know what?”

“Know that Xu Que is President Jiang’s secret lover!”