Don't Bait Me Anymore! - Chapter 10

The blue Porsche Panamera glided smoothly down the highway, the trees along the roadside blurring into streaks of green.

In the passenger seat, Sheng Yan’s assistant, Sun Yu, suddenly turned around, her round face practically radiating “gossip.” “Boss Sheng, you’ve been in such a good mood these past two days!”

Sheng Yan looked up from his phone, raising an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”

“It’s too obvious!” Sun Yu immediately made a dramatic tsk-tsk sound, pointing at the rearview mirror. “You haven’t stopped smiling since you got in the car!”

The traffic light turned red, and the car came to a stop. Driver Xiao Zhao chimed in, “She’s right! I saw it too!”

Sun Yu seized the opportunity to add, “It must be about that male university student you asked me to look up! Remember how you disappeared for half an hour in the parking lot after leaving us behind? Xiao Zhao and I kept wondering what you were up to!”

Sheng Yan smiled faintly. “So, what did you guess?”

Sun Yu and Xiao Zhao exchanged a quick glance before deliberately putting on troubled expressions. “Oh, we wouldn’t dare say!”

Sheng Yan chuckled. “You two have gotten bold, gossiping about your boss?”

Though his words carried a hint of reprimand, his tone was entirely lighthearted.

Sun Yu and Xiao Zhao both knew that Sheng Yan wouldn’t really get angry about this.

Without a doubt, Sheng Yan was the kind of boss everyone loved—

Though he was known for his high standards and strict demands on professional matters due to his exceptional expertise and dedication,

He was also young, open-minded, and could joke around freely in private. On non-essential issues, he was remarkably understanding.

That’s why everyone dared to gossip about him.

Yet, in the past couple of days, Boss Sheng, who had always been solely focused on work, seemed… different.

Sun Yu playfully stuck out her tongue and asked with a grin, “So, Mr. Sheng, are we going to have a ‘boss lady’ soon?”

Boss lady…

Gu Zhiyi’s cold, overly handsome face instantly flashed in his mind, the way he’d said, “No romance, no relationships.” Sheng Yan couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Nothing of the sort. Stop guessing wildly.”

Just a stubborn little dog.

He remembered how, just before leaving, he’d clearly stated, “No romance, no relationships,” yet Gu Zhiyi had looked wronged and asked, “When can I see you next?” Sheng Yan lowered his head to unlock his phone and casually changed Gu Zhiyi’s contact name to “Stubborn Little Dog.”

Just as he finished editing the contact name, a new message arrived from “Stubborn Little Dog”:

Brother, I just checked the schedule. I’m free on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday evenings.

Today was Friday.

Sheng Yan smirked and replied:

Good. I’ll see you the day after tomorrow.

His fingertips hovered over the screen for a moment before he sent another suggestive message:

I only rewarded you today. You’ll need to repay me properly on Sunday.

After sending the message, Sheng Yan tossed his phone casually onto the back seat and turned to Sun Yu to discuss business: “Remember what I told you before? I want to promote another vice president. What’s the progress?”

Sheng Yan’s company already had three vice presidents under him, each managing their own departments. However, Sheng Yan remained the busiest.

But things were different now. Having decided to change his lifestyle, Sheng Yan wanted to delegate more. He had decided to promote another vice president to share the daily workload.

When it came to business, Sun Yu quickly shed her gossipy demeanor and snapped into work mode, reporting: “We’ve identified four suitable candidates so far, namely…”

Over the next two days, Sheng Yan was busy confirming the new vice president candidate and reassigning responsibilities.

Perhaps his body sensed his firm resolve to finally let loose, as the absurd heart palpitations he’d experienced when starting work had not recurred.

As a result, Sheng Yan’s work proceeded smoothly, and he didn’t contact Gu Zhiyi during this time.

This wasn’t intentional—he was simply too busy.

Besides, their relationship wasn’t one that required daily chats or sharing life updates.

Time flew by, and it was already six o’clock on Sunday afternoon.

After finalizing the last details with his four subordinates, Sheng Yan leaned back in his chair and stretched, his tone relaxing. “Finally, we’re done for the day.”

His subordinates breathed a collective sigh of relief. “Good work, President Sheng!” they chimed in unison.

The newly promoted vice president, Mr. Zhou, was a young man with gold-rimmed glasses and a scholarly appearance.

He couldn’t resist speaking up. “Now that we’ve finally finished, I’d like to treat everyone to dinner. President Sheng, would you do us the honor?”

The other three immediately chimed in with laughter. “You should definitely treat us! A promotion calls for a celebration! Hahaha!”

The atmosphere was lighthearted. Sheng Yan hesitated for a moment before unlocking his phone to check WeChat. The conversation with Gu Zhiyi was still stuck on Friday; he hadn’t sent any new messages since then.

Sheng Yan put his phone away, stood up, and replied with a smile, “No problem. I’ll grant you this honor.”

“What is Brother Yi up to now?”

When Gu Zhiyi’s two roommates entered the School of Management’s 501 dorm, their eyes widened in surprise—

At this time of day, Gu Zhiyi was usually either reading financial news or analyzing business cases.

But today, he stood before his wide-open closet, a black hoodie in his left hand and a gray sweatshirt in his right, glancing between the two. The face that could confidently answer even the most difficult questions in class now wore a rare expression of indecision and conflict.

Hearing his roommates, Gu Zhiyi turned his head and replied curtly, “Getting ready to go out.”

For anyone else, this would have been a conversation killer.

But since it was Gu Zhiyi, his roommates were clearly used to his style.

One of them couldn’t help but probe, “Meeting someone?”

After all, Gu Zhiyi had never struggled with his outfit before going out!

Gu Zhiyi paused slightly, then gave a faint “Mm.”

He continued to ponder for another two seconds, but still couldn’t decide—

Both times he’d met Sheng Yan, he’d worn a white shirt.

Though not identical, the two shirts were largely the same.

To avoid appearing too monotonous, Gu Zhiyi decided not to wear a white shirt today.

But when he opened his closet, he realized his options were pitifully limited—

He’d never cared much about his appearance before, prioritizing comfort and simplicity.

But now… staring at the sea of black, white, and gray in his wardrobe, Gu Zhiyi felt a rare pang of disdain for the first time.

It was just so… bland.

The only splash of color in the closet was… Sheng Yan’s mist-blue suit.

Gu Zhiyi had thoroughly cleaned it—

Late at night, after his roommates had gone to bed, he’d locked himself in the bathroom and hand-washed it.

The process had been awkward, like he was stealing.

Most absurdly, as he washed it, his mind had been completely consumed by images of Sheng Yan helping him with his hand.

The warmth and texture of Sheng Yan’s fingertips, Sheng Yan’s ear-burning moans…

The thoughts had nearly made Gu Zhiyi soil the freshly cleaned suit again…

After washing and drying it, Gu Zhiyi considered taking a photo to send to Sheng Yan.

He’d been wanting to talk to Sheng Yan for ages, but he could never find the right excuse.

Gu Zhiyi had taken the photos, but in the end, he didn’t send them.

Since they weren’t dating, did they even need to chat regularly?

Even though Gu Zhiyi was reluctant to admit it, he had to acknowledge that he was genuinely looking forward to that night. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be here agonizing over what to wear.

Unable to decide, Gu Zhiyi did something he’d never done before: he humbly asked his roommates for advice. “You guys… which of these two outfits do you think looks better on me?”

The moment he finished speaking, the air in the dorm fell silent for a beat.

After a moment, the roommate who had previously asked Gu Zhiyi “What are you doing?” burst out laughing. “Brother Yi, are you serious? With your face, doesn’t everything look good on you—or does it look even better with nothing?”

The roommate who had asked if he was “meeting someone?” couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer. He pushed up his glasses, his eyes gleaming. “Who are you meeting, Brother Yi? Someone important?”

The question inexplicably struck a nerve. Gu Zhiyi immediately calmed down slightly. Shaking his head, he replied, “No one important,” and then, without further hesitation, casually tossed the gray hoodie in his right hand into the closet.

Just as he was about to close the closet door, Zhao Da, the only one in on the secret, spoke up timidly, “I’m just saying… I think he might actually prefer you in that gray hoodie. You know, maybe with a white shirt underneath?”

Gu Zhiyi’s fingers froze mid-motion.

After a two-second pause, he muttered under his breath, “I’m not doing this for him…” but his actions were far more honest.

He reopened the closet, set aside the black hoodie, and pulled out the gray one.

And a white shirt.

Ignoring the almost palpable curiosity in his two roommates’ gazes, Gu Zhiyi quickly shed his dorm T-shirt and put on the white shirt, carefully buttoning it all the way to the top. He then slipped on the gray hoodie and adjusted the collar in the mirror.

“Looking sharp! So sharp!” Zhao Da exclaimed immediately. “This is the perfect vibe. He’s bound to love it!”

Gu Zhiyi covered his mouth with a fist and cleared his throat, trying to suppress a smile. He failed.

His three roommates stared in awe.

At that moment, Gu Zhiyi’s phone on the desk vibrated.

He glanced down, and the moment he saw the caller ID, his lips curved even higher.

He snatched up the phone and hurried to the balcony to answer. “Brother,” he murmured, his voice tinged with unmistakable anticipation.

However, the sound that came through the receiver in the next moment shattered Gu Zhiyi’s expectations—

Deafening club music blasted into his ears.

Sheng Yan’s voice, slightly slurred with alcohol and lazily languid, came two seconds later: “I’m still out drinking. Don’t know when I’ll be done. We’ll have to reschedule?”

The last half of the sentence, with its light, upward lilt, was still the one Gu Zhiyi could least refuse.

Yet this time, the corners of his lips suddenly dropped.

In less than two minutes, by the time he returned to his dorm, his demeanor had changed so drastically it was impossible to ignore.

His three roommates exchanged glances before Zhao Da finally mustered the courage to ask softly, “Brother Yi, why. why aren’t you smiling?”

Gu Zhiyi slammed his phone onto the desk, his expression cold as he replied, “I never liked smiling anyway.”

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