I Secretly Read My Boss' Diary (GL) - Chapter 21

December 1st: The Day I Was Stared Down by a Fool

As someone universally known for my foul and unyielding temper, I never imagined I’d ever be the target of a confession. Hearing that guy shouting my name downstairs, as a gay person, I could only feel annoyed.

The classmates on my floor started jeering, and naturally, the guys in the neighboring dorm room joined in. As I pushed through the human wall at the door, I saw Silly clinging to someone’s shoulder, craning his neck to peer inside. It felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on me.

And I literally dumped a bucket of cold water—on the guy downstairs who was still making a racket.

Though I’d long known I held no special place in Silly’s heart, a sliver of hope had lingered. But now, reality had brutally shattered that illusion…

*******

When Yan Zhao woke from her dream, she was still in Gong Muyu’s car.

She placed her right hand on her chest, hoping to soothe the lingering ache.

In a daze, Yan Zhao seemed to see the diary’s owner sitting quietly in a chair, peering through a crowd to watch the “silly” person outside. She couldn’t see the expression on the diary owner’s face, but the anguish conveyed between the lines was enough to make Yan Zhao feel the heartache the owner must have experienced.

“Are you awake?”

Yan Zhao, still lost in thought, heard a voice asking her a question. She turned to see Sun Yiming in the passenger seat, his head tilted as he watched her.

As consciousness slowly returned, Yan Zhao remembered what had happened a few hours earlier. She wanted to bury her face in her hands and pretend to be invisible. But reality wouldn’t allow it—both occupants in the front seats were staring at her.

One looked pleased, the other visibly angry.

Yan Zhao had previously thought Gong Muyu harbored feelings for Sun Yiming, getting upset whenever she saw him talking to him. So when Sun Yiming came to the office to retrieve something, Yan Zhao, thinking of Gong Muyu alone upstairs, had given him the takeout to deliver.

But while she’d anticipated Gong Muyu’s anger at Sun Yiming talking to her, she hadn’t anticipated that giving them space to be alone would make her even angrier…

Yan Zhao clutched her phone that is still displaying Gong Muyu’s missed call. She had never encountered a boss as difficult to please as Gong Muyu. She wanted to ignore this moody woman and head straight home, but her legs had other ideas. Before her brain could even send the command, Yan Zhao found herself already turning back towards the company.

Seeing the furious Gong Muyu and the bewildered Sun Yiming standing beside her, Yan Zhao suppressed the urge to flee. She forced a smile that looked more pained than a frown.

“General Manager Mu, did you need me?”

Noticing Sun Yiming’s continued confusion, Gong Muyu issued a direct dismissal.

“Manager Sun, please attend to your duties. I have something to discuss with Yan Zhao.”

Seeing Yan Zhao’s forced smile and her shrunken posture by the door, Sun Yiming assumed she had made another mistake and angered this formidable deity. However, with Gong Muyu’s cold demeanor and refusal to even glance his way, he swallowed the words of intercession he’d prepared. As he turned to leave, he gave Yan Zhao an encouraging look before exiting the room.

Seeing Yan Zhao pressed against the wall, trembling in fear, Gong Muyu realized she couldn’t expect this little fool to understand. And with a hopeless case like this, getting angry would be pointless. She took a deep breath, pointed silently to the seat beside her, and gestured for Yan Zhao to sit down. This way, she wouldn’t be driven to fury by Yan Zhao’s bewildered expression.

Yan Zhao obediently settled into her seat, her eyes occasionally drifting toward the takeout bag resting in the corner of the table. Only then did Gong Muyu remember that Yan Zhao had been in tears earlier over Yan Chong’s incident and likely hadn’t eaten anything all day. She reached out, grabbed the takeout bag, and pushed it toward Yan Zhao.

“Eat.”

Starved, Yan Zhao didn’t hesitate to accept the gesture. After thanking her, she opened the packaging and offered a slice to Gong Muyu.

“General Manager Mu, you haven’t eaten lunch either. Have some to tide you over.”

Faced with Yan Zhao’s expectant and ingratiating gaze, Gong Muyu’s anger instantly dissolved into exasperation. She took the proffered slice of pizza and took a small bite. Remembering how Yan Zhao had seemed about to flee earlier, she quickly turned her attention back to her.

After watching Gong Muyu take a bite of the pizza, Yan Zhao finally grabbed a slice for herself. But just as she took a bite, Gong Muyu asked, “Where were you about to go just now?”

Yan Zhao choked on the pizza, startled by the question. She patted her chest frantically, but it didn’t help. Her cup was empty, so she had to stand up and jump a few times to dislodge the food.

Gong Muyu jumped at Yan Zhao’s sudden movements. Only after Yan Zhao finally swallowed the pizza and let out a long sigh did Gong Muyu realize she had choked. A mix of exasperation and amusement washed over her as she took Yan Zhao’s cup and went to the break room to fill it with water.

Watching Gong Muyu’s retreating figure, Yan Zhao leaned back in her chair and let out a relieved breath. Thank goodness for that slice of pizza, she thought. If Gong Muyu had kept pressing her about why she was trying to leave, Yan Zhao wouldn’t have been able to answer. She couldn’t exactly say she was trying to create some alone time for Gong Muyu and Sun Yiming, could she? The moment those words left her lips, Gong Muyu would probably slap her so hard she’d be flattened on the spot.

So, Yan Zhao stayed at the office with Gong Muyu, from noon until the sun began to set in the west. The thought of leaving early circled through her mind a hundred and eighty times, but without Gong Muyu’s permission, she didn’t dare leave.

Watching the sky gradually darken outside the window, Yan Zhao realized she still had a long drive home and considered leaving early. She glanced sideways at Gong Muyu, who was deeply engrossed in her work, and couldn’t help but pout, propping her head up with her right hand.

Although Sun Yiming was handsome, Yan Zhao always saw him as a fluttering butterfly, flitting from flower to flower and leaving a trail of romantic entanglements in his wake. She couldn’t understand how someone as exceptional as Gong Muyu could be interested in him.

With a soft sigh, Yan Zhao noticed the room was growing dim and walked to the door to turn on the light. Seeing Gong Muyu still focused on her work, she opened her mouth to suggest they leave for the day, but before she could speak, there was a knock at the door.

The sudden bright light startled Gong Muyu, who had been engrossed in her work. She turned to the doorway, where Yan Zhao and Sun Yiming were staring at each other, wide-eyed. Gong Muyu stood up and walked toward the printer, keeping an eye on the pair as she asked, “Can I help you, Manager Sun?”

“No, I just saw you and Yan Zhao were still here and wanted to check if you needed any assistance.”

“No, I’m just finishing up and will be leaving shortly.”

Gong Muyu organized the printed documents, stapled them, and set them aside. Noticing that Manager Sun hadn’t left, she asked again, “Is there something else, Manager Sun?”

“Ah, I need to discuss something with Yan Zhao. If you don’t mind, General Manager Mu, could you let her leave a few minutes early?”

Yan Zhao had been itching to leave early, but she hadn’t dared to ask Gong Muyu. Now that Sun Yiming had spoken up for her, her eyes lit up as she turned to Gong Muyu, her expression full of anticipation.

Gong Muyu couldn’t help but feel exasperated by Yan Zhao’s look, but she couldn’t make a scene. She lowered her head, tidied up her documents, and placed them in her drawer. Then, looking at the two figures by the door, she said, “Yan Zhao mentioned earlier that she’d join me for dinner. If you don’t mind, Manager Sun, you’re welcome to join us.”

Hearing Gong Muyu’s words, Yan Zhao felt like she might burst into tears. But she couldn’t expose her benefactor’s lie. With a forced chuckle, she turned to Sun Yiming, her face full of apology. “Yes, I’m having dinner with General Manager Mu tonight. If you don’t mind, Manager Sun, you’re welcome to join us.”

Gong Muyu had assumed Sun Yiming would back down at this, but instead, he hesitated briefly before nodding in agreement.

“Excellent! I’d love to treat both beautiful ladies to dinner.”

As soon as Sun Yiming spoke, Yan Zhao wondered if he was a monkey in human form. Otherwise, how could he climb up this ladder so smoothly…

Yan Zhao, eager to get home, had thought that finding an opportunity to slip away early would solve everything. Now it seemed not only could she not leave, but she was also forced to play the role of a “third wheel” for the evening. She couldn’t help but beat her chest and cry out: What kind of earthly torment is this?!

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