I Secretly Read My Boss' Diary (GL) - Chapter 22

What had started as a simple two-person outing had, thanks to Sun Yiming’s unexpected interference, turned into a chaotic three-way.

Yan Zhao found it peculiar. Someone like Sun Yiming, who could turn even a stray hair into a spirit, was now inexplicably locked in a standoff with Gong Muyu. They remained in the General Manager’s Office until Gong Muyu finished tidying up, and only then did the trio finally leave the company together.

However, upon reaching the underground parking garage, Gong Muyu and Sun Yiming became embroiled in a heated debate over whose car to take.

Yan Zhao stood nearby, watching the silent standoff between the two. She felt utterly speechless.

Wasn’t Gong Muyu supposed to have a crush on Sun Yiming? Why does it feel like they’re rivals in love instead…?

Sun Yiming had originally planned to drive his own car to take Yan Zhao and Gong Muyu out for dinner, then drop them off at their respective homes. However, Gong Muyu, without offering any explanation, opened the car door and got in first, glaring at Yan Zhao to hurry up.

Yan Zhao, with her timid nature, wouldn’t dare defy her boss, whom she worked closely with every day. Obediently, she opened the rear door and got in.

Noticing that Sun Yiming was still standing outside, looking somewhat displeased, Yan Zhao rolled down the window and looked up at him. “Manager Sun, why aren’t you getting in?”

Sun Yiming turned to look at Yan Zhao clinging to the window, sighed heavily, and finally relented, reaching for the rear door handle.

But just as his fingers touched the door, before the lock could even click open—

Before Sun Yiming could speak, Gong Muyu, seated in the driver’s seat, turned to look at him outside the car. “Manager Sun, why don’t you sit in the front passenger seat?”

Yan Zhao, sitting in the back, suddenly understood. No wonder Gong Muyu had insisted she get in the car first—it was all to make Sun Yiming sit up front with her.

At this realization, Yan Zhao couldn’t help but pout, casting a slightly sour glance at Gong Muyu behind the wheel.

If she wants Sun Yiming to sit with her, she should just say so, Yan Zhao thought bitterly. As if I’d stop him. Why all the roundabout nonsense?

The moment this thought surfaced, Yan Zhao froze.

They’re just having a normal relationship. My presence in the middle is already intrusive. Complaining about it makes me sound like I’ve been abandoned.

Yet whenever she imagined Gong Muyu and Sun Yiming holding hands—or anything more intimate—Yan Zhao felt inexplicably uneasy, as if something precious had been stolen from her.

The car engine roared to life. The three occupants fell into awkward silence, the atmosphere growing strangely tense. Sitting in the back, Yan Zhao watched the pair in front frequently steal glances at each other, as if they had something to say but were too embarrassed to speak.

She regretted getting involved in this mess. If she’d known Sun Yiming would be working overtime during the holiday, she would never have agreed to go, even if Gong Muyu had threatened to kill her.

But now that she was in the car, she couldn’t simply vanish. She was stuck, forced to exist as invisible air.

Yan Zhao yawned reluctantly, leaning back against the seat and glancing at the couple in front. With a flicker of her eyebrows, she closed her eyes and decided to pretend to sleep.

Unexpectedly, Yan Zhao, who had been pretending to sleep, soon drifted off for real.

Sun Yiming finally mustered the courage to break the awkward silence, only to turn around and see Yan Zhao leaning back in her seat, snoring loudly.

With a resigned sigh, Sun Yiming asked Gong Muyu, “Does Yan Zhao still have work to do during the holidays? This year’s Double Festival seems to be going much smoother than in previous years.”

Lao Wang had always been a people-pleaser. No matter how unreasonable a client’s demands, he clung to the principle of “the customer is always right” and went to extraordinary lengths to accommodate them. This approach, however, only emboldened clients to pile more pressure on Qiongyang.

When the pressure became overwhelming, the inevitable result was botched projects. Not only did their service suffer, but their reputation also took a dive.

It wasn’t that no one had raised concerns before. But Lao Wang had always been stubborn and dismissive of others’ opinions. Eventually, no one bothered to argue anymore. They simply carried out his orders, washing their hands of any consequences.

This year, with Lao Wang’s retirement and Gong Muyu’s ascension to leadership, the industry was well aware of the recent CHI order cancellation incident.

Everyone knew the new boss wasn’t one to be easily deceived. With the situation unclear, no one dared to force the company into swallowing bad deals as they had in previous years.

“Minglan Commerce’s bidding process begins after the holiday. I’ve been working on the proposal these past few days, and since I was a bit overwhelmed, I asked Yan Zhao to help me out,” Gong Muyu explained, glancing at Sun Yiming, who nodded in agreement. “It seems the finance team isn’t particularly busy. With Liu Yang and the others handling the Shipping Department, why are you here working overtime?”

Sun Yiming’s eyes flickered with embarrassment at Gong Muyu’s question. He couldn’t help it; his mother was relentlessly pushing him to get married, and he’d run out of excuses. Hiding at the office was his only option.

He’d been pleasantly surprised to see Yan Zhao downstairs when he arrived. He’d planned to take her to dinner and confess his feelings, but Gong Muyu’s unexpected presence meant not only was his confession doomed, but he wouldn’t even get a moment alone with her.

“I forgot something at the office and came to retrieve it. Plus, I didn’t finish a report yesterday, so I figured I’d take care of it today,” Sun Yiming replied. “By the way, I mentioned I’d treat you to dinner, but I don’t know what you like. General Manager Mu, is there anything you particularly want to eat?”

“No, just whatever’s fine.”

Sun Yiming nodded. “Then let’s go for Japanese. My friend just opened a place recently. The atmosphere is nice, and the food’s decent.”

“We should ask Yan Zhao first. I don’t mind what we eat, whatever you decide is fine.”

Gong Muyu glanced at Yan Zhao, who was sound asleep, and added, “But Yan Zhao seems to be allergic to seafood, so Japanese might not be the best choice. Manager Sun, you’ve worked with her for years. You should know her preferences, right?”

Sun Yiming stiffened at Gong Muyu’s question. Nodding or shaking his head would both be awkward, so he simply nodded with a forced smile and turned away.

Seeing his reaction, Gong Muyu continued, “Manager Sun, if you have feelings for Yan Zhao and want to pursue her, but you don’t even know her basic preferences, anyone would think you’re just playing games with her.”

Sun Yiming hadn’t expected Gong Muyu to so easily see through his carefully hidden feelings. He flushed, momentarily speechless. Just as he was about to protest, Yan Zhao stirred and woke up with a soft groan from the back seat.

Sun Yiming quickly swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and turned to Yan Zhao, who looked half-asleep. “Yan Zhao, are you awake?”

Yan Zhao, seated in the back row, had just straightened up when a sudden sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen. Her expression changed dramatically.

Damn it! I didn’t check the calendar before leaving. My period started today, and I didn’t bring a tampon…

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