I Secretly Read My Boss' Diary (GL) - Chapter 27.1

December 18th: Dreaming of Silly Again

I dreamed of Silly again today. In the dream, a hint of maturity seemed to have settled between her eyebrows, yet her adorable, chubby face remained largely unchanged.

In the dream, I held Silly close, watching her blush crimson and tremble in my arms. I lowered my head and sealed her lips with mine. Her eyes were unfocused as she whimpered uncontrollably in my embrace, my body trembling with passion.

Just as the intimacy deepened, the wails of children downstairs jolted me awake. By the time I came to my senses, I was drenched in sweat…

******

After reading the diary entry, Yan Zhao felt a sudden weariness. Yawning, she closed her eyes. The moment she drifted into sleep, she found herself transported to a strange room.

The room was sparsely furnished and coldly minimalist, with only a white double bed drawing attention. The sky was bright outside, golden sunlight streaming through the white gauze curtains. A gentle breeze stirred the sheer curtains, bringing in a refreshing breeze. A potted pothos plant in clear water swayed in the wind, its vines dancing in an endearingly charming manner.

Yan Zhao felt herself lying on the soft bed, gazing at the thriving pothos plant on the windowsill, a smile spreading across her face.

Just then, she sensed someone climb onto the bed behind her. Before she could turn to see who it was, strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her into an embrace. A soft kiss brushed her forehead, followed by hands, pale as jade, encircling her waist.

Before Yan Zhao could react, the arms tightened, fully enveloping her, and a chin nuzzled the top of her head.

“Zhao, are you awake?”

The voice in the dream was affectionate, perhaps still groggy from sleep, carrying a lazy undertone. As the person behind her spoke, Yan Zhao distinctly felt a warm, moist breath against her ear.

Unaccustomed to such intimacy, Yan Zhao shivered involuntarily. She turned over, intending to push the person away, but as soon as she moved, the other pinned her down with brute force.

Yan Zhao had never experienced anything like this. Petrified, she knew she was dreaming, yet couldn’t help but struggle desperately to escape.

But the more she struggled, the tighter the grip became. Feeling utterly helpless, Yan Zhao finally choked back a sob.

The person above her paused, their weight pressing against her. With a soft sigh, they kissed her cheek and gently turned her face toward them.

“Silly girl, why are you crying? If you don’t like it, just say so.”

Through tear-filled eyes, Yan Zhao looked up at the person holding her. But when she finally recognized the face—it was Gong Muyu—she froze in shock.

Seeing Gong Muyu’s expression of helpless concern, Yan Zhao stupidly reached up to pinch her own cheek. But before she could even touch her face, someone gripped her wrist.

“Yan Zhao, wake up! Wake up, quickly!”

Startled awake, Yan Zhao tried to sit up, only to slam her head against the seat in front of her and bounce back down.

Dazed and disoriented, Yan Zhao clutched her throbbing forehead and looked up at the person holding her wrist. When she recognized it was Gong Muyu, she suddenly remembered the… colorful dream she’d been having. Her face flushed crimson, and she instinctively stumbled backward.

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

As Gong Muyu leaned closer, Yan Zhao’s face burned hotter and hotter, remembering the dream’s explicit scenes.

“No, it’s nothing. Just a nightmare,” Yan Zhao said, evading Gong Muyu’s hand, which reached out to touch her forehead. Turning, she realized they had already arrived at the company parking lot. She quickly opened the other side of the car door, grabbed her bag, and got out.

Gong Muyu watched Yan Zhao’s retreating figure, as if she were fleeing, and couldn’t help but frown.

*****

Yan Zhao excused herself to Gong Muyu, claiming urgent emails needed handling, and hurried into the elevator with her bag. She couldn’t face Gong Muyu calmly after that dream.

Alone in the elevator, Yan Zhao saw her flushed face reflected in the glass. Recalling Gong Muyu’s equally flushed face and the brutally forceful arms in her dream, she felt her body go weak, barely able to stay upright without leaning against the elevator wall.

Fortunately, the elevator was empty and the floor wasn’t high. When the elevator stopped at the third floor, Yan Zhao quickly rushed to the restroom and splashed cold water on her face. Only after the heat on her face had subsided did she straighten up, looking at her disheveled reflection in the mirror and taking a deep breath.

“Zhao, you’re back?”

Sister V, who had just been brewing coffee in the break room, asked in surprise upon seeing Yan Zhao.

“Yeah, I’m back,” Yan Zhao replied, pulling out a tissue from her bag to wipe her face.

Smelling the aroma of coffee from Sister V’s cup, Yan Zhao leaned over and asked, “Sister V, did you just make the coffee? Is there any left? I’d like some too.”

“Yes, there’s some left. Liu Yiyang just brewed it.”

Sister V walked out of the restroom with Yan Zhao. Seeing that Yan Zhao was alone, Sister V couldn’t help but ask, “Weren’t you supposed to be with General Manager Mu? Why did you come back alone?”

Noticing Yan Zhao’s damp temples, Sister V frowned and continued, “It’s freezing out there! Why did you wash your face with cold water and not dry your hair? You’ll catch a cold.”

Yan Zhao touched her temples and nodded nonchalantly. “Thanks, Sister V. The heat in General Manager Mu’s car was turned up too high, making me drowsy. Washing my face woke me up. I’ll be fine.”

Avoiding the question of why she hadn’t come back with Gong Muyu, Yan Zhao put down her bag, greeted everyone, and took her cup to the break room.

By the time Yan Zhao returned with her coffee, Gong Muyu had already taken the seat next to hers. Sensing Gong Muyu’s gaze, Yan Zhao quickly sipped her coffee to avoid eye contact, but her bright red earlobes betrayed her.

Gong Muyu could still sense Yan Zhao’s avoidance. Seeing Yan Zhao evade her gaze again, Gong Muyu assumed Yan Zhao had grown tired of her, leaving her feeling somewhat disappointed.

However, when her gaze fell upon Yan Zhao’s flushed ears, and she noticed how Yan Zhao’s eyes darted around, refusing to meet hers, Gong Muyu realized something was amiss. Even when passing by her, Yan Zhao subtly shifted a few centimeters away. This behavior made Gong Muyu suspect her initial assumptions might be wrong.

To confirm her suspicion, Gong Muyu pretended to need a red ballpoint pen and called out to Yan Zhao, asking her to pass it over.

Yan Zhao acknowledged the request and retrieved the red pen from the pen holder, extending it toward Gong Muyu. As Gong Muyu reached for the pen, her eyes remained fixed on the computer screen. Her right hand accidentally brushed Yan Zhao’s hand, causing Yan Zhao’s hand to tremble slightly before quickly withdrawing.

Failing to receive the pen, Gong Muyu looked up at Yan Zhao, who stood beside her with a startled expression. With genuine concern, she asked, “Yan Zhao, are you feeling unwell?”

Hearing Gong Muyu’s caring words, Yan Zhao felt like she might burst into tears.

She desperately wanted to say: Just stay away from me, and I’ll feel better.

Yan Zhao figured that if she said that, she wouldn’t be able to work at this company anymore. No manager would accept an employee indirectly telling them to gracefully back off. Thinking about her nearly empty wallet, Yan Zhao reluctantly shook her head.

“It’s nothing. I just got a static shock from the pen.”

With that, Yan Zhao handed the ballpoint pen back to Gong Muyu.

Gong Muyu was impressed by Yan Zhao’s quick wit in coming up with the static excuse. Seeing the subtle hurt on Yan Zhao’s face, even though she didn’t realize it herself, Gong Muyu couldn’t bear to tease her further. She took the pen, thanked her, and pretended to return to work.

With an hour left until quitting time, Gong Muyu finally sent Yan Zhao a text asking her to stay behind after work. Although she knew Yan Zhao wasn’t avoiding her out of malice, the reason for her moving out of Gong Muyu’s office still bothered her.

Yan Zhao reluctantly pulled out her phone and replied with an “OK” emoji. After receiving the confirmation, Gong Muyu focused on her work.

******

At six o’clock in the afternoon, Gong Muyu and Yan Zhao were the only two people in the empty office.

Seeing Yan Zhao’s uneasy expression, Gong Muyu couldn’t help but sigh.

This little fool could sometimes be as dense as a block of wood, yet at other times she was incredibly perceptive. It was impossible to know how to handle her.

“Why… why have you been avoiding me?” Gong Muyu asked, looking Yan Zhao in the eye.

Yan Zhao hadn’t expected Gong Muyu to be so direct, giving her no time to prepare herself mentally.

After a moment of silence with her head down, Yan Zhao mustered the courage to answer. But when she saw Gong Muyu’s face, she was suddenly reminded of that bizarre dream she’d had in the car earlier that afternoon. The courage she’d gathered scattered in an instant, her face flushing crimson like a cooked shrimp as she kept her head lowered.

Seeing Yan Zhao’s silence, Gong Muyu leaned forward and pressed, “Zhao, do you hate me?”

The way Gong Muyu said “Zhao” softened Yan Zhao’s heart. She snapped her head up to look at the person across from her, seeing a hint of hurt in her eyes.

“I don’t hate you, and I haven’t been avoiding you…”

Ever since Gong Muyu joined the company, she had always presented herself as stern and unapproachable, even her smiles carrying a hint of detachment. Yet now, Gong Muyu’s current demeanor made Yan Zhao feel inexplicably sad. Someone as proud as Gong Muyu shouldn’t be like this.

When asked to explain why she had been avoiding Gong Muyu, Yan Zhao found herself utterly speechless. She couldn’t possibly say, “I fucking had a dream where you did this to me and that to me, and I even fucking cried from being ‘bullied’ by you…”

Setting aside the sheer embarrassment, if she uttered those words, Gong Muyu might swallow her heart whole. From then on, she’d probably avoid Yan Zhao like the plague, let alone engage in a heart-to-heart conversation like this.

Gong Muyu had been waiting for this opening. At Yan Zhao’s words, she immediately pressed, “Then why did you move out of my office? And without even a word of goodbye.”

“I’ve straightened out CHI’s operations. Staying there might interfere with your work.”

After Yan Zhao finished speaking, Gong Muyu remained silent for a long time. Yan Zhao glanced up nervously, meeting Gong Muyu’s intense gaze. She stammered and lowered her head.

“Yan Zhao, did you know you always unconsciously pick at your right pinky finger when you lie?”

“Huh?”

Yan Zhao’s puzzled exclamation echoed as she realized her left hand was indeed subconsciously picking at her right pinky finger.

Swallowing nervously, Yan Zhao pretended calmness as she rubbed her scratched finger and explained with a forced smile, “No, I just habitually pick at my fingers when I’m bored. See? My nails are all worn down from it.”

She held out both hands to Gong Muyu, signaling her innocence.

Gong Muyu lowered her gaze to the delicate, pale hands extended toward her. The eight adorable dimples on the small palms made the corners of her mouth curl upward despite herself. She took Yan Zhao’s hand, feeling her slight struggle, and pretended not to notice. Watching Yan Zhao’s conflicted expression, Gong Muyu’s smile widened.

“Alright, I’ll believe you for now.”

Yan Zhao quickly nodded.

“Once the internet connection in my office is fixed, why don’t you move in there?”

Yan Zhao instinctively nodded, but when she realized what Gong Muyu had actually said, her head froze mid-nod, leaving her looking both comical and awkward.

“Nah, I don’t think so,” Yan Zhao said with a wry smile. “I’ve already moved out, and moving back in would definitely invite gossip. Besides, I’m pretty chatty, I snack during work hours, and I even nap on the job sometimes…”

Gong Muyu was the type of person who wouldn’t give up until she got what she wanted. If Yan Zhao only presented objective reasons, she might not back down. So, Yan Zhao decided to list all her flaws, knowing that Gong Muyu liked her enough that these minor issues wouldn’t matter.

But the moment the word “like” popped into her mind, Yan Zhao shivered involuntarily, and a bittersweet feeling welled up in her heart.

Gong Muyu must like her, right?

Although Yan Zhao had been reprimanded by Gong Muyu a few times, most of the time, Gong Muyu had always been quite good to her.

“As long as your work is done, it’s fine to take the occasional break. I’m used to having you in my office now. If you move out, it’ll probably take me a long time to adjust.”

Gong Muyu looked at Yan Zhao, feeling like a hypnotist relentlessly programming her mind. Tempting this prey, step by step, into her ‘trap’—though this ‘trap’ wouldn’t harm Yan Zhao in any way.

Yan Zhao seemed to be hesitating, lightly biting her lower lip as she continuously fidgeted with the folder in her hands. Just as Gong Muyu thought Yan Zhao would refuse again, she nodded.

“Alright then, I’ll move back in once the internet in your office is fixed.”

Having achieved her goal, Gong Muyu smiled brightly, stood up, and pulled Yan Zhao out of her chair.

“Let’s go. My treat for dinner.”

*******

It wasn’t until Gong Muyu had driven Yan Zhao home and she stepped out into the cold wind below that Yan Zhao finally snapped out of her daze.

How had she, out of nowhere, agreed to Gong Muyu’s request to move back to the General Manager’s Office? And why had she so uncharacteristically gone out to eat with her?

Recalling Gong Muyu’s tender and considerate demeanor during dinner, Yan Zhao could hardly believe that the Gong Muyu she’d encountered tonight was the same person as the one she knew before!

The difference is too extreme! It’s unsettling! If she hadn’t known herself so well, she might have thought Gong Muyu was actually trying to pursue her!

Wait a minute! Didn’t Gong Muyu have her sights set on Sun Yiming?

Why is she showering me with attention? Is this some kind of indirect strategy?

Isn’t Gong Muyu being a little unfair? As a colleague, does she really think she can steal Sun Yiming from me?

Yan Zhao stormed upstairs with her hands in her pockets, her heart heavy with frustration. Before bed, she smoothed her freshly dried, frizzy hair and fumed, determined to set the record straight with Gong Muyu the next day: she would never compete with her for Sun Yiming!

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