Mistaken ‘O’ is a Crazy Gorgeous Boss - Chapter 45

An ambiguous undercurrent surged forth, making Qu Zhen’s heart flutter like a startled deer. For a moment, she couldn’t tell whether Shen Zhikou was teasing her or… conveying some kind of heartfelt sentiment.

“Sister.”

Shen Zhikou’s lips were tinged red, her expression calm and composed. “This is Esperanto. It means, ‘I want to become your cat.'”

She knew Qu Zhen understood but didn’t point it out. Meanwhile, Qu Zhen, who also harbored her own secret, felt her heart pounding wildly, her invisible tail wagging incessantly.

Compared to the idea of turning into a little cat.

As someone who fully understood the language, she was actually more fixated on the phrases “my beloved” and “belonging only to you.”

Because it gave her the illusion that she, too, might be liked by Shen Zhikou, as if they were in a marriage built on a deep emotional foundation.

But that wasn’t the case.

Even now, she was firm and certain about her feelings for Shen Zhikou, it wasn’t due to the influence of their 99% pheromone compatibility but rather emotions sprouting from the depths of her soul.

Yet, she still couldn’t quite decipher Shen Zhikou’s feelings toward her, and she wasn’t in a hurry to find out. After all, she had two months to pursue her, and the top priority was curing Shen Zhikou’s pheromone dysregulation syndrome.

So, she chose to continue hiding the secret that she could understand a bit of Esperanto, tucking away “my beloved” and “belonging only to you” in her memos and diary, letting them become her sweet, private thoughts.

“Turn into my little cat?” Qu Zhen helped pull up her cat-patterned socks. “Alright, then from now on, I’ll take care of you just like I would a little cat.”

“Little cats are fragile, like glass balls that shatter at a touch. They need a greenhouse built around them, tended to with care and attention,” Qu Zhen murmured seriously. “If you were a cat, you’d definitely be the most beautiful Ragdoll. I would…”

She rambled on for a while before her voice suddenly halted because Shen Zhikou grasped her hand in return, guiding it all the way to the space between her shoulder blades.

Her cool voice carried a hint of alluring charm: “Mm, then pet the little cat.”

Cats and dogs are different, dogs express their emotions directly, while cats are more reserved.

Hearing this, Qu Zhen recalled the stray calico cat at her school. It wasn’t particularly gentle by nature, but perhaps because it was familiar with her scent, the calico would let out an adorable meow whenever it saw her. After eating the ham she offered, it would sometimes rub against her palm or roll around by her legs.

It was so cute it made her heart tremble.

Qu Zhen had little resistance to cats and dogs and was utterly unable to refuse the coquettish little cat currently sitting in her lap.

Her fair, slender right hand slid downward along the back, stroking all the way to the base of the waist as if petting a kitten. After repeating the motion three times to smooth the cat’s fur, she noticed the little cat in her arms growing increasingly pliant, like a pool of spring water at the end of March, and only then did she stop.

“Is the little cat hungry?” she asked, her ears tinged red.

“A little.”

Qu Zhen picked up her thick pajama jacket from the side and carefully dressed the frail cat in her arms, even buttoning the second button of her shirt. After efficiently wrapping the white-shirted cat into a fluffy little ball, she directly lifted the cat and placed her on the dining chair.

“Fragile little cats are sensitive to the cold, so they need to wear thicker clothes.”

Shen Zhikou gently pinched her cheek. “You’ve adapted so quickly. Do you like cats that much?”

“Yes, and no.” Qu Zhen answered honestly. “I like cats, and I also like you.”

She paused. “I also really like it when you turn into a kitten. Because you became a kitten, I was happy all day, couldn’t help but smile, and couldn’t resist wanting to pet the kitten.”

And so, they shared their second kiss of the day.

In the lingering kiss, a faint, sweet peach flavor seeped through.

…

Qu Zhen didn’t resist work. Her four years of part-time jobs and internships in college had enabled her to quickly immerse herself in her work and become a competent employee.

But now, work meant she would be separated from Shen Zhikou for eight hours, or even longer due to overtime or other reasons.

She felt a rare sense of reluctance.

So much so that the next morning, after getting dressed and washing up, before leaving the apartment, she took the initiative to kiss Shen Zhikou behind the door, thoroughly exploring every corner of her mouth until she had absorbed all the lily-of-the-valley fragrance and peach sweetness. Only when the person in her arms began to breathe unevenly did she let go.

“Sister.”

Shen Zhikou pursed her lips. “Hmm.”

Qu Zhen pulled a pink letter from her backpack, feeling a bit guilty for having teased the kitten.

“This is the second love letter I’ve written to you.” She bowed deeply, appearing extremely solemn, as all the flirtatious energy in the air dissipated. “Please decide whether to accept it based on my recent behavior.”

That way, she could also gauge how her actions were being received and adjust her pursuit plan accordingly, she thought.

Shen Zhikou, having caught her breath, glanced at the bowing little alpha and calmly accepted the pink love letter, then patted her head.

“You’ve been doing very well.”

“But Zhenzhen is a bit like a puppy, sometimes you bite a little too hard.”

As for when and in what context, the answer was already obvious.

Qu Zhen clenched her fingers, replying sheepishly, “I’ll be more careful and keep working hard.”

“Mm, it’s time to go.”

“Okay.”

Streeep and Shengcan Venture Capital were in the same area, not too far apart, and one had to pass Shengcan to reach Streeep. The black car stopped in front of the towering skyscrapers. Qu Zhen unbuckled her seatbelt and was about to get out when her wrist was grasped by Shen Zhikou, who was in the driver’s seat.

“Zhenzhen.”

“Hmm?” She turned her head. “What is it, sister?”

“Have a smooth workday.”

Qu Zhen ‘s heart warmed. She leaned over and kissed Shen Zhikou’s right cheek. “The second kiss. See you tonight, sister.”

“Mm, see you tonight.”

Afraid she would grow even more reluctant to part, Qu Zhen quickly got out of the car. She watched until the vehicle disappeared at the end of the street before turning and walking steadily into the office building.

Shengcan Venture Capital occupied floors 8 to 14 of the building. The legal department was one of the smallest in the company. There were four new interns besides Qu Zhen: one other beta and two with master’s degrees.

Taking the elevator to the 9th floor, Qu Zhen met the other three interns while completing the internship onboarding procedures.

The four exchanged greetings and followed a female alpha who was guiding them to familiarize themselves with the department. Walking through the spacious corridor, they could see through the glass that everyone in each department was clearly busy. Qu Zhen couldn’t help but feel a twinge of nervousness.

Passing through the business department, the five of them arrived at the noticeably smaller legal department.

The female alpha gave them a brief tour, explained the main tasks, and then let them choose their own workstations while they waited for their mentor to arrive.

Qu Zhen preferred being near the window, so without hesitation, she headed toward the workstation by the window on the right. As soon as she sat down, the empty seat beside her was taken by another intern, a female beta.

She remembered the beta’s name was Xu Qingqing, a law student from W University. C University and W University were very close to each other, and Qu Zhen often went with Yang Shumeng to the snack street near W University.

Xu Qingqing nodded at her with a shy smile.

Having spent so much time in the etiquette team, Qu Zhen’s polite smile was as standard as a robot’s. She averted her gaze, and her slight obsession with cleanliness prompted her to tidy up her workstation inside and out. Just as she turned on the computer to log into the system, their mentor approached the four interns’ workstations.

Like freshmen meeting their drill instructor, the four of them immediately stood up.

“Hello,” her voice was deep and magnetic. “I’m your internship mentor, Cao Yuan.”

Qu Zhen had seen Cao Yuan’s photo on Shengcan Venture Capital’s official website. She also knew that Cao Yuan was an alpha, 35 years old, and before joining Shengcan, she had been a highly renowned lawyer in the field of financial securities.

Under Cao Yuan’s arrangement, they each gave a brief self-introduction in front of the entire department.

When it was Xu Qingqing’s turn, Cao Yuan’s gaze lingered on her for a fleeting moment. After the introductions, they followed Cao Yuan into her office for a small meeting that lasted an hour.

When the meeting ended and Qu Zhen returned to her workstation, she logged into WeChat on her computer after taking notes. There was a message in the dorm group chat tagging her.

She clicked to check the message.

[Yang Shumeng: This law firm has some conscience, they didn’t make me serve tea and water [grinning.jpg]]

[Yang Shumeng: Damn it! Not even a minute after I said that, they told me to make coffee!! Annihilation! Total annihilation!]

The next message in the group came half an hour later.

[Yang Shumeng: After making coffee, I can slack off for a bit, and I’m happy again hahahaha.]

[Yang Shumeng: While slacking off, I used the firm’s Wi-Fi to update Foxis. After downloading, the game glitched. Zhenzhen, guess what I saw!! That super skilled player Z in the game, her IP address is exactly the same as yours! Both in Ling’an District! @Qu Zhen]

Qu Zhen froze.

Ling’an District was the smallest area among all the districts in Haicheng. If they were both in Haicheng’s Ling’an District, then they were likely very close to Xinyu Garden as well.

Z had never revealed her address, but she had mentioned studying and working in Haicheng.

Could it be… such a coincidence? She frowned, lost in thought.

…

Elsewhere.

An hour earlier, a light drizzle had begun to fall over the Fragrant Hills, located far from the city center.

A thin mist lingered among the mountains, refusing to dissipate. The secluded villa nestled on the western side was exceptionally tranquil. If not for the bodyguards stationed at every entrance, a passerby might have mistaken the villa for long abandoned.

Birds and small animals darted through the mountains, shaking raindrops from the branches. A black luxury car pulled into the villa grounds. The driver stepped out first and respectfully opened the rear door.

Raindrops slid across the surface of the black umbrella as the woman stepped out of the car and stood beneath it. Her light blue eyes resembled a pair of natural sapphires.

“President Yan.” The butler, who had been waiting for some time, smiled. “Please follow me.”

Yan Shuang offered no reply. Her sharp, shoulder-length bob brushed against her black tailored overcoat as she moved. Her presence was overwhelmingly commanding, it was almost unnecessary to confirm that she was an alpha.

Stepping inside, she passed through a corridor adorned with Impressionist oil paintings. As she ascended the curved staircase, she encountered Amelia, dressed in a tailored suit.

The seasoned and perceptive Amelia paused. “President Yan.”

“Hmm.”

The female alpha accompanying Amelia immediately bowed her head. “President Yan.”

Yan Shuang did not halt her steps, nor did she spare her a single glance, let alone offer the same acknowledgment she had given Amelia. The female alpha was not surprised; she remained with her head lowered until Yan Shuang’s footsteps faded before raising her head and following Amelia away.

The decor on the second floor was starkly different from the first. Stone sculptures lined both sides of the hallway, with high round tables spaced between them. On each table stood a diamond-shaped vase filled with dried flowers.

Yan Shuang’s steps halted at the studio at the end of the hall.

After receiving her nod of approval, the butler turned and left.

The double arched doors, crafted from specially treated walnut wood, swung open from the outside, allowing light to spill out. Yan Shuang stepped inside and seated herself on the brown leather sofa without ceremony.

“Wei Xinman from the Wei family in Haicheng,” she said leisurely. “What kind of dealings could you possibly have with her?”

Shen Yunxi, seated before the canvas, wore silver-rimmed glasses, her ink-black hair cascading down to her waist. She continued with her painting, the sandalwood prayer beads on her wrist full and smooth, while the colors on the canvas were unusually warm and vibrant.

Without turning her head, her voice remained as calm as still water.

“Just a useless pawn.”

Yan Shuang showed no interest in the matter and let it drop.

But if Qu Zhen were here, she would surely recognize the alpha whom Shen Yunxi referred to as a “useless pawn”, the same female alpha she had seen at the campus north gate a month ago.

The one who had kissed Su Qi’s cheek under the tree.