Mistaken ‘O’ is a Crazy Gorgeous Boss - Chapter 63

At half past eleven, Qu Zhen left the simulation room.

After bidding farewell to the three supervisors, she quickened her pace toward the waiting area. As she drew closer, her heart rate soared wildly, as if she had returned to the early days of falling in love, just a glance could make her heart flutter, let alone closeness and intimacy.

Her hurried footsteps stopped at the waiting area.

Before she could speak, a smile spilled from the depths of her eyes, like shimmering starlight. As she hurried over to Shen Zhikou, the first thing she did was blush and embrace her.

It was a gentle hug, as if holding a priceless, fragile treasure that could shatter with the slightest pressure.

She tilted her head and rubbed her right cheek against the left cheek of the person in her arms, much like a puppy nuzzling a kitten, her voice brimming with joy and excitement.

“Sister,” she said, “the supervisors all praised me for my performance.”

“That’s only natural.”

Shen Zhikou let her hold her, her right hand gripping Qu Zhen’s elbow. “My Zhenzhen is about to transition from Xiao Zhen the lawyer to Xiao Zhen the assistant.”

Qu Zhen laughed. “It’s not certain yet.”

Though there was no one around, they were still in a public area, so Qu Zhen soon ended the brief embrace. Instead, she took Shen Zhikou’s hand and, noticing her palm was cold, immediately tucked it into her coat pocket to warm it up.

“Would you like to have lunch outside, Sister, or go home?”

As they walked out, Shen Zhikou countered, “What do you think?”

Qu Zhen smiled again, likely because she was genuinely happy, happier than the day she left the towering building of Shengcan Venture Capital, and even more so because Shen Zhikou was by her side.

“How about eating out?” she suggested. “The weather is nice today. After lunch, we can take a stroll around the nearby scenic area.”

“Alright.”

When they reached the parking lot and got into the car, Shen Zhikou sat in the passenger seat, motionless like a porcelain doll, allowing Qu Zhen to remove her mask, fasten her seatbelt, place a hand warmer in her palm, and then kiss her cheek.

“Later, when we go to eat, Sister, you should keep holding this hand warmer,” she said, then asked with a serious expression, “Is that okay?”

Shen Zhikou was very indulgent toward her girl, this indulgence was evident in every aspect and quite obvious. So, she knew very well that this wasn’t a rhetorical question but her girl acting coquettishly.

“What if-” she curved her lips slightly, “I say no?”

“Then I’d be very worried. If Sister caught a cold because of this, I’d also feel very guilty,” Qu Zhen replied smoothly.

Shen Zhikou pretended to think for a moment. “Alright. If Zhenzhen worries and blames herself, I wouldn’t be happy either.”

Inside the confined car, pink bubbles seemed to float everywhere, a pure, peach-like pink. As the bubbles rose, they were popped by their conversation, splattering sweetness all around until the entire car was filled with a sugary atmosphere.

Qu Zhen curved her lips and leaned in to kiss Shen Zhikou. “The magical kitten is so adorable.”

“Is this also acting coquettish?”

“No, it’s a sweet nothing.”

Hearing Shen Zhikou say she was acting coquettish for the first time, Qu Zhen was utterly stunned and taken aback.

After her senior year of high school, the word “castle” never appeared in her life again. When the glass greenhouse shattered, she retreated into a heavy shell, shedding the vibrancy she once had. But now, with Shen Zhikou, the word began to resurface in her life.

She could feel her glass greenhouse being pieced back together bit by bit by Shen Zhikou, and it felt even more stable, secure, and private than before.

She felt truly fortunate and found herself growing fonder of Shen Zhikou with each passing day.

If the glass greenhouse was rebuilt, she would definitely invite her beloved inside. She thought.

A teasing voice sounded beside her ear.

“Did you learn that from a book of sweet nothings?”

“I’ve said it before,” Qu Zhen kissed her lips. “It comes naturally when I’m with my kitten.”

…

After having lunch at a nearby seafood restaurant, the two drove to the newly built Nanshan Park.

The government’s new park was lush and blooming with flowers, with many elderly people strolling along the lakeside paths. As they walked toward the public facilities area, Shen Zhikou gazed at the lake-blue fitness equipment and suddenly remembered something from six years ago.

Back then, she was still He Yu, and Qu Zhen’s family of three had stayed with He Yu in Meixiang Village.

The sixteen-year-old Qu Zhen was always worried that the quiet He Yu would grow even more depressed and saddened by past traumas, so she often brought her fun little things. There were common bamboo dragonflies, moon rabbit lanterns, and some quirky little toys, like the “squeaky duck” she made herself.

Once, the young girl, after playing with village friends outside, rushed home excitedly, opened the window of her room, and begged her in a coquettish tone to sit by the window.

She didn’t refuse. With her face wrapped in bandages, she sat by the window corner, calmly watching the girl build something with light-colored sand.

The girl in a pristine white dress spent the entire afternoon on it, barely finishing the castle by evening. Finally, she wrote the fabricated name “He Yu” beside the castle.

Near the sand dune in the courtyard stood an old piece of fitness equipment, its lake-blue paint already beginning to fade.

Under the bright moon and watery moonlight, the smiling girl called out to her clearly.

“Sister Xiao Yu, this is the castle I made for you.”

“You’ll be safe living in this castle, and no bad people will ever disturb your life again.”

As she spoke, she suddenly exclaimed, her fair face flushing red: “Oh, there’s one more thing I forgot to do. Sister Xiao Yu, wait for me a little longer.”

The girl, embarrassed by the oversight, was like a little rabbit whose tail had been pinched. She crouched down with a thud and started piling sand again. She worked earnestly and skillfully, quickly shaping a somewhat oddly formed animal beside the castle.

At that time, the girl was innocent and spirited, her youthful charm undiminished. Her radiant smile could outshine the vast fields of lespedeza and aster flowers.

The girl clapped her hands and stood up, pointing at the little animal. “This is me. I said I would protect Sister Xiao Yu, so while you live in the castle, I’ll stand guard outside for you.”

At that moment, she was rarely stunned for a second.

She gazed intently at the castle and the little animal under the moonlight and, for the first time, took the initiative to ask.

“What animal did you make?”

The girl, clutching her dirtied dress sash, first declared confidently: “It’s a little kitten.”

No sooner had the words been spoken than the little dog in the neighboring yard let out a bark. The girl blinked, hesitating for a moment before correcting herself, “No, it’s a puppy, the most loyal puppy.”

That moment stayed with her for a long time. In countless midnight dreams, she would sometimes dream of the shy little girl who had called her a puppy. It was her own sweet dream, a private memory she treasured all to herself.

Now, after a long separation, that girl was standing by her side once again. She held her hand tightly, selfishly wishing they could walk this path forever.

The cold wind howled. Qu Zhen paused, tightening Shen Zhikou’s scarf. Their fingers intertwined as they bypassed the area, strolling leisurely deeper into the surroundings. Even their silhouettes looked perfectly matched.

From a distance, passersby sighed inwardly, thinking everything around them had become a picturesque scene, with the beautiful pair advancing slowly within the frame. Even as a storm seemed to loom, they pressed forward fearlessly, as if nothing could ever part them again.

…

After a stroll around the park, it was already evening by the time they returned home.

Pushing the door open and setting down the groceries they had bought from the neighborhood supermarket, Qu Zhen received an email from the Archaeological Research Center.

She didn’t open it immediately. Instead, she hugged Shen Zhikou first, as if recharging briefly, waiting until she had enough energy for her brain to function before clicking on the email, uncertain whether it brought good or bad news.

Clear black text appeared before her eyes:

[Ms. Qu, after careful evaluation, we are pleased to inform you that you have successfully passed the interview. Please report to the Haicheng Archaeological Research Center by 9 a.m. tomorrow. Welcome to the Haicheng Archaeological Research Center! We look forward to your arrival!]

Qu Zhen suppressed the corners of her lips from curling upward, placed her phone face down on the table, and silently gazed at Shen Zhikou.

“What’s wrong?”

“Sister.”

From Qu Zhen’s very first action, Shen Zhikou had guessed her intention. Yet she pretended not to know, willing to play along with the mischievous puppy’s game, just to make her even happier.

“They said…” Qu Zhen lowered her eyelashes, feigning disappointment, “They said my evaluation might…”

“Did something go wrong?”

The leisurely seated kitten was suddenly pounced on by the playful puppy. Soft hair spilled across the cushion as the tail-wagging puppy held her tightly.

“They said I passed the evaluation.”

Shen Zhikou chose to continue the pretense: “Congratulations, Zhenzhen, you’re truly amazing.”

“Then, mmm-”

Her lips were captured in a kiss, and Qu Zhen swallowed her words. She slowly deepened the kiss initiated by Shen Zhikou, watching as the person in her arms gradually flushed with a rosy hue, only releasing her when their breaths grew increasingly unsteady.

“Sister, I start work at the Archaeological Research Center tomorrow.”

“Mm,” Shen Zhikou replied. “I’ll take you there.”

Qu Zhen fell silent for a moment before suddenly saying, seemingly out of nowhere, “I love you, Sister, just as much as I love archaeology.”

Shen Zhikou’s heart softened even more.

“Me too.”

Even though her love could fill an entire world, she still restrained herself and said, “I really love Zhenzhen.”

Before another damp kiss could descend, she kissed Qu Zhen’s eyelashes, her fingers tangling in her long black hair, her shimmering eyes rippling with layers of affection. As Qu Zhen’s heart pounded like a drum, she whispered softly,

“I will always love Zhenzhen.”

The succulent plants on the balcony grew indistinct in the dim twilight.

The curtains swayed gently, as if lightly brushed by a kitten’s paw. Clothes lay scattered across the soft carpet. It all began with embraces and kisses, continued amidst waves of passion and affection, and finally ended with bite marks on the shoulders and neck.

For Qu Zhen, the work environment at the Archaeological Research Center was very comfortable.

She had applied for a flexible position that allowed her to handle administrative tasks related to law in the office while also accompanying the archaeological team on field surveys and learning opportunities. This perfectly fulfilled all her aspirations. Moreover, her colleagues were easy to get along with, and even the team leader of the archaeological unit was approachable and unpretentious.

They never discriminated against or looked down on her for not being from a related academic background.

Coincidentally, another new colleague in the same position had been a teammate during a previous field archaeology trip she had joined under a different professor. The colleague was equally surprised to see her and widened her eyes in astonishment upon noticing the wedding ring on Qu Zhen’s finger.

“That was quick. It’s only been a year since we last met, and you’re already married.”

Qu Zhen smiled in response. “Yes.”

“Congratulations on your marriage, and may you share a hundred years of happiness,” Gu Wen said. “We’ll be working together from now on, so please guide me along the way.”

Qu Zhen replied, “Let’s do our best together.”

Neither of them had studied archaeology as their major. Back when they were in the same team, Qu Zhen had already noticed Gu Wen’s thirst for knowledge and her wholehearted dedication to learning. In that regard, the two of them were quite similar, and after spending time together, Qu Zhen’s impression of Gu Wen remained positive.

On their first day of work, the administrative staff discussed their specific salaries with them.

After a temporary adjustment in wages this year, the base salary for contract workers outside the formal establishment was 6,000 yuan. With various additional benefits, the final take-home pay amounted to around 7,300 yuan. Moreover, performance bonuses for non-establishment staff were distributed every six months, which effectively brought the monthly income to about 8,300 yuan.

This was roughly equivalent to her internship salary at Shengcan Venture Capital, though Shengcan offered another salary increase upon becoming a full-time employee. She wasn’t sure of the exact amount, but she had heard from colleagues in the department that it should be around 10,000 yuan.

She had no regrets about her decision.

During her first week at the Archaeological Research Center, every day felt incredibly fulfilling. Like a little bee flitting from flower to flower, she enjoyed such meaningful busyness. Sometimes, they even had the chance to learn from colleagues specializing in artifact restoration, and she never tired of it. In her free time, she would go to the restoration room to observe.

Even more fortunate was the fact that a small team from the archaeological unit had made a new discovery at Lingshan. The main team decided to conduct an on-site survey the following week.

Qu Zhen was very interested and was the first to submit her application to join the trip, followed closely by Gu Wen.

When the deputy team leader saw their applications, he praised them for having clear goals, drive, and a down-to-earth work ethic. The two of them simply smiled in response.

There wasn’t much to do in the afternoon, and after submitting their applications, they were allowed to clock out half an hour early.

Qu Zhen sent a WeChat message to Shen Zhikou from her workstation.

[Sister, I’m off work early today. Are you done with work? If you’re still busy, I can come pick you up.]

Shen Zhikou replied almost instantly.

[Working overtime tonight, won’t be home until 8 p.m.]

[Be careful on your way home, and send me a message when you arrive. Remember to eat properly.]

Qu Zhen responded to each of her messages before packing her things and leaving. She hailed a ride and made a trip to the People’s Hospital.

As dusk fell, Qu Zhen stepped out of the hospital and gazed up at the ginkgo tree swaying in the wind. Her heart filled with joy as she thought that the trip to Lingshan would surely be a rewarding journey.

But she had no idea,

This would shatter her beautiful life, marking the beginning of her tranquil existence descending into sudden turmoil.