Mistaken ‘O’ is a Crazy Gorgeous Boss - Chapter 70

The word “cry” was vague and unfamiliar to Shen Zhikou. But over the past half month, she had shed tears many times for Qu Zhen.

When Qu Zhen was trapped under the collapse, she cried out of heartache. When Qu Zhen woke up and embraced her, she cried out of the joy of regaining what was lost. Now that Qu Zhen was determined to leave, her heart was a whirlwind of emotions, hurt and sorrow at being left behind, reluctance and the desire to hold on as she prepared to let go, and above all, regret for allowing the situation to escalate to this point.

She had thought about coming clean.

When she gave the first love letter, when she received the suicide note her mother left her, in the moment before Qu Zhen announced she would go to Lingshan, she had thought about coming clean. But just like four years ago, unexpected events always derailed her plans. Between them, there were constant missed opportunities, weaving together countless regrets and lies.

Faced with the current situation, she was the first to compromise.

“If you really don’t want to stay with me, then you stay, and I’ll leave.” Shen Zhikou tugged at the corner of her clothes and repeated softly, “The lies were real, and I apologize for that. I’m sorry. But my feelings for you are not fake.”

“I only like you.” Her eyes, glistening with moisture, gazed at her as she spoke word by word, “Zhenzhen, I only want you.”

Qu Zhen remained silent for a long time.

Even though she had been deceived for so long, the sight of Shen Zhikou’s tears still pained her deeply. By now, her love for Shen Zhikou had become an instinctive reaction etched into her very bones and blood. Shen Zhikou could easily stir all her emotions; she was like a marionette in Shen Zhikou’s hands, her heart entirely tied to her.

Her fingertips tightened slightly, and she instinctively wanted to wipe away Shen Zhikou’s tears.

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and her restraint and composure crumbled. Unable to feign indifference and detachment, she reached out and used the pad of her thumb and the soft fabric of her sleeve to gently wipe away Shen Zhikou’s tears.

“I can’t promise that, Shen… Yunxi,” she said.

The name “Shen Yunxi” was not unfamiliar, but never had it felt more difficult and awkward to utter than at this moment. Their eyes met, and her thumb paused at the corner of Shen Yunxi’s eye, stained crimson by her tears.

“I can’t face you right now, and I don’t want to stay here any longer,” she explained. “We both need to calm down. I’ll think carefully about what’s between us. Let me go.”

Glistening teardrops fell like shattered diamonds. Shen Yunxi knew she could no longer force her to stay.

“Alright,” she said, not letting go of her hand. “But… not for too long, okay? At least let me know how you’re doing. I won’t send anyone to follow you.”

The time she had spent waiting in the past was already long enough. She had walked alone in the darkness, and after finally having her bright moon, she could no longer bear every moment of her absence.

Qu Zhen gently withdrew her hand, pulling Shen Yunxi’s slender fingers away one by one. She picked up the backpack that had fallen to the ground, turned, and walked away. The corridor grew darker, shadows obscuring her expression. Her figure stood as straight as a pine tree, yet there was a hint of dejection and sorrow about her.

But she was always so soft-hearted. At the corner, her footsteps paused slightly, and she softly agreed to Shen Yunxi’s request.

“Alright.”

…

Qu Zhen left Xinyu Garden via Metro Line 3.

The hurricane swept through, destroying the glass greenhouse Shen Zhikou had painstakingly rebuilt, and the heavy rain now fell upon Qu Zhen’s head. Clutching her backpack, she sat in an inconspicuous corner seat, aimlessly riding until the final stop.

She didn’t know where to go.

Before, she would always clock out on time and go home to be with Shen Zhikou. Now, it seemed she no longer had a home because even Xinyu Garden was just another part of Shen Zhikou’s deception. All her plans had been thrown into disarray. Taking the elevator up from the terminal, she booked a room at a nearby hotel.

Pristine white snow settled on her shoulders. As she gazed at the snowy scenery around her, her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

To her right, children were playing in the snow, chattering excitedly about when they could build a snowman. Qu Zhen wiped away her tears and hurried past. She, too, had once thought about building a snowman for Shen Zhikou, a little cat holding a tiny peach.

Because her little cat loved eating pink peaches so much.

But today, she finally realized that Shen Zhikou was no little cat at all, she was a dangerous hunter who had laid a trap. Qu Zhen was the one who had been ensnared, completely unaware, foolishly exposing all her vulnerabilities.

She tightened her scarf, covering her face even more, her almond-shaped eyes reddening like a rabbit’s.

Arriving at the hotel and receiving her key card, she set down her backpack and went to the private bathroom to wash her face with cold water. The icy chill seeped into her skin, turning her cheeks a raw red, and gradually, her chaotic thoughts began to clear.

She grabbed a tissue to dry her face, stepped out of the bathroom, and sat blankly on the edge of the bed, staring fixedly at the small dog charm on her backpack zipper.

Even though she had left Xinyu Garden, traces of Shen Zhikou were still everywhere. That charm had been a gift from Shen Zhikou, a fluffy white Samoyed. Shen Zhikou had even said they looked somewhat alike, but that Qu Zhen was even… cuter.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Peering through the peephole and seeing it was hotel staff, Qu Zhen opened the door.

“Good evening, Ms. Qu. It’s an honor to serve you,” said the hotel manager in a suit. “This dinner was ordered for you by a VIP. Please enjoy.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a server wheeled a dining cart over from the right.

Qu Zhen guessed who it was from. “Thank you, but I’m not hungry. Please don’t disturb me.”

The hotel manager understood. “Of course. Whenever you’re ready, just call the internal line.”

“Cancel it. I don’t need it.”

The hotel manager offered a perfect smile. “Very well.”

Closing the door and returning to the room, her phone vibrated. She had received a message from Shen Zhikou.

[I’m not tracking you, and I haven’t installed anything else near you.]

[The hotel you’re staying at is owned by a friend’s family. As soon as your name appeared in the internal system, she sent me a message.]

[It’s already very late, and you haven’t eaten, so I took the liberty of ordering dinner for you. Zhenzhen, I’m sorry.]

Qu Zhen glanced at the messages but didn’t reply, nor did she send any of the puppy emojis she used to.

She buried herself under the covers, letting her rationality drift away as she traced back to their very first meeting, dissecting everything that had happened.

Before, she had believed that their encounter at the hotel was because Shen Zhikou was there for a business conference, and she had easily accepted all her explanations. But now, knowing Shen Zhikou’s true identity, she suddenly understood, their first meeting had also been a carefully laid trap.

Her substituting for her junior at work was an accident. Her secondary differentiation was an accident. But meeting Shen Zhikou was no accident at all.

So, was she consciously marked by her that night?

Qu Zhen rolled over, unable to understand why she had… done it that way. If she truly liked her so much, they could have met under better circumstances, rather than establishing a relationship after such a situation.

What should she do now?

No matter how she thought about it, she felt that the version of herself who had been so easily manipulated before was incredibly foolish. She should have known life doesn’t have that many coincidences and accidents. But every time she tried to dig deeper, Shen Zhikou would divert her attention with a few words, making her believe it was all just fate, that they were destined to meet.

The rehabilitation medicine she had taken earlier began to take effect, and a wave of helpless exhaustion washed over her. Closing her reddened eyes, she buried herself in the pillow and drifted into a fitful sleep, dreaming of Shen Zhikou all night.

The next day, she moved to a new place, the employee apartments provided by the Archaeological Research Center.

The single room was cramped, and she stayed there for a week without seeing Shen Zhikou once. But deep down, she knew that Shen Zhikou drove to her building every night, staying quietly in her car without doing anything, stubbornly keeping her company in her own way.

Over the weekend, when she went downstairs to buy groceries, she caught a glimpse of Shen Zhikou.

Perhaps because she hadn’t given Shen Zhikou any response, Shen Zhikou cautiously avoided her, not even letting a corner of her clothing show, like a stray cat hiding itself perfectly.

Qu Zhen’s heart clenched. With just one glance, she noticed that Shen Zhikou had grown thinner again.

She stood there for a minute before heading back upstairs. Only then, as she opened her chat with Shen Zhikou, did she realize, as if waking from a dream, that Shen Zhikou had been sending her messages every day, but she had only replied once.

12/2
[Zhenzhen, it’s snowing heavily. Stay warm and take good care of yourself.]
[I miss you.]

12/3
[I dreamed of Zhenzhen last night.]
[I miss Zhenzhen so, so much.]

12/4
[I saw the news today. Be careful when you’re out, Zhenzhen.]
[The snow is getting heavier. I made a dog snowman for you downstairs.]
[I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come.]

12/5
[Aunt Qin called me. I told her you’re doing well and not to worry.]
[I also sent over some supplements and a massage machine.]
[Zhenzhen, I… miss you.]

12/6
[I woke up startled three times during my nap, and each time I dreamed of you.]
[Perhaps my longing is too heavy.]

12/7
[Zhenzhen, remember to go for your follow-up check-up at the hospital tomorrow. Does your ankle still hurt?]
[It’s going to snow heavily. Wear more, and don’t forget your scarf and gloves.]
[Today is Confession Day.]
[I love you, Zhenzhen.]

12/8
[I miss you.]
[Every single day.]
[Not a single moment has stopped.]

On the 7th, she had only replied to Shen Zhikou with a simple “thank you.” Other than that, there was nothing else.

As if she had fallen into freshly squeezed lemon juice, her heart ached with bitterness. Walking to the window and looking down, she noticed that the unfamiliar white car was gone. Only then did she pick up her phone again and send Shen Zhikou two messages.

[It’s very cold. Don’t come here anymore.]
[You should also stay warm and take good care of yourself.]

Shen Zhikou didn’t ask when she would come home, and she didn’t bring it up either. Yet, in this silent tug-of-war, Shen Zhikou hadn’t lost a single soldier, while she was already on the verge of collapse.

By the next day, when she looked down again, Shen Zhikou truly didn’t come anymore, and the same went for the third day.

However, at noon on the fourth day, amidst the heavy snowfall, she received a call from an unfamiliar number. The number was from Haicheng and wasn’t marked as spam or fraudulent. She lowered her gaze and answered the call.

On the desk, the cup of water steamed with warmth, the condensation misting the air. Frost and snow melted on the windowsill, occasionally leaving damp traces before being covered again by falling snowflakes.

The woman’s voice on the other end of the line was deep, somewhat resembling that of a well-known voice actress.

“Miss Qu, hello, I’m Yan Shuang.”

Qu Zhen’s eyes flickered slightly. She had heard this name before, knew of her illustrious family background, and also knew that she was a close friend of… Shen Yunxi.

“Hello,” she replied.

It seemed someone else was speaking on the other end of the line. She heard a somewhat familiar female voice but couldn’t identify who it was before it faded away. Yan Shuang skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.

“There are some things Yunxi hasn’t mentioned, but I believe it’s necessary for you to know, Miss Qu.” Her tone was meaningful as she asked, “Are you free at 4:30 this afternoon?”

Qu Zhen tightened her grip on the phone. “Yes.”

“Shall we meet at Freediyi?”

Before everything became clear, Qu Zhen had a vague premonition that after she went to Freediyi, their situation might undergo a significant change.

She replied softly, “Okay.”