My Boss Transmigrated Into a Maid and I Became Gay - Chapter 29

Fortunately, Weibo private messages don’t have a “read receipt” feature yet.

Lu Ying patted her chest; she absolutely could not lose her cool now. Replying was out of the question—she was going to pretend she never saw it. But since President Jian had practically exposed herself, she couldn’t blame Lu Ying for being ruthless!

Lu Ying quickly tapped on President Jian’s profile picture, preparing to do some serious “stealth monitoring” to get a handle on the enemy’s situation. But when she opened the homepage, there was only one photo posted several months ago: a picture of sunlight hitting a road.

What does this even mean?

Lu Ying tried to study which road it was, but a quick reverse-image search revealed it was just a stock photo from the web used by countless sites and individuals. This Weibo account was so barren it could pass for a bot.

Failing to gather any valuable intel, she exited Weibo and collapsed onto her bed in a “starfish” pose.

It was 5:00 AM, and the sky was still pitch black. The team-building event started at 9:30 AM at the party villa. Subtracting the time needed to get ready, she could still sleep for two and a half hours.

Lu Ying rolled onto her side, clutching her duvet. The moment she closed her eyes, President Jian’s beautiful face appeared. Startled, she snapped her eyes open again.

Even though she’d drunkenly confessed to Doggy-Egg that she liked President Jian before bed, she was self-aware enough to know she couldn’t cross that line. President Jian only had eyes for her “White Moonlight.”

Silly girl, you can’t like someone like that. It’ll only lead to heartbreak.

After lecturing herself, she started counting sheep. She hit nine hundred before finally drifting off. She fell into a heavy slumber and, for the first time in a long while, had a regular dream.

*****

In the dream, she was jogging into the office to clock in. The moment she entered, she noticed all her colleagues looking at her with subtle, knowing glances. They were whispering about something she couldn’t hear. She turned around to find President Jian standing right behind her.

The woman opened her mouth, and every word that came out was ice-cold: “Don’t waste your energy.”

Lu Ying didn’t understand. “What did I do?”

“Still playing dumb?” President Jian’s lips curled into a smirk. She hooked a finger under Lu Ying’s chin, forcing her to look up. “Did you really think that because I kissed you, I liked you?”

The character break was so extreme that Lu Ying began to realize it was a dream. She struggled to wake up, finally snapping awake and gasping for air.

But she woke up in an unfamiliar room. President Jian was sleeping right beside her. Hearing her movement, the woman frowned and muttered, “Stop messing around. Sleep a bit longer.”

What is happening?! Why are we sleeping together?!

Lu Ying’s mind went blank. When she recovered, she immediately sat up and checked herself. Good—clothes were still on. President Jian tugged at her sleeve, wanting her to come back to bed. Uncertain of the situation, Lu Ying insisted on getting up. The moment her feet touched the floor, President Jian’s phone rang.

“Mm, I’m awake… What’s wrong? Okay, I’ll be right over.”

She hung up and immediately started getting dressed. Lu Ying instinctively grabbed her. “Where are you going? Who are you looking for?”

President Jian looked at her with surprise. “To find my White Moonlight, of course.”

Don’t go to her… don’t…

Trapped in the nightmare, Lu Ying’s hands flailed as she suddenly bolted upright for real.

******

This time she was actually awake. She was on her small bed in her rental, the sky-blue curtains letting in a faint morning light. She rubbed her head and sat up. After waking up in the middle of the night, falling back to sleep always left her feeling unrefreshed.

That dream was so weird… she’d almost mistaken the second layer for reality. Yeah, so what if President Jian kissed her? She was just using her as a substitute.

Lu Ying couldn’t help but mock herself. She had written a novel to “get back at society,” only to realize the person who ended up getting played was herself.

It was 7:30 AM. Lu Ying got up, washed, ate breakfast, and began the long process of hair and makeup. She had decided to submit her resignation to President Jian on Monday. The handover would take about a week. After that, she planned to go to the beach for a trip before looking for a new job.

Fully made up, she put on a polka-dot dress she’d never wear to work and threw on a light coat. Today’s team-building would be her “farewell tour.”

The villa was close to her place. Lu Ying left twenty minutes early, and when she arrived, about half her colleagues were already there. President Jian had also arrived and was chatting with some team leads while others explored.

In the crowd, President Jian was the most striking figure. She wore a vintage Hong Kong-style shirt Lu Ying had never seen before. Her jeans highlighted her long, straight legs. Her long black hair was draped over one shoulder, revealing a sharp jawline, fair ears, and a pair of oversized hoop earrings.

She leaned her elbow casually on the arm of her chair. Every smile and gesture was full of a charm and elegance that was completely absent from her usual, buttoned-up office persona.

This is cheating…

Lu Ying stared for so long that Sister Zhuan, who had just walked in, gave her shoulder a playful slap. “Hey Sakura! What are you staring at?”

Startled, Lu Ying stammered an excuse, but Sister Zhuan moved on. “Wow, your dress is beautiful today! It has that 90s classic beauty vibe.”

“It’s called ‘vintage style’!” another colleague chimed in with a laugh.

“Right, vintage,” Sister Zhuan said, her eyes drifting toward the boss. “Hey, President Jian is going for the vintage look today too. Did you guys coordinate?”

Lu Ying looked down at her dress and waved her hands frantically. “No, no! I just happened to pick this one…”

Sister Zhuan sighed. “Ah, the beauty of beautiful women is always similar. Even their daily styles overlap.”

Old Zhou, a male colleague nearby, piped up: “Exactly. Beauty has infinite similarities; only ugliness is uniquely diverse.”

Yu Linchuan raised an eyebrow. “Are you implying something about me?”

Old Zhou scrambled to explain, “No, no, Great Aunt! How could I? I was talking about myself!”

Sister Zhuan and Old Zhou worked closely together and often bickered like siblings. Seeing them get into a loud argument, Lu Ying shook her head and went to explore the rooms of the party house.

The villa had two floors. On the first floor, she saw a board game room, a sports zone, a video game area, and a mahjong room. Lu Ying stole another glance at President Jian, who was still talking and hadn’t seemed to notice her.

Why am I feeling a bit unhappy?

She’d dressed up so nicely today. Why hadn’t President Jian even given her a single look!

Pouting, Lu Ying marched into the sports zone. It had a home-style trampoline and a small rock-climbing wall. Two male colleagues had their jackets off, ready to give it a go. Seeing her enter, their eyes lit up. The international team lead nudged his subordinate: “Come on, let’s show the ‘Flower of the Department’ what we can do!”

With a beauty watching, they were full of drive, rubbing their hands together as they stepped onto the first climbing holds and gripped their way up.

Lu Ying had originally intended to just take a quick peek, but since they had started performing, she was forced to stand there awkwardly until they finished. Suddenly, a hand patted her shoulder. Thinking it was Sister Zhuan again, Lu Ying unceremoniously slapped the hand away. “What now? Won your argument with Old Zhou and finally realized you needed me?”

She turned around as she spoke, only to find President Jian looking at her with a beaming smile. Startled, Lu Ying whipped her head back around.

Crap. I think I just hit President Jian!

But… God, she looked so good when she smiled.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Jian Qin said first, breaking the awkwardness. “Want to play Werewolf? We’re short two people.”

Lu Ying answered honestly, “The team lead said he wanted to show me his rock climbing. I have to wait a bit.”

Jian Qin looked up at the men huffing and puffing their way up the wall, the smile in her eyes fading slightly. These two were the department’s perennial bachelors; she’d heard them discussing Lu Ying’s looks in private before.

After a pause, Jian Qin said, “The game over there is starting soon. We can’t wait.”

“Alright then…” Lu Ying shouted to the male colleagues who were struggling toward the top, “I’m heading out! Good luck, you guys!”

With President Jian leading the way, they went to the board game room. Not everyone had arrived yet, so people were sitting around the table with drinks, waiting.

Just as Lu Ying sat down, a colleague with a camera walked over. “Lu Ying, you look way too good today! Come over here, let me take a few photos. The light is perfect in this spot.”

“No, no, I—”

Before she could finish, her colleague was already pulling her. “Oh, don’t be shy! A beauty should seize every opportunity to capture her beautiful moments!”

Lu Ying wanted to refuse, but other colleagues joined in to persuade her. “Sister Lin is a great photographer, trust her!”

Unable to say no, Lu Ying followed them and was posed with a gaudy balloon.

At that moment, Jian Qin suddenly spoke up. “I’ve been wanting to try photography myself. Could I borrow that for a second?”

The colleague nimbly handed over the camera. Jian Qin thanked her, and the owner laughed. “Don’t be so formal, President Jian. Take as many as you like.”

Lu Ying: “…”

Excuse me, did anyone ask the model’s opinion before suddenly switching photographers?!

Jian Qin raised the camera and aimed the lens at Lu Ying. The girl’s heart hammered against her ribs; she was so nervous she didn’t know what to do with her hands and feet. This exact scene had just happened in the Mary Sue world, and she had been perfectly calm then, but in reality, she couldn’t act natural to save her life.

Her rational side told her not to let President Jian recreate the novel’s plot, fearing it would trigger the feelings she was trying so hard to hide. Her emotional side, however, whispered that she wanted President Jian to take her photo, to make up for the lingering regrets from that other world.

Her expression was stiff. A colleague reminded her from the side, “Lu Ying, don’t be so tense. Relax.”

“I—” Before Lu Ying could get a word out, the shutter clicked. Jian Qin had taken a photo.

Jian Qin checked the screen. She wasn’t satisfied; the subject was too tense. Beautiful, yes, but lacking that special spark.

As she was trying to figure out how to get a better shot, Yu Linchuan arrived, having had enough of her argument. She ran over with a new discovery. “Sakura! There’s a super cute Shiba over there!”

“A Shiba? A Shiba Inu?!”

Lu Ying’s eyes lit up, her stiff expression instantly becoming vivid and animated. “A Shiba Inu?!”

Click.

Jian Qin seized the moment, capturing those sparkling eyes in the camera. It was an excellent shot. She went to show it to Lu Ying, but the girl only gave it a cursory glance before running off to see the dog.

Jian Qin pursed her lips, asked her subordinate to delete the first stiff photo, and followed Lu Ying upstairs.

The Shiba had been borrowed from a Shiba-themed cafe owned by a friend of hers. Apparently, he was their star attraction, named Douhua. This dog was a special surprise she had prepared specifically for Lu Ying.

The friend who delivered Douhua smiled at Jian Qin. “I’m leaving Douhua in your hands. If he loses a single hair, I’m making you pay.”

Knowing he was joking, Jian Qin countered, “Your Douhua sheds constantly on his own. Don’t try to pin that on me.”

Lu Ying was crouched next to the dog, utterly smitten. She reached out to touch his little ears. When he turned to grin at her, her heart melted.

Ugh, how can something be this cute!

Fluffy Douhua wore a bib with the character “Hua” (Flower) on it. He had that warm, trademark Shiba grin and a tail that wouldn’t stop wagging. Lu Ying happily stroked his fur. Seeing how much she liked him, the owner stepped in to tell her exactly where Douhua liked to be scratched.

With the owner’s “cheat codes,” it didn’t take long for Douhua to flop over at Lu Ying’s feet, letting her rub his belly. Other colleagues scratched him for a bit before moving on to other activities. Yu Linchuan went off to join the karaoke group. Only Lu Ying remained, blissfully lost in petting the dog.

Jian Qin saw her friend off, taking a bag of Douhua’s toys with her. When she returned and saw Lu Ying playing alone with the dog, she was about to give her the toys when she overheard her talking.

“Douhua, do you like your big sister? Hahaha, don’t lick my face! I know you like me! Oh, Douhua, why are you so cute? Tell me, is everyone with ‘Hua’ in their name this adorable? Hmm?”

She was talking to herself, but in the doorway, Jian Qin’s heart gave a sudden leap. She remembered the way the Young Mistress had called her “Hua Hua.”

Someone with ‘Hua’ in their name… is she thinking about the ‘Hua Hua’ I think she is?

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