My Elite Boss Is Carrying My Child - Chapter 15

The next morning, Qi Jiezhi woke up on time. As usual, Qu Mingluo took Xi Xingyu to his classes early before driving Qi Jiezhi to work.

Sitting beside Qu Mingluo, Qi Jiezhi watched the scenery blur past the window, his fingers absentmindedly stroking the photo tucked into the back of his phone case. The early morning sun streamed through the car window, casting a soft halo over Qu Mingluo’s profile and making him appear gentler than usual.

Qi Jiezhi felt this shift might have something to do with what happened yesterday.

“Brother Ming,” Qi Jiezhi couldn’t help but ask, “is today… still the same as before?”

Qu Mingluo seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if he hadn’t quite processed the question. “Yes,” he finally replied.

“Okay,” Qi Jiezhi said softly.

Silence fell between them again, filled only by the music flowing from the car’s speakers. Qi Jiezhi couldn’t quite name what he was wrestling with, but since he was already in this state of mind, he didn’t bother trying to fix it.

When they arrived at the company, Qu Mingluo parked in the underground garage but didn’t get out immediately. Qi Jiezhi didn’t move either. Qu Mingluo looked at him, his eyes flickering with something Qi Jiezhi couldn’t quite decipher.

After their trip to the amusement park yesterday, both of them seemed a bit dazed.

“Go on up,” Qu Mingluo told him.

Qi Jiezhi didn’t say anything more. This was how they always did things, they never went up together. Once upstairs, however, Qi Jiezhi found himself distracted. He didn’t want his personal thoughts to affect his performance, so he fought to keep his emotions in check.

He sat at his workstation, staring blankly at the computer screen until a colleague leaned over and asked mysteriously, “Xiao Qi, have you… been getting close with President Qu lately?”

Qi Jiezhi’s heart tightened, but he kept his expression neutral. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” the colleague lowered their voice, “someone saw you getting out of his car. People are talking…”

“Talking about what?”

“Saying that you’re…” The colleague hesitated, “President Qu’s person.”

Qi Jiezhi’s fingers paused over the keyboard.

“I’m not,” he said quietly. “I’m just his younger brother’s tutor.”

The colleague nodded skeptically but didn’t press further. Qi Jiezhi stared at the screen, yet he couldn’t process a single word. Almost instinctively, he flipped his phone over. At that moment, the polaroid photo behind the case felt like it was burning.

When lunch break arrived, Qi Jiezhi went straight upstairs. He felt that facing Qu Mingluo was preferable to facing his colleagues. Once there, he told Qu Mingluo about the conversation.

“It’s fine, you can tell them the truth,” Qu Mingluo said. “Just don’t let it affect your mood.”

Qi Jiezhi nodded. He knew Qu Mingluo was simply looking out for him.

“Stay here for your lunch break, don’t go back down,” Qu Mingluo added.

Since this wasn’t the first time, Qi Jiezhi didn’t refuse. And just like before, he left with Qu Mingluo after work.

That afternoon, while tutoring Xi Xingyu, Qi Jiezhi remained distracted. Sensing this, Xi Xingyu put down his pen and looked at him with concern. “Brother Qi, are you unhappy?”

“No,” Qi Jiezhi smiled, “just thinking about things.”

“Are you thinking about my brother?” Xi Xingyu asked suddenly.

Qi Jiezhi’s pen dragged a long, jagged line across the paper.

“Xingyu…”

“Did I say something wrong?”

“I’m just thinking about some strange things, it doesn’t really have anything to do with your brother,” Qi Jiezhi explained.

“Oh, I see…” Having received an answer, Xi Xingyu didn’t ask further. He knew Qi Jiezhi wouldn’t say more once he reached that point.

Qi Jiezhi was naturally a very focused person who disliked being disturbed or making mistakes at work, so his current state was quite frustrating for him. Xi Xingyu didn’t want to nag him, so he simply went back to his homework.

The boy always handled things so well, and even Qi Jiezhi could feel the warmth he radiated. He marveled at how someone so young could already manage so many things, it seemed like an innate ability. This made Qi Jiezhi think of Qu Mingluo again.

In many people’s eyes, Qu Mingluo was an untouchable, formidable figure, but he must have been young once too. Perhaps he hadn’t been that different from Xi Xingyu. Since they were blood relatives, it made sense that they would share similar traits.

Qi Jiezhi quickly pulled himself out of that train of thought, realizing how pointless it was. He refocused and went back to checking Xi Xingyu’s work. The setting sun slanted through the window, casting a warm patch of light on the desk.

“Can you help me with this problem, Brother Qi?” Xi Xingyu asked.

Qi Jiezhi looked at the problem immediately and explained it. By the time he finished, Xi Xingyu understood it perfectly. The boy probably didn’t even need help with the question, he likely only asked to pull Qi Jiezhi out of his funk.

“Brother Qi,” Xi Xingyu said suddenly, “are you tired today?”

“A little,” Qi Jiezhi admitted, “but it’s fine. Let’s finish the homework first.”

“I’ll go get you a glass of water!” Xi Xingyu hopped off his chair and ran out the door.

Qi Jiezhi tried to call him back, but it was too late. Watching the boy’s retreating figure, he felt something soften in his chest.

A moment later, Xi Xingyu returned with a glass of water, followed by Qu Mingluo.

“Brother also said you looked tired!” Xi Xingyu said proudly. “So he came to see you too!”

Qi Jiezhi looked up and met Qu Mingluo’s eyes. There was something in that gaze he couldn’t quite read, like concern, or perhaps something else.

“Brother Ming…”

“Xingyu said you weren’t feeling yourself today.” Qu Mingluo walked over and leaned naturally against the desk. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” Qi Jiezhi lowered his head, “I guess… maybe I’m just getting older.”

Qu Mingluo’s fingers paused on the edge of the table. “Is Xingyu’s homework done?”

Qi Jiezhi nodded. Qu Mingluo said, “Then go rest now. Don’t push yourself, and don’t feel like you have to stay here.”

He continued, “If I couldn’t even see through that much, I wouldn’t have any business being a CEO.”

Qi Jiezhi knew Qu Mingluo was saying this just to make him feel comfortable enough to rest, yet he was still moved. Qu Mingluo had no obligation to be this kind just to please him. It was clear the man genuinely cared.

“Thank you, Brother Ming,” Qi Jiezhi said. “I’ll go rest then.”

But once he actually lay down, the discomfort persisted. It didn’t feel like an emotional slump anymore, but a physical one. Qi Jiezhi wondered if he had caught a cold after not being careful at the amusement park yesterday.

That would be terrible. He had hated being sick ever since he was a kid, and he hated wasting time on it. In school, he had obsessed over his grades; now, he obsessed over his perfect attendance. Missing work would affect his pay, and he didn’t want that.

He had intended to say nothing, but before long, there was a knock on his door. Qu Mingluo had brought him some cold prevention medicine.

Qi Jiezhi was stunned. He hadn’t said a word, yet Qu Mingluo had prepared this for him.

“Brother Ming?” Qi Jiezhi found it hard to believe.

“It looks like the early signs of a cold. Take this as a precaution,” Qu Mingluo said. “If it stops the cold from developing, that’s best. If you do get sick, it’ll make you feel a bit better.”

Aside from saying thank you, Qi Jiezhi didn’t know what else to say.

“If you don’t feel well, don’t worry about work,” Qu Mingluo added. “I’ll tell the company I sent you on an assignment. No one will say a word.”

Qi Jiezhi was speechless. In his experience, employers didn’t care about such things, yet here was someone who had thought of everything. And he was doing it specifically for him.

“Brother Ming, I really don’t know what to say,” Qi Jiezhi said. “Thank you, thank you so much!”

Qu Mingluo laughed. “You don’t have to keep saying it.”

Qi Jiezhi asked, “Shouldn’t you stay away from me? I’d feel terrible if I gave this to you.”

“If you really are coming down with something, it’s because we went to the amusement park together,” Qu Mingluo replied. “We’re the ones who insisted you come along, so I should have accounted for this.”

Looking at him, Qi Jiezhi felt that he was experiencing a level of care he hadn’t known in years. Qu Mingluo… was truly a good person.

This realization made Qi Jiezhi feel a deep need to repay both him and Xi Xingyu. He already viewed Xingyu as a younger brother; after so much time together, he couldn’t help but care for him. But his recent state of mind made him feel very uneasy, as if his feelings were shifting in a way he hadn’t expected. He surely didn’t want to become the person Xingyu was always hinting at, did he?

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