My Elite Boss Is Carrying My Child - Chapter 2

“Work hard,” Qu Mingluo said, “it’s not your fault.”

“Thank you, President Qu,” Qi Jiezhi replied with sincere gratitude, “you’re truly a good person.”

On the other end of the line, Qu Mingluo fell silent.

“Should I give the phone back to Sister Lin now?” Qi Jiezhi asked when he didn’t hear a response.

“Mhm.”

After that brief exchange, Qu Mingluo hung up.

Lin Shuangyu led Qi Jiezhi downstairs, pushed open an office door, and introduced him to his new workstation.

The lights in this office were bright, a sharp contrast to the environment Qi Jiezhi had been in that morning. He squinted slightly as he took in his surroundings.

The office was smaller than he had imagined, but thankfully, it was fully equipped. The other people in the room had been busy with their own tasks, only looking up because of his arrival.

It felt like a real workplace.

Qi Jiezhi glanced around. There were currently three people in the office.

On the left, a girl had several potted plants on her desk, along with plush toys standing guard like sentries.

To the right, a guy had his monitor propped up quite high, with various character standees lined up in front of it.

By the window, another guy had a keyboard rack set up. The last remaining empty spot was clearly his.

They looked up at Qi Jiezhi, then quietly returned to their work. No one spoke, and the only sound was the rhythmic clicking of keyboards.

Lin Shuangyu tapped the only empty desk. “This spot is yours.”

“Got it,” Qi Jiezhi said, “thank you, Sister Lin.”

Lin Shuangyu smiled. “You’ve got a sweet tongue and a sweet face, Xiao Qi. That’s your advantage.”

Qi Jiezhi nodded, only half-understanding, and then whispered, “Did President Qu not suspect me because of my looks?”

“With anyone else, maybe,” Lin Shuangyu said, “but not President Qu.”

She reached out and pinned the badge to his chest. “You don’t need to worry about President Qu. Hengxin doesn’t actually belong to him.”

Qi Jiezhi was still a bit confused.

The guy by the window interjected from across the room, “It’s actually scarier than if he did own it.”

Before Qi Jiezhi could react, Lin Shuangyu pulled out a stack of documents and thudded them onto his desk.

“Don’t overthink it. Just listen to what President Qu says.”

Qi Jiezhi looked down at the back of his hand, where the tooth marks were still visible. “I’ll work hard.”

“Good luck then,” Lin Shuangyu said. “If you have any issues, you can always find President Lu in the office across the hall.”

“Will do, thanks, Sister Lin,” Qi Jiezhi nodded.

After sitting down, Qi Jiezhi opened the intern files on his desktop. He had heard long ago that interns at Hengxin were expected to be self-sufficient.

“He’s a sharp one.”

After he had been reading for a while, the “Keyboard Guy” spoke up.

“Eh?” Qi Jiezhi looked up at him.

Keyboard Guy didn’t look back. “Don’t ‘eh’ me. You’re smart, no need to play the innocent rookie.”

Qi Jiezhi felt a bit embarrassed. Just as he was about to speak, “Plant Sister” across from him let out a laugh and pushed a succulent toward him. “A welcome gift.”

“Thank you, Sister.” Qi Jiezhi picked up the succulent and looked at it closely. “It’s so well-cared for.”

“Standee Guy” gave him a keychain. “This one has a ‘revive’ skill. It might bring you some good luck at a critical moment.”

Qi Jiezhi asked them, “Does this mean I passed the test?”

“It does,” Keyboard Guy said. “We’re colleagues now. Competition at Hengxin is fierce. If you want to just cruise along, just keep doing what you’re doing.”

“Great!” Qi Jiezhi smiled. “Thank you, everyone.”

“But Xiao Qi, I still have one question.”

“What is it?”

Qi Jiezhi felt a bit nervous. He was afraid they would ask about Qu Mingluo and he wouldn’t be able to explain.

“Is President Qu handsome?”

“He is,” Qi Jiezhi answered instinctively, which prompted everyone else to laugh.

“If a handsome guy like you calls him handsome, then he must be the real deal.”

Qi Jiezhi was stunned for a moment before saying, “Thank you.”

He set to work, and everyone else went back to their own business. Qi Jiezhi felt that things were going well, and he didn’t need to worry about anything else for the moment.

After work, he grabbed a bite to eat at a convenience store downstairs, then took the subway, transferred to a bus, and finally rode a shared bike to Haijing Bay.

He wasn’t visiting the wealthy district for fun. Rather, thanks to his excellent academic record and past achievements, he had landed a very high-paying job as a private tutor.

In a city like Linjiang, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, Qi Jiezhi hoped to own his own home. He was willing to work tirelessly for years to achieve this, as the most secure way to obtain a local residency permit was to own property.

Before graduation, his residency was tied to the school. Now that he had graduated, he could only delay it temporarily. Although he could eventually tie it to the company, he wanted a more permanent solution.

Qi Jiezhi had his own special brand of stubbornness regarding this city.

After a while, he arrived at the seaside villa of his student.

Qi Jiezhi parked the bike, the iron gate recognized his face, and it swung open.

“Good evening, Teacher Qi!”

Qi Jiezhi looked up and saw Xi Xingyu on the second-floor terrace. This was his student, a third-grader.

“Good evening.” Qi Jiezhi shook his backpack. “I brought some new worksheets for you.”

“Then my evening just got worse,” Xi Xingyu joked, covering his eyes. “I can’t see them, I can’t see them!”

Despite his words, he ran down to meet Qi Jiezhi.

“Come in,” Xi Xingyu said. “I had a little cake prepared for you. It’s your favorite flavor.”

“Oh?” Qi Jiezhi said, “Thank you.”

“Then you should give me less homework,” Xi Xingyu said, “as a reward for my cake.”

Qi Jiezhi laughed. “Alright, little cake.”

“It’s a deal, for the cake.”

Qi Jiezhi pinky-swore with Xi Xingyu before stepping inside.

The sensor lights in the entryway came on, and Qi Jiezhi saw some toys scattered on the floor. Xi Xingyu bent down, picked one up, and stuffed it into his hand. “Teacher, I prepared this for you too.”

“Really?” Qi Jiezhi asked casually.

“Of course. You can’t expect me to admit I just forgot to clean it up,” Xi Xingyu pouted. “I have a reputation to maintain.”

Only one light was on in the dining room. A strawberry cream cake sat on the long table. Xi Xingyu held the cake in his hands. “I helped the lady when she was making it.”

Qi Jiezhi smiled instantly, his eyes crinkling. “You’re so talented, Xiao Xing.”

Even if it was just simple help, it was the thought that counted, and Qi Jiezhi praised him sincerely.

“Of course, you’re my favorite older brother,” Xi Xingyu told him earnestly.

He had seen all kinds of teachers growing up, but only Qi Jiezhi felt different to him. Since Qi Jiezhi started tutoring him during his sophomore year, Xi Xingyu had refused to learn from anyone else.

The school hadn’t been too far from here before, but now that Qi Jiezhi was at Hengxin, the distance was much greater.

When Qi Jiezhi mentioned this, Xi Xingyu immediately told his parents to give him a raise. His parents respected their son’s opinions, so they agreed readily.

Having taught him for several years, Qi Jiezhi genuinely liked the cheerful boy.

“Quick, try it,” Xi Xingyu said.

“Okay.”

Qi Jiezhi set the cake down and took a careful bite. “It’s delicious.”

He reached out and ruffled Xi Xingyu’s hair.

Xi Xingyu’s eyes sparkled. “That’s great!”

He was so thrilled by the praise that he practically beamed. He said, “Eat some more, and I’ll have more ready for you next time!”

“Thank you!” Qi Jiezhi said. “But even so, I’m not reducing your homework.”

Xi Xingyu’s dark eyes darted around. “I wasn’t trying to bargain with you.”

Qi Jiezhi paused and looked down at him. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Xi Xingyu rubbed his head against his arm. “I just wanted a ‘homework-free’ coupon.”

The little guy was quite the schemer. Qi Jiezhi chuckled, “No can do.”

“Fine, you can still have my cake though,” Xi Xingyu laughed. “After all, you’re very cute.”

Qi Jiezhi blinked. Had he just been called cute by a kid?

While Qi Jiezhi was dazed, Xi Xingyu poked the last strawberry toward his lips, and he instinctively took it.

“Teacher Qi, your face is red.” Xi Xingyu noticed it like he had found a new continent, poking his cheek. “My big brother says people with red faces can’t hide their secrets.”

Qi Jiezhi caught the restless little hand. “Homework time. If we delay any longer, we’ll have to stay late.”

“Fine,” Xi Xingyu grumbled softly, his voice sweet. “We’ll go do homework after you finish eating.”

“Okay,” Qi Jiezhi asked, “Wait, you have a big brother?”

“Yeah,” Xi Xingyu said, “A super, super handsome brother. He’s on the same level as you.”

“What level am I on?” Qi Jiezhi asked.

“The highest level.”

“The highest level?” Qi Jiezhi was amused by this child-sized “official certification.” “Then I’ll have to work hard, or I’ll get demoted next time.”

Xi Xingyu puffed out his chest. “Don’t worry, this isn’t like a test grade. You’re just a super handsome guy!”

“Well, that’s good to hear,” Qi Jiezhi said. “I can still be a strict teacher then.”

Xi Xingyu asked, “Does a cute, handsome guy not get any special treatment?”

“Not a bit, dear,” Qi Jiezhi said with a smile. “Go do your worksheets.”

“Okay.” Though Xi Xingyu sounded a bit disgruntled, he was very obedient. He wouldn’t make things difficult for Qi Jiezhi.

The two went upstairs hand-in-hand. Qi Jiezhi was careful with his movements, afraid the boy might trip.

Xi Xingyu cooperated fully, sitting in his usual spot and turning on the lights once they were upstairs.

He suddenly thought of something and asked, “My big brother might come by in the next few days. Do you want to stay here? You could meet him later.”

Qi Jiezhi asked, “Why would I need to meet him?”

“Mom said he’s a distant relative, but you’re my best teacher. If you two knew each other, maybe you could both stay with me for a long time.”

Hearing this, Qi Jiezhi was momentarily stunned.

In a daze, he seemed to see his younger self talking to his own mother. When he was little, he had told his mom the same thing: I hope you can stay with me for a long time.

Unfortunately, after his mother made sure he could live independently, she had secretly tucked a sum of money away for him, then jumped from a tall building, followed by a fire.

She hadn’t even left a body behind for him.

“What’s wrong, Teacher Qi?” Xi Xingyu asked. “Do you not want to meet my brother?”

“No,” Qi Jiezhi said, “I’d like to see a handsome guy too, I just don’t know if we’ll have the chance.”

“You will, you will,” Xi Xingyu said sweetly. “You’ll definitely find him stunning!”

“Then I’ll…” Qi Jiezhi smiled, “look forward to it?”

Support My Elite Boss Is Carrying My Child