My Elite Boss Is Carrying My Child - Chapter 5

Qu Mingluo’s searching movements stopped, and he turned around.

The light from the walk-in closet’s ceiling spilled over him, casting a small shadow over his eyes that made his features look deeper and even more inscrutable than usual.

“Why ‘never mind’?” he asked.

Qi Jiezhi gripped the hem of his shirt. “This shirt was cheap to begin with. Getting a little lint on it won’t hurt.”

“And?” Qu Mingluo took a step closer to him.

“So you don’t need to compensate me,” Qi Jiezhi said, instinctively backing away until his back hit the cold door of a wardrobe. “Besides, theoretically, I should be the one compensating you for your sweater.”

“Theoretically?” Qu Mingluo took another step. The distance between them was now so small that Qi Jiezhi could smell the faint, woody scent of his cologne. “Are you trying to say I’m doing something unnecessary?”

Qi Jiezhi’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He wanted to say yes, but looking into Qu Mingluo’s eyes, his tongue felt tied in knots.

“I…”

“I get it,” Qu Mingluo said. “You’re not satisfied with the clothes here and feel I’m neglecting you. In that case, come with me to—”

Before he could finish, Qi Jiezhi quickly snatched a garment and dashed further inside. “I’ll change, President Qu. Just wait a second.”

Qu Mingluo fell silent, letting him go.

A moment later, Qi Jiezhi emerged in his new clothes.

He felt a bit shy meeting Qu Mingluo’s gaze, but upon seeing him, Qu Mingluo offered a compliment: “It looks good. It suits you well.”

Qi Jiezhi looked down at what he was wearing.

It was a light gray cashmere sweater. It felt incredibly soft to the touch, the cuffs sat perfectly at his wrists, and the shoulder seams were a perfect fit, almost as if it had been tailored for him.

“This is really…” He tugged at the hem. “Too expensive.”

Qu Mingluo said, “If you don’t like it, you can come to my place and pick something else.”

Qi Jiezhi looked up at him and shook his head vigorously.

Qu Mingluo nodded and turned to walk out. “Let’s head down. Xiao Xing will get anxious waiting if we’re both gone.”

Qi Jiezhi followed behind him, his fingers unconsciously tracing the texture of the cashmere.

The tag was still on the garment, he had noticed it while changing. It was even more expensive than he had imagined, enough to cover his living expenses for a long time.

Watching the back of the man in front of him, Qi Jiezhi suddenly recalled that woody scent from the closet when Qu Mingluo had moved close.

“President Qu,” he couldn’t help but call out.

Qu Mingluo stopped. “What?”

“Thank you.”

When they reached the ground floor, Xi Xingyu had moved to a different spot.

Seeing them come down, the boy’s eyes lit up. “Brother Qi! You changed your clothes!”

“Yeah.” Qi Jiezhi walked over. “Does it look good?”

“It looks great!” Xi Xingyu said. “This one is just like Brother’s!”

Qi Jiezhi froze. He looked down at his own clothes, then at Qu Mingluo’s. They were both wearing light gray cashmere sweaters. At a glance, they really did look identical.

They weren’t exactly the same, but they were very similar…

Like matching couple’s outfits.

“They aren’t the same,” Qu Mingluo said as he sat down nearby. “They’re from different brands.”

Qi Jiezhi immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid Xi Xingyu would say something else he wouldn’t know how to answer.

“But they look the same!” Xi Xingyu said excitedly. “You! You’re both my big brothers!”

“Right,” Qi Jiezhi said. “We were both your brothers to begin with.”

Xi Xingyu laughed and went back to playing with his toys.

Qi Jiezhi, however, couldn’t shake a feeling of unease. This sweater was too soft, a complete departure from his usual wardrobe.

“Brother Qi,” Xi Xingyu suddenly said, “will you take me to school tomorrow?”

“Me?”

“I’ll take him,” Qu Mingluo said. “He has to work, he doesn’t need to wake up as early as you.”

“Then since Brother is taking me, can he take Brother Qi too?” Xi Xingyu asked. “Would it be a lot of trouble?”

“Are you asking because you don’t want me to take you?” Qu Mingluo said. “If you don’t want me to, the driver can take you.”

Xi Xingyu pouted. “Fine, you take me then.”

Listening to this exchange, Qi Jiezhi realized the kid just wanted him to be the one to see him off.

He looked at Qu Mingluo and asked, “How about I just take him?”

“You’re too indulgent with him, you can’t be like that,” Qu Mingluo said. “He needs to learn that no one should spend all their time on him.”

“If you won’t take me, can I make another request?” Xi Xingyu asked, looking at Qu Mingluo.

“Go ahead, what do you want?”

Xi Xingyu blinked, flashing a sly smile. “I want Brother Qi to take me to the amusement park.”

“Ask your parents. If they agree, then you can ask Brother Qi if he’s willing.”

“They aren’t home, though.” Xi Xingyu turned to Qi Jiezhi. “Brother Qi, do you want to go?”

Qi Jiezhi looked at the boy’s expectant eyes and caught a glimpse of Qu Mingluo’s slightly furrowed brow. He knew this wasn’t something he should agree to, but Xi Xingyu’s eyes were just too bright.

“I can’t decide that. Ask your brother,” he said. “If he agrees, I’ll go.”

Xi Xingyu immediately turned to Qu Mingluo, clasping his hands together. “Brother, please, I beg you.”

“Depends on your behavior.”

Qu Mingluo’s tone was almost cold.

“Brother Qi, do you want to go?” Xi Xingyu asked. “If you want to go, we don’t have to care what my brother thinks.”

Looking at those shining eyes, Qi Jiezhi didn’t know how to voice a rejection. But he knew he had to follow Qu Mingluo’s lead.

“Go ahead,” Qu Mingluo said. “I’ll go with you. Otherwise, if you get lost, how is your Brother Qi supposed to handle the responsibility alone?”

“I’m not a stupid kid like that!” Xi Xingyu said. “Brother is so mean, I’m going to tell Mom and Dad.”

“As you said, your parents aren’t here. If you call them now and they’re sleeping, what will you do?”

“No fun,” Xi Xingyu muttered, but then cheered up again. “But I get to go to the amusement park!”

Qi Jiezhi nodded with a smile. From the corner of his eye, he saw Qu Mingluo looking at him. It wasn’t a deep look, just a casual glance, so Qi Jiezhi didn’t give it much thought.

After breakfast, Qu Mingluo took Xi Xingyu to school without waking Qi Jiezhi up.

When Qi Jiezhi finally got up, a breakfast had already been prepared for him. He felt a bit overwhelmed, not having expected such things to be provided for him here.

Qu Mingluo returned after the school run and waited nearby for Qi Jiezhi to finish eating. Only when he saw him finishing up did he go to change his clothes.

Qi Jiezhi rode to work in the car with Qu Mingluo, both of them sitting in the back seat.

The car was spacious, but Qi Jiezhi felt as if the air was thin. He sat beside Qu Mingluo with less than half an arm’s length between them.

Qu Mingluo had changed into a dark gray suit jacket, but underneath, he still wore a light gray cashmere sweater, almost identical in color to the one Qi Jiezhi was wearing.

Just like yesterday, the two looked as if they had accidentally stepped out in matching outfits, both pretending not to notice.

The driver was quiet, simply heading toward Hengxin.

Qi Jiezhi looked out the window. Haijing Bay was quiet in the early morning. There were joggers on the road, elderly people walking dogs, and young mothers pushing strollers. It seemed no different from any other neighborhood, but he usually wouldn’t notice these things. He was always too worried about being late for work and having his wages docked.

“Did you sleep well last night?” Qu Mingluo suddenly spoke.

“Very well,” Qi Jiezhi said. “The bed was comfortable, and the view was beautiful.”

“That’s good.”

With that, Qu Mingluo said nothing more. Qi Jiezhi turned to look at him.

Qu Mingluo’s profile was exceptionally clear in the morning light. His eyelashes were long, casting a small shadow under his eyes. Today, the cartoon bandage on his temple had been replaced with a new one, clearly applied by Xi Xingyu again.

The car grew quiet, save for the low hum of the engine.

“We’re here.”

The car stopped at the Hengxin building. The driver had already stepped out to open the door on Qi Jiezhi’s side.

A cold wind rushed in, clearing the awkward air inside the car. Qi Jiezhi hopped out quickly, seemingly unwilling to linger in that atmosphere for a second longer.

“Come directly over after work,” Qu Mingluo said. “We’ll go back together.”

“Alright, President Qu,” Qi Jiezhi said. “I’ll definitely be the first one out.”

“Mhm.”

Qi Jiezhi walked quickly into the building. But as soon as he sat down at his desk, “Plant Sister” let out a cry of surprise. “Xiao Qi! Your clothes!”

Qi Jiezhi looked down at his cashmere sweater. “They aren’t mine.”

“This might be a mass-produced item, but the supply was tiny. You can’t even get one for 1.5 times the price now.”

“President Qu lent it to me,” Qi Jiezhi said, preferring the truth over a lie that would require a thousand more to cover up. “My own clothes met with a bit of an accident.”

The entire office went dead silent.

“Standee Guy” picked up one of his figurines. “Are you talking about that President Qu on the 28th floor?”

“Yes.”

Qi Jiezhi turned on his computer, pretending all his attention was on his work. However, he could feel everyone’s eyes on him. Moreover, he could smell the scent on himself, the exact same woody cologne that Qu Mingluo wore. The scent lingered around his nose, making it feel as though there really was some intimate connection between them.

But… there wasn’t.

Qi Jiezhi knew very well that he had no real connection to the man. Even if he was acting as his employer for a few days, it was only for a few days.

Qi Jiezhi stared at the computer screen. His fingers hovered over the keyboard for a long time, but the document remained blank.

He thought back to Qu Mingluo’s tone this morning, as flat as if he were discussing the weather. This man was always like this, saying cold words, yet those words were often backed by warm gestures, making it impossible to tell if it was genuine or just a habit.

Near the lunch break, Qi Jiezhi’s phone vibrated. It was a message from Qu Mingluo.

[What are you having for lunch?]

Qi Jiezhi paused, then replied: [Convenience store downstairs.]

The other party was typing, then stopped for a long time.

Then: [Don’t eat that.]

Just as Qi Jiezhi was about to ask why, another message from Qu Mingluo arrived: [Come up.]

Qi Jiezhi stared at those two words, his heart skipping a beat.

Come up? To the 28th floor to eat with him?

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