My Weak Lover Became A Weird Boss - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Professor Wen’s Sudden Catch

“Working overtime tonight. Make sure to eat well.”

The message was from Pei Qingshan.

Linjing hadn’t been peaceful lately; even Wen Zhu could feel it. He tapped the screen lightly: “Okay, you stay safe too.”

Switching off his phone, Wen Zhu packed up the project reports on his desk. He was about to head to the market when someone stopped him. “Professor Wen, did you forget the project group gathering tonight?”

Wen Zhu looked up. It was a familiar face, though blurred by the long, grueling days in the laboratory. He paused, then acted as if he had just remembered. “Oh? Where are we meeting?”

—That’s a pity; I have to go home and feed my pet.

“Rou Qu.”

“Then…” Wen Zhu snapped to attention, his tone shifting abruptly. “Where?”

“That hotel on Yexing Road. Have you been there, Professor Wen?”

Wen Zhu smiled. “No, but I’ve actually been wanting to find a time to go and have a taste.”

“Really?” the person said in surprise. “If even you say that, the food must be great!”

Behind him, the great serpent hidden in the shadows stirred. Wen Zhu instinctively ran his tongue over his canines and got into his car without a word.

With such a thick scent of blood in the air, the “taste” would surely be excellent.

It’s social invitations every single day. Why don’t you just drink yourself to death?”

“Honey, honey, I promise I’ll come home right after work to be with you… I said that last time? Well, last time I ran into a major inspection…” Old Zhang, terrified by his wife’s phone call, had sobered up instantly. He was cowering in the restroom, apologizing profusely, but his right to explain was unilaterally cut off before he could finish.

Old Zhang, a middle-aged man in his forties who had managed to climb into management, squatted miserably on the floor to clear his head. He splashed cold water on his face.

As he stepped out of his “comfort zone” in the restroom, he squinted and froze. His drifting gaze suddenly locked onto a familiar figure.

Despite the crowd and his half-drunken state, he recognized the man instantly, mainly because the man stood out so sharply in a crowd.

He was tall and large-framed; even a lazy set of casual clothes couldn’t hide the lethal, imposing aura radiating from his broad shoulders.

“Yo, isn’t that Professor Wen’s other half?” Old Zhang murmured.

He hadn’t seen clearly before, but as the crowd shifted, Old Zhang noticed a slender young boy following closely behind Professor Wen’s husband. The man blocked most of him, but they appeared to be walking very close together—extremely intimate.

Old Zhang said sourly, “It’s good to be young. Even after marriage, he doesn’t forget to come out for a romantic dinner.”

The luxurious, ginger-white light from the lamps illuminated the boy’s face. A youthful, timid face gradually came into focus in Old Zhang’s pupils.

Old Zhang wiped his glasses and put them back on, jumping in fright.

What’s going on?!

That’s not Professor Wen either!

Old Zhang hurriedly fumbled for his phone in his pocket.

“Get lost, I don’t—”

“Honey, honey, don’t hang up! Guess who I saw eating at ‘Rou Qu’?” Old Zhang hunched over to observe stealthily. “Professor Wen’s mysterious husband!”

The woman’s voice came through the phone, sounding unimpressed. “So what? Can’t a young couple go out for dinner without you interfering?”

“Oh man! The point is, the boy with him isn’t Professor Wen!”

“What?” The woman’s tone changed instantly. “Xiao Pei is having an affair?”

“I wouldn’t go that far…” As a frontline reporter, Old Zhang was hesitant about the facts.

“What do you mean you wouldn’t go that far?” the woman snapped. “Professor Wen is about to get off work too. I’m going to go ask him what’s going on in a bit.”

“Hey, don’t do that yet!” Old Zhang was startled by his wife’s impulsiveness. “What if there’s a story behind it? No, I’m not sympathizing with him! I haven’t done anything wrong! I’m saying, what if it’s a misunderstanding? Professor Wen and…”

“Brother Zhang?” A bewildered voice suddenly sounded behind him, echoing as if it had crawled out from underground. “What about me?”

Old Zhang instinctively jerked and hung up the phone. He turned around—who was it if not the very Professor Wen they were just discussing?

“Ah? Er… what a coincidence, Professor Wen. What are you doing here?” Old Zhang’s expression was visibly shocked. He cleared his throat twice.

“I’m here for a dinner with colleagues.” Wen Zhu looked at his awkward face curiously. “What’s wrong? Were you just talking about me?”

“Yeah… you know my daughter Xiao Xue doesn’t have great grades. She likes you so much, so I was telling her she has to get into a good university before she can be your student.” Old Zhang’s expression was very strange, revealing a hint of hesitation.

Wen Zhu didn’t think much of it, though he was a bit surprised. He hadn’t expected to have a day where he was popular with kids.

“Wen Zhu! Why are you over here?” An arm draped over Wen Zhu’s shoulder in a very intimate manner. “Everyone’s looking for you. I guessed you got lost.”

Old Zhang: “…”

He glanced at the handsome, tall, and grinning young man next to Wen Zhu, his mouth hanging open in shock.

Wait, is it possible this couple is just ‘playing the field’ separately?

“I ran into an acquaintance,” Wen Zhu said goodbye to the stunned Old Zhang, slapped Zhou Sui’s hand off his shoulder, and walked toward the private booth. “Did you throw your manners to the dogs?”

“I’m out in public! My family has shares in ‘Rou Qu,’ I’m a regular,” Zhou Sui followed closely behind. “It would be so weird if an acquaintance found out I was at a gathering with a school teacher!”

Nonsense.

Wen Zhu didn’t bother with him. “You didn’t have to come.”

“But you invited me, didn’t you?” Zhou Sui said with a grin. “It’s rare for you to take the initiative to ask me out.”

His words sounded strange.

Wen Zhu glanced at him, his gaze drifting over every inch of Zhou Sui’s exposed skin, evaluating him. “You don’t feel anything here? Or… do you notice a very strong scent?”

Hearing this, Zhou Sui immediately took several deep sniffs, then sneezed. He said seriously, “Actually, yeah. They sprayed way too much perfume in that restroom!”

“…”

Old Zhang watched the two of them walk ten meters away until he saw Wen Zhu, led by fate, enter the private booth right next to Pei Qingshan’s. Finally, he could only sigh.

You youngsters… it’s all karma!

‘Rou Qu’ got very crowded as night fell. Various sounds of laughter drifted in from outside the door.

The project group was behaving predictably—not much talking, no drinking, just eating.

Zhou Sui sighed heavily, glancing at Wen Zhu’s cold profile.

He’s not that old, so why are his recreational activities so boring!

BANG—!

A loud crash suddenly came from behind them. Zhou Sui jumped, his back straightening instinctively.

“Is there a fight in the booth next door?” one teacher asked with a chuckle. “What a commotion.”

Zhou Sui thought to himself that any random gathering was louder than their booth. Yet, this group of academic monsters felt nothing, quietly focused only on their food.

He looked at Wen Zhu again, who had barely touched his chopsticks. “What’s wrong, Professor? Not a fan of their food?”

Wen Zhu seemed disinterested. “The dishes aren’t all here yet.”

Zhou Sui raised an eyebrow.

Really?

Aren’t there eleven dishes?

I ordered based on the head count plus one!

Just as Zhou Sui was about to count again, Wen Zhu suddenly looked up. The shadow hiding in the dark corner writhed slightly.

“Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.” Wen Zhu stood up.

“Do you want me to go with you?” Zhou Sui asked. “Do you know the way?”

Wen Zhu looked down at him. “Can’t even food shut your mouth?”

Watching Wen Zhu leave the booth, Zhou Sui rubbed his nose and sighed.

“How are you two so close?” a teacher who had worked on several projects with Wen Zhu asked in surprise. “This student isn’t from our Life Sciences and Agriculture department, is he?”

Zhou Sui immediately bared his teeth in a smile and said tactfully, “I’m from the PE Academy. Maybe… Professor Wen is just relatively approachable. We just hit it off.”

Professor Wen? Approachable?

The other teachers: “…”

What a brown-noser.

“Lord—Lord, please don’t be angry!” Xie Ci immediately grabbed Pei Qingshan, who was about to step forward and give the manager another punch. He then expertly gave him a secret wink. “It’s not worth it for my sake.”

The manager immediately scrambled up and ran out in a panic.

No one told him the guy coming this time was so fierce!

How many punches had he taken already?

Xie Ci stole another glance at Pei Qingshan, who was back on the sofa with his legs crossed. His expression was still dark. His handsome, deep-set features looked like a mysterious and terrifying mountain under the lights.

Xie Ci had originally thought the person with the most authority among these wealthy types would be the leader, a rich heir surnamed Liao. But halfway through the act, this Pei Qingshan—without saying a word—had grabbed the manager by the collar and pinned him against the wall to beat him.

Xie Ci was very good at reading people. He immediately noticed that almost everyone else had a look of wanting to intervene but not daring to.

He’s the one!

Hehe, and he’s handsome too!

Xie Ci’s recently gloomy mood brightened instantly.

“What was that just now…” a team member looked at Pei Qingshan and whispered.

“Taking the bait.” Pei Qingshan leaned back lazily on the sofa and drained the alcohol in his glass. “Though, I really did think that manager’s acting was subpar. I just helped him out a bit.”

Liao Xin curled his lip nearby.

For real?

They had already scouted out the details of this place. Xie Ci was a new escort who had arrived in the last six months but had become the star of ‘Rou Qu’ in just a few months.

It was simple: he coordinated with the manager to perform the same play for different audiences.

A pure, innocent college boy from a poor family, with a father who had gambling debts, working to earn tuition while paying off the debt.

Liao Xin almost wanted to applaud Xie Ci; he really was a character!

The way he acted so pitiful.

However…

Liao Xin looked at his superior.

Taking the bait is one thing, but wasn’t it agreed that I—the unburdened, aging single bachelor—would be the one to take it?!

Why are you, the subordinate, adding extra scenes for yourself?

Steady Lieutenant Liao was screaming internally.

When you were watching that manager berate Xie Ci’s background and character, who exactly were you thinking about?!

But no matter who Pei Qingshan was thinking about, he had to bite the bullet now.

The boy carried a faint fragrance, very alluring, which matched his resilient yet fragile appearance—like a dodder flower.

Xie Ci sat down almost flush against Pei Qingshan’s thigh. He wanted to move away, but Lieutenant Liao held him firmly in place with a smile.

The two men glared at each other over Xie Ci’s head.

Wen Zhu hadn’t expected that by coming out to look for a fellow “kindred spirit” he hadn’t seen in years—not counting that half-breed from last time—he would witness a grand drama of a “hero saving the beauty.”

The booth door was halfway open. Wen Zhu shifted his body to avoid the bruised and battered manager staggering away.

His gaze silently fixed on the familiar, lazy figure inside.