No One Else Will Do But You - Chapter 64

Shu Luo wasn’t the only one who received a USB drive; Jiang Mu received one as well.

As he watched the footage, his knuckles turned white beneath the desk, and the depths of his eyes grew increasingly icy.

Standing nearby, Assistant Xiao Fang could feel the drastic shift in his Boss’s mood. Of course, only one person could affect Jiang Mu’s nerves and facial expressions to this extent. Yet, anyone who watched that video would find it unbearable—though “unbearable” meant something different for everyone. Shu Luo was naturally refined and handsome; his appearance in the video was enough to make anyone, man or woman, feel a stir in their heart.

“Xiao Fang, leave us,” Jiang Mu commanded.

His voice was calm and steady, yet it carried an undercurrent of suppressed emotion. Xiao Fang didn’t dare speculate further; he silently closed the door and exited.

The video lasted exactly forty-two minutes. Jiang Mu watched every single expression of pain on Shu Luo’s face, leaning back in his chair with a stony expression. When the timer hit the thirty-six-minute mark, he saw Lin Kun reach out to touch Shu Luo.

Five minutes of desperate struggling followed, including the moment Shu Luo swung the chair at Lin Kun. At the forty-minute mark, Lin Kun swung the glass bottle. The force used against the back of Shu Luo’s head was clearly immense, as the glass shattered on impact.

As he watched the blood begin to spread across the floor…

CRACK—!

Jiang Mu’s fist shattered the computer screen. The display flickered white for a moment, sparked, and then went black.

Hearing the noise, Xiao Fang rushed back in, only to find the monitor webbed with cracks.

…Terrifying.

Jiang Mu remained eerily calm. “Bring me the first aid kit,” he said.

“Right—right away!” Xiao Fang scrambled to the side room to fetch the kit.

Jiang Mu skillfully withdrew the disinfectant and iodine, wrapping his own hand in gauze. The entire process took barely three minutes.

“Boss… the, uh, the computer…”

“I broke it. It’s ruined. Replace it,” Jiang Mu said. “Get something of better quality.”

Xiao Fang was speechless. It was already an Apple; what higher quality was there? Was there a bulletproof brand he didn’t know about? He looked at his Boss, who appeared completely composed. If you’re this angry, why do you have to suppress it so much?

Seeing Xiao Fang still standing there, Jiang Mu frowned. “Why are you dazing off?”

“Boss, honestly… you always hold it in like this. Have you ever actually told Master Shu how you really feel?”

Jiang Mu shot him a look. “Private conversations during work hours result in a pay deduction.”

“Boss, deduct it if you want, but you keep making me draft ‘confession plans.’ Do you even know what Master Shu is thinking?”

“Discussing non-work topics during work hours results in double pay deductions.”

“Boss, the spectator sees more clearly than the player! I’m telling you, instead of some elaborate plan, direct action is faster. Being honest with each other is better. After what he went through, Master Shu must be living in fear, yet you never talk to him about work, do you? Sooner or later, you’ll run out of things to talk about, and then you’ll definitely break up.”

Xiao Fang rattled this all off like he’d been injected with adrenaline, wearing a look of “give me liberty or give me death.”

Though the words were blunt, Jiang Mu couldn’t deny they described their current situation. Because they were so familiar with one another, they relied on a silent understanding, but that feeling had indeed become too stagnant.

Xiao Fang saw that his Boss wasn’t responding and felt his heart sink. Well, there goes my salary.

“Get out,” Jiang Mu said flatly.

Xiao Fang’s heart skipped a beat. It’s over. My pay for the month is gone. But just as he reached for the door handle, Jiang Mu spoke again.

“Double salary this month.”

Wham! Let off the fireworks!

Xiao Fang turned around with a radiant smile. “I knew you weren’t cold-blooded, Boss!”

“I want that plan finalized by the end of the week.”

Xiao Fang’s face fell. I knew it wouldn’t be that simple. Why another plan? Aren’t they already together?!

Jiang Mu turned his chair toward the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the distant skyscrapers.

He realized that life was indeed lacking a bit of excitement. They were still so young. Romance should be a blazing fire; this current steady state was meant for when they were old, not now.

It seemed he hadn’t been romantic enough. Perhaps I should find a book on the subject, he thought. He picked up the phone to call Xiao Fang back in.

Xiao Fang, who had barely reached his own desk, heard the phone ring. He looked at the caller ID and sighed before heading back into the office. Is this a joke? Could you not have finished your thought a second ago?

“Find me a book on romance,” Jiang Mu ordered.

Xiao Fang replied dryly, “Boss, we cannot discuss non-work topics during work hours.”

Jiang Mu looked up. “Are you the boss, or am I?”

Xiao Fang surrendered. “I’m going, I’m going.”

The logic in this place is impossible to follow, Xiao Fang thought. Being a human is hard, but being Jiang Mu’s secretary is harder.

And so, their “real” romance truly began. Xiao Fang drafted various plans for his Boss to test out. Since methods used for women might not always suit men, they had to experiment to find what would move Shu Luo’s heart.

Plan A: Make sure his eyes are only on you.

The idea was to use a specific method to ensure Shu Luo could see only him, rendering everyone else irrelevant. Consequently, Jiang Mu began picking up Shu Luo for dinner every day, arriving in a different colored sports car each time.

An exceptional man like Jiang Mu was bound to draw attention. Dressed in a royal blue trench coat, he leaned elegantly against his car, checking his watch from time to time. The sunlight hit the royal blue Maserati, reflecting light off its sharp angles and accentuating the man’s Western-influenced, chiseled features. His tall, lean frame was the envy of many.

“Look, look! Who is that guy? I have to take a picture!”

“Stop being such a fan-girl. You don’t have a chance anyway. Just look. Don’t you know who he is?”

“Who? Oh, he’s so handsome!”

“That’s Jiang Mu, the genius from University S on the east side. He plays the stock market, securities, investments—you name it. And he’s already the CEO of a listed company.”

“Wow, that’s incredible! He’s only a sophomore? He looks so mature and charming… exactly my type!”

“Forget it. A guy like that is definitely taken.”

When Shu Luo walked out of the school gates, he was startled by the sight. Good grief, what is he doing? Flaunting his wealth?

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Shu Luo walked straight to the car and hopped into the passenger seat as quickly as possible. Jiang Mu was slightly disappointed by his speed; he had hoped to linger a bit.

The Sports Car Plan: Failure.

Xiao Fang, prepare for another pay deduction!

To the disappointment of the onlookers, the handsome man had simply been picking up another beautiful young man. Maybe there’s a bromance, they whispered as the crowd dispersed.

Inside the car, Shu Luo looked at Jiang Mu curiously, eyeing his outfit. It looked great, but Shu Luo knew Jiang Mu’s wardrobe held no such vibrant colors. Nor did his garage hold such flashy cars.

“Bro, you’re acting very strange today.”

“Am I?” Jiang Mu replied smoothly.

“Since when do you own clothes this color? And when did you buy this car?”

“Yesterday.”

“Why?” Shu Luo asked, bewildered.

“To see you.”

Shu Luo stared at him in disbelief. Since when did he care about things like this?

Catching Shu Luo’s expression out of the corner of his eye, Jiang Mu asked, “Am I not usually like this?” Must stay calm, he told himself.

Shu Luo shook his head. “You aren’t the type to show off. Your clothes usually match your personality—steady, mature, elegant, and deep. You don’t do royal blue. And your cars… you usually don’t even like to drive, right? You only drive the Pagani, and even then, not often. Doesn’t Assistant Xiao Fang usually drive you?”

“…” Hearing Shu Luo analyze his habits so accurately left Jiang Mu momentarily speechless.

Observing Jiang Mu’s face, a glint of mischief flashed in Shu Luo’s eyes. “Bro, is there something you’re trying to tell me?”

“Don’t distract me while I’m driving,” Jiang Mu replied, sounding very serious.

Shu Luo knew he was thinking about something, but there was definitely something “off.” He decided to stop talking and lowered his head to play with his phone. The car fell silent.

While waiting at a red light, Jiang Mu suddenly spoke. “Am I a very boring person?”

The question caught Shu Luo off guard. He laughed. “No. Why ask that all of a sudden?”

“You haven’t spoken to me for a while.”

Shu Luo poked Jiang Mu’s arm playfully. “Hey, ‘Big Brother,’ who was it that just told me not to talk because it would distract him?”

“Oh. Did I say that?”

Shu Luo nodded with a smile. The red lights at this intersection were always quite long. Jiang Mu suddenly reached out and took his hand. Shu Luo looked up at him.

“I love you,” Jiang Mu said. He was worried he wasn’t doing enough, that he didn’t have the power to protect him properly.

Oh man, goosebumps again. Shu Luo felt Jiang Mu was being incredibly weird today. His expression suddenly turned grave.

“Wait… is the company going bankrupt?”

“…” Can you please not ruin the atmosphere?

Seeing Jiang Mu’s speechless expression, Shu Luo realized he’d guessed wrong. Then why?

“Don’t tell me… you’re hiding another person outside?”

Can you have a little more faith in me? Jiang Mu thought.

Seeing that Jiang Mu was on the verge of a breakdown, Shu Luo stopped guessing. He figured the man had just taken the wrong medicine. Jiang Mu realized then that what was “normal” behavior in a romance appeared completely “abnormal” to Shu Luo.

“Do you want to go see a movie?”

Shu Luo was surprised. “What? Are we going on a date?”

“Yes.”

“What movie?”

“Whatever you like. It’s up to you.”

Jiang Mu’s lips curved into a satisfied smile. The movie tickets resting in his pocket were finally ready to make their debut.