The Cool CEO’s Ultra-Sweet Boyfriend - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Mr. Z, I’m Having a Hard Time

Coming back from the holiday meant diving straight into a meeting, where the previous proposal was torn completely to shreds. Xu Nanxin was left standing, forced to endure a lecture right in front of all his colleagues from the planning department.

If his psychological resilience had been even a fraction weaker, he probably would have thrown his hands up and walked out on the spot.

The entire meeting room was dead silent. Strangely enough, their new boss didn’t even use a harsh tone; his voice was perfectly calm and indifferent as he pointed out, word by word, that what they had produced was nothing but utter garbage.

Xu Nanxin was completely mortified. Fortunately, the only saving grace was that this new boss, Mr. Ji, was dissatisfied with the entire branch office’s staff, rather than targeting a lowly intern like him specifically.

Because of this, his coworkers empathized with him quite a bit; at least no one was watching to enjoy the drama or gloat over his misfortune.

By the time the meeting finally adjourned, Xu Nanxin was completely dazed. It was his colleague next to him, Yang Xuan, who reached out to pat his shoulder, asking comfortingly, “How are you holding up? You okay?”

Forcing out a weak smile, Xu Nanxin shook his head. “I’m fine.”

He followed the crowd out of the meeting room, but just as he reached the doorway, a voice called him to a halt.

“Xu Nanxin, come to my office after this.”

Xu Nanxin: “…”

“Understood.”

Ever since the new boss took over, this was the first time Xu Nanxin would be stepping into CEO Ji’s office. Standing before the door, he raised his hand, hesitating for a long moment.

He was incredibly anxious. After all, anyone who had just been reamed like that in a meeting would feel a knot of dread in their stomach if told to report straight to the office afterward.

Moreover, he really didn’t want to lose his job.

After a thorough round of mental preparation, Xu Nanxin finally gathered the courage to knock.

After two raps, Ji Li’s voice sounded from within.

“Come in.”

Griping the doorknob, Xu Nanxin closed his eyes as if marching to his execution. Pushing the door open, he told himself that no matter what Ji Li said next, he had to remain calm, endure it, and accept it with a smile!

“Hello, Mr. Ji.” Upon entering, Xu Nanxin had already wiped the dread from his face, replacing it with a highly pleasing, almost endearing smile.

Ji Li only glanced up briefly. His gaze was incredibly cold, barely lingering on him for a second.

“Xu Nanxin, right? Started in June?” Ji Li seemed to be flipping through a file on his desk.

With his sharp eyes, Xu Nanxin realized with a jolt that this wasn’t a standard work document—it was an HR employee file! Ji Li isn’t actually going to fire me, is he? I only just passed my probation a few days ago!

“Yes, that’s… right…” Xu Nanxin’s voice couldn’t help but turn cautious.

“I feel like you probably haven’t understood my point…” Ji Li looked at Xu Nanxin, but just as he was about to speak, Xu Nanxin cut him off.

“No, I do! I completely understand your point, Mr. Ji. This is a brand-new proposal I’ve drafted. It’s just a rough outline and isn’t fully finished yet, but you can take a look at it first.”

Xu Nanxin was terrified. The intense aura of oppression radiating from Ji Li whenever they were face-to-face was almost suffocating. He hurriedly extended both hands to present his newly drafted outline to Ji Li.

Ji Li raised an eyebrow and looked up at Xu Nanxin. Without offering any opinion, he took the document and began scanning it.

Periods of waiting are always exceptionally grueling. Xu Nanxin watched Ji Li nervously until he finally heard the man speak.

“Fine. I expect to see a completed new proposal within the week.” Ji Li nodded, handing the file back to Xu Nanxin. He didn’t seem intent on making things difficult for him.

Even though the week was already more than half over, having to completely scrap all his previous hard work and come up with an entirely new proposal was, in itself, a massive ordeal for a newly hired rookie.

“Understood.” Xu Nanxin nodded with a stiff smile as he took the file back, suppressing the urge to curse out loud.

“Also, I will give you two months. If the proposal turns out like the last one again, you will pack your bags and leave.” Ji Li closed the HR file, delivering a definitive ultimatum. Yet, he still looked up to ask for Xu Nanxin’s input: “Any problem with that?”

Xu Nanxin: “…”

Unable to hold back entirely, he argued back subtly, “Mr. Ji, according to my contract, I am already a permanent employee. Isn’t doing this a bit inappropriate?”

“It seems you lack confidence in yourself. In that case, I don’t see any reason for us to waste each other’s time.” Ji Li lightly tossed the file to the side.

“Fine, I accept!” Xu Nanxin gritted his teeth. He should have known that Ji Li would never give anyone the chance to defy him.

“Good. If there’s nothing else, you may leave,” Ji Li said indifferently.

“Yes, sir.”

Even after exiting the office, Xu Nanxin couldn’t quite catch his breath, and the expression on his face was a vivid mix of emotions.

This new boss was truly capable of exhausting every ounce of civility he had accumulated over his twenty-odd years of life!

Still, he really had Mr. Z to thank this time. If the man hadn’t snapped him into reality the other day, he wouldn’t have had this freshly drafted outline in his hands. Today… he probably would have been completely finished.

“What did Mr. Ji want to talk to you about?” Yang Xuan asked him.

Xu Nanxin looked up, letting out a bitter laugh as he shook his head. “What else could it be? Just about the proposal.”

Seeing the look on his face, Yang Xuan knew it couldn’t have been anything good, so she understandingly chose not to pry further.

Sitting down at his workstation, Xu Nanxin unlocked his phone and navigated to Mr. Z.

Even though this was the only person in his entire chat interface, he had still pinned the conversation to the top.

Opening their chat, the most recent message was a “goodnight” sent by the other man the previous evening.

Xu Nanxin’s gaze softened considerably. He typed out a line of text and hit send:

Mr. Z, I’m having a hard time.

After sending the message, Xu Nanxin turned off his phone and set it aside. His mood seemed to improve slightly. Shaking off the negative emotions, he rekindled his fighting spirit and began working on the new proposal.

He didn’t even notice the phone vibrating next to him a few times. Crafting a new proposal was no easy feat, and since he only had a rough outline before, he found it hard to spare any attention once he was fully immersed in a task.

Meanwhile, in the office across the floor.

Ji Li was in the middle of handling some paperwork when his phone vibrated. He instinctively picked it up to take a look.

Big White Rabbit Toffee: Mr. Z, I’m having a hard time.

Ji Li knit his brows and typed back: What’s wrong?

Instead of locking his phone, he waited for a reply. But after a long moment without any response, a wave of unease washed over him. He sent another message: Little Rabbit, did something happen?

Still, there was no reply.

Ji Li had no choice but to set his phone aside for the moment and tend to the work at hand. After about half an hour, he picked up his phone again, but there was still no activity.

For once, his mind wasn’t entirely on his work. Disappearing right after dropping a sentence like that was something the other party had never done before. Just as he was about to place a voice call, a knock sounded at his office door.

Ji Li looked up. “Come in.”

His secretary, Liu Li, walked in holding some documents and approached his desk. “Mr. Ji, these files require your review first. Also, you have an afternoon appointment with Director Shi. If we don’t leave now, we’ll be late.”

Only then did Ji Li remember his appointment. When it came to business matters, he had almost forgotten about it due to his worry for Little Rabbit.

“Alright, leave the files here and come out with me.” Ji Li nodded, abandoning the idea of placing a voice call and opting to leave a text instead.

Z: Reply to me when you see this. Don’t make me worry.

It wasn’t until it was time to clock out that Xu Nanxin finally saw Mr. Z’s messages. The text lines were practically bursting with concern.

An involuntary smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He typed quickly and cheerfully: I’m fine, work just got incredibly busy and I didn’t notice the messages. I’m sorry for making you worry.

Just as he was about to hit send, a colleague suddenly tapped his shoulder. “Heading out? I can give you a lift if you’re on my way home.”

Turning around, Xu Nanxin slid his phone back into his pocket, nodding with a bright, radiant smile. “Oh, sounds great! Sorry to trouble you then—I’ll buy you coffee next time!”

With that, he left the office, chatting and laughing with his coworker as they walked out.