The Cool CEO’s Ultra-Sweet Boyfriend - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: He Must Be Dreaming

Dragging his exhausted body home the night before, Xu Nanxin showed up to work the next day looking entirely drained of life—a complete contrast to his usual self.

Noticing his miserable state, Yang Xuan asked out of genuine concern, “What’s wrong? Did you go out on a date after working overtime last night?”

With eyes full of grievance, Xu Nanxin hung his head, looking at Yang Xuan as he shook his head. “No.”

“Ah, matching sighs.” Yang Xuan patted his shoulder, her eyes filled with profound sympathy.

Xu Nanxin pulled out his office chair and sat down to boot up his computer. Normally, he should have sent the revised proposal to his department manager for review first. However, Ji Li wanted it first thing in the morning, and his manager had already told him that he could submit it directly to Ji Li once he finished the revisions.

The main issue was that Ji Li was currently the only one dissatisfied, and it wasn’t just with Xu Nanxin. Even the veteran employees in the planning department had been torn apart multiple times. They actually had it easy, only having to endure a major meeting once a month. The department managers had it far worse—every department head and manager had to meet with him weekly, and every single time they stepped out of that conference room, their facial expressions were a spectacular sight to behold.

After submitting the digital file, Xu Nanxin got up to print out a hard copy. He happened to run into a girl from the administration department who was also using the printer. Since she looked like she was almost done, he didn’t go looking for another machine and just waited in place.

“Nanxin, are you here to print things too?” The girl looked up and greeted him with a smile.

Xu Nanxin nodded. “Yeah, it’s the revised proposal I need to hand in to Mr. Ji.”

“Oh, what a coincidence! I have something to give to Mr. Ji too. Hey… when you go in, could you hand this in for me? Pretty please? I’ll buy you coffee!” the girl bargained, her eyes practically sparkling as she looked at Xu Nanxin with immense anticipation.

From the looks of it, she clearly did not want to face the man.

Xu Nanxin understood her completely; in fact, he resonated with her deeply. If there were someone who could deliver his documents for him, he would gladly hand them over too.

Still, since he was heading in anyway, he figured he might as well do a good deed. It was better for one person to suffer than two.

“Sure, leave it to me!” Xu Nanxin nodded with a smile.

“Oh my gosh, you’re such a lifesaver. I seriously have psychological trauma from going in there,” the girl said, profoundly moved as she placed her printed documents into Xu Nanxin’s hands.

Accepting them with both hands, Xu Nanxin thought to himself: To tell you the truth, I have psychological trauma too.

Sigh, when will these days ever end?

Resigned to his fate, he gathered his printed proposal and walked toward the General Manager’s office. Arriving at the door, he took a deep, stabilizing breath before finding the courage to knock.

“Mr. Ji.”

“Come in.”

Griping the doorknob, Xu Nanxin pushed the door open gently and closed it just as softly behind him. Ji Li was sitting on the sofa in the center of the office having breakfast, a cup of coffee resting on the table. Xu Nanxin walked over.

“Mr. Ji, here is the revised proposal you requested. Also, Xiao Ya from the administration department asked me to bring this file along for you.”

Ji Li looked up, glanced at Xu Nanxin, and asked, “Why are you delivering a file from the administration department? Do they not have hands and feet of their own?”

Xu Nanxin couldn’t help but roll his eyes hard in his mind. Why doesn’t she want to come in herself? Do you really not have a single clue about how terrifying you are?

“We just happened to run into each other at the printer. She said she had a sudden stomachache and it was quite urgent, so she asked me to bring it over,” Xu Nanxin explained with a perfectly practiced, fake smile.

“Do you enjoy playing the Good Samaritan?” Ji Li raised an eyebrow, shooting him a casual look.

Xu Nanxin didn’t know what Ji Li meant by that. Surely he wouldn’t get angry over something so trivial, right?

Fortunately, Ji Li didn’t say anything further after that remark. He simply instructed, “Leave it on my desk.”

Xu Nanxin let out a quiet sigh of relief and turned to walk over to Ji Li’s desk. He originally intended to just drop off the documents and flee, but right as he was about to set them down, an item on the desk caught his eye.

It was a beautiful gift box, clearly packaged with meticulous care. Xu Nanxin recognized it immediately—it was the exact same gift box Ji Li had been holding the night before. However, the box itself wasn’t the main focus; Xu Nanxin had no interest in prying into other people’s privacy.

The issue was that his eyes accidentally grazed a lovely sticky note attached to the top. Written on the note was: “For Little Rabbit — Z.”

Xu Nanxin’s hand shook violently. The documents slipped from his grip, scattering onto the desk. He scrambled frantically to gather them, his movements utterly flustered and chaotic.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Ji Li’s brow furrowed. Holding his coffee, he was now standing right behind Xu Nanxin.

Startled out of his wits, Xu Nanxin whirled around instantly. “I… I’m… I’m sorry.”

His eyes darted around frantically with absolutely nowhere to look, his entire body so incredibly tense that he could barely choke out the words.

This has to be a coincidence, right? It must be! Otherwise, he had to be dreaming. The recent stress from work must be getting to him, causing him to experience such a horrific nightmare. To actually dream that Ji Li was Mr. Z… I must be losing my mind!

Unable to help himself, Xu Nanxin gave his own thigh a vicious pinch.

“Sss…” The sheer pain contorted Xu Nanxin’s face, and tears nearly welled up in his eyes.

Ji Li gave Xu Nanxin a bizarre look. After a long moment, he asked, “Before joining the company, isn’t everyone required to undergo a physical examination?”

Xu Nanxin: “……”

This absolute maniac is actually implying I’m mentally unstable!

“It’s nothing, Mr. Ji. I’ll take my leave now.” Avoiding any eye contact, Xu Nanxin completely lacked the courage to look Ji Li in the eye. Right now, he just wanted to find a quiet corner to have a total meltdown.

“Mm.” Ji Li nodded. Setting down his coffee, he picked up the proposal Xu Nanxin had just submitted and flipped it open, paying no further attention to him.

If it weren’t for the fact that this clumsy rookie actually possessed a bit of talent, Ji Li wouldn’t have given him a two-month grace period—he would have fired him on the spot.

Ever since arriving at the B-City branch, Ji Li had truly witnessed the vast disparity in competence among employees. Back at headquarters, his subordinates always coordinated perfectly with him, executing every task flawlessly. Yet the moment he arrived here, barely anyone could meet his standards.

It wasn’t necessarily that the people at headquarters were inherently superior; rather, these employees had lived far too comfortably under the previous General Manager, letting their thinking become entirely stagnant. Those who could still be corrected, he kept; those who were truly stubborn, Ji Li had terminated in one swift, sweeping layoff.

Xu Nanxin hurried toward the exit, but his legs felt entirely weak, causing him to stumble slightly as he walked.

Right at that moment, another knock echoed from the outside. With his eyes still fixed on the proposal, Ji Li didn’t look up as he called out, “Come in.”

The person who entered was none other than Jiang Yiyuan, the manager of the planning department. Seeing Jiang Yiyuan, Xu Nanxin managed a brief greeting: “Hey, Boss Jiang.”

Seeing Xu Nanxin looking like he had just seen a ghost, Jiang Yiyuan had no idea what kind of trouble had broken out this time. He gave the younger man a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “It’s fine, you can head out first!”

Xu Nanxin knew Jiang Yiyuan had misread the situation, but at a time like this, he had absolutely no desire to explain anything. He just nodded, desperate to escape the office.

“Wait. Since your manager is here, you stay too. We might as well discuss your proposal right now,” Ji Li commanded.

Xu Nanxin’s footsteps froze. He wanted to cry but had no tears left. He couldn’t help but look toward Jiang Yiyuan, who simply spread his hands with a look of utter helplessness.

“What would you like to discuss, Mr. Ji?” Xu Nanxin’s gaze drifted anywhere but toward Ji Li. The pressure he felt right now was monumental.

“Have you reviewed this proposal? What are your thoughts?” Ji Li questioned Jiang Yiyuan.

Jiang Yiyuan’s heart skipped a beat, and Xu Nanxin broke into a cold sweat on his manager’s behalf. Normally, Jiang Yiyuan would personally vet everything. This was the one and only time he felt Xu Nanxin had already done an excellent job and that Ji Li was just nitpicking over flaws, which was why he had told Xu Nanxin to hand it straight to Ji Li after modifying it.

He hadn’t even looked at the newly revised proposal. What was he supposed to say?

However, Jiang Yiyuan was an old fox in the corporate world after all, far more composed than a workplace rookie like Xu Nanxin. Within moments, he formulated a safe response: “I believe Nanxin’s proposal is already very well-written. In fact, it’s better than what some of our veteran employees have put together.”

“Do you consider that praise?” Ji Li countered flatly.

Jiang Yiyuan smiled sheepishly. “I am aware that you are dissatisfied with our planning department, Mr. Ji.”

“Jiang Yiyuan, did you actually take the time to read this proposal carefully?” Ji Li’s tone grew heavier.

Jiang Yiyuan glanced at Xu Nanxin, who quickly shook his head. He had no idea what Ji Li was getting at either!

“Well… Nanxin might indeed have some areas that aren’t perfect, but it is already a very solid attempt,” Jiang Yiyuan offered as a compromise.

“This newly revised proposal is actually acceptable,” Ji Li said casually.

Both Xu Nanxin and Jiang Yiyuan froze in their tracks. Xu Nanxin froze because it was the very first time he had ever heard words of validation leave Ji Li’s mouth, while Jiang Yiyuan simply failed to process the sudden shift.

“So, you didn’t check your subordinate’s proposal at all before letting him hand it directly to me. Does this mean next time, you’ll pass a proposal straight to a client without vetting it whatsoever?” Ji Li’s voice wasn’t loud, but the sheer weight of authority behind it was suffocating.

What followed was Xu Nanxin standing off to the side like an invisible ghost, listening to Ji Li lecture Jiang Yiyuan. He didn’t actually say much, but every single word carried immense weight, culminating in a deduction from Jiang Yiyuan’s performance bonus.

This was the first time Ji Li had ever docked an employee’s pay. Jiang Yiyuan didn’t object; it was indeed his own lapse in responsibility.

By the time the two of them finally escaped Ji Li’s office, Xu Nanxin felt like he was walking on clouds, his heart riddled with guilt. “Boss Jiang, I’m so sorry.”

Jiang Yiyuan, however, didn’t seem to mind at all. His face still wore his usual, easygoing smile, as if the person who had just been scolded wasn’t him at all. Slinging an arm lightly around Xu Nanxin’s shoulders, he chuckled, “What does this have to do with you? It was my own responsibility.”

Xu Nanxin: “……”

Jiang Yiyuan’s mindset was truly something to envy. He was likely the only person in the entire company who could walk out of Ji Li’s office completely unaffected.

“Alright, look at you. Technically, Mr. Ji praised you, which should be a good thing. Why do you look so distracted, like your mind is entirely elsewhere? When I walked in earlier and saw your expression, I honestly thought you were being reamed out again.”

The moment Ji Li was mentioned, Xu Nanxin immediately thought of Mr. Z. He fell entirely silent. This is a million times more terrifying than getting reamed out!

How could his perfectly wonderful boyfriend—his incredibly sweet, gentle partner—turn out to be Ji Li?!

The universe was playing a truly sick joke on him.