When the Male Lead Finds Out I’m the Transmigrator Trying to Win Him Over - Chapter 32

Han Qi really was amused by those four words “Han Qi loves to eat.”
It gave him the illusion of being specially favored.

Since childhood, he had always been the one abandoned, the one never chosen when it came down to two options. He never imagined that over something as simple as dinner, Yun Ruo would bypass Meng Tingmo and side with him.

Even if it wasn’t love.

While Yun Ruo and Meng Tingmo were quarreling, Han Qi just steadily watched her. So she could be cold as ice—he had never seen her like that in all these years.

Well, it made sense. Even a rabbit would bite when cornered.

Looking at Meng Tingmo, he too probably had never seen this side of Yun Ruo. He was furious, but deep in his eyes was a trace of helplessness. He was angry at her sharp words and resentful tone, yet afraid she truly meant them—that she would really treat him as if he didn’t exist.

When someone no longer loves you, there’s absolutely nothing you can do.

Han Qi’s mood was positively pleasant.

Yun Ruo, on the other hand, didn’t think much of it. She simply didn’t want to keep tangling herself in knots with Meng Tingmo. Maybe her harsh words had struck his sore spot, or maybe she had truly enraged him, because for a long while afterward, Meng Tingmo no longer appeared before her.

Whenever Yun Ruo wanted to see Meng Feihan, she just sent a message to Meng’s mother—after all, Meng Tingmo was never home.

She had already gotten the hang of her job as Han Qi’s personal assistant. Every morning at 7:30 she went to his house to tidy up his things, report his schedule, and conveniently grab a bite of breakfast. By 8:00 she was driving him to the office, trailing behind him all day through meetings and handling administrative tasks. At noon, she arranged lunch. In the afternoon, there might be off-site business talks.

Usually, that was when she could slack off a bit. Han Qi didn’t need her for high-level negotiations, so she could go shopping nearby as long as she came back on time.

Sometimes there were dinner banquets in the evening, but Han Qi never made her drink with clients. If the participants had questionable reputations, he wouldn’t let her attend at all.

To say she was doing a great job would be an overstatement. She herself felt guilty comparing her workload with Han Qi’s generous salary. Their interactions hardly felt like boss and employee.

Still, they both knew this was just part of their little pursuit “game.” Han Qi never pointed it out, and Yun Ruo pretended not to notice.

But Han Qi’s other assistants were scared witless.

Private encrypted chat – Special Assistants group:

• “What’s going on between President Han and Yun Ruo? I just walked into the office and found Yun Ruo eating Han’s afternoon tea.”
• “More than that! Did you hear his indulgent tone? He actually said: ‘Eat, if you can’t finish, have it for overtime.’”
• “For god’s sake, what are they even doing?! Isn’t Yun Ruo President Meng’s wife?”
• “Divorced. Ex-wife.”
• “Is that the point?! The point is—President Han stole President Meng’s wife! I’ve seen President Meng before, and his feelings for Yun Ruo were complicated—both love and hate.”
• “Wow… brothers turning into rivals, a bloody love triangle showdown. I love this!”
• “You novel-chasers are unbelievable… Anyway, what if President Meng blocks President Han on the road one day and beats him up?”
• “Our President Han fears nothing. What’s a little President Meng to him?”
• “You’re dead. I’m sending that line to him unless you pay me hush money.”

Yun Ruo had no idea about the assistants’ bloody gossip wars behind her back, and even if she did, she wouldn’t care. If she dared to act, she dared to face talk. Besides, the assistants were good people—they couldn’t gossip their way into anything serious.

Right now, she was checking Han Qi’s birthday.

It was tomorrow. But tomorrow’s schedule was fully booked, and no one had mentioned his birthday at all.

Most CEOs celebrated birthdays with grand fanfare—renting out whole hotels, dragging every employee to attend, forcing the administration department to plan birthday events that weren’t even part of their job description.

But did Han Qi not celebrate?

Yun Ruo held her head, thinking back carefully. She remembered one year when, on his birthday, she had quarreled with Meng Tingmo and stormed out. It was Han Qi who found her and said he’d take her to buy a birthday cake.

They spent ages picking one out. Since it was only the two of them, Han Qi leaned toward a small four-inch cake. She shook her head furiously, insisting on an eight-inch.

“They all forgot your birthday! Buy the big one, take it back, and make them feel guilty!”

Han Qi had laughed for ages, asking her: “So you’re avenging me, huh?”

She couldn’t find another excuse, so she owned it. Truth was, she just didn’t want him spending his birthday alone.

Birthdays should be spent with friends and loved ones—that’s how they’re happy.

In the end, they bought the big cake. She paid for it, calling it his birthday present. When they brought it back, sure enough, Feng You and the others were wracked with guilt. Han Qi had always remembered their birthdays, yet when it came to his, not one of them did. Considering his background too… it was pitiful.

Even though Meng Tingmo was sulky about Han Qi “luring” her away, he still gave a gift the next day, and the others followed suit.

Later, after she married, she only remembered Han Qi celebrating once in those three years. The rest of the time, work swallowed it up. If he remembered afterward, he might just gather Meng Tingmo and a few others for drinks. That was it.

Tomorrow’s schedule was packed—so this year, too, it seemed he wouldn’t celebrate.

But Yun Ruo remembered clearly: when they had chosen the cake back then, Han Qi had been happy.

He had even spoken more than usual.

Knock knock.

Her desk was tapped. Han Qi walked past: “Time to clock out, Miss Yun.”

Yun Ruo quickly went to press the elevator button for him: “President Han, this is the elevator. Please be careful.”

“Oh? So this is the elevator?” Han Qi gave her a teasing half-smile. “How do I ride it? Care to give me the operating manual, Miss Yun?”

Yun Ruo: …

Sometimes, it really wasn’t her fault she wanted to laugh.

Even taking the elevator, she somehow gave herself extra work.

On the drive, she chattered away. After dropping him off, Han Qi told her to stay for dinner: “The housekeeper already cooked.”

She feigned refusal: “Oh, that’s inappropriate. What employee eats at the boss’s house?”

Leaning against the doorway, hands in his pockets, Han Qi replied: “You’re right. But we have another identity. That identity makes it okay.”

“Friends?” Yun Ruo guessed.

“A hunter and his quarry,” Han Qi said.

God help her—had Assistant Liu infected him? He was actually using novel tropes now.

“Didn’t expect you to be this funny.” In the end, Yun Ruo still sat down at Han Qi’s table. She had always thought of him as serious, steady, dependable—who knew he could joke?

Han Qi nudged the dishes closer to her. Back when she had been his brother’s wife, he couldn’t say too much.

There’s a proper role for every identity.

After dinner, Han Qi went back to work. Yun Ruo helped the housekeeper clear the table and, learning that she had worked for Han Qi for years, asked: “Has he ever celebrated his birthday?”

The woman shook her head: “Never mentioned it. If he plans to eat at home, he tells me in advance. If not, I don’t even need to show up.”

She wasn’t live-in, only coming when needed.

So Yun Ruo understood—he really had no intention of celebrating.

Leaving his place after 8 p.m., she swung by the supermarket for supplies. When she got home, she ran into He Xitong returning from overtime.

“That Hengmu president really has persistence. Said it was a business dinner, but when I got there, it was just the two of us. Good thing he didn’t bring roses and a violin, or I would’ve walked out before signing the contract.”

Hengmu’s boss had been pursuing He Xitong for a year.

Yun Ruo thought back. She remembered the man was younger than He Xitong—back when she got married, he had still been studying abroad.

“Anyway, nothing worth saying about him.” He Xitong switched topics. “So how’s it going with Han Qi? Is he easy to pursue?”

Glancing at the “favorability meter,” Yun Ruo couldn’t honestly say “hard to chase.” But calling him easy wasn’t right either.

Seeing her tangled expression, He Xitong grew excited, gossiping for once: “No way. That look—you’ve already succeeded? But this is Han Qi! Famous for being old-fashioned, untouched by women.”

“Not yet.” Yun Ruo quickly waved her hands. “But he doesn’t shut me out completely.”

He Xitong clicked her tongue, amazed. She had assumed Han Qi would be even harder than Meng Tingmo—more rigid in morals.

After all, Yun Ruo had been his friend’s wife, even if now she was an ex-wife.

“You could make a drama out of this. Tons of people would watch.”

“I just hope it won’t be tagged as ‘tragic romance,’” Yun Ruo muttered.

The next morning, she arrived early at Han Qi’s house, arms full of supplies. Before he came downstairs, she had already stashed them in the kitchen. By the time he saw her, she was calmly eating breakfast.

“So early today?”

“Mm, busy day.”

Made sense. Han Qi didn’t think more of it. After a quick breakfast, he left for the office. His day was jam-packed—two meetings in the morning, a lunch with government officials, an investment report at 2 p.m., then back to the office for contracts.

No chance for Yun Ruo to slack today. She also had to confirm dishes for an evening banquet.

During downtime, she chatted with Zhang Ji, who told her about his rookie days. His boss once told him on Monday to arrange a Friday dinner at a nice restaurant. Thinking he had time, he waited till Friday to book—only to find every upscale place in the city full. His only choices were:

“Drive out to the suburbs, or sit in the main hall of a city restaurant.”

His boss’s face had been rainbow-colored with rage. They’d never entertained in a main hall before. To top it off, a birthday party next to them erupted into a rowdy ‘Happy Birthday’ chorus, spraying confetti all over.

Yun Ruo laughed until she teared up. No wonder Zhang Ji always stressed attention to detail. Even small things mattered.

And someone attentive to details—surely wouldn’t forget the birthday of someone important.

By 8 p.m., the banquet ended. Han Qi had drunk a lot, though not drunk enough to stumble. He could still walk and get into the car himself.

The system sighed at a missed opportunity:
【If he were drunk, you’d have to help him into the car, then into bed. One accidental fall—you’d be on top of him, or him on you. The air thick with tension, and then—】

Stop! Yun Ruo couldn’t even imagine that. She and Han Qi weren’t there yet.

【You’re chasing him! You need to make a move! Don’t you want to go home?】

Back in the parking lot, Han Qi leaned back with his eyes closed. Yun Ruo didn’t get out right away. She sat for a long while before finally saying to the system:

“I do.”

She wanted to go home.

“Han Qi, we’re here.”

He stepped out, glanced at the time: “You should head back. It’s late—be careful on the road.”

But Yun Ruo hesitated, not moving.

Puzzled, Han Qi let her follow him upstairs. The moment they entered, she bolted into the kitchen. Soon, noises erupted—clattering, banging—if he hadn’t known she was inside, he would’ve thought the place was being robbed.

The alcohol haze pressed on him, and he rubbed his temples as he walked in. On the island counter lay flour, eggs, fruit…

“What are you doing?”

Yun Ruo, apron tied neatly, turned with a smile:
“Making a cake.”

“Happy birthday, Han Qi.”

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