Chapter 14 – Stop Talking. Kiss Me

Yan Dun worked an office job, so standing for hours like a department store clerk was really pushing him. Before long, he couldn’t stand still anymore; his calves twitched involuntarily as though he’d been bitten by mosquitoes.

An Zao noticed his fatigue and turned to smile at him. “Tired?”

Yan Dun froze for a moment. “No…”

If the boss wasn’t complaining about being tired, how could he?

But then again, according to the laws of CEO novels, a domineering CEO’s stamina was probably on par with a Transformer’s. How could they ever get tired?

Unexpectedly, after a while, the director himself came over and said, “There aren’t any more shots for you two here. You can head back first!”

An Zao nodded immediately. “Then we’ll leave first.”

Yan Dun was shocked. He never expected the workaholic Boss Zao—who normally spun nonstop like a top—to actually agree to slacking off. What was wrong with this world?

“Boss Zao, are you serious?” Yan Dun asked in surprise.

An Zao replied, “Even if we stand here for eight full hours, nobody’s going to see most of it. We’ll probably only get a few minutes of screen time in the final edit.”

Yan Dun had to admit he was right. There wasn’t much to watch in two people standing at a perfume counter. It definitely couldn’t compare to seeing Little Dragon Maiden and Condor Bro hawking perfume on the street. Besides, those teammates were more famous, so it made sense for the camera to focus on them. Even if the two of them stayed there for eight hours, the actual broadcast footage might not even total eight minutes.

Still, Yan Dun lowered his voice and said, “But this is a sales competition. If we leave early, then the sales numbers…?”

An Zao laughed. “You really are Little Honest.”

“Huh?” Yan Dun blinked.

An Zao explained, “Reality shows have scripts. This round is supposed to be won by the other team. They’ll win twice in a row, and then our team will make a dramatic comeback in episode three. Chen Jiangchen will lead the turnaround with some brilliant strategy.”

“……”

Yan Dun thought: Boss Zao really is still my boss. And I, Honest Yan, am still way too honest.

Since they wrapped early, they didn’t really have anything else to do.

Yan Dun was in a good mood and quietly hummed an off-key tune. Listening to him, An Zao suddenly chuckled—a soft burst of laughter he seemed unable to hold back.

Curious, Yan Dun turned around. “What are you laughing at?”

“I’m happy for you,” An Zao replied.

Yan Dun became even more confused. “Happy for me?”

“Yes. Good thing you’re not actually an idol or actor. Otherwise, with your terrible singing and nonexistent acting skills, that’d really be a problem.”

Yan Dun immediately felt offended. “How do you know I can’t act?”

An Zao answered, “Because you’re too honest to know how to act.”

Hearing that, Yan Dun suddenly felt oddly happy. “You really think I’m honest?”

Right now, what Yan Dun feared most was An Zao seeing him as some shameless flirt who seduced everyone indiscriminately. If An Zao thought of him as an honest person, then maybe his image score could still recover a little.

An Zao smiled and nodded.

Yan Dun instantly relaxed inside.

So in his eyes, I’m not some cheap little seductress after all!

The Customer Service System helpfully chimed in:

‘Honest person’ isn’t exactly a compliment either. Dear Customer.

Yan Dun protested internally: How is “honest person” not a compliment? Haven’t you watched Green Snake? Even a stunning beauty like Bai Suzhen married an honest man!

The System replied:

And then the ‘honest man’ cheated with White Snake’s best friend.

Yan Dun: “…What exactly are you implying?”

The System answered sweetly:

I was only responding to your question, Dear Customer. You asked if I’d watched Green Snake, and I simply said yes.

Yan Dun: “……”

All customer service agents in the world really did have the talent of saying the most infuriating things in the gentlest possible tone.

Since they had nothing else to do after leaving early, An Zao suggested they go have afternoon tea together.

Naturally, Yan Dun wouldn’t refuse.

An Zao chose afternoon tea at a luxury hotel with an elegant atmosphere. The food itself was standard English afternoon tea—the sort served on a three-tier stand filled with desserts. Yan Dun felt indifferent toward most sweets, but he especially liked scones. The restaurant’s scones were excellent: warm, fragrant with cream, and perfect alongside black tea.

After finishing his scone, Yan Dun started feeling awkward again. He couldn’t stop thinking about how to flirt with the man of his dreams.

Unfortunately, he had basically zero experience in this area.

The Customer Service System prompted:

“Would you like a dating strategy guide—”

Yan Dun immediately interrupted:

“I’m never trusting your system guidance again…”

The System replied:

Are you currently unsure where to put your hands? You already started nervously picking at your nails Dear Customer

Yan Dun: “……”

Sure enough, that was exactly true.

After finishing the scone, his hands were free, and suddenly he didn’t know what to do with them. In the past, being with An Zao had always felt natural. But now, facing a “new” An Zao, with the difference in status suddenly so much greater and the unfamiliarity stronger, Yan Dun no longer knew how to behave around him.

The System explained:

When you don’t know what to do with your hands during a date, try holding a drink. It makes you look less awkward. Dear Customer

Yan Dun: “…Your system actually sounds kind of reasonable for once.”

He picked up his teacup and lightly rubbed the handle with his thumb. Sure enough, the awkwardness eased a little.

Watching him lift the cup, An Zao joked, “Good thing that’s black tea and not coffee. Otherwise I’d be worried you’d spill it again.”

Hearing this, Yan Dun’s heart jumped twice.

He laughed dryly. “Chairman An, please stop teasing me… I really didn’t spill coffee on purpose!”

An Zao asked, “If it wasn’t on purpose, then what? Was there a ghost grabbing your hand and making you throw coffee?”

Yan Dun thought silently:

Not exactly right… but honestly not that far off either.

After afternoon tea, Yan Dun called the director.

“How’s filming going? Do you need us to come back?”

The director knew Yan Dun was the chairman’s secretary, so he spoke very politely.

“If Chairman An is busy, then there’s no need to come back today. We only have some interview footage left. If you two aren’t available now, you can come earlier tomorrow to film the extra segments.”

Yan Dun turned and asked for An Zao’s opinion.

An Zao shook his head, so Yan Dun said, “Chairman An still has meetings back at the company…”

“Ah, of course work is more important,” the director replied understandingly.

After all, An Zao was the investor.

And investors were kings.

If An Zao wanted to film, they filmed. If he didn’t, nobody dared object.

If An Zao wanted to “outshine everyone,” the director could probably even suggest:

“We can put beauty filters on you the whole time and leave everyone else in raw HD footage.”

But An Zao didn’t seem particularly interested in screen time, so the director never proposed that genius idea.

After leaving the restaurant, An Zao asked Yan Dun, “You don’t want to go back either? Don’t you want more screen time?”

“I’m not debuting as a celebrity, so what would I need screen time for?” Yan Dun replied. “Besides, I don’t like overtime.”

Only after saying it did he realize:

Wait… how could I say I don’t like overtime in front of my boss?!

An Zao fell silent for two seconds before asking:

“When you’re with me, does it feel like overtime?”

Yan Dun froze.

How was he supposed to answer that?

If he said yes, it would sound like he disliked spending time with An Zao.

If he said no, that also sounded weird.

Though Yan Dun constantly mocked the system’s artificial stupidity, he still secretly poked the Customer Service System for help:

Didn’t you say you had dating strategies? How do you answer a difficult question like this?

The System replied immediately:

The universal response to questions you don’t want to answer is: Stop talking. Kiss me. Dear Customer

Yan Dun: “………………Artificial idiot.”

His silence seemed to communicate something.

An Zao pressed his lips together slightly, revealing a faint smile, then lifted one long arm and hailed a taxi.

Yan Dun finally snapped back to reality and looked at him in surprise.

An Zao smiled. “No need for overtime today. Go home and get some proper rest.”

Before Yan Dun could react, An Zao had already opened the taxi door.

“Get in,” he said. “I’ll head back to the company myself.”

An Zao’s domineering CEO aura was simply too powerful. Yan Dun obeyed instinctively and climbed obediently into the taxi.

Only after hearing An Zao say “bye” did Yan Dun suddenly regain his senses. Pressing against the car window, he saw An Zao still standing by the roadside, smiling and waving at him.

For some reason, Yan Dun suddenly felt like a dog being sent away, pitifully watching its owner grow smaller and smaller in the distance.

“Driver, stop the car!” he shouted.

The driver said, “Sure. But you still have to pay the starting fare.”

Yan Dun paid immediately and jumped out of the car, clattering back toward An Zao in his little leather shoes. He really did look like a happy little puppy running back to its owner.

Seeing Yan Dun run back toward him, warmth spread through An Zao’s heart. Even the corners of his eyes and lips softened.

“What is it?” he asked warmly. “Did you forget something?”

“I’ll go back to the company with Chairman An,” Yan Dun said.

An Zao replied, “I thought you didn’t like overtime?”

As he spoke, his naturally smiling eyes looked even gentler. Especially those deep brown eyes—it was as though stars had fallen into them.

Yan Dun’s face heated up instantly.

“I… uh… actually… I… I love work.”

“Really?” An Zao looked mildly surprised. “Then why didn’t you say so earlier?”

Yan Dun’s face became even hotter. “I-it was embarrassing…”

“Because it sounded cheesy?” An Zao laughed softly through his nose.

“C-cheesy?” Yan Dun’s heart skipped violently.

Did he figure out my feelings?!

An Zao adjusted his collar casually and said:

“Telling your boss ‘I love work’ is the cheesiest line in the world, isn’t it?”

Only then did Yan Dun understand.

Oh. He thinks I’m sucking up to him. Thank god.

Awkwardly rubbing his nose, Yan Dun asked, “Did what I said make Boss uncomfortable?”

“Not at all.” An Zao smiled faintly. “Go ahead and be cheesy with me. I like hearing it.”