It Turns out that I am Beautiful, Strong and Miserable [Quick Wear] - 133

 

ITOTIABSAM | Interstellar Orcs | 133

After staring at Gu Cong for two seconds, Xie Ye obediently closed his eyes.

He indeed possessed an exceptionally attractive appearance, worthy of being praised as a model face by netizens. Even at such a close distance, not a single flaw could be found.

Gu Cong originally sincerely wanted Xie Ye to rest, but as he looked at him, he found it hard to straighten up. Casually placing the glasses on the table, he raised his hand and gently tucked a strand of white hair that had fallen by Xie Ye's temple behind his ear.

The warmer touch of his fingertips brushing against the ear seemed to trigger something, causing the thick lashes of the young man to tremble visibly. Gu Cong then realized that his actions just now had been overly intimate, resembling the prelude to a kiss at home.

But he didn't want to stop.

Taking advantage of the young man's complete trust in him, he enveloped him entirely in his shadow and lightly, superficially, kissed those rosy lips.

The emerald eyes suddenly opened, but there was no hint of reproach in them.

As their breaths intertwined, Gu Cong explained earnestly, "A reward."

"You've worked hard, Mr. Xie."

"Hmm?" 

The deep and magnetic voice, accompanied by a slightly raised question, was enough to make one's ears go weak. Xie Ye, who only wanted a kiss, promptly stopped the other's playful touches behind his ear, picking up the pen used for signing instead and playfully poking the man's shoulder with it, "Report."

"I haven't finished yet."

Clearly, he was the one who had spaced out first, but now he was using work as an excuse. However, he seemed particularly justified. Ten minutes later, the well-groomed Gu Cong returned to the office with light steps.

Xiao Meng, seated at the desk near the door, couldn't resist asking, "Is the project going smoothly? You seem so happy, Brother Gu."

After a moment's thought, Gu Cong nodded, "Yes, it is."

Even though his joy had nothing to do with work.

"Thank goodness."

"At least it wasn't in vain, and it should be easier from now on." With the affirmation from the new team leader, the atmosphere in the entire office relaxed. In the collaboration between Ark Technology and the Huo family, they were only responsible for the basic framework construction. The specific details, involving trade secrets, would be filled in and perfected by the Huo family's own employees.

Before long, someone sighed softly, "I just can't bear to part with the overtime pay."

As the company grew larger, the salaries of these old employees also increased, making their industry peers envious.

"I feel like Mr. Xie has changed a bit since he came back from the hospital," bringing up the boss inevitably led to discussing wages. With no ill intentions, the group chatted, "The other day, I went to deliver documents to Anna, and I actually saw Mr. Xie smiling at the computer screen. He looked so gentle and handsome, it's a pity I couldn't capture it."

Another girl lowered her voice, "Maybe it's because of his prototype. The contrast is adorable. Whenever I think of Mr. Xie as a short-legged cat with a big tail, I just can't feel nervous anymore."

"And after taking off the colored contact lenses, Mr. Xie's attractiveness reached a new level. Every time I see that face, I feel like I'm managing an idol in an entertainment company."

"I think Mr. Xie might be in a state of passionate love," Xiao Meng, who loved gossip, analyzed seriously while pushing the nonexistent glasses on her nose. "The evidence is that Mr. Xie has been leaving work on time recently, occasionally wearing a tie, which is completely unlike his usual style."

"And he changes the color of his hair ties often."

The tie clue was too indicative, prompting someone to guess immediately, "Boyfriend?"

"It seems so, they seem so loving."

Subconsciously, Gu Cong straightened his sleeves, making sure they covered the small hair tie on his wrist.

However, in the vast office with over a dozen people, not a single one suspected him. Conversely, the well-known single elites in the circle were all speculated about.

"The most likely candidate should be the one from the Huo family, Huo Qingdong," recalling recent events, a colleague speculated, "Power couple, equal in status."

Eyes shining, Xiao Meng high-fived the colleague across the room, "Bingo! Great minds think alike."

The collaboration between Ark Technology and the Huo family had already surprised most people. But if the bosses on both sides knew each other, many questions could be explained.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the words were spoken, Xiao Meng felt a chill run down his spine.

Looking up, he saw his excellent team leader, Gu Cong, sitting across from him, silent, gazing at him calmly.

Thinking he had made a mistake in the program he wrote, Xiao Meng immediately cleared his throat and sat up straight, "Uh, time to get back to work, no slacking off."

Gu Cong, who had just been nervously contemplating about Huo Qingdong, thought: Huo Qingdong? Xie Ye hasn't even had a meal with that guy.

Just as Gu Cong, still feeling unsatisfied despite secretly kissing his boss in the CEO's office, hadn't even opened the messaging app to express his small grievances to his boyfriend, there came a polite knock on the door:

"Hello, is Mr. Gu Cong here?"

A large bunch of brilliantly burning red roses caught everyone's eyes.

"People aren't surprised anymore," someone remarked, "Such a great display of dog food."

"I'm jealous," another said.

"Sigh, here comes the temptation to fall in love again," lamented another.

After several months, Gu Cong's "big-shot celebrity boyfriend" had become the most familiar "family member" among their team. Helpless against his tenderness, romance, and generosity, aside from some particularly special gifts, every time they showed affection, he would thoughtfully include them, making it impossible for anyone to resent them.

Even though they still hadn't met him in person.

As the bouquet of roses was placed on the table, bursting with warmth through the virtual screen, Gu Cong felt like he was the protagonist in a romantic drama. But he loved every bit of Xie Ye's affection, whether it was extravagant or simple, and he cherished each gesture.

Five minutes later, a blinking image appeared as the pinned profile picture in Xie Ye's messaging app, accompanied by a picture message.

— It was a meme of a dog holding a rose and asking for a kiss, flamboyant yet adorable.

Gu Cong wondered where he found it.

Not ten minutes later, another message arrived:

【Celebrating the initial approval, there's a team dinner tonight, I'll be home as soon as possible.】

Suddenly, Xie Ye regretted agreeing so quickly when Gu Cong had presented the report earlier.

Of course, compared to the last time when someone left without a word, leaving him all alone at home, knowing to send a text as notification was considered a significant improvement. In most cases, Xie Ye didn't like overly lively gatherings, and he was well aware that the boss's presence at a dinner party would make other employees uncomfortable.

This was also why Gu Cong didn't actively invite him.

Realizing he couldn't go home with his boyfriend after work, Xie Ye threw his pen aside without hesitation: "I'm leaving early."

Silently sympathizing with Anna,  1101 said: "Okay okay okay."

[You're the boss, you have the final say.]

---

In Xie Ye's impression, Gu Cong rarely drank alcohol.

Even if he did, he would control the amount and not get drunk or lose composure.

So, when he answered a familiar number and heard a voice that clearly didn't belong to Gu Cong, Xie Ye was unusually stunned.

"May I ask if you're Gu Cong's boyfriend?" Towards the end of the dinner, the atmosphere was a bit noisy. Thinking the other party hadn't heard clearly, the person on the other end, Xiao Meng, repeated it.

Without any intention of concealing, Xie Ye replied candidly, "Yes, I am."

"That's good, that's good." Distracted by chatting with other colleagues, Xiao Meng completely ignored the familiarity of the voice and didn't show the usual curiosity to delve deeper. "We're having a team dinner tonight. It seems Gu-ge isn't good at drinking, he's already down after two drinks. Could you come pick him up? The address is..."

Not far away, Gu Cong sat back in his chair with a slight blush on his cheeks.

He wasn't actually drunk.

He just wanted to take the opportunity of "asking a colleague for help with a phone call" to "accidentally reveal" his boyfriend's identity, asserting his dominance and satisfying his inner craving for excitement.

For this purpose, he specifically chose Xiao Meng, who was the most keen and sharp-witted in gossip. Unexpectedly, at the critical moment, Xiao Meng dropped the ball and maintained his composure, clearly not noticing anything.

The plan failed.

Gu Cong tugged at his collar in frustration.

Then, it dawned on him that if Xiao Meng didn't realize that his boyfriend was Xie Ye, it meant that Xie Ye would indeed come as he said.

Confronting a subordinate from the same company face to face might put Xie Ye in an awkward position.

But it was too late.

As Xiao Meng ended the call, he returned the holophone to Gu Cong, saying, "Don't worry, he said he'll be here soon."

At the celebratory dinner, it was inevitable that they would discuss the most promising projects on hand, inevitably leading to discussions about the Huo family, and inevitably, to Huo Qingdong.

The window opened, and the night breeze brushed against his face, swiftly dissipating the subtle hint of jealousy ignited by alcohol. The fervor of his impulsive desire to reveal their relationship cooled rapidly. Gu Cong lowered his head, contemplating sending a message to Xie Ye, confessing that he was sober and could safely return home. 

However, due to his selfishness, he hesitated to move his fingertips.

After a while, his holophone buzzed:

【I'm here.】

Xiao Meng, who was sobering up by the window, noticed the new, understated yet expensive car pulling up downstairs. Remembering the call he made just over ten minutes ago, he excitedly turned back and exclaimed, "Gu-ge, your boyfriend's here to pick you up!"

His loud voice startled all the colleagues, drunk or otherwise, awake. Although Gu Cong could have left on his own, he had to continue pretending to be dizzy and dazed, holding onto the bouquet of fiery red roses, and being escorted downstairs by his concerned colleagues.

Perhaps hearing the intertwined footsteps too many times, under the streetlight, the young man leaned against the car, tinkering with his holophone. As he looked up, his face, both familiar and unfamiliar, was revealed to everyone.

Xiao Meng, perplexed as to why the big star wasn't wearing sunglasses or a mask, blurted out, "Xie Xie Xie, Xie Ye?!"

Shocked to the extreme, Xiao Meng, who was usually articulate, suddenly became a stutterer, almost biting his tongue. He vividly exemplified what it meant to have eyes widened in astonishment.

Others weren't much better off either. They sobered up in an instant, standing up straight like children awaiting inspection by their teacher.

"Uh, it's me," calmly replied Xie Ye, nodding to the others as a greeting. Then, he stepped forward, arms wide open, and, with the flowers between them, smoothly caught Gu Cong as he lunged toward him. "You've all worked hard. It's late. I'll take him home first."

His right hand firmly clasped around Gu Cong's waist, unlike the company's executive Xie Ye, his words were not particularly warm, but his relaxed expression softened, showing a hint of vitality.

Gu Cong, pretending to be drunk, felt his heart racing. Satiated yet nervous, it was as if there was a bouncing rabbit inside his chest.

As he was being "dragged" into the car as naturally as possible by Xie Ye, the roses scattered, and in that moment when he collapsed onto the back seat with his eyes closed, he suddenly felt the young man lean over and whisper in his ear, clicking the seatbelt:

"I know you're not drunk."

"But I'm willing to come anyway."

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