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Join the ServerThe moment Song Jingyao realized what he’d just done, his entire face flushed bright red.
He wanted nothing more than to slap himself.
This stupid mouth!
Are you freaking brain-dead?!
Once again, Song Jingyao was reduced to tears by his own stupidity.
He desperately pretended nothing had happened, lowering his head so far it nearly disappeared into his rice bowl.
He ate in complete silence.
Unfortunately, his bright-red ears betrayed him completely.
Shen Xiuzhu had only been teasing him.
He’d never actually intended to force Song Jingyao to come along.
This business trip had been arranged because of an emergency, and if Song Jingyao came with him, Shen Xiuzhu wouldn’t have the time to look after him.
But now…
Seeing Song Jingyao so nervous…
And hearing him suddenly bark at him for no reason…
With that little cowlick sticking up on his head…
And those cheeks flushed scarlet…
He was simply…
Too cute to handle.
Shen Xiuzhu’s mood instantly improved.
Even the disappointment of having to spend several days away from Song Jingyao was soothed.
He reached over and gently ruffled Song Jingyao’s hair.
“I was just joking.”
“You don’t have to come.”
“But you have to go to work obediently.”
“No skipping.”
“Otherwise, when I get back…”
“I’ll punish you.”
Song Jingyao hated having people touch his head.
Especially after that humiliating bark.
The way Shen Xiuzhu patted him made him feel like he was petting a puppy.
Like he’d become Shen Xiuzhu’s family dog.
It felt incredibly awkward.
He immediately pushed Shen Xiuzhu’s hand away.
“What the hell are you touching?”
“My do… my noble head isn’t something you can just touch!”
He had almost called it his dog head.
Song Jingyao wanted to cry at his own stupidity.
Shen Xiuzhu withdrew his hand with a smile.
“So.”
“Will you behave and come to work…”
“Or come with me?”
It sounded like he was giving Song Jingyao a choice.
But no matter how he looked at it, Song Jingyao felt like he’d lost.
Going on the business trip was absolutely out of the question.
He could only nod reluctantly.
“Fine, fine.”
“I’ll come to work on time.”
Satisfied, Shen Xiuzhu nodded.
Song Jingyao wanted nothing more than to live like a salted fish.
Working was the last thing he wanted.
But when he looked up and saw Shen Xiuzhu’s face…
Forget it.
He’s so handsome.
I’ll let it slide.
Only after lunch, when he watched Shen Xiuzhu’s car disappear into the distance, did Song Jingyao suddenly realize something.
Wait a second.
Wasn’t his whole plan to be so annoying that Shen Xiuzhu couldn’t stand him anymore and kicked him out of the company?
So why was he listening to him?
Work my ass!
He could’ve refused both options!
“…f*ck!”
“I got played!”
Song Jingyao nearly died from frustration.
In the end, he could only console himself.
The male lead was just too crafty and manipulative.
Even casual conversations were full of traps.
Losing to him was perfectly normal.
Don’t be mad.
At worst…
He could just sneak out of the company and go have fun…
…Actually, no.
He didn’t quite dare.
Shen Xiuzhu had said he’d punish him after coming back.
What a controlling pain in the ass!
Why did he have to meddle in everything?
Wouldn’t it be better if he hurried up and fell in love with the heroine already?
Come on!
Show off your overbearing CEO charm!
Sweep the heroine off her feet!
The two of you can happily swim in the river of love together!
As for this cannon fodder…
I’m waiting to collect my death flag so I can go flirt with handsome men!
Thinking about the heroine reminded Song Jingyao of an important plot point.
Shen Xiuzhu was the company’s president.
A CEO.
The big boss.
Naturally, someone of his status wouldn’t normally interact with an ordinary employee.
There had to be a special incident.
A crucial turning point.
One that would let him discover the heroine’s brilliance.
He’d realize she wasn’t like those superficial women out there.
She was pure.
Kind.
Special.
Irresistibly lovable.
So…
Wen Lu was getting bullied again.
As expected.
Being the heroine in a CEO novel really wasn’t easy.
She came equipped with permanent bad-luck debuffs.
No matter where she went, cannon fodder characters would make trouble for her.
Then the male lead…
Or the second male lead…
Or the third…
Or the fourth…
Would rush in to play the hero, save the beauty, and earn another wave of affection.
Within the next few days, Wen Lu would become embroiled in a plagiarism scandal.
The entire company would gossip about her.
For a designer, plagiarism was an almost fatal accusation.
Nowadays, people cared far more about intellectual property rights.
They despised plagiarism.
Once someone was branded with that stain, clearing their name was incredibly difficult.
Word would spread throughout the industry.
Major companies would never hire them again.
It was basically the same as deleting your account and starting over…
Except leveling back up would be nearly impossible.
Song Jingyao had assumed this incident would happen after Shen Xiuzhu returned from his business trip.
Instead…
It happened much sooner.
What was wrong with the plot?!
Only one day after Shen Xiuzhu left, rumors of Wen Lu’s plagiarism spread throughout the company.
She was summoned by her direct supervisor.
Scolded mercilessly.
And told to pack her things and get out.
By the time Song Jingyao saw her, Wen Lu’s eyes were already red.
She bit her lip, desperately holding back tears.
Because he’d read the novel, Song Jingyao knew her personality well.
She would never plagiarize.
She was genuinely talented.
Her designs were imaginative, creative, and refreshing.
Among the newcomers, she was easily one of the most gifted.
Leaving the company itself wasn’t the biggest problem.
She could always find another job.
But being fired after being falsely accused…
That was something she could never accept.
Wen Lu was gentle and kind.
But she was also incredibly stubborn.
She would never leave quietly.
She would prove her innocence.
Eventually, she managed to convince her supervisor to give her one day.
Unfortunately, he’d already made up his mind.
He trusted the real culprit instead.
An old designer who had worked at the company for eight years.
He had talent.
But lately he’d been running out of ideas.
When he saw Wen Lu’s brilliant new design draft, jealousy consumed him.
An ugly thought crossed his mind.
He secretly copied Wen Lu’s work first.
His plan was flawless.
He was a long-time employee.
Experienced.
Well-liked by management.
Wen Lu was just a newcomer with no backing whatsoever.
Once he submitted the design before she did, everyone would naturally assume she’d copied him.
Now, Wen Lu’s situation inside the company was miserable.
People whispered behind her back.
Ignored her.
Looked at her strangely.
After all, everyone had only known each other for a short time.
No one was willing to offend a senior employee and their supervisor just to defend a newcomer.
…
Where the hell are you, Overbearing CEO?!
Your future wife is being bullied into tears!
She desperately needs your comfort!
If you don’t hurry back, she’s going to leave!
As a dedicated cannon-fodder supporting character, Song Jingyao let out a heartfelt scream inside his head.
Sadly…
The male lead wasn’t here.
Even if he technically wasn’t human but rather a giant snake monster…
He still couldn’t magically appear.
So Song Jingyao resorted to modern-day telepathy—
He made a phone call.
The call connected almost immediately.
A warm voice answered, carrying unmistakable surprise.
“You actually called me?”
Having argued with Shen Xiuzhu so often, Song Jingyao instinctively snapped back.
“What?”
“Am I not allowed to call you if nothing’s wrong?”
A low chuckle came from the other end.
It sounded relaxed.
Happy.
The laughter was so smooth it made his ears tingle.
“Of course you can.”
“You can call me anytime.”
“Whether something’s wrong or not.”
Song Jingyao curled his lips.
“When are you coming back?”
Shen Xiuzhu didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he asked with obvious amusement,
“You want me back that badly?”
Song Jingyao frowned.
Well…
He did.
The heroine desperately needed him.
The plot needed to continue.
But somehow…
The question sounded strange.
Without thinking, he denied it.
“No!”
“The later you come back, the better.”
“No one’s around to bother me.”
“I’m enjoying my freedom.”
Shen Xiuzhu laughed again.
His deep, magnetic voice was unbelievably sexy.
Song Jingyao’s ears immediately went numb.
He hurriedly held the phone farther away.
“I’ll come back as soon as I can.”
Shen Xiuzhu’s voice was gentle.
Almost unconsciously indulgent.
Song Jingyao didn’t notice the affection hidden beneath those words.
He only felt that the male lead was basically a walking bundle of lethal hormones.
“So?”
“I was just asking.”
“I’m not rushing you to come back.”
Shen Xiuzhu smiled.
“Then why did you call me specifically?”
“You could’ve just asked my assistant.”
Song Jingyao froze.
He stared blankly at his phone for two full seconds.
Then it finally hit him.
Holy shit.
Doesn’t this look exactly like textbook tsundere behavior?!
Clearly worried sick about someone.
Desperately wanting them to come back.
Yet stubbornly insisting they didn’t care at all.
Song Jingyao: “…”
No!
That’s not it!
Male Lead, please let me explain!
I’m not secretly crushing on you!
I’m helping your romance!
Your future wife is getting bullied!
If you don’t come back soon, she’ll get fired before you even see her!
I’m working tirelessly for your love story!
I swear I don’t have any ulterior motives!
Song Jingyao screamed internally.
He imagined Shen Xiuzhu someday discovering that a tiny cannon-fodder character had once admired both his face…
And his body…
Then flying into a rage and taking revenge on the Song family.
At that point…
He’d become history’s greatest sinner.
Terrified, Song Jingyao hurriedly tried to clear his name.
“I only called because someone at the company was falsely accused of plagiarism.”
“She’s an excellent designer.”
“It’d be such a waste if she got fired.”
Shen Xiuzhu didn’t believe him.
He assumed it was just an excuse.
“Shouldn’t the design department handle something like that?”
“If plagiarism is confirmed, they can fire the person immediately.”
“Why would I need to get involved?”
Song Jingyao quickly replied,
“But it’s different!”
“The one being accused is Wen Lu!”
“She’s such a good girl.”
“There’s no way she’d ever do something like that.”
This time, Song Jingyao perfectly fulfilled his role as the devoted supporting male lead.
He trusted the heroine without reservation.
Besides…
He genuinely believed Wen Lu would never plagiarize.
For anyone else, the CEO wouldn’t need to interfere.
But this was the heroine.
The future Mrs. CEO!
How could she possibly be treated like everyone else?
On the other end of the call, Shen Xiuzhu frowned.
His mood instantly darkened.
Wen Lu.
That name had been appearing far too often lately.
Was she really that wonderful?
Wonderful enough to occupy so much of Song Jingyao’s attention?
Shen Xiuzhu was thoroughly displeased.
His expression turned cold.
It was as if a thick layer of frost had covered his face.
The temperature around him seemed to plummet.
Everyone nearby shivered instinctively.
Who the hell had pissed off the boss?!
When Shen Xiuzhu returned to the conference room, his face was icy.
He gave no one even the slightest chance to relax.
Every problem was pointed out with ruthless precision.
Every solution demanded immediate implementation.
For the next two days, he worked without stopping.
What should have taken five days to finish…
He compressed into just two.
If the CEO himself was working that hard, no one beneath him dared to slack off.
Everyone suffered in silence.
Secretly complaining in their hearts.
As expected of the legendary work machine.
Three hundred and sixty-five days a year.
Never taking a single day off.
Working under someone like that was simply torture.
When everything was finally finished and Shen Xiuzhu left…
Everyone wanted to pop champagne in celebration.
Unfortunately…
They were far too exhausted.
Each one lay sprawled over their desks like lifeless salted fish.
They all shared the exact same thought.
Whoever made President Shen angry…
Please let him go torment that person instead.
We’re dying here.
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