Chapter 37: The Unexpected Secretary and a Stubborn Mark

‘Uh…’

Sister Yuan’s gaze was absolutely terrifying. Xiao Xi instinctively recoiled, taking a nervous step backward. Seeing his timid reaction, Sister Yuan hesitated for a moment.

She then turned, clearing a path, and gestured for Xiao Xi to step inside.

“Come in, you silly Xiao Xi. You’re back so late. Xiao Meng returned ages ago. What were you even doing…?”

She complained, a hint of displeasure in her voice. How could Xiao Xi possibly tell the truth now? Whether he had lingered at school to avoid Sister Yuan or had encountered Mia, neither could be openly confessed.

Xiao Xi could only lower his head and step through the door first. Only a small night light illuminated the living room, suggesting Xiao Meng was already fast asleep. It appeared Sister Yuan had been waiting for him there.

Wait!

Xiao Xi blinked, utterly bewildered. It was only as he stepped inside that he suddenly noticed a graceful figure seated on the living room sofa. Dressed in an elegant office lady suit, her perfect figure was alluringly contoured.

Sheer black stockings accentuated her long, beautiful legs, while her flowing, wavy hair exuded the captivating charm of a mature woman.

‘This is… who?’

Xiao Xi froze instantly, completely stunned. Seeing his bewildered expression, the woman couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.

“Oh my, look how anxious President Yuan is,” she chirped. “Isn’t your little darling back safe and sound?”

“This… this is…?”

Xiao Xi turned to Sister Yuan, a plea in his eyes. Still a little annoyed by his dumbfounded gaze, Sister Yuan patted his head. Then, with a hint of jealousy, she began her introduction to Xiao Xi.

“Her name is Luo Chenhua. She’s my secretary… Hmm… you can just call her Xiao Hua. That’s what I usually call her. As the boss’s wife, calling her that should… be fine, right?”

“Eh?”

Xiao Xi hadn’t quite processed it. ‘But… but…’

“But she looks much older than Sister Yuan…”

“Ahem… well, my dear,” Luo Chenhua interjected, “even though I’m twenty-eight this year, please don’t make it sound like I’m forty or fifty, okay? It’s not… *that* much older, is it?”

Luo Chenhua protested, clearly displeased. Sister Yuan, rolling her eyes at her, retorted, “What’s wrong with being older? We still need to distinguish between superior and subordinate. So calling this little b*tch Xiao Hua is no problem!”

“I… I’ll just call her Sister Hua…” Xiao Xi wisely chose a different address. Luo Chenhua simply didn’t strike him as a ‘good woman.’ He feared that if he called her Xiao Hua today, he’d be ‘arranged’ by her tomorrow.

“Hoo hoo hoo, truly a little darling~ So sweet-tongued~” Sister Hua seemed quite pleased by the address. She stood up, walked over to Xiao Xi, and leaned in conspiratorially, whispering into his ear.

“Little darling, your Sister Yuan has told me quite a lot… about you~”

‘Told… told quite a lot?’

‘No… no, Sister Yuan, don’t tell outsiders about family matters like this! What exactly did you say? It couldn’t… couldn’t be…’

“Pfft—look at you blushing,” Luo Chenhua chuckled. “Alright, since the little darling is back, I won’t keep waiting with this workaholic who’s worried sick~ Heh heh, to push a workaholic to such an extent, little darling, you’re really something~”

Luo Chenhua wore a playful smile as she meticulously examined Xiao Xi’s face, as if trying to discern some hidden secret from his expression.

‘But, but…’

‘What’s so special about me?’

Xiao Xi, extremely shy under her scrutinizing gaze, instinctively lowered his head. Beside him, Sister Yuan could tolerate it no longer. She tugged at Sister Hua, muttering, “Go on, go on, I’m not keeping you. Hurry home, overtime’s over!”

“Hmph, what an unfeeling capitalist,” Sister Hua pouted. “If your little darling didn’t come back, you’d drag me along to wait all night. But the moment he returns, you just cast me aside~” Sister Hua looked utterly wronged, yet Xiao Xi couldn’t shake the feeling that her expression was feigned, like a performance she wasn’t even taking seriously.

“Stop being so sarcastic here,” Sister Yuan snapped. “Go on, go on, little b*tch, go home and find your own little darling. I’m going to sleep with my wife, scram, scram, scram!”

“Hmm… *pa pa pa*?”

“Scram for me!”

Sister Yuan pushed the smirking Sister Hua out the door, then, in one fluid motion, closed and locked it from behind. Sister Hua was left outside, grumbling a few complaints about heartless capitalists exploiting workers.

However, it sounded more like a joke than genuine anger. Xiao Xi couldn’t help but feel that their dynamic wasn’t truly that of a boss and secretary, but rather like two mischievous best friends.

‘Hmm…’

****

After seeing Sister Hua off, Xiao Xi settled back onto the sofa. ‘Phew~’ He felt a bit better now, at least he could finally sit down. Perhaps it was simply the softness of their home sofa that made it so comfortable.

Sister Yuan sat opposite him, her complexion a little haggard. It was clear she had been truly exhausted lately.

And…

She really seemed to have been waiting for him all this time.

Judging from Sister Hua’s words earlier, Sister Yuan was clearly very busy, barely having enough time to rest. Yet, she had stayed up late, waiting for him.

‘Sister Yuan…’

“You should go to bed earlier from now on, Sister Yuan,” he began. “I… I have something going on. Uh, there are activities at school, so I might be back a bit later.”

Xiao Xi felt a pang of guilt, wanting to persuade Sister Yuan to rest earlier. But Sister Yuan merely sighed, looking at him with a hint of resentment. “How can I go to bed earlier if you don’t come back? I can’t sleep without holding you, Xiao Xi…”

‘Is… is it that exaggerated?’

‘Hmm…’ Xiao Xi couldn’t find any reason to calm Sister Yuan down. After much thought, he wondered if…

“Sister Yuan, hugging while sleeping is fine, but can we not do anything else? Oh, look, I haven’t been feeling well lately, and you, Sister Yuan, are also a bit tired. I think we should just simply rest…”

“Hmm…” Sister Yuan pondered for a moment, finding his reasoning sound. “Okay, then let’s just sleep honestly tonight. But you still need to shower, Xiao Xi. I like to sleep smelling a fragrant, soft Xiao Xi!”

‘Are… are you sure you don’t just like the smell of our shampoo and shower gel?’

‘If that’s the case, why don’t you just put more on yourself? Why do you insist on me showering so you can sniff me!’

Xiao Xi felt this was becoming very dangerous. He hadn’t expected Sister Yuan to have such a strange fetish for smells.

However, he really did need a shower.

‘Hiss—’

There was a strange mark on his body!

****

Splash splash splash splash—

‘I scrub, I scrub, I scrub, I scrub…’

‘Hiss—’

Inside the bathroom, Xiao Xi gritted his teeth, staring intently at the mark on his body. Where had Miss Mia gotten that temporary tattoo? Its quality was so remarkably good that it simply wouldn’t wash off. He had even resorted to using a scrubbing towel, yet the thing remained completely unbudging.

‘This… this…’

‘Even the strongest bathhouse attendant from Northeast China probably couldn’t scrub this off, could they?’

‘What is this? Why won’t it come off!’

Ah ah ah ah!

Xiao Xi continued his vigorous scrubbing, but the result remained unchanged. The temporary tattoo stayed absolutely still.

Xiao Xi glared angrily at the seductive pink tattoo, which featured a small heart in its center, and fell into deep thought.

‘Help me…’

‘How am I supposed to leave the bathroom now?’ he fretted. ‘Will Sister Yuan really not lay a hand on me tonight? Even though she promised, what if she goes back on her word and sees this thing…’

‘I’ll definitely be doomed!’

‘Help me——’

Xiao Xi wailed pitifully in the bathroom.