Shen Zhu was intimately familiar with this velvet box, despite having only seen it once before. Opening the lid, he found the exact wedding ring he had previously returned to Su Xingque lying inside. Feeling a surge of excitement, he slid the ring onto his ring finger and sneaked a glance at Su Xingque’s hand—noticing, as expected, a slightly wider, matching band resting on his finger.
Why the sudden change of heart to bring me to the office and mark his territory? Shen Zhu wondered briefly, but his thoughts were quickly derailed by the barrage of stares coming from every corner of the lobby.
Under normal circumstances, the only people allowed to walk by Su Xingque’s side were Wilson and a few high-level executives. The sudden appearance of a fresh, young face—who had moreover stepped out of the big boss’s personal car—made it impossible for people not to let their imaginations run wild.
Unaccustomed to being the center of attention, Shen Zhu lowered his head and quickened his pace to keep up with Su Xingque.
But in the next second, the man ahead of him suddenly reached back and grabbed his wrist.
Like a bird with its talons bound by hemp rope, Shen Zhu panicked, instinctively flailing his arms to get Su Xingque to let go.
Su Xingque paused and cast a backward glance at him.
Didn’t he claim to like me? Is taking him directly to the office to acknowledge our marriage still not enough?
Shivering under Su Xingque’s flat stare, Shen Zhu subconsciously behaved himself, letting the other man lead him by the hand into the elevator.
At that exact moment, the company’s internal group chats erupted.
The sharp-eyed receptionist instantly recognized Shen Zhu as the person she had blocked the other day. While stressing over whether her job was secure, she couldn’t help but marvel at how the CEO had managed to marry such a gorgeous young boy.
Soon, someone jumped in to play devil’s advocate:
【Security Guard #1: How are you so sure he married him? What if he’s just a side piece?】
【Investment Director: Is that flashing wedding ring on his hand just a decoration? He’s clearly married!】
【Accountant Xiao Fang: I still find it hard to believe. President Su usually looks so asexual, and he’s never had a single rumor around him. How is he suddenly married???】
The messages flashed across the screen like a bullet hell shooter, scrolling through pages within seconds. Everyone from top executives to the cleaning staff split into two factions, arguing their cases fiercely.
Fifteen minutes later, Wilson, who never spoke in the group chats, popped up:
【Wilson: Mr. Shen is indeed President Su’s legally wedded partner.】
Following a few seconds of stunned silence, the chat room descended into absolute chaos.
Unlike the explosive frenzy among the employees, the CEO’s office was currently a haven of peace and harmony.
The investment representative from the earlier project signed the final contract with a grand flourish of his pen. In an exceptionally good mood, he even invited Su Xingque and Shen Zhu out for coffee.
“I still have a busy schedule today, but I’ll treat you to dinner when the opportunity arises,” Su Xingque politely declined.
After the representative left, Su Xingque reopened the newly signed documents. He looked at the proposal—which he had intentionally swapped back to the original draft that had previously been torn to shreds by critics—and then glanced at Shen Zhu, who was sitting on the sofa playing on his phone.
Sure enough, when properly utilized, Shen Zhu’s natural ability could yield unimaginable benefits.
This was precisely why he was willing to acknowledge their marriage to the outside world.
He intended to bring Shen Zhu along to all his social events and business negotiations, leveraging the boy’s ability to influence the emotions of his clients and secure maximum profits for himself.
And the only way to keep someone with zero professional qualifications and absolutely nothing of substance to offer constantly by his side without raising eyebrows was to acknowledge him as his spouse.
Furthermore, from Shen Zhu’s perspective, this gesture served as a perfect response to his “affection,” which would stabilize his emotions and make him more than willing to do anything for him.
It seems he does have some utility after all, Su Xingque thought, withdrawing his gaze.
With the client gone, the rest of the company began to grow restless.
Everyone was dying to know what kind of extraordinary charm Shen Zhu possessed to make Su Xingque—a man as unyielding as a thousand-year-old iron tree—finally bloom. They were practically itching to get a closer look.
However, the CEO’s office wasn’t a place just anyone could waltz into. A few executives who were notoriously close with their subordinates volunteered to act as scouts, taking turns visiting the office under various business pretexts.
Su Xingque saw through their little tricks instantly but chose not to stop them. He even went so far as to have Shen Zhu pull up a chair to sit right beside him, generously flaunting their relationship.
Shen Zhu had absolutely no understanding of the business operations and financial reports Su Xingque was discussing with his subordinates. After sitting there for a while, his eyelids grew heavy. His head began to loll as he dozed off, his upper body swaying unconsciously.
In the next second, the Chief Financial Officer, who was in the middle of presenting a report to Su Xingque, sucked in a sharp breath.
Their cold, notoriously short-tempered President Su gestured for him to lower his voice, and then gently guided the sleeping young Mr. Shen’s head to rest against his shoulder!
Even the collapse of the universe wouldn’t have been as shocking as the scene unfolding before his eyes!!!
The CFO’s presentation faltered. Just as he composed himself to continue, the office door was swung open with a bang.
“Brother!”
The intruder bypassed Wilson’s screening entirely, strutting in as if he were walking through the front door of his own home, and swept toward the desk like a gust of wind.
Qin Zaiyu was one of the few people who was never afraid of Su Xingque. Hoisting his left leg, he sat directly on the edge of the desk, glanced at the report in the CFO’s hand, and shooed him away. “That stuff of yours isn’t important.
Shoo, shoo, go get back to work. I need to talk to my brother.”
The CFO was left utterly speechless.
Everyone knew Qin Zaiyu was a playboy who had spent years fooling around, constantly rebelling against his family elders and flat-out refusing to take over the family business.
If Qin Zaiyu actually understood financial statements, pigs would fly.
“Well, go on?” Qin Zaiyu arched an eyebrow, narrowing his long eyes to project a pressuring glare.
Su Xingque gave a slight nod, giving his silent approval to Qin Zaiyu’s command.
It was truly bizarre how someone as disciplined and strict as Su Xingque could tolerate such an unreliable younger cousin.
Unable to fathom the mystery, the CFO gathered his reports, sneaked a few more glances at Shen Zhu, and finally tore himself away to leave the office.
The moment the door closed, Qin Zaiyu turned to Su Xingque and started whining.
“Brother, let me tell you, I’ve got my eye on this new sports car, but the old man at home refuses to give me the cash. Can you—”
“Holy shit!!!”
Qin Zaiyu jumped off the desk mid-sentence, but as he sat down in the chair the CFO had just vacated, he finally noticed there was someone resting against Su Xingque.
Startled awake by Qin Zaiyu’s sudden yell, Shen Zhu lifted his head and blinked sleepily, taking a moment to register the face of the man sitting opposite him.
The atmosphere in the office instantly froze. Qin Zaiyu and Shen Zhu stared at each other, massive waves crashing through both of their minds.
This silent standoff ended with Shen Zhu backing down first. He averted his gaze as memories of their encounter at the club flashed through his mind.
So, when Qin Zaiyu was taking photos of him with his phone back then, did he recognize him?
Recalling his own bold antics from that night, Shen Zhu let out a silent, terrified gasp.
He really had been blinded by a pretty face!