Han Chongming’s face instantly darkened.
“What do you mean by this?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Starting today, you’re fired.” While others might fear him, the finance manager, a fellow veteran employee, wasn’t intimidated. Who did he think he was, scowling all day long to scare people?
“I’m asking what this means!” Han Chongming slammed his hand on the finance desk, shouting loudly, “On what grounds? How dare a newcomer fire me on his very first day? What gives him the right?!”
“The right of being the boss!”
The finance manager also lost his temper, firing back, “Those previous managers were just employees at the end of the day. You could act however you pleased with them. But this one is the real boss. If you don’t want to work, do you expect the boss to beg you to stay?”
Han Chongming’s face flushed with a mix of anger and humiliation. Without even signing his pay stub, he stormed out.
Deep down, he understood what the finance manager had said, but he truly hadn’t expected that weak, seemingly submissive young man to have such nerve. He was both furious and embarrassed, yet he couldn’t bring himself to swallow his pride and apologize.
After much thought, he suddenly took out his phone and called Dong Jingyi.
Dong Jingyi was initially startled. After listening to him, she replied gently, “I understand how you feel, but Lu Qiao is the boss now. I can’t interfere with his decisions. If there’s a misunderstanding, just talk it out with him, and everything will be fine.”
“But you I.”
Dong Jingyi said calmly, “I trust Lu Qiao’s character. He bought the gallery so decisively, surely with its best interests in mind. Just explain things clearly to him. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll hang up now.”
Without waiting for Han Chongming to respond, she ended the call.
She was well aware of Han Chongming’s nature, but since she was only helping out and he had always shown her respect, they had maintained a peaceful relationship. Now that he had angered Lu Qiao and hit a wall, she certainly wouldn’t side with him against Lu Qiao.
Dong Jingyi quickly put the matter out of her mind, but Han Chongming was infuriated by her refusal to help. He vented his rage by smashing things in his office for a while before gradually calming down. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he dug out a number from his contacts.
“Hello, Mrs. Sheng.”
Around nine in the morning, at a well-known teahouse in Pingcheng, Mrs. Sheng was having breakfast with a few friends. She was slightly taken aback when she saw the caller ID Han Chongming was someone she had added during an art exhibition, but they had never been in touch since. She wondered why he would reach out now.
After answering the call and hearing the person on the other end explain the situation, her eyes slowly brightened.
“Oh, how could this happen!”
The two ladies across from her paused their tea-sipping and looked at her curiously. Mrs. Sheng wore a disapproving expression and sighed, “He’s too young. Mr. Han is quite respected in the art world and was a friend of the gallery’s previous owner. How could he? Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him.”
After hanging up, her friends immediately asked what had happened.
Mrs. Sheng sighed and said.
“You know that new wife Mo Hanzhou married, right? I took him to visit an art exhibition at a gallery, and he liked the gallery so much he bought it. Who would have thought that just two days after starting work, he got into an argument with an old employee and impulsively fired them. Life isn’t easy for anyone, and that Mrs. Mo is still too young, hasn’t experienced much of society, so it’s hard for him to empathize with others.”
“Yes, yes,” a friend nodded in agreement. “Young people these days are too self-centered.”
Mrs. Sheng claimed she wanted to persuade, but instead of talking to Lu Qiao directly, she brought it up with Mo Hanzhou one day at a business event.
It was a private cocktail party hosted by one of Mo Hanzhou’s clients, making it difficult to decline. Mo Hanzhou, who rarely made appearances, was just about to leave when he was unexpectedly called over:
“Mr. Mo.”
Mrs. Sheng, dressed in an elegant long gown with exquisite makeup, walked gracefully toward Mo Hanzhou:
“Mr. Mo, your wife had an argument with an old employee at the gallery and fired them outright. That employee is struggling, and they came to me for help. Could you perhaps talk to Mrs. Mo about it?”
Mo Hanzhou handed his wine glass to Fang Zhongbai beside him and looked at her coldly.
Although Mo Hanzhou had been cultivating a calmer demeanor in recent years, it didn’t mean others had forgotten the storm he stirred up in Pingcheng five years ago. Under his icy gaze, Mrs. Sheng instinctively took a step back in fear, taking a moment to compose herself by pressing a hand to her chest.
“M-Mr. Mo.”
Mo Hanzhou stared at the woman, her expression still shaken, as the sharpness in his eyes gradually faded like stars disappearing at dawn. Though his gaze remained cool, the intimidating aura had vanished.
He spoke politely:
“If you have any issues with my A-Qiao, you can speak to him directly. Though he’s young, he’s not unreasonable or stubborn.”
Mrs. Sheng quickly replied, “Yes, yes.”
The venue was warm, with lighting and laughter perfectly curated to showcase the taste of high society, but Mo Hanzhou suddenly felt weary. He stepped out of the banquet hall and took a deep breath of the cool November air outside.
Fang Zhongbai followed and asked, “Mr. Mo, shall we go to the office or home?”
“It’s not yet five o’clock, is it?”
Fang Zhongbai paused before replying, “No.”
“Head to Jianxin Gallery.”
“To pick up my wife.”
The gallery’s closing time was six o’clock. By five, Lu Qiao was already looking forward to leaving. He had a strong feeling that people should work no more than seven hours a day six would be even better if possible. Leaning on his hand, he pondered whether to shorten the gallery’s regular working hours.
The other employees were still unaware that their future happiness was taking shape in their young boss’s mind. At that moment, all they could see was a black luxury business car slowly approaching the gallery’s entrance. About three minutes before the car stopped, a call came through to the phone of the young man daydreaming in the office.
“Hello.”
Why would his husband call at this hour? Was he not coming home tonight, or was he inviting him out for dinner? Lu Qiao considered a few possibilities as he answered.
“Darling.”
“Guess where I am.”
A man’s voice, tinged with laughter, came through the tiny receiver hole. Lu Qiao was momentarily stunned, then a guess quickly formed in his mind:
“At the entrance of my gallery!”
“Ah, how did you get so smart? Are you packing up to leave work, or does the big boss want to wait until the official end of the day?”
“Leaving, leaving, I’m leaving right now!”
Lu Qiao quickly ended the call, grabbed his keys and phone, and decisively headed for the gallery entrance. Just as he reached the door, Mo Hanzhou’s car arrived. He immediately waved vigorously.
“Boss, are you leaving already?”
Two employees greeted him. Lu Qiao was lively and approachable, quickly becoming familiar with the staff. Now that there was no “headmaster” constantly watching over the gallery, the atmosphere had become much more relaxed.
“Yes, I’m heading out first. Everyone, be careful on your way home.”
Lu Qiao waved at them and quickly dashed toward the car. Mo Hanzhou looked at the eager smile on his face and reached out to brush away a stray hair stuck to his cheek.
“You could have walked slowly. Why run?”
“I wanted to see you sooner.”
Lu Qiao smiled at Mo Hanzhou, the upward curve of his lips as if holding a spoonful of honey, sweet enough to make one’s heart tremble. Warmth filled Mo Hanzhou’s eyes as he glanced at the two employees walking back into the gallery.
“You get along well with your colleagues.”
“They’re employees!” Lu Qiao corrected him.
“Right, then my A-Qiao gets along well with the employees.”
“Mhm, everyone is very warm and friendly, and their work attitude is positive too.” Lu Qiao spoke with the air of a boss evaluating his subordinates:
“I’m quite satisfied.”
“Well, have you encountered anything unpleasant?”
“No.” Lu Qiao looked at him curiously. “Why do you ask?”
“Just concerned about you.”
“I knew you cared about me the most!”
The two laughed and joked for a while, not discussing work-related matters further. They returned home, had dinner as usual, and took a stroll afterward.
In the evening, Fang Zhongbai called Mo Hanzhou.
“President Mo, I’ve looked into the matter. Here’s what happened.”
Mo Hanzhou listened to Fang Zhongbai’s account with a composed and steady expression, no different from when he received work reports at the company. Only when Fang Zhongbai mentioned Lu Qiao’s handling of Han Chongming did he raise an eyebrow slightly.
“I understand. Alright, you’ve worked hard tonight. Get some rest.”
Just as he hung up, a pair of soft hands suddenly covered his eyes.
Mo Hanzhou chuckled and played along, asking, “Who’s the little troublemaker?”
The next moment, he felt a weight settle on his lap as someone sat down.
“Guess,” came a sweet, soft voice.
Mo Hanzhou: “Hmm. Is it Julie?”
“No.”
“Then it must be Dana.”
“No!”
“Oh, then it has to be Bella!”
Lu Qiao angrily removed his hands and demanded fiercely:
“How many little sisters do you actually have?!”
Mo Hanzhou reached out and wrapped his arms around his waist:
“Are you a little sister?”
“Of course I am.”
Lu Qiao wore an expression that said, “I absolutely am,” while his hips, pressed against Mo Hanzhou’s thighs, swayed and rubbed against a certain part of him. He said in a sweet, sticky tone:
“If I weren’t a little sister, how could I use my XX to eat your XX?”
Regarding Lu Qiao’s bold words, Mo Hanzhou didn’t know whether to react like a normal man or simply laugh. His body stirred slightly, yet inwardly he was still chuckling at him.
Before the situation could escalate beyond control, Mo Hanzhou gently pushed him away and said, “I’m going to take a shower.”
Knowing his obsession with cleanliness that he always had to shower beforehand Lu Qiao didn’t press further. He obediently hopped down and said:
“Then you’d better hurry.”
Mo Hanzhou shook his head. “Little imp.”
“Already calling me a little imp,” Lu Qiao muttered under his breath, though Mo Hanzhou didn’t hear it.
When Mo Hanzhou emerged from the bathroom and saw the figure on the bed, he was momentarily stunned.
Lu Qiao had turned off all the wall lights, leaving only a trail of soft, seductive lighting that meandered from the bathroom to the large bed covered in snow-white sheets.
All the lights at the head of the bed converged on the boy kneeling in the center. He sat with his legs tightly pressed together, the light blue sailor outfit barely covering much. Nervously, he fidgeted with the tie at his chest.
“T-today, are you ordering the bunny?”