On the whole, the dinner party was very pleasant. Ji Li didn’t put on any arrogant airs, and everyone else knew better than to push their luck. After all, when the boss shows you respect, you have to know when to stop.
The dining table was filled with laughter and conversation. Unlike his usual strict demeanor at work, Ji Li seemed surprisingly easygoing, which emboldened the employees.
“President Ji, when headquarters transferred you to City B, did you feel upset about it deep down?” The person asking was clearly drunk, or else they would never have dared to ask Ji Li such a question.
Instinctively, everyone turned their eyes to Ji Li, silently breaking into a cold sweat for their intoxicated colleague. Someone even wanted to reach out and cover his mouth.
Bro, do you even realize what you just asked?!
Hearing this, Ji Li didn’t get angry. He merely glanced at the man and countered with a question, “Why do you ask?”
The man was truly wasted. The people sitting next to him couldn’t restrain him at all as he blurted out thoughtlessly, “If it were me, I’d be upset too. Your friends and family are all over there, yet they transferred you to a strange city. Isn’t it because you were angry that you treated us over here so…”
Before he could finish, a colleague next to him quickly covered his mouth, grit their teeth, and whispered in sheer terror, “Bro, stop talking! If you say another word, you won’t have a job tomorrow. You’re going to regret this to death when you sober up!”
Saying something like that was equivalent to accusing a leader to his face of taking out his personal frustrations on his employees. How many bosses would be generous enough not to get angry after hearing that?
“Then you might have misunderstood. I requested the transfer myself. I have no personal grievances against any of you, as long as you get the job done,” Ji Li stated calmly.
“Uh, he’s just talking nonsense because of the alcohol, President Ji. Please don’t take it seriously!” the person next to the drunk man chimed in with a pleading smile.
“It’s fine. Our President Ji isn’t that petty. However, I can testify to that—he really did request the transfer himself. Headquarters was actually very reluctant to let him go!” He Feng said with a laugh.
At this, the others grew even more puzzled. “Why? The benefits and pay at headquarters must be better than in City B…”
“Yeah, I wonder why too?” He Feng feigned a thoughtful look and glanced at Ji Li.
Listening to the conversation, Xu Nanxin’s hand shook involuntarily. He lost his grip on his chopsticks, and they dropped onto his plate with a sharp, echoing clatter.
Everyone turned to look at Xu Nanxin.
Xu Nanxin quickly apologized, “S-Sorry about that.”
His reaction was entirely because Mr. Z had told him over the phone a while ago that he had come to City B for him. So when someone brought up the topic now, Xu Nanxin couldn’t help but feel incredibly guilty, even though he kept telling himself: It has nothing to do with you, it has nothing to do with you. That’s Ji Li’s own business.
He Feng looked at Xu Nanxin with a half-smile and a deeply meaningful gaze before continuing, “Word has it that our President Ji’s lover is here in City B, which is why he made a special trip over.”
When He Feng first said this, everyone thought he was joking. No one took it seriously until they noticed that Ji Li, the actual subject of the gossip, didn’t deny it. Everyone was stunned.
They really couldn’t picture it.
Xu Nanxin felt his palms sweating. He didn’t even dare to raise his head, terrified that his eyes might meet Ji Li’s.
“Mm,” Ji Li responded. Not only did he not deny it, but he even gave a casual grunt of affirmation, completely oblivious to the fact that for his subordinates, this was a mind-blowing piece of ultimate gossip!
What kind of person could actually tame Ji Li?! Everyone was dying of curiosity about Ji Li’s lover, but not a single soul dared to ask.
Xu Nanxin kept his head down, taking a strategic sip of his drink to distract himself, only to realize too late that it was alcohol. He choked on it, coughing a few times as his face flushed a bright red.
“Nanxin, what’s wrong?” Jiang Yiyuan noticed that Xu Nanxin’s entire state seemed off and couldn’t help but ask out of concern.
Flustered, Xu Nanxin quickly looked up and shook his head. “No, I’m fine.”
Beside them, Ji Li put down his utensils and said to the group, “Excuse me for a moment.”
“Sure,” everyone responded.
Xu Nanxin kept a close eye on the movement around him. Once Ji Li got up and left, he finally let out a massive sigh of relief. This dinner was truly like sitting on a bed of needles!
“You look very tense. Are you that scared of your President Ji?” He Feng placed a hand on Xu Nanxin’s shoulder from the side, asking with a smile.
Xu Nanxin didn’t have a shred of goodwill toward He Feng, but he couldn’t afford to offend him either. He could only manage a fake smile and reply, “Everyone in the company is a bit afraid of President Ji.”
Don’t make it sound like I’m the exception. I’m not the only one who’s scared!
“I see.” He Feng withdrew his hand.
Before Xu Nanxin could even relax for two minutes, his phone suddenly rang without warning. He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and immediately shielded the phone as he stood up. “Excuse me, I need to step out to take a call.”
With that, Xu Nanxin hurriedly left the private dining room.
Outside the room, Xu Nanxin stared at the caller ID on his phone, his heart hammering wildly against his chest. He was practically driven to tears by the fact that Ji Li wouldn’t even forget to call him at a time like this. He scrambled to find an empty spot to answer.
After looking around, Xu Nanxin chose to go toward the emergency exit stairwell. Pushing open the heavy door, a gust of cold air hit him, making him shiver involuntarily.
“Hello,” Xu Nanxin said. He felt his voice trembling slightly from anxiety. Even though the phone had a voice-changing effect, he didn’t know if the other man could detect his nerves.
“What’s wrong? Your voice sounds a bit off.” Sure enough, Ji Li on the other end picked up on it anyway.
Xu Nanxin quickly covered, “Nothing, I’m just outside and it’s a bit cold.”
Well, it wasn’t a lie. It was already mid-November, and standing in this emergency stairwell with the chilly wind howling through, it really was freezing.
“Are you very sensitive to the cold?” The man’s voice was deep. It was usually a crisp, somewhat chilly voice, yet it always seemed to carry a layer of gentleness and indulgence when speaking to him.
Xu Nanxin couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of expression Ji Li wore when he was being gentle. He figured it would probably just terrify him.
“Yeah, a little.” Xu Nanxin’s hands were nearly frozen stiff. He just wanted to go back inside to the air conditioning.
“Then dress warmer and take good care of yourself—though I do wish I could be there to take care of you personally.”
Xu Nanxin understood perfectly what Ji Li meant. The man was dropping hints about meeting up, but Xu Nanxin could only pretend to be oblivious.
Besides, don’t even mention taking care of him; as long as Ji Li didn’t make life difficult for him at work, that was already the best care possible.
“You too. The weather is getting colder, so take care of your health and don’t get sick,” Xu Nanxin replied, politely returning the concern out of courtesy.
The other side fell silent for a moment. Xu Nanxin tucked his neck into his collar and waited. After what felt like a long time, he finally heard the man speak.
“Little Bunny, if you really care about me, consider staying by my side.” Ji Li—or rather, Mr. Z—had made his intentions crystal clear.
Xu Nanxin froze…
The man’s voice was incredibly reassuring. If this had been the past, Xu Nanxin would have nodded and agreed without a second thought. But now that he knew the man was Ji Li, he completely lost his courage.