“I want to… think about it a little more,” Xu Nanxin said softly.
But he also knew he couldn’t drag this out any longer. The longer he delayed, the bigger the problem would become; he had severely underestimated how much he mattered to Mr. Z. Tonight, Ji Li had actually openly and generously admitted at the dinner that he had stepped out specifically for his partner.
If a day came in the future where he was discovered to be Little Rabbit, Ji Li would only think he was playing a malicious prank, and the consequences would likely be far more severe.
Xu Nanxin felt completely trapped. He had initially thought Mr. Z was a gift from the heavens. Now, it seemed less like a gift and more like a tribulation he was forced to endure.
“What are you afraid of? And Little Rabbit, your attitude has been incredibly cold lately. Is it because I brought up meeting in person? Or have you simply never intended to meet me from the very beginning? I think we need to talk.” When Ji Li’s tone turned cold and serious, the sheer weight of his presence was overwhelming.
As expected, the man had misunderstood. Xu Nanxin wanted to deny it; he absolutely had no intention of playing with Mr. Z’s feelings. Before discovering that Ji Li was Mr. Z, he had looked forward to their meeting immensely.
“Do you… really want to meet that badly?” Xu Nanxin took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he thought to himself: Whatever happens, happens. It’s better to just rip the bandage off and face the music. If Ji Li wants to meet, then let’s meet!
It was certainly better than living in constant fear, never knowing when the executioner’s blade would drop!
“What do you think?” Ji Li countered.
Xu Nanxin fell silent for a long moment. He slid down against the wall into a crouch, pulling his coat tightly around himself to keep warm. After a while, he finally said, “Then… can we do the end of this month? Friday after next.”
He still had two new proposals on his plate. He could use this time to do a flawless job and secure Ji Li’s satisfaction. That way, when they finally met, he hoped Ji Li would look at his professional competence and refrain from firing him.
“Alright,” the other end agreed cleanly without hesitation.
Xu Nanxin’s emotions were incredibly complex. “Then… should I hang up first?”
He expected a quick reply, but the other end remained quiet for a long stretch of time. The silence only made Xu Nanxin’s heart knot with further apprehension.
“Little Rabbit,” Mr. Z called his name, waiting a beat before asking, “Since when did you become so eager to hang up on me?”
In the past, every time they spoke, Little Rabbit always wished the conversation could go on forever and was never willing to be the one to end the call.
“Is that so? I didn’t mean to,” Xu Nanxin denied vehemently.
“My company is having a dinner tonight, and I specifically carved out time to come outside and call you.”
In Ji Li’s eyes, Xu Nanxin had seemed exceptionally insecure ever since the topic of meeting up was raised. After their last chat, Ji Li had realized some of the underlying issues in their relationship and was actively trying to resolve them.
Yet, he could feel Little Rabbit deliberately distancing himself, and it was a terrible feeling. Because of that, he chose not to simply indulge him like he used to, opting instead to forcefully push for an in-person meeting.
Xu Nanxin dazed for a second. So when Ji Li had excused himself earlier, it wasn’t just a casual errand—he had stepped out specifically to call him!
He had assumed it was just a convenient afterthought.
If it were anyone else, this would be an incredibly heartwarming gesture.
At the same time, Xu Nanxin realized more than ever that this problem had to be dealt with quickly. Otherwise, facing Mr. Z’s daily warmth and concern would only drown him in a sea of guilt.
“You really don’t have to do that. If you’re busy, you don’t need to force yourself to find time to call me,” Xu Nanxin said.
“But I don’t want you waiting for a call that doesn’t come,” Ji Li replied. His voice was perfectly calm, yet he delivered such a heart-fluttering line with absolute sincerity.
With his phone pressed against his ear, Ji Li’s deep, velvety voice felt as though it were whispering right beside him. That line—I don’t want you waiting for a call that doesn’t come—made him instinctively grip his phone tighter. His face burned hot, and his heart rate began to pick up speed.
“Mm…” Xu Nanxin murmured softly in response.
Even after the call disconnected, Xu Nanxin’s racing heart refused to settle. His mind was an absolute mess. Realizing his legs had gone numb from crouching, he stood up just as a gust of cold wind swept past, cooling the heat on his face and bringing him back to his senses.
Sorting out his chaotic thoughts, he pulled open the heavy fire door to step back inside. The interior was warm. Just as he was about to return to the private dining room, he ran squarely into Ji Li.
Startled out of his wits, Xu Nanxin froze in his tracks. Panic washed over his face, and he suddenly forgot how to speak. Guiltily, he swept his phone behind his back. “M-Mr. Ji.”
Ji Li cast a brief, indifferent glance at him. “Mm.”
“Um, please… go ahead first.” Xu Nanxin quickly scrambled back a few paces to clear the path for Ji Li. The faint romantic ripples stirred up by Mr. Z vanished into thin air in an instant.
Perhaps because Xu Nanxin’s reaction was entirely too dramatic, Ji Li asked a rare question: “Are you that afraid of me?”
“No.” Xu Nanxin was entirely at a loss for words, thinking to himself: Isn’t that completely obvious?
“As long as you do your job well and don’t bring personal feelings into the workplace, no one is going to make things difficult for you,” Ji Li said indifferently.
Xu Nanxin: “……”
“Understood.”
“Also, don’t take He Feng’s words too seriously. If you don’t want to engage with him, you don’t have to,” Ji Li added.
Likely because he had just spoken to Little Rabbit, Ji Li was in a relatively good mood. Seeing how incredibly tense Xu Nanxin was—as if terrified of offending him—Ji Li couldn’t help but be reminded of Little Rabbit. Rookies always had a rough time navigating the corporate world.
He knew He Feng was intentionally treating the younger man like a toy for his own amusement, and he couldn’t comprehend why He Feng insisted on scaring a fresh graduate who had just entered the workforce.
It was rare to hear such considerate words leave Ji Li’s mouth. Xu Nanxin looked up in surprise, his bright, clear eyes looking exceptionally beautiful.
Ji Li had to admit He Feng was right about one thing—Xu Nanxin was indeed very good-looking. Those rabbit-like eyes gave him a naturally harmless aura, which explained why he was so popular among his colleagues.
However, none of that mattered to Ji Li.
“Go on in,” he commanded.
Xu Nanxin quickly nodded. Pushing the door to the private room open, he didn’t enter immediately, instead stepping aside to let Ji Li pass first.
Ji Li didn’t look at him again and walked straight inside, radiating pure indifference. The warmth of Mr. Z felt like nothing more than an illusion. In reality, the only thing Ji Li ever offered him was a cold, dismissing apathy.
This staggering disparity was something anyone would find impossible to ignore.
Deep down, Xu Nanxin couldn’t help but feel a phantom trace of disappointment.
As the two of them walked back into the room one after the other, He Feng let out a chuckle. “Well, look at you two returning together. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you two planned this.”
“He Feng, you seem to have an awful lot to say today,” Ji Li raised his eyes, offering a cool warning.
“Do I?” He Feng replied nonchalantly. He shot a teasing glance at Xu Nanxin, a playful look that made the younger man incredibly uncomfortable.
“It’s just quite a coincidence. Not long after you stepped out, Nanxin’s phone rang, and he headed out to take a call too.”
Xu Nanxin: “……”
I really have to thank you!