On Monday morning, the atmosphere in the office was rather dull. Everyone was yawning and sluggish, relying on coffee to stay awake.
Xie Zhinan, however, wasn’t very tired; in fact, he seemed quite energetic.
He had sent a message to Wen Yun before work, but two hours had passed, and there was still no reply.
Was he still feverish?
Was it serious?
Why hadn’t he responded?
Unfortunately, Xie Zhinan didn’t have Assistant Lin’s contact information. If he did, he could at least ask about Wen Yun’s condition.
Two minutes later, Xie Zhinan opened his chat with Wen Yun for what felt like the hundredth time.
Still no response. The conversation remained frozen at 8 a.m., where he had sent two messages.
[Xie Zhinan]: Boss, thank you for the umbrella. Should I bring it up and return it to you at noon?
[Xie Zhinan]: [Cat peeking emoji.jpg]
That day after Xie Zhinan returned home, he noticed the familiar luxury brand logo on the umbrella. A quick online search revealed its price, and after counting the zeroes on the price tag, he was left in a long silence.
After that, he carefully placed the umbrella on his desk, treating it like a prized possession, and didn’t dare touch it again.
When he brought it today, he wrapped it carefully in multiple layers to prevent any damage. His first thought upon arriving was to return it to Wen Yun.
But Wen Yun still hadn’t replied.
A few minutes later, Xie Zhinan couldn’t resist and sent another message.
[Xie Zhinan]: Then should I give the umbrella to Assistant Lin at noon?
[Xie Zhinan]: [Cat peeking emoji.jpg]
To his surprise, this time Wen Yun responded almost immediately, as if he had been deliberately ignoring him earlier.
[Wen Yun]: ? Give it to him?
[Xie Zhinan]: 0.0
[Xie Zhinan]: Then… should I give it to another secretary in the office?
[Wen Yun]: ?
[Wen Yun]: I lent it to you, and you’re returning it to someone else?
[Xie Zhinan]: ….
It seemed like the boss was upset again.
But Xie Zhinan had clearly asked earlier if he should return it directly to him. Why was Wen Yun still unhappy?
Feeling a bit lost, Xie Zhinan cautiously tried again.
[Xie Zhinan]: Then should I… give it back to you?
[Wen Yun]: Come to my office at noon.
[Xie Zhinan]: Okay, qvq
When noon came, Xie Zhinan found himself back on the 22nd floor.
This time, he was much more familiar with the place. Ignoring the increasingly curious and heated gazes of his colleagues, he headed straight into Wen Yun’s office.
Only to have someone press a finger against his forehead, pushing him back.
Xie Zhinan looked up in confusion, meeting Wen Yun’s gaze head-on.
In that instant, memories from a few days ago surged back into his mind—those unusual moments of probing and contact. They made it impossible for Xie Zhinan to maintain his usual calm and polite demeanor as a subordinate. Turning his head awkwardly, he dodged Wen Yun’s finger.
Wen Yun’s expression was unreadable. His cold eyes swept over Xie Zhinan’s fidgety posture and evasive movements before he asked coolly, “Why are you acting like you’re sneaking in here to steal something?”
Xie Zhinan: “…”
He shook his head quickly. The spot on his forehead where Wen Yun’s cool finger had pressed felt a little itchy, but since both his hands were occupied, he couldn’t rub it. Forcing himself to ignore the odd sensation, he said, “I’m here to return… return something.”
“Oh,” Wen Yun said, his tone inexplicably strange. “So you do remember it’s supposed to be returned to me.”
His sarcastic tone was oddly genuine.
Xie Zhinan, feeling wronged, lowered his voice and muttered, “I did ask you this morning if I should give it back to you.”
“Right.” Wen Yun’s face remained emotionless as he said, “An entire weekend passed, and all you asked me was one question—whether or not to return the umbrella.”
Even someone as slow-witted as Xie Zhinan could sense Wen Yun’s dissatisfaction in those words, as well as the deeper meaning behind them.
He looked up and glanced at Wen Yun.
Wen Yun was staring at him coldly.
Two days had passed, but Wen Yun didn’t appear to have changed much. His back was straight, his posture impeccable, and even his hair was neatly groomed. There was no sign of frailty about him.
The only clue was his slightly pale lips and the faint rasp in his voice when he spoke.
Xie Zhinan silently picked up the bag in his hand, raised it in front of Wen Yun, and said, “…Thank you for the umbrella.”
“Mm.”
Xie Zhinan resembled a snail tentatively extending its feelers. When someone poked him, he’d shrink back, wait until he felt safe, and cautiously extend them again—only to be poked once more and retreat again. After several cycles, he seemed to grow accustomed to this harmless poking, even daring to extend his feelers further than before, testing to see if the person would poke him again.
Wen Yun’s brief response sounded filled with dissatisfaction, and Xie Zhinan instinctively felt he was about to say more. So he kept sneaking glances at him.
Wen Yun gazed back at him calmly. Lately, Wen Yun often looked at him like this—calm and gentle, like a still pool of water waiting for him to jump in. It didn’t seem cold, though; it felt like it would warmly envelop and hold him tightly.
Xie Zhinan’s heart raced. He blinked rapidly a few times before averting his gaze.
“And then? Xie Zhinan,” Wen Yun, as expected, prodded him again.
Xie Zhinan understood the hint this time. He didn’t retreat and tentatively asked, “Then… is your health better now?”
“If you asked any later, I’d already be dead.”
Xie Zhinan looked up at him seriously and said, “Don’t say things like that.”
Wen Yun couldn’t help but let a faint smile escape the corners of his lips. “Do you care that much?”
At that, Xie Zhinan’s feelers retreated once again.
They seemed to take great pleasure in this back-and-forth game of probing and retreating.
After a long while, Xie Zhinan finally muttered in a muffled voice, almost sulkily, “After all, you’re the one who has to pay my salary.”
“Someone else could pay you, too,” Wen Yun replied.
“That’s not……” the same.
Xie Zhinan bit his lip in time, cutting off the rest of his words.
Recently, he felt he’d been getting too bold, as though even his rationality was slipping away.
“That’s not what?” Wen Yun asked.
Xie Zhinan stayed silent.
Having poked enough, Wen Yun stopped pushing and didn’t pursue the matter further. Instead, he took the bag Xie Zhinan handed him and cast a glance at the item in Xie Zhinan’s other hand.
It was roughly the size of a thermos, wrapped in a black cloth bag.
Without a change in his expression, he asked, “What’s that in your other hand?”
Xie Zhinan kept his head down, avoiding Wen Yun’s eyes, though not in an evasive way. After a moment, he pursed his lips slightly, then said with some embarrassment, “…I made some snow pear soup.”
“…”
After a few seconds of silence, Xie Zhinan cautiously lifted his gaze to Wen Yun.
His palms were slightly sweaty from nerves, but he tried to keep his eyes steady. His light brown pupils reflected Wen Yun’s face, his expression earnest—so earnest that a trace of anticipation surfaced in his eyes. “Would you… like to try some?”
…..
It turned out that some people were easy to appease.
The past two days of neglect were temporarily forgotten under the sweet warmth of pear soup. While Wen Yun slowly sipped the soup, Assistant Lin knocked on the door to deliver his lunch. Xie Zhinan flinched and prepared to leave tactfully.
Wen Yun raised his eyes, his cold gaze fixing on Xie Zhinan. “Leaving the bowl behind?”
“I-I’ll come back to get it in the afternoon.”
“I won’t be here in the afternoon.”
“Then… tomorrow?”
“Not tomorrow either.”
“The day after…”
“I’ll be on a business trip the day after.”
Xie Zhinan looked at him with those soft eyes. He could tell Wen Yun was just making excuses, but he didn’t get upset. Instead, he fiddled with his fingertips and muttered, “…Then I’ll wait until you’re done eating before I go.”
“You’ll wait until I finish?” Wen Yun squinted at him. “You plan to watch me eat?”
Xie Zhinan pressed his lips shut and didn’t reply.
Wen Yun nonchalantly said, “Today there’s wasabi shrimp balls.”
Xie Zhinan was picky, preferring salty and spicy flavors, and rarely liked sweet dishes.
…Wasabi shrimp balls were one of the few exceptions.
This was clearly a well-planned and premeditated lunch.
Xie Zhinan rubbed his nose and neither refused nor fled. He just replied in a soft, obedient voice, “…Okay.”
