Come on, What Kind of CEO Chases His Roommate Back to the Country? - Chapter 69

Pei Song sat down across from Shi Yancheng, watching as the other man skillfully poured him a cup of hot tea. The fragrance of tea mixed with the rich aroma of Sichuan cuisine, making one’s appetite flare up instantly.

Shi Yancheng opened the food containers, and the spicy scent of boiled beef in chili broth immediately filled the room. “I remember you mentioned wanting to try this place’s boiled beef last time, so I had them send it over.”

Pei Song looked at the dishes in the containers, boiled beef, dry-fried string beans, mouth-watering chicken, every single dish was something he loved. Even the garnishes matched his preferences, extra cilantro, no green onions.

“By the way, any new developments in the investigation at Zhilin Technologies?” Pei Song asked while picking up some food.

“Eat first,” Shi Yancheng said, ladling him a bowl of soup. “We’ll talk about work later.”

Pei Song took a bite of the boiled beef. The meat was tender and smooth, and the numbing spice hit just the right note. Unable to stop himself, he grabbed another bite, only then realizing how hungry he really was.

“Slow down,” Shi Yancheng chuckled, watching him devour the food, “I’m not going to fight you for it.”

“I didn’t even know this place did delivery,” Pei Song mumbled with his mouth full. “Used to have to queue forever just to get a table.”

Shi Yancheng let out a quiet laugh. “They actually don’t.”

Pei Song froze for a second, then quickly understood, money really could make anything happen. Even this old restaurant, known for never offering delivery, couldn’t say no to the power of the big boss’s wallet.

He glanced up at Shi Yancheng, who was calmly placing food into his bowl, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.

Just as they were enjoying the meal, a knock came at the door.

Startled, Pei Song instinctively moved to get up, but Shi Yancheng casually pressed down on his wrist. The pressure wasn’t heavy, but it carried a quiet, unyielding authority.

“Come in,” Shi Yancheng called, his tone unchanged.

Jin Shuning pushed the door open, walking straight into a rather ambiguous scene, Mr. Shi holding Manager Pei’s wrist, the table in front of them littered with takeout boxes, the atmosphere difficult to read.

He paused for a moment, but quickly slipped back into professional mode. “Mr. Shi, Li Group’s quarterly financial report just arrived. They’d like to discuss a strategic partnership with us next week. Also, the Legal Department’s copyright contracts need your review.”

“Leave them on the table,” Shi Yancheng said without even looking up, his hand still on Pei Song’s wrist. “Anything else?”

Pei Song felt like his ears were on fire. He could sense Jin Shuning’s barely-there glance, but under Shi Yancheng’s restraint, he couldn’t move at all.

“No, that’s all,” Jin Shuning’s lips curled ever so slightly. “I’ll leave you two… to it.”

Once Jin Shuning quietly closed the door and left, Pei Song finally whispered, “This… this isn’t a good idea…”

“What’s wrong with it?” Shi Yancheng let go of his wrist, his voice calm. “It’s just a meal in the office.”

“But just now, Secretary Jin…”

“He knows what should be said and what shouldn’t.” Shi Yancheng cut him off, placing another piece of beef in his bowl. “Eat up, it’s getting cold.”

But somehow, Pei Song felt like the food didn’t taste quite as good anymore.

“You don’t have to be this tense,” Shi Yancheng noticed his unease. “Jin Shuning isn’t the type to gossip.”

Pei Song stared at the beef in his bowl. “It’s just… people might get the wrong idea.”

“About what?” Shi Yancheng topped off his soup. “What are you so afraid of?”

Pei Song sighed, his voice barely audible. “You know… if something like this gets around, it wouldn’t look good for you.”

“I’ve never cared what people think,” Shi Yancheng’s voice was gentle but firm. “And you shouldn’t worry about it either.”

“I just… don’t want to cause you trouble.”

“You’ve never been trouble,” Shi Yancheng said seriously. “Now, eat.”

The two fell into a short silence before Shi Yancheng suddenly spoke again. “To be honest, I wish they would misunderstand.”

Pei Song froze, looking up. “What did you say?”

“I said,” Shi Yancheng met his gaze, his voice soft but unwavering, “I wish everyone knew… that I’m chasing after you.”

Pei Song nearly choked on his soup, his face flushing bright red. “You… don’t say things like that.”

“Like what?” Shi Yancheng smiled, handing him a tissue. “Everything I just said is true.”

“Eat!” Pei Song buried his head in his bowl, feeling like he was going to burst into flames.

Jin Shuning softly closed the office door behind him and walked back to his desk.

Glancing at the tightly shut office door, he quietly pulled out his phone, opened an anonymous forum popular in the business district, and posted a message using a side account.

After posting, he pocketed his phone and returned to his paperwork, his expression unchanged.

As a good secretary, he was well-versed in the workplace rule, ‘Record everything. Comment on nothing.’

Later that night, a juicy piece of gossip exploded on that anonymous forum, quickly setting the comment section ablaze.

“A certain big boss ordered from that famous Sichuan restaurant on the west side today. That’s not the point, the point is! This place never delivers. But today, they made an exception and delivered it to his office. Why? Because his crush has been working overtime on an important project lately, and the boss couldn’t bear to see it. 

He even personally served them food, held their wrist when someone came in, and wouldn’t let them leave. Ugh, the shamelessly sweet vibes!

PS: Getting overworked by the big bad boss every day sucks, but seeing this kind of high-sugar scene… it almost makes it worth it. [doge emoji]”

The comment section exploded.

“God, this is too sweet! Office romance confirmed!”

“Wait, that Sichuan place on the west side? The one you need to book a month in advance?”

“OP’s so unlucky… but also, what a good piece of gossip to catch, LOL.”

“Boss dating a subordinate? Won’t people call this favoritism?”

“Get real, a subordinate getting pampered like this must seriously have skills.”

“OP, you know so much, you must be an insider!”

“Bro, tell us more! Even if your boss is a tyrant, this couple’s too good to resist shipping!”

OP replied, “Not a sister, bro here. All I’ll say is, they really are a perfect match. Every time I see the big bad boss being soft with his crush… forget it, better not say more. I still want my year-end bonus. [doge emoji]”

“Oops, sorry bro! You ship them so hard I thought…”

“Dead. Men ship it harder, apparently!”

“Don’t worry bro, we get it. Your boss is seriously swoon-worthy.”

“Stop asking guys, OP’s job’s on the line. [laugh-cry emoji]”

In under three hours, the post hit the trending list with over 100,000 views.

Jin Shuning scrolled through the comments, watching the chaos with a satisfied nod. Yawning, he checked the time, already 1 AM.

Time for bed. There was still a mountain of paperwork waiting for him tomorrow.