Chapter 61: Did I Allow You to Get Hurt?

Chapter 61: Did I Give You Permission to Get Hurt?

The next day, when he was pushing the CEO into the office building.

Song Jiang noticed something was off.

Before, the little birds on the trees in the landscaped area near the entrance would chirp cheerfully.

The receptionist would warmly greet him with a "Good morning."

The security guards

would warmly address him as Xiao Song, but now it had completely changed.

Every person passing by deliberately or inadvertently looked at him and Fu Zhichen.

Wait? He wasn't acting, singing, performing, or even good-looking—why did he read envy, jealousy, and resentment in everyone's eyes?

Song Jiang stayed dumbfounded until he went to the break room to brew coffee for the CEO.

Long-haired woman: "Hey, did you all see the message in the group?"

Wavy-haired woman: "Of course I did."

Long-haired woman, surprised: "You're saying the CEO really got together with a butler?"

Wow, gossip spreads this fast?

They even made a group chat, and the worst part is, why didn't they add him!!!

Wavy-haired woman: "Based on how cold and ruthless the CEO usually is, this is totally impossible."

Long-haired woman, confused: "Why do you say that? The CEO is almost thirty, what's wrong with dating?"

Short-haired woman interrupted: "You know the CEO—he's a super extreme germaphobe!"

Long-haired woman, puzzled: "Why do you think the CEO likes men? Shouldn't a normal sexual orientation be toward women?"

Long-haired woman continued: "Also, hypothetically speaking."

"Who's on top and who's on bottom between the CEO and the butler? Can the CEO in a wheelchair be the one on top?"

Song Jiang, hiding around the corner, suddenly blushed at that remark.

These women are way too explicit!

What's all this 'top' and 'bottom' nonsense!

Even if, hypothetically, he fell in love with a man—

And even if, by some stretch, that man was the CEO, given his situation, he'd have to be on top!!!

And besides, he was terrified of pain—no way would he be the bottom!!!

"Speaking of the wheelchair," the wavy-haired woman glanced left and right, lowering her voice, "I've got some inside gossip. Want to hear it?"

Song Jiang thought to himself, these women sure change topics fast.

"Spill it," the short-haired and long-haired women nudged the wavy-haired woman on the shoulder.

Wavy-haired woman: "We all more or less know the CEO's legs ended up that way because of a car accident."

Long-haired woman: "Yeah, I've known that since I joined the company."

Short-haired woman nodded too.

Wavy-haired woman: "Then do you know who hit him with the car?"

The short-haired and long-haired women signaled her to stop being mysterious and just tell us.

"It's that guy," the wavy-haired woman said in a tone implying she just needed to hint, "the one who's most at odds with the CEO in the company."

Long-haired woman clapped her hands, suddenly enlightened: "You mean Fan Jian?"

"..."

Fan Jian hit the CEO?

Song Jiang planned to lean in and listen more closely, but suddenly someone tapped him on the back.

"Xiao Song, what are you doing here?"

Absorbed in eavesdropping, Song Jiang was startled, and the coffee cup slipped from his hand—"bang"—falling to the floor.

Song Jiang turned around in panic.

"Sister Xucan, why do you walk so quietly!!!"

At the same time, the three women in the break room heard the noise and came out, all eyes landing on Song Jiang.

They exchanged glances, and Song Jiang felt they were communicating something like:

"Asking for a friend—what do we do when the person being gossiped about overhears us?"

Caught eavesdropping, Song Jiang was mortified, his ears burning red and his toes curling in embarrassment, as he gave an awkward chuckle.

"Haha, I'm just here to brew coffee for the CEO. I didn't hear anything. Keep going, keep going."

"..."

The four of them exchanged awkward glances. Song Jiang regretted his words instantly—crap, it sounded like he was trying to cover up, making him look guilty.

They didn't know when he had arrived.

Song Jiang dared not meet their eyes, mentally chanting "Can't see me, can't see me," and quickly crouched to clean up the shards of the coffee cup.

Xu Can glanced at Song Jiang and the three women: "What did you hear? Spill it to me too."

The wavy-haired woman reacted first, smiling: "Nothing, we suddenly remembered we have work. We'll head off now."

Xu Can watched them scurry away and muttered, "So weird."

"Xiao Song, don't pick up the pieces with your hands—you'll cut your fingers."

Oh, too late. But in his rush, he already felt a sharp ceramic shard scrape across his palm.

Luckily, he managed to look away just in time.

Xu Can grabbed the cleaning tools from the corner of the break room and, like an older sister chasing off her little brother, pulled Song Jiang aside.

Seeing Song Jiang holding his hand, she immediately guessed that his hand had been cut. She nagged worriedly, 'I told you not to touch it, but you just wouldn't listen.'

"..."

After cleaning up the fragments on the floor, Song Jiang of course did not forget the purpose of his trip to the break room.

Xu Can didn't leave. She snatched the coffee beans from Song Jiang's hand. 'You're injured and you don't even wipe your hand? Here, give me that. I'll make the coffee.'

Song Jiang was still in that awkward state from earlier and hadn't recovered. His hand hung naturally at his side, with the tissue clenched in his palm.

They were silent for a while. Xu Can secretly glanced at Song Jiang several times.

Song Jiang asked in confusion, 'Xu Can, what's up?'

Xu Can didn't stop grinding the coffee, but in the end, she couldn't hold back her nosiness.

'Xiao Song, be honest with me,' she said. 'Did you really lie on the boss's bed?'

"..."

He should have known that Xu Can was also a drama queen who couldn't hold her gossip.

Song Jiang used the excuse he had prepared the previous day. 'I wasn't feeling well, and the boss kindly lent me his bed to rest.'

'Xu Can, don't read too much into it.'

Xu Can let out a knowing 'Oh,' drawing out the last syllable.

Then, pretending to be casual, she asked, 'Xiao Song, why do you think the boss suddenly treated the whole company to cake?'

'Since I joined the company, this is the first time something like this has happened.'

Song Jiang dutifully repeated the boss's words.

'The boss said it's because he sees everyone working overtime so hard.'

Xu Can said in a sing-song, breathy voice, 'Oh, so it's because we work～ so～ hard～'

'But then why did I hear Mei Moyu say that your favorite cake is mousse cake?'

Song Jiang rubbed his nose and explained, 'There are plenty of people in the world who like mousse cake. Xu Can, don't overthink it.'

As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for Xu Can's reply, Song Jiang took the coffee and quickly left.

He seemed to know what Xu Can was about to say.

Anyway, there was no way the boss had bought it especially for him.

With these strange thoughts, Song Jiang returned to the office.

Hiding his cut right hand, he used his left hand to place the coffee on Fu Zhichen's desk.

Fu Zhichen didn't stop typing on the keyboard, but he sensed Song Jiang's approach.

'Steward Song, you took so long to make the coffee. If you hadn't come back, I would have suspected you'd been kidnapped.'

"..."

In broad daylight, who'd dare to snatch an innocent young lad?

The boss really likes to joke around.

Song Jiang lied without batting an eye. 'President Fu, hand-ground coffee takes a bit longer.'

Fu Zhichen didn't call him out. He casually glanced at the desk and said, 'Steward Song, where's my original coffee cup?'

Wait, does the boss have eagle eyes?

This one he just picked up from the break room looked almost exactly like the one the boss originally had.

Now that it's broken and can't be fixed, the boss wouldn't be cheap enough to make him pay for it, would he?

Song Jiang let out a light sigh.

As long as the boss's coffee cup wasn't made of gold, he could afford to pay for it.

'President Fu, I accidentally broke it.'

Not wanting to face Fu Zhichen's scrutiny, Song Jiang quickly added, 'President Fu, about yesterday, did you explain it to them?'

Fu Zhichen's face was impassive. 'Steward Song, what's there to explain?'

Song Jiang stammered, afraid to say it outright, 'They're all gossiping that I slept in your bed, misunderstanding about our relationship.'

That we might have something going on.

Song Jiang didn't dare to actually ask that last part. In front of the boss, would the boss think he was flattering himself?

Fu Zhichen seemed to pick up on Song Jiang's indecision. He tilted his head to look at Song Jiang.

He was sitting, while the young steward was standing. The first thing he noticed was the steward's stiff posture.

Fu Zhichen narrowed his eyes, focusing on the tiny exposed tip of Song Jiang's finger peeking out from under his shirt hem.

Fu Zhichen yanked out the hand that was clenching the tissue.

Caught off guard by Fu Zhichen's move, Song Jiang quickly turned his head away.

He didn't want to faint right there again.

Fu Zhichen pulled out the tissue. On Song Jiang's palm—a healthy pale pink—lay a long, dark red gash.

Song Jiang's skin was naturally fair, and the red gash looked shocking against his fair skin.

'Steward Song, did I give you permission to get hurt?'

*

To all you folks working or studying, you've been working hard—take a break! Go check out the boss and steward's story for a touch of sweetness!

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