CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 36: XU QINGQIU COMES TO KILL AT HOME?!

Just as he was getting ready to thoroughly inventory his gains, the phone suddenly rang.

Hmm? Boss?

「On the other side, in the studio」

Xu Qingqiu finally couldn’t sit still after not seeing Chu Tian at the company all morning. She asked her colleagues, but no one knew where he had gone, and he hadn’t asked for leave either. When it was past one in the afternoon and he still hadn’t shown up, Xu Qingqiu truly started to worry.

She hesitated for a long time before finally taking out her mobile phone to call him. Regardless, she needed to know if he was safe. As for maintaining her composure? Hiding her feelings? Her concern? She had no time to worry about such things; she was frantic!

Seeing the phone ring for a long time without an answer, her worry intensified. If he didn’t pick up soon, she was planning to call the police.

Just then, the call connected. She jumped, then hastily asked, "Hello, Chu Tian? Are you okay?"

"Ah? I..."

What’s going on? Isn’t it just skipping work for one day? No, just half a day. Why is she asking if I’m okay right off the bat?

Oh, right. Damn it, I didn’t ask for leave. No wonder.

Just as he was thinking of an excuse, the person on the other end spoke again.

"Hello? Are you listening? Your voice... are you unable to speak again? Are you feeling unwell?"

"Ah yes, COUGH, COUGH, a bit, um..."

"Where are you uncomfortable? Is it serious? Do you need to go to the hospital? Wait for me, I’m coming over to your place now!"

"No, it’s..."

Damn it, I’ve taken this too far!

Watching the phone disconnect, Chu Tian was completely dumbfounded. He had only wanted to find an excuse to muddle through; couldn’t she even listen to an explanation? Xu Qingqiu’s barrage of concerned questions had completely bewildered him. Before he could even react, she had hung up, saying she was coming over.

Is a boss really this free? An employee is just sick, and she’s personally visiting?

Does she have feelings for me?

Chu Tian couldn’t help but succumb to one of the classic male delusions. But then, thinking about his current state, he quickly shook his head.

Pfft. How could that be? Their statuses don’t match at all.

She was a magnificent Queen, a Singer currently making a comeback, and a goddess-like figure. And him? He was just drifting aimlessly day by day. Was it possible?

Then what was the real reason? It couldn’t be that I slipped up and exposed myself, right?

Thinking about the songs he had sent over, he briefly suspected she might have found traces of him. But that didn’t seem right either. Wouldn’t verification be the first step? And surely, I didn’t leave any incriminating evidence, did I?

No! She said she was coming to my place, right? How would she know where I live?!

Soon, he found the relevant memory, and an immediate headache set in. No wonder she knows.

He had just reviewed his memories. His predecessor, after graduation, had been utterly lost, hiding out in his hometown, drinking day in and day out, living in a complete daze. It was Xu Qingqiu who had gone to his family’s home to drag him out. She had also helped him rent this apartment. No wonder.

So, what now? Wait for her to come? It seemed that was the only option. I can’t just hide, can I? Forget it, I’ll take it one step at a time.

Chu Tian ran a hand through his hair; it felt disgustingly oily since he hadn’t showered the previous night while battling the system. Now that his boss was about to visit, he quickly got out of bed to tidy himself up.

After freshening up, he looked at his long hair and felt more and more uncomfortable with it.

I need to find time to get it cut short!

Just as he was admiring his reflection for a moment, there was a sudden knock at the door.

Chu Tian hurried over. Upon opening the door, he saw a woman in casual wear and sunglasses standing there.

"How are you? Are you alright?"

As soon as the door opened, she rushed in, grabbing him and anxiously bombarding him with questions.

"Uh, I’m fine."

Chu Tian, one hand on the doorknob, the other held stiffly at his side, gripped by his boss, didn’t know what to do.

Push her away? That would be rude.

Close the door? Being alone with a woman... it doesn’t seem appropriate.

What am I supposed to do? I have no experience with this!

"You feel really warm. Do you have a fever?"

Damn! How could I not be warm? It’s already hot this summer. You suddenly rush in, your fragrance fills the air, and you’re holding my arm, standing so close. How could I not feel hot?

"No, no, I just didn’t rest well."

"Really? Are you sure you’re okay?"

"I’m fine, really fine."

Finally sensing her grip on his arm loosen slightly, Chu Tian quickly withdrew it. Not caring if the door was closed or not, he turned and went back into the room.

His apartment wasn’t large at all; it was just a converted bachelor pad. It was small to begin with, everything visible at a glance.

Seeing that he genuinely seemed fine, Xu Qingqiu finally relaxed. Only then did she take a moment to look around the room. It was somewhat messy. Most things were neatly placed, but some commonly used items were scattered about. The covers on the bed looked as if they had just been thrown aside.

The apartment had been rented in a hurry back then. At the time, Chu Tian disliked light and always preferred to hide in small rooms. He was completely unwilling to live in a large house, so they had to find this small, apartment-like place for him. It was in an old residential complex and was only a little over forty square meters.

This was her first visit since the apartment had been rented. She hadn’t realized it before, but now she felt she might have been too hasty in coming over.

But since she was already there, she didn’t leave. Instead, she casually closed the door and followed him inside.

Hearing the door close, Chu Tian’s heart skipped a beat. This was a habit from his past life. After all he’d been through, whenever he left his place, he’d lock the door. And if there was an outsider with him inside, he would absolutely never let the door be closed. Fortunately, he quickly regained his composure and didn’t do anything rash.

If this were my past life, I would definitely have sprinted at top speed to open the door and then stood outside to prove my innocence.

"Why didn’t you come to work this morning? Did something happen?" Noticing his lack of reaction, Xu Qingqiu found a chair, sat down, and asked with concern.

"Ah? Oh... I overslept." Unsure how to fabricate another excuse and afraid of causing any more strange complications, Chu Tian decided to tell the truth.

He had expected her to storm out angrily or scold him, but to his surprise, Xu Qingqiu instead seemed relieved.

"You scared me! I thought something had happened to you. How could you oversleep? Were you playing games last night?"

"Ah, yes, I played for a bit."

Wasn’t it a game? A lottery game, damn it, and he’d played it all night.

Thinking about this, he couldn’t help but curse the damn system again. That damn system was so inhuman, coming up with a one-million limit. Was it easy for him to earn Reputation Points? He didn’t want to expose himself to the public eye, having his privacy pried into, and he also needed to treat his throat. So, he could only secretly and anxiously give a couple of songs to others, collecting some Reputation Points on the sly like this.

It was really hard for him, okay?

"You..."

"You..."

After a brief silence, they both spoke at the same time, their words colliding.