CHAPTER 47: CHAPTER 43: THE RUTHLESS, UNREASONABLE, AND UNGRATEFUL BOSS

Indeed, when she approached the table, the Colorful Glazed Glass USB Drive lay there quietly, like a treasured artifact.

However, Xu Qingqiu did not see it as a delightful surprise but rather as a source of irritation and anxiety.

Who are you, really? Why do you want to help me? What’s your purpose?

As she toyed with the USB drive in her hand, Xu Qingqiu stared blankly at the computer screen, lost in thought.

"What’s wrong, Qingqiu? Daydreaming so early in the morning? Didn’t sleep well last night?"

"No, Sister Hua..."

"What’s the matter? Speak up. Are you still shaken from yesterday and haven’t recovered yet? Do you want to go home and rest today?"

Li Chunhua, seeing her hesitation and thinking it was due to the incident yesterday, immediately became worried.

"It’s not that, Sister Hua. That person has sent another song."

"A song? Youmeng?!"

"Yes."

Xu Qingqiu held up the USB drive, her expression worried.

"Hold on, if it’s just a song, why are you unhappy? Isn’t that a good thing? Even though you can’t use it on your show anymore, you can release it as a single!"

"I’ve actually been planning to discuss releasing an album for you these past few days."

"Look, your popularity is rising, and you have more and more fans. You can’t perform your old songs anymore, and many fans are clamoring for new music. They don’t want to listen to the old ones, afraid of giving Baise free money. So, isn’t this song perfect?"

"But, Sister Hua, don’t you find it strange? Who exactly is this Youmeng? What’s his purpose? We aren’t related in any way; why would he help me?"

Xu Qingqiu’s words indeed stumped her.

Yes, why does he keep sending her songs? And who is this person?

Logically, someone who can frequently produce classic works shouldn’t be a nobody. Yet, why can’t this individual be found?

Moreover, the style of this person’s compositions doesn’t match anyone specific; it’s incredibly versatile.

Another issue is that Xu Qingqiu has always used this office alone. Who could possibly come and go so freely without leaving a trace?

"Sister Hua, do you also find it strange?"

"It is a bit strange. But this song..."

"Let’s talk about it later. I haven’t been in the best state of mind lately, and I still need to prepare for the competition. Let’s put it aside for now."

"Okay, let’s put it aside for now."

Sister Hua didn’t press her. After all, now that Xu Qingqiu was no longer with her previous company, their relationship had improved considerably. Compared to Xu Qingqiu’s career, Sister Hua was more concerned about her health and well-being.

「Meanwhile, Chu Tian had overslept again.」

Of course, it wasn’t accidental today; he had purposefully slept in.

Today, he planned to find an agent to handle copyright issues for him. After all, managing everything himself wasn’t a sustainable solution. Always sneaking around like a thief wasn’t his style.

After getting up, he followed his usual routine of using the Reputation Points accumulated last night for the lottery.

It was still one million, still ten consecutive draws.

[Ding, not a winner this time]

[Ding, not a winner this time]

[Ding, you have won the song "Direction of Light"]

[Ding, not a winner this time]

...

[Ding, you have won the novel "Candle in the Tomb 1"]

Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!!

Finally, I won a novel?!!! This is freaking awesome!!

Chu Tian, who was brushing his teeth, couldn’t even be bothered with the toothbrush in his mouth as he excitedly jumped up and down in the bathroom.

If his throat hadn’t been sore, he would have wanted to shout out loud. It had been incredibly difficult.

He didn’t even know how he had managed these past days.

To win a novel, he had been incessantly battling with the system day and night.

He had to be sneaky just to earn Reputation Points and was constantly racking his brains for ways to give his works to others.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the key thing was that after drawing for so long, he hadn’t gotten many good things—mostly trash—and he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Today, when he’d basically given up and just casually made a draw without any expectations, he unexpectedly struck gold.

What do you call a surprise? What do you call a goddamn surprise?!

This was a surprise, truly a freaking surprise.

"HAHA... COUGH, COUGH, COUGH."

He couldn’t help bursting into laughter, but he forgot about the toothbrush in his mouth. It slipped and jabbed him in the throat, almost making him choke.

Of course, he had the novel now, but his tasks for the day couldn’t change. He still had to find the person he needed to find.

Speaking of which, there was something else he had to do first: request a day off.

He clearly remembered the scene from yesterday when he hadn’t requested leave, and his beautiful boss had shown up at his house. It had been utterly mortifying.

Pulling out his cellphone, Chu Tian hummed a tune joyfully as he sat on his bed and sent a message to his boss.

He had no choice but to message his boss. He was an assistant, and his direct superior was the big boss.

That was just the downside of being an assistant; dealing with the big boss every day brought tremendous pressure.

"Boss, I’d like to request a day off today."

Because of yesterday’s incident, Xu Qingqiu was in a gloomy mood and zoning out in her office.

Her mind was still replaying the scene in the parking lot from yesterday.

She felt extremely aggrieved and angry. To think that Chu Tian would rather feign sleep the entire way than give her an answer! Yet, she lacked the courage to confront him directly and demand one.

Then she began to blame her own weakness.

Just then, her phone went PING. She picked it up, thinking it was a message from Sister Hua.

But when she checked, it turned out to be Chu Tian?! That was one thing, but he was asking for a day off?

A day off! All of yesterday’s trouble was because he hadn’t requested a day off, and now he was asking for one?

Without a second thought, Xu Qingqiu pouted, her cheeks puffed with frustration, and furiously typed on her phone.

"Not allowed!!!"

After typing, she clicked send and then slammed the phone down on the table with a SMACK.

"Sister Qiu, are you alright?"

"I’m fine, Yiyi. Could you pour me a glass of water, please?"

Xu Qingqiu smoothed her hair back, pretending to be casual as she spoke.

But as she gazed at the cup Yiyi was picking up, a thought suddenly struck her, causing her cheeks to flush. Then, feigning nonchalance, she said:

"Oh, Yiyi, remember to get me a bigger cup next time, preferably one large enough for two people. As for this cup, take it to my place; I’ll use it at home."

After Xu Qingqiu finished speaking, her entire face was red, but nobody noticed.

"Ah? Okay, Sister Qiu."

Although Yiyi didn’t understand why such a peculiar request was made, she obediently agreed.

「On the other side, Chu Tian, who was waiting for his boss’s approval, felt his phone vibrate. When he saw the message, his eyes nearly popped out.」

Not allowed? Why not? And what’s with all these exclamation marks? Is she nuts?

Thinking this, he sent another message.

"Boss, why not?"

Xu Qingqiu maintained an indifferent expression, but her eyes kept darting to the phone on the table. The moment it vibrated, even before the notification sound could play, she snatched it up.

Hmph! Why not allowed? Well, of course it’s because:

"You skipped work yesterday, so no day off for you today!"

"But I was with you yesterday! I even saved you!"

Faced with such an inhumane, unreasonable, and ungrateful boss, Chu Tian wasn’t having it. Why on earth can’t I take a day off? On what grounds?

Xu Qingqiu was no less defiant. Reasonable? Which boss is ever reasonable? Aren’t all bosses notoriously unreasonable? Otherwise, how could they exploit you?

"I said no means no! I’m the boss, what I say goes!"