CHAPTER 128: CHAPTER 125 SAY NOTHING

Yu Bao seemed to recall something and pulled out a stack of cash, handing it to Qi Longbing. "President Qi, this is the cash Miss Hua said you asked her to keep. She asked me to... return it to you." Yu Bao spoke very cautiously, afraid that the slightest misstep might provoke the CEO’s formidable anger.

Qi Longbing glanced at it and snatched it. A sinister, cold smile tugged at the corner of his lips, but he said nothing.

Soon, the elevator stopped. He exited and made his way to the CEO’s office.

Meanwhile, Hua Xiaomo was enthusiastically helping a delivery boy with his parcels, one by one. It took quite a while to finish.

"Thank you so much, Miss," the delivery boy said, smiling at her.

"Don’t mention it! You’re so diligent; I’m sure your boss will give you a raise!" Hua Xiaomo said with a laugh.

The delivery boy smiled sheepishly. "Miss, you’re really kind. Can I...?" He hesitated before asking, "Can we be friends?"

"Of course. My name is Hua Xiaomo, but you can call me Xiao Mo," she said warmly.

"My name is Wen Yajun," Wen Yajun responded with a smile. This girl is really nice, he thought, and quite cute. Her face has a smile as warm as a spring breeze, her skirt is a beautiful color, and her eyes seem to smile too. When she smiles, she’s even lovelier. Plus, her features are well-defined and very pretty.

"Okay, Wen Yajun, I’ll remember that. But I have to get to work now. Bye for now." Hua Xiaomo waved at him with a smile, then quickly turned and headed towards the CEO’s office.

Wen Yajun watched her go, his eyes crinkling with amusement.

「...」

In the CEO’s office, Hua Xiaomo was surprised to find Qi Longbing already there.

Uh oh... she thought. I haven’t washed his cup or made his coffee yet.

Ever since she became his third secretary, handling these miscellaneous chores and tasks for him had fallen to her.

Hua Xiaomo cautiously hurried from the doorway, placed her bag on her desk, and then approached him.

Qi Longbing kept his head down, engrossed in documents, not uttering a single word.

Hua Xiaomo couldn’t quite decipher his expression, but now isn’t the time to dwell on that, she thought.

As she reached for his carved glass cup, an icy voice suddenly cut through the silence, "Leave it!"

Hua Xiaomo instinctively snatched her hand back and chuckled awkwardly. "Good morning, President Qi."

Qi Longbing looked at her. Her pretty, apricot-pink blouse complemented her bright smile, making for a pleasant sight. Yet, he felt no warmth towards her at all.

He picked up the receiver of an internal line on the Osaka Platform and instructed, "Ms. Zhang, from now on, any secretary or assistant who arrives at the CEO’s office after me is to be marked absent. Deduct half of their monthly salary, and cancel all bonuses and public holidays!"

"Yes, President Qi," Ms. Zhang on the other end of the line gasped. What was this all about? Was this the prelude to a storm?

Hua Xiaomo, however, maintained the smile of a well-behaved young lady. Alright then,

she thought. I’m just an intern here anyway, not expecting to earn much. As long as I can get through these days peacefully, that’s enough.

Just as she had this thought, a direct blow struck her the very next second.

"You, Hua Xiaomo," Qi Longbing said expressionlessly, his face terrifyingly dark, "if you dare to be absent one more time, you can forget about your diploma. You’ll wait another year."

Then he pointed to her desk and said coldly, "Get to work immediately. Go through yesterday’s advertising proposals again, select the ones that meet the requirements, and bring all the qualified files to me. I have a meeting in half an hour, so you must finish this within ten minutes."

Hua Xiaomo took a deep, silent breath and then released it, still managing a smile as she replied, "Okay, I’ll do it right away."

Without a moment to spare for further thought, Hua Xiaomo returned to her desk and quickly began reviewing the advertising copy.

Qi Longbing’s handsome face was now utterly cold, devoid of the slightest hint of a smile. In his blue eyes, an indiscernible, chilling malice floated.

When his gaze swept towards her, she was still engrossed in her work. But at that moment, he felt it was far from enough.

I have to torture this woman, he vowed internally. Torment her relentlessly, until I rip that mask off her face!

Before long, in less than ten minutes, Qi Longbing stood up and walked straight out of the office.

Hua Xiaomo was practically counting the seconds. Just as the last second of the ten-minute deadline ticked by, she placed all the qualified proposals on his desk. Only then did she let out a long sigh of relief.

Well, with him gone, I can finally catch my breath, she thought.

She suddenly felt a pang of hunger. Hua Xiaomo then remembered she had left so early she’d forgotten to eat breakfast. Oh! A sudden idea struck her.

That’s right, there’s still an egg in the drawer I haven’t eaten! Haha! Hua Xiaomo immediately opened the drawer, took out the egg, and, seizing the opportunity of Qi Longbing’s absence, quickly began to peel the shell.

Suddenly, a voice thundered above her head like muffled thunder, "Who allowed you to eat during work hours?" Qi Longbing had re-entered the office silently, unbeknownst to her.

How infuriating! Qi Longbing fumed internally. Who allowed her to eat during work hours? It’s working hours right now, hasn’t she forgotten? The salary I pay her, and she’s still eating? This is simply intolerable! She must be thoroughly taught a lesson. I definitely can’t allow her to do this during work hours; it sets a terrible example!

SPLAT.

The egg Hua Xiaomo had just popped into her mouth and was still chewing sprayed out, splattering bits of egg all over his expensive trousers and leather shoes.

Completely flustered, she knew she had to address the immediate problem first, regardless of her own embarrassment.

"Ah, I’m so sorry, so sorry!" Hua Xiaomo apologized immediately, grabbing a box of tissues from the desk. She quickly knelt to wipe his trousers and shoes.

Qi Longbing watched the woman crouched before him, cleaning his trousers. For a moment, his eyes, which he had resolved to keep cold, flickered slightly. His shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly, and a wave of irritation washed over him.

At this thought, Qi Longbing suddenly reached out, grabbed her hair, and pulled hard.

"Ouch, that hurts..." Hua Xiaomo instinctively tilted her head up, her pretty face, now etched with pain.

She never imagined he’d grab her hair! Has he gone mad? He’s truly detestable!

"President Qi, you..." Hua Xiaomo knelt on the floor, looking up at him. All she could see was his cold, imposing, handsome face. But now she was in no state to admire it—her hair... he was pulling her hair!

It hurts! It hurts so much!!

Qi Longbing saw her pained expression, and a flicker of pity, quickly suppressed, touched his eyes. But the memory of the text message she’d sent last night eradicated any positive feeling. He had confessed to her with such earnestness, such sincerity, and yet she had dared to respond with those words? Unforgivable!

"Hurts, does it?" Qi Longbing asked coldly, his hand gripping her hair without any sign of release, his eyes blazing like fire. "So you do know pain? Well then, will you be obedient from now on?"