His Venomous Former Boss Chased Him And Beat Him Fiercely Chapter 25
byHow did he end up sounding like a… simp?
Today, there was no sound from Qiu Zhijie outside, which Kong Xunwen initially found a little unsettling. Then his phone rang. When he opened it, Qiu Zhijie’s name appeared, as expected.
Kong Xunwen looked at it for a moment, a subtle smile appearing on his lips without him even realizing it, before it vanished.
He answered the call.
“Are you up already?” Qiu Zhijie’s voice was low, sounding somewhat gentle—a tone Kong Xunwen hadn’t heard even when he was still around.
There was no background noise; it sounded like he was alone.
Kong Xunwen took a few seconds before replying, “Yes, I’m up.”
A rustling sound, like fabric rubbing against bedding, accompanied Qiu Zhijie’s next words: “Ready to eat breakfast?”
“Mhm,” Kong Xunwen acknowledged, then countered, “Are you just getting up now?”
Qiu Zhijie chuckled. “Yes, I went to bed a little late yesterday.”
But he didn’t let Kong Xunwen change the subject, immediately returning to the previous question: “What are you planning to eat for breakfast?” Without waiting for Kong Xunwen’s answer, he naturally offered a recommendation, “Take a look at the recipes I sent you earlier. They’re all simple yet nutritious breakfasts.”
Kong Xunwen had already planned to make a proper breakfast, so he simply agreed without thinking much of it.
Some sounds came from the other end, and Qiu Zhijie fell silent.
Curious, Kong Xunwen flipped through the recipes Qiu Zhijie had sent while asking him, “What are you doing?”
Qiu Zhijie answered quickly this time: “Changing clothes.”
Then came a light sound from his end, like something very light dropping to the floor… a piece of clothing. Kong Xunwen could almost picture the scene, and his eyes widened slightly.
Although he had never seen it, Qiu Zhijie sometimes wore short sleeves in the summer, and it had even been a topic of discussion in the studio group chat that featured daily photos of Qiu Zhijie.
[Look at those arm muscles, he definitely works out. Based on my experience, I can’t guarantee eight-pack abs, but four or six packs are a certainty! And the chest muscles visible through his shirt—he definitely has a body that looks lean in clothes and muscular when undressed!!!]
Those exclamation points burned into Kong Xunwen’s vision. After a moment, he found his voice. “If you’re changing clothes, I’m hanging up.”
“Don’t—” Qiu Zhijie was about to ask Kong Xunwen to help him choose what to wear today, but the dial tone was already buzzing in his ear.
The tall man stood, staring at his phone, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. But he quickly thought of another approach.
On this end, Kong Xunwen quickly hung up and put down his phone, still immersed in his imagination for a moment…
The muscular lines revealed as he shed his clothes, the firm, lean waist and abdomen slightly tensed…
Startled, he raised a hand to cover his face.
What on earth was he thinking?
He could feel the heat radiating from his cheeks.
He desperately needed to do something right now. Kong Xunwen looked ahead. Right, what was he supposed to be doing earlier?
Breakfast.
He opened his phone again, intending to follow the recipe and make himself a meal, only to see a photo appear in his chat window with Qiu Zhijie.
It was a full-body photo, taken and sent by Qiu Zhijie himself. Soon after, a half-body shot and a selfie appeared below it.
The final message read: “Is this outfit okay for today?”
Kong Xunwen scrolled up, intending not to reply, but his finger seemed to have a mind of its own and tapped open the first photo.
The man was skilled at taking pictures. The full-body mirror selfie didn’t make him look short at all; instead, it accurately captured his excellent proportions. The lighting in the location was also very good.
He was dressed quite formally today, in a black suit paired with a dark blue striped tie. He wore a ruby-encrusted brooch on his chest, matched by ruby ear clips.
His eyes seemed to be tinged with red because of the accessories, carrying a subtle hint of a smile.
Kong Xunwen couldn’t help but sketch the man’s physique in his mind, then quickly shook the image away.
Honestly, it was all Qiu Zhijie’s fault.
He viciously tapped the screen to exit the photo, but the next picture immediately came into view. His fingertip paused, then quickly scrolled up until he found the recipes that had been sent earlier.
Kong Xunwen quickly walked to the kitchen, but another call came through.
Looking at the familiar profile picture, Kong Xunwen finally answered, “Hello? Who is this?” He asked, feigning ignorance.
Qiu Zhijie’s side was accompanied by the sound of his footsteps, walking up the stairs. Then, someone quietly informed him what was for breakfast.
He didn’t reply, raising a hand to signal that anything was fine, then heard the young man’s slightly mischievous voice.
“It’s me.”
Steward Zhu, who had been with Qiu Zhijie’s family for twenty or thirty years, heard the tone Qiu Zhijie used when saying that and couldn’t help but feel surprised, followed by a knowing smile.
She had never heard him speak in such a tone before. It seemed he was in love. Well, it was about time he reached that age. She just wondered what kind of person the other party was.
She quietly moved a little closer to Qiu Zhijie.
Qiu Zhijie didn’t notice, hearing Kong Xunwen on the other end pretend to be confused. “You? Who are you?”
Kong Xunwen lowered his gaze, a relaxed smile he didn’t realize was there playing in his eyes. He leaned against the counter, listening as Qiu Zhijie introduced himself with great seriousness.
“I am Qiu Zhijie, twenty-seven years old, 191 cm tall, weighing 76 kg, and my assets include…”
“Wait a minute.” Kong Xunwen realized he was getting off track and quickly interrupted, “Alright, I know. I’m not interested in all that.”
“…Okay.” Qiu Zhijie sounded disappointed, but his face was expressionless, even relaxed, with only the corners of his lips slightly upturned.
“Why did you call again? Didn’t you say you were busy?” Kong Xunwen ignored him and returned to the main topic.
“Why didn’t you reply to my message? Are the photos not good?”
“…Just because of that?”
“I wanted your opinion.” The man’s voice was low, feigning pitifulness, as if this were a matter of great importance. His voice, transmitted through the phone, carried a magnetic quality that made Kong Xunwen’s ears tingle.
He moved the phone away, pressed the speaker button, and said, “How could I possibly be qualified to offer advice to CEO Qiu? CEO Qiu is universally recognized as a stylish dresser, a true trendsetter.”
Qiu Zhijie: “I want to hear your personal opinion. Only your opinion matters.”
“So, does that mean you’d adopt all my suggestions?” Kong Xunwen narrowed his eyes, a mischievous idea bubbling up.
“…If you genuinely wanted me to.” His voice carried a hint of helplessness and indulgence.
“Forget it. I’m not that bored, and I don’t have time to mess around with this stuff. I’m hanging up.” Even as he said this, Kong Xunwen was waiting for a reply from the other side.
A soft chuckle, exhaled as a breath, made Kong Xunwen recall the times they had been close enough to touch.
“If you have no opinion, does that mean you like it?”
Kong Xunwen quickly retorted, “Like what?”
“My outfit today.” Qiu Zhijie bypassed the question. “Teacher Kong, please give your assessment.”
After a pause, Kong Xunwen fixed his gaze on the fresh green shoots of the pomegranate tree outside the window before saying, “CEO Qiu is, of course, extremely handsome.”
Steward Zhu watched Qiu Zhijie, who still looked pleased despite the hung-up phone, and felt a little conflicted.
From what she just heard, how did their Little Qiu sound like a… simp?
With Little Qiu’s qualifications, to be so… in a relationship.
Ah, forget it. Who hasn’t done silly things when they were young? It’s normal, normal.
Though she thought this, the complex emotions in Steward Zhu’s heart lingered.
She didn’t show it on her face, however.
Qiu Zhijie didn’t notice anything amiss; he was just silently reviewing their conversation, feeling he had been a little too eager.
Don’t rush.
He opened his chat with his assistant. They had already preliminarily identified several teams focusing on the Variant Genetic Disorder. They were currently conducting detailed investigations; he couldn’t just throw money at anyone, as that would simply be a waste of time.
So far, things were going smoothly.
The emotions in Qiu Zhijie’s eyes gradually deepened.
Kong Xunwen decisively hung up the phone this time and returned to the matter of breakfast. Usually, he would have finished eating by now.
Right, he had messaged his fans yesterday saying he would stream this morning.
He had planned to have something to do, but who would have thought that even with Qiu Zhijie gone, he could still cause so much trouble?
With that thought, Kong Xunwen sped up his movements. Thanks to Qiu Zhijie’s care during this period, his cooking skills had regained their initial meticulousness.
Sure enough, without any reckless attempts, the final result was quite good. Satisfied, he took a picture of the table before him.
His desire to share reached its peak. Just as he subconsciously reached to send it to Qiu Zhijie, Kong Xunwen scrolled down slightly, found his teacher’s contact, and sent it there instead.
The teacher didn’t reply immediately. After Kong Xunwen finished eating, he checked again, and sure enough, there was an exaggerated compliment.
Teacher: Our Little Kong is so capable now! You can make such a hearty breakfast!
Kong Xunwen smiled as he replied: Not that capable, I just followed the recipe. I’ll make it for you when you visit.
Teacher: What do you mean not capable? Following a recipe shows Little Kong has great practical skills. Good, good, then I’ll be in for a treat later.
Teacher: Oh, right, I’m coming back soon, in the next few days. Should I come find you?
Kong Xunwen’s eyes widened in surprise and delight. He quickly replied: Yes, please! I’ll make sure to treat you well!
Teacher: What treatment do I need? I’ll bring you a gift.
Teacher: Also, I need to see if you’ve been slacking off during this time. Get ready to welcome me.
Kong Xunwen was completely unfazed, replying confidently: Don’t worry, Teacher.
After chatting for a while, he put down his phone. Kong Xunwen jolted, quickly heading to his streaming room.
Streaming, streaming.
On the other side, looking at the empty chat box between them, Qiu Zhijie felt a faint sense of loss, though he had anticipated it.
Kong Xunwen’s mind couldn’t accommodate the tangled mess of things between him and Qiu Zhijie right now. He quickly prepared and opened the stream.
He managed to make it just in time for the last few seconds.
Little Xiao, who had been waiting for Wen’s stream, finally received the notification. Although the streamer hadn’t been painting much lately due to his injury and the daily stream time was short, the previous painting had completely captivated Little Xiao.
Moreover, Wen’s streams were mostly during the day recently, which didn’t clash with the other streamers she followed, making it perfect for watching when she had nothing else to do during the day.
Although he claimed they were just chatting, the streamer never truly sat idle. Sometimes he would casually draw things, and he would also teach them techniques and share useful painting tips.
The stream, which usually started early, was slightly delayed today. The moment Little Xiao rushed into the room, she sent a bullet comment teasing: The streamer is doing well now, learning to be a big shot and start right on time, huh?
Then she saw the young man with slightly disheveled hair appear on the screen. Ah, it was another day of having her eyes cleansed by a handsome face.
Other bullet comments quickly flew in, interacting with the streamer.
Kong Xunwen was now used to streaming and had found his rhythm. However, today’s stream was a bit bumpy. Not long after he started, the sound of a child crying came from outside.