His Venomous Former Boss Chased Him And Beat Him Fiercely Chapter 19

Impact, Fainting

“Did you eat breakfast?” After the matter of them becoming part of the little team was settled, Kong Xunwen looked down and asked the children.

First, they nodded, then suddenly started shaking their heads.

He was a bit confused.

Qiu Zhijie walked forward. “They ate, but I haven’t.”

Kong Xunwen finally looked up at him. His eyes immediately went to the ear clip on his ear cartilage, which was shiny and stood out against his slightly longer black hair.

“There’s something in the kitchen.”

The children’s heads swiveled back and forth as they followed the conversation.

The kitchen was behind Kong Xunwen. Qiu Zhijie brushed past Kong Xunwen’s side, his fingertip moving slightly. The first thing he saw upon entering the kitchen was a bowl covered with a pot lid next to the cleaned wok.

There was only one large bowl. He raised his hand to open it, but then remembered the moment just now, and his fingertip twitched, as if he could still feel that momentary touch.

He switched hands and opened it. Inside were two extra-large sandwiches, both sliced. One portion was cut into five small pieces.

A smile appeared in the man’s eyes when he saw this. The morning light quietly streaming in through the window fell on the corner of his lips, illuminating that slight curve.

How could children who came from home not have eaten breakfast? Only he had come from a cold, impersonal hotel.

But thankfully, this breakfast was waiting.

When the large bowl of sandwiches was placed on the dining table, the children predictably gathered around, watching and swallowing.

Although they had eaten breakfast, what child could refuse fresh, delicious food that appeared before them after playing for a while?

Kong Xunwen also sat at the dining table, slowly peeling an egg, when suddenly someone appeared in front of him.

The area before him instantly darkened considerably.

He lifted his eyelids. Sure enough, it was Qiu Zhijie.

The other party looked bright. “What a coincidence. This one portion is just right for me.”

Kong Xunwen paused his movement. He knew Qiu Zhijie would guess. Indeed, the sandwiches were prepared specifically for Qiu Zhijie.

He thought about the past few days, and his conflicted, avoidant actions because of Qiu Zhijie. Since he couldn’t avoid it, why not stop running?

“Yes, we can’t let CEO Qiu starve to death here.” As soon as Kong Xunwen said this, his heart instantly felt much lighter, and his mood improved significantly when he saw the slightly surprised expression on Qiu Zhijie’s face opposite him.

That’s right. Why should he let Qiu Zhijie affect him so easily? He was the one who had been confessed to; the power of choice should be his.

Qiu Zhijie pursed his lips and lowered his gaze.

He was thinking. He had researched the young man’s previous reactions online, consulting many reference materials. He should have been moved and affected by his actions. If he just persisted, there would be a result eventually.

But now, why this change?

A familiar hand suddenly reached out and took the other half of the bowl—the large sandwich cut into five pieces—all at once.

His gaze subconsciously followed, watching as the sandwiches were distributed to the children.

He was a little unhappy.

But Qiu Zhijie knew he wasn’t qualified to be angry about it yet, so he silently lowered his head, picked up the sandwich in his bowl, and took a bite.

Kong Xunwen didn’t know what Qiu Zhijie was thinking, but seeing Qiu Zhijie speechless after being countered by him, his heart felt…

Hmm, indeed, his mood was good.

It should be this way.

After finishing the egg in his hand, Kong Xunwen went to the utility room. There wasn’t much left of the things they had brought back. The children, holding their sandwiches, also followed him with pattering steps.

Meeting his gaze, Little Boss opened his mouth.

Kong Xunwen quickly stopped him. “Finish eating before you talk.”

Little Bai ate in small bites, and his mouth was currently empty. He helped Little Boss speak. “We are a team, we have to stand together!”

Little Boss nodded firmly, indicating that Little Bai was correct.

Kong Xunwen didn’t say anything more.

Qiu Zhijie sat at the table, wanting to follow, but he looked down and imagined himself walking behind Kong Xunwen, eating out of a big bowl.

…He decided against it.

But when the young man walked through the living room with a group of little chicks trailing behind him, his gaze couldn’t help but follow until they disappeared before he lowered his head and picked up his phone.

The title on the screen was prominently displayed: [Why does the person you’re pursuing suddenly become calm and open?]

He scrolled down through many replies.

[It means they have absolutely no interest in you.]

[Listen to advice and give up.]

[Are they preparing to reject you?]

His fingers scrolled quickly. The man’s expression grew colder and colder until he reached one comment.

[Maybe they figured something out? It might be related to something else in their life. Actually, when you pursue someone, the initiative is yours. As long as the other person doesn’t show extreme disgust, just keep persisting. Of course, you need to observe their emotions and such, but people are complicated, so don’t overthink it.]

Qiu Zhijie was deep in thought.

Is that so?

Then he just needed to persist.

Kong Xunwen, along with his new little companions, quickly tidied up the remaining items they had brought back to the utility room. The room instantly gained a more lived-in feel.

Since most of the items stored in the utility room were books, and the desk in the room wasn’t large enough to hold them all, Kong Xunwen temporarily placed them throughout the room—on the bedside table, the small coffee table…

Even inside the wardrobe.

Little Bai was curious but didn’t speak. Grandma said they should respect everyone’s habits.

…So, was Brother Kong going to read in the wardrobe?

Kong Xunwen brought the children out. Qiu Zhijie was already heading to the kitchen to wash the bowl, which was spotlessly clean.

He glanced at it. “Looks like it suited CEO Qiu’s appetite.”

Qiu Zhijie wasn’t depressed this time. His expression was very serious, and he nodded. “Not bad.”

Kong Xunwen heard him actually giving a review and looked up at him. “Then you can leave after eating.”

Qiu Zhijie said, “I will leave.”

Kong Xunwen turned and walked toward the backyard.

Sure enough, his previous avoidant attitude had probably made Qiu Zhijie feel he had an opportunity, which was why he hadn’t cared, and perhaps even found some amusement in it.

Now that his attitude was poor, Qiu Zhijie revealed his true nature. He couldn’t stand such a direct lack of welcome; he couldn’t stand being treated this way.

He led the children to the bamboo forest. Next to it were the prepared tools. The tools prepared for the children were gloves and small trash cans, which were really just for them to play with.

For the actual work, Kong Xunwen had only prepared one set for himself.

Yet, the person who had just said he would leave reappeared beside him. Without a word, he lowered his head, took the tools Kong Xunwen had prepared for himself, and walked into the bamboo forest.

Kong Xunwen was full of confusion and didn’t say anything for a moment.

He saw the other person look back, his expression natural. “What needs to be done?”

Kong Xunwen asked, “Didn’t you say you would leave?”

Qiu Zhijie shifted his gaze slightly and nodded. “Yes, I’ll leave later.”

So, when he changed his attitude, Qiu Zhijie also changed his response?

Kong Xunwen felt a little exasperated.

However, compared to before, he could still find similarities in this current Qiu Zhijie.

For example, that occasional flash of arrogance.

But his actions were always grounded, firm, and persistent.

The way he was before… well, actually, that was also Qiu Zhijie.

It was just that the impact of the phrase “I like you” was too great, making Kong Xunwen feel like a different person, and he was the one who had changed slightly from his previous self.

So, let Qiu Zhijie take the advantage.

Kong Xunwen stood for a moment, then turned back to the utility room to fetch another set of tools.

Who cares? If CEO Qiu condescended to help him work, should he stop him?

A small patch of ground had already been cleared by the combined efforts of the five children.

Little Boss’s eyes lit up when he saw bamboo shoots poking out from under the ground. Digging bamboo shoots was a novel activity for the children, who were already getting bored of putting the piled bamboo leaves into the trash cans.

Pangpang immediately became interested. “It’s bamboo shoots!”

Kong Xunwen heard the noise and looked up, just in time to hear Little Boss ask him, “Can we help you dig the shoots?”

He naturally wouldn’t refuse. “Yes, whatever you dig up, you can take home. Consider it today’s wages.”

The children knew what wages were, and they became even more excited.

Kong Xunwen watched the children enthusiastically grab an empty basket specifically for the bamboo shoots. The shoots in the bamboo forest were long and slender, perfect for the children to pull. One person could pull many; finding them was actually more time-consuming.

The little team was working with great enthusiasm.

Kong Xunwen and Qiu Zhijie were also busy in different areas. The ground on both sides finally had exposed soil.

After some more time passed, Qiu Zhijie stood up and looked toward Kong Xunwen. The young man had drilled deep into the bamboo forest, surrounded by lush green bamboo. The ground was covered with more bamboo leaves. He was currently frowning slightly, pursing his lips, his forehead glistening with thin sweat, looking extremely focused.

He looked for the children and realized they had moved to his side at some point, on the newly cleared ground.

The children were huddled in a circle, concentrating on digging something. Above their heads was a tall shoot that was about to grow into bamboo, currently still in the form of a bamboo shoot-in-waiting.

Qiu Zhijie originally intended to glance and look away, but his pupils suddenly contracted, and he dropped what he was holding and rushed forward.

He barely managed to catch the bamboo shoot that was about to crash onto Pangpang’s head.

It was nothing to him, but if it had truly hit a child’s head, it would have been dangerous. Even the prickly hairs on the unpeeled outer skin would surely scratch and draw blood if they scraped the child.

Qiu Zhijie looked down, frowning, his face extremely serious and somewhat frightening.

Pangpang had used the most force, and the soil beneath the bamboo shoot was loosest on his side, so it fell toward him. He was also startled by the falling shoot.

To him, it was like a pillar crashing down on his head. He was so scared that he froze until the shoot was caught. Only then did he dare to look up, only to meet Qiu Zhijie’s terrifying expression.

He instantly lost control, pouted, closed his eyes, opened his mouth, and cried loudly.

The other children nearby, who had also been startled, stared blankly. Little Boss quickly went to Pangpang’s side, holding his shoulder, not daring to look at Qiu Zhijie.

Kong Xunwen, who had heard some rustling sounds, was about to turn around. Hearing the crying, he immediately grew anxious and stood up abruptly.

His vision instantly went black, and his head spun. He reached out, blindly grabbing a bamboo stalk for support. After a few seconds, he recovered.

The moment his vision cleared, he immediately looked toward the source of the crying.

Qiu Zhijie had already tossed the bamboo shoot he caught to the side and looked toward Kong Xunwen.

The other children looked timidly gathered around the loudly crying Pangpang.

It was the first time Kong Xunwen had seen a hint of guilt on Little Boss’s face.

He couldn’t analyze the situation from afar, so he walked closer and asked Qiu Zhijie, “What happened?”

Qiu Zhijie briefly explained the situation. Kong Xunwen’s expression immediately became serious. He first looked down at Little Boss.

Pangpang was currently burying his head in Little Boss’s shoulder, only revealing his round head. Hearing this, he immediately twisted around, his face a mess, sobbing and hiccuping, “It was me… I saw this big shoot…”

“Even if the shoot is big, you need to be able to handle it. You’re so small, but your ambition isn’t small,” Qiu Zhijie said coldly from the side.

Kong Xunwen shot him a look, and he quieted down, lowering his head. The group of children had turned into a cluster of mushrooms.

Children were quite sensitive. Just one sentence made them hang their heads, which made it hard for Kong Xunwen to say anything harsh.

“This was really dangerous. Next time you do something like this, you can ask the adults around you,” he said dryly, then sighed. “It’s our fault too for not watching you properly.”

The little mushrooms immediately raised their heads, revealing tear-filled eyes.

Kong Xunwen patted each of them. “Alright, just be careful next time.”

He pulled out his phone. It was almost time. “It’s time for lunch. Let’s go. I’ll take you back. Take your bamboo shoots with you.”

Qiu Zhijie stayed in the living room, watching Kong Xunwen ride away on the tricycle, carrying a group of children whose eyes were red but who were already smiling happily.

When Kong Xunwen returned home, Qiu Zhijie had already left, leaving behind hot dishes and nearly cooked rice on the table.

He watched it for a while, then served himself rice when it was ready and ate lunch quietly.

In the afternoon, he started his live stream as usual. The painting was entering its final stages. He didn’t bother chatting with the viewers at this point, focusing entirely on his work.

The sky gradually darkened. Although he hadn’t chatted with the viewers today, the number of people remained stable, and the comments section was chatting among themselves.

Kong Xunwen finally finished the painting. He leaned back slightly, looking at the artwork with satisfaction, his voice filled with joy. “It’s finished.”

He put down his brush and stood up. Suddenly, his vision went black, and his legs felt weak. He reached out, trying to grab or lean on something, but he didn’t dare reach toward the easel. He tumbled forward.

A dull pain hit his forehead. Light appeared before his eyes, but it was still very blurry. Kong Xunwen slowly blinked, seeing the screen of his phone that had been knocked to the floor beside him. He couldn’t see the specifics, only the rapidly flowing comments and an incoming call.

He couldn’t make out who it was.

He slowly lost consciousness.