His Venomous Former Boss Chased Him And Beat Him Fiercely Chapter 42

Office romance, how exciting is that?

Before hearing this news, Qiu Zhijie had already been separated from his boyfriend for a week, and the theme for the current main show had still not been finalized.

Inside the bright conference room, Qiu Zhijie, the central figure, sat in the corner with a cold expression. A faint crease was etched between his brows, his lips curved downwards, and his hair was slicked back, revealing sharp, focused eyes.

His presence alone made the atmosphere in the entire conference room extremely oppressive. Aside from the person presenting the proposal at the front, there was no other sound.

Fortunately, most of those present were long-time work partners of Qiu Zhijie, and they had the necessary stress tolerance. The meeting was discussing the theme for the upcoming show. Since there hadn’t been much progress, the intern designers were temporarily not called in to observe.

After the person on stage finished presenting their ideas, everyone looked toward the key figure who would make the final decision. After all, no matter how good their suggestions were, Qiu Zhijie was the one who would produce the final design. If he wasn’t satisfied with the topic, they would have to scrap everything and start over.

Qiu Zhijie gave a slight nod, yet the presenter did not relax at all.

Sure enough, the next moment—

“You said the theme is environmental protection.”

The man standing on the stage stiffened his back. The tone of that sentence sounded ominous.

“If you want environmental protection, why are you wasting paper with this garbage? You like environmental protection so much? How about I reward your unique creativity with the title of Environmental Ambassador?” Qiu Zhijie’s voice was not loud, but he emphasized his words after asking these questions.

“If your head is full of plastic, hurry up and learn how to sort waste. And while you’re at it, go back to elementary school to brush up on your language skills. Having a theme like environmental protection in your proposal is truly giving you a gold lining.”

After speaking, the man raised a hand and pressed his throbbing forehead. “Next.”

The assistant beside him reminded, “CEO Qiu, it’s the break time you set.”

Only then did Qiu Zhijie nod and announce, “We’ll continue in twenty minutes. Also…”

He looked at the man who had just stepped down from the stage. “Is this your standard? Did you do this?”

The man’s face instantly turned pale. He had been dealing with some serious family issues recently and had spent much less time with the team compared to others. He didn’t dare ask for leave, fearing that if he dropped out of this important project, the consequences later…

That was why he had only modified a subordinate’s proposal, without even having time to refine it much. He realized something was wrong while presenting, but he could only grit his teeth and continue.

“Alright, I know your family situation. I will have you temporarily step out. Next time you encounter something like this, take leave directly.” Qiu Zhijie looked up at him, giving the man no chance to say anything more. “Whether you can rejoin depends on your performance.”

With that, he stood up and walked straight out, looking down to open his phone.

The man was stunned. Someone next to him patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, this matter is over. CEO Qiu will give you a chance later. CEO Qiu is soft-hearted, don’t let him down.”

Another person chuckled, “Try saying that in front of CEO Qiu.”

“Oh, no, definitely not.” That person turned back and patted the man again. “Just forget that ‘soft-hearted’ part.”

“But CEO Qiu is different since he came back, huh? I haven’t seen him this eager to check his phone during break time before.”

“Tsk tsk, I think he’s dating.”

“Hiss—those words linked to CEO Qiu are just…”

“Didn’t you say CEO Qiu is soft-hearted?”

“Enough, enough. I’ll treat you to a meal. Don’t mention this again.”

“Hey, speaking of which, if CEO Qiu is dating, what kind of person would it be?”

“Tsk, I can’t imagine. But definitely not someone from our studio.”

“That’s not necessarily true. Office romance, how exciting is that? CEO Qiu is usually at the studio…”

On the other side, Qiu Zhijie, who was being gossiped about, had just opened his phone intending to contact his boyfriend. The cold expression on his face had relaxed considerably when he saw the trending topics automatically pushed by the app.

Those familiar words were imprinted in his pupils. Qiu Zhijie immediately quickened his pace, returning to his office. He quickly tried to call the other person, but his finger slipped several times, hitting the voicemail button. He steadied his hand before finally dialing a video call.

In his mind, he was thinking: maybe he hasn’t seen it, maybe he won’t pay attention to these things, maybe he…

The video connected. Qiu Zhijie scrutinized the screen carefully, unable to detect anything amiss. The young man who answered the call had the same expression as usual, and his lips curved slightly because he saw him, looking somewhat happy.

Qiu Zhijie was silent for a long time, so the young man on the other end spoke first. “Why aren’t you talking?”

Qiu Zhijie parted his lips but said nothing.

It was Kong Xunwen who smiled. “Miss me? Or…”

“Is it because of today’s trending topic?”

Qiu Zhijie didn’t speak immediately, focusing his gaze on the young man’s face. He saw that after mentioning the topic, the young man’s emotions faded, becoming somewhat complicated. His eyes lowered, hiding his expression, only showing a faint sadness on his face.

The young man pursed his lips slightly, sighed softly, and then looked up, smiling faintly. “It’s okay. I just feel sad for her too. After all, she was still so young, and then…”

“But you don’t need to worry about me. I’ve thought things through clearly. I am different from her. I’m very lucky, and I’ll be fine. Besides, don’t I have you? You’ve been monitoring my health, haven’t you? If that day really comes.”

Kong Xunwen’s gaze paused, and he lowered his eyes again. “If that day really comes, I will still be very satisfied.”

“Don’t worry.”

They chatted for a while longer. The assistant knocked on the door a few minutes early. Hearing the knock, Kong Xunwen quickly urged him to get back to work.

Qiu Zhijie reluctantly put the matter aside and nodded. He only stood up after the other party hung up the phone.

*

The weather was nice, but the living room door was closed, leaving the main hall dim. There was only a sliver of light escaping from the adjacent rooms. At first glance, it looked empty, but a closer look revealed the young man sitting on the floor.

His hair was slightly messy, and his face was hidden in the dark shadows. The long strands of hair on his forehead were not clipped back and fell loosely, obscuring half of his cold, beautiful eyes. His light-colored pupils were currently vacant, shrouded in darkness, appearing somewhat gloomy. His eyelashes fluttered down only occasionally.

When he wasn’t smiling, the sharpness in his face was obvious, but at this moment, he looked too dejected, like a delicate doll.

In his drooping hand, the phone screen was still lit, showing the chat interface with Qiu Zhijie after the call ended. He never knew his acting skills were so good.

And before answering the call, he had so quickly tidied up his surroundings, even considering the lighting and turning on the lamp. However, when he slid back down to sit, he pressed the switch again.

Kong Xunwen didn’t have the habit of checking trending topics, but the news push didn’t spare him. As soon as he opened his phone, the message pushed by the browser quickly appeared before his eyes.

His reading speed was too fast; there was no use trying to avoid it.

He had actually been sitting here for a long time, if not for that video call.

Lele died. The girl who said in the video that she wanted to live for a very, very long time. So optimistic, and at such a young age.

Kong Xunwen couldn’t remain indifferent. What arrived before regret was fear.

After an unknown amount of time, Kong Xunwen finally got up and opened the door. The sunlight outside was somewhat blinding, making his eyes, which had just adjusted to the dark, feel dizzy.

He closed his eyes, which were still a little sore, and physiological tears seeped out.

He sat back down and checked the time. It was almost lunchtime. Qiu Zhijie would call again soon.

He couldn’t let him discover anything was wrong.

But chaotic thoughts filled his mind, making his head swell. He needed to think about what he should do later, focus on those things, and drive all those messy thoughts out of his head.

Yet, he couldn’t do it. He could only let those dark, hopeless, negative emotions drag him down, and he had no strength left.

The peace of the past few days now seemed very distant, and his distance from death felt very close.

Kong Xunwen bit his lip hard, but Qiu Zhijie’s figure reappeared in his mind. He subconsciously released his lip, raised his hand intending to substitute the action, but then sharply put it down.

No, he couldn’t let him discover even the slightest thing amiss.

His heart was clogged with many things, swelling up, almost squeezing out of his throat. He wanted to vent. He stood up and paced around several times, his steps erratic, but it was useless. He raised his hand and pressed hard on his forehead, gritting his teeth, and irritably grabbed at his hair. With a pull, strands of hair came loose in his hand.

He suddenly froze.

His phone rang. The young man, who had been staring blankly at the dark hair in his hand, suddenly closed his eyes, threw the hair into the trash can, and sat back down on the sofa.

What was he doing just now?

He let out a heavy sigh, picked up the phone beside him, and saw that it was indeed a message from Qiu Zhijie.

Boyfriend: What are you doing?

Kong Xunwen lowered his eyes and replied: Looking at the drafts I need to paint today.

Boyfriend: Good. It’s almost lunchtime. I’ll call you later.

Kong Xunwen: Okay.

Putting down the phone, Kong Xunwen leaned back against the sofa, sinking into it completely.

Until Qiu Zhijie called him via video, as usual, before lunch.

The other party was still very busy, Kong Xunwen knew this clearly. The past few days, the dark circles under his eyes were visible. Since returning, he had been busy late every night, not only dealing with work but also searching for inspiration for the theme show.

Inspiration was elusive, and the annual theme show was very important to Qiu Zhijie. He invested a lot of energy every year, and almost always fell ill after completing it.

But the result of his efforts was always worth it.

Kong Xunwen didn’t want to disturb him at this time, didn’t want to become a burden to him.

Or rather, he already was a burden now. All he could do was prevent this burden from getting heavier.

He answered the call, and just like before, his acting skills suddenly became excellent, concealing any signs of distress.

Qiu Zhijie asked him what he planned to eat, and didn’t show too much worry. This time, however, his acting wasn’t good enough, allowing Kong Xunwen to clearly see the worry in his eyes.

Ah, when did his acting become better than Qiu Zhijie’s, allowing him to hide his feelings and even discern emotions in the other person’s eyes?

He had always thought that only in novels could one discern feelings of pain or happiness, but it turned out that human emotions could truly be expressed solely through the eyes.

After a moment of surprise, Kong Xunwen thought about Qiu Zhijie’s question but couldn’t come up with an answer, so he asked Qiu Zhijie for a recommendation. He smiled lightly and said, “Something light, please. I don’t have much appetite right now.”

He knew that if everything seemed normal now, it would be suspicious.

As expected, Qiu Zhijie only frowned before suggesting a few simple dishes. Kong Xunwen pretended to consider them and casually chose two.

Lunch didn’t take long to prepare. Kong Xunwen sat at the dining table and ate for a while under the watchful eye of the person on the video call. Usually, the other party would hang up by this time to continue working, but today, he delayed ending the call.

It was only when Kong Xunwen proactively suggested it that the video call ended.

The screen went dark, returning to the chat interface, and the smile on Kong Xunwen’s face gradually disappeared.

He looked at the food in front of him. He actually had no appetite at all, but he ate every bit of it, then took a picture of the empty plate and sent it to Qiu Zhijie.

He took the afternoon off from streaming. Fortunately, it was understandable that he wouldn’t be completely unaffected, and he didn’t need to continue pretending in front of the camera.

He messaged Qiu Zhijie: I’m going to take a nap.

The reply came quickly: Mm, rest well.

The “typing” indicator stayed on for a few minutes, but nothing was sent in the end. Kong Xunwen didn’t look anymore.

His steps were heavy as he went upstairs and lay down on the bed he had once complained wasn’t soft enough, letting the familiar scent envelop him.

The curtains weren’t drawn, and the bright light boldly streamed in. The young man on the bed turned onto his side, curling up slightly, burying his head in the quilt.