Very well, Mr. Lin. I’ll cool it down for you.

"Because you were dozing off."

"..."

Yichen set down his coffee cup. "Take these files to the sixteenth floor. When you’re done, make me another cup of coffee. Now go."

...

Xiao Qi gritted her teeth as she walked out.

Make coffee, was it?

Ten minutes later.

Xiao Qi returned, all smiles. "President Lin, your coffee is ready. Enjoy."

She turned to leave.

"Wait," Yichen said unhurriedly, "this coffee is too hot. Test the temperature for me."

"..."

Xiao Qi turned back, still smiling. "Of course, President Lin. I’ll cool it for you."

"Not by blowing. Drink it. See if it’s the right temperature."

"..."

Had he noticed something?

Xiao Qi kept up her polite smile. "President Lin, the coffee's too hot. I can cool it by blowing on it."

"No need," Yichen insisted. "Just taste it."

...

She had added a very special ingredient to that coffee! She would never, ever taste it herself.

"President Lin, if I taste it, my saliva will be in the cup. Then you’d be drinking coffee with my saliva."

"No problem," Yichen said nonchalantly. "We’ve kissed so many times. I’ve probably swallowed a bucket of your saliva already. I don’t mind a little more."

"..."

Xiao Qi couldn’t keep up the act any longer. If she did, she’d have to drink that muddy coffee herself. She clenched her fists and resolved to rebel, starting with refusing to taste the coffee! Raising her brows, she declared, "I won’t drink it."

He stayed calm, then...

Xiao Qi’s eyes widened.

He... he was undressing... why?

President Lin stood up, moving with elegant slowness, unbuttoning his jacket one button at a time.

Xiao Qi couldn’t look away.

He was only removing his suit jacket, and his crisp white shirt remained perfectly in place, but the act itself...

Xiao Qi thought, how could even undressing look so good on this capitalist? No wonder so many enjoy watching striptease. And that physique...

The chest beneath that white shirt... those eight-pack abs...

Suddenly, everything went dark. She felt something dropped over her head, instantly dousing her hunger. She took it off to look.

Puzzled, she glanced up.

"Hang this up for me."

...

For a moment, Xiao Qi stood there petrified, clutching President Lin’s suit jacket.

A minute later—smack!—she tossed the jacket onto the desk. "I won’t."

Yichen glanced at her coolly. "First, you’re my employee. Second, I’m your boss. Third, if you don’t, your aunt can expect a court summons."

...

Despicable to the point of invincibility.

Fine, she’d hang it.

After she did, he said, "The coffee’s cold. Make another cup."

...

President Lin didn’t even look up as he gave the order, calmly reviewing documents.

See how natural he made it to assign her tasks? She was utterly, hopelessly defeated.

Ten minutes later, the coffee was set on his desk.

This time, Xiao Qi behaved herself and didn’t dare add any "special ingredients" to his cup.

Sigh, if this kept up, she’d turn into an all-purpose maid—no, President Lin’s all-around, personal maid.

"President Lin, if there’s nothing else, I..."

"I suddenly want tea. Make me a cup."

"…"

Damn it, enough is enough!

Xiao Qi raised her voice, "I will not make it."

Yichen looked up. "Why not?"

...

She answered with rare backbone, "Because I don’t want to. If you want tea, make it yourself."

His expression darkened as he slowly approached. Xiao Qi felt a suffocating pressure descend upon her, growing heavier with every step.

Oh, heavens, he was terrifying!

Could she run? Even if she fled the president’s office, she could never escape his grasp.

That contract...

Her aunt wasn’t even her blood relative, but she’d always been good to her.

Sigh! There was no winning against President Lin.

Three things came to Xiao Qi’s mind.

She could win against heaven.

She could win against earth.

But against the president—she was doomed to fail.

"President Lin, I really didn’t mean that just now."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What did you mean?"

"Well..." Xiao Qi racked her brains but couldn’t think of a way to save herself.

Damn it, either way, she was doomed.

If she tried to lie, he’d see through it.

So she might as well... make something up.

"You just had coffee. Drinking tea right after isn’t good for your health."

Yichen: "..."

Xiao Qi felt utterly hopeless.

But then...

He smiled faintly. "So you’re concerned... about my health."

His smile sent chills down Xiao Qi’s spine. She nodded vigorously, "Yes, of course, President Lin. I care deeply about your health."

"And why do you care about my health?"

"…"

Did she really need a reason?

Xiao Qi fumbled for words, stammering, "Because... a healthy president means happy employees."

"Yes! My health is your happiness. Well said." Yichen nodded in satisfaction. "I’m perfectly healthy. You may go."

Uh, why did his words sound so odd?

Confused but relieved she could leave—at least for now—Xiao Qi tossed the thought aside and hurried out.

Yichen watched her rush away, thinking he’d need to try new tactics with her in the future.

As for her claim that she felt nothing for him—

If that were true, why would she starve herself?

What a contrary little thing.

But he wasn’t letting her go. If she kept disobeying, he’d just keep her firmly in his grasp, so she’d have nowhere to run.

Xiao Qi returned to her post, fuming inwardly.

With nowhere to vent, she got up and headed to the restroom, where she pulled out her phone.

There was a game app.

Last night, after someone had infuriated her, Xiaobai had recommended a boss-fighting game.

She’d downloaded it on the spot and decimated the in-game boss, which made her feel a little better.

From now on, whenever the real-life boss tormented her, she’d retaliate by slaying the virtual boss.

It was only a game, but at least she could let off some steam.

Otherwise, she really would die at the hands of that capitalist—killed by sheer rage.

She’d often thought of suicide, but to be killed by anger? That would ruin her reputation forever.

Sitting on the toilet, she started playing.

A senior manager knocked on the president’s door with a file, got the go-ahead, and entered.

"President Lin, these are all the current month’s projects. Please review them."

Yichen flipped through, nodding with apparent satisfaction.

The manager, seeing the president’s good mood, blurted out, "President, when I came in just now, I saw Miss Ye running angrily to the restroom. Did you two have a fight?"

He immediately regretted it. President Lin was hardly the approachable type; staff always treated him with utmost respect and never spoke of anything not strictly work-related.

But something about what he’d seen in the office today had prompted him to speak.

Yichen clearly hadn’t expected that. After a moment, he replied casually, "Oh?"

The manager pondered over that "Oh," concluding the boss wasn’t angry, and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

A moment later, Yichen handed back the file. "Good performance on these projects. Your department gets a bonus this month."

"Thank you, President Lin."

"You may go."

"Yes!"

Yichen tapped his finger on the desk, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, in the restroom, Xiao Qi was on the verge of slaying the boss—its health bar down to a sliver, about to claim victory.

A call suddenly came in.

It was work hours, after all, and she did feel a little guilty playing games in the restroom.

She looked—President Lin.

Oh no, he’d noticed she wasn’t at her station and was checking up on her.

But she hadn’t been gone long; a bathroom break was justified.

With that, her confidence returned, and she answered, "Hello!"

"Come downstairs. Go with me to the hospital."

"What?"

"You're supposed to be my girlfriend right now. A sickly girlfriend, remember?"

"…"

Oppressed by him in the office, she was now expected to play his girlfriend in public—meaning even more oppression. She’d had enough.

If this went on, she’d cough up blood.

"President Lin," Xiao Qi began timidly, then realized this wasn’t her place—he was asking her for help, not the other way around. Plus, she’d already broken up with him.

She cleared her throat and started again, "President Lin, I’m just pretending to be your girlfriend. You can tell your father we had a fight and broke up, you—"

"I need a girlfriend," Yichen’s voice grew cold. "I don’t intend to waste time on this nor do I care to get to know someone new and develop feelings. You are the most suitable. Come down."

He hung up.

...

What was that supposed to mean...

Suddenly she remembered what Fang Li had told her about President Lin’s condition.

Only with her by his side would he get better.

Capitalists truly were a breed apart—even their illnesses were unique.

Sigh!

Then, something else occurred to her.

She glanced down at her phone.

Ahhh! The monster boss she’d nearly killed was now strutting around her corpse, victorious...

She’d lost a level.

Bosses, real or virtual—they were all the same! Distract and conquer!

Hmph. A new grudge to add to the old.

Go to the hospital, was it?!

Xiao Qi glared at the screen, fists clenched.

In less than twenty minutes, Xiao Qi reached the car and tried the passenger-side door.

Unsurprisingly, it was locked.

Fine, as if he’d ever let her sit separately.

So, she got in next to the president.

When she entered, Fang Li wiped the sweat from his brow.

Miss Ye, you took twenty minutes to come down. You really are a thousand-year-old turtle!

Fang Li started the engine and glanced at the rearview mirror.

President Lin’s face was still as dark as thunder.

Should he try to break the ice with some small talk?

But what to say?

"Assistant Fang," Xiao Qi leaned forward, nearly draping herself over the driver’s seat, "though we’re just colleagues, my feelings for you go much deeper. At work, you’re always kind, gentle, and considerate. I feel like you truly understand me, and—"

Suddenly, a large hand gripped the back of her neck and pulled her back. Yichen, expressionless, said, "Sit properly."

"…"

Assistant Fang was drenched in cold sweat.

Miss Ye, if you want to provoke President Lin, please don’t use me as your pawn!