Chapter 37
An Ye took the initiative and said, "It's quite rare to see President Xiang in a barbecue restaurant like this."
Zhou Yuanzhe's expressionless face showed a brief moment of panic, almost breaking his cold facade. He coughed twice, quietly put down his chopsticks, and said with seriousness, "An Ye and I just came out for lunch, there's nothing else going on. Please don't misunderstand, President Xiang."
An Ye looked at Zhou Yuanzhe with a meaningful gaze.
Xiang Boyan exuded an icy chill like winter's cold air. He glanced coldly at An Ye and said in a cold voice, "You were just on the trending news with your agent not long ago, isn't that enough for you?"
"You withdrew much faster than my trending speed," An Ye said with a harmless-looking smile, "Going on one more time wouldn't hurt."
Zhou Yuanzhe, caught between the two, didn't know where to look. He could only focus on the slowly roasting beef in front of him, watching it turn from tender to overcooked.
Xiang Boyan sneered, "An Ye, it seems you don't want to cherish the opportunity to make a comeback, do you?"
Feigning innocence, An Ye turned to Zhou Yuanzhe and said coquettishly, "Brother Yuan, I was wearing a mask and sunglasses outside just now. You can testify for me, right?"
Cheng Xuyuan, who was suddenly brought into the conversation, slightly twitched the corner of his mouth and then slowly nodded his head. His movement seemed half as fast as it should have been.
"Zhou Yuanzhe, you, as a manager, are doing this?" Xiang Boyan was instantly annoyed, starting to berate Zhou Yuanzhe, "You do the math on how many calories are in this barbecue. Have you forgotten about An Ye's figure management? What if it wasn't me who walked in just now, but paparazzi? Have you thought about the consequences?"
Xiang Boyan was unusually talkative today... Cheng Xuyuan thought to himself with a subtle grimace.
"President Xiang, do you have an urgent matter?" An Ye picked up a piece of meat, handed it to Zhou Yuanzhe's lips, and stared provocatively at Xiang Boyan, "If not, we'll continue eating our barbecue. By the way, this place needs a reservation, so they probably don't have a seat for you."
Xiang Boyan fixed his gaze on the piece of meat, his eyes conveying a clear message: if Zhou Yuanzhe dared to eat this piece of meat, he'd roast him.
"Thank you," said Cheng Xuyuan softly, signaling with his eyes for An Ye to retract his chopsticks, he calmly said, "I'm full, no need to serve me more meat."
An Ye, however, deliberately said, "You're full? But you ate so much more this morning..."
Upon hearing this sentence, Xiang Boyan's face darkened even further. He said in a deep voice, "Since you're full, come with me."
Looking up at him, Zhou Yuanzhe asked, puzzled, "Go? Where to?"
"Today is the weekend. Surely President Xiang is not asking Brother Yuan to work overtime?" An Ye looked up, his eyes growing dark, "If there is overtime work, I'll accompany Brother Yuan as well."
"No need." Xiang Boyan had already calmed down from his angry state, appearing so calm that Cheng Xuyuan thought the infuriated President Xiang he had seen earlier was only an illusion.
Xiang Boyan walked out the door, gesturing for Zhou Yuanzhe to follow. The latter could only apologise to An Ye and follow at the steady pace of President Xiang out of the barbecue shop.
Watching his retreating figure, a hint of loss crossed An Ye's eyes.
"President Xiang, what's the rush?" Seeing Xiang Boyan's luxury sports car, Cheng Xuyuan felt a bit nervous, "Is something wrong at the company?"
Xiang Boyan neither confirmed nor denied, he opened the passenger door, beckoning him in.
After closing the door, Xiang Boyan said without emotion, "There is a large event at H City TV station this afternoon. Linda can't make it due to some last-minute issues, and I want you to be my assistant and accompany me there."
"… Okay." Zhou Yuanzhe was somewhat confused as his eyes flashed. Did President Xiang really need to come all the way to the barbecue shop for this little matter?
The two fell into silence, creating a somewhat awkward atmosphere in the car.
"President Xiang," Cheng Xuyuan broke the ice first, "Have you had lunch?"
The mere mention of it infuriated Xiang Boyan. He was initially here to eat with Zhou Yuanzhe, but the process had turned into something similar to catching a cheater, and he was full just from being so angry!
Therefore, Xiang Boyan said coldly and nobly, "I have."
In fact, Xiang Boyan had been busy dealing with documents in the morning just so he could meet with Zhou Yuanzhe at noon. He had only had a cup of coffee for breakfast and was currently starving.
Cheng Xuyuan touched his nose and muttered, "Oh, alright..."
Just then, a sound came from beside him, seemingly Xiang Boyan's stomach growling.
Cheng Xuyuan nearly burst out laughing. It took him a lot of effort to hold it back. He made an effort to conceal his upturned lips, acting as though he had heard nothing.
Xiang Boyan, with his strong mental fortitude, did not show any signs of embarrassment. He continued to drive with calmness, as if the grumbling noise had not come from his stomach.
"President Xiang," Cheng Xuyuan felt this wasn't good for his health and kindly spoke up, "Let’s have lunch first. It will help with our work efficiency too."
Xiang Boyan turned to look at Zhou Yuanzhe, finding it hard to believe that the icy beauty had said this. He curled up the corner of his mouth slightly, and said contentedly, "Since you are inviting me for lunch, then I’ll grudgingly accept it."
Cheng Xuyuan: "…?"
"What do you want to eat?" Xiang Boyan didn’t want to miss the opportunity to have lunch together, "You can choose."
Cheng Xuyuan named a place that housed a noodle shop with a very nice taste, and the decoration was upscale, suitable for the president's status.
Without wasting a second, Xiang Boyan stepped on the gas and headed straight to the noodle shop.
You could tell he was really hungry. Cheng Xuyuan snarked silently.
The luxurious sports car came to a halt in front of the noodle shop, attracting the gaze of everyone around. The first to get out of the car was a tall, leggy man in a suit, followed by a long and handsome man in a trench coat.
The two of them together were like characters straight off the pages of a manga book. Not only were their body proportions shockingly good, but even their facial features were excellent representations of two distinct styles. One was cold, the other was elegant. Both were pleasing to the eye.
The owner of the noodle shop rushed out to greet them, "Please come in, gentlemen."
Having eaten until he was about eighty percent full, Cheng Xuyuan felt awkward to order more. He recommended to Xiang Boyan his all-time favorite Golden Soup Beef Noodles, smiling as he said, "The beef noodles here are very authentic."
It was only today that Xiang Boyan discovered, that in Zhou Yuanzhe's seemingly cold eyes, different colors flashed from time to time. Even if it was only a fleeting moment, it was enough to take his breath away.
"Zhou Yuanzhe."
Xiang Boyan suddenly called his name.
Zhou Yuanzhe raised his head, looking at him with slight confusion.
"Why do you seem... different from before?"
The sudden question made Cheng Xuyuan's heart skip a beat. He calmly looked at the other person and nonchalantly said, "People change."
Xiang Boyan was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to respond to this statement.
People change...
Indeed, who can guarantee that they will never change? Or perhaps, it's him who has changed. He didn't understand Zhou Yuanzhe before, but now he slowly does. That's all.
Xiang Boyan mocked himself for being too sensitive and decided to not pursue the matter further, only commenting, "You've changed quite a bit. You used to be very quiet, and now... it's nice."
Cheng Xuyuan was surprised by this assessment. He thought the other would dislike him. After all, Xiang Boyan liked An Ye, and he was close with An Ye. Xiang Boyan should be jealous.
After saying this, Xiang Boyan no longer looked at Zhou Yuanzhe, focusing intently on eating the beef noodles that had just been served. Xiang Boyan was very hungry but his eating manners were eloquent, reflecting good upbringing, which seemed a bit out of place in a small noodle shop.
After finishing the last sip of soup, Xiang Boyan lifted the corner of his mouth towards Zhou Yuanzhe and said, "The taste is good."
Cheng Xuyuan rarely sees Xiang Boyan in a pleasant mood. At this moment, he finds that the domineering president is not as terrifying as he thought, and even a bit... cute?
Cheng Xuyuan was startled by his own thought and hurriedly told himself not to imagine things.
After finishing the noodles, Xiang Boyan said he wanted to buy a couple of suits for the red carpet event in the evening.
So, with no other choice, Cheng Xuyuan started his second shopping trip of the day with Xiang Boyan.
Xiang Boyan and An Ye were completely different. An Ye would follow behind Zhou Yuanzhe like a little follower, carrying things. However, Xiang Boyan would dump all the stuff onto Zhou Yuanzhe to carry.
They said they were only going to buy two suits, but they ended up buying a bunch of stuff, from snacks to pillows.
"President Xiang..." Zhou Yuanzhe said expressionlessly, "Maybe you should consider that the car might not be able to hold this many things."
Xiang Boyan handed him a bag of fruit and didn't seem to care, "No problem, the trunk can still fit."
Seeing Zhou Yuanzhe carrying a bunch of bags, Xiang Boyan finally showed mercy, "That's quite a lot. I'll help you carry some."
Before Cheng Xuyuan could react, his hands were empty, and nearly all the bags had been transferred to Xiang Boyan's hands. He walked easily in front, leading the way without looking back, "Let's go, I'll have the stylist prepare you a bit. Don't embarrass me at tonight's event."
Cheng Xuyuan followed behind, mumbling disdainfully, "As if I could be an embarrassment..."
However, the corner of his mouth couldn't help but rise slightly.
________________________
At seven-thirty in the evening.
H City, as the entertainment capital, its local television station is well-known nationally. Although tonight's event was merely an annual celebration, it was conducted with great grandeur. Not to mention a few celebrities, even entrepreneurs with some fame also graced the event.
Xiang Boyan was the youngest amongst the cluster of businessmen. Dressed in a black vintage suit, he looked like a noble from the medieval ages, illustrating an alluring maturity in his every movement.
In contrast, Zhou Yuanzhe was dressed in a more youthful and trendy style. Even though he's also formally decked, he appeared energetic next to Xiang Boyan.
Walking side by side onto the red carpet, countless flashlights shone on the two, producing a stunning effect no less impressive than that of the celebrities.
In the past, Xiang Boyan's partner would always be Linda, but today it was Zhou Yuanzhe. It was a refreshing sight for many who knew them. After all, Zhou Yuanzhe notoriously detests such events and is regarded as an unattainable beauty in the circle.
There were also some leaders from Xing Entertainment on-site. They expressed surprise upon seeing the duo. No sooner had their paired appearance on the red carpet been photographed than it was circulated in the company group.
Normally, Xiang Boyan hated his pictures appearing in the public eye. Yet this time, he showed no objections, allowing the photo to circulate freely within the company.
In the photo, two tall and handsome figures moved in synchrony. The gaze of Xiang Boyan towards Zhou Yuanzhe held a hint of gentleness, while Zhou Yuanzhe's normally icy demeanor seemed unexpectedly softened under the lights.
The employees' private discussion group had been blown up early on.
"How is it that I find these two icebergs so well-matched..."
"I originally thought An Ye and Brother Yuan were a pair, but now I want to jump ship!"
"What's with this déjà vu of a domineering CEO and an icy male secretary plotline?"
"The above comment sums it up so well!"
At the event, the two sat in the VIP seats, silently watching the programs arranged by the TV station and the speech given by the station's director. The area around the two icy figures seemed to be filled with a cold aura that deterred anyone within five meters from making a sound.
Halfway through the event, in order to liven up the atmosphere, the host jovially announced, "In accordance with today's Valentine's Day mood, our TV station has specially prepared a lucky draw. Everyone present here will have a chance to win--"
The host's varying tones and exaggerated expressions gave Cheng Xuyuan chills.
The big screen on stage started to roll. The host was enthusiastically counting down. The two icy figures, in stark contrast with the rest of the venue, were engrossed with their phones.
"Let's congratulate the two attendees seated 7 and 8 for winning the third prize!" The host clapped for himself, his flaming red lips almost took flight, "Our prizes are a pair of couples' phones. Please, the two lucky attendees, come to the stage to receive your prizes! We have staff ready to take pictures for your keepsake!"
The venue erupted in warm applause as everyone looked for the two lucky audience members.
Cheng Xuyuan glanced at his seat number "7," then to Xiang Boyan's seat number "8". The two men locked eyes, and the atmosphere plunged into long-lasting awkwardness.
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