Chapter 45

As soon as the words left his mouth, Qin Chuan himself didn't notice anything wrong, but he saw Bo He's strange expression.

He thought she had been badly burned, and without another word, he snatched the cup from Bo He's hand and placed it on the floor.

He asked again, "Are you alright?"

Bo He composed herself, "I'm fine, it's just your suit... I'm so sorry, I really didn't do it on purpose!"

If Qin Chuan wanted, this could be another piece of evidence for "negligence at work."

Unexpectedly, Qin Chuan didn't fly into a rage.

His expression was calm, even showing a hint of concern, like a good-tempered boss and man. He even comforted Bo He in return.

"I have a spare one in my office. How's your hand? Let me see."

If Bo He hadn't seen the way he made announcements with a cold face, she really would have been fooled.

She attributed this to her boss being in a good mood today. Perhaps he had bought a lottery ticket on the way to work and happened to win five million, or maybe the tens of millions he had just invested in the stock market yesterday had encountered a bull market that surged three thousand points, earning him enough for a Beijing siheyuan overnight.

Bo He held out the back of her hand and shook it slightly, "It's fine."

Qin Chuan subconsciously wanted to grab that hand to inspect it, but his reason stopped him a second sooner.

This wasn't his master "Peppermint Tea," but his real-life subordinate, Bo He.

The commotion the two of them were making at the doorway attracted the attention of the people inside.

Tang Mi proactively picked up the cup from the floor and placed it on the desk.

"Where's Guan Shen?"

Qin Chuan glanced inside but didn't see Guan Shen.

Tang Mi said, "Secretary Guan might have been held up by something. Should I call and ask?"

"Forget it, there's no time."

Qin Chuan said, "I have a meeting this morning at the Olympic Conference Center. I need one of you to come with me."

Tang Mi was just about to speak when she saw Qin Chuan's gaze fall upon Bo He.

"Bo He, get your things. The meeting is about the new property development project. Tang Mi and Guan Shen have copies of the materials. Meet me downstairs in twenty minutes. Don't be late!"

"Huh?"

Before she could ask any more questions, Qin Chuan had already left.

The remaining few people looked at each other in dismay.

And all eyes were focused on Bo He.

For this kind of external event, it was usually Tang Mi who accompanied him.

Tang Mi was long used to it. Sometimes, Qin Chuan didn't even need to say anything; the choice could only be her, and was only ever her.

So when Qin Chuan called out Bo He's name, Tang Mi couldn't react for a moment.

Bo He was a little embarrassed and asked Tang Mi, "Since Secretary Guan isn't here yet, could I trouble you to give me the meeting materials?"

The gazes of the onlooking crowd shifted from Bo He to Tang Mi.

Tang Mi felt a lump in her throat, stuck and unable to move up or down, making her feel suffocated and uncomfortable.

She could barely maintain the smile that usually graced the corners of her eyes.

But Qin Chuan had just left, and these were his own words, so Tang Mi couldn't take her anger out on Bo He.

"They're all digital files. I'll print a copy for you right now. You can get your other things ready first."

In the blink of an eye, Tang Mi was back to being the sweet, quick-witted Tang Mi. Her face showed no anger at having the assignment snatched away by Bo He. On the contrary, she actively bustled about to help, preparing all the materials in no time. She even told Bo He the general contents of the file categories, showing herself to be meticulous and thoughtful.

Bo He thanked her repeatedly, then grabbed the materials and hurried downstairs.

She checked the time three times in the elevator. There were still two minutes left of the twenty minutes Qin Chuan had given her, but based on Bo He's understanding of him, Boss Qin was definitely already downstairs.

After exiting the building, sure enough, the car was parked there.

Qin Chuan was sitting inside. He turned to look over and waved at her.

Bo He didn't have time to overthink. She opened the car door and took a seat beside Qin Chuan.

The light scent of cologne drifted over. Her sharp eyes noticed that he had indeed changed into a different suit; even the pattern of his tie matched the new clothes.

"Does it look good?" Qin Chuan asked.

Bo He subconsciously nodded, only realizing what she'd done a second later.

She wasn't in a hurry to feel shy. Appetite and lust are human nature; it's perfectly normal.

"Boss Qin, I've never attended a meeting like this with you. I'm afraid I'll be far inferior to Secretary Guan and Tang Mi. How about I go back now and have Tang Mi come down to accompany you instead?"

"No need."

Qin Chuan shook his head, and the driver, understanding, started the car moving slowly forward.

"This meeting isn't as important as you imagine, but of course, it's not completely unimportant either. I'm bringing you for two main reasons. Last time, when you were internally recruited into the President's Office, Guan Shen's original intention was for you to get good training so you could share some of Li Xi's workload in the future."

He paused there.

Bo He, ever so compliant, began to reflect on her own failings, "It was I who betrayed Boss Qin's trust and failed to do my duty..."

"Bo He," Qin Chuan suddenly interrupted her.

"I know you're capable. While you were partly to blame for the previous mistakes, I was also at fault. I already apologized to you last time. Perhaps my sincerity was lacking, so this time, I will formally apologize again."

His dark eyes gazed over, seeming to peer into the depths of her soul.

Bo He's heart fluttered for a moment, for reasons she couldn't explain.

"My apology is sincere, but of course, you also have the right not to forgive. I've transferred you back this time partly because we're short-staffed and you're at least more familiar than other candidates, and also because I hope you can continue the journey you left unfinished last time."

Qin Chuan finished speaking slowly, not blinking, waiting for her reaction.

Bo He was silent for a moment. "Thank you for your trust. But, compared to the President's Office, I think I prefer the atmosphere of my old department."

She still didn't choose the President's Office.

Qin Chuan was a little disappointed, yet not entirely so.

Her reaction was within his expectations. When he didn't care about someone, he could tear them to shreds. Now that he held her in his heart, he had to repay the debts from his past misdeeds one by one.

"The second reason I brought you out today," Boss Qin's tone became even gentler, "is that the meeting won't last all day. It should end around two or three in the afternoon. This means we'll still have three or four hours before the normal end of the workday to practice 'eating chicken'."

Bo He: ......

She suddenly felt that her apprentice's suggestion from last night made a lot of sense.

To deal with this kind of persistent person, she should just erupt with a Pegasus Meteor Fist and hammer him straight into the ground.

Likewise, in the game, she shouldn't have hidden her skill from the beginning. For someone like Boss Qin, who looks down on everyone, directly displaying her strength to make him back off, feel ashamed of his own inferiority, and not dare to team up with her might have been a better choice.

"No problem." Bo He's attitude today was unusually positive. "I practiced by myself again after I got home last night. My feel for the game should be much better today."

Qin Chuan smiled faintly. "Me too. I believe we'll be able to cooperate happily today."

The two of them made eye contact, and both revealed confident smiles in unison.

Bo He: I'll smash your dog head.

Qin Chuan: You have your schemes, but I have my countermeasures.