Chapter 24: I’ll Count to Three
The screen remained dark and completely still. Qin Zelin frowned and picked up his phone again.
Full battery. Full signal. Everything was working normally.
The trial lesson should have ended by now. Had the little monster’s phone run out of battery again?
The person beside the large screen had just finished giving their report when Qin Zelin’s phone lit up. Seeing the unread message notification, the corners of his lips curved as he opened his chat with Cen Miao.
[Qin Zelin] How was the tutor? Are you getting used to it?
[miao] [Jumps Up and Hits You.gif]
[miao] [Jumps Up and Hits You.gif]
[miao] [Jumps Up and Hits You.gif]
The curve of Qin Zelin’s lips instantly flattened.
“…”
From that string of violent stickers, it was clear that the little monster was still angry…
Very angry.
[Qin Zelin] Remember to eat more vegetables at lunch.
[miao] [I’ll Whip Your Butt Raw with a Bean Stalk.gif]
[miao] [You’re My Number One Enemy.gif]
[miao] [One Punch Sends You Flying.gif]
“…”
The executives glanced nervously at one another, each of them watching Qin Zelin’s expression grow darker by the second.
They couldn’t tell whether the growth rate had failed to satisfy their boss or whether he disliked the plan for next year.
“President Qin…” The executive beside the large screen clasped his hands awkwardly.
“Mm. Very good. Continue with the report.” Qin Zelin placed his phone on the table and nodded.
The executive: “…”
Was he sure it was very good?
After the meeting ended, everyone gradually filed out until only Qin Zelin and Fang Huan remained in the conference room.
Qin Zelin stared at the string of violent stickers. After hesitating for a moment, he finally asked, “What do twenty-year-olds like these days?”
Fang Huan: Money!
But he didn’t dare say it.
“What sort of things does Young Master Cen usually like, Boss?”
“If he likes gaming, you could give him a top-of-the-line computer, headset, and keyboard. Or perhaps a limited-edition pair of sneakers?”
Qin Zelin: “…”
What did the little monster like?
Eating.
The kind who would test poison on himself if no one watched him.
“I was only asking casually. I’m not planning to give him a gift.” Qin Zelin raised his wrist and glanced at the time. “It’s lunch break. Go eat.”
Fang Huan: Keep pretending! You made the little cutie angry, didn’t you?
“…Yes, Boss. I’ll leave first.”
Outside the conference room, several people in the secretarial area were chattering as they shared something. Qin Zelin paid no attention and walked straight past them.
“Here. My mom sent this beef jerky from our hometown.”
“Ahhh! I’ve been craving this for a whole year! The stuff sold outside never tastes the same!”
“Exactly! Auntie’s beef jerky is genuinely the best I’ve ever eaten!”
“?”
Qin Zelin’s hand paused on his office door. He turned around and gave a soft cough.
Only then did the three secretaries, who had been huddled together sharing snacks, notice someone behind them. They turned and found themselves facing Qin Zelin’s expressionless face.
Remembering the noticeably oppressive mood surrounding him when he arrived that morning, their expressions stiffened one after another.
“President Qin!”
Qin Zelin gave a quiet hum. His gaze rested on the bags of beef jerky on the desk for a moment before he said, “Someone in my family likes beef jerky. If it’s convenient, could you sell me a bag?”
“???”
“N-No, there’s no need to pay!” Li Man hurriedly waved her hands. She picked up a bag from the table and offered it to him. “I brought this one for myself, and it hasn’t been opened yet. You can have it. I still have more at home!”
“All right. Thank you.”
With that, Qin Zelin turned and returned to his office.
Li Man pressed a hand to her chest and released a long breath.
“Oh my god, that scared me to death! That’s the first time I’ve ever heard the boss talk about something unrelated to work.”
“Me too…”
More than ten minutes later, inside the company cafeteria, Li Man stared at the balance on her meal card and Fang Huan’s WeChat message, then rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
One, two, three, four…
Four zeroes?
Twenty thousand?
“Beibei, what I gave President Qin was one bag of beef jerky, not an entire cow, right?”
“Right!!!”
Li Man sucked in a sharp breath.
“President Qin couldn’t have taken a liking to me, could he? I know he’s handsome, but my boyfriend and I are deeply in love! I refuse to accept any unspoken workplace arrangements!”
Xu Beibei rolled her eyes.
“Manman, does President Qin look like a human capable of liking another carbon-based life-form?”
“Hiss… Maybe I should ask my mom to write down the recipe for him later. Otherwise, this money is too terrifying to keep!”
A little after six that evening, Qin Zelin left the office. As he happened to glance out the window, something caught his eye.
“Little Zhang, make a U-turn ahead and go back to the dessert shop we just passed.”
“Hm? Oh, all right.”
Inside the villa’s living room, Cen Miao was sitting on the sofa watching the yellow sponge when Qin Zelin arrived home.
The moment he heard the car outside, he pursed his lips in advance.
In the entryway, Butler Lin looked at the items in Qin Zelin’s hands and smiled.
“Oh my, did you buy the little cake and beef jerky for your husband?”
Cen Miao’s ears perked up from the sofa.
“…?”
Little cake?
Beef jerky?
Maybe he could forgive the human for now.
Aunt Wang had already explained that the human had only been harsh that morning because he was afraid Cen Miao had eaten something poisonous and had panicked.
Cen Miao had also been wrong to eat something dangerous.
Qin Zelin replied, “No… Someone else gave me the jerky. Since no one was going to eat it, I brought it home.”
Cen Miao: “?”
It wasn’t for him?
No forgiveness!!!
He had clearly been harsh that morning and was now trying to coax Cen Miao. Hearing Qin Zelin’s awkward tone, Butler Lin’s eyes shifted thoughtfully.
“Oh. Then hurry and change, Young Master. Dinner is already prepared.”
Qin Zelin: “…”
The words he had prepared lodged in his throat. His lips moved, but he could only change his shoes and place the cake and beef jerky on the dining table.
Cen Miao didn’t enter the dining room until dinner had been served.
The moment he saw Qin Zelin, he stiffened his neck and sat down. Yet his eyes secretly drifted toward the cake and beef jerky placed across the table.
It was exactly the same strawberry cake from that woman’s video!
It was even bigger than the one in the video!
Hmph!
If the human said within three seconds that the cake and beef jerky were both for Cen Miao, then he would reluctantly forgive him for being harsh that morning!
After all, Cen Miao had eaten the wrong thing first!
He was the most generous zombie and didn’t need to hold a grudge against a human!
One…
Two……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
“…”
