Chapter 41: President Qin Is Smitten
After ending the call, Qin Zelin turned around to head back inside, only to see Cen Miao standing behind him with a head of cabbage in his arms.
“…”
“Why are you holding a cabbage?”
“Aunt Wang gave it to me. I’m feeding the little lamb.”
With that, Cen Miao carried the cabbage toward the small wooden pen at the side of the courtyard.
Qin Zelin: “…?”
He hadn’t mentioned kissing him at all.
Could he have overheard the phone call?
Was he upset?
“Hubby?”
Cen Miao’s puzzled voice interrupted Qin Zelin’s thoughts.
“Mm, what is it?”
He collected himself and walked straight toward the pen.
“Is the little lamb sick? Why is the black spot on its mouth gone?” Cen Miao looked up at him, concern in his eyes.
“…”
Qin Zelin instinctively touched the tip of his nose, a faint trace of guilt in his voice.
“It isn’t sick. It probably… grew and developed. That black spot might have been a mole that faded.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
Reassured, Cen Miao turned around and fed the cabbage in his arms to the lamb.
Qin Zelin observed him for a while. Only after confirming that Cen Miao wasn’t behaving unusually did he finally relax.
The next day was Christmas Eve.
After one class ended, Cen Miao was resting his chin on the desk and staring blankly into space when someone gently nudged his elbow.
“Cen Miao, happy Christmas Eve. I made this chocolate myself.”
Li Jing’s ears were red as she held out an exquisitely decorated heart-shaped box.
Seeing that Cen Miao didn’t immediately accept it, she hurriedly added, “E-Everyone got one.”
Remembering the chocolate he had eaten the night before, Cen Miao wanted to take it. But he was also worried it might be expensive.
The human had told him not to casually accept things from others.
“Is… is it expensive?” he asked seriously, raising his eyes.
Li Jing froze for a moment. Then the blush on her face deepened, and she hurriedly waved her hands.
“H-Huh? No, it isn’t expensive. I bought the ingredients and made it myself.”
“Then… can you wait for me for a moment?”
“Yes, of course.” Li Jing nodded quickly.
Cen Miao took out his phone, opened WeChat, and found Qin Zelin’s profile.
[miao] Hubby, a classmate wants to give me chocolate as a Christmas Eve gift. I asked her, and she said it isn’t expensive. Can I accept it?
After thinking about it, he seriously added another line.
[miao] The other students got some too. They all accepted theirs.
Then he scratched his head and added one more.
[miao] Everyone accepted one.
Inside Huanyu Group’s top-floor office, Qin Zelin looked at Cen Miao’s messages, both amused and helpless.
He was quite obedient, knowing to ask first whether he could accept it.
But it was obvious that he really wanted to.
[Qin Zelin] Yes. Accept it.
The corners of Qin Zelin’s lips curved unconsciously as he typed his reply.
Then he set down his phone and accepted a folder from the secretary standing across from him, completely unaware of her expression.
The moment Li Man stepped outside, she clutched her chest and screamed silently.
Ahhhhh!
She had never seen President Qin smile before!!!
And it had been such an indulgent smile!!!
A few minutes later, the same piece of news spread through every Huanyu gossip group.
President Qin was hopelessly smitten with his little cutie. He even replied to the little cutie’s messages immediately during work hours—and did it with an indulgent smile!
Back in the classroom, Cen Miao’s eyes lit up when he received permission. Only then did he carefully accept Li Jing’s gift.
“Thank you.”
“Y-You’re welcome.”
The tips of Li Jing’s ears were red. She hurriedly lowered her head and pretended to flip through her book, her voice as faint as a mosquito.
“Everyone got one, after all.”
That afternoon, after their major class ended, Cen Miao and Chengcheng went to the baking club together.
Cen Miao was unusually focused, carefully observing how the club president mixed, whipped, and sifted the ingredients.
At last, they reached the final step.
All they had to do was pipe the dough onto the baking tray before putting it in the oven!
After fitting the piping tip, Cen Miao lowered his head and began piping the cookies.
Only after filling an entire tray did he look up and realize that his cookies seemed slightly different from everyone else’s.
They were very round.
And very smooth.
Cen Miao thought they looked quite cute too.
After finishing his own tray, Chengcheng admired the flower-shaped cookies he had piped. Then he turned toward the large baking tray in front of Cen Miao.
“???”
Why did they look like little piles of…
Chengcheng stared in shock.
“Baby, did you… use the wrong piping tip?”
“I don’t need to give mine to anyone. Why don’t you use my tray instead?”
“Was it wrong?” Cen Miao shook his head. “It’s fine. I think my cookies are very cute.”
The corner of Chengcheng’s mouth twitched.
“…All right.”
He had no idea whether the domineering CEO would find them cute…
Especially the chocolate-flavored ones…
Once the cookies were baked and cooled, Cen Miao ate several himself before dividing the rest into portions and placing them in transparent bags.
Afterward, he stared blankly at the row of small bags arranged across the table.
The human was quite good to him. He had even bought him a little cake last night.
Should he give him two extra cookies?
As he thought, Cen Miao took two cookies from the other bags and added them to the one meant for Qin Zelin.
That evening, after arriving home, Cen Miao first distributed the cookies among everyone in the villa, completely failing to notice their stunned expressions when they saw them.
He took the chocolate Li Jing had given him from his backpack and placed it on the coffee table. Then he carried his bag upstairs to change into loungewear.
The elevator had barely begun rising when Qin Zelin entered the house.
As he passed through the living room, his gaze habitually swept over the sofa area.
When he noticed an exquisitely decorated heart-shaped box on the coffee table, his eyes paused.
“?”
He changed direction and walked over to the sofa.
Opening the box, he found four beautifully made chocolates inside, each shaped like a heart.
Before long, Cen Miao came downstairs wearing soft loungewear.
“Cen Miao, is that little box on the coffee table the Christmas Eve gift your classmate gave you?” Qin Zelin asked, deliberately sounding casual.
“Mm! She said she made it herself and that it wasn’t expensive! You said I could accept it.”
A trace of unease appeared in Cen Miao’s eyes.
Meeting his gaze, Qin Zelin gave a faint hum and softened his voice.
“I didn’t say you couldn’t accept it. I was only asking.”
“Oh.”
Cen Miao relaxed.
“Your classmate made that many gifts? Were all the boxes the same? This one is quite pretty,” Qin Zelin asked casually.
Cen Miao tilted his head and thought carefully before answering honestly.
“No. Some students got star-shaped boxes, and some got square boxes.”
Qin Zelin fell silent for two seconds.
“…”
“I passed the kitchen just now. Is Aunt Wang making sweet-and-sour ribs today? It seems like they’re almost ready.”
Cen Miao: “!!!”
Every time Aunt Wang finished making sweet-and-sour ribs, she would always give him one piece before continuing with the other dishes!
The moment Qin Zelin finished speaking, Cen Miao set down the box in his hands and eagerly scampered toward the kitchen.
Once Cen Miao entered the kitchen, Qin Zelin picked up the box from the coffee table and opened it.
Then he ate all four heart-shaped chocolates.
