Chapter 8: A Bad Human Who Tricks Good Zombies!
Cen Miao happily accepted the card, the dimples at the corners of his lips faintly appearing.
Qin Zelin felt something lodge in his chest, neither rising nor falling. Seeing that Cen Miao’s attention was clearly no longer on him, he asked casually, “Were you on the phone just now?”
Cen Miao was lovingly stroking the card in his hand. Without even looking up, he gave a distracted, “Mm.”
Qin Zelin: “…”
His voice lowered slightly, revealing no emotion. “Was it the Cen family?”
Cen Miao shook his head. “It was Chengcheng! He asked me to work part-time with him… at Senior Xu’s place!”
Qin Zelin: “…”
Chengcheng?
Did this person not have a surname?
And who was Senior Xu?
After thinking for a moment, Qin Zelin said, “You’re only a sophomore. Focus on your studies. You don’t need a part-time job.”
“But I really like… that job.”
Besides, if he bought beef jerky with money he earned himself, Qin Zelin wouldn’t be able to control how much he ate, right?
“You’re close to them?” Qin Zelin paused before adding, “I’m only worried you’ll be deceived, and I’ll have to clean up the mess afterward.”
“Mm. Chengcheng would never trick me!” Cen Miao raised his face, his round eyes widening.
The words on Qin Zelin’s lips were instantly choked back. He gave a quiet, “Fine. I’m going to the study to work. Tell Uncle Lin if you need anything.”
“Okay.” After answering, Cen Miao turned his attention back to his phone.
“You can also come to the study if it’s urgent.”
“Oh.”
Qin Zelin remained standing there for a moment, but Cen Miao said nothing else.
He froze briefly, then ignored the inexplicable trace of irritation in his chest, turned, and left the living room for the study.
Inside the study, Qin Zelin sat in his chair and pondered for a moment before calling Assistant Fang. As always, the other man answered quickly.
“President Qin.”
“Mm,” Qin Zelin said in his usual tone. “Add Cen Miao on WeChat. Ask what he needs for his art studio and prepare everything for him.”
“Yes, President Qin.”
On the other end of the call, Assistant Fang noticed that his boss hadn’t hung up immediately after giving his instructions as usual. He tentatively asked, “President Qin, I’ve already spoken with the landlord regarding Young Master Cen’s lease termination. Is there anything else you’d like me to handle?”
Qin Zelin did not answer immediately.
He leaned back in his chair and slowly crossed his long left leg over his right knee.
Then he said quietly, “Look into whether there are any rumors that Huanyu is poorly managed and on the verge of bankruptcy.”
“?”
The person on the other end was clearly stunned for a moment before replying, “…Understood.”
After hanging up, Qin Zelin set down his phone and turned on the computer on his desk.
Over the past two years, the group had expanded rapidly overseas. Since Qin Zelin preferred to handle matters personally, he usually worked in the study even on weekends.
The household staff all knew the rules and never entered to disturb him.
The study remained as quiet as usual throughout the morning. The little monster didn’t come upstairs to bother him either, yet Qin Zelin’s work efficiency was lower than ever before.
He closed the document, rubbed his brow, and walked over to the window.
Down in the courtyard, Cen Miao’s electric scooter had already been delivered to the villa.
Perhaps because the original owner’s muscle memory remained, Cen Miao found his rhythm after getting used to it for a while. He was now riding the little scooter around the courtyard in circles, enjoying the breeze.
Sunlight fell across his smiling face, so bright it was almost dazzling.
Qin Zelin silently watched for a while. Only when the cheerful figure rounded another corner and disappeared behind the fountain did he slowly return to his desk.
His fingers tapped lightly against the tabletop. Although his gaze rested on the computer screen, none of the densely packed charts and figures registered in his mind.
Qin Zelin attributed this abnormal behavior to the presence of a stranger in his home.
He simply wasn’t used to it yet.
Downstairs, Aunt Wang finished preparing lunch. Hoping to give the newlyweds a chance to develop their relationship, Uncle Lin assigned Cen Miao the task of going upstairs to call Qin Zelin down to eat.
A knock sounded at the study door, followed by Cen Miao’s distinctive half-speed voice.
“Young Master, Uncle Lin asked me… to call you down for lunch.”
“…………???”
Qin Zelin opened the door and frowned at Cen Miao, his gaze filled with shock and confusion.
“Why are you calling me that?”
Cen Miao’s heart skipped a beat.
He had heard Uncle Lin call him “Young Master.” Had he used the wrong form of address and exposed himself?
Then he remembered what the driver had called Qin Zelin in the car yesterday.
Looking up at Qin Zelin with a hint of guilt, he quietly tried, “President Qin?”
The man’s frown deepened.
Cen Miao: “…”
So… he wasn’t supposed to call him President Qin either!
Being human was so difficult!
“Oh, lunch smells amazing! Let’s hurry downstairs and eat!”
Cen Miao’s eyes darted around. Trying to change the subject, he ingratiatingly wrapped both hands around Qin Zelin’s arm and dragged him toward the elevator.
Fluff from his white pajamas stuck all over Qin Zelin, standing out starkly against his black loungewear.
Qin Zelin, who had mild obsessive-compulsive tendencies and slight germaphobia: “…”
Why was Cen Miao acting spoiled with him again?
Inside the elevator, Qin Zelin looked down at the arm Cen Miao was clinging to and cleared his throat.
“Cen Miao, you can think of me as an older brother. I can cover your living expenses and treat you well, but anything beyond that… I truly can’t give you.”
“…?”
His clothes were covered in fuzz. Why was this human babbling on and on instead of dealing with it?
Rip!
Cen Miao lifted his shirt and tore off the heat patch Aunt Wang had stuck to him earlier because she was worried he would get cold while riding around the courtyard.
He began using the sticky side to remove the white fluff from Qin Zelin’s black loungewear.
Qin Zelin stopped in the middle of his sentence and looked down in shock.
All he saw was the hem of Cen Miao’s shirt lifting and falling, along with a brief glimpse of his slender waist.
Was he making these little movements to change the subject and avoid what Qin Zelin had just said?
Rip~ Rip~
“…”
Rip~ Rip~
In an instant, the high-quality cashmere loungewear was covered in fuzz from the adhesive.
?????
Cen Miao reached out and touched it. Feeling guilty, he grabbed Qin Zelin and hurriedly pulled him out of the elevator.
“Come on! Hurry! Lunch… lunch is getting cold.”
“…”
In the dining room, Cen Miao held a beef rib as long as his forearm and gnawed at it with all his strength.
Qin Zelin could have sworn he heard a soft “awoo” when Cen Miao opened his mouth, like a puppy chewing on a bone.
He glanced at the sleeve of his loungewear, now rough and fuzzy, shook his head slightly, and arranged his napkin.
Crunch, crunch~
Cen Miao’s eyes lit up when he bit into a piece of cartilage.
Being human was wonderful!
He had to work hard and earn money so he could buy lots and lots of meat!
Qin Zelin had only just finished removing the meat from one rib when Cen Miao, sitting across from him, enthusiastically picked up his fourth. Sweat had already gathered on his forehead.
Paying no attention to it, Cen Miao raised a hand and brushed his bangs aside before lowering his head to continue gnawing.
“Wait…” Qin Zelin saw the oil smear onto Cen Miao’s hair, and the hand he had raised to stop him froze.
Cen Miao: Hm?
Did he… think he was eating too much again?
- ??•?
“I… I’ll stop after I finish this one, okay?” A trace of grievance flashed through Cen Miao’s eyes.
Qin Zelin didn’t notice. He merely assumed Cen Miao had eaten too much and couldn’t manage any more, so he gave a quiet, “Mm.”
Cen Miao’s delicate brows knitted together.
“…”
He really did think I was eating too much!
Before they registered their marriage, hadn’t he said Cen Miao could eat as much as he wanted because he had plenty of money for food?
Bad human!
A bad human who tricks good zombies! ?(??´)?
Seeing Cen Miao frowning with a troubled expression, Qin Zelin looked puzzled.
He couldn’t finish this one either?
“Leave it there. Don’t eat any more,” Qin Zelin said.
