Chapter 27.2

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Then, another message followed: [Your cat has been meowing nonstop. I think it’s missing you.]

Oh. That was like a cold bucket of water, dousing her tiny spark of hope. Clearly, Chi Yin was just annoyed by the cat’s noise. Qiao Ziman sighed deeply, feeling deflated.

After a moment of hesitation, she decided to head back and face the mess she had made. But of course, she’d only return two hours later, when she figured Chi Yin would be asleep. Sneaking back seemed like the safest option.

Opening the front door, she stepped into the dark living room. Qiao Ziman perked up her ears, carefully listening for any signs of movement from Chi Yin’s room. Silence. The whole place was quiet.

Qiao Ziman held her breath and tiptoed toward her room, every tiny sound making her heart race. Finally, she reached the door. In one swift motion, she slipped inside, leaving nothing but a blur behind her. The door clicked shut with a “thud,” and she quickly locked it.

She collapsed onto the bed, completely drained. What a mess, she thought, bitterly. Her whole holiday had been ruined, and she was feeling beyond frustrated. Staring up at the ceiling, sleep was nowhere in sight.

Since moving in with Chi Yin, she had never experienced a sleepless night—until now. With everything that had happened, how could she possibly muster up the courage to go to Chi Yin and ask her to say goodnight, like she used to? Chi Yin would probably kick her out with one swift boot.

Better to just keep staring at the ceiling, she decided. It seemed like the safest option. Half an hour passed, and she rubbed her dry eyes. Another half hour went by, and she shifted positions, continuing to stare at the ceiling.

Eventually, exhaustion set in. Sitting up on her bed, Qiao Ziman grabbed her phone, scrolling aimlessly. She thought back to earlier—perhaps the God of Wealth wasn’t that powerful after all. After so many years, she was still broke.

Feeling desperate, she came up with a brilliant plan. Why not ask the internet for advice?

She typed a few large words into the search bar: [Accidentally confessed to a same-sex friend, what should I do?]

In an instant, thousands of similar posts popped up. The general advice could be summed up in one phrase:
— Close friendships often come with a touch of love.【Note 1】

Love, my foot! Qiao Ziman thought, refusing to believe it. She decided to try a different search.

[Accidentally confessed to a same-sex boss, what should I do?]

This time, even more posts appeared—so many that her phone nearly froze. When the results finally loaded, Qiao Ziman began reading through them, her eyes widening in shock.

According to the internet, workplace romances were highly frowned upon, especially between employees and their bosses. In most cases, if an employee confessed to their superior, the boss would distance themselves to avoid awkwardness and maintain professional appearances. In some instances, bosses even reduced the employee’s workload to keep things calm—a clever trick some high-profile content creators had come up with. Many followers imitated the tactic, and surprisingly, it worked well.【Note 2】

Qiao Ziman was convinced. Though her situation with Chi Yin was a bit different, it wasn’t that different after all.

Problem solved, Qiao Ziman thought. At work, she could just keep things professional, and at home, she could lock herself in her room if needed. A few sleepless nights wouldn’t be the end of the world. Once everything calmed down and the incident faded from memory, she could explain the situation at the right time, and she and Chi Yin would go back to being good friends.

Feeling optimistic after finding a solution, Qiao Ziman returned to her cheerful, lively self. As the first light of dawn crept in, she left her apartment, grabbed some breakfast, and headed straight to the office. The time clock showed she was one hour and ten minutes early—a first in her life.

As her coworkers trickled in, they couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw Qiao Ziman already hard at work.

“Qiao Qiao, are you secretly outworking us now?”
“Look at those dark circles under your eyes! What happened?”
“Why are you doing this? Leave some of the glory for the rest of us, Qiao Jie!”

On the outside, Qiao Ziman maintained her calm demeanor, but on the inside, she was mentally cursing. Outworking? Pfft, sure.

Then, from a distance, a familiar figure entered her line of sight. Qiao Ziman quickly lowered her head, pretending to be immersed in her tasks. But the familiar figure walked straight over and stopped beside her desk.

“Qiao Ziman, come to my office,” said Chi Yin.

Wasn’t she supposed to keep her distance? Why isn’t the script going according to plan? Qiao Ziman’s heart started racing as a sense of unease settled in.

She trailed behind Chi Yin, stealing glances at her side profile. Her expression seemed perfectly normal, no different from usual. Qiao Ziman felt a small sense of relief. But that relief didn’t last long.

As soon as they entered the office, Chi Yin locked the door behind them.

Qiao Ziman: “???” What’s going on? She began to panic a little.

Chi Yin pointed to the sofa. “Sit,” she said, before walking to her desk and pulling open a drawer, searching for something.

There’s no way I’m sitting! Qiao Ziman’s voice was shaky as she stammered, “President Chi, it’s work hours… Do you need something? Can’t we talk normally?”

Chi Yin pulled out a sealed bag from the drawer, full of something. She walked over and sat down next to Qiao Ziman, her expression unusually serious. Slowly, she started pulling out small red booklets, one after another, and laid them on the table in front of Qiao Ziman.

“I have zero experience in relationships,” Chi Yin began, “but I own a bar, two restaurants, three cars, four houses, and I have five million in savings.”

Qiao Ziman: “???”

Chi Yin continued, “I can add your name to the houses.”

Chi Yin slid a bank card across the table toward Qiao Ziman. “You already know the password—it’s my birthday, which is also your birthday. From now on, you handle the finances.”

“And about what you said over the phone,” Chi Yin continued, “I want to correct something. I’m emotionally stable, I don’t hit people, and I have a healthy routine. After work, I go straight home. You don’t need to worry about that. I’m not a sadist.”

Qiao Ziman, though utterly confused, couldn’t help but mentally add, Well, you do have a bit of a tendency… otherwise, why do you like biting me so much?

Seeing Qiao Ziman remain silent, Chi Yin glanced down at her own chest and added, “My chest isn’t that big, but if that’s a problem, we can figure something out together.”

Qiao Ziman’s mind went completely blank. She couldn’t process any of this and mumbled, “What do you mean?”

Suddenly, Chi Yin smiled, an innocent, almost naive expression on her face. “Aren’t you trying to be my girlfriend? I think you’re pretty sincere and we’re a good match.”

It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck Qiao Ziman, shattering her into pieces. Her mind raced in panic. Oh no. Chi Yin actually took it seriously.

What do I do now???