Chapter 37: Boyfriends Are Meant to Be a Nuisance

Guan Ju'er twisted the corner of her clothes, remaining silent and sullen. In truth, she didn't even know why she hadn't turned to Qin Hao to confide in him.

Seeing that she was nearly tearing the fabric apart, Qin Hao sighed helplessly. He took her soft, small hand in his, rescuing her poor garment from her grip.

"You, to put it bluntly, just don't take me seriously," Qin Hao said crossly.

Guan Ju'er felt an inexplicable ache in her heart and hurriedly explained, "No, really, I didn't. I... I was just afraid of troubling you."

"Troubling me? Isn't that what a boyfriend is for?" Qin Hao said with a hint of helplessness; this girl still hadn't quite figured things out.

Then, Qin Hao lifted Guan Ju'er's chin. As their eyes met, he spoke softly.

"Guan Guan, I like you. I'm willing to give you time to adapt because I don't want to force you to accept me, but I still want to possess my rights as your boyfriend."

"Remember, everything about you is precious to me. All the troubles and sorrows you encounter will, when we are old, become shared memories worth savoring in detail."

Guan Ju'er's eyes instantly reddened. She had never received such a soulful confession. The boys she had encountered before who had feelings for her never truly loved her; they simply thought she was suitable to be a virtuous wife and mother.

At this moment, Guan Ju'er could no longer suppress the heat in her heart. She took the initiative to stand on her tiptoes and kissed Qin Hao passionately.

Let reserve, gentleness, and virtue go to hell; right now, she only wanted to fully savor the taste of love.

Qin Hao didn't react in time and was caught off guard by Guan Ju'er's sudden advance. Fortunately, he was experienced and quickly regained the initiative.

"Mmph—" After an unknown amount of time, Guan Ju'er wished time would stop at this very moment, but she truly couldn't hold her breath any longer and had to push Qin Hao away.

The moment they broke apart, Guan Ju'er looked like someone who had just emerged from drowning, greedily gasping for air. The slight sweetness on her lips made it feel as though even the air itself had turned sweet.

Holding Guan Ju'er's slender waist, Qin Hao teased, "It's okay. Once you have more experience, you'll know how to breathe while kissing."

"You're annoying! Stop talking!" Guan Ju'er's face flushed instantly, and she gave him a light punch.

Knowing she was thin-skinned, Qin Hao stopped teasing her. He gently pulled her into his embrace. This time, Guan Ju'er did not shrink away; instead, she leaned against his shoulder, quietly enjoying the warmth of the moment.

After a long while, Qin Hao finally released her. "Now, can you tell me what happened at the company?"

Guan Ju'er recounted everything in detail, from Michelle's hostility toward her to the rumors spread by colleagues claiming she had used "backdoor" connections to get the job.

Qin Hao frowned slightly. "There's an eighty percent chance Michelle was the one instigating this from behind the scenes."

"That shouldn't be possible, right? Michelle wasn't involved in the later stages at all," Guan Ju'er said, looking surprised.

Qin Hao pinched Guan Ju'er's slightly chubby cheek and said dotingly, "You little fool. Think about it carefully. Michelle made things difficult for you before; with such a good opportunity presented, how could someone with her personality remain indifferent?"

"This is the subconscious behavior of a mastermind. The sense of achievement gained from fanning the flames from the shadows is much stronger than charging into battle personally."

"Ah, how can it be like that?" Guan Ju'er's face turned pale. She found it difficult to accept the malice of human nature.

This was the workplace. Many times, you don't know who you've offended, nor do you understand why people are targeting you, because some people's logic is simply different from yours. Reality often writes the most absurd scripts.

Qin Hao gently patted Guan Ju'er's back and comforted her softly, "It's okay. Leave this matter to me."

Guan Ju'er instinctively thought of the fate of the "Scumbag Bai" and hurriedly said, "You don't have to, do you? Sister Andy said that no matter what they say, it won't affect my permanent position at the end of the year. As long as I do my job well, the manager will surely notice."

But her acting was too poor, and Qin Hao saw through her instantly. "You're afraid I'll deal with Michelle the same way I dealt with Scumbag Bai, aren't you?"

Guan Ju'er froze. "You really did that regarding Scumbag Bai?"

"Of course. If I hadn't discovered it early, Yingying might have been deceived both physically and emotionally. How could I not teach him a lesson? Besides, if I hadn't exposed his dirty deeds online, there would have been more victims in the future," Qin Hao said seriously.

Thinking of Scumbag Bai's methods, Guan Ju'er felt a wave of fear for Qiu Yingying.

"Don't worry, I won't use Scumbag Bai's methods on Michelle. I only use bottomless methods against people who have no bottom line." Qin Hao kissed her on the forehead.

"Alright then... but what do you plan to do?" Guan Ju'er asked curiously.

"You'll know when the time comes," Qin Hao said cryptically.

Afterward, the two became affectionate in the room. Perhaps because the previous kiss had left her wanting more, Qin Hao proceeded to make multiple demands under the guise of "teaching." Guan Ju'er half-heartedly complied and was a very diligent student.

However, when Qin Hao's hands became restless and crossed the line, Guan Ju'er broke free from his arms like a startled little rabbit.

And then, Qin Hao was kicked out of Room 2202.

"Give me another chance. I promise I won't do it again," Qin Hao said sincerely.

Blushing, Guan Ju'er still heartlessly pushed him out the door. "No. It's... it's too fast right now. Just go. Yingying will be back soon."

"Then, let's have a goodbye kiss." Qin Hao held the door with one hand.

Guan Ju'er looked left and right, seeing no one, and gathered her courage to give him a light, fleeting peck. Instead, Qin Hao grabbed her waist and pulled her into another long kiss.

After a long time, Qin Hao finally released her, still feeling unsatisfied. This time, Guan Ju'er gave him no more chances and slammed the door shut.

"By the way, this weekend, Qiu Yingying has invited some colleagues over for dinner. You should come too," Qin Hao added, not pushing his luck any further.

Guan Ju'er replied shyly, "Okay."

***

When Qin Hao returned home, he called Old Liu directly.

Upon hearing that Qin Hao wanted to investigate a woman, Old Liu couldn't help but tease, "You're not trying to pursue her, are you?"

"None of your business. How long will it take to find out?" Qin Hao cursed playfully.

"Give me a week."

"Deal."

At the same time, Andy returned home from work only to find that the surveillance footage at her door had frozen. She restarted the software, but while reviewing the recordings, she witnessed a scene that left her utterly shocked.

"How could the two of them..."

Watching the footage of the two of them kissing passionately, Andy suddenly felt her face heating up. She had a psychological aversion to intimacy and felt intense discomfort with any physical contact, yet for some reason, seeing this scene gave her a sudden impulse to investigate.

"That's impossible. I must be too shocked to be having such thoughts."

(End of Chapter)