100 Days with the Contract Lover

“I’ve already clocked out.” The underlying meaning was clear: it’s time to eat, and I’m rushing to dinner!

“Then work overtime! Apply for overtime pay from finance.”

“…” Yu Nuanxin had a thousand words to say but couldn’t voice them. Starting a job was like signing a contract of servitude. The president had spoken, what else could she do? She had no choice but to follow.

Xiang Wei happened to come in and was a bit surprised to see Yu Nuanxin still there, but she didn’t show it. She calmly said, “President, it’s about time to head over!”

“Mm!” He glanced at Yu Nuanxin, implying, aren’t you coming? She had no choice but to resign herself to being a tagalong.

Seeing Yu Nuanxin enter the elevator with them, Xiang Wei couldn’t help but ask, “Is this lady coming too?”

“Mm! She’s from the Legal Department. Having an extra lawyer present is helpful.” Nangong Yao replied casually, though in truth, he was addicted to teasing her. The more she wanted to escape, the more he wanted to keep her by his side. Watching her flustered yet unable to protest was amusing, a welcome distraction from the monotony of work.

“I understand!” Xiang Wei smiled at Yu Nuanxin. She held no hostility towards her because her appearance wasn’t threatening. However, she was proficient in finance and law, capable of handling several roles at once. For any important or difficult negotiation, the president only brought her along. This was just a small dinner meeting; was it necessary to bring an ‘outsider’? It inevitably sparked her imagination.

Throughout the dinner, Yu Nuanxin was merely an observer, witnessing Nangong Yao’s impressive tactics, using both soft and hard approaches to leave the opponent utterly defeated, signing the cooperation agreement with absolute, overwhelming advantage. As for her, she was utterly useless, akin to a fool.

The worst part was, there was no food to eat!!!

The dinner dragged on until past ten at night. After dropping Xiang Wei home, only the two of them were left in the car. Yu Nuanxin was so hungry her stomach was practically glued to her back, clutching her empty stomach, she even felt like crying. Business dinners were all about drinking and negotiating. The expensive delicacies were barely touched, such a waste!

In contrast, Nangong Yao was still as energetic as ever, diving back into work. Sometimes she really wondered if he ran on batteries, his stamina and spirit were astonishing.

Her stomach had gone from hungry, to extremely hungry, to not hungry, and now felt nauseous, like a high-speed washing machine churning her insides, making her feel like she was going to throw up. It was unbearable, and she couldn’t help but say, “My stomach hurts.”

Nangong Yao didn’t hear, or pretended not to.

Yu Nuanxin weakly murmured again, “My stomach hurts!”

“Reason!”

A stomachache needs a reason? It’s not a business discussion! Would it kill him to be a little less rational?

She was a bit angry, “I haven’t eaten since noon, and I was locked in the archive room for three hours!”

“Weren’t we just at dinner?”

“That wasn’t dinner! You all were just drinking, how could I dare to eat?”

“That’s your problem!”

“Hey…” She was thinking of the company, wasn’t she? After all, she’s part of ‘Global’, she couldn’t embarrass the company.

No good deed goes unpunished! If she had known, she would have thrown caution to the wind and devoured everything in sight, no matter how ungraceful it looked.

A 24-hour convenience store flashed past the car window, and Yu Nuanxin urgently called out, “Stop! Stop! I need to get something to eat!”

Seeing Nangong Yao nod through the rearview mirror, the driver pulled over to the side of the road.

Yu Nuanxin dashed towards the convenience store like a starving ghost seeking rebirth, sprinting at full speed. She ordered two servings of curry fish balls. As she left the store, she remembered that Nangong Yao hadn’t eaten much either and had been drinking; he must be hungry. She hesitated, wondering if she should get him some as well.

Forget it! He was the reason she was in such a mess; she wasn’t about to show him any concern. Besides, a person like him probably wouldn’t touch this “junk food.” She’d only be wasting her effort.

With this thought, Yu Nuanxin walked a few steps but then turned back and ordered two more servings of fish balls.

Nangong Yao had also gotten out of the car, leaning casually against it, seemingly lost in thought.

“You didn’t have to get out of the car to wait for me!” Yu Nuanxin said.

“I’m not waiting for you; I just don’t like the smell inside the car.”

Uh… alright! She must have been so hungry that she imagined him being considerate. The likelihood of him waiting for her out of kindness was lower than Mars crashing into Earth.

But she decided to be the bigger person and offered the fish balls to him, “I bought you two servings of curry fish balls. Do you want them?”

Curry fish balls? Something in Nangong Yao’s mind was triggered.

She used to love curry fish balls!

He used to think they were unsanitary and would always stop her from eating them. But she would deliberately defy him, once even sneaking out at three in the morning just to buy two servings of curry fish balls. He caught her red-handed, and she playfully stuck out her tongue and acted cute, leaving him no choice but to gently warn her not to eat them next time. She agreed, but there was no way she’d actually stop!

Remembering her playful demeanor, a gentle smile appeared on Nangong Yao’s lips. His gaze, illuminated by the bright lights, was deep, soft, and warm.

“What’s so funny about curry fish balls?” she asked.

“Nothing! You eat them; I don’t want any.”

Though he refused, Yu Nuanxin felt his voice had suddenly become so gentle, like a magnet, making her feel a delightful tingle. She simply replied “Oh” and buried her head in her food.

He lit a cigarette, the smoke curling around him, his eyes narrowing slightly, becoming even more mysterious and alluring, with a hint of melancholy that was particularly captivating.

She chewed the fish balls vigorously, mumbling, “Are you in a bad mood?”

“Just eat your food and stop guessing.”

“Oh…” She hadn’t meant to pry into his feelings; it was just a polite question. She forgot how hard he was to please and how he liked to deliberately misinterpret people’s kindness.

Nangong Yao was silent for a long time before suddenly speaking, his gaze intense as he looked at her, “Have you ever wanted to love someone but couldn’t?”