Chapter 13: Moving In with the Beautiful Boss

“Knock?” Xie Dong said through clenched teeth. “If I’d knocked, how would I have caught you two fooling around?”

“What nonsense are you talking?” Furious, Bai Xueyan went over to him. “Is that any way to speak about your mother?”

Nearly beside himself, he pointed toward the sofa. “Then tell me what you were doing with him!”

“Chen Ye’s arm was bleeding. I had povidone-iodine antiseptic here, so I was disinfecting it!” Still holding the bottle, she glared at him. “What goes on in that head of yours?”

Xie Dong breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, he’d misunderstood. But he was still angry. “What kind of boss personally disinfects an employee’s arm? Doesn’t he have hands of his own?”

“You…” Bai Xueyan’s brows knitted in frustration.

“Bai-jie, my arm’s fine now. I’ll get back to work,” Chen Ye said. He rose, wanting no part of their argument.

“Stop right there!” Xie Dong blocked his way. “I have a question. Did Wen Yu tip you off last night?”

Chen Ye hadn’t come home, and Xie Dong suspected someone had warned him. Apart from his friends, only Wen Yu had known about the plan.

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand.” Chen Ye frowned and tried to go around him.

Xie Dong grabbed his collar. “What the fuck are you pretending for?”

“Xiaodong! Are you ever going to stop? Let go!” Bai Xueyan pulled his hand away.

“Mom, don’t let him fool you. He’s an ex-con. He’s sneaky…”

“Shut up!” She pointed outside. “Get out. From now on, you may not come to the company without my permission.”

“Mom!”

“Out!”

Xie Dong glared venomously at Chen Ye. “Listen to me. If you dare get close to my mother again, I’ll kill you.”

“Get out!” Bai Xueyan was beside herself.

Xie Dong gave Chen Ye the middle finger and left resentfully.

Chen Ye frowned and started to leave too, but Bai Xueyan stopped him. “Wait. I want to ask you something.” She sighed. “From what you just said, have you two been fighting again?”

“He brought people to my building last night and lay in wait for me,” Chen Ye said with a bitter smile. “I saw them in advance and stayed away. He must have been furious after waiting all night, so he came looking for trouble today.”

Naturally, he couldn’t tell her about Wen Yu.

“That bastard!” Bai Xueyan was livid.

“Bai-jie, I’d like to take this afternoon off.”

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” she asked with concern.

“No. I want to find another place to rent. Otherwise, Xie Dong will come back sooner or later.”

Guilt crossed her face. “I’ve been so busy with my career that I neglected to discipline him, and he’s grown willful and overbearing. Knowing him, he’ll find you even if you move. Renting somewhere else won’t solve it.”

Chen Ye spread his hands helplessly. “What else can I do?”

She considered it, brushed back her disheveled hair, and looked at him gently. “Come live at my place.”

“What?” He stared at her. Had he heard correctly?

“What is it?” she asked with a hint of a smile. “You don’t want to?”

“No, that’s not it! Wouldn’t it be inconvenient for you?”

“Not at all. I live alone in a villa. These days it’s empty except when I go home to sleep. Having you there would make it feel more lived-in.”

Chen Ye blushed to his ears. His beautiful, porcelain-skinned boss wanted him to share a villa with her. Was he dreaming? He had only ever heard of villas on television, and now he could live in one.

Amused by his expression, Bai Xueyan covered her mouth and laughed. Then she grew serious. “There are three reasons I’m inviting you.”

He listened closely.

“First, it will keep Xiaodong from bothering you. I’ll put you in the downstairs housekeeper’s bedroom, where you’re unlikely to be noticed. We’ll keep it secret, and he won’t think to look for you at my house.”

“Second, your massage technique is good. Living together will make it easier for you to continue treating me.”

“Third, to be honest, you fought well today. I’ve been looking for a bodyguard.”

As a wealthy, attractive single woman, she knew men had designs on her. Recently, she had often felt someone following her and was nervous whenever she went home at night. Today she’d seen Chen Ye’s courage and his straightforward kindness. He seemed ideal, and with Han Qiuya’s recommendation, she felt she could trust him as a personal bodyguard.

“Can you drive?” she asked.

“No.” He scratched his head, embarrassed. He’d gone to prison in high school and had only been out a month; he’d never even touched a steering wheel.

“That’s all right. Find time to learn. I’ll reimburse the lessons.”

“Thank you, Bai-jie!”

She thought a moment longer. “You must keep your living arrangement secret. Don’t tell anyone. That way Xiaodong won’t find out, and we can avoid unnecessary gossip at work.”

“Understood.” He nodded firmly.

“One more thing…”

“Go ahead.”

“I’m rather particular about cleanliness. Don’t bring your everyday supplies; I have everything there. Bring as few old clothes as possible, and replace your underwear with new ones. I’ll take you shopping after work.”

“You’ve already done so much…”

“It’s nothing. You’re treating me, so consider the clothes my payment.”

“All right.” He scratched the back of his head. “But I can buy my own underwear.”

“What are you afraid of? That I’ll know your size?” She gave him a look. “I bought Xiaodong’s underwear until he was eighteen. I might as well get yours while we’re shopping.”

Red as a beet, Chen Ye rubbed his head. “All right, then.”