Chapter 8: Damn, She's Moving In With Me?

“Secretary Su,” Lin Wanshu asked, “you’ve already shared a hotel room with Driver Zhang, and he’s so gifted. Why aren’t you living together and enjoying yourselves?”

Su Qing’s tongue seemed to knot. She glanced at Zhou Mingyuan in alarm. “We’re… still getting to know each other. It’s too early to live together.”

“Too early?” Lin put down the document and walked over. The two women were about the same height. Looking up slightly, Lin made no effort to hide the sharpness in her gaze. “These days, isn’t it normal for a couple to live together? Unless…”

She drew out the word and looked from Su to Zhou. “Are you putting on a performance for me? Was I right to be suspicious?”

Zhou’s blood surged. He clenched his fists until his knuckles whitened. Lin was driving him into a corner.

“Wanshu, don’t jump to conclusions,” he said, taking a breath to suppress his anger. A trace of apprehension remained in his voice. “Secretary Su and Zhang Cheng are serious.”

He had no choice but to build on the lie. With a glance at Su, he added, “Since your relationship has reached this point, you two should live together. You’ll save on rent. It’s a good arrangement.”

Su’s eyes widened. Had Zhou gone mad? He wanted her to live with Zhang? Even if Zhang could control himself, she wasn’t sure she could. Wasn’t Zhou worried?

Lin saw her shock and smiled more deeply. “Mingyuan, you’ve thought of everything. Secretary Su, even your boss agrees. What reason do you have to refuse?”

Su looked helplessly to Zhou, but he turned his face away. He was seething with frustration. He didn’t want this either. Yet Lin was too shrewd; refusing to follow her lead would only make matters worse. He couldn’t afford to offend the Lin family, and he couldn’t bear to give up Su. All he could do was use Zhang as a shield.

“I… I’ll think about it,” Su said at last.

“What’s there to think about?” Lin pressed.

“It’s settled, Secretary Su.” Zhou spoke with resignation. “Pack your things and move to Zhang Cheng’s tonight. You can set an example for the company: young people should be brave enough to pursue love.”

Lin watched him pretend to be calm, mockery flashing in her eyes. She didn’t press further. Instead, she picked up a financial report.

“All right. I won’t keep you from work. Don’t forget the board meeting this afternoon, Mingyuan. My assistant sent the new proposal for the CATL project to your email. Read it carefully.”

She walked out in her heels, closing the door almost silently.

The office fell still. Zhou smashed his fist onto the desk, sending papers to the floor. “That woman! She did it on purpose!”

Su flinched at his distorted expression. “Boss, do I really have to live with Zhang Cheng?”

“What else can we do?” he roared. “Let her see through us?”

Breathing hard, he looked furious and helpless. “You think I want this? Lin Wanshu is the Lin family’s eldest daughter. Her father is a senior official in the city, and half my company’s partnerships depend on her. Can I afford to offend her? Do I dare divorce her?”

His agitation mounted. “But I’m a man too! She’s always so high and mighty. I’ve had enough! So what if I fool around? So what if I can’t keep my pants on? I still love her, but she keeps forcing my hand!”

Su was too frightened to answer. She had never seen him lose control like this. The boss who spent money so freely and carried himself so confidently before her was utterly frustrated by his wife. Last night he had even hidden in a wardrobe.

After venting for a while, Zhou finally calmed down. He looked at Su with mixed feelings. “I’m sorry to put you through this, but there’s no other way. I’ll give you a raise… compensation for the trouble.”

Then his tone hardened. “Remember: you can live together, but nothing inappropriate happens between you and Zhang. Otherwise, you’re both fired!”

Su lowered her head without answering, her thoughts in turmoil. Would she really have to live with Zhang? She remembered his awkward but passionate kisses and the red scratches she had left on his back. Her cheeks grew warm.

She stepped up to Zhou’s desk and tapped it with a burgundy-painted nail. “Have you seen where he lives? It’s on the sixth floor, with no elevator. The walls are peeling, and the neighbors fight until midnight. How am I supposed to get used to that?”

“You could rent a two-bedroom apartment with a living room.”

“And when your wife finds out, won’t she make trouble? She clearly suspects us and is trying to force me out. You’re so afraid of her. Maybe we should forget it.”

“I’ll give you a bigger raise… all right?” Zhou looked pained.

His distress over the money was an act. A little more for Su meant almost nothing to a man worth ten billion yuan. But he couldn’t appear too generous or easy to persuade; he feared she would keep asking for more.

“If I really move in with Zhang, everyone at the company will think he’s my boyfriend. My reputation will be ruined,” Su said miserably. “That’s probably what your wife wants: to disgrace me until I’m too ashamed to stay.”

“Driver Zhang isn’t bad. He’s tall and handsome. How would he ruin your reputation?” Zhou asked, scowling.

“His face and figure are all he has. He graduated from high school and can’t do anything but drive. I graduated from a prestigious university. I was the campus beauty, with countless men pursuing me. If I chose a driver as my boyfriend, my friends and classmates would laugh themselves silly.

“And when I want to marry, finding someone who’s my equal will be difficult. It would ruin my future. I’d rather resign.”

Zhou had no answer. He felt a little guilty, but even more aggrieved that a man as wealthy as he was couldn’t keep his secretary.

He considered it for a long time. At last he gritted his teeth and held up one finger. “I’ll add this much. If you’re willing, move in. If not, resign.”

“That would be all right, but we need to agree on something first.” A hint of pleasure appeared on Su’s face as she laid the groundwork. “You can’t keep suspecting Zhang and me, questioning me about every little thing. If that’s how it will be, I’d rather leave.”