Chapter 86: Is this me?

T/N: At this point I don't even know what to say. I probably will write a post about this mess later. I'm hoping I can publish chapters everyday, but right now I can't make any promises. 

A special note to all my patreon patrons: Please don't make any payments this month too. Shoot me a mail and I'll return (I think there is such a patreon feature) any donation you might have made accidentally. :)

Another note: The chapters from now on will be shorter to remove the draggy-ness and cheesiness from the story. 

Last Note: I feel all sorts of shame for not keeping up with the schedule. 

_______________________

For the next two days, Gong Ouyang continued to harass Xiaonian to wear the school uniform once again.

Exhausted with his demand, she secretly took it to the kitchen and burnt it. On the third day when she came out of the bathroom, a fresh set of school uniform was placed on the bed in plain view.

…..

She quickly stuffed them underneath the dresser and went out wearing her regular clothes. 

When Gong Ouyang asked her about the uniform, she pretended to be deaf and ignored him through out their breakfast.

Gong Ouyang narrowed his eyes at her stubborn behavior, but there was a tinge of indulgence mixed within.

When he left, he pulled her in for a punishing kiss before he left with a curve lifting his lips.

Bullying her never failed to cheer him up.

__________________

“Sir, these are the merger documents. The staff has finalized the details and all it needs is your final verdict,” Ze Chen placed a thick document on the table before Gong Ouyang.

Slender fingers flipped page after page, and with in half an hour, the document was signed and returned without uttering a single word.

When his assistant left, Gong Ouyang leaned back into his chair and looking at the watch on his wrist once again.

He wanted to get home and spend time with that woman, but the time just wouldn’t pass. 

He was someone who enjoyed this cut throat world of business. He felt like a fish in water here. Anticipating the attacks, strategizing even fiercer comebacks, out smarting even the most well versed business men, it made his usually mundane life slightly more exciting. 

But recently, he did not like it as much as he used to. He still ruthlessly destroyed those that stood in his way, but it was not as enjoyable as it once was.

Gong Ouyang’s lips tightened as his brain zeroed in on the culprit.

Her.

The woman in his house.

Her jet black hair, her peach blossom eyes, and her skin that was smoother than the finest jade, they drove him crazy until he couldn’t think of anything but her.

Every night he pressed her in his bed, he would promise himself that it would be the night that he got rid of her from his system. Sometimes, he tormented her until she fainted with tears in her eyes. But once the sun rose up, like a clock that has been reset, he would crave her like a fool addicted to wine. 

No matter how much he had her, he couldn’t quench his thirst.

His fingers squeezed the leather arm rest.

Abruptly standing up, he picked up his jacket and walked out of his office.

“Sir?” Ze Chen asked in confusion when he saw his boss walking out during working hours without a word.

A female secretary stealthily looked at Gong Ouyang. She rarely got to see him even when she was working on the same floor.

“Cancel all my appointments today. Move the important ones to a later date and the unimportant ones, you can handle them.” Gong Ouyang pressed the button on his personal elevator and listed off his orders to Ze Chen.

Ze Chen was a person he personally recruited and developed in the last three years. If anyone was capable of handling things in his place, it was him.

Ze Chen felt dumbfounded inside, but he did not let anything show on his face.

“Yes sir, I’ll handle it.”

Gong Ouyang look at him and gave a satisfied nod before stepping into the elevator.

_____________________

Xiaonian was sitting before her computer uploading her recent scans of her comics.

Recently, the polls showed that her comic was picking up in rankings and it now currently occupied the 19th place in hottest reads in her genre. 

Xia Yu was pushing her to meet earlier releases and bonuses, and although Xiaonian was happy with how well her comic was doing, a small part of her was terrified at the prospect of stretching out the story line. 

“Damn!”

She accidentally rescanned the same page thrice.

Sighing, she went back to the screen and deleted the extras.

Gong Ouyang stood at the door staring at the woman who didn’t even notice his presence.

“…”

She was clicking at something on her computer furiously and muttering something unintelligible under her breath. Her hand accidentally swept across a stack of papers on her table pushing a couple onto the floor.

With another expletive, Xiaonian went to pick up the papers, but before she could he walked quickly and picked up the paper off the floor and froze.

Xiaonian jumped out of her skin when she saw Gong Ouyang suddenly appear in her work room. But it only took her few seconds to realize that he wasn’t paying attention to her, but to the paper in his hands.

It took her another few seconds to realize what it was that he was looking at.

Sweat the size of bullets started forming on her forehead and palms. All the worries she had before now felt like insignificant details.

“..ah…that..”

No matter how she tried, that was the maximum amount of words she could get out of her mouth at this moment.

Will he finally decide to kill her?

The paper in Gong Ouyang’s fingers crinkled as he shifted his fingers. 

It wasn’t hard for him to guess who the comic character on this paper was based on. Even from a distance he could guess with assurance that it was him, as a comic character.

Certain features were exaggerated, but Xiaonian pretty much captured his essential features on the paper.

“Is this me?” he asked her still looking at the paper.

Xiaonian’s mouth felt dry. She opened her mouth twice trying to get a word out. 

What should she say?

But, can she say that it wasn’t. Anyone with any intelligence could easily tell that it was Gong Ouyang.

She clenched and unclenched her fingers before deciding to confess voluntarily. mAy be she can explain.

Oh, why did she have to make it look so much like him?

“..ah..ye..yes,” she stammered an answer with difficulty.

“I’m sorry,” she added quickly before she lost her courage, “I did not mean to infringe on your privacy. I’ll destroy them all quickly if you don’t like them.” 

She just hoped that he never finds out about the already published comic book. Luckily, she just drew him in different costumes on those papers to decide the clothing for the upcoming bonus chapter.

Gong Ouyang carelessly threw the paper onto the table with a snort.

“You don’t have to explain,” he scoffed at her, “I can see what’s going on here.”

Xiaonian felt a shiver run up her spine.

“Looks like you are in love with me.”

Gong Ouyang raised an eyebrow as if he was looking at a drama scene that he was used to.

He swept his eyes over her from top to bottom.

Hmph!

To think he spent so much effort trying to get her to like him, and she was smitten with him all along like any other girl!

Well, he thought as he turned back and left her room with a snap of her door, it’s a good thing she decided to come to her senses and like him.

Xiaonian who was left behind in her room: ……..

Who was in love with who, ah?

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