The pushover offended a top-tier boss

"What are you looking at? Why are you laughing so happily?" Zhou's mother came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of fruit and glanced at the smile that her son's lips hadn't yet faded.

Zhou Huaijin turned his phone face down on the table, picked up the teacup in front of him, and took a sip: "It's nothing."

More than 100 kilometers away in Nanjing County, Ye Zhenzhen was nestled on the sofa, holding her phone, watching the Spring Festival Gala with her parents.

The coffee table was covered with melon seeds, peanuts, candy, oranges and various snacks. The TV program was boring, and the whole family was complaining about it.

Ye Zhenzhen kept her head down, looking at her phone.

"What are you doing? You've been glued to your phone these past few days, grinning like an idiot." Ye's mother suddenly came over.

Ye Zhenzhen was startled, coughed twice, and covered her phone screen: "No...no, I was just wishing my colleagues a Happy New Year."

"Which colleague? Chen Zheng?" Ye's mother started gossiping.

"Hmm...yes..."

She wasn't wrong.

Chen Zheng was indeed chatting, but she didn't reply to him.

"Hey, where is this Chen Zheng from? What do his parents do? How old is he?" Ye's mother asked with interest.

"Mom, this skit is hilarious, you have to watch it!"

Ye's mother was forced to glance at it twice, then turned her head and instructed her:

"Mom is telling you, if there's a suitable young man at your workplace, you should seize the opportunity."

"Those kinds of organizations are full of talented people, and everyone has a golden job. They're much better than the ones at your school."

"Okay..." Ye Zhenzhen replied lazily.

Suddenly remembering something, Ye's mother's eyes lit up, and she said:

"I think that Xiao Chen is tall and handsome, and you two seem to get along quite well."

"Oh my god, how could I have fallen for him?" Ye Zhenzhen almost choked on her words.

That slutty mouth of hers, who can't stand not insulting her for a day? If she could even be interested in him, how blind must she be?

While cracking sunflower seeds, Ye's mother patiently lectured her: "He's a favorite of the leader. If you get along well with him, it's the same as getting along well with the leader."

Ye Zhenzhen silently said in her heart: Thank you, the leader also took care of it.

He simply hummed in agreement.

Seeing that her mother was still unwilling to give up, Ye Zhenzhen directly said:

"Mom, Chen Zheng didn't make it up."

"ha?"

"He's a temporary worker, not on the official payroll."

"Oh, that won't work. No matter how handsome you are, you can't rely on someone without a stable job."

Only then did Ye's mother stop trying to arrange marriages for her son.

That's how it is in small towns; the most sought-after thing in the matchmaking market is a government-affiliated job.

Ye Zhenzhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

A moment later, as if remembering something, Ye's mother put down the melon seeds she was holding and leaned closer: "Hey, darling, did you wish your boss a Happy New Year? You have to remember to wish your boss a Happy New Year, it's a matter of social etiquette. Look at your dad, he doesn't understand these things, that's why he's been a worker his whole life."

"Okay, Mom, I'll try my best to improve my emotional intelligence," Ye Zhenzhen quickly assured her.

"Well, if you get along well with your boss, he might introduce you to someone suitable and outstanding..." Ye's mother got more and more excited as she spoke.

"Mom, this is getting more and more outrageous..."

The Spring Festival Gala was still going on. Ye Zhenzhen leaned back on the sofa, scrolling through her phone for a while, and watched some of the comments about this year's Gala. The jokes from netizens were much more entertaining than the show itself.

I spent half the night cracking sunflower seeds and ate a small plate of tangerines.

The countdown to midnight is almost over.

The sound of firecrackers outside the window grew louder and louder, and my phone was flooded with mass-sent New Year's greetings. They were all pretty much the same, just a bunch of auspicious phrases piled together with a bunch of emojis.

Remembering her mother's instructions, she still opened Zhou Huaijin's chat window and sent four words.

【Happy New Year】

After a few seconds, the other party replied:

Where's the picture?

Ye Zhenzhen was taken aback. Was this because she didn't include a picture this time?

There's a lot to do.

Just as she was about to raise her phone to take a picture of the fireworks outside the window, a video call request suddenly popped up.

Ye Zhenzhen quietly covered her phone and returned to her bedroom.

She only dared to answer the call after locking the door from the inside.

On the other end of the screen, Zhou Huaijin was wearing a beige loungewear set, the neckline slightly open, revealing a glimpse of her collarbone. A few stray hairs fell across her forehead, and her expression wasn't as serious as before.

Looking at it this way, he actually looks quite young.

But Ye Zhenzhen's gaze quickly shifted away from him, because the image of herself on the screen—lying on her side holding her phone, her face filling the entire screen, her nostrils pointing directly at the camera, her mouth slightly open, looking completely dazed.

She quickly stretched out her hand to zoom out the camera.

Zhou Huaijin saw the person on the screen wearing a fluffy yellow cartoon pajama set with a fat cat printed on it, her hair messy, and her bun perched crookedly on top of her head. She blinked, staring blankly at the screen.

The worst part was that the neckline of her pajamas was a bit too low, and—she wasn't wearing a bra.

Zhou Huaijin's gaze lingered on that spot for a moment, then he lowered his eyes.

Suddenly his face darkened, and he called out her name.

Ye Zhenzhen

"Huh?" The person on the other end was confused.

"Pay attention to dressing appropriately." He frowned slightly.

They would use this tactic to lure people.

Is he the kind of person who is blinded by lust?

He thought back to that time at the hospital, but then thought, "Never mind, I can't think about it..."

Ye Zhenzhen was filled with questions. What did I do wrong? I'm at home, do I have to wear an evening gown and put on full makeup?

She looked down at herself. Oh, she wasn't wearing a bra.

Reluctantly, she replied, "Oh, then I'll go change."

What I was really thinking was: What a troublemaker...

Who wears underwear over their pajamas? It's so uncomfortable. She likes the feeling of being unrestrained.

It makes him seem so serious, as if he's seen it before.

Not only have I seen it, but I've also...

Just as she was cursing under her breath, his deep voice came through her hand again:

"Never mind, I'll be more careful next time."

Ye Zhenzhen rolled her eyes inwardly.

He has cat-related illnesses.

"Boss, you're still awake?" she asked lazily.

"I'm going to sleep." His gaze fell on the screen, seemingly looking at something else entirely.

"Oh, then go to sleep, goodnight." Ye Zhenzhen just wanted to end the conversation quickly.

Why would I answer a video call at midnight? It feels like being on vacation at home and suddenly getting a call from my boss assigning me work.

Although he is the sugar daddy, I've never seen a kept woman working overtime on New Year's Eve.

Suddenly, a sentence came from the other end of the phone:

"Yes, Happy New Year."

Ye Zhenzhen's fingers paused for a moment.

Before I could even react, he hung up.

No, is he alright?

What exactly is the purpose of making a video call in the middle of the night?

After midnight, the sound of firecrackers gradually subsided. Occasionally, a few sporadic explosions would occur, as if reluctant to end the festivities, persisting for a few more minutes before finally fading into complete silence.

There's no tradition of staying up all night here; people usually go to sleep at midnight and get up early the next morning to visit each household to offer New Year's greetings.

She turned over, pulled the blanket up to her chin, and closed her eyes.

She felt like she hadn't slept for long when the sound of firecrackers started again. From sporadic bursts to a worldwide explosion, it was as if the world was being reminded: It's New Year's Day, time to get up.

Ye Zhenzhen covered her head with the blanket and curled up into a ball.