Chapter 168: Chapter 168

Monday, after a two-day break, Le Tong returned to the Ji Family full of energy. As usual, she brewed a pot of coffee for the chief executive. However, when she brought it in, the office was empty.

Le Tong put down the coffee, picked up a spray bottle, and sprinkled some water on the two green cacti on the desk. The bright sunlight filtered through the floor-to-ceiling glass, illuminating the lounge room. Le Tong glanced out the window, squinting, then picked up the cacti and placed them on the coffee table in the lounge room to let them bask in the sun.

Just as she bent over to arrange them, she heard the door open. Le Tong straightened up and turned her head to meet Ji Rui’s scrutinizing eyes.

"Good morning, President! The sunlight is bright here, so I brought the cacti over to sunbathe," Le Tong explained, justifying her unauthorized movement of his belongings.

Ji Rui gave her a bland glance, hummed lightly, "Hmm."

His cold and indifferent eyes quickly moved away from Le Tong’s face as he strode back to his seat. Read full story at Nove1Fire.net

Sensing the situation, Le Tong wisely did not say anything further and turned to leave.

In contrast to Le Tong’s spirited demeanor, Ji Rui, sitting at his desk, appeared somewhat fatigued.

His exhaustion was not due to work but because of his little troublemaker at home, Ji Baby.

Ji Rui could not understand why, on Saturday when they were supposed to go for homemade food, his beloved son was chirping excitedly like a bird freed from a cage throughout the way. Yet, before they even started eating, the little guy started a row with him over introducing a girlfriend.

What puzzled Ji Rui the most was that, usually, Bao Bao would only stay mad at him for a short while. Soon enough, the little fellow would forget. But this time, the boy kept his grudge even as he left for school.

Not only did he ignore Ji Rui, but he also refused to get out of bed and go to school.

Ji Rui was quite troubled by his son’s way of passive protest. He wanted to scold him, but sensing his own awkwardness, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He raised his hand to give the boy a few slaps, but when looking into Bao Bao’s bright, stubborn eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to hit him.

Facing this little treasure whom he couldn’t bear to scold or hit, the usually domineering and authoritative President Ji eventually conceded defeat. Having no solution, he let him lie in bed, turned, and instructed Aunt Guan to look after him before taking his bag and leaving.

Feeling depressed, Ji Rui took a sip of his coffee, only to frown.

He put down the cup, picked up the phone, and dialed the internal line, "Come in!"

Soon enough, his "obedient" little secretary, Le Tong, walked in, "President, what’s the matter?"

Ji Rui pushed the cup forward and, in a cold voice, asked, "Why does the coffee taste different this time?"

The seasoned Le Tong remained calm and met his slightly angry gaze with composure, "This is newly purchased by the General Affairs Department. The variety should be correct, but perhaps the batch differs, causing the taste to vary?"

Le Tong’s understanding of coffee was almost nonexistent, so she could only guess and provide an explanation.

"Throw it away! Go to the building across the street and buy some more."

Even if his tone was unfriendly, Ji Rui didn’t make things too difficult for Le Tong.

Though his tone was somewhat harsh, Le Tong was already used to it, so she didn’t take offense. After all, it was working hours; if President Ji wanted her to buy coffee, she would do just that.

She obediently responded and turned to leave.

"Get a different flavor."

Just as her hand touched the doorknob, the man behind her suddenly spoke up.

Le Tong turned her head to look at him, "What flavor would you like, President?"

Le Tong didn’t mind running errands, but it’s uninteresting to repeat the same task multiple times.

Without lifting his head, Ji Rui said, "Mandheling."

Le Tong was a bit surprised. Wasn’t this the kind she bought last time, which he refused to accept?

Just as she was about to ask, Ji Rui added, "The same kind you bought last time."

Le Tong gave a quick "Mm-hmm" response and hesitated for a moment at the door. Seeing that he had no further instructions, she slipped out.

By the time she had brewed the newly bought coffee and delivered it to Ji Rui, nearly an hour had passed.

"President, how’s the taste?"

Le Tong dutifully stood in front of the desk, waiting for Ji Rui to rate her brewing skills. It was her first time making this kind of coffee, and both the steps and timing were provided by the café manager. She really didn’t know how it would taste.

Ji Rui silently picked up the cup, lowered his gaze, and took a shallow sip.

Le Tong watched him closely, observing how his slender fingers pinched the cup handle, the white rim of the cup pressed against his thin and sensual lips, his lips opening slightly, the brown liquid flowing into his mouth, and his Adam’s apple moving gently.

This scene inexplicably made Le Tong’s throat dry. In a trance, some blurry images seemed to flash before her eyes, resembling fragmented memories from the night she got drunk.

The images couldn’t be seen clearly, but she seemed to faintly remember that on that night, the man’s slightly cool lips, carrying a faint scent of alcohol, gently kissed her lips, her face, one bit at a time...

"The taste is alright!"

Ji Rui’s words abruptly jerked Le Tong out of her indistinguishable memories.

Instinctively, Le Tong kept staring at Ji Rui’s lips. Could it be that such a cold man could become so proactive, so passionate, when emotionally moved?

Indeed, all men are creatures driven by their lower instincts. Not even this icy, expressionless man in front of her was exempt?

Even without feelings, could he act so fervently and impatiently, as she recalled, capturing her lips, her face... even everything about her?

"Thank you for the coffee." Ji Rui seemed not to notice Le Tong’s abnormality and looked up at her.

"Uh, it’s my duty!" Le Tong hadn’t yet reacted and thought Ji Rui suddenly being polite was quite unexpected.

Ji Rui, for once, temporarily put aside his son’s matters, and with the taste of rich coffee in his mouth, he suddenly recalled the box of coffee she had once gifted to him, which ended up belonging to someone else.

"Is giving me a gift also part of your duty?" Ji Rui raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing her up and down.

All the female employees of the Ji Family had the same white shirt and black suit attire, but why did it look especially good on her?

"Gift?" Le Tong furrowed her brows, her mind still stalling.

"Weren’t you planning to give me a gift?" Ji Rui’s mood seemed to be climbing steadily.

Le Tong’s rusty mind finally started working again, realizing he was referring to the box of coffee she specifically bought last time to thank him for helping out.

"Yes, indeed, it was meant for the President. I’m glad the President likes it!"

While saying this, Le Tong was inwardly giving him the finger.

President, you’re so capricious; gifts are accepted as you like and rejected when you want. Poor me, having to buy such an expensive gift twice!