Supreme Heir Son-in-law

Chapter 910 - 909: Advancing by Retreating

Xu Ke’s status has changed, and anyone with eyes can see it.

Thinking back to when Xu Ke first arrived, the number of people dissatisfied with this parachuted manager, is now the number of people who admire Xu Ke wholeheartedly.

Who can blame Xu Ke for being so impressive? On his first day here, he associated himself with the He siblings and had them publicly declare that Xu Ke was under their protection, so now, even though Xu Ke is the lobby manager, basically no one dares to mess with him. Even the patrons who come in to spend, out of respect for the He siblings, won’t cause trouble for Xu Ke. Some even try to connect with the He family through Xu Ke, gifting him countless good things.

"Someone’s delivering gifts to you again?" He Qing remarked playfully as she walked into Xu Ke’s break room, looking at the pile of items that seemed to flood the corridor outside. He Qing was the woman from that day.

Seeing He Qing walk into his room without knocking once again, Xu Ke sighed deeply. Previously, he would say it wasn’t right, but after realizing He Qing never listened, he gave up mentioning it. Adjusting his tie in the mirror, he finally responded to He Qing’s question, "Yeah, delivering again. I keep saying no but they won’t stop, it’s so annoying."

Had this sentence been uttered by anyone else, He Qing would’ve mocked them for being ungrateful despite benefiting. But coming from Xu Ke’s mouth, it sounded entirely convincing.

Many people have been sending gifts to Xu Ke lately, and none of them are cheap. Yet, Xu Ke ceaselessly rejects them all. Either he sends them back, throws away those that can’t be returned, or allows coworkers to take what they like. Essentially, he refuses to accept any of them.

Perhaps others might say Xu Ke is aloof or insincere, but the more Xu Ke behaves this way, the more He Qing admires him. She feels Xu Ke has a clouded mystery shrouding him, making her curious about what’s beneath that mist. Unbeknownst to herself, He Qing has already been subtly captivated by Xu Ke, forming a delicate affection that Xu Ke himself is unaware of.

"I noticed you didn’t accept any of the gifts. Is there something you don’t like? Tell me what you’d prefer, and I’ll buy it for you." He Qing asked curiously, looking at Xu Ke.

Putting on his blazer and identity card, Xu Ke turned to look at He Qing. "I don’t need you to buy me anything. Those things aren’t meant for me, and I won’t accept them, even if you buy them for me."

"So you do have something that you want? What is it?"

Observing He Qing’s knack for picking out the key points, Xu Ke sighed deeply again, realizing his sighing after meeting her has been on a sharp rise, surpassing the frequency it had in any past year.

"Is that really the key issue?"

"So what is?" He Qing posed a sincere, inquisitive demeanor.

Just as Xu Ke was about to sigh again, He Qing laughed and said, "Why do you always sigh when you’re with me? Am I really such a cause for your sighs?"

"No, it’s just a habit of mine."

Seeing Xu Ke clearly saying no with his face but denying with his words, He Qing burst into laughter.

"Alright, I won’t tease you. I just feel you helped me and saved my brother, so I want to be nicer to you. But you won’t take anything, which makes me uneasy and it’s hard. I wish there was something I could do for you." He Qing said, pouting and swinging her legs on the chair.

Upon hearing this, Xu Ke showed a knowing expression, "Ah, so that’s the case. If you insist on giving me something, just send me a sports car. That way, you can stop worrying about this little matter every day."

Having her intention exposed by Xu Ke made He Qing’s face flush red immediately. Despite achieving her goal, she didn’t feel relieved at all. Instead, her face felt like it was on fire, feeling uncomfortable standing before Xu Ke as if being pricked by needles.

"That’s not what I meant; you misunderstood me. I was merely asking out of curiosity what you liked." He Qing’s voice trailed off, losing confidence, hardly daring to meet Xu Ke’s eyes.

Seeing He Qing in this state, Xu Ke sighed yet again.

"You don’t have to feel embarrassed, this is on me for not thinking it through. I thought I was merely doing my duties, not realizing the impact it would have on you all. Fortunately, it’s not too late for me to realize, everything is still manageable."

Xu Ke’s words left He Qing feeling so ashamed she didn’t know what to do, her face flushed deep red.

"I."

"No need to explain, I understand, I’m not misinterpreting you."

He Qing stared at Xu Ke’s face, wondering why she felt pain in her chest due to his words, as if someone hammered her inside, turning her face pale.

"You don’t look well, are you feeling unwell?" Xu Ke asked upon noticing He Qing’s abrupt change in complexion.

Xu Ke’s concern brought tears to He Qing’s eyes, turning them wet as if she could cry any moment.

"Don’t cry, let me take you to the hospital." Xu Ke suggested.

He Qing shook her head, "No, I’ll be fine resting here for a bit."

She didn’t know why she suddenly felt a second of wanting to cry despite nothing.

"Are you sure nothing’s wrong?"

"Yeah." He Qing affirmed softly with a tender voice.

"Alright, rest here then. I’ll go work now; call me if you feel unwell." Xu Ke said.

The more caring Xu Ke was, the more He Qing felt like crying. Earlier, she wanted to talk more, but now she only wished for Xu Ke to leave. She didn’t want to cry before him; it’s disgraceful and her makeup isn’t waterproof, which would ruin her image before him if it smudged.

"Then I’ll leave, take care of yourself." Xu Ke advised before heading out to work.

Though Xu Ke left, his influence over He Qing only grew. Being surrounded in his room by Xu Ke’s presence, she felt as flushed as a cooked shrimp, her ears seemingly about to drip blood.

She sat in a chair for a while, then like a thief, stealthily opened Xu Ke’s wardrobe to sniff the scent left on the clothes he just changed out of.

Her ears blushed even more.