Chapter 33 — An Zao’s “Big Treasure”

Bai Lisu gazed out at the ocean horizon and remembered that Martin McDonagh had a movie called The Hitman has no vacation (In Brudges)

Hitmen have no vacations.

Neither do vicious female supporting characters.

A hitman targets other people and leaves them no way out.

A vicious supporting character targets someone too—but leaves herself no way out.

A hitman kills others and benefits himself.

A vicious supporting character destroys herself and benefits someone else.

Thinking about this, Bai Lisu unexpectedly fell into a philosophical trance. Facing the sea breeze, she voiced a question from the depths of her soul:

“Why the hell?”

Still, she was a dedicated transmigrator and a professional actor. Once she received a script, she had to perform it wholeheartedly, with effort and emotion. Otherwise, she would be letting the system down.

So what if she had to be evil?

The one suffering from it was herself anyway!

Harm herself, fulfill others!

Lower her own IQ so the protagonist could slap her in the face!

Throw herself into disaster to advance the protagonist’s romance route!

At that moment, she felt she wasn’t a vicious supporting character at all. She was more saintly than the white-lotus heroine.

She practically glowed.

She was accumulating merit.

If someone coated her in cement, she could be placed directly on a pedestal as a saintly statue.

Doves would probably fly out behind her.

While Bai Lisu was busy hypnotizing and emotionally moving herself, Yan Dun—the irresistible protagonist—was worrying about something else.

How was he supposed to cooperate with Bai Lisu?

Her schemes were getting stupider and stupider.

How could he possibly play along?

The Customer Service Agent comforted him:

It’s fine. Schemes in CEO novels are always idiotic. Nobody cares, Customer.

Yan Dun replied:

I know everyone in CEO novels is used to idiot logic, but don’t forget—Boss Zao is still a normal person! He has normal reasoning!

Customer Service answered:

But the stupid schemes won’t be used on him.

Yan Dun said:

You still don’t get it! What I’m worried about is whether he’ll see me getting trapped by these idiotic schemes and conclude that I’m an idiot too. What if that lowers his opinion of me?!

The Agent:

“……”

While Yan Dun was on the phone with Bai Lisu, Xiao Qi seized the opportunity.

He jumped into the driver’s seat and eagerly volunteered to drive.

Turning around toward the back seat, he asked:

“Chairman An, should we wait for Xiao Yan?”

Naturally, Xiao Qi hoped the answer would be no.

Unfortunately for him, An Zao said:

“Yes.”

Well, if the boss said wait, then they waited.

Luckily, Yan Dun finished his call quickly.

When he returned, he found Xiao Qi occupying the driver’s seat.

Yan Dun thought:

As expected, competition for the secretary position is fierce! Leave for a moment and someone steals your nest!

Xiao Qi felt he had won a round and smiled.

“Get in quickly. Don’t keep Chairman An waiting.”

Yan Dun opened the door and prepared to sit in the front passenger seat.

Then An Zao, sitting in the back, suddenly spoke:

“Little Honest One, sit beside me. Keep me company.”

The moment he heard that, Xiao Qi completely wilted.

What’s wrong with me? Can’t I hold a conversation?

Meanwhile Yan Dun was so happy his tail was practically wagging.

He moved to the back seat while saying:

“Oh, that’s too embarrassing…”

Xiao Qi fumed:

You don’t look embarrassed at all.

As Yan Dun climbed into the car, he accidentally triggered the classic protagonist buff:

“The protagonist must trip on flat ground and inevitably fall into the CEO’s arms.”

He lost his balance and tumbled straight into An Zao’s embrace.

An Zao instinctively caught him, wrapping both arms around him.

Yan Dun crashed into his chest.

Instantly, his nose filled with An Zao’s cool, refreshing scent.

The fragrance was like water cascading from a showerhead, splashing gently across his face.

A soft, moist impact.

Yan Dun froze.

It felt as though his soul had dissolved into that scent.

Watching the two of them embracing in the rearview mirror, Xiao Qi’s heart skipped a beat.

This…?

This?

THIS???

Why does this look so strange...?

Before he could think further, An Zao had already released Yan Dun.

“What are you spacing out for?”

Yan Dun snapped back to reality.

His cheeks heated up.

He hurriedly scooted farther away and apologized:

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

An Zao was generous.

“Just be more careful next time.”

“Yes, definitely.”

Yan Dun nodded repeatedly.

Xiao Qi still felt something was weird, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

Silently, he started the car.

The atmosphere was awkward.

Everyone was strangely quiet.

So Xiao Qi turned on the radio.

Music flowed through the cabin, easing the tension somewhat.

Yan Dun’s mind, however, was still a muddled mess.

He was still savoring An Zao’s scent.

It smelled exactly the same as Boss Zao in the real world.

In reality, Yan Dun and An Zao had known each other for years.

They were close, yet the superior-subordinate boundary remained.

Opportunities for physical closeness were rare.

The few hugs they shared usually happened during celebrations—successful projects, annual bonuses, things like that.

Employee-and-boss hugs.

Nothing romantic.

But romance wasn’t determined by circumstance.

It was determined by the heart.

And Yan Dun’s heart had always harbored feelings.

So he unconsciously twisted the meaning of those hugs into something more.

Each time they embraced, he secretly closed his eyes and imagined a little romance.

The scent from An Zao’s arms became irresistibly alluring.

He had never smelled anything so wonderful.

It was less a fragrance than a sensation.

It seemed to awaken life itself.

As though it could turn Yan Dun into a flower swaying in the breeze.

Once, unable to resist, he had asked:

“Boss, what brand of cologne do you use?”

An Zao had replied:

“Little Honest Yan, I barely have time to shave. You think I have time for cologne?”

Yan Dun had smiled on the surface.

But inwardly, he had been disappointed.

So it’s not an artificial scent...

If it had been a commercial fragrance, he could at least buy a bottle and comfort himself with it.

Instead, he could only wait pitifully for the next legitimate excuse to hug him.

Lost in memories, Yan Dun’s gaze became distant.

As though he were looking somewhere far, far away.

Seeing him like that gave An Zao a strange sense of unease.

He softly called:

“Little Honest Yan.”

Yan Dun snapped back.

Blinking like someone just waking up, he looked adorably dazed.

An Zao couldn’t help smiling.

“What are you thinking about so intensely?”

Still half lost in thought, Yan Dun blurted out:

“I was wondering why you smell so good”

“?”

Xiao Qi nearly drove off the road.

WHAT?

Is he flirting with the chairman?!

Realizing how inappropriate that sounded, Yan Dun immediately became embarrassed.

“I mean—the smell on your clothes is really nice. I was wondering what brand of men’s cologne it is.”

He tried very hard not to sound like a creep.

Carefully, he observed An Zao’s expression.

But An Zao maintained his calm smile.

Yan Dun couldn’t tell whether he was genuinely amused or secretly cursing him.

An Zao replied:

“I never wear cologne.”

“I see.”

Yan Dun wasn’t surprised.

He had already realized that this An Zao and his real-world Boss Zao were the same person.

Having the same habits made perfect sense.

Then An Zao added:

“It’s probably the incense.”

“Incense?”

Yan Dun was surprised.

“You use incense at home?”

“You didn’t know?”

Xiao Qi jumped in eagerly.

“Ever since Young Master Zao came back from overseas, he’s developed the habit of burning incense.”

His tone carried a hint of pride.

After all, he knew more about An Zao than Yan Dun did.

Yan Dun thought for a moment and finally understood.

After returning from abroad...

Before returning, An Zao had merely been background scenery in the story.

Only after coming back did he gain a soul.

And that soul belonged to the real An Zao.

Naturally, it brought along his real-life habits.

That explained why Yan Dun smelled the same scent on him.

Then Yan Dun remembered his old conversation.

“Boss, what brand of cologne do you use?”

“Little Honest Yan, I barely have time to shave. You think I have time for cologne?”

Wait.

So he didn’t have time for shaving or cologne—

But somehow had time to burn incense?

As expected.

The truly elite gay heartthrobs were all understated.

Only flashy types like Hua Daimao wore perfume.

Boss Zao quietly scented himself with incense at home and then went around saying:

“I never wear cologne.”

Yan Dun asked:

“So what brand of incense do you use, Chairman An?”

“What brand?”

Xiao Qi gave him a look that said your knowledge is as tiny as you are.

“Who uses those chemical fragrances sold outside? Chairman An makes his own.”

Yan Dun blinked.

Then smiled.

“No wonder it smells so good.”

An Zao said:

“Come to my house. I’ll give you some.”

Yan Dun immediately brightened.

“Sure! It’s on the way anyway.”

Xiao Qi nearly exploded.

On the way my ass! The boss lives in the suburbs!

He coughed.

“Xiao Yan, don’t you live... in the opposite direction?”

Yan Dun instantly became embarrassed.

An Zao smoothly intervened.

“It’s fine. Just drive us there. If running around is troublesome, I’ll have the family driver take Little Honest Yan home.”

That phrase—‘if running around is troublesome’—was a direct attack.

Xiao Qi immediately became alert.

“How could it be troublesome? I’m only worried it’ll be inconvenient for Xiao Yan to get home so late.”

An Zao checked his watch.

“You’re right. It is getting late.”

Xiao Qi sighed in relief.

Then An Zao continued:

“In that case, after dropping us off at the An residence, you can head home directly. I’ll keep Little Yan for dinner.”

Xiao Qi’s heart turned to ashes.

The boss’s heart has completely tilted toward this dishonest little fox.

The boss worries whether he’s hungry, but doesn’t care whether I’m cold?

──── ୨୧ ────

When the car arrived at the An residence, An Zao dismissed Xiao Qi and instructed him not to disturb dinner.

Yan Dun followed An Zao inside.

Housekeeper Zhang greeted them with a smile.

“Xiao Yan is here today too?”

An Zao nodded.

“Set another place.”

Then he asked:

“Where’s Xiao Chi?”

“Young Master Chi won’t be coming home for dinner today.”

An Zao nodded.

“Then let’s eat.”

At the table, only three people remained:

An Zao.

Chen Jiangchen.

And their guest, Yan Dun.

Seeing Yan Dun, Chen Jiangchen looked delighted.

“Brother Yan is eating with us too?”

“Everyone eats. Brother Yan is no exception.”

An Zao replied.

Chen Jiangchen frowned.

Am I imagining things?

Why does my cousin sound weirdly sarcastic?

Yan Dun also sensed the odd atmosphere.

Trying to be friendly, he picked up a slice of perilla eggplant and placed it into An Zao’s bowl.

“Boss Zao, I remember you like this.”

An Zao raised an eyebrow.

“How do you know I like it?”

“I…”

Yan Dun froze.

Chen Jiangchen assumed the question was criticism.

He quickly explained:

“Big Cousin doesn’t like people putting food into his bowl—”

Before he finished speaking, An Zao calmly picked up the eggplant and ate it.

Chen Jiangchen fell silent.

He began questioning reality.

Yan Dun thought about it.

It was true.

An Zao disliked being served food by others.

But after becoming familiar with someone, he stopped minding.

Seeing Chen Jiangchen’s embarrassment, Yan Dun hurriedly explained:

“My chopsticks haven’t been used yet, so I hope Boss Zao doesn’t mind.”

An Zao simply smiled.

He didn’t answer.

The atmosphere somehow became even stranger.

As a lowly employee, Yan Dun wisely decided to lower his presence and focus on eating.

After dinner, Chen Jiangchen wanted to drag Yan Dun off for tea and conversation.

But An Zao interrupted.

“Have you finished your workbook exercises?”

Chen Jiangchen almost rebelled.

Can workbook exercises ever truly be finished?

The homework An Zao assigned was endless.

Like the universe itself.

Seeing Chen Jiangchen nearing his breaking point, An Zao softened.

“Jiangchen, your Brother Yan and I have business to discuss. Go review your lessons first.”

Chen Jiangchen’s anger immediately deflated.

He obediently returned to the study.

Watching his lonely retreating figure, Yan Dun felt a little sorry for him.

“Aren’t you pushing Young Master Jiangchen too hard?”

An Zao thought:

Not hard enough. He still has energy to think thoughts he shouldn’t be thinking.

But he merely smiled.

“I’m doing it for his own good.”

The expression was so convincingly parental that Yan Dun had no comeback.

After a pause, An Zao added:

“I’ll take you to my room.”

Yan Dun blinked.

“To where?”

“My room.”

An Zao replied.

“I want to show you a treasure.”

Yan Dun: “...?”

A system notification sounded:

Successfully collected CEO line: “Come to my room and I’ll show you a big treasure.” ✓

Yan Dun couldn’t help asking:

“A big treasure?”

An Zao considered it.

Then nodded.

“It’s pretty big.”