All His Rumors

After dealing with Shen Fu, Song Shi'an came out of the private room.

The moment he stepped outside, he ran into Lu Mingyu at the next table.

Song Shi'an choked up. Why did this sort of running-into-people-everywhere trope have to happen to him?!

Lu Mingyu was dining alone, eating with elegant composure, though his expression seemed somewhat dark.

Song Shi'an wanted to pretend he had not seen him and sneak away.

But Lu Mingyu did not indulge him. "Assistant Song, you were busy talking just now and have not eaten yet, have you? Why not have something with me?"

He felt like he had been caught red-handed.

Song Shi'an turned around awkwardly and met Lu Mingyu's gaze. With a dry laugh, he said, "N-No, thank you. I'm not particularly hungry."

"President Lu, please continue eating. There seems to be a document at the company that has not been handled yet, so I'll go back and take a look." Song Shi'an did not dare look at Lu Mingyu and only wanted to slip away quickly.

"Come here." Lu Mingyu's deep voice carried a note of command.

Too cowardly to resist, Song Shi'an shuffled over to Lu Mingyu in tiny steps.

"President Lu." He stood ramrod straight with his head lowered, like a child who had made a mistake.

Lu Mingyu set down his chopsticks, amusement in his eyes. "Is this how Assistant Song used to handle things for me?"

Madam Lu and Old Madam Lu had been keen on setting him up on blind dates these past few years.

Lu Mingyu was a typical workaholic. Those young ladies from prominent families were far too bothersome, showing up at the Lu Group every day and disrupting his work, so he had told Song Shi'an to deal with them.

Song Shi'an had handled it quite well. Once he stepped in, those young ladies from prominent families never came to bother him again.

Song Shi'an lowered his head even further, his voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz. "N-No... it was only occasional."

I used to spread even worse rumors. Otherwise, why would those young ladies from prominent families run away?!

Big brother, you're the male lead. You're walking testosterone wherever you go. The female lead, female supporting characters, and even female extra number whatever all like you. How was I supposed to deal with them if I didn't spread some rumors?!

Luckily, I didn't go too far today. Before, I said Lu Mingyu didn't wipe after taking a dump, that he liked men, that he bottomed for love. I even remember spreading rumors that he was with Fu Jingyan—that Fu Jingyan's playboy ways were only a cover for the fact that they were together.

Come to think of it, I'm really good at making things up.

Lu Mingyu was so angry he laughed. No wonder, after Song Shi'an's "handling," those young ladies from prominent families always looked at him with such indescribable expressions.

This was Song Shi'an leaving him his last shred of dignity.

"Assistant Song truly has quite the gift of gab," Lu Mingyu praised.

Song Shi'an clasped his hands together nervously. He secretly glanced at Lu Mingyu, and seeing that Lu Mingyu was still staring at him, his heart grew unsettled.

He would not fire him over this, would he?

Song Shi'an tried to defend himself. "President Lu, I was afraid they would slow down the rate at which you make money, so I exaggerated a little."

"So should I thank you?" Lu Mingyu looked at him.

Song Shi'an waved his hands. "This is part of my job. You don't need to be so polite."

Lu Mingyu put down his chopsticks and rose. "Let's go back together. Assistant Song isn't hungry anyway, and you're busy handling work."

??

Hungry! I'm hungry!

He had originally planned to sneak off and grab something to eat afterward.

Lu Mingyu took Song Shi'an back to the office.

He even thoughtfully wandered around beside Song Shi'an's workstation.

His excuse was that he had eaten too much and needed to walk it off.

Song Shi'an did not believe him at all.

He was definitely being petty. Now that he knew Song Shi'an had secretly badmouthed him, he was keeping an eye on him so he would not sneak food.

Fortunately, Lu Mingyu returned to his office after wandering around outside for a while.

Song Shi'an let out a sigh of relief, took out his phone, and opened a food delivery app. Just as he was considering what to eat, a soft, delicate voice called out.

"Assistant Song."

Song Shi'an looked up and saw Tang Ruan.

Why did people keep looking for him all day long?

Song Shi'an secretly turned off his screen and asked, "Miss Tang, is there something you need?"

Tang Ruan placed a bag on his desk.

"I made this meal myself. Please give it a try, Assistant Song." Tang Ruan smiled, and a hint of shyness flashed across her face.

Song Shi'an: "??"

What was going on? The female lead was bringing him food?!

After hesitating for a moment, Song Shi'an asked, "Miss Tang, did you want me to give this to President Lu?"

Tang Ruan shook her head. "No, I made it for you."

Everything was wrong, wrong!! The female lead was bringing food to him, a male extra!

What was this? Was she trying to make the overbearing CEO jealous by flirting with him?!

"Why are you suddenly being so polite, Miss Tang?" Song Shi'an was completely confused.

Tang Ruan looked utterly sincere. "Assistant Song, since joining the Lu Group, I've made many mistakes. President Lu dislikes me and even wanted to fire me. But you have helped me out of difficult situations many times. I'm very touched."

Don't be touched yet!!

I only did all that to bring you and Lu Mingyu together!!

Before Song Shi'an could speak, Tang Ruan continued, "Assistant Song, thank you for helping me. From today onward, just tell me whatever you want to eat, and I'll make it for you."

"N-No... you don't have to be so polite." Song Shi'an waved his hands.

Wrong, wrong!! Everything was wrong!!

Shouldn't this cooking trope involve the female lead bringing food to the male lead? Why was she bringing it to an assistant like him?!

"This is what I should do!" Tang Ruan insisted.

Song Shi'an had a headache. He had worked so hard for so long to get the plot back on track.

Yet he had ended up prying the female lead away from the male lead and steering her toward himself.

Song Shi'an felt like crying but had no tears. "Miss Tang, how about I help you deliver this token of affection to President Lu?"

Tang Ruan shook her head. "Assistant Song, I made this especially for you."

As she spoke, she seemed to recall something, and her eyes suddenly reddened. "Assistant Song, do you... do you dislike me? Is that why you don't want to accept my kindness?"

Great, another huge blame landed on him.

Helpless, Song Shi'an said nothing more.

He remembered that in the original novel, the female lead was said to be an excellent cook. Early on, she had conquered the overbearing CEO with her cooking.

He would see just how good the female lead's cooking was.

He opened the bag, took out the lunch box, and opened it.

It felt as though beams of golden light shot out from the lunch box.

Was this the buff stacked onto food cooked by the female lead?

It looked like perfectly ordinary dishes.

Song Shi'an picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.

Delicious. Delicious in a way he could not describe.

It was clearly ordinary food, yet it tasted completely different when she made it.

No wonder the male lead always said that the food the female lead made in the novel was a delicacy he had never enjoyed before.

As expected of the female lead. She was amazing.

After a few more bites, Song Shi'an felt much of the exhaustion leave his body, and his previously muddled mind gradually cleared.

This meal worked better than Indian miracle medicine.

While he was still immersed in the delicious food, Lu Mingyu appeared at some point. "Assistant Song, is it that good?"

Song Shi'an jumped in fright and said awkwardly, "P-President Lu, this was Miss Tang's token of affection. I had to at least try a couple of bites."

Lu Mingyu pressed his thin lips together and tapped the desk lightly with his index finger. "There's a rule in the office: no eating."

?

"There's no such rule," Song Shi'an reflexively retorted.

Lu Mingyu said, "There is now."

Lu the Skinflint!

Song Shi'an silently closed the lunch box. There was no helping it—Lu Mingyu was the sugar daddy who paid his salary, and he could not afford to offend him.

He secretly glanced at Lu Mingyu and saw that his expression did not look very good.

Was he jealous?

Song Shi'an's eyes lit up.

The female lead bringing him food had worked! Lu Mingyu was jealous!!