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Secretary Sun: "Sorry, boss, I really won't ever... Huh? Divorce?"

Oh, divorce.

Secretary Sun came back to life, puffing out his chest proudly. "How could that be? I'm still single. Don't worry, boss, I'll never ask for divorce leave."

A diligent, dedicated employee—who else could it be but him?

Who would've thought that not only did his boss fail to praise his workhorse spirit, he even waved him away in disappointment.

Secretary Sun left the office completely baffled. It wasn't until he sat down at his desk that a thought struck him like lightning. "Holy shit."

Shocked—his boss was getting divorced?

Shocked—his boss had secretly been married??

He quickly covered his mouth and looked around. Seeing that no one had noticed his unusual reaction, he finally slumped over his desk and quietly let out a breath, swearing that he would help his boss keep the secret. After all, secondhand men weren't worth much.

When he looked up at his colleagues again, his eyes held the lofty arrogance of the only sober man in a world full of drunks.

He now held a huge secret about his boss! None of you knew.

Inside the office, concerned for his reputation, Zhou Jingcheng began searching online for a so-called divorce declaration, only to find that there was no such thing. What declaration could there be for divorce? All there was was a record on file. Asking where the ex-husband was? Dead. Dead in the trash can. ^-^

Before he could make any headway, Shi Jihan came barging in recklessly and shoved open his office door.

"Xiao Zhou, you really hadn't left." Shi Jihan tossed a canvas bag onto the leather sofa, then leaned in front of Zhou Jingcheng and handed him a cup of matcha mochi ice cream.

"Here. I'm not freeloading. This is your pay."

The ice cream was sprinkled with chocolate shavings and topped with wafer sticks and almonds. On the largest scoop sat a mochi ball, soft and chewy like a tiny matcha snowman.

It had been bought from the cold drinks shop downstairs from Zhou Jingcheng's company. It was a new opening, and the second cup was half-price.

The moment Shi Jihan saw it, he rushed over.

Seeing a bargain and not taking it was as upsetting as losing money.

He bought two cups, both in flavors he liked: matcha mochi and mint chocolate.

Zhou Jingcheng said, "You eat it. I don't like—"

Before he could finish, the hand holding the ice cream pulled back, and Shi Jihan bit off the snowman's head in one mouthful. "You don't like it? What a pity. I'll eat it for you, then."

He really wasn't being polite at all. Zhou Jingcheng narrowed his eyes, seriously suspecting that this guy had only been talking big and never wanted to give him any.

Seeing Shi Jihan about to take a second bite, he tapped his knuckles on the desk to get his attention. "I suddenly want some."

Shi Jihan: "Huh?"

"Wasn't it my pay?" Zhou Jingcheng asked leisurely, deliberately drawing out the final syllable to tease him. "How can you take it back after giving it to me, right?"

Shi Jihan stared longingly at his matcha mochi ice cream. "But I already took a bite."

He tried to dissuade Zhou Jingcheng with his eyes: Xiao Zhou, you don't want to eat ice cream someone else has bitten, do you?

"It's fine." Zhou Jingcheng's gaze shifted toward the other untouched cup of mint chocolate ice cream.

Shi Jihan:!!

Protect the mint chocolate!

The instant Zhou Jingcheng looked over, he opened his mouth and bit off the little snowball on top as well.

The cold made his gums ache sharply, and his tongue practically cooked several dishes in his mouth before he forced it down. Pointing at the evidence, he mumbled, "See? Both have been bitten."

You don't get any now. Hehe.

Zhou Jingcheng: "..."

Zhou Jingcheng was so annoyed that he laughed.

His stubbornness had been roused too. He picked up the cup of matcha mochi that was originally his. "It's fine. I don't mind."

His long fingers held the silver spoon as he dug deeply into the spot that had been bitten and brought a spoonful to his mouth.

The fine ice crystals were extremely cold, yet they melted quickly after entering his mouth. The rich, bitter fragrance of matcha broke through the chill, followed by a fresh sweetness of tea mixed with the lingering richness of milk.

Even Zhou Jingcheng, who didn't particularly enjoy sweets, had to admit that it was delicious. No wonder someone guarded his food so fiercely.

But when he raised his head after taking a bite, he found Shi Jihan staring at him without blinking. "That's where I bit. Is that really okay?"

Zhou Jingcheng:?

He lowered his head and looked at where he had taken the bite.

The faint bitterness on his tongue still lingered. Realizing that it was a place the other man's lips and teeth had touched, his Adam's apple bobbed unconsciously. He took a drink of water to wash away the bitter matcha fragrance in his mouth, then lowered his eyes and said, "What does it matter? When you eat with your family, you all pick food from the same dishes too, don't you?"

Seeing Shi Jihan still staring at him, he turned his face aside. "Then sue me."

When Shi Jihan saw that he wasn't looking at him, he slowly said, "Oh... Okay. You're right."

Wanting to quickly move past the topic, Zhou Jingcheng held out his hand to him.

Shi Jihan had no idea why.

He raised his own hand and tentatively placed it lightly on top.

Their palms met, then separated in an instant.

Zhou Jingcheng abruptly pulled back, curling his fingertips as residual warmth remained. "Not that. I'm asking you for an outline. Give me a general direction."

Shi Jihan was dissatisfied. "Then say so. Why were you just holding out your hand like some mute? Didn't you charge your language system last night?"

After he said that, it seemed as though Zhou Jingcheng's eyes filled with countless scrolling comments, every single one wanting to be sent but ultimately strangled by moderation. In the end, he only said, "Give me your outline."

Shi Jihan gave him a brilliant smile. "No."

Zhou Jingcheng's mouth twitched. He wanted to curse.

Shi Jihan dragged his chair over to Zhou Jingcheng's side, squeezed into the middle, bumping him to the edge, and occupied the large desk. "What's the big deal? I'll talk, you write. We'll create it on the spot."

Zhou Jingcheng uncapped his pen, occupying a pitifully small corner of the desk. He took a deep breath. "Go on. I'll write."

"Then I'll begin." Shi Jihan cleared his throat, and his tone turned sorrowful in an instant.

"When the speed at which cherry blossoms fall becomes the speed at which I write upon paper, I think the feelings between us have reached their end."

"Who has seen City A at three in the morning? Only me. Leaning against the cold floor-to-ceiling window, I touched the tears falling from the corners of my eyes. I was missing someone who never came home."

"...When you came close, wanting to embrace me, I instinctively dodged away. It turned out my body had betrayed me before my heart did."

Zhou Jingcheng wrote two lines, then stopped writing and put down his pen.

Shi Jihan urged, "Write. My inspiration is fleeting. It's especially precious, so hurry up and catch it."

Zhou Jingcheng put the cap back on his pen, his expression strange. "Shi Jihan, aren't all those tortured-love novels online enough for you? You have to write one yourself too?"

What a waste of his earlier confusion. He had thought Shi Bochuan's relationship was in trouble and that he was getting divorced.

Getting divorced after two years of marriage—was he planning to get married again and make money off the gift envelopes?

Shi Jihan said, "What novel? This is a divorce declaration. Do you even understand?"

Zhou Jingcheng said slowly, "I think your brain's been soaked in melodrama."

Just as Shi Jihan was about to retort, Zero-Zero-Zero poked its head out. [Host, why not let Dianjia Bro write it? He'll definitely be fine. Our mission can't fail.]

Shi Jihan: [Could his writing be better than mine?]

[He scored 707 on the college entrance exam. Thirteenth in the province in Chinese.] Zero-Zero-Zero said faintly.

Shi Jihan immediately said to Zhou Jingcheng, "Then write it your way."

"A divorce declaration, right?" Zhou Jingcheng pulled out a fresh sheet of paper. "Simple."

The fountain pen spun a silver arc between his fingers. When it touched the paper, it cut through the ink like a blade, completed in one fluid motion. He wielded the pen like a knife.

Shi Jihan watched expectantly, thinking that 707 really was extraordinary, that his ideas must flow like a fountain. Then he lowered his head and saw the words on the paper:

—Get lost!!

The strokes pressed through the paper, wild and vigorous. Even the punctuation was broad and forceful, cutting deep into the page.

He was so furious that he wanted to slap the paper right onto Zhou Jingcheng's face!

Seven hundred and seven points!!

And this was what he gave him?!

Seeing the Super Saiyan glaring at him with fire in his eyes, Zhou Jingcheng nodded in sudden understanding. "You think the emotion isn't full enough, right?"

He put down the pen. His wrist moved after "Get lost," leaving behind smooth, flowing ink strokes that turned it into—

Get lost!!!!!

A truly magnificent declaration.

The power of five whole exclamation marks—anyone who had done reading comprehension understood.

Zhou Jingcheng was satisfied. "There."

"You can submit my short story. I'm willing to transfer the copyright." He was exceedingly generous.

Shi Jihan:???

Shi Jihan practically burst into flames, enraged. "Zhou Jingcheng, you've pissed me off!"

He grabbed the matcha ice cream from the desk and inhaled it all in one stormy gulp. Before he had even swallowed, he loudly declared, "I'm never letting you eat my ice cream again!!"

Zero-Zero-Zero was dumbfounded.

Okay, okay. Such a severe punishment.

It hadn't even dealt 0.01 Malice Points worth of damage.

No one knew what happened inside President Zhou's office that day. All they could hear were repeated shouts of "Zhou Jingcheng," filled with gritted-teeth fury.

Only Secretary Sun vaguely guessed that perhaps the secondhand man was about to appreciate in value.

If they didn't clear up the rumors, he was going to start spreading them.

"Secretary Sun?"

"Secretary Sun!"

Secretary Sun only came back to his senses after being called several times. He looked up and—whoa. A hat, sunglasses, and a huge mask, covering himself up thoroughly, but Secretary Sun recognized him at a glance. "Pei Mingxuan? Aren't you filming a reality show?"

Under the mask, Pei Mingxuan's face twisted. "Do you think I can still stay there?"

"Hard to say." Secretary Sun looked serious. "After all, your skin is a little thick."

Pei Mingxuan: "..."

Secretary Sun asked, "What are you here for?"

"To see President Zhou." Pei Mingxuan couldn't be bothered to argue with him and started toward Zhou Jingcheng's office.

Secretary Sun hurriedly stopped him. "No, President Zhou isn't available to see guests right now."

Pei Mingxuan was dissatisfied. "Available or not, he has to make himself available. President Zhou should know what public opinion online is saying about me right now, shouldn't he? I need him to give me a solution. I still have so many endorsements. You don't want to lose money together either, do you?"