Ji Ran loved the look of approval Zhao Pingchuan gave him whenever he did an excellent job. What he didn't know was that whenever someone praised him for being young and capable, calling him Zhao Pingchuan's right-hand man, Zhao Pingchuan felt a great sense of accomplishment too. After all, he had personally trained Ji Ran.
Several times, Jiang Ping wore a strange expression as he watched the two of them smile at each other, oblivious to everyone around them.
He wasn't sure. Had he and President Zhao ever looked at each other like that before?
Jiang Ping shuddered at the thought. How terrifying.
Jiang Ping had long known that Ji Ran was a little fanboy of Zhao Pingchuan's. Working at Zhao Pingchuan's side, Ji Ran was full of energy, as if he'd been injected with chicken blood. Sometimes Jiang Ping couldn't help telling him, "Xiao Ji, stop working so hard. Your Brother Jiang is getting old and can't keep up."
Ji Ran blinked, looking puzzled. "I'm not."
All right, then. Jiang Ping was speechless. Ji Ran didn't even realize it himself.
And Zhao Pingchuan clearly took more care of Ji Ran than he did of anyone else. Once, the three of them worked on a proposal until midnight. When they finally finished, Jiang Ping picked up his car keys and got ready to go home, casually asking, "Xiao Ji, how are you getting home?"
Ji Ran usually took the subway to work, but it had stopped running by then. He thought for a moment and said, "I'll take a taxi."
Jiang Ping lived in a different direction from him, so he nodded and said, "Send me a message when you get home so I know you're safe."
Before he had finished speaking, Zhao Pingchuan came out of his office and said to Ji Ran, "Ride home with me."
"Huh?" Ji Ran was dumbfounded again.
Jiang Ping slapped his thigh, finally remembering. "That's right, you live in the same direction as President Zhao. It's on his way."
Ji Ran scratched his head. "Sorry for the trouble, President Zhao."
Zhao Pingchuan looked at him and smiled faintly, tossing him the car keys. "What trouble? You're driving."
Zhao Pingchuan's home was closer than Ji Ran's. When they arrived, Ji Ran asked, "President Zhao, should I park it for you?"
But Zhao Pingchuan said, "Take the car home and drive it straight to the office tomorrow."
"Hm?" Ji Ran froze. "Then how will you get to work tomorrow morning?"
Zhao Pingchuan gave him a helpless smile. "I can drive another one."
Realizing he had asked a stupid question, Ji Ran nodded sheepishly. "All right, thank you, President Zhao."
Zhao Pingchuan was about to open the door and get out when Ji Ran suddenly asked, "President Zhao, how about I pick you up tomorrow morning?"
That way, he wouldn't have to drive the car back and forth.
Zhao Pingchuan paused and thought for a moment before agreeing. "That works. Wait for me downstairs at eight."
Ji Ran broke into a huge smile, as if he'd been given an enormous reward. "Okay!"
Seeing that radiant smile, Zhao Pingchuan couldn't help smiling too. "Be careful on the road. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow." Ji Ran waved.
After that day, Ji Ran could clearly feel that he and Zhao Pingchuan had grown closer, and he no longer felt so easily ill at ease around his boss.
Just as Jiang Ping had said, he could treat Zhao Pingchuan as a friend outside work.
Speaking of Jiang Ping, he had taken the previous day off to register his marriage with his girlfriend. Apparently, they had started dating in school, and after all these years, they had finally tied the knot.
"Wow," Ji Ran exclaimed. "That's so wonderful."
Zhao Pingchuan glanced at him, somewhat amused. "Thinking about finding a girlfriend?"
Ji Ran immediately put on a serious face and pledged his loyalty to his boss. "I love work, and work loves me."
Zhao Pingchuan laughed. "I'm not Zhou Bapi. I do allow my assistant to have a personal life."
Ji Ran shook his head. "I'm not thinking about that right now."
"That's true," Zhao Pingchuan said. "You're still young. There's no rush."
Looking at his face, Ji Ran actually wanted to gossip a little and ask why his boss wasn't dating anyone, but he didn't dare. Zhao Pingchuan was twenty-eight, handsome and mild-mannered, and he was also the big boss of a listed company. He was a top-tier boyfriend candidate in every way.
In fact, quite a few young women he had met through work had expressed interest in Zhao Pingchuan. Ji Ran knew of several himself, but Zhao Pingchuan had always turned them down politely.
Ji Ran thought it over and decided that Zhao Pingchuan was probably career-minded. With everything he had going for him, he could live well even if he never married or dated anyone. As long as he was happy, that was enough.
If someone managed to win Zhao Pingchuan's affection in the future, they would surely be a very, very good person too.
When Jiang Ping returned, he was positively radiant. Zhao Pingchuan gave him a big red envelope, and Ji Ran offered his congratulations too. "Brother Jiang, congratulations on your marriage!"
"Thank you, President Zhao. Thank you, Xiao Ji." Jiang Ping happily accepted their congratulations.
"When are you holding the wedding? I'll approve your leave," Zhao Pingchuan offered.
Jiang Ping grinned. "We haven't set a date yet. I'll let you know in advance when we do."
He glanced at Ji Ran and said with relief, "Good thing we have Xiao Ji now. Otherwise, I really wouldn't dare take time off."
Ji Ran said, "Don't worry, Brother Jiang. I'll cover your work for you."
Things had been going well as they talked, but plans couldn't keep up with change.
On the sixth day of Jiang Ping's long leave for his honeymoon, Ji Ran fell ill.
There were no assignments outside the office that day, so Ji Ran worked in his own office. But he had felt a faint stomachache since that morning and hadn't even eaten breakfast.
He had thought the pain would pass if he just endured it, but instead it grew worse and worse, even making him feel a little nauseous. Ji Ran pressed a hand to his stomach and lay across his desk, cold sweat breaking out on his back.
He usually ate regular meals, and this was the first time he'd had a stomachache. Puzzled, he planned to go to the hospital at noon and get some medicine. But he couldn't hold out until then. The pain shifted to the lower right side of his abdomen, and the skin there felt hot to the touch.
Ji Ran's heart sank. He knew it was most likely acute appendicitis.
He got up and went to knock on his boss's office door.
Zhao Pingchuan's voice rang out. "Come in."
Ji Ran went inside. The pain kept him from straightening up, and he struggled to bear it as he said, "President Zhao, I might have to go to the hospital."
Zhao Pingchuan looked up from his documents and saw his deathly pale face. His bangs were soaked with sweat, but there was an unhealthy flush on his cheeks, and his hand was pressed tightly against his lower abdomen. He was clearly in terrible pain.
He sprang to his feet and hurried over to Ji Ran, then felt his forehead. It was burning hot.
"Appendicitis?" he asked.
Ji Ran nodded. "I think so."
Zhao Pingchuan's face darkened. He turned to grab his car keys and said in a tone that brooked no refusal, "I'll take you to the hospital."
They were both quiet on the way. Ji Ran was in too much pain to speak, while Zhao Pingchuan was angry.
As he drove, he glanced at the person in the passenger seat. Ji Ran had already curled up into a ball.
Zhao Pingchuan's voice was cold. "Why didn't you say something sooner if you weren't feeling well?"
Ji Ran raised his face. Whether from pain or hurt, his eyes glistened with tears, and Zhao Pingchuan swallowed the reprimand he had been about to deliver. In the end, he only sighed. "Am I really so unapproachable that you don't even dare tell me when you're sick?"
"No," Ji Ran explained quietly.
Knowing he was unwell, Zhao Pingchuan said no more and simply sped up in silence.
When they reached the hospital, Zhao Pingchuan took him straight to the emergency department. After examining him, the doctor said he needed surgery, and Zhao Pingchuan ran around paying the fees and collecting his medicine.
Ji Ran felt terribly embarrassed. What kind of assistant caused his boss so much trouble? But he had no other family or friends here he could notify.
As he was being wheeled into the operating room, Zhao Pingchuan gave his hand a firm squeeze. "Don't be afraid. I'll wait for you outside."
Ji Ran smiled at him.