The Secondary CP Extra
Chapter 100: “You Are a Rare Gem in This World (END)”
The car ride was eerily quiet.
After driving for a while, the assistant finally relaxed a little when he noticed that, apart from Luan Qiaoqing sleeping on Chu Xiangbin’s shoulder, there were no other intimate actions between them.
Convincing himself that this was merely a personal interaction between senior executives, the assistant spoke up. “Minister Chu, everyone in the department is really happy to hear that you’re returning to the company. They’ve been discussing holding a celebration for you. Do you have any availability in the coming days?”
Just as Chu Xiangbin was about to reply, the voice seemed to stir Luan Qiaoqing from her sleep.
She groggily sat up, rubbing her eyes as she looked out the window. “Why is it so dark? Am I blind?”
“…”
Chu Xiangbin couldn’t keep up with the drunk version of Luan Qiaoqing’s thought process. After a few seconds of silence, he chuckled. “I didn’t turn on the car lights so you could rest. Do you want me to turn them on?”
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“…”
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“Oh? What secret?”
“Heehee… Not telling you.”
“But isn’t it my secret?”
“Yeah!”
“Well, since it’s my secret, I obviously already know it. Even if you don’t tell me, I still know. So why not just tell me?”
“…”
Luan Qiaoqing, already dazed from the alcohol, was completely caught up in his logic. She sat there in a daze, contemplating his words for a long while.
Eventually, she nodded. “That… actually makes sense.”
“…”
The assistant glanced at Luan Qiaoqing through the rearview mirror, a complicated mix of sympathy and amusement on his face.
After a moment of hesitation, Luan Qiaoqing finally spoke. “Alright, I’ll tell you. Come closer, I’ll whisper it to you.”
Chu Xiangbin leaned in as instructed.
Luan Qiaoqing moved to his shoulder, her breath warm against his ear, carrying the faint scent of alcohol and laughter.
“The secret I discovered is… Chu Xiangbin seems to like me!”
The car suddenly swerved.
Chu Xiangbin instinctively grabbed the seat for stability while also pulling Luan Qiaoqing protectively into his arms.
Once the vehicle steadied, he looked up, his tone carrying suppressed annoyance.
“S-Sorry, Minister Chu… I-I lost control of the steering wheel for a moment…” The assistant stammered, his voice trembling.
Chu Xiangbin knew he couldn’t entirely blame the assistant. With a furrowed brow, he exhaled sharply and turned forward. “Just keep driving—focus this time.”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
The assistant, shaken to his core, forced himself to stare straight ahead, refusing to let his mind wander any further.
Meanwhile, in the back seat, the source of all this chaos looked completely innocent.
Luan Qiaoqing sat up from Chu Xiangbin’s embrace, blinking in confusion.
“…Why did the car shake so much just now? Was there an earthquake?”
Chu Xiangbin let out an exasperated sigh, glancing at her. “If there was an earthquake, you caused it.”
“Huh?”
“You’ll regret this when you sober up tomorrow.”
“Regret? Why would I regret it?”
“You’ll see.”
“…Oh.”
The rest of the ride was silent.
The assistant carefully drove them to the parking lot of Chu Xiangbin’s residence.
His place had direct elevator access to the apartment, with each building’s designated elevators located in the parking area.
As soon as they got out of the car, Luan Qiaoqing, acting as if she were at home, immediately ran toward the elevator of Chu Xiangbin’s building.
However, Chu Xiangbin didn’t follow her in right away.
He turned around, glanced at the assistant who seemed a bit nervous, and softened his tone as he spoke: “You’ve worked hard tonight. Go home and get some rest. I’ll be back to work next Monday.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll pick you up on Monday,” the assistant replied cautiously.
Chu Xiangbin thought for a moment and then continued, “About what Luan Qiaoqing said earlier in the car…”
The assistant immediately responded, “Minister Chu, don’t worry! I absolutely, absolutely won’t tell anyone!”
“…”
After a brief silence, Chu Xiangbin chuckled, “No, actually, I need you to tell someone.”
“Eh? Tell… tell someone?” The assistant looked up, confused.
Chu Xiangbin nodded, “Yes, it’d be best if by Monday, everyone in the company knows what she said.” He paused, smiling, “I’m sure that’s not too difficult for you, right?”
“…” The assistant took a while to process, finally nodding and forcing a smile. “I understand, Minister Chu.”
“Thanks for your hard work.”
“No… no trouble at all…”
“Alright, see you next week.”
“Take care, slow down.”
“…”
The new week began with a frustrating Monday.
For the entire morning, the door to the Human Resources Minister’s office remained shut. Luan Qiaoqing stayed cooped up inside, too ashamed to face anyone.
She couldn’t bear to see anyone, especially Chu Xiangbin. Who would’ve thought that, while trying to apologize, she not only got drunk but nearly shouted “I know you like me” in front of his assistant?
The whole company was buzzing with gossip, debating whether Luan Qiaoqing was imagining things or if Chu Xiangbin really had feelings for her.
Just when the “defection” scandal seemed to be dying down, she had inadvertently thrown someone into the spotlight again. Luan Qiaoqing spent the whole morning wondering whether she should go to the Investment and Development Department and apologize for her actions.
“Ah—why did I drink everything and say anything—Luan Qiaoqing, are you an idiot?”
The woman, driven half-mad by her own torment, started pulling at her hair.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. “Minister Luan, someone is here to see you.”
Luan Qiaoqing snapped, “I told you, I’m unavailable this morning! Come back in the afternoon.”
“It’s not that—someone’s here to see you.”
“Who? Do they have an appointment? If not, I won’t see them!” There was a brief hesitation outside, before a cautious voice spoke, “It’s Minister Chu, here to complete the reinstatement formalities.”
“……???”
A few seconds later, the office door opened.
Luan Qiaoqing stood at the door with a serious expression.
“Minister Chu, come in.”
Standing behind Luan Qiaoqing’s assistant, Chu Xiangbin asked with a smile, “If it’s inconvenient for you, I can always come back in the afternoon.”
“No, no, it’s fine. It’s very convenient.” Luan Qiaoqing, unable to bear the curious looks from other HR staff members, signaled frantically to Chu Xiangbin, “Minister Chu, please come in.”
“…”
Chu Xiangbin stepped into the office.
Luan Qiaoqing instinctively reached for the door, planning to close it to block out all the prying eyes. But as she moved, Chu Xiangbin, seeming to anticipate her move, whispered lightly in her ear, “If you close the door, they’ll think we’re doing something secretive.”
Luan Qiaoqing: “…”
Luan Qiaoqing realized he had a point.
Her hand, still on the door handle, couldn’t pull back in time. With a determined push, she opened the door wide, all the way to its maximum angle.
Chu Xiangbin glanced over, a playful smirk crossing his eyes.
Luan Qiaoqing, completely unaware, had just unknowingly invited the “big bad wolf” into the den. She turned and went back into the office.
After discussing some formal matters at a deliberate distance, Luan Qiaoqing lowered her voice carefully. “About Saturday night… I’m really… sorry.”
Chu Xiangbin chuckled dismissively, “It’s fine.”
“…” Luan Qiaoqing sighed in relief.
Chu Xiangbin added, “After all, it’s not the only thing you owe me.”
“——” Luan Qiaoqing froze, struggling to come up with a rebuttal, but couldn’t find a single word to say because, unfortunately, Chu Xiangbin was telling the truth.
Her head dropped in despair, “Minister Chu, just tell me what you need. I’ll do whatever I can, I’ll make it up to you until you’re satisfied.”
Chu Xiangbin’s gaze wavered slightly. “Really?”
“Really! I swear!”
“Then I do have one condition.”
“Hm?”
“It’s simple. From now on, I hope that in the company, when I’ve expressed my opinions, Minister Luan will unconditionally support me.”
“Uh…”
Luan Qiaoqing hesitated, her words faltering.
Chu Xiangbin smiled faintly. “And don’t worry, it won’t affect the company or anyone else’s interests. Whenever I or anyone else asks for your opinion on something I’ve said, you’ll only say ‘okay,’ ‘fine,’ or ‘no problem.'”
“…” Luan Qiaoqing vaguely felt that Chu Xiangbin was setting a trap for her, but after thinking for a while, she couldn’t figure out where the trap was.
Chu Xiangbin pretended to stand up. “Looks like Minister Luan isn’t being sincere. Well, never mind.” As he spoke, he was almost at the door.
“No, no, no! Don’t give up!” Luan Qiaoqing quickly chased after him. “I promise, I’ll support you unconditionally from now on. As long as you approve, I won’t oppose you anymore.”
“Agreed?” Chu Xiangbin turned his back to her, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
“Deal!” Luan Qiaoqing responded firmly.
“…Alright.”
Chu Xiangbin said, then walked out of Luan Qiaoqing’s office.
Luan Qiaoqing let out a long sigh of relief, thinking that the matter had finally been settled. But before she could close the door, she saw Chu Xiangbin stop as he reached the HR department’s office area.
“Ah, right, Minister Luan, I forgot something.”
“?!”
Luan Qiaoqing froze. With the smile on Chu Xiangbin’s face, she had an ominous feeling.
Chu Xiangbin calmly smiled. “About the question I asked you last Saturday night, have you thought about it?”
Luan Qiaoqing’s smile froze. “What question?”
“…”
Chu Xiangbin stood in the middle of the HR staff’s office area, and in the midst of everyone’s curious gazes, he calmly asked,
“Would you be my girlfriend?”
“——!”
The staff were dumbfounded.
As they snapped back to reality, they expected their usually short-tempered Minister to rush forward and start yelling, but there was no movement. When they looked again, they saw Luan Qiaoqing’s face turning bright red.
After a long pause, she glared at Chu Xiangbin’s fox-like smile, grinding her teeth but unable to stop herself from feeling embarrassed and annoyed.
“…Alright, fine, no problem.”
“Good,” Chu Xiangbin smiled and turned to leave. “See you at lunch.”
“——!”
Thus, Chu Xiangbin’s years-long “scheming” finally succeeded. The deep pit he’d dug over so many years had finally trapped the “rabbit” that would never escape.
【A Small Side Story in the Extras】
It wasn’t until much later, much later, that Luan Qiaoqing, through a graduation photo at Chu Xiangbin’s house, discovered that he was the same “Wen Bin” from back then.
After the shock, she asked Chu Xiangbin, “Why didn’t you tell me from the start?”
“Told you?” Chu Xiangbin smiled as he asked back, “Told you, and then you’d still be slapping my shoulder and calling me your bro?”
“Well… not exactly,” Luan Qiaoqing replied, feeling a little guilty.
Chu Xiangbin said, “Also, I didn’t want to ride on the ‘old reputation.’ I’m not the same person I was before. So since you forgot, I didn’t want to remind you—just like now, being with you for who I am today.”
“…”
Luan Qiaoqing sat in his lap, holding the photo and studying it. After a while, she couldn’t help but laugh at the somewhat gloomy-looking boy in the picture.
“Haha, who would believe you? You were probably afraid I’d be embarrassed if I found out, huh? Look at how tiny you were back then! I remember I even lent you my clothes. When you came out of my bathroom, you were so pale and skinny, so tiny, and not even as tall as me. Hahaha, burp…”
As she laughed, Luan Qiaoqing started to lose her composure, noticing the mood of the man she was sitting on starting to reach a dangerous threshold.
She slowly stopped laughing and cautiously turned her head.
“Ah, uh, I really didn’t mean anything by that—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Luan Qiaoqing let out a scream.
In an instant, everything around her seemed to flip—she was suddenly lifted from the sofa, her waist supported by Chu Xiangbin’s shoulder.
“‘Tiny little thing’?” Chu Xiangbin sneered as he walked toward the bedroom. “Did you forget how you were crying last night?”
“Ah, ah, ah! Chu Xiangbin, you jerk! Put me down!”
“…”
“…Chu Dad, I’m sorry! Please put me down!”
“Too late.”
With a cold laugh, the bedroom door slammed shut.
Sansukini: Awww… it’s over. I feel like these extras are a bit independent from the main story. I really enjoyed it.
Thank you so much for reading this. Again, I hope you enjoyed it too. I would appreciate a 5 star rating on novelupdates. It’s something mundane, but I really like seeing good scores.
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