Chapter 14: Please don’t ruin my reputation.

Cheng Yao felt dizzy as she followed Qian Heng into the car.

As soon as she got in, Qian Heng asked, “How could you let Tan Ying take you home?”

Although Qian Heng was notoriously ruthless, the fact that he had considered that it might be unsafe for two women to walk home alone at night and had chivalrously offered to drive her instead made Cheng Yao feel deeply touched.

“What would you have done if she found out that we live together?” Qian Heng’s voice was cold. “Even though we’re just simple roommates, gossip spreads fast. Things could easily get twisted.”

He even thought about protecting her reputation as a single woman! Cheng Yao thought to herself—could it be that her boss, Qian Heng, was actually cold on the outside but warm on the inside? Whether it was the alcohol or the moment of gratitude, she suddenly felt a warmth in her heart…

But before she could even say “thank you,” the leader of the Five Poisons Sect, Qian Heng, poured a bucket of ice-cold reality over her head.

“I don’t care what happens to you, but don’t ruin my reputation.”

“…”

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“…”

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No hope left. Just declare him dead already.

…

The restaurant for their gathering was quite a distance from Cheng Yao’s rental place. To make matters worse, they hit a traffic jam at this hour. Despite owning a Bentley, Qian Heng could only inch forward in the congestion.

If Cheng Yao had only been slightly tipsy earlier, now the alcohol was steadily eroding her rationality. She was getting drowsy, and the constant starting and stopping of the car worsened her dizziness and nausea.

“Boss… I don’t feel so good…”

Qian Heng didn’t even bother sparing her a glance. “Don’t think that pretending to be drunk and claiming you’re unwell will get you any special treatment. Of course, I believe in fairness—if you fix the water pipes, I’ll reimburse you the 250 yuan you lost tonight.”

Cheng Yao’s entire face twisted. “I’m really feeling awful…”

“Fine, 500. No more than that.”

“…”

Thankfully, they were already close to home. Just a little longer—hang in there, Cheng Yao!

But things didn’t go as planned. The worsening traffic jam only made her dizziness intensify.

“Boss, I really don’t feel good…” More than just discomfort, her stomach was now churning violently.

Yet Qian Heng was convinced she was faking it. He scoffed, “As a legal professional, you should know that any claim requires strong and direct evidence to back it up. Since you say you’re not feeling well—”

“Ugh—”

“CHENG!!! YAO!!!”

For the first time ever, Qian Heng lost his usual composed and aloof demeanor. His voice was filled with unrestrained fury and shock.

Just a second ago, before he could even finish his sentence, Cheng Yao had thrown up all over his Bentley when the car in front suddenly braked.

Cheng Yao was already half out of it—she felt awful, her head was pounding, and she was utterly exhausted. But her legal training still held strong.

“Evidence.”

Qian Heng let out a mirthless laugh in his rage. “What?”

Cheng Yao pointed at the Bentley, now in a complete mess. “This is my proof.” She took a moment to steady her dizzy head before adding, “I told you—I wasn’t feeling well.”

“…”

….

Qian Heng drove into the residential complex with a dark expression, then opened the car door.

Cheng Yao slumped in her seat, looking over at Qian Heng.

His voice was clearly restrained, but there was already a hint of exasperation in his tone. “Cheng Yao, don’t try to test my limits.”

Cheng Yao really wanted to get up, but her whole body lagged behind her intentions. She knew this wasn’t good, but the indulgence brought by the alcohol felt quite nice. “I can’t get up.”

The alcohol made her feel light, and the “Caution: Toxic Boss Alert” sign in her mind had long been drowned out by waves of dizziness and headache. Her actions now were purely instinctual—there was no rational planning, no consideration of social impact, just pure reflex.

She blinked, her eyes fixing on Qian Heng. “I can’t walk.”

She was simply stating the truth, without any intentional affectation. But those two plain sentences, coming from her at this moment, had an entirely different effect on others.

Her eyes held a slight watery sheen, her fair cheeks tinged with a faint blush from the alcohol. She stared straight at Qian Heng, unmoving, quiet, innocent, and utterly lost.

It was clearly an unintentional and subconscious act, yet to Qian Heng, it felt far too aggressive.

Wu Jun had been right—Cheng Yao was, for a lawyer, almost excessively good-looking. For the first time, he realized that sometimes, beauty was a weapon.

Faced with Cheng Yao’s unwavering gaze, Qian Heng took a step back.

It was purely instinctive—he wasn’t sure why, but his body had already reacted before his mind could process it.

A bit dangerous.

The car could be cleaned, but he couldn’t just leave Cheng Yao inside.

Frowning, Qian Heng studied her for a moment, then unbuttoned his jacket and took it off.

Unexpectedly, the dazed Cheng Yao seemed to snap awake at this moment. Like a startled rabbit, she suddenly bolted out of the car.

“Help! Help! Sexual harassment! There’s a pervert here!”

Qian Heng had never been treated like this before. His face turned even darker, and without thinking, he reached out and dragged Cheng Yao back before throwing his suit jacket over her head, wrapping her up completely.

Cheng Yao struggled. “Qian Heng! I never expected you to be such a beast in human clothing! You took off your clothes just like that?! You’re planning a car hookup??? Just wait till I report you to the bar association!”

Qian Heng had no choice but to free one hand to restrain her, tightly holding her in place while covering her mouth.

“Mm—”

“Shut up!”

Qian Heng was actually innocent. He had only taken off his jacket because of his cleanliness obsession—he wasn’t sure if Cheng Yao had thrown up on herself earlier, and he didn’t want to touch her directly. So, he had planned to wrap her in his coat before bringing her home.

But in Cheng Yao’s drunken mind, what had this turned into???

Fortunately, with her head covered by his jacket, she finally quieted down. Taking advantage of the moment, Qian Heng quickly got her inside.

---

Back in familiar surroundings, Cheng Yao seemed to relax at last. But she still regarded Qian Heng with extreme vigilance, curled up on the sofa wearing his jacket, eyeing him like a suspect in a criminal case.

Qian Heng couldn’t be bothered to deal with her. He opened a bottle of Evian water, finally calming down a little.

But Cheng Yao apparently hadn’t had enough of provoking him. After staring at him for a moment, she suddenly blurted out—

“You recruited me to your team… were you planning to sleep with me?”

Qian Heng finally lost it. His icy composure cracked. His voice rose. “Am I blind?!”

The alcohol had stripped Cheng Yao of all reason, completely setting her free. She had no idea what she was even saying anymore. She just bit her finger and giggled. “Am I that bad? I don’t think so. A lot of guys pursued me in college…”

Qian Heng’s voice was cold. “That’s because they had no taste. They were blind.”

“…”

Suppressing his irritation, Qian Heng loomed over her. “Since you’re in this state, I suppose I’ll have to deal with the plumbing myself. But Cheng Yao, you’ll have to pay for your actions—”

Before he could finish, Cheng Yao had already started dozing off, her eyes half-closed.

“Cheng Yao??”

Who in their right mind would dare fall asleep while Qian Par was lecturing them?

No one!

Frustrated, Qian Heng leaned down, bringing his face close to Cheng Yao’s. “Cheng Yao!”

Half-asleep, Cheng Yao groggily opened her eyes, only to be met with an enlarged view of Qian Heng’s face—so handsome it almost looked unreal. His brows were slightly furrowed, his gaze locked onto her, and his perfectly straight nose stood tall right in front of her eyes.

At that moment, only one thought occupied Cheng Yao’s mind—

I really want to know… Is Qian Heng’s nose real?

Just as Qian Heng was about to call her name again and get her to go back to her room, Cheng Yao suddenly reached out a hand. Completely unprepared, Qian Heng didn’t react in time before her fingers grasped his nose. She gave it a squeeze, then, seemingly unsatisfied, pinched it again—this time harder. Then, as if conducting a thorough examination, she pinched it from different angles several more times.

Still half-dazed, Cheng Yao muttered, “Oh, even squeezing it like this doesn’t make it collapse.”

Qian Heng froze on the spot. No one—no one—had ever dared to lay hands on him like this, pinching his nose repeatedly as if he were some sort of test subject. This was practically an act of rebellion!

“So, it’s not fake, huh?”

“……”

At last, Qian Heng realized why she had been grabbing his nose.

“Cheng Yao, get up!”

But the only response he got was her soft, steady breathing. Having confirmed the integrity of his nasal structure, Cheng Yao lost the battle against sleep and alcohol, drifting off once again without a care in the world.

---

The next morning, Cheng Yao woke up early, feeling incredibly well-rested. She had had a great night’s sleep, though she vaguely remembered having some bizarre dreams—like throwing up all over Qian Heng’s Bentley and pinching his nose…

She chuckled to herself. Maybe it was her subconscious seeking revenge for all the torment she endured under Qian Heng at work?

As usual, by the time she got up to wash up, Qian Heng was already gone. As a law firm partner, he was notoriously dedicated to his work, always the first to arrive at the office. They rarely crossed paths in the morning at home.

But as soon as Cheng Yao got to work, Tan Ying sidled up to her, eyes filled with gossip. “So, did anything happen after Qian Par dropped you home last night? Anything we don’t know about?”

“Nope,” Cheng Yao waved her hands emphatically. “Nothing at all.”

Tan Ying had only been asking casually, but then she added in a hushed voice, “You know what? Qian Par was late this morning. The senior staff said it’s the first time in all his years at Junheng that he’s ever been late.” She gestured with her hands. “And he looked pissed. When he walked into the office, his face was so long you’d think the whole world owed him twenty-five thousand and eight.”

Just then, Li Minglei, who had been sorting case files nearby, joined in. “I heard there was a problem with his Bentley, so he had to take the subway this morning. I even ran into him on the train. You guys know how packed the subway is in the morning, right? He got squished up against this chubby old lady. Man, I actually felt bad for him. His whole face was just black.”

Tan Ying was intrigued. “What happened to his Bentley?”

“I overheard him talking to Wu Par—it got dirty, so he sent it for cleaning.”

“……”

For some reason, Cheng Yao had a really bad feeling about this. Her heart gave a little jolt, as if forewarning imminent disaster…

“And he’s been acting really weird today. When I came in, I overheard him asking Wu Par, ‘Does my nose look like it’s been done?’ Wu Par didn’t answer the first time, so Qian Par insistently asked a second time.”

At that moment, only two words flashed through Cheng Yao’s mind—

I’m doomed.

So everything that happened last night wasn’t a dream. She had actually done it! Not only had she thrown up in her boss’s Bentley, but she had also gone and pinched his nose!!!

Li Minglei continued, “Anyway, he’s been in a foul mood all day. Just now, I saw him chewing out a client over the phone. No idea who’s going to be unlucky enough to run into him next…”

Before he could finish, Cheng Yao’s office phone rang.

“Cheng Yao, come to my office.”

Cheng Yao felt like a prisoner walking to the gallows.

What’s meant to come will always come.

Trembling, she stepped into Qian Heng’s office, silently reciting Gorky’s The Song of the Stormy Petrel in her mind—

Let the storm come even fiercer! I am a storm petrel, and I shall soar high like black lightning!

Author’s Note:

【Mini Theater】

Qian Heng: Tonight, let’s have a baby.

Cheng Yao: ????

Qian Heng scoffed: Didn’t you doubt whether my nose was real? Simple—let’s have a baby and see. The child will definitely inherit my perfect nose. Then we’ll see if you have anything left to say.

Cheng Yao: W-wait… hold on!