Mother Cheng, a legendary lead dancer in the square dance scene, and Qian Heng, a notorious scourge of the legal world, had somehow ended up locked in a battle of wills…
“Cheng Yao, I absolutely do not approve of this boyfriend of yours! I will never allow him into the Cheng family’s home—don’t even think about it!”
Cheng Yao was nearly drained of all strength. “Mom, he really is my boss…”
Mother Cheng raised an eyebrow. “Don’t try to fool me. You’ve complained to me before—you said your boss does nothing but exploit and oppress his subordinates all day. You even called him the cancer of the industry! You said it was obvious he hadn’t had a sex life in ages, which made him a repressed psychopath. You also said he has no moral conscience, that his only principle is worshipping money, and that he takes on any client…”
“Mom, it’s not like that—please, stop talking!” Cheng Yao wanted to die on the spot. “He really is my boss!!!”
Mom… I’m begging you… please spare your daughter’s life…
Cheng Yao braved Qian Heng’s gaze, wondering if it was still possible to apologize and die with dignity. Especially since those complaints had come from her initial days at Junheng, when she had harbored a deep bias against him.
But Mother Cheng, oblivious to Cheng Yao’s inner turmoil, kept going. Meanwhile, Cheng Yao’s expectations had dropped from hoping her mom would spare her to just hoping for a complete corpse after this ordeal…
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“Jspp? Mbyv cspp sq uswap kp ps alralpple, bkp qynl xwpv alqzlnv kv. Mblal’p ds oyu bl nswze zssj yp tsse yp vbkp ralvvu csu aktbv kd qasdv sq xl!”
Ubldt Zys oypd’v pwal kq kv oyp fwpv bla kxytkdyvksd, cwv yqvla bla xsvbla’p nsxxldv, Ckyd Tldt’p ralhkswpzu eyaj lmralppksd pllxle vs pbkqv qasx pvsaxu vs ryavzu nzsweu.
Ysvbla Ubldt tyhl Ckyd Tldt ydsvbla tzydnl yde xwvvlale vs Ubldt Zys, “Jwv R byhl vs yexkv, bl eslp byhl iwkvl vbl tsse zssjp. Ls osdela usw zspv uswa pldplp shla bkx.”
Ckyd Tldt’p qynl, vbswtb pvkzz yp nsze yde dsczl yp lhla, pbsole pktdp sq nzlyakdt wr.
Ubldt Zys bye tkhld wr sd vaukdt vs pyzhytl vbl pkvwyvksd. “Ysx, kq usw jllr vbkp wr, R xktbv ynvwyzzu zspl xu fsc…”
Bdqsavwdyvlzu, ds xyvvla bso xwnb Ubldt Zys vakle vs lmrzykd, Ysvbla Ubldt pllxle elvlaxkdle dsv vs clzklhl bla.
“Usdqlppksd zlyep vs zldkldnu; alpkpvydnl zlyep vs plhlakvu! Rq usw esd’v qlpp wr vseyu, R’zz—”
Ubldt Zys dlyazu tyhl wr ldvkalzu. “Gzaktbv, qkdl, Ysx. Tl’p xu csuqaklde.”
Qian Heng: ???
Mother Cheng finally got the answer she wanted and let out a satisfied sigh. She glanced between Qian Heng and Cheng Yao. “You two sit tight. I’m going to the restroom. When I get back, the interrogation continues!”
Almost the moment she left, Qian Heng turned to Cheng Yao, arching an eyebrow. “Boyfriend?”
Cheng Yao was this close to kneeling. “Boss, saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda. Even if I say you’re my boss now, my mom won’t believe me. With her personality, she’ll never leave me alone—she might even move in to supervise me. So why not just go along with it? Anyway, once the Dong Shan inheritance case is settled, Dong Min will definitely stop pestering you, and your villa renovations will be complete. You’ll be able to move back into your mansion, and I’ll just tell my mom we broke up. Simple, easy, and hassle-free.”
“Hassle-free, simple, and logical,” Qian Heng smiled faintly, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “But according to you, I’m a sinister, psychopathic boss. Why should I help you?”
Sweating bullets, Cheng Yao thought fast. “There was… a misunderstanding. You’re so incredibly outstanding that I— I was overcome with jealousy! My twisted envy made me slander you in front of my family…” She carefully watched Qian Heng’s expression. “But look! Even after everything I said, your noble aura and exceptional good looks completely won my mom over…”
Sure enough, flattery always worked. Qian Heng, who had been stewing in displeasure, finally looked somewhat appeased.
Cheng Yao seized the opportunity and struck while the iron was hot. “Boss, if you help me out this time, I’ll be forever grateful! I’m willing to do anything to repay you—I’ll take care of all the household chores for a whole year, except cooking! Anyway, I naturally love labor, and cleaning is basically just exercise and weight loss for me!”
Qian Heng nodded slightly and smiled. “Alright.”
Cheng Yao thought she had played her cards well. Since Qian Heng was going to move out soon, her promise to handle all the chores for a year wouldn’t actually last that long.
Unfortunately, she had underestimated him.
Qian Heng glanced at her again and added with a grin, “But since I might be moving out soon, you can come to my villa and clean instead.”
“…”
“My villa has four floors, including the basement, covering over 400 square meters. The yard is more than 100 square meters too. Just running up and down the stairs and around the yard a few times will give you plenty of exercise. You wanted to get fit and lose weight, right? This is perfect for you.”
“…”
“The gym at our office is pretty limited, and getting a membership at a decent gym would cost thousands, wouldn’t it?” Qian Heng was still smiling. “I just saved you a ton of money. No need to thank me too much—just work a couple of extra unpaid shifts on the weekends to show your gratitude.”
“…”
“For the next year, make sure to train well.”
“…”
When Mama Cheng returned from the restroom, she immediately sensed that something was off. First, her daughter’s expression was downright miserable—like a wilted bitter melon, greenish-yellow with a hint of black. Meanwhile, Qian Heng, who had been frowning earlier, now looked fresh and content.
But at least Cheng Yao had finally admitted that Qian Heng was her boyfriend, sincerely apologized, and explained that they were only roommates to save on rent. She also assured her mother that nothing inappropriate had happened between them. Mama Cheng even conducted a surprise inspection of the rooms and confirmed that their belongings were kept strictly separate, with nothing suspicious in sight.
Now, it was time for questioning.
“Yao Yao, what does Xiao Qian do for a living?”
Just as Qian Heng was about to respond, Cheng Yao cut in swiftly. “Him? He works on a factory assembly line, rotating three shifts. Unfortunately, the factory had layoffs, so he just lost his job.”
Since she had already paid such a heavy price for this fake boyfriend scheme, Cheng Yao felt annoyed. She figured she could tell her mom they broke up in a little while anyway, so there was no need to reveal the truth about Qian Heng. Ignoring his displeased stare, she boldly took this chance to slander him to her heart’s content.
Sure enough, Mama Cheng was taken aback. “Then, what’s Xiao Qian’s education background? Did he study mechanical engineering or something? Is he an engineering supervisor at the factory?”
“What mechanical engineering? He’s just a vocational school graduate—an assembly line worker.”
Mama Cheng was stumped. “But he doesn’t look like it… His face looks so smart. Did he have to drop out due to financial difficulties? Maybe he could go to night school? Young people should strive for more. It’s tough to get by without a college degree these days.”
“No, Mom. His family could afford his education—he’s just dumb. You know what? Back in high school, his nickname was ‘Barbecue.’ Why? Because in math, physics, and chemistry, he scored six points each—six points, six points, six points. Get it? BBQ!”1 This joke is a play on words and numbers.1. The nickname “Barbecue” (BBQ) sounds like “B-B-Q” when pronounced.2. The student scored 6 points in three subjects: math, physics, and chemistry.3. When you write these scores together, they form 6-6-6 (six-six-six).4. In some fonts, 666 can resemble BBQ when stylized or abbreviated.So, the joke is that his consistently low scores (6 points each) earned him the nickname “Barbecue” (BBQ) because 666 visually and phonetically resembles “BBQ.”
Mama Cheng looked troubled. Their family was quite traditional—they didn’t approve of cohabitation before marriage but also believed in relationship freedom. Since Cheng Yao had chosen this partner, Mama Cheng couldn’t outright object, but she was clearly worried. “So now that Xiao Qian is unemployed, what’s he going to do?”
Ignoring Qian Heng’s warning gaze, Cheng Yao patted her chest confidently. “Don’t worry, Mom. I make good money—I’ll take care of him!”
“This…”
“Society is changing. The old-fashioned idea that women belong at home and men should work is outdated. I love my job and don’t want to give it up for family life. Isn’t this perfect? Since Qian Heng can’t earn much anyway, he can stay home and cook for me. Right, Qian Heng?”
Qian Heng shot her a murderous glare, but when he thought about the yearlong villa cleaning service and the fact that Cheng Yao’s cooking was indeed delicious, he finally gritted his teeth and let out a reluctant “Mm.”
Mama Cheng was still uneasy. After asking a few more questions, she saw that it was getting late. She left behind the food and bedding she had brought, gave Cheng Yao some parting words of advice, and left—though she looked like she still had a lot to say.
As soon as Mama Cheng was gone, it was time for Qian Heng to settle the score.
“Cheng Yao, did you have fun making up stories about me?” His voice was dangerously low. “How exactly do you plan to ‘take care’ of me?”
Cheng Yao coughed. She had already come up with an excuse, and now she put on an expression of pure righteousness. “Boss, I had no choice! Once you move out, I’ll tell my mom we broke up. But if I told her the truth about you now, she’d never let go of such an outstanding future son-in-law. She’d be nagging me to get back together all the time! Besides, if I told her how perfect you really are, it wouldn’t make sense for me to suddenly break up with you, would it? So, I had to make you seem unimpressive—only then would our breakup make sense.”
Qian Heng sneered. “And you never considered the possibility that the ‘outstanding me’ could just dump you instead?”
“…”
“Your year-end bonus? Gone.”
At the mention of lost money, Cheng Yao instantly exploded. “Qian Heng! This is a blatant abuse of power! And it’s completely against labor protection laws! You’re a lawyer—how can you knowingly break the law?!”
But Qian Heng only smiled smugly. “Then go ahead, quit your job, file for labor arbitration, and sue me. Do you think you’d win?”
“…”
Damn it! You win!
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