ACMS 26

Chapter 26: The Counterattack Begins

Talking about giving a wedding gift—whether or not Shen Hechuan would believe it, even Judy herself didn’t believe it.

This was so impulsive. A little scene like this, her boss could settle it with just a twitch of a finger. What was the point of her jumping in?

All thanks to that damned wage slave spirit—she just couldn’t stand anyone speaking ill of her boss, her source of food and shelter.

Now that things had come this far, she had no choice but to brace herself and go all in!

In front of Shen Hechuan, Judy shed the pretentious, squeaky voice she’d used earlier with Qiao Le and slipped instantly into the role of a professional secretary. “President Shen, I came with some friends to relax—didn’t expect to run into you here.”

Even in a fringed, backless camisole dress and ten-centimeter heels, Miss Judy now had the clear, determined look of someone ready to whip out her laptop and start working overtime.

It was after work hours—employees were free to go wherever they liked. Shen Hechuan didn’t think much of it and simply nodded, accepting her explanation.

But Yang Mu, hearing Judy call his company’s president by name, showed a visible change in expression.

He shoved Qiao Le’s hand off him, tidied his collar, and looked at Judy suspiciously. “Who are you? How do you know President Fang? And who the hell is this ‘President Shen’ of yours—?”

He trailed off, finally looking at Shen Hechuan with a dawning sense of disbelief. “Him? Are you kidding me? Who are you trying to fool? ‘President Shen’? What, is he some actor you hired to play the part?!”

Qiao Le was beyond speechless. “No matter how ridiculous the lie, your mouth’s big enough to say it.”

Unbelievable. Now he was imagining hired actors?

Miss Judy, who had just been demoted from “President Shen’s secretary” to “random background actor,” rolled her eyes elegantly.

She had no patience for people like Yang Mu who refused to believe reality until they hit the wall. She pulled out her phone from her purse. “Want me to call President Fang right now? Although, honestly, someone like you is probably beneath his notice. When he shows up, don’t go thinking we just hired another extra.”

Judy’s remark made a few people snicker, and the looks they gave Yang Mu were those reserved for clowns.

Yang Mu looked around, no longer sure whether Judy was bluffing. His instinct said she was, but what if she wasn’t? If she really did have the connections she claimed, he could very well lose his job.

For all his bluster, Yang Mu was just a low-level deputy director, someone who’d never even gotten a face-to-face with the CEO.

Weighing the risk, he didn’t dare gamble his future. His voice uncertain, he turned to Shen Hechuan. “Who exactly are you?”

This was a prime opportunity for a dramatic reveal—one Judy wouldn’t dream of missing. She put her hands on her hips and began, “Our President Shen is—”

Shen Hechuan raised a hand to stop her. Judy choked mid-sentence and quickly swallowed her words.

“Who I am, you don’t need to know,” Shen Hechuan said calmly, his expression steady and composed despite Yang Mu’s earlier insults and Judy’s public defense. “You only need to know one thing.”

Yang Mu: “What thing?”

Shen Hechuan glanced at Qiao Le and replied slowly, “That whether I’m a real estate salesman, an insurance agent, or just a kept pretty boy, Qiao Le would still choose me.”

“…” Yang Mu’s face twisted with frustration, unable to come up with a single retort.

Strike one.

That hit harder than Judy announcing his identity as the CEO of Hualang Group.

Yang Mu had come in trying to show off his job title and social status—and in one light jab, Shen Hechuan flipped it all around on him.

And the worst part? He couldn’t argue back.

Because Shen Hechuan was telling the truth: if Qiao Le were interested in Yang Mu, today never would have happened.

To Qiao Le, it didn’t matter if Yang Mu worked at a top-ranked company. He simply wasn’t interested. That identity Yang Mu took such pride in was, to Qiao Le, utterly irrelevant.

A strike to the heart—Shen Hechuan didn’t miss.

Qiao Le couldn’t help laughing and gave him a big thumbs-up.

Judy clapped silently in her heart for her boss. This was why he was the boss—he could slice someone up with a few words, effortlessly and invisibly. Nothing beats experience.

But Shen Hechuan wasn’t done.

His gaze landed on the roses Yang Mu had placed on the bar. He reached out and gently brushed the petals, then turned to Yang Mu. “They are beautiful. Thank you for reminding me—I should bring flowers for Lele next time. You’re a good man.”

Strike two.

“You’re a good man”—those four words were brutal.

What does it feel like to get the “good guy” card from your love rival? Who the hell could explain it?

Laughter broke out louder than before. Even customers on the second floor peeked down to enjoy the show.

Yang Mu’s face twisted, and he had to resist the urge to smash the roses right then and there. But with Shen Hechuan’s identity still unclear, all he could do was clench his jaw and growl, “You’re welcome. Just a small gift. It’s not even worth that much.”

He stressed the words “not worth much.”

Shen Hechuan smiled courteously. “Is that so? Then as a return gift—tonight’s drinks are on me. Please, help yourself, Mr. Yang.”

Strike three.

Shen Hechuan’s words just now perfectly matched Qiao Le’s earlier remark, “If you want a drink, wait a moment? My boyfriend will pay for it.”

It couldn’t have been more fitting.

Qiao Le looked at Shen Hechuan in surprise, his heart skipping a beat. There was an indescribable feeling, something he couldn’t quite put into words.

It was as though they had an unspoken understanding, even though they hadn’t exchanged any signals. This made him feel both astonished and refreshed.

The feeling was strange, impossible to fully describe, but there was an undeniable joy in it.

He was happy. He was happy that Shen Hechuan had come, and he was even happier now.

Shen Hechuan’s words sent the crowd into cheers, especially Judy’s friends, who turned into a live atmosphere team. One even went over to Yang Mu’s side and clapped loudly, making him seethe with anger.

This battle had been too easy for Shen Hechuan, and Yang Mu lost all his face.

Under the mocking gazes of the crowd, Yang Mu almost fled the bar, but halfway there, he turned back, snatched the “worthless” roses, and stormed off with it.

After he left, one of Judy’s friends, feeling bolder, approached Shen Hechuan and asked, “President Shen, does what you said just now count? You’re paying for all the drinks tonight? Can we order anything we want?”

“Of course, feel free,” Shen Hechuan replied, then turned to Judy, who had stood up for him earlier. “Judy, your bonus is doubled this month. You don’t have to go to the office tomorrow. Have fun.”

“That’s amazing! Thank you, President Shen!”

“Bring me ten more drinks! I won’t leave until I’m drunk tonight!”

Judy, who had been sulking over the twenty thousand yuan earlier, was instantly revived!

That twenty thousand yuan was totally worth it!

Her boss was truly her source of livelihood—she was going to serve him like a devoted employee for life!

However, she still felt that letting Yang Mu walk away so easily was too much of a concession. She leaned in next to Shen Hechuan and whispered, “President Shen, are we just letting this go? Do I need to handle it with Huanqai?”

She made a “snap” gesture with her fingers.

Shen Hechuan: “…”

Of course, he wasn’t letting it go. If he was going to solve it, it had to be solved thoroughly.

But this wasn’t the right place to discuss it, so he said, “We’ll talk about it later.”

Judy immediately understood. “Got it!”

On the other side, Fang Jiaxu grabbed the microphone and, with the sound system loud enough for the entire room to hear, said, “Tonight’s drinks are all on Mr. Shen, Qiao Le’s boyfriend. Feel free to order!”

Although the crowd wasn’t large, most were regulars, and Fang Jiaxu’s words were essentially a public announcement about Qiao Le’s relationship.

The guests all clapped politely, creating a lively atmosphere.

Qiao Man couldn’t figure out what was going on, but seeing the adults clapping, he too clapped his little hands, his palms turning red from the effort.

After Fang Jiaxu’s announcement, the music switched to “Love Paradise,” a classic wedding song, and the entire place filled with a sweet, romantic air.

Under the teasing of the crowd, Qiao Le initially felt a little embarrassed but couldn’t help laughing. He subconsciously looked toward Shen Hechuan and found that the other man was also looking at him.

In the swirling lights and sweet music, their eyes met in midair, both smiling at each other.

Shen Hechuan raised his brow slightly, and Qiao Le understood the meaning. He gave an “OK” gesture, indicating he was very much in favor.

They exchanged smiles, and Shen Hechuan sat down on a chair at the bar, turning to Qiao Le and saying, “Next time, if something comes up, let me know in time. Don’t handle it alone.”

Qiao Le had a good temper. He must’ve been dealing with Yang Mu’s harassment for a long time to be this upset today.

“Okay.”

“Also, save my phone number. Next time, just call me directly,” Shen Hechuan added.

Qiao Le handed over his phone, and Shen Hechuan entered his number. After dialing and hanging up, he returned the phone to Qiao Le.

They had exchanged numbers, and it felt like their relationship had taken another step forward.

Qiao Le looked at the name “Shen Hechuan” in his contacts, thought for a moment, and added the letter “A” in front, watching as the number jumped to the top of his contact list.

As they were chatting, Judy came over with the drink menu and approached Qiao Le. “We want to drink Iceland…”

She stopped halfway, remembering Qiao Le’s identity.

The atmosphere was so good that she almost forgot and was about to ask the future Mrs. CEO to mix drinks for her.

Noticing Shen Hechuan’s gaze, she swallowed her words. “We don’t want anything. Just some lemon water, please. Hehe.”

She was about to silently step away when Shen Hechuan spoke. “Don’t worry about me. This is his job. I won’t interfere. You’re free to order whatever you want.”

He and Qiao Le were independent individuals, and even after their contract marriage, he wouldn’t interfere in Qiao Le’s work and life. If Qiao Le liked working at A Drink To Unwind, then he would respect it.

Qiao Le smiled at Shen Hechuan, feeling very pleased with his understanding. He turned to Judy and asked what she wanted to drink.

With the boss having spoken, Judy relaxed and ordered a few options. Qiao Le agreed, then recommended two popular sparkling wines.

Miss Judy, who didn’t have to work tomorrow, confidently declared, “Drink! Let’s drink!”

“Wait a moment,” Qiao Le said, putting the drink menu aside. He remembered that Judy had asked for his WeChat earlier.

Since they were all familiar with each other, he had no reason to hold back. He pulled out his WeChat QR code and showed it to Judy. “Sister, you wanted to add me earlier, right? Go ahead and scan it.”

Shen Hechuan paused in his drinking, lifting his head to look at Judy. “Sister?”

Judy: “…”

Shen Hechuan set his drink down and asked, his tone ambiguous, “Do all the female customers who come to your place have to be called ‘sister’?”

Judy: “…” It was too much.

“Ah, not exactly,” Qiao Le said. “Miss Judy is a bit older than me, and she said I should call her…”

“I said just call me Xiao Zhu!”

Judy didn’t dare let him finish the sentence and quickly interrupted, “Otherwise, calling me Judy is fine, just don’t call me ‘sister,’ please! I absolutely hate it when people call me ‘sister!’ It makes me feel uncomfortable all over!”

Qiao Le: “…”

“Really?” Shen Hechuan casually remarked, not exposing her lie.

Since his arrival, Judy and Qiao Le hadn’t had any interaction. The request to add each other as friends was clearly made before his arrival, and in such a setting, the intention behind adding private WeChat contacts was obvious.

But he could understand why Judy didn’t know about his relationship with Qiao Le. As long as it didn’t happen again, it was fine.

“Go ahead,” he said. “If you can’t get in touch with me, you can contact Judy.”

These words acted like a pass, signaling that Qiao Le could reach him anytime and anywhere. Even if work made it hard to contact him directly, Judy could be used as a go-between.

Judy breathed a sigh of relief, knowing her little life had been saved.

Please, her total income from working at Hualang for a year was well over a million! She absolutely couldn’t lose this job!

She pulled out her phone, scanned Qiao Le’s WeChat QR code, and after adding him as a friend, said, “It’s my sincere pleasure to serve both you and President Shen. Feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything.”

Then, noticing Qiao Man playing with a Rubik’s cube nearby, she remembered the little guy had said he liked Lego. Deciding to help her boss a bit more, she said to Qiao Le, “Does Xiao Man still like Lego from last time? President Shen specifically went to buy it and picked out sets suitable for kids around five or six years old.”

“Hmm?” Qiao Le was taken aback, looking at Shen Hechuan. “Didn’t you say Lego was a company benefit?”

Shen Hechuan: “…”

Judy: “…”

Qiao Le suddenly realized. “So you bought it?”

“…” Shen Hechuan looked at Judy and softly asked, “Wasn’t it a company benefit?”

Judy: “…”

Life’s ups and downs were just too much.

Was I really going to lose this job? QAQ?