AMBTICBPIB Chapter 86

On the third day, Chu Yi finally submitted his proposal to Manager Meng.

Chu Yi had completed the proposal entirely on his own, without any assistance from Shen Jin. He had only asked Shen Jin for clarification on a few points he didn’t understand. After working on it for two nights, he finally produced a proposal he was satisfied with.

Since Wang Xin had submitted his proposal the very next day and it was quite well-done, Manager Meng had developed a greater appreciation for Wang Xin.

Manager Meng already held a preconceived notion about Chu Yi’s proposal. He assumed that since Chu Yi had taken so long, his work couldn’t possibly be as good as Wang Xin’s. Submitting the proposal right at the deadline seemed like he was just slacking off.

Manager Meng casually flipped through Chu Yi’s proposal.

When Manager Meng announced that Chu Yi’s proposal had been selected for the project, Wang Xin’s smile nearly faltered.

But there was nothing he could do. Almost everyone in the department agreed that Chu Yi’s proposal was superior.

Moreover, to ensure fairness, Director Meng had concealed the authors’ names on both proposals, meaning no one knew which one belonged to Chu Yi and which one belonged to Wang Xin.

Manager Meng had a good impression of Wang Xin. Seeing the young man so dejected, he patted Wang Xin on the shoulder and comforted him, “Don’t lose heart. Your proposal was excellent too.”

Wang Xin forced a smile. “Thank you, Manager Meng. I’ll keep working hard.”

He glanced at Chu Yi, wondering how Chu Yi could have done so well. He refused to believe Chu Yi had done it alone; without help, Chu Yi couldn’t possibly have surpassed him.

The department adopted Chu Yi’s proposal with minimal revisions. After it was submitted, the entire department received praise from upper management.

This was cause for celebration, and Director Meng decided to hold a department dinner that evening.

Previously, the department members had seen Chu Yi as someone only capable of handling menial tasks, largely because of his striking good looks.

But after seeing Chu Yi’s proposal, their perception of him changed dramatically. Everyone congratulated him enthusiastically.

“Chu Yi, you’re amazing! If it were me, I doubt I could have come up with such an outstanding proposal.”

“Exactly! It was meticulously detailed yet concise.”

Everyone was praising Chu Yi, but one person, noticing Wang Xin’s mood, added with a smile, “Wang Xin’s proposal was excellent too.”

“Absolutely! Wang Xin did great too. Our department has such talented young men.”

Sister Wang raised her glass. “A toast to our department’s handsome and brilliant young men!”

After finishing his drink, Wang Xin turned to Chu Yi. “Congratulations. Your proposal was truly better than mine.”

“Thank you,” Chu Yi replied.

Wang Xin looked at him earnestly. “I did mine myself. Did you have some expert helping you? I’m so envious you know someone like that.”

Chu Yi met his gaze. “I did it myself.”

Wang Xin smiled, already convinced of his own theory. The new CEO must be secretly supporting Chu Yi. Why else would President Chen have specifically asked Chu Yi to deliver documents to President Shen? It was clearly to give Chu Yi more opportunities to shine.

As the dinner ended and everyone headed home, Wang Xin noticed Chu Yi walking ahead toward the bus stop. Wang Xin scoffed inwardly, *Too cheap to even take a taxi?*

Wang Xin hailed a cab. After driving about a hundred meters, he saw Chu Yi get into a luxury car parked by the roadside.

“Driver, stop!” Wang Xin called out.

Shen Jin sighed helplessly. “Chu Yi, why do I have to pick you up so far away even when you’re just having dinner with colleagues? This isn’t the office.”

Chu Yi, anxious about being seen, had specifically asked Shen Jin to wait a hundred meters from the restaurant, just like at work.

For the past few weeks, Shen Jin had been picking up Chu Yi a hundred meters from the office, faithfully adhering to their agreement. Whenever others were present, Chu Yi addressed Shen Jin as “President Shen,” maintaining a formal distance.

Chu Yi knew how much Shen Jin had been accommodating him lately.

He stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Shen Jin’s neck, and cooed, “Thank you for picking me up, darling.”

Shen Jin raised an eyebrow. “Is that all I get?”

Chu Yi leaned in and gave him a quick kiss.

“Just one?” Shen Jin pressed.

Chu Yi leaned in again, this time planting a lingering, passionate kiss on his lips.

Wang Xin, sitting in his Didi ride, clearly saw Chu Yi get into the luxury car. He could make out a man sitting inside, though he couldn’t see his face clearly. What he did see was Chu Yi immediately embracing the man.

Wang Xin instinctively glanced at the car’s license plate.

Two days later, Wang Xin spotted the same luxury car again. This time, the person who stepped out of it was none other than President Shen himself!

***

As Chu Yi left the house that morning, he sneezed. Uncle Wen, who overheard, immediately asked, “Are you catching a cold?”

“No, it was just a normal sneeze, Uncle Wen,” Chu Yi replied. “You don’t need to worry so much.”

If Shen Jin thought he was getting sick, he’d definitely make him stay home to rest. Besides, Chu Yi felt fine, just a little chilly when he woke up.

He felt fine throughout the morning. But by lunchtime, he started feeling a bit dizzy—just a little, so he didn’t tell Shen Jin.

Although Shen Jin had been spending most of his time at the branch office lately, he still had matters to attend to at the group’s headquarters.

“I need to step out for a while,” Shen Jin told Chu Yi.

“Okay,” Chu Yi replied. He knew Shen Jin wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him.

“After lunch, you should rest here,” Shen Jin said.

Shen Jin stayed with Chu Yi through lunch, only leaving the branch office after watching him fall asleep.

When the alarm rang, Chu Yi woke up groggily. He scanned the office but didn’t see Shen Jin anywhere. It was the first time he’d woken up without Shen Jin by his side, and he felt a little uneasy.

Chu Yi sat on the sofa for a while, and Shen Jin had thoughtfully placed a glass of water on the table beforehand. After drinking the water, Chu Yi felt much better.

Back in the office, Chu Yi resumed his normal work routine. Once he got busy, he completely forgot about the dizziness.

While stepping out briefly, he ran into Chen Ye.

Chen Ye noticed Chu Yi’s pale complexion. “Chu Yi, you look a bit out of it. Are you feeling unwell?”

Chu Yi shook his head. “It’s nothing, just a little dizzy. I’ll take some medicine later and be fine. Don’t worry.”

Despite his words, Chen Ye remained visibly concerned. Having worked closely with Shen Jin for so long, he knew how important Chu Yi was to Shen Jin and how well Shen Jin treated him. Normally, Shen Jin would be extremely anxious even if Chu Yi had the slightest discomfort.

Worried that Chen Ye might overreact, Chu Yi quickly added, “Brother Chen Ye, I’m really fine. Please don’t tell Shen Jin about this.”

After securing Chen Ye’s promise, Chu Yi returned to his office.

No sooner had he left than Chen Ye sent Shen Jin a text message.

Back in the office, Sister Wang immediately noticed Chu Yi’s discomfort and approached him with concern. “Chu Yi, are you sick? Your complexion looks terrible.”

“It’s just a minor cold,” Chu Yi replied.

Knowing Chu Yi was a new intern with little life experience, Sister Wang figured the office probably didn’t have any common medicines on hand.

She found some cold medicine for him. “Take this,” she said. “If you’re still feeling unwell, take the day off and go home to rest.”

Ever since meeting Chu Yi, Sister Wang had treated him like a younger brother, often offering guidance and assistance at work and sharing her snacks with him. Seeing him unwell, she was genuinely concerned.

“Thank you, Sister Wang,” Chu Yi replied. “I’ll take it in a bit.”

He still had some tasks to finish. He planned to complete them first before heading to the break room for water and taking the medicine.

Sister Wang, acting like an older sister, insisted, “Take it now! Don’t delay. I’ll get you some water.”

“I’ll take it right now!” Chu Yi quickly assured her. He knew if he didn’t take the medicine immediately, Sister Wang would personally fetch water and bring it to him.

As he entered the break room, Chu Yi felt his head growing heavier, worse than it had been at noon.

*Good thing Shen Jin was out at lunch,* he thought. *If he’d seen me like this, he would have sent me home to rest immediately.*

By the time they met again in a few hours, he should be feeling much better. He could just tell Shen Jin it was just a minor cold.

Chu Yi was lost in his pleasant thoughts, having drunk half the water in his cup, when he sensed someone approaching from behind.

Assuming it was a colleague coming to refill their water, Chu Yi moved aside to make way.

But the person headed straight for him.

The man carried a scent Chu Yi was intimately familiar with, but due to his stuffy nose from the cold, Chu Yi failed to recognize it.

“Are you sick?” Shen Jin’s voice suddenly startled Chu Yi from behind.

Shen Jin stepped forward and touched Chu Yi’s forehead, finding it burning hot. “Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?”

Chu Yi leaned back against the counter, momentarily speechless. *How did Shen Jin suddenly appear? How did he know I was sick?*

Before Chu Yi could fabricate an excuse, Shen Jin grabbed his hand and led him out.

Chu Yi: *!!!*

“President Shen,” Chu Yi protested, “we’re at the office. People will see us.”

Chu Yi was sick, and Shen Jin couldn’t care less about being seen. Chu Yi was his husband; there was nothing to hide.

Shen Jin glanced at him. “Then I’ll carry you out.”

Chu Yi fell silent.

Fortunately, they encountered no one along the way.

Only when they reached the car did Chu Yi remember to ask, “Where are we going?”

“Let’s go home,” Shen Jin said.

“I haven’t finished work yet,” Chu Yi replied.

“I’ve already called in sick for you.”

Whether it was because his cold had worsened or due to the medication, Chu Yi felt drowsy and leaned against Shen Jin’s shoulder, drifting in and out of sleep.

By the time they arrived home, Dr. Meng was already waiting.

Dr. Meng took Chu Yi’s temperature, asked about his symptoms, and reviewed the cold medicine he had taken. He reassured Shen Jin, “It’s just a common cold. Rest and take the medicine, and he should be much better by tomorrow.”

After Dr. Meng left, Chu Yi smiled at Shen Jin, but Shen Jin’s expression remained stern.

“Don’t be angry,” Chu Yi said. “I didn’t think it was serious. The medicine will fix it.”

Shen Jin stared at him. “Still not telling me?”

“I was wrong,” Chu Yi admitted. He should have known he couldn’t rely on Brother Chen Ye.

Shen Jin’s expression remained stern. Chu Yi knew he was angry that he hadn’t been told about the illness. He coughed dramatically. “Aiya, I feel so awful! Waaah!”

“Where does it hurt?” Shen Jin asked.

Chu Yi clutched Shen Jin’s hand. “It hurts when you’re angry. If you smile, it won’t hurt anymore.”

Chu Yi, weakened and vulnerable by his illness, looked so pitiful that Shen Jin immediately softened. He squeezed Chu Yi’s hand. “Alright, I’m not angry anymore.”

Before Chu Yi could even celebrate for two seconds, Shen Jin gritted his teeth. “Chu Yi, if you don’t take care of yourself from now on, you’ll get an extra hour.”

Chu Yi: ……

Chu Yi immediately begged for mercy. “Husband, I was wrong! Please come to bed with me.”