The Complete Guide to the Use and Care of a Personal a.s.sistant
Translator: Jury
Editor: NomNom
First Published on Chaleuria
Chapter Forty-six
Of course, Feng Ji hadn"t told Su Yuyang that Yan Li had arrived early so Su Yuyang was still very leisurely reading Ling Miao"s update.
"Mm?" Su Yuyang"s eyes went wide. He saw that he had died.
Su Yuyang didn"t know when Ling Miao had written the chapter, but one thing he could be sure of was that Ling Miao had written it after Su Yuyang had killed off Ling Miao #2.
"Ling Miao." Su Yuyang inexplicably smiled. The smile was probably a grimace but it also showed hints of indulgence, so it looked rather ambiguous. Su Yuyang wrote down on paper the detailed outline of this chapter and his a.n.a.lysis, then got up and walked out of the room.
It was close to noon and Ling Miao was in the kitchen cooking. Su Yuyang walked to the kitchen doorway and watched Ling Miao"s busy silhouette. A great sense of satisfaction made him feel that life like this was what he needed.
After lunch, Su Yuyang called Ling Miao over, which Ling Miao casually refused. Su Yuyang was a little disappointed, which led him to demand a word sprint in the group chat. n.o.body replied to him but the great sense of failure turned into motivation and with a cold "hmph" Su Yuyang began to word sprint on his own.
Ling Miao carefully pulled open Su Yuyang"s bedroom door, peeking at Su Yuyang through the crack. Seeing that Su Yuyang was currently completely focused on writing, Ling Miao"s tightly wound heart relaxed.
Ling Miao went to the balcony, took his clothes down, and put them in his suitcase. Then he tidied his storage box, and finally his gaze fell on the suitcase containing his books.
Every book was one he liked, and he also still hoped that one day Shu Yang would sign the books. But now that the chance was at hand, he gave up because he felt that Su Yuyang was too despicable a person.
Just despicable.
Ling Miao tidied all his things and waited for Su Yuyang to come out.
Su Yuyang came out from his room and immediately saw Ling Miao sitting on the sofa. He said, "Mm," as if not understanding why Ling Miao was sitting there.
"Xiao Miao, I"ve sent you a QQ with the draft. When you have time, edit it. I"m going to the gym."
Hearing Su Yuyang"s voice, Ling Miao came back to his senses. He nodded and didn"t say anything. Su Yuyang felt that something was off with Ling Miao. His forehead creased and he asked worriedly, "Xiao Miao, did something happen?"
"Ah?" Ling Miao stared at Su Yuyang in a daze, eyes caught between longing and conflict.
Su Yuyang had already opened the door but seeing Ling Miao"s state, he became worried and walked back. Su Yuyang sat beside Ling Miao, placing his hand on Ling Miao"s forehead, and after confirming that Ling Miao didn"t have a fever he relaxed a little. Ling Miao let Su Yuyang put his hand on his forehead, let Su Yuyang"s breath fall on his face, and even though his heart called out for him to punch Su Yuyang so hard he"d be left hanging from the wall, his hands tightened into fists but uneasily hung at his sides. Su Yuyang patted his shoulders, saying affectionately: "Take care of yourself. If you get sick, no one"s there to take care of you."
"Tcheh." Ling Miao put up a strong front and let out a cold huff.
Su Yuyang didn"t say anything, only looked at Ling Miao with a smile. Ling Miao felt that Su Yuyang"s gaze was warm, but in the warmth there were hints of a stronger heat. Ling Miao lowered his head to avoid Su Yuyang"s gaze but his heart was pounding like he"d just run a mile. Ling Miao"s lowered eyes met Su Yuyang"s toes. Suddenly he gave Su Yuyang a punch, using a lecturing tone: "Hey, Su Yuyang, don"t you know to change into slippers when you come in the house?! You tracked dirt all over the ground! I have to clean it again, f.u.c.k it!"
If Ling Miao"s previous tone was warm, now… even though it was still warm, Su Yuyang couldn"t understand how Ling Miao"s emotional state had changed so fast. Su Yuyang froze. Ling Miao pushed at Su Yuyang"s shoulder and said: "Get out, or change your shoes."
Remembering that he still had to go out, Su Yuyang hurriedly agreed: "I"m leaving. Don"t make dinner tonight. I"ll treat you to hot pot."
The door shut and Ling Miao"s heart jumped.
Time pa.s.sed quietly. Only when Ling Miao estimated Su Yuyang had reached the ground floor did he go over to the window to confirm it. Su Yuyang"s silhouette gradually grew more distant, the ant-sized silhouette finally disappearing before Ling Miao"s eyes.
Ling Miao lay on the sofa, looking at his phone, hesitating as he decided whether to call Ji Linxi.
"Since I"ve decided to go, why am I still dithering?" Ling Miao said self-mockingly, then called Ji Linxi.
Yesterday, Ling Miao had informed Ji Linxi that he needed help to move his stuff today, so Ji Linxi had taken the afternoon off.
On getting Ling Miao"s call, Ji Linxi actually really wished that Ling Miao would tell him, "Linxi, I"m not moving anymore." But this hope was in direct conflict with reality.
"Linxi, he"s gone." Ling Miao"s intentions were clear the moment he opened his mouth.
"Roger. I"m on my way."
This wasn"t Ji Linxi"s first time at Su Yuyang"s house. He knew the roads and quickly arrived at Su Yuyang"s apartment, where Ling Miao had already opened the door.
"Still just these things?" Ji Linxi was stunned.
"If not?" Ling Miao shrugged.
The things were piled by the door. Ji Linxi and Ling Miao took several items each and prepared to move them, but a woman blocked their way.
"Who are you?" The woman leaned against the wall, one leg on the handrail along the stairs, blocking Ling Miao and Ji Linxi"s way.
With his way blocked, Ling Miao cursed his bad luck.
Looking at Ling Miao"s frown and the frustration on his face, the woman"s gaze instantly sharpened. She narrowed her eyes at the two men in front of her, probing: "You"re thieves?"
Ji Linxi almost fainted. If they really were thieves, would the woman still be standing there without a scratch? Ji Linxi labeled her "stupid" and stared at her, suddenly finding her familiar.
Ji Linxi"s gaze swept over the woman, who let Ji Linxi look her over without any frustration or anger. She even corrected her posture.
Ji Linxi felt that this woman was like a sheathed sword: the moment it was unsheathed, he and Ling Miao would instantly be killed.
"Where"s Su Yuyang?"
Hearing the words "Su Yuyang," Ling Miao was the first to react. These three words let Ling Miao know that this woman was acquainted with Su Yuyang.
Ling Miao"s fingers tightened into a fist. Something seemed to occur to the woman, who pointed at Ling Miao and said in wonder: "You"re Su Yuyang"s a.s.sistant!"
Ling Miao nodded stiffly.
"You stole Su Yuyang"s things and are on the run?" the woman asked in a joking tone.
Ling Miao was about to explain when he heard Ji Linxi"s voice.
"Ling Miao, are you going or not? If you"re going, don"t waste time talking to her or Su Yuyang might come back," Ji Linxi said impatiently, then picked up his things and walked towards the stairs. But the woman"s leg was still in the way.
"Please move aside," Ji Linxi said hurriedly, his gaze s.h.i.+fty like he was trying to escape something.
Watching Ji Linxi"s blank face and hearing his cold tone, the woman thought that people shouldn"t be so cold.女人没有让，反而用挑衅的眼神对上纪林熙慌乱有火星的眸子。
The woman didn"t move aside and instead met Ji Linxi"s panicked gaze with a challenging gaze of her own.
Seeing that neither Ji Linxi nor the woman were standing down, Ling Miao took a deep breath and said weakly, "I quit, so I"m moving out."
The woman shook her head, indicating her disbelief.
Ling Miao was also getting impatient. He was worried that the woman was stalling for time—once Su Yuyang came back, it wouldn"t be nearly as easy for him to leave. Not that Su Yuyang would get in the way—Ling Miao was worried that his hard-won resolve to leave would be shaken.
"Whether you believe it or not, I"ve resigned," Ling Miao said in a low voice.
Ling Miao"s words were steady and sincere, but the woman continued to shake her head.
Ling Miao"s patience had been completely worn out. He grit his teeth and cleared his throat: "I have motherf.u.c.king quit. Why can"t I leave? Who are you? On what grounds are you poking your nose into Su Yuyang"s business? Even if you can order Su Yuyang around, on what grounds are you trying to mind my business? Are you a decoy sent by Su Yuyang to stall for time? Ah, even if Su Yuyang comes back, I"ll still leave. I"m not happy! I want to leave! If you keep blocking my way I won"t stand on ceremony!"
"Won"t stand on ceremony?" Ripples of emotion surfaced in the woman"s calm eyes, excitement in her faint smile.
Right there in front of Ling Miao, the woman pulled out her cellphone and punched in a number, then put it on speakerphone.
"Yan Yan, what made you suddenly think to call me?" Su Yuyang"s clear voice entered Ling Miao"s ears. This confirmed without a doubt that not only was the woman called Yan Yan friends with Su Yuyang, from Su Yuyang"s familiar tone, their relations.h.i.+p was more than just ordinary. But Ling Miao also heard a different emotion from Su Yuyang— a frustration of wanting to cry and not being able to, sorrow underlying a forced smile as he wiped tears from his eyes.
Could be man or woman, dominant or submissive, butch or femme.
The words hidden in the depths of Ling Miao"s mind sprang out—this was how Su Yuyang had described the owner of the bed in the study to Ling Miao.
The woman who came looking for Su Yuyang was, of course, Yan Li, who had wanted to give Su Yuyang a fright, but even before seeing Su Yuyang she had met his little a.s.sistant who was trying to run away.
"I"m at your door. Your little a.s.sistant is running away," Yan Li drawled, her teasing tone making Ling Miao go red in the face.
Your little a.s.sistant, your little a.s.sistant. Why did it sound so intimate?
"He"s leaving?" Su Yuyang shouted in surprise, his shout instantly turning Ling Miao"s earlier "I have motherf.u.c.king quit" into a lie. Yan Li watched Ling Miao with a cold smile. Ling Miao felt that a gust of cold wind had blown across his neck, and reflexively shrank backwards into his collar.
"He… why is he leaving?" Su Yuyang murmured to himself.
"Why not ask him?" The chill in Yan Li"s eyes intensified. Ling Miao tried to hide behind Ji Linxi, but Ji Linxi dragged him back out.
"Since Ling Miao doesn"t want to continue working, I think his boss has to take a lot of responsibility for that." Ji Linxi"s voice was completely flat, as steady as an arrow piercing Su Yuyang"s heart.
"Yan Yan, let him go." Su Yuyang seemed to be standing in a snowy realm. Even though his arms and legs were almost frozen solid, he still insisted on walking, so of course, he ended up falling.
The a.s.sistant"s boss had spoken and Yan Li didn"t have a reason to keep Ling Miao any longer.
"Ling Miao, you don"t want to go either, do you?"
Yan Li was still leaning against the wall, her gaze remaining fixed on Ling Miao. Ling Miao seemed to notice it and turned his head toward Yan Li. Yan Li gave him a faint smile and Ling Miao looked away out of discomfort.
"There"s something up with these two!" Yan Li"s faint smile was crafty and "nosy cells" were currently dividing within her body.