Face-Blind, I Mistook My Boss for My Makeout Buddy - Chapter 2

On my first day, Shang Shi came over personally to welcome me.

The woman from HR had just led me to the overseas branding team and given me a quick round of introductions.

As expected of me, I remembered not one of them.

Several faces drifted past my eyes. They looked like the same person wearing different hairstyles and outfits.

Silently, I opened my sketchbook and began drawing simple visual notes.

Design director, booming voice.

I drew a loudspeaker.

Copywriter, fruit-scented perfume, long curly hair.

I drew a peach.

I was only halfway through when the area around me abruptly fell quiet.

I looked up and met Shang Shi’s eyes.

Today he wore a dark gray suit. His hair was immaculately styled, his eyes cool, every cuff button fastened with painstaking precision.

Just standing there, he radiated enough pressure to make everyone hold their breath.

He looked like a performance review form that had gained sentience.

I leaped to my feet. “Good morning, Mr. Shang!”

Shang Shi looked at me.

For some reason, his gaze always seemed complicated when it rested on me.

As if he wanted to confirm something, only to grow even more displeased once he had.

“Settling in all right?” he asked.

Overwhelmed by the attention, I answered, “Absolutely. The workplace is excellent, everyone’s very welcoming, the procedures are clear, and the onboarding support is outstanding.”

A coworker beside me couldn’t hold back a small cough.

Shang Shi watched me. The corner of his mouth seemed to move.

But his chilly expression returned almost at once.

“Come to me if you have any problems,” he said.

“No need, no need. Don’t worry, Mr. Shang. I’ll make sure to solve everything myself first. If I truly can’t, I’ll go to my direct supervisor. I would never waste your valuable time.”

“Tang Zhizhi.”

I clamped my mouth shut immediately.

After two seconds of silence, he asked, “Are you afraid of me?”

Wasn’t that obvious? What employee wasn’t afraid of the boss?

But I answered at once, “Not at all. You’re gracious and approachable, Mr. Shang. I respect you very much.”

Shang Shi studied me for a while, looking strangely wounded.

Meeting his gaze made my scalp prickle.

What was wrong with this man? Why did he keep staring at me with such wounded resentment?

In the end, he said no more. He nodded once and left.

Only after he was far away did I sit down again and secretly add another entry to my sketchbook.

Shang Shi: suits, handsome, aloof, broad shoulders, deep voice, looks extremely hard to mess with.

After some thought, I drew an iceberg.

Note: ultimate boss. Do not mistake him for someone else.

Once I finished writing that, I let out a long breath of relief.

As long as someone like Shang Shi didn’t suddenly change his style, he ought to be fairly easy to recognize.

I had definitely joined the right company.

At ten that morning, I went to the pantry for some water.

And there, I met the love of my life.

He stood beside the coffee machine.

White shirt. Gold-rimmed glasses. His sleeves were rolled to his forearms, revealing a stretch of long, elegant wrist.

He held a coffee cup in one hand and spoke quietly with the man beside him.

His features were nearly perfect, his figure tall, his shoulders cleanly defined.

Everything about him looked refined, restrained, cultivated, and genteel.

Every detail struck squarely at my tastes. He would fit perfectly into my plans for the future—

Provided he didn’t have a girlfriend.

I stood in the pantry doorway and briefly lost the ability to speak. All I could hear was the pounding of my own heart.

The Tang Zhizhi of the past had scoffed at love at first sight.

The Tang Zhizhi of this moment realized she was only human after all.

I heard the man beside him laugh. “Adrian, are you still going to that meeting in person this afternoon?”

Adrian.

I repeated it silently.

Good.

Even his name sounded lovely.

It might be an English name, but that didn’t stop me from unilaterally declaring him the most handsome man in the company.

He was every bit as handsome as Shang Shi.

Come to think of it, his build was about the same as Shang Shi’s too.

Their haircuts were similar.

Even their voices sounded alike.

If they stood side by side with their backs to me, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell them apart.

Just then, Adrian looked up and noticed me hiding in the corner.

His gaze paused, as though surprised.

Then he called my name.

“Tang Zhizhi?”

Holding my cup, I looked left and right to confirm there wasn’t a second Tang Zhizhi in the pantry.

Then I pointed to myself.

“You know me?”

Adrian stared at me.

He seemed even more surprised.

“Shouldn’t I know you?”

I was astonished.

This company truly cared about its people! A new employee had barely arrived, and everyone had already reviewed her information and begun making an effort to learn her face?

What kind of sophisticated big-company system was this?

Deeply moved, I strode forward and held out my hand with perfect confidence.

“Hello. I’m Tang Zhizhi, the new illustrator. I look forward to working with you.”

Adrian looked down at my hand.

Then back up at me.

His expression turned extremely strange.

It was the look of someone witnessing something inconceivable: shock mixed with scrutiny, the scrutiny tinged with an indescribable speechlessness.

I stood there with my hand extended for two awkward seconds.

Fortunately, the man beside him was friendly. He immediately laughed and smoothed things over.

“Hello, hello. I’m Zhou Ming, the marketing manager.”

Zhou Ming seemed cheerful. Smiling, he clapped Adrian on the shoulder.

“You’ve probably heard of this one, right? Adrian, our company’s cash cow. You won’t be doing sales, but you should spend more time with him. Even if you never handle business yourself, you’ll learn plenty from him.”

My eyes lit up.

“The top salesperson?”

Zhou Ming froze.

Then his laughter grew even louder.

“Close enough. The whole company depends on Adrian to put food on the table.”

My respect for him soared.

Holy crap. The golden boy of sales.

Not only was he handsome, he was brilliant at his job.

I liked him even more now.

I nodded vigorously. “Of course, of course. Definitely.”

With Manager Zhou’s blessing, I could relax.

Now I could openly spend time with the handsome guy.