* * *

Zhong Ce silently raged and howled in his mind.

What the hell is going on???

What the hell, was his inner thigh just attacked???

He certainly knew the situation all too well.

For months after their marriage, this was exactly how he had teased Cheng Susu.

But who would have thought that karma would come back around.

He didn’t believe it, but if he looked up, the heavens showed no mercy to anyone.

Zhong Ce: “…”

Cheng Susu: “…”

They stared at each other, the atmosphere so awkward it felt like it might suffocate them.

After a long while.

Zhong Ce, with a blank expression, scolded, “Pervert.”

Ha!

How dare you say that?

Cheng Susu almost laughed from anger. Narrowing her eyes, she maintained her calm and said, “To be honest, your body made the first move.”

In this situation, she definitely couldn’t control it!

“You need to calm down,” Zhong Ce advised her in the tone of someone with experience.

Cheng Susu, utterly disheartened, nodded, “I am calm.”

After a brief pause, Cheng Susu suddenly had an idea, her eyes lit up. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully and, after carefully observing Zhong Ce, who was too scared to move, and recalling his impressive performance earlier, she raised a hand to touch her chin. A few seconds later, she gave the most sincere and fair critique as a spectator: “You’re very lewd.”

Zhong Ce: “???”

Zhong Ce: “…”

With a start, Zhong Ce jumped off Cheng Susu in a panic. His face flushed red as he nervously pointed at her, looking like he wanted to scold her but couldn’t find the words. After a minute of awkward silence, Zhong Ce ran off, holding his head.

He jumped to the other side of the bed, dove under the blanket, and wrapped himself up like a cocoon.

“Utter nonsense,” he muttered, sulking.

Damn it, don’t think I don’t understand classical Chinese!

“So from now on, please try to act normal,” Cheng Susu said, now mostly calm, biting her teeth and sweating from the tension.

Being a man is not easy, she thought with deep emotion.

In a daze, Cheng Susu lowered her brows, then pursed her lips with an obvious implication, warning him, “Otherwise, the one suffering will be your own body.”

Zhong Ce: “…”

Was it just his imagination?

Zhong Ce vaguely felt that he had met an equally formidable opponent.

“Got it.” He reluctantly nodded, hugging the blanket tightly.

In truth, after dealing with Zhu Linyun, his small affair, his stage was already over. No one bothered him anymore, so he could only remain quiet and obedient.

In the midst of his melancholic thoughts, Zhong Ce suddenly realized something.

Hmm, could this little Gao actually be promoted?

…

Gao Peng was Zhong Ce’s… well, he had lost count of how many assistants Zhong Ce had.

But Gao Peng had been the one working beside him the longest.

Now, he was about to finish his probation period.

He was extremely nervous and uneasy.

After the whole Zhu Linyun incident, he feared he might be fired.

As reminded by an old employee:

None of Zhong Ce’s assistants had ever passed their probation period.

And the reasons for dismissal were always bizarre.

The unknown is terrifying.

Gao Peng lived in constant anxiety every day, always feeling like he was on the verge of being fired. To be honest, with the good salary and benefits, he didn’t want to leave.

Then, on Friday, he received a notice from the HR department.

He blinked and looked at the notice several times. It was good news—he had been offered a permanent contract.

“！！！！！！！！” Gao Peng was overjoyed.

He walked back to the office with a glowing face and said, “Thank you, boss.”

Cheng Susu froze for a moment, but quickly regained her composure.

The news didn’t really have anything to do with her, but since she was currently Zhong Ce’s assistant, she smiled slightly and said, “Just keep working hard from now on.”

Gao Peng nodded enthusiastically.

At that moment, he genuinely felt that his boss was simply the best.

He couldn’t just focus on working hard—he had to do something extra to show his appreciation!

So, after work that day, Gao Peng drove back to his hometown.

With his parents’ help, he caught an old hen from their farm.

He tied the hen’s legs and placed it in a small burlap sack.

The next morning, as the sun began to rise, Gao Peng arrived at his boss’s house, as usual. But this time, he brought the poor, clucking hen with him as a small gift, hoping his boss would understand his gratitude.

Meanwhile, Cheng Susu had just finished a brutal morning workout under Zhong Ce’s strict guidance. She collapsed on the couch, gasping for air.

Despite her new body, her weak health hadn’t improved.

She was exhausted and could only lie there, feeling lifeless.

“You really don’t have any willpower,” Zhong Ce teased, poking her forehead and laughing. After a while, he pulled her up, “You’ve just finished running, so stand up first.”

Cheng Susu reluctantly complied, but glared at him, “You don’t have to deal with the pain. I’m running, and you’re riding a bike. Why don’t you try flying?”

Zhong Ce: “…”

Before he could respond, the doorbell rang.

Zhong Ce didn’t feel like arguing, so he dismissed Aunt Zhao, who was about to answer the door, and slowly walked over himself.

“Madam.”

Gao Peng, standing outside, was smiling brightly, like a blooming flower.

He raised the small sack he was holding, “I brought you an old hen from my family’s farm. It’s a local breed, especially nourishing.”

Zhong Ce’s eyes immediately dropped.

He locked eyes with the poor, tied-up hen.

The hen raised its neck, its sharp beak like a weapon, “Cluck cluck cluck…”

Zhong Ce: “…”

His blood ran cold.

That beak… so sharp, so terrifying…

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Zhong Ce stumbled backward and turned to run.

Instinctively, he sought out someone who could offer him comfort and dashed toward Cheng Susu. She reflexively opened her arms, and when Zhong Ce saw this, he was so moved that he almost cried. Before diving into her arms, he leaped up, wrapping his arms around her neck and his legs around her waist. Cheng Susu almost lost her balance but managed to steady herself, quickly holding him tight.

Zhong Ce trembled like a leaf in her arms.

Cheng Susu: “…”

He’s really that easily frightened?

Wait a minute, what could possibly scare him? What the hell?

But Zhong Ce didn’t speak. He was like a frightened bird, trembling uncontrollably, burying his face in her neck and refusing to let go.

After a while, when he regained some composure, Zhong Ce spoke in a trembling voice, “Fire him. Fire Gao Peng.”

That was terrifying!

Gao Peng: “…”

Gao Peng had only come to deliver a hen.

What had he done wrong?

* * *