QT: The Rescue Of The Miserable Bigshots-Chapter 333 - 11.6

In just over half an hour, Jiang Jiamian finished writing a Chapter. He copied it seamlessly from the word document to the novel website, uploaded it with a snap, then shut down the computer.

Stretching lazily, he stood up and headed downstairs.

He needed to check on his housekeeper and see how the cleaning was going.

After only taking two steps, Jiang Jiamian’s eyes flickered. A faint smile curved his lips, and he quietly turned toward the door.

Tiptoeing out, he descended the stairs without making a sound.

Zhou Mushen was nowhere in sight.

Jiang Jiamian subconsciously pricked up his ears. A faint sound came from the first-floor balcony.

Raising an eyebrow, he bent down, left his slippers on the last step, and padded barefoot along the wall, moving like a shadow toward the balcony.

The system: "..."

What was with this sneaky behavior?

What on earth was its host up to?

Jiang Jiamian seemed to hear the system’s internal grumbling and chuckled silently. "Having malicious thoughts about your host deserves formatting." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The system: "..."

"Besides, if you had a monitoring-and-broadcasting function, would I need to work this hard sneaking along the wall?" Jiang Jiamian added leisurely.

The system fell silent, feeling inexplicably ashamed. "It’s because the system’s functions aren’t complete enough... not powerful enough... I’m sorry for burdening you, host..."

Jiang Jiamian was already pressed against the back of the balcony’s sliding door. His fingers lightly gripped the doorframe.

"Be good. Don’t talk. You’ll distract me."

A tall figure stood sideways on the balcony. Half of Zhou Mushen’s body was bathed in sunlight as he lowered his head, scrolling on his phone, completely absorbed.

Jiang Jiamian crept up behind him and quickly peeked...

"Ah!"

Zhou Mushen jolted, startled out of his focus. The phone in his hand flew out in a perfect arc.

Jiang Jiamian: "..."

No, no. Absolutely not on purpose.

Thud.

The phone hit the balcony floor with a dull sound, giving it an intimate kiss.

Zhou Mushen’s face showed a trace of embarrassment, along with a barely perceptible hint of guilt.

Jiang Jiamian stared at the phone on the floor, his eyes dry, feeling awkward himself.

Still, one thing was certain.

Just now, this man had been reading a novel.

Unfortunately, he’d thrown it too quickly. Jiang Jiamian hadn’t seen the page clearly, so he couldn’t tell which novel it was...

Wait.

His gaze locked onto the phone. The screen, facing down, still seemed faintly lit.

It didn’t look broken.

The next instant, Jiang Jiamian moved.

He stepped forward abruptly, bent down, and reached out...

Zhou Mushen’s pupils contracted sharply. He turned swiftly and wrapped an arm around Jiang Jiamian’s waist.

Jiang Jiamian: "..."

Damn it.

His waist was held tightly, halting his movement mid-bend. Jiang Jiamian turned his head and glared fiercely. "What are you doing? Do you think you can just hug me? Believe me, I’ll go to your company and file a complaint!"

Zhou Mushen stiffened, belatedly realizing his actions. Yet instead of letting go, he leaned closer and spoke in a low voice by Jiang Jiamian’s ear. "I’ll pick it up myself."

Jiang Jiamian’s ear tickled. He shrank back instinctively. "You startled yourself and dropped your phone. It’s only right that I pick it up for you."

"No."

Zhou Mushen spun him around, pulled him behind his own body, then quickly released him and bent down to retrieve the phone. "It was my fault. I shouldn’t have been on my phone during work hours. As my employer, it’s only right that you supervise me."

Jiang Jiamian: "..."

Ah. Supervising work.

Such a perfect excuse. Why hadn’t he thought of it?

Jiang Jiamian lifted his chin. "Since you know that, how’s the cleaning going? Hiding on the balcony playing on your phone, hm? If I hadn’t come to check, were you planning to slack off all afternoon?"

Zhou Mushen. Shen Muzhou.

If these two names weren’t related, he would write his name backward.

Zhou Mushen lowered his head obediently. "I’m sorry. I won’t do it again."

Jiang Jiamian was utterly exasperated. He coughed lightly to break the awkwardness. "We haven’t signed the contract yet."

Zhou Mushen looked up. "The contract is stored on my phone. Would you prefer an online contract or a paper one? If it’s paper, I can go print it immediately."

"No need to trouble yourself."

Jiang Jiamian smiled faintly. "Online is fine, but..."

He deliberately slowed his words until Zhou Mushen looked at him suspiciously.

Tilting his head, Jiang Jiamian raised an eyebrow. "Just signing a contract isn’t enough for me. Take out your original ID card and let me see it. I’ll take a picture. That way, if anything happens later, I’ll have an extra layer of protection. How about that?"

Zhou Mushen’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly. His expression turned slightly unnatural. "I lost my ID card. I’m in the process of reporting it lost. It’ll take some time before I get a replacement."

Jiang Jiamian raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What a coincidence."

Zhou Mushen resumed his professional smile. "If you’re worried, I can print out the contract and add my fingerprint. A fingerprint won’t be a problem. Once my ID is replaced, I’ll show it to you immediately."

Jiang Jiamian smiled pleasantly. "Okay!"

Sure enough, something was definitely wrong.

Zhou Mushen slipped his phone into his pocket. His gaze dropped to Jiang Jiamian’s bare feet on the cold floor, and he frowned.

"Why are you barefoot?"

Jiang Jiamian: "..."

He’d only been afraid his slippers would make noise.

He hesitated, unsure how to answer.

Before he could speak, Zhou Mushen had already turned and hurried upstairs.

Reaching the top step, he nearly tripped. Looking down, he saw a pair of slippers lying there.

Instant understanding dawned on him.

His expression stiff, Zhou Mushen picked up the slippers, walked back down a few steps, and tossed them expressionlessly at Jiang Jiamian’s feet.

Jiang Jiamian put them on and rubbed his nose awkwardly. "Um... I can explain."

Zhou Mushen’s jaw tightened. "I said it’s your responsibility to supervise my work. But being barefoot is no good, the floor’s cold, and your health isn’t great. Don’t ruin it."