I live by the philosophy of "not being a pervert, what’s the harm, how are you?" offline as a corporate drone, and online as a troublemaker.

Casually flirting with guys, “Hey handsome, send me a pic of your abs, let’s see if you're really as hot as you say you are.”

The guy hesitated for a moment, but eventually sent a few photos.

I stared at the abs on the screen, wiped away the drool that was betraying me, and scrolled down.

Suddenly, the face of my boss appeared on the screen, and I nearly jumped out of my chair.

Felix Vance is into this kind of stuff too?

...

As a salaried worker, my hobbies usually involve scrolling through TikTok to admire abs, binge-watching new shows, and teasing handsome guys online.

Yesterday, I met a guy online who seemed to click with me. I added him on Facebook, thinking he was probably a good-looking guy I could flirt with while slacking off at work.

I woke up this morning filled with resentment.

Why should I be the one working on the weekend?

Who does that expert think he is, rearranging work schedules?

Opening Facebook, I saw a message from Felix, and it made my blood boil.

That damn stingy bastard!

I switched to my other Facebook account and went a little crazy.

As soon as I logged in, I saw the new guy I added yesterday. Without thinking, I messaged him, “Hey handsome, send me a pic of your abs, let’s see if you’re really as hot as you say.”

Probably because it was too early, he didn’t respond.

After all, only office workers wake up this early!

I quickly washed up, grabbed my bag, and headed to work.

I clocked in, sat down at my desk, and began slacking off while eating breakfast.

I was scrolling through my phone and opening my computer, all while munching on my breakfast.

Then, I saw it—an abs pic from the guy I messaged earlier on Facebook.

Wow.

I was instantly revived, full of energy!

Where did this godsend come from? He sent several pictures.

It felt like flipping through royal decrees—one after another, satisfying the hell out of me.

Then, I saw a half-face shot.

The first few were just abs pictures, but one was taken in front of a mirror. The guy had lifted his shirt, and in his attempt, he accidentally snapped half his face.

The familiar lines of his jaw, those familiar sexy lips, that high nose bridge—it all looked too familiar.

I didn’t immediately process it, but as I scrolled to the last photo, I saw the camera positioned to capture his reflection. The angle was perfect, covering the bottom half of his face, but revealing the top.

Piecing the two together...

That’s Felix, isn’t it?

I wasn’t sure, so I took another look.

You know that feeling, right?

When you’re caught off guard, but can’t do anything about it!

I nearly choked on my hotdog, feeling a bit nauseous.

My colleague Mia Chaw, seeing me struggling, rushed over and asked, “Elara, are you okay? Drink some water.”

Mia handed me some water, and I quickly flipped my phone over, hiding Felix’s abs pics.

“I’m fine, really. Just choked a bit,” I said, reassuring her but not managing to calm the chaos inside my heart.

So, is Felix really this wild behind the scenes?

My heart was thumping loudly as if I’d discovered some dark secret. I couldn't help but feel a mix of schadenfreude and survivor's relief.

I quickly tried to focus on my work to distract myself.

It was too much excitement so early in the day.

“Elara Vance, come here,” Felix called as soon as he walked in.

As expected, that stingy bastard.

“Boss, what do you need?”

“I need you to redo the promo plan for Lumina Ltd. and make a few adjustments. Blah blah...”

Damn, that jawline, those lips—I wasn’t even paying attention to his words anymore. My eyes just kept drifting to Felix.

“... blah...”

My gaze dropped lower, and I couldn’t help but recall those abs—eight perfect blocks, all well-defined. Clearly, he worked out a lot.

“Elara, are you listening?” Felix slammed a file down on my desk, his voice suddenly sharper.

I noticed a faint blush spreading across his face, his ears also turning red.

Cheap bastard, what’s the big deal about abs anyway?

I was cursing Felix in my mind when suddenly, I felt my nose twitch.

Felix quickly grabbed a tissue and shoved it in front of me. “You’re bleeding.”

“Ah?”

I touched my nose and found my hand covered in blood.

Damn it, his good looks threw me off.

“Sorry, boss, I’ll clean up right away.”

I grabbed the documents and bolted out of the office.

It must be the heat lately, and I had instant noodles for dinner yesterday—yeah, that’s probably it!

I went to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on the back of my neck to calm down.

It was almost noon when I opened the food delivery app.

Suddenly, Felix appeared next to me, glancing at my phone screen. "You're slacking off again at work!"

"Boss, listen to my defense... I mean, my explanation." I gave an awkward smile.

Felix looked at me like I was hopeless. "Forget it. Just redo the Lumina Ltd. report."

Who the hell works on weekends? Whoever wants to, can!

Felix seemed to remember something and turned back after walking a couple of steps. "I want the first draft by noon tomorrow."

That damn miser, that vampire capitalist squeezing every last drop of labor.

Why do I have to work on a beautiful weekend?

I stared up at the sky in silence.

"Ping." My phone buzzed with a message notification.

"Why so quiet?"

"Not satisfied?"

I glanced at my phone and saw the chat with my partner.

In frustration, I sent a message: "God, what is going on with you?"

How did Felix turn into this?

"Not satisfied."

"Extremely dissatisfied." I angrily slammed my fingers on the keyboard and sent my reply.

Then Felix sent over several pictures of his abs.

"How about now?"

Damn, Felix, you're really wild.

I glanced over at Felix, who was sitting stiffly in the office.

Is this really him, the one chatting with me now?

I cautiously typed out a question, "By the way, aren’t you working today? How do you have time to take photos?"

"I am. I took them after my workout this morning." Immediately after, I got another message from him, "What about you?"

"I'm working, and being exploited by the capitalist!"

Felix went silent, and I decided to drop the topic. Time to eat.

Though Felix is a slave driver, the company has fairly relaxed rules.

I usually bring my breakfast to work; since Felix always arrives at 10, he never catches me eating breakfast.

By the time I’d done some light work, it was already time for lunch. Lunch plus a two-hour nap—ensuring my rest was top-notch.

When I woke up from my nap, I saw Felix wandering around my desk, his gaze wandering aimlessly.

"Uh, Elara, don’t worry about the Lumina Ltd. draft for now. Just finish the first draft by Wednesday."

A living Buddha? A sudden act of mercy?

"Okay, boss. Your command is my duty." Couldn't resist taking advantage of this rare opportunity.

I logged into the work Facebook on my computer and into my personal, ranting Facebook on my phone.

I glanced at Felix, who was labeled as my "chat buddy." Ah well, I couldn't outdo him. Not by a long shot.

"Elara, did you see? The company is spreading some love," Mia reminded me to check the company group chat.

I quickly checked my computer. In the company's gossip group, the receptionist had posted about Mr. Vance, who was even tighter than Felix, treating everyone to coffee—at Pearl Cafe no less.

Nothing like being handed a pillow when you're already half-asleep. I couldn’t help but feel tempted when I saw the Pearl Cafe promo poster. Without thinking, I posted a status on my personal account.

"Didn’t expect to get an afternoon tea from the company today."

"Do you think it’s a bribe? Maybe they'll make us stay late afterward?"

"Grey, shut up. I’m already pissed about working on the weekend."

"(Petting head JPG) Grey, even if they don't offer you coffee, they can still make you stay late."

I joined in with the others in the chat.

"Elara, you heartless thing. (Crying emoji)"

The group was filled with playful chatter, all eagerly waiting for the coffee delivery from Pearl Cafe.

The receptionist sent a playful message. "Ding! Please come to the front desk to pick up your coffee and enjoy the afternoon tea."

We all headed to the front desk to grab our coffee. "Did they release any new items? The latest one?"

"Mr. Vance took it."

As the messages in the group kept scrolling, I looked up to see Felix walking toward me with a cup of coffee in hand. "Focus on the planning materials! Stop wasting time chatting."

I was momentarily stunned as I took the cup of new coffee from him, still a bit dazed. "Boss, this is unfair. I’m busy too, you know!"

"You're the most free!" He shot me a glance and walked off.

Is that it? I thought it was going to be another long lecture.

Just came to drop off a cup of coffee?

Could it be that my alternate account saw my post?

I pressed my pounding heart, shaking off those dangerous thoughts.

It was clearly just a small gesture of warmth from a stingy boss.

I was about to argue when I received a message from my best friend, Sophie. Never mind, no need to rush into feeling bad.

“Elara, Elara, come out, I’ve got some juicy gossip.”

A barrage of familiar emojis flooded my phone, ding ding ding.

“On my way (waiting for the drama).”

“Cough, cough. A few days ago, I got a love consultation from a guy we’re calling King Arthur. Super rich, super impressive.”

“Go on, go on.” I was intrigued.

She works as a relationship consultant online, and often shares some ridiculous, hilarious gossip with me.

But we have our principles — just enjoy the drama ourselves, because we have to protect our clients' privacy.

Still, I’ve always thought, these days, people who seek love advice are just hopelessly love-struck, right?

“He added me on the first day, didn’t ask anything, just sent a two-hundred yuan red envelope. Let’s call him King Arthur for now.” I could feel Sophie’s excitement through the screen.

“I just followed my usual routine and asked him what kind of person he was trying to pursue. He shyly said she liked looking at handsome guys. So I asked, ‘Aren’t you handsome?’ He confidently said he was, and then added that he might be her boss, so their chats were all about work. I suggested he switch accounts and add her through another contact. I have no idea where he found it, but yesterday, he successfully added her.”

“A pure love warrior,” I muttered.

“The thing is, this morning. This morning, he messaged me asking what to do because the girl asked for a picture of his abs. Obviously, I told him to send it. But she wasn’t happy with it. So I said, ‘Send more, be bold, girls love seeing that stuff.’ Sure enough, she started chatting with him.”

The pattern felt familiar.

“Then he asked how to give the girl something she wanted to eat in front of other people. I said, ‘You’re King Arthur, buy it for everyone, and no one will suspect anything.’ He said that would make it too ordinary. I told him, ‘Just find an excuse and give it to her alone.’”

Yeah, that sounded more familiar.

“I don’t believe it. Unless you send me proof,” I challenged, and Sophie, unable to resist, sent me a screenshot.

That familiar profile picture. Comparing the two, it was practically identical.

If my jaw could hit the floor, it probably would have.

Elara, you’re done for.

So Felix knew it was my account?

Busted. I had hidden it so well.

The shock lasted for two days.

The panic kept me from replying to any of Felix’s messages.

I couldn’t face him, really.

Such a shame about those stunning abs, though.

But once I thought about Felix’s face… goodbye. Couldn’t do it.

That is, until Wednesday when I had to submit my work.

“Boss, the initial draft for Lumina Ltd. is ready.”

Workplace rule: Never show off your extraordinary talents, extra abilities, or your ability to finish tasks ahead of schedule.

So, submitting my drafts at the last minute is my specialty.

“You're really punctual.”

“Just average,” I humbly replied. “By the way, if there’s nothing urgent this afternoon, could I take a half-day off?”

“No plans. You’re free to go for half a day,” Felix said, looking up at me. Our eyes met. “But what are you taking time off for?”

I quickly averted my gaze, feeling a little guilty. “A blind date.”

“A blind date!?” Felix raised his voice, almost losing control of it.

“Boss, let me explain. I’m a young woman, beautiful and charming, but my family keeps seeing that I don’t have a partner and has set up several blind dates for me.” I shrank under Felix’s unfriendly gaze, my voice getting quieter. “I’ve always turned them down before, but this time, I really can’t avoid it!”