My Cold Boss Is Actually My Online Dating Partner

[Pei Shiyun has nine of the ten measures of hopeless romanticism, and the whole world still owes him the last one!]

[Sweet romance / urban / a sharp tongue feels good in the moment, then comes the long road to winning back love]

[Cold, aloof guy on the surface, hopeless romantic underneath x heartless little cat]

[Law firm partner at a top-tier firm x divorce lawyer]

1/

Mu Tong went to a friend's party and met a man whose every hair was exactly to her taste. He wore even a simple white shirt and black trousers with remarkable elegance, standing in the middle of the party with a glass in hand, completely at ease.

In that instant, she knew he was the one for her!

As her one and only crush, he always seemed strangely familiar to Mu Tong. She quickly got her hands on this big shot's WeChat, then pursued him by playing hard to get. Sometimes she'd chat with him all day, and sometimes she'd disappear for a whole week.

Then, by mistake, she sent her job application to her crush. Before she could unsend it, he replied:

"?"

"Our firm happens to be hiring."

Mu Tong thought, I may not need the job, but I definitely need the man.

2/

Mu Tong had once just thought this crush who made her heart flutter seemed a little familiar. But the more time they spent together, the more she felt something was off.

Why did the man who made her heart flutter look so much like the nitpicky, flashy online boyfriend she'd dated before?!

Thinking of that online boyfriend brought a flood of bitter memories. Back then, she was preparing for the graduate school entrance exam, miserable and unable to focus on her studies, so she went to her university forum to find a senior student who was supposedly good at studying and ask him for advice.

Somehow, their study sessions developed into an online relationship.

Whenever Mu Tong felt stressed, she'd ask her online boyfriend to show her his abs and chest so she could fantasize a little. In the end, she passed the exam, too.

But after she got in, Mu Tong decided the man was too flashy and dumped him.

Remembering the outrageous things she'd done, Mu Tong broke out in a cold sweat and resolved to keep her secret identity under wraps.

3/

Pei Shiyun was known in the industry as a cold, ruthless man. This showed not only in how he kept people at arm's length, but also in his penny-pinching ways. He'd spend a fortune without batting an eye, yet think for three days before paying for a membership that cost a little over ten yuan.

Until a rumor started going around: "I heard President Pei has a girlfriend."

"Huh? How'd she win him over?"

"I heard she has all the major online memberships, each one paid for ten years in advance!!"

Everyone else: "Damn!! President Pei's a hopeless romantic!"

Pei Shiyun used to think no one could ever get the better of him, except for that online girlfriend who gave him a headache. She had a five-year membership, and for the sake of it, he tutored her for the graduate school entrance exam for free and even let her see his body.

The day after his online girlfriend, at least in name, passed the exam, he thought that since she'd seen him for so long, he deserved a proper relationship. He asked to meet her in person, only to find she'd deleted him.

When he messaged her, all he got was a cold red exclamation mark.

Back then, Pei Shiyun swore, Just wait until I catch that heartless woman.

Then one day, he borrowed a subordinate's phone to look something up, and a notification from a video app appeared at the top of the screen.

[Ding! Dear Black Gold VIP user Apricot Blossom Village, the hot-blooded girls' series you subscribed to, Thirty-Six Strategies for Tormenting the Boss, has updated. Don't miss it!]

Pei Shiyun froze. If he remembered right, the video membership username of the online girlfriend who'd dumped him back then was "Apricot Blossom Village."

Looking at Mu Tong, who was eating intently like a hamster and pretending to be perfectly proper, Pei Shiyun gave a cold laugh.

I've finally caught you.

After they got together, Pei Shiyun decided to make Mu Tong suffer the way he had back then.

So that night, President Pei came out freshly washed, every strand of hair exuding temptation, wearing the shirt Mu Tong liked best.

Mu Tong's eyes lit up. Just as she was about to do something a little underhanded...

Pei Shiyun: Sorry, I'll have to decline.

When they finally did get down to it...

Pei Shiyun: Tongtong, let's try all 108 of the moves you said you wanted to do when we were online dating.

With her secret identity exposed, Mu Tong blushed and gave a little whimper under the covers.

All the things she'd said in a rush, all the dirty talk, now had to be paid back with her own body.

Blurb [2022.12.30]

Theme: Love takes a thousand forms.