Chapter Text
“HUAISANG!"
Nie Huaisang yelps at the sound echoing from all the way of the CEO's office. Ah, Nie Huaisang thinks, his boss is mad again. He rapidly double checks every work he has done for the past two weeks, thinking where did he go wrong - of course he doesn't remember, but that doesn't mean Huaisang can't try.
He sighs in defeat, and dejectedly makes his way to his boss’ office. He opens the door only to shiver. Wow, he thinks in despair, only Jiang Cheng can make him shiver in terror and thirst at the same time - and no, this isn't really the time to be drooling at his - very - angry boss.
Said boss is sat behind the desk, browsing through the papers Huaisang had given to him the day before, a frown permanently etched on his face. He doesn't even look at Nie Huaisang when he spoke again.
“Huaisang,” his boss says, voice oddly calm. He swallows, because it wasn't a good kind of calm - it was the kind of calm at the center of a storm. A calm voiced Jiang Cheng is a livid Jiang Cheng. He would know, he's been on the receiving end of scoldings of varying intensities from his angry boss for five years now.
His boss’ eyes were still glued to the papers he was checking, never looking up. He moves gently and gracefully, and one would be fooled into thinking maybe he's not mad - but they're dead wrong.
But even so.
Jiang Cheng, he looks beautiful like that, all grace and cold fury, like a viper poising to strike his prey, and Nie Huaisang would love to be to just that, a prey, beneath that man -
“Nie Huaisang. How long have you been my secretary?” His sharp voice cuts through his fantasies, still calm and terrifying and Nie Huaisang swallows again, “It's my second month on year five, sir.”
Jiang Cheng hums, “Hm. Then how come you still get my schedule wrong?”
Nie Huaisang, “Eh?”
The other man raises a delicate eyebrow. “I meet with Wei Wuxian on the 25th of every three months to discuss relations with Lan Company, so why the hell did you schedule a board meeting on that day? You better re-schedule that fast if you want to reach a third month on your fifth year,” He spats.
At this point, Huaisang's already opened his folder and is writing down the changes his boss had told him, “Yes, I'm really sorry sir! I'll reschedule the board meeting right away!”
His boss scowls at that, “Useless! When did I say to move the board meet? Cancel on my brother, I don't wanna see his face!”
But you just IMPLIED to reschedule the meeting!
“Yes, immediately sir! W-would that be all?” He adds, just in case.
“Hm. Tell them I need the budget report at 12.” At this point, his boss’ voice has toned down to a thoughtful hum, and he inwardly breathes a sigh of relief. Whew, he survived that one, and as much as his boss is easily angered, he also calms down just as easily.
“Very good sir. May I just remind you that you have a meeting with Wen Chao in 30? He will be proposing a new contract,” He finally says, now that his boss is in a relatively better mood. Nie Huaisang knows this would put a damper on it, but he will take comfort in seeing his boss's anger to be redirected at someone else.
Jiang Cheng winces and his scowl deepens, “Ugh this early in the morning? I'm not ready to deal with his annoying voice! Where's my coffee?” He says, irritated and slamming down the paper on his desk, the sound resounding through the office.
Nie Huaisang smiles sheepishly, “I'm having it delivered sir, it should arrive any moment -”
Knock knock!
The furrow on his boss’ brows instantly relaxes and the man huffs and smirks in his direction. “Hm, just in time. I might not fire you after all. Carry on then,” and he turns his glance towards the door, “Enter!”
His heart might have skipped a beat.
“Yes, well thank you sir.” He replies, hiding his growing smile behind the folder. He turns around to exit. Thank you, indeed.
He wears the smile for the rest of day, even when his boss starts to rant about Wen Chao's intellectual incapacity after the long meeting and shouts at every single employee except for him, offering his boss words of sympathy and coaxing him with food, which he had delivered from Jiang Cheng's favorite restaurant down the street, to ease the stress, to which his boss accepts with a small sigh.
The scowl is still stuck on his face, but Nie Huaisang happily notes that the crease on his eyebrows have lessened.
Well, what made this job easier to bear is that above everything, he admires his boss a lot, despite all his scowls and temper. Nie Huaisang might be a little bit more than smitten with the man.
Despite all, he stays, because he wants to stand by this man, to see him grow and succeed, because for all that he is scary and angry all of the time, he actually worked sweat and tears to lift the company up to its current state, far greater than it had been when it was still under Fengmian's. This man could do amazing things, and here he was, five years into his job and still messing up. But if he could ease the burden Jiang Cheng was carrying, he thinks he could be content with that.
Nie Huaisang only wishes that he would appreciate him just a little, because he doesn't really expect the man to return his feelings, but a little acknowledgement of his work wouldn't hurt, would it?
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