Chapter 703: Chapter 703: Like a Well-Fed Lion

His office has a large enough bathroom with a dedicated shower area.

Of course, it’s not as complete as at home with a bathtub.

There’s only a shower in a glass enclosure.

Ye Fei nodded, feeling pretty uncomfortable, and also knowing that after working up a sweat, going outside into the cold could easily lead to illness due to the temperature change.

So Zhao Gushen got up and helped Ye Fei to stand, but her hands and legs were still a bit shaky.

Just as she tried to stand up, she immediately fell back into her seat from weakness.

Zhao Gushen quickly supported her: "How about I carry you over?"

"I can do it myself." Ye Fei didn’t hesitate, replying firmly.

After speaking, she stood up again, though it looked challenging.

"I just wasn’t prepared earlier, but now I am, so I can do it." Ye Fei said as she headed toward the bathroom.

Although her legs were a bit shaky, she could still walk.

She felt like she had just run a long-distance race, where after stopping, her legs felt weak and powerless, but resting for a while would bring recovery.

Ye Fei took a quick shower in Zhao Gushen’s office, just rinsing off the sweat without a proper wash, so she was done in a few minutes.

Feeling clean and refreshed, she dried off and came out.

But she found the office empty.

Zhao Gushen had gone somewhere unknown.

She had gotten used to the office scent after being in there for a while, so hadn’t noticed anything.

But after showering in the bathroom with its soap scent, the office’s smell seemed quite intense upon returning.

Ye Fei blushed deeply at this realization and hurriedly opened windows to clear the scent from the office.

Otherwise, if someone came in the afternoon, they’d notice it immediately.

That would be so embarrassing.

Ye Fei opened the windows a bit more, letting fresh air circulate quickly.

Luckily, the office was warm, so even with the windows open, it didn’t feel cold.

After airing out the office, her face returned to its normal color, and the heat faded a little.

It was then that Ye Fei finally had the mood to take a closer look at the office.

She realized the food box Zhao Gushen had placed on the coffee table was gone, likely taken by him to heat up lunch.

What Ye Fei didn’t know was that when Zhao Gushen took the food box to the pantry to heat the meal, Xiao Ruofeng and some colleagues from the secretary’s office saw him.

They wondered why Zhao Gushen hadn’t eaten yet, as he’d been in the office for quite some time before taking the food box out to heat.

Still, everyone wisely refrained from asking.

Despite not voicing it, they were all secretly curious and kept glancing.

Zhao Gushen, having warmed up the lunch, returned with the food box, smiling.

That satisfied look on his face was more fitting for someone who had eaten well, rather than someone who hadn’t had lunch, resembling a contented lion lazily swinging its tail.

Ye Fei was assessing how well the office scent had been dispersed when the door opened again.

Ye Fei quickly turned to see Zhao Gushen entering with the food box.

Ye Fei breathed a sigh of relief and promptly asked Zhao Gushen, "Did you smell anything in the office?"

Zhao Gushen chuckled knowingly, "The scent is quite faint now."

"So there’s still some!" Ye Fei said, blushing, "I guess we should keep airing it out for a while longer."

"I have some men’s cologne here; if needed, I can spray a little later," Zhao Gushen suggested.

Even though he had thick skin, he didn’t intend to let others catch a whiff of the scent from their intimate moment.

Zhao Gushen pulled Ye Fei to sit down: "Let’s eat first."

Ye Fei sat uneasily, feeling a little awkward recalling their earlier sofa activity.

Zhao Gushen teased, "Is the sofa too hot?"

Ye Fei, in playful annoyance, pinched his arm, though Zhao Gushen’s arm was solid with muscle.

With a gym at home, Ye Fei often saw Zhao Gushen exercising in it.

She had long been accustomed to his muscle firmness and knew there was no pinching pain inflicted.

It was mostly a way to express her discontent.

Zhao Gushen didn’t dare to tease her further, fearing he’d embarrass Ye Fei too much, and simply asked, "Hungry?"

Ye Fei nodded, "I am indeed a bit hungry."

Especially after the recent exertion, her stomach felt empty, making her feel capable of eating more than usual.

Thankfully, when preparing Zhao Gushen’s lunch, Ye Fei had considered the time it would take to deliver it from home to Changping.

She didn’t make dishes that would taste bad after sitting for a while, instead choosing ones that would retain their flavor even if made earlier.

So although quite some time had passed, Zhao Gushen had reheated the meal and it was still very tasty.

"This morning, Lu Chenghong brought over the plan for the Spring Festival special program," Zhao Gushen said, "Because the Changping Competition coincides with the Spring Festival, there will be a break in the competition during that time. It’s a good promotional opportunity as everyone will be home with nothing to do during the holiday."

"The usual practice for each Changping Competition is to host a Spring Festival special event during the holiday, which won’t be streamed live but recorded instead."

"The program will be recorded the day before New Year’s Eve, on the twenty-ninth of the lunar month," Zhao Gushen explained, "Unless there’s any last-minute changes, it will be broadcast on the fifth day. Though it’s a special program, it won’t be live. However, due to a large audience, it will still be held at Wei Feng Cultural Center."

"This time, apart from the top 10 contestants, there will be an online voting process to select returning contestants that viewers are eager to see, who will join the preparation of a New Year’s Eve dinner."

"This time, it won’t have the competitive format; during the holiday, it’s all about enjoyable entertainment."

Zhao Gushen smiled, "You can start thinking about what dishes you’ll prepare when the time comes."

"Is it okay to let me know in advance?" Ye Fei asked with a smile.

Zhao Gushen laughed and explained, "It’s not like giving you an unfair advantage, as this will be communicated in advance with all participating contestants. The online voting started half a month ago, and the results are already out, with the selected contestants notified. They’ll also let all contestants know in advance about the format of this special program."

"You’re not the only one who knows ahead; they’ll all know and will make preparations accordingly."

Ye Fei understood that if it were an important competition, Zhao Gushen wouldn’t give her any hints ahead of time.

Since there hasn’t been any recent competitions, Ye Fei had been feeling a bit idle.

Now she could think about what dishes to prepare, giving her something to work on.

Ye Fei was instantly invigorated, feeling very happy.