You, CEO’s Secret Wife

Although Jian Yun really needed the money, she knew for a fact that her salary at Ming's wouldn't be enough. Besides, she wouldn't be able to put in the work like she had been over the last few months, given that her mother was in the hospital now. She wouldn't be able to feel at ease to be so far away from her. Either way, she'd be fired sooner or later, so it was better to let go of this job and start on a cleaner slate.     

    

She could only wait for her mother's condition to stabilize before deciding what to do.     

    

Besides, it wasn't as if she needed the money now. She had already saved up for this over the years, and the best thing she could do was to sit on this decision a little longer. After all, being so rash about this might result to even more disastrous consequences.     

    

"We need to go back, Yun. You've been here all night. Your body won't be able to take it much longer if you continue to keep it up like this," Wu Wenjing persuaded her. She hated seeing her friend so helpless like this, but she knew that there was nothing else she could do but be there for her. After all, that was what friends do. Clutching Jian Yun's hand, she tugged her towards the exit. "I'm sure the nurses would call you if anything happens."     

    

She thought for a moment before nodding. In all honesty, she could've held the fort for a little while longer, but after the phone call she had with her father, she just didn't have the strength to keep pushing on. At this point, her limbs were already failing her, and her mind was already struggling to keep up with what was happening. As much as Jian Yun hated to admit it, maybe rest would be good for her.     

    

Her mother was still unstable, so it wasn't like she could visit her. Knowing that she couldn't stay in the ICU for so long, she slowly nodded. Her mother would've wanted for her to continue taking care of herself.     

    

Wu Wenjing beamed in relief. Grabbing her hand, she pulled her over. "Let's eat first."     

    

"Wait, I'll just say goodbye." Jian Yun pulled away from her friend's hold and walked towards the doctor's office. Bai Ze was usually in his office during the afternoon, so she wanted to pay him a visit and ask about her mother's situation. Perhaps, he could give her one last assurance before she was dragged away.     

    

However, at the sight of his empty seat, she simply sighed in disappointment. Turned out that Director Bai had gotten off work early that day because he had other matters to attend to. With a shake of her head, the two women headed off to the parking lot.     

    

Once they got into her car, Wu Wenjing patted her shoulder. "No news is good news right? You shouldn't think too much into this."     

    

Jian Yun nodded. In the past few days, she wasn't as panicked as she had been when she first learned of her mother's injury. Besides, she knew that her recovery shouldn't be rushed. As long as there weren't any complications with regards to her operation, then everything would be fine–just like what Director Bai had told her. Without saying another word, she folded her hands over her lap.     

    

"Let's go eat at that new Cantonese place." Wu Wenjing quickly changed the topic. "I heard from Sister Xiao that the food they were serving was quite authentic. I'm sure you'll like them."     

    

"Sure!" Jian Yun propped her chin up as she stared at the window. What she didn't notice was that when Wu Wenjing stopped at the exit to pay her parking fees, there was another car entering right at the other entrance.     

    

It was a Bentley–the one that specifically belonged to Huo Liancheng.     

    

Cheng Muze was about to take out his card and drive the car into the entrance when a shadow caught his eye. He immediately turned his head, trying to get a better look at the car that had just passed them, but it had already disappeared from his line of sight.     

    

Huo Liancheng, who had been looking at the document this entire time, raised his eyebrows. "What are you looking at?"     

    

"I think I saw Wu Wenjing." Hesitating for a moment, Cheng Muze turned away. He didn't want to tell him that he had actually seen Jian Yun driving out of the hospital, not wanting to escalate this matter even further. After all, like Huo Liancheng, he believed that the two needed some space from one another–just to clear out the words that had been let out during the heat of the moment.     

    

Huo Liancheng didn't say another word. After all, everyone had their own relatives and friends, and all of them would die sooner or later. Entering and exiting the hospital wasn't something out of the ordinary.     

    

However, he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy at Cheng Muze's words. It was the very same feeling he had when he had heard someone crying a few hours ago. What the hell was wrong with him?     

    

Once they were finished with dinner, Wu Wenjing drove them back to Jian Yun's apartment. She didn't head back to her own house, and instead, stayed over with Luo Yanyan. It was obvious that their friend needed all the support they could get. Seeing as she was still in poor spirits, Luo Yanyan decided to add a few sleeping pills into Jian Yun's milk to help her sleep more soundly tonight. With one last greeting, they each headed to their rooms, drifting off into silence.     

    

The night passed by quickly.     

    

Jian Yun had slept soundly that night, and it wasn't until eight in the morning did she finally wake up. The light streamed through the curtains, and she couldn't help but squint her eyes at the sight. Checking her phone, she checked if there were any news regarding her mother's health, only to see that there wasn't much to see. With a sigh, she got ready for the next day, praying that today was as uneventful as yesterday.     

    

Auntie Qin had gone back to Boshan to cooperate with the ongoing police investigation, and she still hadn't come back yet. Thankfully, her mother's condition hadn't worsened in the past few days, and her infection symptoms had improved. However, she still wasn't waking up. She could only hope that her mother could just keep fighting.     

    

"Will you be coming with me to the company?" Wu Wenjing greeted her as soon as she walked out of her bedroom, eating the steamed bun that Luo Yanyan had bought.     

    

"I'll be heading to the hospital first. I'll go to Ming's later," Jian Yun responded. After all, since she didn't see Bai Ze yesterday as she was leaving, she thought that she could see him now to ask about her mother's condition. Twisting her wrists, she grabbed a piece of steamed bun and took a hesitant bite.     

    

"I won't wait for you then." Scooping up a few mouthfuls of porridge, Wu Wenjing grabbed her bag and got up. "It's Friday today, and you know how the traffic is at the end of the week. I'll be leaving first."     

    

"Do you think you can do it alone?" Luo Yanyan glanced at her friend once they were alone. "How about I take a leave of absence to come with you? After all, I've heard plenty of stories about that Xia Bitch to know that she's out for trouble."     

    

"There's really no need. You guys go ahead." Jian Yun slowly smiled. She was already very grateful with what they had done for her, and she didn't want to bring them any more trouble.     

    

"I'll just head to school." Luo Yanyan picked up her bag and then her books. However just as she was about to walk towards the door, a thought occurred to her. She paused and hesitated. "Yun, I don't know where or how Xu Haiyang found out about what had happened to Auntie, but he asked about you yesterday. I didn't say anything to him, but I'm sure he'll be asking you about this soon."     

    

Jian Yun was stunned to hear Xu Haiyang's name popping into their conversation once again. She hadn't heard from him after what had happened back at the park. Nodding subconsciously, she found herself in a daze, wondering why he was still concerning himself with her affairs. After all, hadn't she already made it clear that she didn't want to anything to do with him anymore?     

    

Seeing that she didn't react to her words, Luo Yanyan did not say anything else and left the apartment.     

    

It took Jian Yun a long while to finally recover from her thoughts and pack her things. Once everything was put in order, she prepared to head to the hospital and watch over her mother.     

    

However, just as she was about to fix her bag, she noticed that the diamond necklace she had planned to give Huo Liancheng a few days ago was still in the back pocket. The pure gold jewelry box glinted under the artificial lighting, and she found herself completely engrossed by its sparkles. When she had received the call from the hospital, she didn't really think much of it, only remembering how she had shoved it into the pockets of her bag and sprinted out the streets.     

    

Not being able to help herself, she pulled the box open, staring into the pink diamond that was glinting under her gaze. She could only sigh at the sight.     

    

If she could just sell all these precious diamonds, all her needs would be dispelled.     

    

But Jian Yun couldn't bring herself to do such a thing–not because she thought that taking out such a priceless diamond would only lead to more humiliation, but also because she still didn't think that such a precious piece of jewelry had actually belonged to her in the first place. After hearing what Huo Liancheng really thought of her, her pride wouldn't allow herself to use this to take a step up. She wasn't that desperate yet. With a sneer, she shoved it back in the back pocket, not wanting to think about it any longer.     

    

On the subway, she squeezed her way through the large crowds as her lips curved into a bitter smile. The irony of it all. Huo Liancheng had no problem throwing away a million's worth of jewelry while she had to struggle every day in order just to earn a few hundred thousand for her mother's medical fees.     

    

No wonder so many people had been so engrossed in making money. At this point, there was no bottom line when it comes to bills. Money, for them, was something praise-worthy, and now, she was starting to see that very fact. With money in your pockets, almost nothing could go wrong.     

    

If she hadn't rejected Huo Liancheng that day, would she have found herself in such a difficult situation now? Perhaps her mother's medical expenses wouldn't have been such a large obstacle sitting right in front of her. Perhaps, she would've finally lived her own happy-ever-after behind a million-dollar mansion. Would she have been happy then? Would her mother had been sated in knowing that fact?     

    

Did she regret it then? Perhaps, but even if she could turn back time and return to that very day he had asked her, she still couldn't see herself giving in that easily. After all, Jian Yun was still a woman of pride. She wasn't just going to sell herself just for something as measly as her mother's medical fees, especially since she was still scraping by throughout it all. Clenching her fists, she resisted the urge to groan.     

    

If that was it, then what the hell was she going to do now? How was she going to earn money that quickly to pay off her mother's expenses?     

    

When she had already walked out of the subway station, her phone vibrated in her bag. She took it out to see that Xu Haiyang had sent her a message.     

    

"Yunduo, I heard that something had happened to Auntie. I know that you don't want to see me, or that you don't want to hear from me ever again, but Auntie needs the money for her medical expenses. I've already asked Luo Yanyan for your bank card number, but she didn't want to give it to me," he had written. "I don't really have any other intentions. I just want to help you! I've already transferred the money to you on WeChat. Please accept it."     

    

Jian Yun clicked on her WeChat, and her eyes widened in surprise. Xu Haiyang had indeed transferred a large sum of money to her account! The grip she had on her phone tightened. Either way, she just couldn't accept his money. She still wasn't at the point where she needed to spend everyone's money on her mother's expenses, but moreover, she didn't want to owe that bastard a favor.     

    

She scowled. There was just some bridges that were better off if they were burned.     

    

While she was scrolling down her WeChat, she couldn't help but glance at Huo Liancheng's chatbox. Seeing that there weren't any new messages from him, a bitter smile threaded across her lip. It seemed that checking for him had become a newfound habit of hers.