You, CEO’s Secret Wife

"What? He's still there?" Upon hearing Luo Yanyan's words, Jian Yun immediately jumped up from her seat and rushed towards the balcony. Her heart stirred in her chest as millions of thoughts rushed through her mind. Was he waiting for something? Should she go and wave one last time? However, as she reached the edge of the railings, she saw that the pavements were empty. No one was there.     

    

Behind her, Luo Yanyan snorted. "So, Mr. I-don't-like-President-Huo, how's that working out for you?"     

    

"Aren't you clever?" Shooting her a glare, Jian Yun stomped back into the living room and sat down.     

    

Despite this, her mind was still in total turmoil from her friend's words. Why did she care so much if he was still outside their building? Why was her heart a total mess whenever she'd see him? Why did it seem that every time she'd talk to him, she'd lose all sorts of composure like some young teen? Jian Yun stared at her hands for a long time, struggling to get her thoughts to fall into place. Did she really like him? Was Luo Yanyan right?     

    

When Huo Liancheng had kissed her that night, she had been angry, but she certainly wasn't disgusted. And the way they had talked back at the car...    

    

"What are you thinking about?" Luo Yanyan sat on the sofa and placed her arms on top of the pillows. Resting her chin on her arms, she fixated her stare on her friend. "Yun, maybe the reason why you don't consider any man as an option is that you're too busy having illusions of Xu Haiyang coming back and apologizing for everything that he had done. Maybe, you haven't really moved on from him like you said you have."     

    

Jian Yun's gaze hardened. "I'm not waiting for that bastard."     

    

"Only you know the truth to your words." After all the years they've been friends, Luo Yanyan knew her friend ike the back of her hand. The more agitated she was over the matter, the more she cared about it. Jian Yun was like an open book–all one really needed to do was to read between the lines.     

    

Instead of snapping back, Jian Yun lowered her head and stayed silent.     

    

"Yun, I know how you're feeling right now, and although I may not be able to relate on your level, maybe I can offer you some piece of advice," Luo Yanyan said slowly. "Auntie is going to undergo surgery, and you and I both know how much money that would cost. How can you pay it all off? The lawyer may be well-off, but he wouldn't be able to shoulder all the expenses you're going to throw at him, and any ordinary man would shudder at the thought of paying those bills. So why don't you consider Huo Liancheng? I mean, we're talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake here, Yun. He likes your body, and you want his money–isn't that already a win-win situation?"    

    

"How can you say that?" Having enough, Jian Yun stared up at her in disbelief. "If I go into this relationship expecting something in return, what's the difference between me and other girls who sell themselves out in the open?"     

    

"And what's so wrong with that?" Rolling her eyes, a mocking smile slid into her lips. "Yun, don't tell me you still believe in love! After everything that bastard had done to you, do you really think some Prince Charming is going to walk down this very apartment and sweep you off your feet?"     

    

"I'm not talking about love!"     

    

"Then what? Is this about your pride? Because if it is, then you haven't experienced being desperate–being in dire need when your own pride couldn't feed you dinner." Luo Yanyan seemed to have anticipated what she was about to say, and she leaned back against the couch. Her eyes narrowed. "Once you've experienced all the hardships life will throw at you, you'll regret not entertaining him while he's still interested in you."     

    

"You don't understand, Yanyan!" Jian Yun rubbed the creases of her forehead. "I–I just can't do it."     

    

"I–fine, suit yourself." Luo Yanyan knew for a fact that her friend was a prideful woman. It would be difficult for Jian Yun to compromise her values, especially with something that she had disagreed with for so long. She refused to accept sympathy nor did she refused to be under the bitter end of things. Back when she had caught Lin Lanlan and Xu Haiyang, she was still unwilling to forgive him no matter how much pain she had gone through. Jian Yun was brave and strong, but sometimes, the traits that had made her admirable may be the same traits that would lead her to her downfall.     

    

Like her mother, Jian Yun was stubborn, and she refused to compromise her pride for anyone else.     

    

It was late at night by the time they had called it quits. While Luo Yanyan had readily drifted off to sleep, Jian Yun twisted and turned under her sheets, unable to fall asleep.     

    

Her friend's words echoed in her ears, and her head pounded with agreement. Why did everyone think she should date Huo Liancheng? Why did they think that she needed him?     

    

If she had accepted his pursuit, then wouldn't she be treating this more as a transaction rather than a relationship? She twirled her fingers under the covers. Soon enough, he'd grow tired of her–like any rich man would after he had gotten what he wanted–and would later abandon her for another model that stepped into his paths. She already knew the ending to their love story, so why bother trying? Was a short-lived romance really better than nothing at all?     

    

No...She shook her head. There was no way where she'd put herself in a position where she'd use her body for the sake of money. This was something that she could settle herself. Besides, it wasn't as if she hadn't done it before. A couple more part-time jobs and she'd be back on her feet.     

    

Deep in thought, Jian Yun took out the Lover's Heart from underneath her pillow. The pink diamond rested on her pale palm, glistening under the moonlight. Upon observing the intricacy around the engravings, she could see why men and women alike were so enchanted at the sight of this treasure. Averting her gaze, she sighed. If only she could exchange this diamond for money. Maybe then, all her problems would be gone with a click of a finger.     

    

However, she knew for a fact that this wasn't going to be easy either way.     

    

Just then, her phone dinged. When Jian Yun grabbed her phone to see who it was, her eyebrows immediately raised. It was Huo Liancheng.     

    

"Are you sleeping already?" he asked.    

    

Although it was only four short words, her heartbeat quickened.     

    

She held the phone tightly in her hands. Her finger twitched across the keyboard, hesitating as to whether she'd reply back. However, even after the screen had blackened once more, Jian Yun couldn't find it in herself to type a single word. Her heart twisted in her chest, but her hands still remained frozen–at a complete loss of what to do.     

    

With a sigh, she placed her phone back onto her bedside table and buried her head under the blankets. She might as well worry about this tomorrow.    

    

Huo Liancheng didn't send any more messages that night, and just like that, she drifted off to sleep. Her face, however, was far from peaceful. With furrowed eyebrows and pursed lips, it was obvious that the woman had gone to sleep conflicted and skeptical about everything that had transpired that night. When she opened her eyes a few hours later, it was already the next day.     

    

Jian Yun looked up, noticing that the curtains were glowing from the sunlight. Her sleepiness slowly receded and she quickly got ready to go on a run. It had been a few weeks since she had followed through with her exercise routine, and this may be the prime time to get back to it.     

    

It was 6:15 AM, so it was still early. She clicked on her WeChat Moment, glancing at all the pictures that her friends had posted, only to stop when she saw Cheng Muze's sleepy expression. There, right beside him, was a box of stomach pills.     

    

He had posted that about three hours ago. Not thinking too much about it, she messaged him, "Does your stomach hurt?"     

    

"Not me. It's Fourth Brother!" The man replied almost instantly.     

    

Stomachache? Remembering the chili she had served him last night, she frowned, suddenly feeling a bit guilty. There was a short pause before she asked, "Other than the stomach ache, is he feeling any discomfort?"     

    

"No, he just wouldn't talk...Then again, he doesn't talk much, so there's nothing strange about it."     

    

She didn't need to guess to know that his tongue was swollen, and from the number of chili peppers he had ingested, a sore throat wouldn't be that far of a diagnosis either. It wasn't that Huo Liancheng didn't like to talk, despite being a man of few words, but it was because he couldn't speak at all.     

    

Jian Yun hesitated for a second before tapping on Huo Liancheng's profile. "Eat some bitter melon. It would help with the sore throat."     

    

Thinking that he wouldn't wake up that early, she thought about leaving it like that and going for the run she had intended. However, before she could put her phone away, she saw that he had already replied.     

    

"It's too bitter! I don't like it."     

    

Upon seeing his message, she bit her lips. Even his reply was enough to throw her off. "You can drink honeysuckle infused water to wash the bitterness if you want."     

    

"Okay!"     

    

After reading his message, Jian Yun threw her phone onto the bed and changed into her sneakers. She glanced at her screen one last time and headed out of her apartment to go for a run.     

    

By the time she had returned, Luo Yanyan had already made breakfast for the two of them. When Jian Yun had already washed up and headed into the dining table, her friend quickly motioned to her cellphone. "Your phone rang over and over again while you were in the shower," Luo Yanyan pointed out. "I picked it up for you, and it's a man called Cheng Muze–says he needs your help."