You, CEO’s Secret Wife

"I could start off as a model, but he said that he can give me an acting job as one of his extras to help hone my acting skills. First, I'll play a supporting role, and next thing you know, I'll be the female lead at one of the most popular movies of all time!" Wu Wenjing's face was filled with anticipation and excitement for the upcoming interview. Her eyes shone even more brightly as she tried to suppress her giggling.     

    

"Yun, you look absolutely gorgeous, why don't you join me for an interview?" She beamed. "I'm sure my friend will agree to it!"     

    

"No, the limelight never suited me anyway." Jian Yun waved her hands repeatedly, shaking her head.     

    

"It will in time! Besides, aren't you short on money? Have you seen how rich all these celebrities are? They're being paid at least 200,000-300,000 RMB for just a single episode. I could work overtime every day, and I still wouldn't be able to earn as much in just one year!" Wu Wenjing protested, tugging her arm. She exasperatedly threw her hands up in the air. "Look at you! You're so pretty! You'll definitely be popular."     

    

"I'm not interested in any of the sorts." Snorting, Jian Yun turned away. After all these years of being a wallflower, she was no longer used to being the center of attention. "And my mother wouldn't agree to this."     

    

"And here I thought I could drag you along." Wu Wenjing sighed in disappointment.     

    

"You should think this through though. See if the person's reliable or not." After all, there were plenty of women who shared the same dream of making it big just to be fooled in the end. Although there were plenty of legitimate offers, there was still a lot of shady gigs on the side–one that could put an end to their dreams. "Okay?"     

    

"Please, we grew up together. He wouldn't lie to me, but I am planning to check out his company first." Wu Wenjing wasn't naive enough to question her friend's advice. She nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. After all the scandals they had been hearing on the news of young girls being taken advantage of by these 'scouting agencies', it was best to look out for them.     

    

As the office was starting to fill up, Wu Wenjing returned to her seat. Since today was Monday, their manager was supposed to hold a start-of-the-week meeting to update them on any new dealings and projects.     

    

At around half-past nine, Xia Bingbing appeared in the department. Her secretary, who had been trailing behind her this entire time, clapped her hands to alert everyone of her arrival. Everyone lifted their heads in acknowledgement, but they didn't look too pleased with her arrival.     

    

Xia Bingbing was still as domineering as ever. Although she had just been here for a couple of days, the personnel department had already received some complaints about her. Now, the rumors they had been hearing about the woman being the granddaughter of Ming's chairman seemed to be truer than ever. Otherwise, with her level of skill, how could she have entered the company, much less become the department manager? It's either that or it's because she was carrying Huo Liancheng's baby.     

    

In order to make her presence known, the crazy woman had been causing all kinds of trouble in the HR Department. Not only did she drill down on Jian Yun, but also on the other employees under her. Although everyone in the HR Department was capable of writing up a quality report for her, she had spared no one as she trashed them all. Xia Bingbing, if anything, was far too underqualified for the job given to her.     

    

Although Li Xianggrong wasn't the best HR manager, he was still more capable than her.     

    

Xia Bingbing glared at Jian Yun once she had finished her lecture, but the young woman could care less. Flicking dirt from her table, she turned away. At this point, the last thing she needed was to pick a fight with this rabid woman.     

    

There was more work lined up for her on Monday, so she had been busy the entire morning. When it was finally time for lunch, she waited for everyone to leave before picking up her phone from her desk. She called for Wu Wenjing to stop as her friend was heading right out the door. Without another thought, Jian Yun dialed Cheng Muze's number.     

    

"Sister Jian, to what do I owe the pleasure of your call?" His voice sounded light from the other end of the line.     

    

"Brother Ze, are you in the company?"     

    

He chuckled. "Why? Is there something you want me to do?"     

    

Jian Yun paused for a second, carefully phrasing her words. "Do you mind helping me hand over something to President Huo?"     

    

There was a moment of silence, before he finally spoke up, "What is it?"     

    

"The necklace." Knowing that it was impossible to hide the truth from him, especially since he was the one who's going to hand it over, she decided to come clean. After all, beating around the bush could only lead to even more misunderstandings between them.     

    

"Isn't that Fourth Brother's gift to you?" Cheng Muze asked curiously. "Don't you like it?"     

    

"It's not that...it's just too valuable. I can't accept it," she quickly explained. Wu Wenjing was leaning against the doorway, urging her to come over.     

    

"Ah, so that's why. Listen, I'm not in the country right now, but I might be back by next week," he replied. "Plus, I think this has more to do with Fourth Brother's business than my own. It's best if the two of you would talk it out."     

    

"I already told him, but all he said was that I could throw it away." Knowing that Cheng Muze wouldn't be able to do much, she could only thank him and hang up on the phone. With a sigh, she gazed up at the ceiling, squinting her eyes as the artificial lights flashed before her. It seemed that she had to do this on her own.     

    

Wu Wenjing pressed her stomach, peering at her friend's face. "Yun, hurry up! If we're late, there wouldn't be much food left for us."     

    

"I'm coming!" Locking her bag in the drawer, Jian Yun grabbed her phone and walked up to her.     

    

"Were you just calling Assistant Cheng?" Wu Wenjing asked curiously, bumping her shoulder against hers. "What's that about?"     

    

Jian Yun snorted as she walked right ahead, leaving her friend behind. "Didn't you say you were hungry? Let's head to the canteen already."     

    

"Aiya, you little witch, don't keep me on the edge of my seat and tell me!" With her curiosity already piqued, Wu Wenjing ran after her.     

    

The two women laughed as they entered the elevator, not noticing that the manager's office had silently opened behind them. Once she was sure that they were gone, Xia Bingbing stepped out of her office. Her arms were crossed over her chest as her long fingernails scraped against her sleeves. A dangerous look flashed on her face.     

    

"Sister Bingbing, is that the bitch you were just talking about?" Behind her was an ordinary-looking woman wearing a pile of heavy makeup on her face. She stared at their retreating figure with a curious look etched on her features.     

    

"Hui, you heard it too, right?" Xia Bingbing scoffed, glaring at the elevator, silently wishing that the contraption could burst into flames. "She's been talking to Cheng Muze just now, about giving something to Liancheng."     

    

"She even said that the item was far too expensive and that she couldn't accept it." Hui nodded rapidly in agreement, furrowing her eyebrows. "Sister Bingbing, do you think Mr. Huo really gave her something precious to him?"     

    

Xia Bingbing's face had turned so dark that the woman had immediately quieted down. "Go and see what it is!" She raised her chin up in the air.     

    

As they stepped towards Jian Yun's desk, Hui tried to pull open one of the drawers only to shake her head in defeat. "It's locked!"     

    

"There must be another way!" Grinding her teeth together, the woman pulled her branded bag up her shoulders. "Pick the lock for me! I want to see what prized treasure Liancheng had given her."     

    

"But Sister Bingbing! That's illegal, I can't–" Although Hui was her follower, she wasn't that stupid. With all the surveillance cameras poised around every corner of the room, they'd be easily seen. They were already going too far.     

    

"What are you so afraid of? If something happens, then I'll handle it for you!" Xia Bingbing rolled her eyes. With her grandfather being the chairman, she had this entire company in the palm of her hands. One word from her and her grandfather would happily follow. "Liancheng hasn't been paying attention to me since I got here, so it must be because of that bitch! I want to know what he gave her!"     

    

Ming's was a large company, so many of their furniture and fixtures were made with the highest quality of wood and metal. No matter how much Hui tried to pull It open, the drawers still wouldn't budge. She could only helplessly shake her head. "Sister Bingbing," she protested. "I really can't open it."     

    

"Why are you so useless?" Pushing her away, Xia Bingbing tried to pull the drawer open with all her limited strength, and when it still didn't budge, she proceeded to try and kick it open. Yet, no matter how hard she kicked, the drawer remained close. Around twenty minutes had passed, and they still couldn't see what's inside the locked drawer.     

    

"Sister Bingbing, please don't do this. If someone sees you, it wouldn't be good for you," Hui tried to convince. Her family wasn't as well-off, but she wanted to experience higher luxuries in life. This was why she decided to hang around Xia Bingbing and do her bidding, in order to get the leftovers of the woman's accessories and make-up. Although her life seemed piteous, it was better than settling in the slums.     

    

Xia Bingbing glanced at the clock, knowing that the people would be back soon. If they saw her picking the locks, it would definitely ruin her name even further. Although her father held a high position in this company, it still wouldn't be able to protect her from the criticism she'd face within the workplace. Hiding a snarl, she turned around.     

    

"Sister Bingbing, Ming's is amazing!" Hui sighed in envy, gazing at the high ceilings and bright walls. "If only I could work here."     

    

"Please, entering is easy. Hand over your resume tomorrow, and I'll ask the HR Department to pull some strings for you." Xia Bingbing rolled her eyes and waved her hand.     

    

Half an hour later, Jian Yun and Wu Wenjing returned from lunch. However, the sight that had greeted them was one belonging to a crime scene. Although the drawers were still locked, Jian Yun's table had been flipped over, with all her supplies scattered across the glass tiles.