You, CEO’s Secret Wife

The next morning, the three friends drove Mrs. Jian to the mall. There, Jian Yun bought all sorts of clothes for her mother and Auntie Qin despite their strong refusals. "It's just for today," she repeatedly insisted as she brought out her wallet, intending to pay for everything they had bought. "Besides, it's almost the new year. New clothes are a must, right, Mom?" Once they had all eaten their lunch, Wu Wenjing drove them back to Mrs. Jian's residence and sped down to the train station to return the car and catch a ride back home. Luckily, all three of them had bought tickets this time around. Although they had fun, it was time to face reality once more.     

    

When the train finally arrived at Qinghu City, it was already 3 o'clock. Jian Yun initially wanted to return to her apartment and fix her things, but just as she had stepped out of the train, her phone started ringing. Glancing, she noticed that the call was from Mrs. Bernard. Why would Mrs. Bernard be calling her at this hour? "Sophy? Is something wrong?"     

    

"Jian Yun, can you come now?" Mrs. Bernard's voice sounded urgent.     

    

Furrowing her eyebrows, she walked to a more secluded area and questioned, "Did something happen?"     

    

"Well, do you remember the guest that I told you about? The one who'll be coming over this weekend?" There was a short pause before the older woman continued, "I was hoping that you'd help me crack up a few Chinese dishes, seeing as I'm still not that familiar with the cuisine."     

    

"Sure, I'll be there in half an hour," she agreed without hesitation. After all, after everything that the middle-aged woman had done for her, it was the least she could do.     

    

Luo Yanyan still needed to go back to school to file her research report while Wu Wenjing was heading to her dance class. After saying their farewells and promises of seeing each other again, the three all went their separate ways.     

    

By the time Jian Yun had arrived at the Bernards' household, Sophy Bernard was already waiting for her inside the kitchen. There were already various vegetables and meat plated around the counter just waiting to be cooked. Upon scanning through all the ingredients placed on the desk, she realized what was missing. "We're still missing a few spices like star anise and cinnamon," she reiterated. "But we could just head to the nearest supermarket and buy them." Once they've agreed, the Sophy drove them to the grocery to grab the missing ingredients.     

    

When they were finished, around half an hour had already passed. On the way back, Sophy had received a call from her husband, informing her that their guest had arrived. With a nod, she quickly hung up and turned to Jian Yun.     

    

"I can't wait to introduce the two of you," she gushed, eyes shining in excitement. Even Jian Yun couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows in contemplation. This was the first time she had ever seen Mrs. Bernard this fussy over a guest. From the looks of things, their guest must be really important. "My friend is quite an old charmer, so I feel that you'd get along fine."     

    

"I'm sure we will." Jian Yun smiled. She had known the Bernards for more than three years, and from her experience, they had always been very hospitable and understanding with regards to her stature. She had come across some of their friends from time to time whenever they came to visit, so she had first-hand experience of how nice they were. "I can't wait to meet her."     

    

Mrs. Bernard winked mischievously at her before parking the car right by the gates of the villa. "Let's go meet our guest then, shall we?" With both of them carrying bags of various containers, they entered the corridor and was about to head towards the pantry. However, just as they were about to do so, Chloe suddenly raced down the staircase and threw her hands up in the air. "You're here!" She squealed. "I miss you!"     

    

"I miss you too!" Jian Yun picked up the young girl with one arm and swung her across the room. Just the sight of her excited face was enough to make her day.    

    

"Chloe, where's our guest?" Sophy asked. Ever since she had hired Jian Yun to tutor her daughter, the two had developed quite a strong bond. It was rare to meet people who were exceptionally fluent in French, so to have someone who could speak their language made the transition much easier for Chloe.     

    

"Upstairs with Daddy!" Chloe shrugged, tugging on Jian Yun's hand as she led her into the living room. "Come, I'll take you to see my bunnies!"     

    

"How about you take her later instead? Let's introduce Jian Yun to our guest first, all right?"     

    

"Sure. Oh, Daddy's here!" Turning her head, the young girl saw a middle-aged man with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes walking towards them. Chloe let go of her hand and jumped towards him, snuggling into his arms. "Dad! Look, Jian's here too."     

    

"Mr. Bernard, it's nice to see you again," Jian Yun greeted. Although she had quite a good friendship with Sophy, her husband was usually out of town or at a business meeting whenever she came to visit, so they didn't really have the opportunity to talk. She turned to greet their guest, only to be left stunned at the sight of two familiar eyes staring back at her. She froze. Suddenly, it felt like the entire world had stopped spinning, and she found her heart beating faster and faster by the second.     

    

Huo Liancheng?     

    

Her fingernails dug into her palm as she observed the man in front of her. Gone was the usual suit he wore at Ming's. Instead, he had on a casual dark shirt and a pair of pants. He looked different from the last time she had seen him. This was a more... laid-back side of him, one that she didn't expect to witness. What the heck was he doing here?     

    

At the sight of his widened eyes and twitched mouth, it was obvious that he also wasn't aware of her presence. He stared at her for a few seconds, refusing to turn away. It was as if the two of them had been held captive by each other's alluring looks that they couldn't find it in themselves to snap back to reality.     

    

Was he the VIP Mrs. Bernard was talking about? He must be.     

    

The tips of her ears were tinged bright red, and Jian Yun ducked her head. Embarrassment cloaked her cheeks as she tugged on the older woman's sleeves. "Sophy, didn't you say that our guest tonight would be a woman?"     

    

"I was only trying to tease you, silly. Well, don't you like my little surprise?" Even a blind man could see how much chemistry the pair had the moment their gazes had crossed. Not wanting to waste any time, the Frenchwoman grabbed Jian Yun's arm and pushed her towards Huo Liancheng. Eyes sparkling with excitement, Sophy introduced them to one another. "What do you think, Huo? She's beautiful, isn't she?"     

    

"She is." He nodded sincerely. There was a certain bounce to his voice that almost made Jian Yun reel back in fright. What the hell happened to the frigid voice she had heard the other day? Did the man turn a one-eighty in a matter of two days?     

    

Hearing his approval, Sophy became even more pleased with herself. "I've always wanted to introduce you to each other for quite some time now, but you're always too busy," she accused the man. "Now that the two of you are free, I might as well take this chance and play matchmaker myself!"     

    

"Sophy!" At the implication of the woman's voice, Jian Yun blushed even more. No matter how much she tried to back away, Mrs. Bernard ignored her pleas and shooed her towards the young man, so she had no other choice but to stand right next to him.     

    

"Why don't we sit down and talk?" Noticing the distress on her face, Mr. Bernard considerately led them to the sofa.     

    

She shot him a grateful look, but it seemed that her gratefulness was short-lived. In the living room, there was a long sofa and two armchairs surrounding the tea table. Grabbing the opportunity, Mrs. Bernard sat on one of the armchairs and motioned for her husband to sit on the other one. There were no other seats available, so if Jian Yun sat now, she'd be sitting right beside Liancheng. Why the hell was her luck this bad?     

    

"What are you standing around for? Sit down!" Sophy giggled, waving at her. "There are tons of women who'd kill to have a chance of sitting next to him."     

    

'Well, they could kill me now, and I might even thank them for it,' Jian Yun thought bitterly, glancing at the man right beside her. The last thing she needed was to sit beside him! Wait, no, scratch that. The last thing she wanted was to see him! Yet, it seemed that fate wanted to bite her right back in the ass. As if she hadn't suffered enough already.     

    

However, it wasn't like she could refuse the older woman. After all, it wasn't as if Sophy knew what was going on between them, and she definitely wasn't going to go through the details of why they shouldn't be around each other. With no other choice, she walked over and awkwardly sat on the edge of the sofa, trying her best to sit as far away from him as possible.     

    

But since Huo Liancheng was sitting in the middle, the best she could do was sit a few centimeters apart from him. Although that was far enough, that still wasn't enough space to stop their shoulders and arms from brushing against each other. Jian Yun gazed at her lap, finding interest in the stray threads bunched around her jeans. Could this get any more awkward?     

    

There was something about the man that brought out all the anxiety in her heart. She didn't know if it was because of how she had kissed him the night before or because of his large figure. Either way, Wu Wenjing was right. Just sitting close to Huo Liancheng was enough to send her straight to the ER. His presence was enough to suffocate her, and she couldn't help but grip the edge of the couch even tighter.     

    

However, as she stilled and listened to their conversation, she had to admit–he spoke good French. Perhaps, he was even more fluent than her.     

    

"Jian Yun, why are you so quiet? Is Huo's presence too strong for you?" Sophy teased. "What I didn't expect was the fact that you already know each other."     

    

Jian Yun subconsciously raised her head to look up at him. Coincidentally, Huo Liancheng had also turned to glance at her. Once their eyes had met, the same intensity surged through her veins as she found herself being sucked into his grasp. It had been a long time since she had felt this way, and she couldn't understand why. 'Maybe I should seek out a therapist,' she thought mockingly.     

    

"Are you happy to see me?" Huo Liancheng asked lowly in Chinese.     

    

Flushing bright red, she quickly turned to avoid his tranquilizing gaze.     

    

Fortunately, Chloe rushed up towards her and pulled on her arm. "Jian, I've been practicing the piece you've given me from last time!" She jumped, her blond hair flowing down her back. "Do you want to listen to me play?"     

    

"Sure!" It seemed that she was saved by a little girl. Not wasting any time, Jian Yun led her to the piano before Chloe could change her mind.     

    

Although the piano was also located in the living room, it was already enough space to breathe far away from Huo Liancheng. A small relieved smile slipped into her lips as she sat next to Chloe on the piano bench, staring at the polished keys displayed right in front of her. After clearing her throat, she said, "Let's begin, Chloe."     

    

'Maybe I've spoken too soon,' she thought as her fingers danced across the keys. The moment she had stood up from the sofa, she could feel his fervent gaze on her back, and the hairs at the back of her neck rose at the thought. Her arms shook in uneasiness, causing her to make a few mistakes while she was teaching the young girl.     

    

Even Chloe noticed the abnormality in Jian Yun's behavior. Glancing at Huo Liancheng, she pulled on her teacher's sleeves and whispered, "Jian, do you like Uncle Huo?"