You, CEO’s Secret Wife

"Please, as if yours isn't bigger!" Giggling in response, Luo Yanyan threw herself at Jian Yun and pushed her down. Without another word, she smiled. "You're our Third Sister! Who could be better than our Third Sis!"     

    

"Ha! Yanyan, don't tickle me! Hey!" Jian Yun looked over at her friend, laughing as she twisted and turned on the mattress. As the two started teasing each other, all of their problems had been left forgotten, like they were a pair of high school students, giggling about boys and assignments rather than a pair of women avoiding their own realities.     

    

"Yun, you've always said that you don't care about the lawyer, but I didn't hear you mention Handsome Huo. So does that mean you're interested in him?" Luo Yanyan suddenly stopped playing around. She straightened her back and glanced at her, her eyes glinting with mischievousness. Like Wu Wenjing, she was also quite enamored by Huo Liancheng's presence.     

    

"Forget about him!" Directly avoiding the question, she pushed her pillow up against the headboard and stared at her friend. "Why don't we talk about you? Where have you been going in the past couple of days? I've noticed that you've been coming back even later than before."     

    

As soon as her lateness had been mentioned, Luo Yanyan frowned. Immediately, her shoulders sagged in defeat, and the glint in her eyes had disappeared almost totally. It was as if someone had told her that she had just lost the lottery. "What do you think?" She sighed. "I was going on a date."    

    

"Another blind date?"     

    

"Yep."     

    

Jian Yun furrowed her eyebrows, pointing out, "I thought you didn't like him. Did your mother force you to go again?"     

    

"Ugh, I don't want to talk about it. Maybe next time." Changing the topic, Luo Yanyan yawned and waved her hand. At the sight of her knitted eyebrows and crinkled nose, she knew for a fact that her friend didn't want to talk about it. "I'm tired. We should head to bed."     

    

Not wanting to push her any further, Jian Yun nodded and got ready to go to bed. She turned off her phone and headed to the washroom, planning to remove Huo Liancheng from her mind. 'Of course, he wouldn't call you,' she told herself. 'What else did he have to say? You're thinking too much.' Even then, she still couldn't help but feel a twinge of uneasiness at how they had left things.    

    

At the same time, in one of the villas in Qinghu City, Huo Liancheng was standing on his balcony, overlooking the entire cityscape as he stared past the flickering lights and bellowing crowds. His hands tightened around his phone as he dialed Jian Yun's number, but before it could even connect, a mechanical voice sounded, "Sorry, the number you have dialed is unavailable at this time. Please try your call later. Sorry, the number..." He switched it off almost immediately.     

    

Propping his arms against the railings, he stared into a distance. It was already close to midnight, and he could see the crowds dissipating from the busy streets. The stars glinted in the night sky. The moon wasn't so far behind. As he gazed at the colored night, he sighed. If only he had someone else with him to view the beauty before him. 'A quiet night indeed,' he hummed in agreement as he stood in silence.     

    

On Saturday, Jian Yun didn't return to Boshan. Instead, she headed to the northern regions of Qinghu City, where her grandfather was staying. The northern region was far from her current residence, and it was definitely even farther from the hustle and bustle of the city. There, it was quieter, more peaceful compared to the blares of horns and sounds of endless chatter. If she had driven there, it would take her an hour and thirty minutes because of the traffic and checkpoints, but if she had taken the subway–it would be around fifty minutes tops.     

    

As she had grown up with her grandparents, they had formed a deep bond with each other. When her mother had gotten into an accident, it was her grandparents who had assisted her throughout those arduous times. If it wasn't for them, she wouldn't even know how to survive at this point. Sighing, a slow smile extended across her lips.    

    

Knowing that her grandparents were worried to death about her mother, she didn't go back that night. Instead, she decided to sleepover at their place to calm their nerves.     

    

Ever since Mrs. Jian became ill, her good-natured temperament had changed over the years. She had grown more strong-willed and stubborn, like a mule refusing to pass the lake. Her grandparents had continually insisted that she move back to Qinghu City with them, but no matter how hard they tried, she still wouldn't budge. For her, Boshan was her home, and she was there to stay.     

    

Jian Yun, however, knew the whole reason why her mother didn't want to move. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she just couldn't let go of her past, and in turn, she couldn't let go of her hatred. That night, when her mother had gotten into an accident, she had accused Lin Rong of pushing her down the stairs, but no one believed her. Lin Rong herself had turned against her, declaring Mrs. Jian as inept and driven by jealousy that the old woman had intentionally wronged her.     

    

It was that very same incident that had pushed her father to sign the divorce papers.     

    

Mrs. Jian was a strong woman, and she certainly wouldn't give up without a fight. But what else could she do but back down on this? After all, there was nothing they could do anymore. In reality, they were practically tied down between a rock and a hard place. Her father had stated that he'd only assist in her medical fees if she would sign the divorce papers, and as she still hadn't done the deed, he continually ignored her, paying no heed to their past relationship.     

    

Jian Yun also wanted her mother to sign the divorce papers. Although she hated her father with a passion, divorce would be cutting the chains attached to her mother's back. Letting go would finally be able to lift the burden from her shoulders. However, Mrs. Jian still wasn't convinced. She'd rather die than let her father go. "Till death do us part, right?" She had affirmed so bitterly whenever the topic was brought up.     

    

So to answer her grandparents with regards to their daughter's health, Jian Yun made sure to only include the good things, not wanting them to worry.     

    

Once they were finished talking, she headed back to her bedroom. She opened her WeChat, as she usually did every night, but there were still no new messages. As her thumb hovered across Huo Liancheng's name, her heart stirred in disappointment. What was wrong with her? Why did she feel so deflated? Shaking her head, she found herself glancing at Xu Haiyang's friend request from time to time, but she just couldn't get herself to respond to the request.     

    

On Sunday, Jian Yun returned home after having lunch at her grandfather's. Just as she was about to head to the Bernards, Mrs. Bernard had called her up just in time to tell her that their family had gone back to France for a month, so she wouldn't be able to teach Chloe for a while.     

    

With a sigh, she stepped out of the subway station. However, just as she was about to turn around and head back to her apartment, her phone rang out.     

    

Looking at the screen, her heart raced in her chest. It was Huo Liancheng. She gingerly picked it up and answered the call.     

    

"Where are you?" Huo Liancheng had always been straightforward.     

    

"I'm at the subway station, the one right next to my house," she slowly answered, unsure as to what he wanted from her.     

    

There was a rustle from the other end of the line, before he said, "Stay there. I'll be there in five minutes."     

    

Seeing as he hung up, Jian Yun shook her head. Back then, she had always been so confused as to why the CEO had to be so domineering in every romance novel she had read, now she knew exactly why. "Bet I know where they get their inspiration from," she murmured sarcastically under her breath, turning away.     

    

He had said five minutes, but when Jian Yun had reached the subway station, she could see his car parked by the side of the road. The glamorous Bentley was a definite standout from all the taxis on the sidewalk, and she could even see a couple of people struggling to peer through the tinted windows just to see who the owner was. With a sigh, she walked forward and knocked on the locked door.     

    

Immediately, Huo Liancheng lowered his windows, revealing his usual aloof expression. "Get in!"     

    

"Why are you here?" She got in the car, and her hands drifted across the leather seat. Even if she had been here millions of times, she still couldn't help but revel at the softness of the matting and the hardness of the leather. It was also another piece of evidence that his and her views on normalcy were miles apart.     

    

"Would you believe me if I told you that I was waiting for you?" He gazed at her.     

    

Jian Yun smiled and retorted, "I don't believe it!"     

    

"Do you really not believing anything I say?"     

    

Snorting, she nodded her head as if he was asking the obvious. There was a moment of silence as she stared from afar, looking as if she was considering his question before giving one more resolute nod. "I don't believe it!"     

    

"Why do I feel like you're always discriminating against the rich?" Huo Liancheng leaned to the side and placed his arm around the back of her seat. His eyes widened in disbelief, and his thin lips pursed into a frown. There was a helpless gleam in his eyes, one that she had found hilarious.     

    

"Did you only figure that out now?" Jian Yun rolled her eyes, looking as if she was trying to hold back her laughter. In the past days, this was only one of the very few moments where she could act so carefree, and it had somehow made her remember her college days–when she was still able to laugh freely and talk lively as if there was nothing wrong in the world. Somehow, the same feelings arose in her chest, and it was one that she could hardly push away.     

    

"Well, you're wrong to do this," he joked, reaching out his hand to pinch her cheek. Although she tried to dodge, she still couldn't avoid him from poking her in the face.     

    

"Why are you always doing this?" She complained and slapped his hands away.     

    

"If I had a choice, I would've poked and pinched on other places as well," he slowly said, bringing his eyes up to her. Suddenly the atmosphere around them had turned even more ambiguous, and his eyelashes fluttered under the neon lights. He intentionally glanced at her chest, just to make her catch his drift. "At least, if you'll let me."     

    

Jian Yun flushed dark red under his gaze. She wanted to curse him and perhaps even hit him, but every time she tried to, it was as if her throat had been blocked and her arms had been frozen into place. She could only sit there and stay quiet, silently fuming over his words.     

    

"You blush so easily," he commented, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I wonder if your entire body turns red when you're shy. I would definitely like to find out."     

    

"If you keep being this shameless, I'll get off now!" She stuttered out as she struggled to get a hold of herself. They had only known each other for such a short period of time, yet he was so comfortable in openly flirting with her as if they had known each other for years! How could he have such the gall to do so? Blushing, she turned away. "Are rich people always so dirty? Or is it just you?"     

    

"Dirty? Which part?" Huo Liancheng started the car.     

    

"Every part!" Jian Yun narrowed her eyes in annoyance.     

    

He smirked. "So you're saying you've seen every part of me already?"