You, CEO’s Secret Wife

Ever since her father's affair had been exposed, Jian Yun was thrown into a family drama that she never wanted to be in. Back then, she was under the illusion that they were living such happy lives–wherein they all had a future painted far ahead of them. That was...until he had invited his other woman and daughter into his household, claiming they were his classmate's wife and daughter. There, everything turned into mush. His wife–who had loved him so dearly and purely–trusted him like a fool, and ever since then, their fantastical reality had never been the same again.     

    

It took Jian Yun years to understand how foolhardy her mother had been–how she simply accepted all these hardships to the point that the injuries that she had sustained would last her all the years of her life. Her mother had been betrayed by the man she had trusted the most, and now, she was paying the price. Who would've thought that the man she shared a bed with for twenty years would have another woman from the day they had said their vows?     

    

When the truth had been revealed, her mother collapsed completely. Their relationship shattered like a glass window, and soon enough the reality had been exposed. Argument after argument, their love gradually turned into hate. And when her mother had mysteriously fallen down the stairs and become paralyzed, her father soon revealed his true nature.     

    

One of the marriage vows they had included, 'through sickness and health'... Her father was a liar. He had never wanted to take care of his wife, never wanted to be responsible of her grief. He even added salt to the wounds by asking for a divorce the same time she had been disadvantaged. Now, her mother's heart was completely broken, and the remaining people in her life were responsible for picking up the pieces.     

    

Jian Yun hated her father so much–hated him for being unfaithful, hated him for being cold-blooded, hated him for injuring the woman he had promised to love. She remembered clenching her fists out of spite, telling the world how she would never want to see him again! However, no matter how much she hated him, he was still her father. This was something that could never be erased.     

    

Back when she was still a lot younger, she wondered why her father had left them to be with another woman. Was he too intimidated by his wife's strength that he found another woman who's more...subdued? Was it because his wife couldn't give him any sons that he started finding an alternative? Was he that bored with their regular household that he tried finding someone else to brighten up his life?     

    

However, no matter how much she wanted to excuse her father's mistakes, the heartless words he had said on the phone was enough to make her feel like a teenager again–furious at the man that she had once associated as their protector. Turned out, he was just a deserter. Her jaw was clenched, and her heart became cold. The grip she had on her phone tightened even more.     

    

Jian Yun sat on a bench, overlooking the hospital garden. As the sun was setting in the west, the golden sunlight fell on her inky black hair–cupping her head like a halo in disguise. Her small face was pale and bright, sparkling like the finest jade in China. She made for a beautiful sight, one that could stop any man in his tracks. Yet, upon taking a closer look, one could see the swollenness of her eyes and the redness of her cheeks. There sat a broken beauty as she processed the obstacles standing before her.     

    

And, there, she cried her heart out.     

    

The phone was still pressed to her ear, but till then, there was still no sound from the receiver. It was at this moment that she knew for a fact that her father was gone from her life. She would never, ever bring herself to look at that heartless man!     

    

Tears streamed continuously down her cheeks as she sobbed without a single care in the world. Although the bench she had chosen was remote, there were few people passing by occasionally, and some of them would glance in her direction from time to time. However, they were all healthcare workers–all of them had grown numb with each passing, so they didn't have the heart to comfort her, afraid that they would only make matters worse.     

    

Not far away, a young man wearing a white lab coat was talking on the phone. However, even he was a bit distracted. He couldn't help but look at where Jian Yun was sitting, feeling his own heart pang in pity.     

    

"Yin Che, how did it go?" On the other end of the line, Huo Liancheng stood by the balcony of his house, gazing at the beautiful sunset glowing in the horizon. He had his arms perched by the railings, and his cold dark eyes were warmed by the sunlight right ahead. With a pause, he waited for his reply.     

    

"It's done," he replied quickly.     

    

"You can leave tonight then. Pack your things, and I'll have my car pick you up in an hour." Huo Liancheng was just about to hang up when he heard someone sniffling from the background. The corners of his lips inched downwards. "Why–Did I hear someone crying? Who's crying?"     

    

"There's a young woman over there." Yin Che stared in her direction, shaking his head in obvious pity. "It's obvious that she had encountered some trouble. I kind of feel sorry for her, you know?"     

    

Right at that moment, he saw Jian Yun turning her head, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Damn, she's pretty," he whispered to himself. "I heard her calling her father a few minutes ago, saying how her mother had been seriously injured–with the craniotomy. I've heard that her mother would be held in the ICU to recuperate, and she doesn't have enough money left. That's why she's asking from her father, but that jerk had said that she should agree with the divorce before giving them any money. Aiya, nevermind. I'll just go there and take a look. I'll talk to you later."     

    

Without waiting for a reply, Yin Che hurriedly hung up the phone. However, that still didn't stop various questions from running through Huo Liancheng's mind. He felt his hand creep up to his chest, feeling his heart squeeze in pain. He didn't know why he felt such heartache after hearing those wretched sobs. Could that be Jian Yun? At the thought, he immediately shook his head, discarding that theory almost immediately.     

    

He must be going crazy.     

    

But as he was thinking of her, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He had clearly said that he didn't care about her past, that he wouldn't mind how unrestrained she had been in the past few years. As long as he could be with her, then that was fine.     

    

Yet, he still couldn't help but be a little jealous whenever he saw her roaming freely with several men–even spending the night with her first love.     

    

Huo Liancheng raised a bottle of wine to his lips and gulped down all of its contents. Even now, he still couldn't believe that he had said those childish words. His grip tightened around the glass as the memories played back like a broken video recorder, showing him just how cruel he had been back at the office. How could he have been so childish? So reckless? His face morphed into a sneer as he took another swig.     

    

When the resignation letter had shown up on his desk, he knew that she was far more decisive than he had thought she was. And all he wanted to do was swallow back his pride and reel her back in, apologizing for everything he had done in the past. But he knew he had to hold back. After all, Jian Yun was so stubborn. How could she listen to him, especially when her wounds were still fresh?     

    

No wonder Cheng Muze had been so amused in seeing him like this. For so many years, Huo Liancheng never had a woman by his side, and it had been a long time since he had practiced courtship with anyone for that matter. At this point, he had forgotten how to sweep her off her feet, and now, it seemed that he had even pushed her further away from his grasp. It was like with every step he took forward, fate would just push him two steps back.     

    

Although he had his fair share of women who had dreamt of climbing onto his bed, he never wanted them.     

    

Yet the only woman he ever wanted would never even dream of being with him.     

    

Huo Liancheng finished the last drop of wine from his bottle and lowered his head. He let his arms support his leaning figure as his eyes gradually became even more bloodshot under the piercing light. As the night started to crowd around the beautiful sunlight, he could feel his chest tightening at the sight. When would he ever get his own happy-ever-after? With a sigh, he glanced at the bottle and rubbed the creases on his forehead.     

    

He had wanted to go out and see her tonight, but he still needed to head back to Switzerland. 'Maybe I should give her a few more days to cool off,' he told himself reluctantly as he squeezed his eyes shut.     

    

Jian Yun had been crying so hard that she didn't even notice a hand waving at her. It was only when a gentle voice sounded beside her did she finally raise her head. "Excuse me, do you need any help?"     

    

She gazed at the man through her tears, making her unable to see his appearance clearly. Subconsciously taking the tissue from his fingertips, she thanked him, "It's really no need. Thank you for this."     

    

"You shouldn't really cry over these things, you know," he noted. Staring at the tear-stained woman, he had to admit that she looked refined and elegant despite her flushed cheeks. His heart warmed, and he had quite a good impression of her. "If you're in trouble, then you have to think of another way to solve it! That's just the way it goes! Remember, with every obstacle comes with a solution."     

    

"I–thank you." She nodded, wiping the tears.     

    

She was just about to leave when Yin Che called out, "Do you mind telling me your name?" After all, he wasn't going to let this opportunity go past him. Like any other man, he was interested in getting to know her a bit more.     

    

However, Jian Yun wasn't an idiot. How could she easily tell a man her name after just meeting once? With a shake of her head, she quickened her pace until she disappeared from his sight.     

    

When she returned to the ICU, Wu Wenjing was already waiting for her. Yesterday, she had returned to Boshan with Auntie Qin to look at the police report. "The police had checked the site, and they've agreed that someone really had broken in," she explained. "But because of the lack of technology, there weren't really any surveillance cameras around the block, and the ones that they do have were severely outdated. All they could see was a picture of the suspect's back."     

    

Wu Wenjing had also photographed the suspect's back for Jian Yun to see, but the police weren't lying when they said that the cameras were outdated. His figure was far too blurry under the piercing light, and she couldn't recognize him no matter how hard she tried. Now, all Jian Yun could do was to wait for her mother to wake up so that she could tell them what had really gone on that morning.     

    

"There's another thing I need to talk to you about." Wu Wenjing hesitated, before continuing, "Xia Bingbing wants you to go back to the company tomorrow to handle all the separation procedures."     

    

Jian Yun sighed, knowing far too well that the woman had already made her move. "Okay." She nodded. Besides, she had already intended to resign from that place anyway, so the news didn't affect her at all. The bright side that came to all of this was that she would never have to see that her and Huo Liancheng's face ever again.