“President Xie, this way, please.”
Both Cheng Xin and Yan Xiyue recognized the man who spoke. It was none other than Qin Feng, General Manager Huang’s former assistant.
Because General Manager Huang’s private life was such a mess, Qin Feng frequently had to remind his boss of romantic anniversaries. He was also responsible for arranging everything from bouquets and gifts to choosing locations for dates.
So, although everyone knew Qin Feng was just an unfortunate employee trying to earn a living, and that making money was never easy, some mischievous colleagues had still given him the nickname “Chief Steward Qin.”
The nickname quickly spread. Since almost everyone in the gossip groups was anonymous, no one knew where it had originated.
Now, seeing that Qin Feng was still accompanying the newly appointed executive president, people couldn’t help but marvel that presidents might come and go, but Chief Steward Qin was here to stay.
“Xie…” Yan Xiyue abruptly turned toward Cheng Xin and tugged hard on her sleeve. Her expression practically screamed, Did you hear that? Chief Steward Qin called him President Xie!
Xie Jing.
Cheng Xin pressed her lips together and blinked. Of course she’d heard him. She wasn’t deaf. Naturally, she knew this was Xie Jing, the company’s newly appointed executive president.
The silent exchange of glances between Cheng Xin and Yan Xiyue clearly went unnoticed by the people opposite them. After stepping out of the elevator, neither group even made eye contact. Xie Jing, Qin Feng, and the others headed straight toward the cafeteria.
Almost instinctively, Cheng Xin turned her head and glanced at Xie Jing’s retreating figure.
Even his back looked ridiculously handsome. Tsk, tsk.
For Cheng Xin, who was hopelessly obsessed with good looks, Xie Jing’s appearance was no different from seeing a lavish feast when she was starving.
Unfortunately, she’d grown accustomed to being obedient and reserved. Even when she liked or admired something, she expressed it far more subtly than most people.
Fine, she admitted it. She was a little pretentious. Even though Xie Jing perfectly matched every one of her preferences, she still maintained a calm expression on the surface.
Just wait. Once I get home, I’m going to dream up something spectacular.
Yes, Cheng Xin had always been a good girl. From childhood to adulthood, she’d grown up strictly following her parents’ expectations. She hadn’t even gone through a rebellious phase during adolescence.
However, the well-behaved Cheng Xin had always harbored a little secret hobby that nobody knew about. Every night before going to sleep, she would invent a little bedtime drama to lull herself to sleep.
Before university, her bedtime dramas mostly consisted of wish-fulfillment fantasies. For example, she might imagine returning to elementary school, scoring perfect marks in every subject, and making everyone worship her in admiration. Or perhaps, while attending school, she would suddenly inherit magical powers. By day, she’d be an ordinary, quiet high school girl, but at night, she’d transform into a magical girl who punished evil and upheld justice, standing aloof on a towering rooftop as she gazed down at the countless lights of the city.
They were fantasies overflowing with adolescent delusions of grandeur.
Quite often, Cheng Xin would amuse herself so much while making up these stories that she’d drift off to sleep without even realizing it.
After entering university and finally escaping her parents’ control, Cheng Xin experienced more of the world. Naturally, the variety of her bedtime dramas increased as well.
She began enjoying imaginary love stories filled with dramatic twists, emotional tension, and passionate romance.
Unfortunately, no man had ever managed to catch the eye of someone as hopelessly obsessed with good looks as she was. Consequently, the male protagonists in her bedtime dramas usually had indistinct faces.
But just now, at the very moment she’d laid eyes on Xie Jing, Cheng Xin had made her decision.
Tonight’s male protagonist would be him.
The corners of Cheng Xin’s lips curved upward slightly.
The moment Xie Jing appeared in the cafeteria, the gossip group erupted into a chorus of excited exclamations.
[Ahhh! Why didn’t anyone tell me President Xie was THIS handsome? With a little styling, he could practically debut as a celebrity!]
[Debut? The heir to the Xie family entering the entertainment industry? How desperate would he have to be to do that?]
[Oh my God! He’s insanely handsome AND his family is ridiculously rich. Sob, sob. Another piece of evidence that I’m just an NPC in this world.]
[There are so many rich, good-looking people in the world. Why can’t I be one of them? I hate this!]
[Is there really any need to exaggerate this much? I think President Xie looks pretty much the same as me.]
[If you’ve got the guts, stop posting anonymously! I absolutely have to see who’s shameless enough to make a claim like that.]
[No matter how handsome President Xie is, he has nothing to do with any of you. Do you seriously think someone as exceptional as him would be interested in ordinary-looking women like you? Dream on.]
[Ha! Who are you trying to manipulate here? Did any of us say we wanted something to happen with President Xie? Unlike certain men who see a beautiful woman and immediately start fantasizing about her becoming their devoted little wife who cooks and cleans for them.]
That was the problem with anonymous group chats. People spoke far too freely, allowing all kinds of unpleasant characters to crawl out of the woodwork.
Seeing the discussion rapidly deteriorate into a full-blown argument, Yan Xiyue quickly switched off her phone screen and looked helplessly at Cheng Xin. “You really had the foresight not to join this group in the first place. At this rate, I bet this stupid group will fall apart sooner or later. We can’t even enjoy a little gossip in peace. Sigh.”
After looking over the available dishes, Cheng Xin finally chose a serving of kung pao chicken. Hearing Yan Xiyue’s complaint, she smiled.
As the highest-ranking executive at Jisheng Group’s Yicheng branch, Xie Jing naturally dined somewhere different from ordinary employees like them. So, after Cheng Xin collected her food and found a seat, she looked around but didn’t spot that familiar figure.
She didn’t particularly mind. Instead, she began chatting with Yan Xiyue as they ate. The food at Jisheng Group was actually quite decent. At the very least, they didn’t serve bizarre culinary disasters like strawberries stir-fried with garlic shoots. The only drawback was that the flavors were somewhat monotonous.
At around three in the afternoon, Cheng Xin was only halfway through writing her copy when a sudden burst of excited cheering reached her ears.
Instinctively looking up, she discovered that the person surrounded by everyone in the operations department was none other than their team leader, Sister Zhou.
“Cheng Xin, come quickly! President Xie has really splashed out! He’s ordered afternoon tea from Meiyue for everyone at Jisheng! Oh my God, there’s even red velvet cake! This must cost several hundred yuan per person! President Xie is amazing! Cheng Xin, hurry! They’ve got your favorite coconut latte!”
Yan Xiyue eagerly called her friend over, afraid she’d miss out if she was even a moment late.
Cheng Xin stood up in surprise, only for Yan Xiyue to immediately thrust a cup of coffee into her hands.
After inserting the straw into her cup, Cheng Xin had barely taken a sip when Yan Xiyue and Zhao Lin started bickering again.
Cheng Xin watched them with a cheerful smile. Casually picking up her phone, she saw that the company group chat was filled with neatly repeated messages praising President Xie.
With a light tap of her finger, Cheng Xin added her own message to the chain.
By the time Cheng Xin finished writing her copy and preparing the title and cover image, it was already time to go home. In fact, she’d passed her usual finishing time quite a while ago. She’d only stayed late because she hadn’t completed her draft.
As for Yan Xiyue, she’d left long ago. In the past, the two of them would usually walk together to the subway station near the company. However, when it was time to leave today, Cheng Xin had clearly noticed Zhao Lin waiting for Yan Xiyue, so she’d naturally told her friend to go ahead.
After all, they only walked together for the short distance between the company and the subway station. There was no reason to interfere with the budding romance between those two.
After saying goodbye to the other colleagues who were still working overtime, Cheng Xin gathered her belongings and slowly made her way downstairs.
She’d barely stepped out of the company building when a black Bentley drove past her.
Through the rear window, which hadn’t been fully rolled up, she caught a glimpse of half a handsome, familiar profile.
Xie Jing.
She recognized him instantly.
Running into the very embodiment of her ideal type the moment she left work immediately lifted Cheng Xin’s spirits.
I’m definitely going to sleep well tonight.
Cheng Xin cheerfully swung the work bag in her hand.
She’d always been someone who knew how to entertain herself. As long as she had something to look forward to—such as eating a delicious little cake after work or discovering a novel that perfectly suited her tastes—she could become so happy she practically floated.
And finding a male protagonist for those little bedtime dramas of hers that weren’t exactly suitable for public discussion was equally worth looking forward to.
After returning home, the first thing Xie Jing did was sign for the same-day delivery his friend Shao Wenzhou had sent him.
Opening the package, he discovered that, sure enough, it was the peachwood rabbit Shao Wenzhou had previously given him.
Xie Jing shook his head and casually placed the ornament on a nearby cabinet.
Dinner had already been laid out on the dining table. Presumably, the housekeeper had prepared it earlier.
After taking off his suit jacket and washing his hands, Xie Jing sat down at the dining table.
Shao Wenzhou had always thought Xie Jing was unusually mature for his age. When they were children, while the rest of them were outside causing trouble, Xie Jing was studying. He’d even skipped grades. After completing his university studies, he’d gone to Germany to study abroad, as though he had absolutely no need for entertainment or leisure.
Later, while the rest of them—young masters from wealthy families—were still racing cars and chasing women, Xie Jing had turned around and taken over Jisheng. Like a precisely calibrated machine, he methodically carried out one extraordinary life plan after another.
He was truly the perfect child that every parent wished belonged to their family.
Countless second-generation heirs in Hai City hated Xie Jing with a passion. They couldn’t help it. With such an outstanding example standing right there, everything they did paled in comparison. When they were young, they’d inevitably suffered lectures and scoldings from their parents, and sometimes even beatings.
But Shao Wenzhou felt that living like Xie Jing was utterly boring. That was why he frequently played jokes on him. The peachwood rabbit supposedly meant to attract his destined partner was one such example. He simply wanted to see his friend’s expression change.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Cheng Xin had returned home and quickly prepared two simple dishes for herself.
While she was eating, a message from her mother arrived right on schedule. It was the same old lecture: eat less takeout, drink less milk tea, go outside more often, get some exercise, and stop hiding at home all day like a turtle that couldn’t bear to leave its shell.
Teacher Dong’s tongue was as sharp as a deadly weapon as ever. Cheng Xin sighed inwardly.
After finishing dinner and washing the dishes, Cheng Xin immediately collapsed onto the sofa and began completing her game quests with the solemn dedication of an emperor reviewing official memorials.
She had no fewer than four games downloaded on her phone. Completing the daily quests alone took up a considerable amount of time, but she thoroughly enjoyed herself and happily poured money into them.
Once she’d finished her game quests, Cheng Xin picked up the unfolded towel and clothes lying on the sofa and headed into the bathroom. Before undressing, she deliberately selected a commentary video about an old television drama. Only then did she slip her phone into a waterproof pouch and hang it on a hook beside the shower.
After showering, she lay in bed scrolling through videos and reading novels.
At exactly eleven o’clock, Cheng Xin plugged her phone into its charger and placed it on the bedside table beside the peachwood rabbit she’d bought during a previous trip.
Then she closed her eyes and began constructing tonight’s little bedtime drama.
In fact, from the very first moment she’d seen Xie Jing, Cheng Xin had felt that his cold, abstinent appearance, like an unattainable flower growing on a snowy peak[1]Someone admired for their beauty or excellence but considered unattainable jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3734868_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3734868_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, made him perfectly suited to a possessive, forceful romance.
Xie Jing’s appearance was already flawless, but after thinking it over, Cheng Xin decided to give him a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.
That would make him even sexier and more alluring.
Hehe.
Xie Jing had always maintained a regular routine. After finishing his work, he went to bed at around ten thirty.
He didn’t know exactly when he’d fallen asleep, but he found himself having a dream.
Never before had he experienced such an incredibly realistic dream. It felt as though his entire being had been transported into another world.
【In the dream, Xie Jing discovered that he was standing at a funeral. The atmosphere around him was solemn and somber.
He was dressed in a custom-tailored black suit, with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. They felt somewhat unfamiliar to him.
The people around him were either whispering or weeping, but they resembled faded old photographs. Their faces were so indistinct that he couldn’t make out their features.
Within his field of vision, the only thing that possessed any color was the slender, delicate figure of a woman standing a short distance ahead of him, her back turned toward him as she wept sorrowfully.
She wore a short black flared dress and a wide-brimmed black hat. Standing there all alone, her shoulders trembled faintly with each sob.
Xie Jing instinctively took a step forward.
Perhaps hearing the movement behind her, the woman slowly turned around, revealing a pale, haggard little face. Her lips were dry and peeling from dehydration, while her beautiful almond-shaped eyes brimmed with tears. The outer corners of her eyes were deeply reddened.
The moment she saw him, large tears immediately spilled from her eyes.
“Big Brother…”
She called out to him in a low voice.
Only then did Xie Jing suddenly remember his identity.
The beautiful woman before him was none other than the wife of his younger brother, who had just passed away.
And before that, she’d held another identity.
She had once been the fiancée his family had arranged for him.
However, at the time, he had no plans to marry or have children. Moreover, the wife he’d envisioned for himself was someone capable of fighting alongside him as an equal partner, not someone as delicate and fragile as this woman.
Therefore, he’d broken off the engagement without the slightest hesitation.
Afterward, even Xie Jing wasn’t entirely sure what had happened. Somehow, the woman had suddenly married his younger brother.
And become his sister-in-law.】
*
Author’s Note: Here’s another round of little red envelopes~
Because of this novel’s particular premise, there will frequently be these kinds of stories within the story.
P.S. I just love this kind of melodramatic romance involving a man desperately pursuing his wife after losing her, combined with possessive, forceful love. It’s so exciting to imagine! And when it comes time to write the steamy scenes later, I’ll be even more enthusiastic. Hehe.
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