Volume One: Those Years I Was a CEO
Taking the Initiative to Admit Fault
After wandering around for a day, they returned home. Wen Nuan immediately flopped onto the bed, while You Jiayi took everything out and put it away neatly.
Wen Nuan lay prone, turning her head towards You Jiayi, watching her organize the clothes one by one and hang them in the closet, a happy smile blooming on her face.
“Happy?” Wen Nuan propped herself up slightly. “Was shopping fun?”
You Jiayi hung the last dress inside and nodded, “Happy, very happy.”
“Want to go again next time?”
“Can we?” You Jiayi leaned closer, her eyes blinking. “We can go shopping again next time?”
Wen Nuan smiled faintly. “If you like it, then let’s go. As long as you don’t mind being tired.”
“Mm-hmm, I don’t mind being tired.” You Jiayi looked at Wen Nuan lying on the bed, noticing a hint of fatigue between her brows.
She reached out and gently touched the space between Wen Nuan’s eyebrows. “You must be tired, right?”
Accompanying her shopping all day must have worn her out.
Wen Nuan felt the gentle touch on her brow and smiled faintly. “No, I have very good stamina.”
You Jiayi couldn’t help but tease, “Then how come you couldn’t catch me three years ago?”
Wen Nuan: “…..”
Jiejie, you were wearing sneakers, I was in high heels, how the f%ck was I supposed to chase you?
Back then, You Jiayi was slippery; getting her to obediently see a doctor was like pulling teeth.
Wen Nuan raised her hand, holding up her ring finger, a corner of her mouth lifting. “Look, which rascal gave me this cigarette burn?”
So you know how to dredge up old scores1?
Let’s see whose closet has more skeletons.
You Jiayi: “……”
“Back then, I was worried about a certain someone’s health. Fine, didn’t want to be hospitalized, but you had to take medicine, right? But a certain someone didn’t appreciate good intentions, not only refusing the medicine but also burning me in return. Now there’s even a scar. If this were ancient times, I wouldn’t even be able to get married off.” Wen Nuan started sounding utterly miserable.
You Jiayi: “……”
She mumbled aggrievedly, “I didn’t mean to back then, it was an accident.”
At that time, Wen Nuan had brought a huge handful of pills for her to take. She had been terrified and resisted slightly. As a result, the cigarette Wen Nuan had just lit directly burned her ring finger, leaving a scar. Because of that incident, she stopped resisting Wen Nuan, no matter what.
Wen Nuan teased her, looking at the scar on her own ring finger and sighing, “So what should we do? I have a scar now, I can’t get married off.”
You Jiayi touched the box in her pocket, looked at Wen Nuan, and stammered, “Uh… uh… I…”
Ring ring ring—
Wen Nuan’s phone rang. It was Wei Cheng, likely about company matters.
You Jiayi let out a breath. “You should answer your phone first.”
“What were you trying to say just now?” Wen Nuan clearly sensed that You Jiayi had been about to say something but stopped.
You Jiayi pressed her lips together. “Nothing, just wanted to ask if you want chopped chili fish head tonight? I saw you bought fish, I can make it for you?”
Chopped chili fish head?!
“Okay, I’ll eat it!” Wen Nuan’s eyes lit up as she nodded.
Seeing her greedy look, You Jiayi smiled faintly. “Alright then, you answer your phone first, I’ll go cook.”
“Okay.” Wen Nuan answered the call, listening to Wei Cheng report on the company’s recent situation.
You Jiayi cooked in the kitchen, watching Wen Nuan talking on the phone in the courtyard.
She held the phone in one hand, a newly lit slim cigarette clipped between the fingers of the other, her posture languid and casual. She would occasionally frown, then curve her lips into a smile.
Even such simple actions seemed meticulously crafted, both elegant and leisurely.
[Livestream]
Smoke Signals Water Flow: Honestly, I really dislike people who smoke, but President Xu looks so damn cool when she does! Especially with her peach blossom eyes hidden in the smoke, sexy and alluring.
Do Re Mi: Can anyone dig up info on2 what brand of cigarettes the President smokes? I want to buy some?
Little Brat: Can’t find it, I searched many brands and none have this cigarette, probably custom-made for her.
Happy and Peaceful: This atmosphere is so good, Jiayi cooking, President working, you handle domestic affairs, I handle external ones3, this is exactly my dream life.
Watch Me Ride the Waves: Did you see that eye contact just now? It was so sweet it could kill you4, too sweet ahhh.
……
“Follow up on the rest. Don’t waste too much effort on this project. If they’re courting death, I don’t mind spending a few hundred million to play with them.” Wen Nuan raised an eyebrow and took a deep drag from her cigarette.
Wei Cheng responded on the other end, “Yes, CEO Xu.”
“Alright then, you can take charge of the other matters for now. Wait until I get back to handle anything too important.” Wen Nuan glanced at You Jiayi, her eyes sweeping up and down her figure. “Have the invitations for the Xu Group’s annual gala all been arranged?”
Wei Cheng nodded. “They’ve all been sent out. The location and time are set. Is there anything else you need, CEO Xu?”
“Have a gown custom-made for You Jiayi,” Wen Nuan said while looking at her. “A matching set with mine. I’ll wear black, she’ll wear white. As for the style, let Orfei5 decide. I’ve already told Orfei Jiayi’s height, weight, and measurements. You follow up on it.”
“Okay, understood.”
Wen Nuan smelled the aroma of chopped chilies in the air and swallowed. “Alright then, that’s all.”
Hanging up, Wen Nuan leaned against the kitchen window, watching You Jiayi still preparing other dishes.
“What else are you making?” Wen Nuan washed her hands at the sink outside and walked into the kitchen. “Need help?”
You Jiayi finished chopping the tomatoes. “It’s almost ready, just need to stir-fry the tomato beef brisket.”
Wen Nuan looked at the large chunks of beef brisket on the cutting board and picked up the knife. “Let me help you cut the brisket.”
“Do you know… how to cut it?” You Jiayi had never seen Wen Nuan cook before, at most just boiling some porridge or instant noodles.
Wen Nuan snorted. “Looking down on me?”
“No,” You Jiayi smiled faintly. “Then you cut it. Just cut it a bit smaller.”
“How small?” Wen Nuan had no concept of this “small.” “What should the length, height, and width be?”
You Jiayi: “……”
Who measures length, height, and width when cutting vegetables!?
She smiled gently. “How about I do it instead?”
If they waited for Wen Nuan to finish cutting, this meal would probably become a midnight snack.
“No need,” Wen Nuan gestured at the brisket. “Is 1CM each for length, height, and width okay?”
Seeing Wen Nuan’s enthusiasm, You Jiayi gave a helpless smile. “Fine, that’s okay.”
Let her play.
The System called up a measuring ruler, placing it on the brisket. 【Come on, Host, the tool is ready.】
Wen Nuan’s lips quirked upwards. “As expected of a partner I’ve worked with for years, this rapport is just perfect.”
【Of course, what’s between us?】 the System chuckled.
You Jiayi watched her start cutting, finding it increasingly incredible the more she watched.
Wen Nuan cut the beef brisket into pieces of almost identical size, truly like they were cut to scale.
[Livestream]
Science Student: Based on a rough check, the President really did cut the brisket into 1CM cubes, with a margin of error under 2mm. This precision is absolutely insane.
Early Bird: I heard Xu Wennuan seems to have a PhD in finance, and her science scores were almost always perfect marks.
Tribute to JKD: The President’s knife skills are really good too, and her hands are so slender and long, feels like Jiayi is so lucky.
Pirate Site: Long hands, hmm, I get the picture.
AhhhFSDD: This stream’s comments are getting dirty again, starting to make things dirty6.
……
Wen Nuan finished cutting the brisket and looked at the stunned You Jiayi beside her. “Is this okay?”
More than okay!
You Jiayi said in shock, “Your math must be really good, right?”
Wen Nuan thought for a moment. “Never scored below full marks.”
“……”
You Jiayi obediently took the brisket away and started stir-frying.
When she was in school, her liberal arts subjects were better, science was above average, but math alone was just so-so, always just scraping by with a passing grade on exams.
Seeing her like this, Wen Nuan leaned closer and deliberately asked, “Is Jiayi good at math?”
You Jiayi’s hand paused mid-stir-fry, and she said awkwardly, “It’s alright.”
“‘Alright’ means…?”
“Barely passing.” You Jiayi lowered her head.
Wen Nuan patted her hair. “It’s okay, it’s enough for one person in the family to be good at math.”
Better stop teasing her, lest she start crying again.
You Jiayi felt that made sense. “True, it’s enough for one person in the family to be good at math. Anyway, I’ll let you manage all the money I earn in the future.”
“Oh? So you’re planning to rely on me because my math is good?” Wen Nuan saw her taking the opportunity to go along with it7.
You Jiayi added water to the pot, covered it, and let it simmer slowly. “Then will you let me rely on you?”
Wen Nuan raised an eyebrow. “Go ahead, who else would you rely on if not me?”
You Jiayi grinned, wrapping her arms around Wen Nuan’s waist and swaying gently with her. “Wen Nuan, why are you so good?”
Wen Nuan chuckled from the swaying. “How many times have you said I’m good?”
“You just are good, it doesn’t hurt to say it a few more times.” You Jiayi looked up at Wen Nuan. “Wen Nuan is the best, Wen Nuan is the best, Wen Nuan is the best person in the world.”
The Production Team: “…..” Feeling a bit uncomfortable.
The Audience: “……” Feeling equally uncomfortable.
It wasn’t until nine o’clock that the two finished dinner. Shu Changning called You Jiayi, so Wen Nuan told You Jiayi to take the call while she cleaned up.
“It’s fine, leave it, I’ll do it. Shu-ge probably doesn’t need me for anything important.” You Jiayi didn’t want Wen Nuan to wash the dishes; she couldn’t bear the thought of those artist-like hands touching greasy things.
“Go take the call first. Shu Changning might have something urgent, he’s already called twice.”
You Jiayi took her phone and looked at Wen Nuan. “You don’t need to wash them, okay? Leave them, I’ll handle it in a bit.”
Wen Nuan nodded feignedly. “Mm-hmm, I won’t touch them, you go ahead.”
Seeing Wen Nuan agree, You Jiayi went into the room relieved to answer the phone.
The moment You Jiayi went inside, Wen Nuan started clearing the dishes.
There were only four or five plates from their meal, so washing and scrubbing was simple enough.
She wasn’t some pampered young lady who didn’t lift a finger, she wasn’t Xu Wennuan.
She was the Wen Nuan unloved by her parents.
She was the Wen Nuan who had supported herself since childhood.
She was the Wen Nuan who never needed anyone’s pity or help….
She put in a bit too much dish soap. Wen Nuan’s hand slipped, she didn’t notice, and the plate crashed directly onto the floor.
Just as she was about to pick up the shards on the ground, she heard You Jiayi’s shout from afar. Her wrist trembled, and a shard cut the web between her thumb and forefinger.
“Wen Nuan—”
You Jiayi heard the sound of shattering from the kitchen. She quickly looked outside and saw that the dishes on the table had been cleared.
She guessed immediately that Wen Nuan had cleaned up. The shattering sound just now must have been Wen Nuan accidentally breaking a plate.
Afraid Wen Nuan had cut her hand, You Jiayi rushed towards the kitchen before even finishing her call with Shu Changning.
Sure enough, she saw Wen Nuan’s hand was cut, fresh blood dripping onto the white porcelain shards.
Seeing You Jiayi’s worried face, Wen Nuan immediately smiled faintly. “It’s nothing, just accidentally cut myself a little. I’ll find a Band-Aid later and stick it on.”
You Jiayi saw she was still smiling, while the wound between her thumb and forefinger was still bleeding. The frustration pent up inside her burst through.
She shouted, “Didn’t I tell you to let me do it? Why did you have to do it yourself?”
Wen Nuan was stunned by her yelling and explained, “I… I thought you were too tired, and you cooked too, so… let me handle the dishwashing.”
“Everything is ‘I think, I think’? You wanted me to be proactive, to express my inner thoughts, so I expressed them, why didn’t you listen?” You Jiayi took the first-aid kit handed over by the program team.
Her eyes red-rimmed, she looked at Wen Nuan, her voice weak with frustration, “Can’t you just… listen to me for once?”
Wen Nuan opened her mouth.
You Jiayi pulled Wen Nuan’s wrist towards the living room, opened the first-aid kit, took out medical alcohol, and said in a muffled voice, “This will sting, bear with it.”
The sting of the alcohol made Wen Nuan’s hand tremble. You Jiayi saw the wound, about two knuckles long, fortunately not deep.
After disinfecting, applying medicinal powder to the wound, and wrapping it with a bandage, You Jiayi packed up the first-aid kit and returned it to the program team, then went back to the kitchen to clean up, not saying another word to Wen Nuan the entire time.
Even the audience watching the live stream was startled by You Jiayi.
Some said that the President was indeed in the wrong this time, causing trouble by trying to wash dishes when she couldn’t, and even cutting her hand, making Jiayi angry. But others thought the President was just trying to help because she felt bad that Jiayi was tired, it was just a case of good intentions gone wrong8.
Wen Nuan tried to talk to You Jiayi, apologizing, but You Jiayi still ignored her.
“…..”
【Be glad, although the female lead is angry, at least her Blackening Value didn’t increase. Don’t you feel a little happier?】 the System offered comfortingly.
Wen Nuan: “……”
Thanks, not really.
A WeChat notification popped up on her phone. It was from Shu Changning.
He asked what was wrong with You Jiayi?
Why did she suddenly hang up on him, and why wasn’t she answering when he called back? Did something happen?
Wen Nuan simply replied: I messed up, made You Jiayi angry.
Shu Changning didn’t say much; he couldn’t really get involved in a couple’s tiff. He just told Wen Nuan what he hadn’t finished telling You Jiayi earlier.
It turned out the crew of 《Gunsmoke Everywhere》 required You Jiayi to learn the tango for her role as soon as possible. It seemed they had added several more tango scenes for her, so learning the tango was essential.
Wen Nuan looked at You Jiayi, who was still ignoring her, and her eyes glinted.
-Wen Nuan: I know tango, even have a certificate, I can teach Jiayi.
-Shu Changning: That would be great! CEO Xu, please teach Jiayi. She keeps watching videos, but she’s not learning well.
-Wen Nuan: I can teach her, but you have to get her to proactively come and ask me.
-Shu Changning: ….Why don’t you just tell her yourself?
-Wen Nuan: She’s ignoring me.
-Shu Changning: So I’m just a… tool9?
-Wen Nuan: Don’t say I told you to say it. Whether Jiayi and I can make up depends on you, tool! #Grinning#
-Shu Changning: #Smiling#
As expected of a businesswoman, this move is damn underhanded!
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