Monday Morning Meeting.
The leader made a slip of the tongue, and the room fell silent. I was the only one laughing heartily.
The leader’s face darkened. “Liang Xi, repeat what I just said ten times.”
Me: “…”
Evening, when I got home.
The leader was on his knees, and I was standing.
I put my hands on my hips. “Zhou Xu, copy the Wife’s Rules ten times.”
The leader: “…”
1
Zhou Xu and I got married for business reasons.
His family is wealthy, and so is mine. To become even wealthier, we came together.
It’s been three months since we got married, and I’ve developed a little worry.
I seem to have fallen for Zhou Xu.
This should be a very normal thing. After all, his face is known as a top – notch weapon that makes people surrender at just one more glance. It took me three months to surrender, which is quite admirable.
This should also be something to be glad about. After all, he has become my husband, and a married life with feelings is likely to last longer than one without.
But…
There is a prenuptial agreement between us!
In fact, there are many prenuptial agreements between us. After all, neither of our families is easy to deal with. There are countless documents for property division, and we signed until our hands were sore.
The prenuptial agreement I care about was privately drawn up by the two of us.
It’s an agreement about our married life.
Zhou Xu’s requirement for me is simple: to be a qualified wife.
I have only three requirements for him.
First, keep a simple private life.
Second, maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Third, only talk about money, not feelings.
When signing the agreement, I was confident that even after getting married, I could still live a pseudo – single life that was independent and carefree.
Unexpectedly, it was me who crossed the line and talked about feelings first. It was really a slap in the face.
Being a face – control person is really a curse!
After realizing my feelings for Zhou Xu, I felt rather awkward around him.
I couldn’t help but want to look at him.
Before, when we were at home, we each did our own things and got along peacefully. He browsed his company accounts, and I studied my beauty makeup.
But now I can’t calm down.
Knowing that he was in the study, I couldn’t help but bring him a plate of fruits or a cup of coffee.
Zhou Xu took off his gold – rimmed glasses, pressed his temples, and looked up at me. “Do you need something from me?”
“No,” I denied immediately, then quickly thought of something and said timidly, “Well… yes.”
“Speak,” he leaned back in his chair, stretched out his hand, picked up the cup of coffee I handed him, took a sip, and slightly frowned.
“Not to your taste?” I asked.
“Too sweet,” he said.
I was puzzled. I clearly didn’t put much sugar.
Under his urging gaze, I started to talk about the main thing. “I want to work in your company. Find me a random position.”
This was a suggestion from my best friend.
My comfortable life as a rich wife, just strolling around and having tea all day, couldn’t win over a workaholic husband like Zhou Xu. If I wanted Zhou Xu to fall in love with me completely, I had to be around him all the time.
Not only at night but also during the day.
I understood this well and took the initiative to suggest, “Can I be your secretary?”
Zhou Xu seemed to think of something, choked, and said directly, “Secretary won’t work.”
I couldn’t help but pout.
“Do some odd jobs then,” he made a concession. “You can come to my secretary’s office to do odd jobs.”
“…” Well, doing odd jobs is better than nothing. At least I can get into his secretary’s office.
2
Soon, I became an employee in the general manager’s office of Rising Sun Group.
I held the employee ID in my hand and looked at the words “General Manager’s Office” under my name, and couldn’t help but grin.
It was only separated by a wall from Zhou Xu’s office, which was very convenient for me to be around him.
My joy didn’t last long. I soon noticed the problem.
Unauthorized people are not allowed to enter the general manager’s office without being summoned, and Zhou Xu himself basically doesn’t deign to come to our general manager’s office. If he wants to summon someone, he just makes an internal call.
After a whole day, I didn’t even see a glimpse of Zhou Xu.
If this goes on, when will I be able to win over my workaholic husband?
I complained to my best friend dejectedly, and she advised me to be more open – minded. “Others answer the phone because they have real business. You haven’t even touched the corner of a document all day. Do you expect Zhou Xu to call you to flirt?”
The word “flirt” made me blush.
I said resentfully, “If he dares to call, I dare to flirt back!”
Unexpectedly, right after I said this harsh word, Zhou Xu found me.
The internal phone rang, and his cold and textured voice came from the other end. “Bring in a cup of coffee.”
Click, the phone hung up.
There was no time for flirting at all.
While gritting my teeth and secretly scolding this dog man for treating me like this, I obediently got up and went to the pantry to make coffee for him.
I knocked on the door and entered, and said respectfully, “General Manager, the coffee is here.”
“Put it here,” he lifted his chin.
I walked forward slowly, and my eyes couldn’t help but glance at Zhou Xu.
He was sitting behind a large desk, with a bookcase against the wall behind him. He was slightly lowering his head, his fingertips pinching a gold – rimmed pen, sketching something on the paper.
The well – tailored three – piece suit was still neatly worn on him, and the navy blue striped tie around his neck was the one I tied for him when we went out in the morning.
I put the coffee beside him, and he pushed back his chair and looked at me. “Are you getting used to it?”
“A bit boring,” I said honestly.
“I thought you’d like a more leisurely job.”
I looked up at him. “It’s better to be busy.”
I thought, it would be best if I could be busy around you often.
“Understood,” he nodded.
The workload of my work increased significantly. Specifically, all the tasks of delivering documents and coffee now belonged to me. I was truly doing odd jobs.
Of course, this also greatly facilitated me to show my presence in front of Zhou Xu, and I was satisfied.
While showing my presence, with various small gifts and afternoon teas, I also successfully won the hearts of my colleagues.
They finally included me when they were gossiping!
During the afternoon break.
I stirred the black tea in my cup and heard someone teasing me. “Liang Xi, interview you. What was the feeling when you first saw President Zhou’s face?”
I smiled faintly. “I was quite attracted.”
This was the truth.
The first time I saw Zhou Xu was at my father’s birthday party.
He was late, carrying his suit jacket in his hand, wearing only a shirt and vest. The silver chain in front of his lapel was shining, and his hair was slightly messy.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew aside his forehead hair, revealing the delicate arc of his brow bone. He looked up, and the brilliance in his eyes seemed to make the whole party pale.
That face was a show – stopper. Everyone forgot that he was late, and only saw him gracefully chatting with everyone.
“Don’t be attracted,” a colleague familiarly put his arm around my shoulder. “President Zhou has a wife!”
“Ah?” I feigned confusion in a timely manner.
Although Zhou Xu and I’s marriage was public, everyone only knew that Zhou Xu married the daughter of Shijia Group, but they didn’t know that the daughter was me.
This was due to my parents’ protection of me. They wanted me to grow up healthily and happily.
“Since getting married three months ago, President Zhou hasn’t worked overtime a single day. He used to be a well – known workaholic, wishing he could divide one day into forty – eight hours.”
I blinked, wanting to refute that although Zhou Xu didn’t work overtime at the company, he worked overtime at home.
“This is a typical case of choosing beauty over career,” a colleague echoed.
Another colleague winked at me gossipingly. “We all think President Zhou must be crazy about his wife. Otherwise, how could a workaholic like him be willing to leave work on time every day? He must be going home to accompany his wife.”
“…” They really thought too much.
The real situation was that his wife came to the company on time every day to try to win over her husband.
3
In order to win over Zhou Xu faster, I spent a lot of thought on my dressing.
Professional clothes sent by major brands gradually occupied a corner of my cloakroom. I changed a set every day, showing off in front of Zhou Xu in different ways.
But this man, for some reason, showed no sign of being attracted.
He still had that poker face and was still a workaholic.
He didn’t even give me an extra look.
I was really depressed, so I asked my best friend out for a drink.
My best friend was amazed when she saw my dress. “I have to say, Zhou Xu has a strong will. You, a charming beauty, are around him all day, and he’s not attracted? He’s really not attracted?!”
She cursed, “Is he impotent? If it were me, I’d pounce on you right away!”
I was amused by her. Shooting her a coquettish glance, I playfully scolded, “You’re so annoying.” Then, turning serious, I said, “Do you think he might be into men?”
“I haven’t heard of it,” Yan Ke analyzed. “If he really likes men, there should be some rumors in the circle, right?”
I quite agreed and pouted dejectedly.
My best friend put her arm around my shoulder to comfort me. “How about we change our strategy? If you really like him, then go after him. Who cares who chases who? As long as you end up together.”
“No,” I refused firmly.
“As the saying goes, clothes on the bed are not taken off by oneself, and the man I, Liang Xi, like is not chased by myself first.”
Yan Ke laughed. “What kind of strange reasoning is that?”
I also laughed. “Actually, I just care about my pride.”
It was clearly written in black and white in the prenuptial agreement that we should only talk about money, not feelings. It’s only been three months, and if I go chasing after him eagerly, how can I face Zhou Xu in the future?
So it must be Zhou Xu who chases me!
Yan Ke shook the wine glass in her hand and suggested, “How about we pretend to be drunk and test him?”
I immediately understood and nodded. “Okay.”
I propped my chin and watched Yan Ke call Zhou Xu, roughly saying that I was drunk and acting crazy, and asking Zhou Xu to come to JuYe Bar to pick me up quickly.
The person on the other end of the phone answered “Okay.”
While waiting for Zhou Xu, I started to worry. “He won’t send the driver to pick me up, will he?”
Yan Ke said, “If he does, we don’t need this man anymore.”
I thought it made sense and nodded vigorously.
While waiting for Zhou Xu, I touched up my makeup a bit. My cheeks were rosy, and my eyes were moist, looking no different from being drunk.
The moment Yan Ke’s phone rang, I quickly slumped on the table and saw Zhou Xu appear at the entrance of JuYe Bar.
He probably just took a bath. His hair was a bit wet, and he was no longer wearing that formal suit but simple and comfortable home clothes. He was holding his phone and walking towards us with big steps, still wearing slippers on his feet.
I pretended to be drunk with hazy eyes. Zhou Xu put his arm around me, hugged me in his arms, and asked Yan Ke, “Why did she drink so much?”
“She has something on her mind, I guess,” I heard Yan Ke answer.
Her serious and pitiful tone almost made me laugh out loud. I quickly held it back and put my hands around Zhou Xu’s neck, breathing slightly.
The hand Zhou Xu put around my waist suddenly tightened, and the place on his neck where my breath blew over became covered with small bumps.
I heard him clear his throat and ask Yan Ke, “Are you okay? Do you need me to send you back first?”
Yan Ke shook her head. “No, my boyfriend will pick me up later.”
“Then we’ll leave when he arrives,” Zhou Xu said.
Yan Ke’s boyfriend arrived soon. Zhou Xu asked the bar for a blanket, wrapped it around my waist, bent down, and carried me out of the bar in a princess – carry.
I buried my head in his neck, remembered the strategy of pretending to be drunk, and coquettishly pestered him.
“Put me down. I still want to drink~”
He was stunned for a moment, as if his whole body stiffened. He gritted his jaw and said two words, “No way!”
His tone was very cold.
I was a little angry. What was this? I had already acted coquettishly, and he still had this attitude. He clearly didn’t like me.
I struggled to get down, but he didn’t let go. He carried me out of the bar in big steps. After struggling, we were in a half – dragging and half – carrying posture at the door.
He was probably annoyed too. He pressed me against the wall, his hand pinching my waist. His breathing was heavy, and he stared at me with intense eyes.
I didn’t want to look at him and turned my head away.
He grabbed my chin and turned my head back, saying seriously word by word, “In the future, don’t drink outside!”
I didn’t say anything, just looked at him.
My eyes swept over his delicate eyebrows, straight nose, and lips that looked very kissable.
Why were they so red?
Suddenly, his Adam’s apple slid down gently, and his eyes gradually became dangerous.
I suddenly realized –
This man was still capable.
4
After that night at the bar, there was still no progress between Zhou Xu and me.
But I was full of confidence.
After all, this man now had the word “attackable” written on his forehead.
But before I could win over Zhou Xu, I won over the colleagues in the general manager’s office first.
Zhou Xu had two male special assistants, who were his first choices for business trips. One was married, and the other was single. The single one somehow took a fancy to me.
I was sure I didn’t do anything. I didn’t even talk to him more than two sentences. But recently, he always tried to get close to me, gave me some exquisite small gifts, and blushed when he looked at me.
It’s really a case of “sowing seeds with painstaking efforts but getting no flowers, while casually planting willows brings unexpected shade”!
I really didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble. The next day, I quickly put on my wedding ring and went to work, implicitly indicating that I was also married.
In the busy and fulfilling days, Zhou Xu’s grandfather’s eightieth birthday arrived.
The birthday banquet was held in the main hall of the Zhou family’s old house.
Zhou Xu and I arrived at the banquet venue early, holding hands and acting as an affectionate newly – married couple, chatting with each guest who came to celebrate.
After three rounds of drinks, Zhou Xu quietly leaned close to my ear. “Are you okay?”
Actually, I was okay, but I wanted to act coquettish. I mumbled, “I’m a little tired.”
“You can go and rest for a while.”
He took the glass in my hand, which seemed to be wine but was actually water, and said, “It’s almost done. I can handle it alone.”
I looked at him. “A qualified wife shouldn’t be absent at this time.”
He suddenly smiled. “You’re excellent tonight.”
He was sensible. I left satisfied and hid on the sofa in the lounge to rub my sore calves.
Twelve – centimeter high – heeled shoes were really not for humans.
After a short nap, I touched up my makeup again. I walked out of the lounge on my high heels and bumped into my childhood friend, Xu Shaoyu.
I pretended not to see him and walked past.
He caught up with me in a few steps, with a flattering smile on his face. “What? Don’t you recognize me after not seeing each other for a few years? Are you pretending not to see me?”
I crossed my arms and looked at him. “Are we close?”
He laughed. “Growing up together, doesn’t that count as being close?”
“Then why didn’t you come to my wedding? What kind of friend is that?”
He explained, “I was abroad at that time. I really had something urgent.sweetheart, I’m apologizing to you. Is there anything I can do to make you forgive me?”
“Humph,” I gave him a resentful look.
I was indeed a bit angry, but it wasn’t unforgivable. However, since Xu Shaoyu was so sincere, I naturally had to cooperate and act angrier.
After a few words, the estrangement was broken.
He walked side by side with me towards the banquet hall, saying as we walked, “Zhou Xu must be very proud of marrying you, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“Marrying the person he loves, isn’t he proud?”
“Hmm?”
He was stunned for a few seconds. “You don’t know about this?”
His face showed a look of horror as if he had said something he shouldn’t have.
I immediately understood. “You mean, Zhou Xu has always liked me 4
After that night at the bar, there was still no progress between Zhou Xu and me.
But I was full of confidence.
After all, this man now had the word “attackable” written on his forehead.
But before I could win over Zhou Xu, I won over the colleagues in the general manager’s office first.
Zhou Xu had two male special assistants, who were his first choices for business trips. One was married, and the other was single. The single one somehow took a fancy to me.
I was sure I didn’t do anything. I didn’t even talk to him more than two sentences. But recently, he always tried to get close to me, gave me some exquisite small gifts, and blushed when he looked at me.
It’s really a case of “sowing seeds with painstaking efforts but getting no flowers, while casually planting willows brings unexpected shade”!
I really didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble. The next day, I quickly put on my wedding ring and went to work, implicitly indicating that I was also married.
In the busy and fulfilling days, Zhou Xu’s grandfather’s eightieth birthday arrived.
The birthday banquet was held in the main hall of the Zhou family’s old house.
Zhou Xu and I arrived at the banquet venue early, holding hands and acting as an affectionate newly – married couple, chatting with each guest who came to celebrate.
After three rounds of drinks, Zhou Xu quietly leaned close to my ear. “Are you okay?”
Actually, I was okay, but I wanted to act coquettish. I mumbled, “I’m a little tired.”
“You can go and rest for a while.”
He took the glass in my hand, which seemed to be wine but was actually water, and said, “It’s almost done. I can handle it alone.”
I looked at him. “A qualified wife shouldn’t be absent at this time.”
He suddenly smiled. “You’re excellent tonight.”
He was sensible. I left satisfied and hid on the sofa in the lounge to rub my sore calves.
Twelve – centimeter high – heeled shoes were really not for humans.
After a short nap, I touched up my makeup again. I walked out of the lounge on my high heels and bumped into my childhood friend, Xu Shaoyu.
I pretended not to see him and walked past.
He caught up with me in a few steps, with a flattering smile on his face. “What? Don’t you recognize me after not seeing each other for a few years? Are you pretending not to see me?”
I crossed my arms and looked at him. “Are we close?”
He laughed. “Growing up together, doesn’t that count as being close?”
“Then why didn’t you come to my wedding? What kind of friend is that?”
He explained, “I was abroad at that time. I really had something urgent.sweetheart, I’m apologizing to you. Is there anything I can do to make you forgive me?”
“Humph,” I gave him a resentful look.
I was indeed a bit angry, but it wasn’t unforgivable. However, since Xu Shaoyu was so sincere, I naturally had to cooperate and act angrier.
After a few words, the estrangement was broken.
He walked side by side with me towards the banquet hall, saying as we walked, “Zhou Xu must be very proud of marrying you, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“Marrying the person he loves, isn’t he proud?”
“Hmm?”
He was stunned for a few seconds. “You don’t know about this?”
His face showed a look of horror as if he had said something he shouldn’t have.
I immediately understood. “You mean, Zhou Xu has always liked me?”
“I didn’t say anything!” He quickly covered his mouth.
“Hmm?” I stared at him, pretending to be fierce.
After a few seconds of confrontation, he gave in. “That’s right, but you must never tell Zhou Xu that I said this!”
In his account, I heard a whole new version of the story.
It turned out that Zhou Xu had been secretly in love with me, and even the marriage between our two families was orchestrated by him.
This scoundrel!
I thought about how he didn’t dress properly after taking a bath, subtly showing his abs. So he was showing them to me!
He had been fishing for me all along!
I was so stupid that I fell for his tricks. Not only did I fall in love with him, but I also wholeheartedly wanted to win him over!
… I really made a blunder!
I took a deep breath to calm my excitement. After I was completely calm, I returned to the banquet hall.
Inside the hall, people were toasting and chatting.
Zhou Xu was accompanying the birthday star, Grandpa Zhou, with his back to me. He was holding a glass of wine and chatting with the guests who came to offer their congratulations.
His back was tall and straight, incredibly handsome.
I called out to him in a sweet voice, “Honey~~~”
His figure visibly trembled, and some wine spilled from his glass.
I held back my laughter and quickly walked towards him. I thought resentfully, so you were fishing for me?
Then let’s see who can out – fish the other!
5
In the months since we got married, I had never called Zhou Xu “honey”. Most of the time, I called him by his name, and at other times, I simply omitted the address.
The first time I called him “honey” seemed to have quite an impact on Zhou Xu.
He didn’t recover for a long time.
He was still greeting guests, his face already stiff. Nodding and smiling were all done out of instinct, and even clinking glasses was a mechanical movement. From time to time, he would turn his head to look at me.
I hid the sly smile on my cheek, tilted my head, and winked at him.
He quickly averted his gaze, looking flustered and helpless, almost as if he was going crazy.
This is so much fun, I thought.
When a group of guests left, he pulled me to a corner and asked in a low voice, “What were you doing just now?”
“Showing our love,” I said with an innocent face.
“Grandpa would be very happy to see how affectionate we, the young couple, are,” I looked up at him. “Or do you not like it?”
He cleared his throat. “I just wasn’t ready.”
“Get used to it,” I skillfully hooked my arm around his. Glancing at his expression from the corner of my eye, I tentatively called out again, ” – Honey?”
“Yeah,” he replied with a straight face.
I pursed my nose in frustration. You think I didn’t notice? You’re clearly secretly happy!
After learning that Zhou Xu had been secretly in love with me, I belatedly realized that that poker face was his protective color.
Hidden beneath the poker face was the love he had been hiding.
As usual, I went to his office to deliver coffee. Seeing his deliberately cold appearance, I couldn’t help but want to tease him.
“Honey, your coffee.”
The pen in his hand slipped, leaving a conspicuous mark on the paper.
He looked at me with restraint. “Don’t call me that in the company.”
“Okay,” I replied obediently, urging him, “Hurry up and taste the coffee I made.”
He picked up the coffee and started to taste it. I wasn’t in a hurry to leave. Leaning against the large desk, I propped my chin with my hands and watched him intently.
One second, two seconds… five seconds, he couldn’t hold it anymore. “What… what’s wrong?”
I secretly laughed. It was only five seconds.
I slowly shook my head, pretending to be curious. “Where are your glasses? Why aren’t you wearing them today?”
“They were scratching my eyelashes a bit,” he said. “And my eyes aren’t tired yet.”
I changed to an admiring tone. “But you look so handsome with glasses on.”
“Oh,” he replied indifferently, as if he didn’t care, and took another sip of coffee.
When I went in to deliver documents later, the gold – rimmed glasses were already on his straight nose. He was lowering his head, signing documents, exuding an air of rigorous, refined, and somewhat ascetic charm.
Damn it, even though I knew he was fishing for me, I was still deeply attracted!
I silently recited the words to calm my desires, handed the documents to his hand, and said, “Xu Shaoyu is treating guests tonight. I won’t be home for dinner.”
He turned his head to look at me, scanned me up and down, and asked, “Do you want to go home and change before going?”
A white shirt, a gray knee – length skirt, and nude high – heeled shoes didn’t seem very suitable for a gathering with friends. I nodded. He then said, “Let’s go back together. Xiao Zhang has something to do at home today, so I let him leave work early.”
Xiao Zhang was his driver.
I hesitated. “But it will be very conspicuous if you get in my car at the company.”
He was very accommodating. “I can walk to the intersection near the company to get in the car.”
I still hesitated.
He paused for two seconds, then suddenly winked at me and said in a soft voice, “Dear wife, give me a ride~”
“…” Damn it! He actually used his good looks to his advantage!
I agreed without much backbone.
In the end, the situation evolved to where he drove me home, then took me to the party. Xu Shaoyu and the others warmly invited him to stay. After trying hard to decline, he had no choice but to join us for dinner.
Watching the whole process, I could only think: Oh, men.
Your name should be “Best Actor”.
6
The gathering was held at the hotel owned by Xu Shaoyu’s family.
We chose a round table and started having dinner. Zhou Xu sat on my right.
When he looked at my waist for the umpteenth time, I could hardly eat anymore.
Mainly because I wanted to laugh.
For friend gatherings, I usually pursue comfort, and today I was dressed simply in a white T – shirt and wide – leg trousers.
The top wasn’t actually short, but whenever I picked up food, my elbow would lift my shoulder, and the hem of the shirt would always be pulled up a bit.
Each time it went up and down, it would reveal my waist.
Seeing that he was so interested, I simply tied a knot with the hem of my shirt on the left side. It made me look thinner and also showed off my waist, killing two birds with one stone.
Soon, Zhou Xu leaned close to my ear. “Aren’t you cold?”
I held back my laughter and shook my head. “No.”
I thought, you can deliberately show off your abs in front of me, but I can’t casually show off my waist?
This is called “using the same way to deal with the other person”.
He still said, “I brought a coat in the car. If you’re cold, I can go get it for you.”
I looked at him, holding back my laughter, and before I could say anything, a teasing voice came from my ear. “What are you two whispering about? So close? Can you share it with us?”
I looked in the direction of the voice.
It was Lin Cheng, a playboy who had chased me before, but I didn’t like him. He changed girlfriends more often than he changed clothes.
I glared at him. “Do you really want to hear the private conversations between a husband and wife? Aren’t you ashamed?”
“Not at all. Who here doesn’t want to hear?”
He smiled, as if still unresigned. “Such a beautiful woman, how did you, Zhou Xu, manage to get her? Come on, Mr. Zhou, share your experience.”
I couldn’t stand his frivolous tone and was about to flare up when Xu Shaoyu beat me to it.
“Get lost, Lin Cheng. You can’t compare with Zhou Xu. First, sort out the mess you have on your hands.”
Xu Shaoyu was probably a bit drunk. He usually spoke more reservedly and wouldn’t be so mean and straightforward. Today, he was completely unsparing.
“If I can’t compare, there must be someone at this table who can,” Lin Cheng said lazily.
Xu Shaoyu continued, “No one at this table can compare with Zhou Xu!”
He was probably getting excited, his voice passionate. “He’s been in love with Xiaoxi for so many years. That’s real love. Your little – time romances are nothing but a joke…”
He was still rambling on, but my mind was filled with only one thought.
… I was exposed!
I secretly glanced at Zhou Xu and found that he was also looking at me, his expression a bit flustered and nervous.
I swallowed hard. Before I could think of what to say, Xu Shaoyu turned to me and asked, “Xiaoxi, am I right?”
“…” What? I didn’t hear a thing!
But everyone at the table was looking at me, so I had to nod randomly.
“See? What did I say!” Xu Shaoyu said proudly.
Suddenly, Zhou Xu grabbed my wrist. His hand was very hot and held me tightly. Without saying a word, he led me out of the private room.
I followed him obediently.
I was still a bit dazed. Xu Shaoyu didn’t say anything he shouldn’t have, right?
There was a lounge between the private rooms. Zhou Xu opened one of the doors, pulled me in, locked the door, and trapped me between his arms.
He looked down at me, his eyes as dark as ink that couldn’t be melted.
For some reason, I felt a bit scared in this atmosphere and shrank my shoulders.
He asked in a hoarse voice, “Did you always know that I liked you?”
I was dazed. “I found out on Grandpa’s birthday.”
He stared at me, his eyes becoming even deeper.
Just as I was hesitating whether to say something to ease the tense atmosphere, he suddenly raised my chin with his right hand, lowered his head, and kissed my lips.
My eyes widened.
A few seconds later, I cursed in my heart:… This scoundrel, so rough!
7
After the kiss, I didn’t dare to go back to the private room at all.
My lips were red, my legs were weak, and my clothes were messy.
Zhou Xu went back to the private room to get my bag. I don’t know how he explained it to those people. He took my hand, hooked the corner of his mouth, and said, “It’s taken care of.”
I followed him all the way home in a daze.
The aunt at home had stewed papaya and tremella. She asked if I wanted a bowl, and I nodded.
She put the filled bowl of papaya and tremella on the dining table. I sat down and was about to eat when Zhou Xu directly picked up the plate, took my hand, and we went up to the second floor. We turned left and entered my room.
He put the papaya aside, pushed me onto the single sofa, and lowered his head, about to kiss me again.
I really couldn’t handle it and quickly pushed him away. ” – Wait, wait. It’s better to talk things through first.”
He paused for a moment, then nodded. He pulled over a small bench and sat beside my legs.
I ate the tremella and papaya and asked, “Did you orchestrate our marriage?”
He nodded slowly.
I smiled. “When did you start liking me?”
He answered, “In high school.”
I was puzzled. “We didn’t know each other then, right?”
He said, “Only you didn’t know me.”
“…” I somehow detected a bit of resentment.
I was curious. “Why didn’t you pursue me then?”
Zhou Xu was very straightforward. “I thought I was punching above my weight at that time.”
I suddenly remembered that Rising Sun Group had only grown big and strong in recent years. Their family was on the rise, while my family was on the decline. This marriage was to facilitate a major cooperation, and my family was somewhat relying on theirs.
I mumbled, “You could have told me after we got married.”
“The prenuptial agreement,” he said with a smile. “What if I confessed to you, but you wanted to divorce me? Where could I go to argue?”
“…” I’m not that unreasonable.
Just then, I had been annoyed with the prenuptial agreement for a long time, so I casually said, “Let’s draw up a new one.”
He nodded. “Sure.”
As if he had been prepared, he brought paper and a pen. But when he was about to write, he paused several times and turned to look at me.
I put down the papaya and tremella and shouted, “What are you looking at me for? Write down your requirements.”
He said, “I have no requirements. As long as it’s you.”
He’s really good at talking. Did this man become enlightened so quickly?
I gave him a coquettish look, took the pen, and wrote down on the paper: Don’t lie to me, don’t be mean to me, don’t hide things from me…
I wrote a total of eight requirements. Looking at the paper full of my handwriting, I casually said, “We might as well call it the Wife’s Rules.”
Zhou Xu nodded. “That’s not a bad idea.”
He took the agreement and asked me, “Do I sign here?”
His calm and submissive attitude made me a bit stunned. I spread my five fingers and covered the paper, asking him, “Don’t you want to think about it again?”
He signed neatly and looked at me. “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for this day.”
This scoundrel really knows how to talk. I smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
After finishing the papaya and changing the agreement, thinking about his cold treatment some time ago, I decided to settle accounts with him out of boredom.
The first item.
“Why did you dislike the coffee I made? I clearly didn’t put much sugar! I secretly tasted it. It wasn’t too sweet at all!”
He replied, “Any coffee you make is sweet.”
“…” OK, I’ll give him a pass on this one.
The second item.
“Why did I only deserve to do odd jobs in the secretary’s office? Couldn’t I be your secretary? You clearly looked down on me!”
“Wronged,” he said. “If you really became my secretary, I wouldn’t be able to work properly.”
My mind would be full of you. It’s my problem.”
“…” OK, this one can also pass.
I was about to count more of his “crimes” on my fingers, like working overtime and being a workaholic. But suddenly, he leaned over, pinned me down, and said in a hoarse voice, “Can I stay tonight?”
I snorted and kicked him away. “No way. Go back to your bedroom and work overtime!”
8
On the first day of working after starting our post – marriage romance, Zhou Xu insisted on going to the company with me, but I flatly refused.
Are you kidding? I didn’t want to expose our relationship. If my colleagues found out, I’d surely be left out of the pantry gossip.
While I was at work, the internal phone rang.
I picked it up and asked, “Does President Zhou want coffee?”
He replied, “I miss you.”
“…” Yan Ke was right. This man really called on the internal line to flirt.
With everyone watching, I was really embarrassed. I continued to ask seriously, “Which document is it? I’ll bring it in for you.”
He said, “I miss you so much that I signed your name on the document just now.”
“…”
I covered my mouth and lowered my voice to shout, ” – Zhou Xu!”
He suddenly laughed, his voice mellow and pleasant, like fine wine slowly flowing into my heart.
For some reason, I felt sweet and curved my lips.
He said, “There’s a meeting at ten. Come and take the meeting minutes.”
“Okay,” I replied in a business – like manner.
He added, “Actually, I just want to see you. Meetings are so boring. It’s better to look at you.”
This man…!
I really wanted to scold him, but I was afraid my voice would draw the office’s attention. I held it in, randomly picked up a document from the table, and knocked on the door of Zhou Xu’s office.
He seemed to have been waiting for me, opening his arms for me to step into.
I slapped the document on his desk and pretended to be fierce. “Behave yourself during working hours!”
He pulled me to sit on his lap, leaned close to my ear, and whispered, “I’ve wanted to misbehave for a long time.”
At this moment, the time and place were inappropriate. I quickly changed the subject. “Where’s Special Assistant Li? Why haven’t I seen him recently?”
“He’s on a business trip,” he said.
I was puzzled. “He seems to be on a business trip all the time lately.”
Before, Special Assistant Li and Special Assistant Zhao took turns going on business trips.
I suddenly realized. “Did you… know about it?”
He said righteously, “Who asked him to have a crush on you.”
I punched his chest. “I’ve already taken care of it!”
“I’m not reassured,” he said. “Coincidentally, there’s a project in a provincial city being pushed forward. I’ll transfer him there as the person in charge then.”
This was probably a promotion, so I didn’t dwell on it.
But Zhou Xu suddenly became jealous and said, “How dare you mention another man? I have to punish you.”
His hands hugged my waist, and he kissed me gently along my ear.
“…” What kind of punishment is this? You just want to kiss me!
We lingered for a long time.
When I left his office, I was very embarrassed. I kept my head down, using the document to cover my forehead, and scurried back to my workstation like a thief.
Probably because I did a good job of taking the meeting minutes that day, Zhou Xu would call me to subsequent meetings.
Monday Morning Meeting.
After fooling around with Zhou Xu all weekend, I really had trouble getting out of bed on Monday. I was sleepy, tired, sore, and achy.
At ten in the morning, I yawned and entered the meeting room with everyone.
Department heads took turns speaking, discussing progress.
I picked up a pen to take notes. Even though I tried my best to control it, I couldn’t stop the overwhelming sleepiness.
The speech of the person in charge of the project department was truly hypnotic. His voice was extremely similar to that of my high – school history teacher. I used to fall asleep easily in my history teacher’s class, and now, as time has passed, I was so sleepy that I could hardly keep my eyes open.
My head suddenly drooped, and I woke up with a start.
A soft laugh came from my ear.
I turned my head and saw it was Zhou Xu, looking at me with amusement.
I glared at him. What are you looking at? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have to suffer this!
He wrote something on the paper with a pen and pushed it in front of me with his fingertips.
I looked up and saw the word “drool” written on the paper.
… No way?!!
I quickly wiped my mouth with my hand. There was no drool at all. It was clean!
He was teasing me!
I continued to glare at him.
He laughed again, his smile extremely bright and annoying.
Just then, the person in charge of the project department finished his speech, and it was Zhou Xu’s turn to speak. Zhou Xu moved the microphone with his index finger, cleared his throat, and said, “Well, this drool…”
For a moment, the room fell silent.
I remembered how he had teased me just now. Without showing any mercy, I burst out laughing.
Humph, it’s finally your turn to be embarrassed!
Zhou Xu looked at me with a serious face and said with interest, “Liang Xi, repeat what I just said ten times.”
“…”
9
No one wants to know what it feels like to repeat the word “drool” ten times in a row, and I don’t want to recall it either. I just felt so embarrassed.
That day, the company’s forum and group chat were filled with the legend of my “drool.”
“Why did President Zhou suddenly mention drool at the meeting?”
“Is the ‘drool’ the kind of drool I’m thinking of?”
“Can someone tell me what it feels like to repeat ‘drool’ ten times in front of a bunch of big shots?!”
“Oh my god, my toes are cramping from embarrassment!”
Hot topics kept rotating, but the content was all about “drool.” I became completely famous in the company!
I had never been so embarrassed in my life. I secretly decided to ignore Zhou Xu. No matter how much he coaxed me, I would definitely not talk to him!
I unilaterally declared a one – day cold war.
That night, Zhou Xu sneaked into my room.
I turned my head, focused on wiping my face, and didn’t even look at him.
Unexpectedly, he suddenly knelt down at my feet and said, ” – Wife, I was wrong!”
I was a bit shocked, but I still didn’t plan to look at him.
He handed me a sheet of paper, and it was none other than the prenuptial agreement. “I’ve added some new terms on my own. Sweetheart, see if you’re happy with them?” he said.
I took a quick look.
– Don’t embarrass wifey in public.
Hmm, it’s barely acceptable, but I still wasn’t going to forgive him.
Suddenly, my eyes landed on the four big characters “Wife’s Rules” at the top of the agreement.
I decided to get back at him and said resentfully, “Zhou Xu, copy the ‘Wife’s Rules’ ten times!”
He looked up. “Will you stop being angry after I copy it?”
I didn’t answer, but I was actually already not angry.
He suggested, “How about you record a video of me copying it and post it on the company’s intranet? Then we’ll be embarrassed together.”
I wasn’t falling for it. “You actually just want to go public, right?”
He said matter – of – factly, “We’ve already got the marriage certificate. Why can’t we go public?”
The problem with going public actually lay with me.
I wasn’t too keen on it.
If I really went public with Zhou Xu, I wouldn’t be as free in the company as I am now.
The situation reversed. Instead of him coaxing me, I had to coax him. But Zhou Xu was easy to coax. A couple of kisses could solve the problem.
It was another sticky night.
In a blink of an eye, I had been working at Rising Sun Group for over two months. I not only got to know smart and lovely colleagues, but also made rapid progress in my relationship with Zhou Xu.
One night, Zhou Xu and I were lying in bed, arguing about who was better at “fishing” for the other. Suddenly, my phone rang.
I said fiercely, “I’ll settle the score with you later!”
The message was from a colleague I got along well with in the company, along with a chat record.
Dong Shanshan: “Xixi, is all this true?”
Dong Shanshan: “I don’t think you’re like this, but someone took pictures.”
Dong Shanshan: “Do you want to clarify it in the company’s big group?”
I opened the chat record. There were several photos.
They were pictures of Zhou Xu getting into my car at the intersection, me getting into his car, him kissing me, me kissing him, with cars passing by, looking very affectionate.
I kicked Zhou Xu. “It’s all your fault. We’re exposed.”
He leaned over, put his arm around my shoulder, and looked at the chat record with me.
The following words were a bit unpleasant.
They said that I deliberately dressed so sexy every day to attract him, and that a woman like me pretended to be pure and charming on the surface, but secretly liked to be a mistress of a rich man.
His expression turned serious in an instant. He picked up his phone. “I’ll send someone to investigate. I’ll handle this.”
“Forget it. Let’s go public,” I said.
The best way to solve this problem was to let people know that we were a couple originally, and there was no improper relationship.
He looked at me, took out the marriage certificate from under the pillow, and said, “I’ll go public right away.”
I suspected that he had been looking forward to this for a long time. Otherwise, why would he keep the marriage certificate under the pillow?
He took a photo. I thought he was going to post it on Moments, so I didn’t pay attention and replied to Dong Shanshan’s message.
Liang Xi: “Actually, I’m your boss’s wife.”
Dong Shanshan: “???”
Dong Shanshan: “Do you want to say something more? I’m a bit flustered now.”
I smiled, then simply took Zhou Xu’s marriage certificate and took a photo to send to her.
Liang Xi: “Now, do you believe it?”
Dong Shanshan: “Holy crap!”
Dong Shanshan: “The boss’s wife is right beside me!”
After chatting for a while, she suddenly asked me: “Do you need me to post this photo in that group to clarify?”
I replied: “Sure.”
The next moment, she sent a message: “No need. President Zhou has already clarified it.”
She attached a screenshot.
I opened it and was stunned for a moment.
This man actually posted a photo of the marriage certificate on the company’s intranet!
Among a bunch of serious and formal plans, documents, announcements, and notices, there was a marriage certificate that couldn’t be more out of place.
“…” Damn it! Why do I feel so embarrassed?
10
For the first time in my life, I didn’t want to go to work.
But thinking of the lovely colleagues in the company, I still reluctantly climbed out of bed.
I thought of it as my last day at work and went to the company to say goodbye.
Zhou Xu held me in his arms all the way to comfort me, saying things like “It’s no big deal. What’s wrong with a legal couple showing their love?”
It’s really no big deal for a legal couple to show their love, but who would show their love on the company’s intranet, as if he, the general manager, is so amazing?
Zhou Xu’s car drove all the way into the company’s parking lot.
We entered the president’s exclusive elevator together and went straight to the office door.
I thought I could avoid my colleagues’ teasing this way, but as soon as we got out of the elevator, I saw a bright red banner hanging at the entrance of the general manager’s office.
“Heartily welcome the boss’s wife to visit and inspect the work of the General Manager’s Office!”
“…” So cheesy, so embarrassing, yet so funny.
Zhou Xu beside me burst out laughing.
He patted my shoulder, trying to hold back his laughter, and said, “Boss’s wife, go ahead and inspect the work.”
“…”
I forced myself to endure the embarrassment and walked into the general manager’s office step by step, greeted by the enthusiastic cheers and applause of my colleagues.
It was embarrassing, but not as bad as I thought.
I found my workstation and sat down slowly.
The whole morning passed, and the colleagues around me were very friendly. They didn’t avoid talking about the topic of the boss’s wife, but they weren’t overly enthusiastic either. In short, it wasn’t as scary a scene as I had imagined.
Everything was pretty good.
Except for Zhou Xu.
This guy really has a thick skin. He actually called other colleagues on the internal line and said things like “Ask your boss’s wife to bring in a document.”
Is that something a person would say?!!
I was so angry that my face turned red. I went straight into his office to settle the score and said that I wouldn’t have lunch with him.
I had lunch with my colleagues in the company cafeteria.
My heart, which had just calmed down, was stirred up again because of a small gift.
After the canteen aunt served me the food, she took a beautiful paper bag from the side and handed it to me, smiling and saying, “The boss’s wife gave this. If you want to thank someone, thank the boss’s wife.”
I was stunned, and my voice was weak. “Thank you, boss’s wife.”
Next to me were Dong Shanshan and several colleagues who knew the truth. They didn’t hold back and burst out laughing.
I gave them a coquettish look, trying hard to hold back the feeling of my hands and feet curling up. I took the paper bag and followed them to the dining table to eat.
There was a paper – bag gift for everyone.
Inside were the latest electronic products, high – end skin – care products, wedding candies, and some small gadgets, suitable for both men and women, old and young.
I knew nothing about this. It seemed to be Zhou Xu’s arrangement.
During the meal, colleagues who recognized me kept coming up with smiles to say hello, and at the end, they would always say, “Thank you, boss’s wife.”
“…” It was really a novel and special working experience.
In the afternoon, I went to the HR department to resign. They probably gave me the green – light treatment, and it was done in a few minutes.
I was free from my position. I walked straight to Zhou Xu’s office in high – heeled shoes.
I pushed the door open and entered.
Zhou Xu was sitting behind the large desk. When he saw it was me, he smiled and teased, “What’s wrong with you, my secretary? You didn’t knock before entering?”
I said triumphantly, “I’m the boss’s wife now.”
“Oh?” he said. “So what does the boss’s wife want?”
I walked towards him with a smile. “I want to see if you’re hiding any little lovers here.”
He put his arm around me and pulled me to sit on his lap. “Aren’t you my little lover?”
He was being naughty. I hit him.
Looking at the documents all over the table, I mumbled, “When will you get off work?”
He was quick – witted. “Does the boss’s wife have an arrangement?”
I patted my wallet. “I got my salary. I’ll treat you to dinner.”
He said readily, “Then I have to work quickly. I can’t let down the boss’s wife’s treat.”
I accompanied Zhou Xu at work until six in the afternoon.
He finally finished his work, and we held hands and went down to the company’s parking lot together.
The car drove away from Rising Sun Group.
Looking at the sky dyed with red clouds, I thought about my not – so – long employment journey during this period.
Winning over my perfect husband seemed like a really good deal.
Hehe.
“The End”
