Wife Takes the Reins: The Calm CEO

Chapter 10: President Yu’s Lie

At 5:30 a. m. , Li Xiaowan got up to go running as usual. Qi Xin'er had originally thought she wouldn’t keep it up, but to her surprise, she was actually taking it seriously this time. After a quick breakfast and a bit of tidying up, the two of them headed off to work in high spirits. Upon arriving at the Company lobby, Li Xiaowan ignored the whispering of those around her and headed straight to the top floor. To her, what others were saying wasn’t that important—she just needed to focus on doing her own job well. “Good morning, Lingling! Good morning, Yueyue!” Li Xiaowan greeted them warmly. “Good morning, Xiaowan. I didn’t expect you to be here so early,” Li Lingling said with a smile. “Since it’s my first official day working on the top floor, I figured I should get everything ready ahead of time,” Li Xiaowan replied naturally. She genuinely wanted to arrive early to see what needed to be prepared—it wasn’t about sucking up. “Xiaowan, come in for a moment!” No sooner had Li Xiaowan stepped through the door of the general manager’s office than she heard Yu Feilan’s warm, soothing voice. “Good morning, President Yu!” Li Xiaowan didn’t even have time to set down her bag before hurrying into the inner office. “Xiaowan, since you’re working under me, there’s no need to be so formal. As you’ve probably heard, I’ve never had an assistant to the general manager before. I’ve brought you into my inner circle mainly because there are so many minor tasks to handle right now—tasks that my two secretaries alone can’t manage. So going forward, I’ll be delegating some of the simpler, routine tasks to you. Is that okay with you?” ” Yu Feilan asked earnestly. He was never harsh with his subordinates; on the contrary, he was exceptionally considerate and caring. “Rest assured, President Yu, I’ll do my very best to handle every task you assign me,” Li Xiaowan said with confidence. “That’s good to hear. Generally, it’ll involve running errands and organizing documents. The only difference from your previous role as Director’s Assistant is that you’ll occasionally need to accompany me on business trips. Of course, in addition to you, I’ll also bring along either Lingling or Xiyue—previously, I’d only take one of them on each trip, but it was simply too much for me to handle on my own.” Fearing that Li Xiaowan might misunderstand, Yu Feilan made sure to explain. “President Yu, there’s no need to explain. We all trust your character,” Li Xiaowan said, having picked up on the underlying meaning in President Yu’s words and realizing he was worried she might misunderstand. “That’s good to hear, Xiaowan. Go put your bag away first, then head to the Chairman’s office. Here’s the key—go clean it up. The Chairman will be there later,” Yu Feilan instructed. “Okay, President Yu!” Li Xiaowan replied. She turned and walked out; after putting down her bag, she hurried to the Chairman’s office. She glanced once more at the sign that read “Chairman’s Office.” Strangely, it didn’t specify who the chairman was. Never mind that—it was more important to get inside and start cleaning right away. The Chairman might arrive any minute now, and if he saw her still loitering around, he might get annoyed and fire her on the spot. That would be like escaping the first day of the month only to be caught on the fifteenth! She opened the door. Although everything was covered in sheer curtains, it wasn’t hard to see that the decor was extremely elegant. It must have been a long time since anyone had lived here. That made sense—her Company was a branch office, so it was normal for the chairman not to work here. But why did she have to run into the chairman on her very first day working on the top floor? She couldn’t figure it out. Li Xiaowan couldn’t help but think to herself, hoping that nothing major would happen just because she hadn’t checked the almanac before leaving home today. She then lifted the sheer curtains one by one. The chairman’s office was at least twice as large as the general manager’s. Aside from the desk in the outer area, there was actually a separate room in the inner section—complete with a large bed, a sofa, and even a bathroom and toilet. How bizarre! Was he here to work, or to enjoy himself? Sigh! She was overthinking things again. Li Xiaowan shook her head and quickly and efficiently wiped down and tidied every nook and cranny of the office, top to bottom. She mopped the floor twice, stopping only when she could clearly see her reflection in it. Then she walked toward the door of the chairman’s office. Just as she was about to open it, someone suddenly pushed the door open from the outside, startling Li Xiaowan. And when she locked eyes with the person who’d opened the door, Li Xiaowan was so startled she nearly jumped out of her skin. “You… you…” Li Xiaowan could barely get the words out. “What do you mean, ‘I’? You’re just the cleaning lady Lan sent over, aren’t you?” Feng Lingzheng said coldly, with Ye following right behind him. “So what if I am? Aren’t you the chairman who doesn’t even dare to write your name on the door?” Li Xiaowan regained her composure and retorted. Even Ye, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but cover his mouth to stifle a laugh—though he didn’t laugh out loud; he certainly didn’t dare to provoke a tiger at a time like this. “What did you say? Dare you say that again?” Feng Lingzheng, taken aback that Li Xiaowan would use this line against him, said with a look of displeasure. “Why wouldn’t I dare? I’d say it ten times over if I had to.” Although Li Xiaowan was respectful—even a bit reserved—toward Fei Lan, she had no intention of being afraid of Feng Lingzheng, a man who roared at her at the drop of a hat and had previously made inappropriate advances toward her. She certainly wasn’t going to give him a friendly look either. If the worst came to the worst, let him fire her! “Ye, close the door!” Feng Lingzheng ignored Li Xiaowan’s words and addressed Ye, who was standing behind him. “Boss…” Ye realized Feng Lingzheng was genuinely furious. Although he knew Feng Lingzheng was usually calm in any situation, he still feared that, faced with Li Xiaowan—someone who dared to provoke a tiger—he might do something impulsive. “I won’t repeat myself!” Feng Lingzheng said in a commanding tone. “Yes, boss!” Ye thought for a moment. Ling Zheng Ge probably wouldn’t do anything out of line; he just didn’t want to reprimand a young woman in front of him—perhaps out of concern that Li Xiaowan would lose face afterward. In that case, it was best to get out of there quickly; otherwise, he’d be the one to suffer the consequences the very next second. Now, the vast office was left with only Feng Lingzheng and Li Xiaowan, both on edge. As Li Xiaowan watched Feng Lingzheng gradually close in on her, her heart suddenly began to race. She certainly didn’t want to relive what had happened that night at the “Nifusia Hotel.” “Don’t get so close to me,” Li Xiaowan said, her face turning pale and her breathing becoming slightly rapid. After speaking, she hurriedly backed away until she was cornered against the wall. “Go ahead, back up some more!” Feng Lingzheng said relentlessly, placing both hands on the wall to trap Li Xiaowan between them. “I’m telling you, this is Company—not a place for you to get carried away. Let me out right now!” Li Xiaowan felt deeply uncomfortable with this suggestive stance; she just wanted to get out of the office as quickly as possible. “Did I ever say I was going to do anything inappropriate?” Feng Lingzheng brought his sensual, full lips close to Li Xiaowan’s ear and whispered. Li Xiaowan felt a distinct masculine scent wash over her, leaving her instantly overwhelmed—after all, she’d always lived a single life and had never had a boyfriend. So she mustered all her strength, trying to push Feng Lingzheng away with both hands, but no matter how hard she pushed, he remained in that suggestive position. At that moment, Li Xiaowan felt utterly hopeless—it was as if she were crying out to heaven and earth, but neither would answer. But unexpectedly, “Knock, knock, knock…” came the sound of someone knocking on the door, neither hurried nor slow. The sound made Li Xiaowan’s eyes light up instantly. Feng Lingzheng turned to look, wishing he could punch that handsome, innocent face on the screen—but he couldn’t. After all, the owner of that flawless face was his old classmate and close friend: Yu Feilan, the general manager of a subsidiary under Fengyi Group. “Coming!” he said, then shot Li Xiaowan a fierce glare, his eyes brimming with warning, as if to say, ‘Just you wait.’ Li Xiaowan, however, didn’t back down and glared right back—only to immediately lower her head. To be honest, she was actually a little afraid of Feng Lingzheng’s piercing gaze. When the door opened, “Xiaowan, why are you still here? Have you cleaned everything up?” Yu Feilan’s voice was filled with infinite tenderness, as if it could melt anyone’s heart. “President Yu, I’m all done. You two go ahead and talk; I’ll step out now,” Li Xiaowan said, feigning composure, before darting away in a flash. “Zheng, did you bully my assistant?” Yu Feilan asked, feigning casualness. He’d noticed the strange atmosphere between the two the moment he walked in; he had a strong feeling they knew each other from before. Otherwise, given Feng Lingzheng’s personality, she would never have deliberately interfered in a Company employee’s affairs—and kept it a secret from the employee—but he chose to remain silent. “As if I’d dare bully her. Look at her—she looks like she’s about to eat me alive,” Feng Lingzheng retorted irritably. “Come on. Everyone knows just how legendary the The Feng Family’s second young master is. Who would dare to pull a tooth from a tiger’s mouth?” Yu Feilan kept his eyes fixed on Feng Lingzheng’s face, hoping to catch a glimpse of any change in his expression. To his surprise, he actually caught a fleeting hint of a complex emotion—one that vanished in an instant, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. “Lan, is it really necessary to put me down like that?” Even when facing a close friend, Feng Lingzheng kept a stern expression, though his tone was noticeably softer. “I wouldn’t dare. I’m here to let you know that I’ve reserved a table at ‘Night Star’ tonight. You and Ye must be sure to grace us with your presence,” Yu Feilan explained the purpose of her visit. “I wouldn’t dream of turning down such a warm invitation from an old classmate—I’ll definitely be there on time! As long as it wasn’t intentional, that’s fine!” Feng Lingzheng murmured the last part so softly, but it still didn’t escape Yu Feilan’s keen hearing. He instantly understood what Feng Lingzheng meant, but he didn’t say anything further. Instead, he turned and walked out—some things were better left unsaid. But before he could disappear from Feng Lingzheng’s sight, a remark came from behind that took him completely by surprise: “Bring your assistant tonight—just don’t tell her I said so.” When had Zhen started taking an interest in a woman again? Ever since that incident, he hadn’t so much as given a woman a second glance, let alone personally invited one out. Yu Feilan couldn’t make head or tail of it, but the next second, it suddenly dawned on him—perhaps it was because of her looks! Before she knew it, she was back in her office, where she saw Li Xiaowan organizing documents at her desk. “Xiaowan,” she said, “um… could you accompany me to a gathering tonight? Don’t worry—it won’t take up too much of your time. You’ll just need to take some notes for me while we’re there.” She had no idea what Zheng was up to—inviting someone without letting them know. With no other choice, she had to make up a lie herself.