Chapter 3: Domineering CEO’s Fierce Love

Xiao Luo was momentarily stunned; she truly hadn’t expected such a coincidence.

The female lead, in order to earn money for her hospitalized mother’s medical bills during the early stages of the story, seemed to juggle several part-time jobs a day.

A hint of concern colored her eyes as she nodded and smiled. “Fate really is something.”

Being caught under that gaze again, Ji Yao’s face flushed with embarrassment. She lowered her head, feeling her heart pound erratically, and murmured, “Miss Xiao, is this your home?”

“Mm. I just got back from abroad not long ago, so the place is a bit neglected. The inside isn’t very clean, so I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you.”

Ji Yao hurriedly said, “No trouble at all! I’m very good at cleaning. I’ll have it tidied up for you in no time!”

She looked at Xiao Luo, her clear, untainted eyes shining with striking brightness.

Xiao Luo’s fondness for her grew a little more. A thought suddenly struck her, and she glanced at the bulging box on the backseat of Ji Yao’s little yellow scooter, offering a kind reminder: “Miss Ji, don’t you have to get back to work?”

“Ah?” Ji Yao snapped back to reality, panic appearing on her face. She checked her phone. “Right, I need to work. Miss Xiao, I’ll take my leave now. See you tomorrow…”

She swiftly put on her helmet, hopped onto her little electric scooter with bursting energy, and rode off.

Xiao Luo returned to the villa. A few minutes later, an unfamiliar number called.

She was about to hang up, but the System chimed in at that exact moment: “Host, this is Si Nanyan’s number.”

After a brief hesitation, she answered.

“Luo’er, it’s me.” A magnetic voice sounded from the other end.

Just hearing that voice made Xiao Luo want to vomit. Did this overbearing CEO have something wrong with his brain? He always spoke with such pretentious affectation. Truly the epitome of greasiness.

“What do you want from me?” Xiao Luo’s tone was devoid of any discernible emotion.

Si Nanyan replied, “Luo’er, the reason I came looking for you today was to explain things properly, but that woman interrupted us. How about I treat you to dinner tonight, and we can sit down and have a proper talk?”

Dinner with the overbearing CEO? Xiao Luo had initially wanted to refuse, but upon thinking about her quest, she agreed.

A trace of satisfaction seeped into Si Nanyan’s voice. “Then it’s settled. By the way, Luo’er, you must believe that I only love you…”

The scumbag was feeding her empty promises again. Sure, I’m keeping a secret mistress and I’m engaged to another woman, but I had no choice in any of it. You’re the only one I love, blah blah blah.

Xiao Luo, being fairly even-tempered, waited for him to finish his spiel. However, once he was done, the jerk still asked, “Luo’er, you understand my painstaking efforts, don’t you?”

“Mm, more or less. Do you have anything else to say?” She yawned lazily.

Si Nanyan choked. He had said so much, and it seemed she hadn’t taken in a single word.

Forcing himself to maintain a doting tone, he said, “No, nothing else. Since you’re tired, rest well. I’ll see you tonight.”

As soon as he hung up, Si Nanyan’s handsome face darkened instantly.

Propping his chin on his hands, he reflected on Xiao Luo’s behavior today. She seemed to harbor not a shred of feeling for him.

In the past, Xiao Luo had been the white moonlight of his heart, unattainable and distant. Now that he had become the CEO, what right did she have to look down on him?

Just wait—he would definitely make Xiao Luo his woman.

…..

In the evening, Xiao Luo arrived as promised at an upscale Western restaurant.

Upon reaching the third floor, she saw Si Nanyan sitting by the window. He wore a well-pressed black suit, and his heavily waxed hair glistened under the light.

Seeing her arrive, he raised the corner of his mouth into a smile. If one ignored the lecherous glint in his eyes, he could be considered fairly handsome.

“Luo’er, you’re here.” Si Nanyan stood up and, with a great show of gentlemanly courtesy, pulled out the chair opposite him.

Xiao Luo took her seat and smiled faintly. “Mr. Si, sorry to keep you waiting.”

Hearing such a formal address, Si Nanyan couldn’t help but frown. “Luo’er, just call me Nanyan, like you used to.”

“Mr. Si is now engaged. I should keep my distance from you. Otherwise, addressing you like that might cause misunderstandings.”

Si Nanyan smiled. “Luo’er, that excuse is far too flimsy. This is a restaurant for couples, and you’ve shown up for our date. What do you think that says?”

Xiao Luo understood his implication. Si Nanyan believed that her agreeing to meet him here meant she still harbored feelings for him and was simply being stubborn.

On top of the overbearing CEO’s mystifying self-confidence, he assumed his charm could captivate any woman.

Heh~

Xiao Luo had no intention of puncturing his smug sense of superiority. Her purpose here tonight was merely to complete her quest.

She lowered her eyelids and said unhurriedly, “I won’t be the other woman. Unless… Mr. Si finds a way to call off the engagement.”

Call off the engagement?

Si Nanyan paused, then gazed deeply at Xiao Luo. “Do you mean that if I break off the engagement, you’ll be with me?”

Xiao Luo nodded, lifting her eyes to look at him with feigned devotion. “Are you willing to give me a legitimate status?”

To be gazed at like this by the woman he loved did make Si Nanyan’s heart flutter a bit. However, he retained some presence of mind and didn’t agree immediately.

He had a secret. He was, in truth, the illegitimate son of a major family. If his older brother hadn’t died, his father would never have brought him back to be the heir.

By getting engaged to the Xia family, his social status had risen dramatically, leading to his current position as CEO. He was no longer the lowly poor boy of the past.

But that wasn’t enough. His ambitions couldn’t stop here. He wanted to swallow up the Xia Clan and build his own commercial empire. When that day came, wouldn’t everything he wanted be within his grasp?

He had struggled so hard to reach this point. He couldn’t give it up easily. Even Xiao Luo couldn’t shake his resolve.

A shadow flickered in Si Nanyan’s eyes as he said, “Luo’er, I truly love you. But for our future, I can’t break off the engagement yet.”

“But I promise you, in my heart, you are the most important. No one can compare to you. When the time is right, I’ll definitely dump that woman and marry you!”

He looked at Xiao Luo with a solemn expression, speaking with utter conviction.

Listening to his empty promises, Xiao Luo had to resist the urge to slap him across his face.

Just how thick-skinned was this man, to be able to spout such drivel?

She pressed her lips together in silence, turning her head to look out the window at the bustling nightscape to express her displeasure.

Si Nanyan poured her a glass of red wine. “Luo’er, it’s so rare for us to meet today. Let’s not talk about topics that hurt our feelings. Have a little wine…”

The System warned: “Host, there’s something wrong with the wine he poured. Don’t drink it.”

Xiao Luo’s motion of picking up the glass halted. She raised her eyes and glanced at Si Nanyan.

Si Nanyan raised his own glass and swirled it gently, a light smile on his face. “What’s wrong, Luo’er? Drink up.”

Xiao Luo hadn’t intended to drink it anyway, so she set the glass down. “Sorry, I’m not drinking alcohol tonight.”

Si Nanyan’s eyes narrowed, his voice lowering. “Is it that you’re not drinking, or that you don’t want to drink the wine I poured? Luo’er, must you really be so distant with me?”

As soon as he finished speaking, a slender hand suddenly appeared over the table. It picked up the wine glass and poured its contents right over Si Nanyan’s head. Splash—

The dark red liquid streamed down Si Nanyan’s head, streaking his handsome face and thoroughly drenching his expensive suit.

Si Nanyan’s face twisted with malice, his fists clenched so tightly that his teeth ground audibly. “Xia Lingyu!”

This damnable woman, challenging his limits time and time again. He truly wanted to strangle her.

Xia Lingyu wore a stunning, vibrant makeup look along with a dark black dress. Ten-centimeter heels were on her feet. Her daunting aura was out in full force—she was the textbook definition of a villainess.

She lowered her head casually and met Xiao Luo’s somewhat bewildered eyes.

“This afternoon, you said you didn’t like him. Yet now, here you are out on a date with him? Miss Xiao, how do you plan to explain this now?”

Xiao Luo felt the coldness radiating from her and shivered involuntarily.

How strange. Why was she afraid of her?

“Xia Lingyu, this has nothing to do with Luo’er. I invited her out,” Si Nanyan said, taking a deep breath and temporarily suppressing his rage.

Being caught in this date by Xia Lingyu put him squarely in the wrong. He knew he couldn’t lay a hand on Xia Lingyu right now, but that might not always be the case. When the time came, he would make sure to repay every ounce of this humiliation with interest!

The atmosphere was bizarre. Xiao Luo glanced at the ninja-turtle-like Si Nanyan and decided to abandon him as a point of leverage.

She stood up and gave Xia Lingyu a bow, saying sincerely, “Miss Xia, there won’t be a next time.” Then she turned to leave.

As soon as Xiao Luo was gone, Si Nanyan and Xia Lingyu were left staring each other down.

Xia Lingyu’s expression was icy as she stared at her fiancé. She curled her lip. “Si Nanyan, I’m well aware of all your little schemes. Let me warn you—don’t you dare play any tricks in front of me. Otherwise, I’ll make sure you lose everything.”

After delivering her threat, she, too, turned and descended the stairs. Outside the restaurant entrance, she saw Xiao Luo standing by the curb, waiting for a car.

Xiao Luo was dressed in a matching top and skirt today: a white, form-fitting blouse on top and a tight pencil skirt below, accentuating her slender waist. Paired with her delicate, innocent face, it was no wonder she could so thoroughly bewitch that idiot.

Xia Lingyu snapped out of her thoughts, walked over, and grabbed Xiao Luo’s wrist firmly, sneering. “Miss Xiao, it’s not easy to hail a taxi at night. Why don’t I give you a ride home?”

Xiao Luo turned back to her with a radiant smile. “In that case, I’ll trouble the Eldest Miss.”

Xia Lingyu was somewhat surprised that Xiao Luo actually agreed. She raised an eyebrow and pulled Xiao Luo along to a luxury car. They got into the back seat, and she told her driver an address.

“Miss Xia, the place you’re heading to doesn’t seem to be my home address,” Xiao Luo said, turning to her with a smile.

Xia Lingyu replied coolly, “Indeed it isn’t. What’s the matter? Scared?”

Xiao Luo said, “Not at all. I know you won’t hurt me, right?”

Xia Lingyu raised her eyes, her icy gaze fixed on Xiao Luo. “Don’t be so sure.”

A vixen like this needed a harsh lesson to remember her place.

Suddenly, the driver slammed on the brakes. The two women’s bodies rammed into each other.

Xia Lingyu felt herself collide with a softness. The vixen woman let out a suppressed sound right next to her ear, turning Xia Lingyu’s mind instantly blank.