The Female CEO Falls in Love with Me

(Embarrassed, I couldn't access the author's zone where there's this error: Service Unavailable. Thanks, brothers, for your monthly pass support! There are only 14 hours left for double the effect, after which it'll take twice the effort to get the same result. I humbly ask you to help with the monthly pass for this old scoundrel.)

Flanked grandly by Xu Ping, Liu Feng, and Fan Siwen, Li Yan walked from the direction of the break room. Under the ambiguous stares from the administrative department staff, he arrived at Hai Fu's office.

This time, Hai Fu probably hadn't been in for long and wasn't busy. She was focused on looking at her computer, staring blankly through her black-rimmed glasses—it was uncertain if she was daydreaming.

"President Hai."

"You're here..." Hai Fu turned her head, then straightened her posture a bit. Her aura was habitually natural, and since this was her domain, her throne, she didn't need to create an impression intentionally. In an instant, her authoritative aura was palpable.

"I wonder what you needed me for?"

"Yes, there's something! I want to ask what's going on with you right now? Why are there so many... rumors today?" Hai Fu adjusted her glasses and stared at Li Yan as she asked.

Li Yan smiled wryly, "I don't know either. On my way to work, I was recognized by employees from other departments who didn't know me before. Later, when I reached the business department, everyone was talking about it. I was out for work this morning; just got back and your department people started questioning me. I'm completely baffled. It seems someone spread a rumor over the weekend, but I don't know how it circulated. Most likely, it's passed between the female employees, word of mouth spreading like wildfire..."

Hai Fu was silent. When she first heard the rumor, she suspected it was because of Li Yan, but not intentionally. Perhaps he boasted unintentionally, and someone exaggerated it, leading to a misunderstanding. Over just one weekend, it blew up to the current scale.

She also knew that this matter might be more stressful for Li Yan. After all, no one would dare speak to her face disrespectfully, and she had a strong tolerance for pressure. But Li Yan was just a small staff member, so others wouldn't hesitate to mock him directly. Thus, she called the business department to find out after Li Yan went out and specifically asked him to come over for a discussion.

"But I suspect someone is up to mischief. Otherwise, while President Hai, you have a high reputation, I'm just an insignificant person. Most people wouldn't pay attention, or they'd ignore such rumors. So, likely someone's fueling the fire. For instance, within the company's female employee QQ groups, as long as it's announced once and the rumor is successfully spread, others will naturally forward it like news elsewhere. Everyone is interconnected socially, and it quickly circulates."

"You mean... Ye Jiahong?" Hai Fu immediately thought of that eligible bachelor.

"I don't know either... Just speaking as a man, I shouldn't be interested in such gossip. As a director, he shouldn't have so much time to focus on these things. Yet, he called me into his office this morning and excitedly urged me to pursue you..." Though it wasn't certain, his words seemed deliberately guiding. After all, it takes just a few minutes to spread such news. But with that much cash in his drawer, it's hard not to suspect he knew ahead of time.

"Bast—"

"What?..."

"Dard—"

When Li Yan heard her say "Bast," he asked in confusion, and after she finished, he fell silent. It seemed her strictness and fiery temper extended not just to subordinates but also to colleagues at the same level.

"President Hai, you're not thinking of confronting him, are you? That would play into his hands! He wants to damage your image in the company, undermine the esteemed position you hold among executives and in Ms. Zhang's opinion. That way, when you criticize his statements, others will think it's just out of revenge and disparagement, and he can play the victim, gain sympathy, deceive other executives, and fool President Zhang... you are the Damoclean sword he dreads, you can't make a hasty move!"

The last time here, it was purely about utilizing Hai Fu against Ye Jiahong, but after seeing her vulnerable, forlorn, and concerned for her family on Saturday—and having shared a meal—even if they weren't friends, at least they were acquaintances. Further exploitation felt a bit awkward. Li Yan could only console himself that, after all, Hai Fu was objective about matters, not people. As long as Ye Jiahong didn't go too far, he couldn't be blamed for sowing discord. As for Hai Fu... he could compensate her a bit when there's a chance. If Shishan Yao ever truly quits gambling, there might still be a chance to help her pose as the heir of the Gambling King.

"Don't worry! I understand, I won't let him succeed! Hmm, your undercover work is quite effective. As a reward, I'll treat you to dinner tonight!" Hai Fu's invitations always came with an air of command.

Seriously? Li Yan was exasperated. This matter could have been clarified over the phone, and now you've called me into your office, which might arouse more suspicion. Now, you're inviting me to dinner. If someone sees us, it really will be a case of being unable to explain myself even if I jump into the Yellow River. My wife is right here at the company!

"That's not necessary, is it? I only received a small piece of information, and now it's a sensitive time..."

Seeing his troubled expression, Hai Fu felt a bit apologetic and then corrected herself, "Actually, besides discussing this issue face-to-face, I also wanted to invite you on behalf of my brother and sister-in-law for dinner. They've reconciled and are very grateful for your help. They specifically asked me to make sure to invite you..."

Li Yan was speechless. Just now, which deity was passing by overhead? I was only thinking internally, hadn't sworn or anything, and yet it happened so quickly?

...

Amidst the expectant gaze of the administrative staff, Li Yan emerged from Hai Fu's office and left. Just as he returned to the business department, he received a text message from Zhang Yurong. If there wasn't anything sudden or important happening, she usually wouldn't contact Li Yan on her own.

Seeing the sender, Li Yan immediately thought of the situation with Hai Fu and pondered whether to explain things to her. Upon reading the message, the content surprised him a little.

Zhang Yurong said she had an unavoidable dinner tonight. Though there would be others present, she estimated that she might have to drink, which could affect her driving. Hence, she asked Li Yan to wait and drive her back, considering he doesn't drive himself home anyway.

Because she didn't want the company's colleagues to know she was already married and living with her "husband," she preferred using two cars. Normally, a driver named Xiao Yan would pick her up for official business. For going home, she would drive herself. Being law-abiding and rule-following, Zhang Yurong would not drive if she drank even a little. As for Li Yan, she didn't worry, having experienced his driving skills every week, especially during a few occasions when he drove very fast.

Waiting for you is of course no problem, but why does it have to be tonight? Having just agreed to Hai Fu, Li Yan felt a bit troubled. However, after some thought, he concluded that Hai Fu's dinner was a family-style banquet with Shishan Yao and others, so it should end early. As long as he didn't delay, he should be able to make it to pick up Zhang Yurong after her dinner.

"Supervisor Wen, are we working overtime tonight? I want to work overtime!" If working overtime, he had a reason to decline Hai Fu.

Upon hearing this, Wen Qianyi looked skeptical, "Oh! The sun is coming up from the west, isn't it? Li Yan, you want to work overtime voluntarily? I find that hard to believe."

"Hehe, my enthusiasm for work has always been very high; it just hadn't been tapped before. Now, under the enlightened guidance of Supervisor Wen, I've successfully been transformed into someone very motivated." Li Yan gave her a little flattery.

"Haha, isn't your flattery a bit too obvious?" Wen Qianyi gave her usual charming smile, "If I'm not mistaken, has someone come to you again today? The overtime you want is to go out and mess around with someone, right?"

"..., I'm talking about real overtime, working hard with you in the office."

"Spare me! I don't want to work overtime. The share of money has already been packed for you, don't bother me!"

Li Yan felt a bit tragic, that these days, even when one wants to work overtime, no one wants them? A good character indeed, meeting leaders who are just that good.

Throughout the afternoon, Li Yan searched publicly available information on the movie market and investments, browsing casually. Occasionally stepping out for a cigarette, time passed rather quickly even without playing games.

Nearing the end of the workday, after finishing a cigarette, he was idly having tea in the tea room, waiting for time to head off, then planning to linger a bit and make a show of wrapping things up, so he could leave later than most to avoid being seen with Hai Fu.

At this moment, Huang Ying hurriedly came in. Upon seeing Li Yan alone in the tea room, she hesitated, then quickly looked around before asking quietly, "Li Yan, do you have time after work?"

"Hm? What's up?" Li Yan's heart skipped a beat, not expecting another dinner invitation.

"It's like this, I told my mom that you helped me so much this time around and also provided a lot of guidance. Plus, you visited her last time. She is leaving soon... and wants to thank you personally." Huang Ying quickly explained while looking down.

"Really? You just mentioned her surgery this morning, and now she's leaving already?" Li Yan looked at her in surprise.

Huang Ying became quite embarrassed, "I mean she's about to leave here, transferring abroad for surgery. She's afraid she might not get another chance to thank you later."

Li Yan gave a wry smile, "Your family is so polite, making me feel a bit embarrassed. But the aunt is about to... uh, leaving for overseas, I must bid farewell and offer some encouragement. Sure! After work, I'll go to the hospital with you!"

"Thank you, Li Yan!" Huang Ying nodded in gratitude, then hurried back to work.

Tonight is going to be busy!

Having accepted three invitations, Li Yan suspected he was too soft-hearted, unable to turn people down. Therefore, he had to meticulously arrange his schedule. After work, go to the hospital with Huang Ying to see her mother, then rush to Hai Fu's appreciation banquet, and finally wait to pick up Zhang Yurong...

There seemed to be no problem, but he took out his phone, contemplating whether to turn it off. If Yu Xiaodi were to call... it would be impossible to be in two places at once!

(812 monthly passes! Brothers, keep pushing! Charge towards the goal of 1000!)(To be continued, to know what happens next, please log in at www.qidian.com for more chapters to support the author and genuine reading!)