The Female CEO Falls in Love with Me

(The extra interactions have already released 65 meals, and there are some queued up. If you've applied and haven't noticed yours, you can check the meal building in the review section. Additionally, book review interactions are encouraged. I'm quite broke now, can't offer Qidian Coin rewards for book reviews, so I'll be adding well-written works to the public version, just like when I was writing pure stuff before. This includes: various meaningful discussions (main post + meaningful comments), reviews of hundreds of words, character evaluations, or fanfictions and side stories. Previously posted ones that I haven't seen can be bumped up. Talented friends are welcome to join the fun.)

Chen Mingying used to have little time to communicate and accompany her daughter, but now she's realized her daughter has grown up, ready to fly away, and she's a bit flustered, unsure how to communicate with her. Yu Xiaodi never shares her thoughts with her mother, leaving her feeling disconnected.

After Li Yan went inside, she talked with Li Jie and found Li Jie to be respectable and independent, prompting her to decide not to judge Li Yan subjectively, even if she doesn't have a great impression of him. She decided to get to know him indirectly, which also helps her understand her daughter's thoughts!

So, she gently opened the door a crack, just enough to allow Li Yan inside. In her excitement, Yu Xiaodi hadn't locked the door, allowing Chen Mingying to achieve her little eavesdropping.

Li Jie did not approve of this eavesdropping but wouldn't intervene. She was responsible for Yu Xiaodi's safety, not the privacy of her conversations. After all, this was the mother of the person of interest; she couldn't just knock her out and drag her away, could she?

Only a slight opening in the door allowed her to hear the voices inside, though she couldn't see their location.

With a hint of awkwardness, she continued listening, hearing Li Yan criticize Xiaodi, Xiaodi's arguments, and her true feelings. By the end, the powerful female entrepreneur, Chairman Chen, couldn't help but burst into tears. She had spent her best years in the struggles of her career, bringing about significant change at home and providing her daughter with the best material conditions. But to her surprise, in her daughter's heart, it wasn't all joy; instead, it made her cynical.

Although Yu Xiaodi didn't speak further with Li Yan, from her understanding, she could almost imagine that if it hadn't been for meeting Li Yan and the various things that happened recently leading Xiaodi to change, she could picture the path Xiaodi would have taken... Even if she could maintain a glamorous image in front of others, she'd already be on a path of decadence.

This feeling crops up in her heart after witnessing a scene at the hotel that day. But she maintained professionalism at the time, realizing now how much she owed her daughter after hearing her heart.

Seeing Chen Mingying crouch down and cry silently, Li Jie feared she might go closer and open the door wide, so she quietly closed it, helped Chen Mingying to a chair, and handed her a tissue.

"Miss Li... You're about the same age as Xiaodi. Do you think... I still have time? Can she still accept me?"

Seeing the hopeful look in Chen Mingying's eyes, even the cool Li Jie couldn't bring herself to crush her hopes. "For her to depend on you seems unlikely; she's grown up. However, there's no such thing as perfect parents, even if she blames you. As long as you spend more time with her, I believe Miss Yu will still be happy."

"Thank you." Chen Mingying nodded solemnly, originally thinking she was trapped by circumstances, unable to throw off her burdens easily. But after hearing her daughter's words, she immediately felt that none of it mattered anymore. The money earned over the years was enough for the family for a lifetime, even if the company went under. As for the employees of the enterprise... If I can't take care of my own daughter, what good is it to care for others?

She already made a decision. Old Yu can't stop, but she can. This time, she'll take a few months off to travel with her daughter!

...

"The second time you... During my most dangerous and helpless moments, you came out of nowhere to save me after just one call for help. That's when I truly fell for you..."

Seeing the fiery passion in Yu Xiaodi's eyes, Li Yan sighed inwardly. So superficial! But... Love is blind, making people lose rationality — just like those timeless romances, aren't they equally shallow?

Like the cowherd and the weaving girl, where love sprang from the cowherd's peeping and threats (Xiaoyao brother laughs silently, supporting with Ling'Er's monthly pass); like Liang Zhu, where Yingtai, disguised as a man, seduces Shanbo (Rong'Er laughs silently, with brother Jing's monthly pass support); or like Bai Niangzi's repayment and pursuit... Zi Xia believes in destiny, which also seems a bit silly and superficial, yet can love so deeply, unconsciously touching self-proclaimed married Zhi Zun Bao.

Li Yan's silence reassured Yu Xiaodi. The young girl believed that as they spend more time together, she will eventually win over his heart. So, she must ensure he doesn't reject her or distance himself before that.

"Xiaodi, actually, I wanted to say... I'm not such a casual person, and even after a few months, I won't forget you." Li Yan finally had the chance to say what had been interrupted before.

"Ah?" Yu Xiaodi was a bit surprised, not expecting him to want to say such things. "Then... why didn't you tell me earlier? You let me talk... so much..."

Li Yan caught her hand, "After expressing yourself, do you feel a bit more comfortable? Do you have grievances against your parents? This time, your opposition to them was partially out of rebellion. Do you feel a bit better now?"

Yu Xiaodi didn't speak. When it comes to resentment, most of it is directed at her mother. Having just expressed some heartfelt words, it indeed felt a bit different.

"I don't know..." She shook her head slightly, then moved closer into Li Yan's embrace.

Li Yan did not push her away, gently embraced her, and did not disturb her thoughts, allowing her to reflect on her own.

After a moment of silence, Yu Xiaodi said softly: "... Previously, I might have considered only from my own perspective, not thinking about them. They each have their own careers, their own difficulties."

Li Yan held her shoulder gently tighter, smiled, and said: "That's right, you've unleashed your grievances. Your heart now has new space to accept others. Think about those rural left-behind children whose parents work out of town; they similarly lack parental companionship, sometimes raised by their grandparents or uncles. They sometimes have to work, worry about tuition fees. Compared to them, your situation is much better."

"Really? Left-behind children?... I'm not sure."

"Take another example, Harry Po... uh, Harry Potter, right? He also didn't have parents by his side but became independent earlier. It's because you felt alone that you complained, indulged, believed you weren't getting the deserving attention. It's not just orphans; if you'd had a younger sibling, you'd have had responsibility, you'd have learned to be more accountable from a young age."

Yu Xiaodi nodded. "I understand now."

"When the trouble happened, didn't he worry? Was your mother truly untouchable?"

Finally empathizing with her parents' difficulties, Yu Xiaodi shivered a bit, "Li Yan, do you think those people might also kidnap my mom?"

Li Yan did not directly affirm, "Hard to say. Your mother's status is different from yours, more challenging to control, not easy to clean up afterward. I suspect if someone really intended to harm her, they might arrange an 'accident' — like a car crash, or elevator mishaps."

Yu Xiaodi looked at him, her face pale, "Don't scare me... This..."

"I'm just exaggerating based on your experiences."

Yu Xiaodi found it difficult to remain calm, the thought of her mother's safety had made her forget her defiance against her parents.

She stood up immediately, ready to leave.

Li Yan smiled, "No need to rush just yet, right? It's definitely safe now. At the very least... you should change your clothes before going out?"

"You can't leave!"

"Really?" Li Yan wondered if he had heard wrong; when a girl wants to change clothes, usually they'd ask the guy to leave, not stay!

[Tiantang Yu reaffirms: Interaction content before or after the chapters is written temporarily when updating, not affecting chapter charges — they are part of the free part, brothers who don't like it, please skip. Haha, not trying to inflate word count falsely to charge money. Now the posted chapter is 3K, the 15-point charge seen by new friends is a non-VIP registration user standard, not 5K. Thank you for understanding.] (To be continued, for more details on what happens next, login to www.qidian.com, more chapters available, support the author, support legitimate reading!)