The Female CEO Falls in Love with Me

(My little Lai at home has advanced to watching Qin Shi Ming Yue, although partly because of the Xuanyuan Sword (since we played it together), it's still comforting. I hope there are more domestic animations that aren't just about small animals because kids can understand more than just little critters...)

When Zhang Yurong, who was already dressed, didn't see Li Yan while having breakfast in the morning, she frowned slightly. Recalling the excessive and exaggerated care and flattery from last night, she thought he might still annoy her a bit early today, but she didn't expect to be wrong.

It seems that those were just men's sweet words, always only passionate for a moment.

Although she was a little disappointed, Zhang Yurong's mood was still much better than yesterday. Yesterday, due to Yu Xiaodi's presence, she could show a calm and composed side, but inside she felt very uneasy. Now, the conversation from last night had already laid bare the biggest barrier between the two, giving her an unprecedented sense of relief.

Yurong didn't forget Yue Yao. She felt grateful deep inside for this friend she met online and quickly became familiar with. If not for Yue Yao's arrival, she and Li Yan wouldn't have progressed so fast; without Yue Yao's help in analyzing, she would have ignored many of Li Yan's thoughts. Like this time, what could be considered the biggest crisis since their marriage, if Yue Yao hadn't reminded and suggested from an outsider's perspective, they would have long lost their rationality.

She went to Yue Yao's guest room, knocked on the door, and after hearing a response, went straight in. What she saw was Yue Yao still lying in bed, looking weak.

"Yue Yao, are you okay?" Suddenly realizing something was wrong, Yurong hurried over, "Are you sick?" She touched Yue Yao's forehead.

This was a reflex, but she actually didn't know whether this temperature meant anything.

"Hehe... Sister Yurong, it's not that serious." Yue Yao smiled faintly and then sat up herself. "Actually, it's that time of the month for me... and I caught a bit of a cold, so I'm just uncomfortable and sleepy. You go have breakfast first, don't be late for work. I'll come down after I freshen up."

"Are you really okay?" Zhang Yurong still felt a bit anxious. Her own health was quite good, and being a CEO, she couldn't afford to look sickly at the company often, so any sign of illness, she would take medicine herself.

"I'm fine, I'll be down in a bit."

After receiving Yue Yao's reassurance and seeing her already get up to go to the bathroom, Zhang Yurong left first.

In the bathroom, Yue Yao looked at her somewhat pale, haggard face in the mirror, and her smile had disappeared.

Last night, even though she rejected Li Yan's confession and encouraged him to return to Zhang Yurong, telling him to treat her as a coin rolling on the ground, as a cricket not to interfere, encouraging him to pursue his greater happiness, she couldn't calm down after Li Yan left.

Pure selflessness and noble sacrifice can only be done without hesitation when faced with faith.

Yue Yao's feelings for Li Yan, like Queen for a King, had almost reached the level of belief, so she could make any sacrifice for him. But... love is selfish! Even with all the dedication and sacrifice, when the outcome results in sacrificing love, it is painful for anyone.

She was no different. Li Yan knowing her feelings made her feel less regret, but also added a bit of expectation. If only...

But in the end, she did not choose to destroy the relationship between Li Yan and Zhang Yurong for herself, nor did she take advantage of the situation for her own gain. She felt that doing so would make her worse than Yu Xiaodi. Yu Xiaodi was already considered a third party, but she didn't know Li Yan was married at first and actively pursued him from the start. By contrast, though she knew Li Yan much earlier and had deeper feelings, she never acted on her love actively. To do so now would be to undermine their relationship.

She could decide rationally and let go, but it was hard to suppress her inner feelings.

After Li Yan left, she turned off the light and sat silently on the balcony for most of the night, thinking, or in a daze, for herself, for Li Yan, for 'them', for the future, for...

Though the summer days in S City were long and still hot at the time, after all, it was already autumn. During the day it was fine, but at night, there was still a slight chill. Perhaps due to her state of mind, or maybe she caught a cold, or didn't rest enough, she felt very uncomfortable as soon as she tried to get up.

"Smile a bit... this is your own decision." Yue Yao said to herself in the mirror, then tried hard to squeeze out a smile. She knew that if she looked uncomfortable or unhappy, both of them would be very concerned, so she didn't want to worry them and had to show that she was in a good state.

...

Zhang Yurong didn't see Li Yan and thought he had gone to eat by himself first, but she didn't see him in the dining room either, guessing he had already left, so she didn't bother with him anymore.

After waiting for a while and still not seeing Aunt Liu with breakfast ready, Zhang Yurong was slightly surprised, as Aunt Liu was always very responsible and never delayed preparing breakfast in advance.

"Aunt Liu!"

On hearing her call, Aunt Liu immediately came over. "Madam."

"This morning... you..." For the executives under her, Zhang Yurong could question them without mercy, but for Aunt Liu, she couldn't be that stern.

Aunt Liu responded with a smile, "I'm fine. It's the sir who got up early and is busy in the kitchen, saying he wants to personally prepare breakfast for you."

Li Yan? Preparing breakfast in the kitchen?

Zhang Yurong widened her eyes, finding it hard to imagine someone like him could actually cook! Thinking of his words last night and the complaints just now, she felt a bit guilty. It seemed she had misunderstood him; at least his enthusiasm wasn't just for one night.

"I'll go take a look! He won't burn down the kitchen, right?" With mistrust in her husband's culinary skills, Zhang Yurong was about to head to the kitchen.

"If it were going to burn, it would have already turned someone who was still lazing in bed into roast suckling pig."

Li Yan's voice came through, and she saw him carrying three dishes with both hands. Afraid he might drop them, Aunt Liu quickly took one from him.

"Aunt Liu, please help me bring the soup over," Li Yan put down the dishes on the table.

Zhang Yurong saw the slight sweat on his forehead and thought about how someone as lazy as he could quietly get up early to make breakfast. Her heart warmed slightly. At the same time, she felt a little guilty; as a wife, she had never cooked! Although she earned more money and could afford to hire help, it's still a gesture of goodwill.

"What is this? Is it edible?" Although she felt a little touched inside, Yurong decided not to let him know, lest he get too cocky. Despite the fragrant aroma, she deliberately teased him.

"Wow... it smells so good. What's cooking that smells so delicious today?" Yue Yao came over cheerfully, already praising even before coming closer with a smile.

Li Yan chuckled, "See, there's someone who knows what's good. Come on, you all try my cooking!"

Aunt Liu brought over a bowl of soup, prepared bowls, spoons, etc., for them, and then went back to tidy up the kitchen.

"Yue Yao, feeling better? Do you need to check your temperature?" Zhang Yurong looked at Yue Yao and asked.

Upon hearing this, Li Yan quickly asked, "What's wrong with Yue Yao?"

"Hehe, it's nothing... I stayed online a bit late last night, didn't rest well, just felt a little drowsy. I'm fine, let's try your cooking first!" Yue Yao smiled and changed the topic, "Brother-in-law Rong, is this really your cooking? I'm a bit skeptical."

"Exactly! I'm skeptical too. This is... a pancake? But why isn't it dry?"

Zhang Yurong looked at the dish in front of her. In terms of appearance, it looked good, but she hadn't eaten something like this before, so she didn't know if it tasted as good as it smelled.

"Let me introduce it to you. It is indeed something I cooked, but it's not like northern pancakes. It's not made with dry flour, but rice paste. Of course, without rice paste, it's mixed with flour... look at what else is in it? The green is sliced chili, the yellow is scrambled eggs, the white is minced cabbage, the green is chopped scallions, the black is minced mushrooms, and the red is some shredded carrots and some chopped chili paste..."

Li Yan started to introduce. The ingredients were all finely chopped, except for the scallions. The rest were pre-fried and then mixed into the batter, making it a paste, then oil was added to the pan to heat it. Pour the paste into the pan, smooth it out. Fry for a while, once one side is cooked, flip it over.

"... That's about it. The process is simple, the key is to control the heat. Don't let it burn, but make sure it's cooked. The dough turns golden because a little dark soy sauce is added, combined with the white dough, the result is such, not just plain white."

After listening to Li Yan's explanation, the two were a bit tempted, and the enticing aroma also made them eager to start. However, Yue Yao laughed and said, "Brother-in-law Rong, these are all fried in oil, even if they're tasty, after finishing this plate, wouldn't we have eaten a lot of oil? That could make us fat!"

Zhang Yurong also nodded, "Right, I think you're like the self-selling grandma, claiming it's all colorful, but it's really just a hodgepodge. And it's fried in oil, eating too much isn't healthy, could be too spicy..."

Li Yan was speechless. After all that effort, no one appreciated it. "Alright, then just drink the soup! Egg drop, spinach, mushroom bits, carrot shreds, it's also a hodgepodge soup, but this one doesn't have much oil. Drink the soup, soup won't make you fat."

Seeing him eat by himself, Yurong and Yue Yao exchanged glances and smiled. They each tried a spoonful of the soup and then said in unison, "It's not good, not tasting your cooking would be disrespectful, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, if we let you finish by yourself, wouldn't you become a chubby one? Out of kindness, we'll help you eat a bit."

Li Yan raised his eyes to look at the two of them and saw that they were both eating. The expression on their faces clearly showed it wasn't too bad. He smiled with satisfaction; getting up an hour early to busy himself was all worth it if they could find the taste pleasing.

Zhang Yurong at this moment was eating quite slowly. Even though she didn't verbally encourage him, for a meal Li Yan personally busied himself with for her, she was savoring it seriously. (To be continued. To know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters are available, support the author, support legitimate reading!)