The Female CEO Falls in Love with Me

This also counts as corroborating each other's stories. Li Yan, who was hiding in the wardrobe, naturally had to use the same excuse after seeing her tell Yue Yao that, so as not to mention sending Qiao Huanxuan home.

"Hehe, whatever. Men, you know, they always need socializing." Yue Yao had heard Li Yan yesterday; he seemed quite sober, so she didn't think he had gone out drinking afterward.

As Qiao Huanxuan entered the bedroom and packed her things, she said, "You're very generous. Aren't you afraid he'll hook up with other women behind your back?"

Yue Yao sighed softly at this, "What if he hooks up with me behind other women's backs?"

"Hmm?" Qiao Huanxuan looked at her perplexedly.

Li Yan also frowned secretly. How could she say such things so casually?

"Haha, actually, he's quite a philanderer, not just interested in me. For instance, you met Sister Wen yesterday, whom Li Yan has secretly admired for a long time." Yue Yao laughed lightly as she spoke.

This left Li Yan in the wardrobe feeling a bit awkward and unable to refute it. Qiao Huanxuan was even more incredulous upon hearing this. She thought Li Yan was a committed man who, even if he had dated other women, just moved from one to the next. Hearing this was beyond her imagination.

"Since... since you know he's not committed to you, why are you still with him?" Qiao Huanxuan voiced her inner question.

"There's no way around it... The other people he likes are all very strong, and I can't compete. I can only take a step back; being with him is already satisfying." Yue Yao said with an expression of helplessness.

Does Yue Yao really think that way? Maybe in moments of helplessness, but deep down, she's still a young, passionate girl who would charge forward for love, not easily giving up. She's deliberately saying this right now!

She still viewed Qiao Huanxuan as a significant threat—a rival. First love! Just having this status adds many points. At this moment, she can't help but tie Zhang Yurong and Wen Qianyi together, how they will "split the spoils" is a matter for the future, first, she must deal with this new enemy.

Her words had already given Qiao Huanxuan quite a shock. Merely the youthful beauty of a young girl, Qiao Huanxuan didn't care and thought she could still forcibly take him back. But now realizing Yue Yao wasn't just young and pretty and had a family background she couldn't compare to. For a man already at a realistic age, this is a very crucial factor. Yet this hadn't formed pressure before Yue Yao said she'd have to settle for "sharing," and that Li Yan had many women who made her feel ashamed.

She started to feel immense pressure...

Yue Yao wouldn't brag too much. After giving her rival some pressure, she changed the topic: "By the way, Miss Qiao, what was Li Yan like before? Did he already have a way with women in school?"

"Uh... alright. He was our class president back in those days when everyone was quite green; he was relatively charming." Qiao Huanxuan answered reluctantly.

"So did you also like him before? And yesterday, Bai Jie did too?" Yue Yao dug deep with her questions.

"Haha, you're overthinking. Let's go!"

The two of them chatted as they opened the door and left the guest room.

Li Yan finally emerged from the wardrobe, thinking about their earlier conversation, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed Yue Yao had handled things better. Only... if it weren't for what happened later that night, he could firmly reject Qiao Huanxuan. But after they were involved, especially realizing she actually liked him for a long time, he found it hard to stay firm.

Considering that following them might lead to running into them, Li Yan decided to wait half an hour before heading back. How to pass the extra half hour? He went to the bedroom and opened Qiao Huanxuan's suitcase.

Soon, Li Yan's gaze shifted from lingerie and was caught by a box in the corner.

After hesitating for a moment, he opened the box. Inside was a strange yet familiar item—Qiao Huanxuan's story's music box.

Looking at the old, damaged, but carefully preserved and carried music box, emotions flooded him, and his thoughts returned to twelve years ago: vaguely recalling when he bought this music box and asked other girls to give it to Qiao Huanxuan, later returned, deemed outdated, and thrown out the window...

He had long forgotten those memories, yet he didn't expect someone to have been treasuring it all along!

Li Yan's memories of Qiao Huanxuan had already blurred; meeting at the airport only slightly triggered recollections. In truth, back then, his subconscious didn't want to recall, participating in their gathering was just reluctant compliance.

It wasn't until he heard her recount the two stories that he was moved and began reminiscing about what she described. She wasn't just feeling guilty and dwelling for so long; it was because she deeply admired someone, waiting day in and day out for ten years, seeking and hoping for him.

And now, seeing this testament to history and time, his heart was shaken for the third time. A simple, long outdated, but emotionally rich trinket opened his heart to reminisce and was shocked and touched by the classmate's affection toward him.

After a while, he reached out to take the music box out. It was pristine without dust, and it had a sleek finish, showing its current owner cherished it, holding it often.

The music box still bore signs of damage but was repaired. Whether due to multiple fixes or Qiao Huanxuan's careful protection, it still produced sound now.

Hearing the "ding-dong" single-note sound from the music box, Li Yan seemed to see a youth in high spirits, very much like him, yet without the mature mindset or calm after experiencing vicissitudes, with a trace of youthful affected aloofness between his brows, eyes unmistakably reflecting longing and confidence in the future.

What were his ambitions back then? Li Yan had already forgotten; only if he could return to the past, he would tell himself to cherish youth!

...

Li Yan placed the music box back as it was, tidied other things, and finally left the guest room, left the hotel, and took a taxi home.

As he was almost home, his long unsettled emotions began to calm down. The past is ultimately the past; no matter the regret or reminiscence, it's over. Even for Qiao Huanxuan, he shouldn't act rashly on so-called compensation. Otherwise, it may not lead to a beautiful future.

Now, he has his current life, with a... temporarily decent family!

Upon entering his home, Li Yan took a deep breath to bring himself back to reality.

"I'm back!"

Zhang Yurong should be at work, but Yue Yao should be home, right? Unfortunately, no one was there; he went upstairs to put down his things and knocked on Yue Yao's room, but there was no one to answer.

Li Yan found it odd, took out his phone, and was startled to find more than a dozen missed calls! That's when he remembered he had turned it to silent and later, due to the music box's sentiment, forgot to check the phone. Crying for Monthly Pass...

(Thanks to yesterday's rewards from brothers: CP Pampas, Master Yidu, Sai Clan's Little Fish, Listen to Words, Fate Decides You and Me, Master Yidu, Yagami Light II, Silent Suffering., Me, Most Unique, Leng Xingyu, Book Friend 100503201921198, Le Shuxiang, Love Taotao Most, Strings Move Life, zjun971210, Wife Calls Me to Read More, Deng Yun Court, A Love Called Breakup, dongmin8061) (To be continued, for further chapters, please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support legal reading!)