Why Suffer for This Distress (GL) - Chapter 7
The next day, before dawn, Su Xiyan woke up. She clutched a corner of the blanket, looked at He Jingmo still asleep beside her, and frowned. This person, waiting up for her until midnight again? She’d told her countless times, but she just wouldn’t listen.
Tiptying out of bed, Su Xiyan didn’t even dare to breathe heavily, afraid of waking He Jingmo. Reaching back to hook the zipper of her dress, Su Xiyan struggled to pull the dress up, her body twisting like a caterpillar. Just as she was wrestling with the dress, her hand felt cool and was grasped by someone.
“Why have you gotten fat?”
He Jingmo’s voice was heavily nasal, indicating she hadn’t slept well. Su Xiyan pursed her lips and let go with some frustration, “It’s all because you keep feeding me extra meals every day.”
“A little weight is good, so you don’t get sick all the time.”
He Jingmo carefully adjusted the hem of Su Xiyan’s dress. Su Xiyan pouted, looking unhappy: “What’s good about it? Who would want me if I’m fat?”
The movement of her hand stopped. He Jingmo pursed her lips and sighed: “If they truly love you, why would they care about your weight.”
“Spare me, you actually use those phrases meant to deceive children. Alright, no more talking, I need to rush to the company. I have a lot of things to do today.”
“Take it easy on the road.”
“I know!”
Su Xiyan waved and rushed out the door. The driver had been waiting outside for a long time. He Jingmo sighed as she watched the figure hurriedly get into the car. When would this person truly mature?
Arriving at the company, Su Xiyan hurried into the CEO’s office. Inside, Manager Li from the Intelligence Department handed over materials about the CEO of Shenghuang, Xiao Moyan.
“Only 32? Shenghuang’s headquarters are in Beijing. She’s been staying here for three months. What exactly does she want?”
Su Xiyan’s brows were tightly furrowed. Recently, she had been relentlessly pressured by this woman. No matter what contract Su’s Angran was about to sign, Shenghuang would preempt them. She initially thought it was pressure from a peer, but judging from the data, Shenghuang’s scale was significantly larger than Angran’s. Industry peers who had previously cooperated well with her now dared not work with her anymore, fearing Shenghuang’s power. Angran had been operating at a loss for this entire month. If this continued, all of Su Xiyan’s hard work over the years might be for nothing. She couldn’t understand why, with Shenghuang’s size, there was no need to deliberately squeeze Angran, a nascent company. Could it be that she had offended Xiao Moyan? But the two had only met once at a dinner party. How could they have established an enmity?
“From the nature of things, she shouldn’t need to squeeze Angran. Shenghuang’s predecessor was an entertainment company, and its main focus is different from ours. Perhaps, CEO Xiao’s intention—”
Manager Li’s analysis was consistent with Su Xiyan’s, but she was obviously hesitating to speak. Su Xiyan frowned, looking at her impatiently: “Speak!”
“I’ve made inquiries. CEO Xiao has a peculiar hobby. She seems… seems very interested in women.”
Su Xiyan’s eyes suddenly widened, staring at Manager Li, who lowered her head, not daring to meet her gaze. Manager Li couldn’t possibly tell CEO Su that she believed CEO Xiao was interested in her. If so, she might be collecting her last paycheck on her way out.
“I gave you a week, and your conclusion is that Xiao Moyan likes women?”
“CEO Su, I—”
“Alright, you can leave.”
Su Xiyan impatiently waved her hand. She knew in her heart that she couldn’t blame Manager Li for this. She had long heard rumors about Xiao Moyan’s character. Thinking outside the box was her strength, and it wouldn’t be easy to truly know what she wanted. Moreover, Shenghuang’s actions were clearly not an overnight decision but meticulously planned. In this case, Xiao Moyan was one step ahead of her again.
Ultimately, Su Xiyan decided to visit the Shenghuang branch herself to see what this CEO Xiao was up to.
Just a branch company could have such a grand presence. Standing in front of Shenghuang’s main entrance, looking at the towering building, Su Xiyan clenched her fist. Someday, Su’s Angran would be like this, too.
Entering Shenghuang, led by the receptionist, Su Xiyan finally reached the CEO’s office after numerous turns. Standing at the door, watching the secretary knock, she took a deep breath.
“Enter.”
A lazy female contralto voice came. The secretary pushed the door open and said respectfully, “CEO Xiao, the person is here.”
“Oh? Come in.”
Su Xiyan walked into the CEO’s office. She had expected to see CEO Xiao sitting at her desk, working decisively on official business. However, the scene before her was vastly different from her imagination.
Xiao Moyan was leaning back in the boss’s chair, watching TV with her legs crossed. On the TV, a woman in a flowing white dress was talking to the camera, and Xiao Moyan was staring at her unblinkingly. Su Xiyan took the opportunity to observe Xiao Moyan. A long black dress with a cinched waist outlined her tall, perfect figure. Her makeup was exquisite, and her aloof expression revealed a seductive charm. Her long hair was tied up high, exposing her pale neck. Her whole being radiated a captivating aura. As if sensing Su Xiyan’s gaze, Xiao Moyan looked up at Su Xiyan, a hint of playful amusement in her charming eyes.
Such arrogance made Su Xiyan feel profoundly uncomfortable deep down.
“I knew you would come.”
Xiao Moyan looked at her, without even blinking, a subtle smile playing on her face. That dismissive attitude instantly ignited a fire in Su Xiyan’s heart.
“Oh, what’s wrong, got a temper now?” Xiao Moyan turned off the TV and finally lowered her legs. She leaned languidly in the boss’s chair, raising an eyebrow at Su Xiyan, her eyes showing a clear understanding of everything.
“CEO Xiao.”
Su Xiyan suppressed her anger and greeted Xiao Moyan with an attitude neither subservient nor arrogant. Xiao Moyan nodded and pointed to the sofa on the side, “Sit.”
Sitting on the sofa, looking at the woman in front of her, Su Xiyan thought for a moment and spoke: “CEO Xiao, what exactly do you want?” Having fought in the business world for many years, Su Xiyan had learned to read people. If she played mind games with a cunning woman like Xiao Moyan, Angran’s situation would be even worse. Thus, it was better to be direct, which might lead to unexpected gains.
“Heh, what do I want? Why does it sound like I’m trying to do something to you? I presume CEO Su has already conducted a systematic and comprehensive investigation into me.”
Every word Xiao Moyan spoke made one helpless, as if everything was within her control. Su Xiyan’s frown deepened, remaining silent.
Xiao Moyan got up and slowly walked toward Su Xiyan. With every step, the smile on her face grew bigger. Su Xiyan watched her warily, her heart pounding fiercely. Could this woman truly be as lustful as the rumors suggested?
“Pfft—”
When she was close to Su Xiyan, Xiao Moyan burst out laughing, collapsing ungracefully onto the sofa next to her. Su Xiyan looked at her, stunned and confused.
“Oh my, you really are cute.”
Xiao Moyan laughed so hard that tears came out. Su Xiyan looked at her, and gradually, her face changed color.
“Is CEO Xiao playing games with me?”
“Playing games?” Xiao Moyan sat upright, looking at her, and shook her head: “How can you put it so seriously? It hurts Jiejie’s heart, you know.”
Su Xiyan felt like she was about to vomit bl00d. She had never met such a shameless and rogue CEO. Was this really the rumored CEO Xiao?
“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Let’s get down to business.” Xiao Moyan had had enough fun. She composed her smile and sat on the opposite sofa, looking at Su Xiyan. Su Xiyan met her gaze.
“I want Angran.”
“What did you say?” This sentence instantly tensed Su Xiyan. She stared intently at Xiao Moyan. With Shenghuang’s power, taking Angran was a matter of a whale swallowing a shrimp. If so… all her years of hard work…
Xiao Moyan had anticipated her reaction. Watching her fluctuating expression, Xiao Moyan chuckled: “To be precise, I want you.”
This time, Su Xiyan was utterly confounded. She widened her eyes, staring at the woman in front of her, her thoughts completely scrambled. Xiao Moyan stared at her for a moment and slowly said, “To be honest, you remind me a lot of myself when I was younger. Charming, beautiful, generous, deeply thoughtful, highly assertive, and never losing to anyone. That’s why I want you at Shenghuang.”
“…”
Su Xiyan listened to the string of adjectives, then looked at the woman in front of her. She took a deep breath, looked into Xiao Moyan’s eyes, and asked, “CEO Xiao, are you… sure you’re okay?”