Chapter 14 The CEO in a Domineering CEO Romance

Xu Chengyan was in a terrible mood—bad enough that he felt like yelling at someone.

Right now, he was basically a ticking time bomb: anyone who provoked him would get blown up.

Obviously, Li Tingting had no idea.

After returning home, she couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning, her mind filled with his image.

Later, she quietly asked around and learned that the second young master of the Xu family wasn’t married. He had gone off to start his own business early on, and by all accounts, he was young, talented, and extremely accomplished.

Such an exceptional man… and he didn’t even have a girlfriend?!

Whether Xu Chengyan genuinely didn’t have one or just hadn’t brought one home, Li Tingting didn’t care. As far as she was concerned, if people said he didn’t have a girlfriend, then he didn’t.

The next morning, while Xu Chengyan was out exercising, he noticed a maid lingering nearby, sneakily watching him.

He barely looked at her a few times, yet she misunderstood and brought him a bottle of water.

“Young Master, you’ve been running so long; you must be thirsty. Would you like some water?”

Xu Chengyan glanced at the label—it was a fairly good imitation of a certain brand, but not quite: “No thanks, I’m not thirsty.”

“After running so long, how could you not be thirsty? Just take a sip, okay? Don’t worry, this water is clean—I haven’t opened it. And this towel is clean too…”

The towel was indeed clean—but used, with a little bear pattern on it. Obviously, it belonged to someone. Xu Chengyan had OCD and never used something already used by someone else. He was about to refuse when he suddenly heard a familiar voice.

【Here it comes, here it comes—a classic idol drama scene!】

【What a coincidence, I’m just in time!】

That excited tone was, as always, irritating. Xu Chengyan turned his head and saw no one else but that woman.

Xu Chengyan’s mouth twitched.

The woman was bent over, hiding behind a blooming rose bush. She thought she was cleverly hidden, but in reality…

The hem of her skirt was completely visible.

“Young Master, don’t be polite. Go ahead and use it, it’s fine. You can return it to me afterward.”

【Yes, yes, exactly—use it, then return it, so she can keep using it. You’re sharing one towel…】

Li Tingting stepped closer and handed the towel to Xu Chengyan, only to see him recoil as if electrified.

“Stay away from me!”

“Young Master?” Li Tingting looked up, shocked.

She didn’t understand why he would reject her good intentions and felt deeply hurt.

Xu Chengyan wasn’t a bad person by nature; his reaction was only because of Ruan Yaoyao. Seeing Li Tingting’s hurt expression, he realized he had offended her. Embarrassed, he explained, “I have OCD. I don’t like using things that others have used.”

Li Tingting’s hand tightened on the towel. “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Her eyes gradually reddened, on the verge of tears.

Wait, why are you crying? Xu Chengyan couldn’t understand. He had explained his OCD, so why was she upset?

Flustered and with someone watching, he couldn’t let this poor girl cry in front of him.

“Don’t cry!”

“I’m not… I just… feel bad inside.”

Just as Xu Chengyan moved forward to console her, Ruan Yaoyao’s voice chimed in: 【Yes, yes, just like that. Go comfort her! Comfort her and she’s yours.】

【Once she’s touched, you two will be together.】

【Oh, the plot is developing fast. Wonder when they’ll fall and kiss…】

Xu Chengyan froze.

Things got worse when Li Tingting stepped back, landed on a small stone, and slipped, falling to the ground.

By instinct, Xu Chengyan should have reached out to catch her…

But there was no “but.” After hearing Ruan Yaoyao’s inner commentary, he restrained himself. Li Tingting landed hard on her backside.

Embarrassed in front of her beloved, Li Tingting couldn’t take it and scrambled up, clutching her face as she ran away despite the pain.

Ruan Yaoyao: 【…Wait, why is she running?】

【This scene is off! Where’s the hero saving the beauty?】

Xu Chengyan: Save the beauty? He had said it before: he could never fall for such an ordinary woman.

Moreover, she was a maid who reportedly had a seriously ill mother at home, worked multiple jobs, and hadn’t even graduated from college.

It wasn’t that he looked down on people with lower education—Xu Chengyan was just proud and ambitious. He graduated from a world-class university and naturally wanted a partner of similar caliber.

To make matters worse, he noticed his older brother and sister-in-law witnessing part of the scene.

In other words, the humiliating moment was not only seen by the woman but also, through her inner thoughts, by his older brother and sister-in-law.

Embarrassed in front of Ruan Yaoyao was one thing, but in front of his brother and sister-in-law? Xu Chengyan couldn’t stay; he bolted from the scene.

To avoid truly becoming Ruan Yaoyao’s “domineering CEO” fantasy, he showered, changed clothes, and sent a text to his brother and sister-in-law before running off.

Thus, when Ruan Yaoyao sat down for breakfast, one person was missing from the table.

“Where’s the second son?”

Yu Xiangqiao avoided looking, feeling guilty.

How could she admit that she and her husband, curious about the commotion, had activated the home surveillance and spotted their mother-in-law near the second brother?

Xu Lianghan remained calm. “Oh, he said he had work at the company and left early.”

Ruan Yaoyao felt a twinge of regret: 【He left so soon? I wanted to see a live idol drama scene. Now I can’t.】

【I wonder when it’ll be my turn to appear—should I play the evil mother-in-law, or the evil mother-in-law?】

Ruan Yaoyao was intrigued by her “evil mother-in-law” persona. To research, she had read many domineering CEO romance novels and had become quite knowledgeable.

Looking at Xu Lianghan and Yu Xiangqiao, their drama was already “ripe”—just mundane post-marriage sweet life, which was boring. To find excitement, she needed the second son.

Thus, she mentally planned to visit the second son’s company more often.

【According to the plot, if the mountain doesn’t come to me, I’ll go to it—even if the second son didn’t appear, the heroine would be around him somehow.】

【Either in his living space or workplace.】

Ruan Yaoyao didn’t know where Li Tingting would appear, but she could explore and likely find her.

Xu Lianghan and Yu Xiangqiao exchanged a glance while eating: More drama?

“Eldest, after breakfast, send me the addresses of the second son’s company and his residences.”

“Sure.” Second brother, good luck!

But why was he so happy that the unlucky one was someone else, not him?

Yu Xiangqiao glared at him: Don’t act so pleased—you still have plenty to handle.

Indeed, Xu Lianghan had to deal with Cheng Xiangrong’s family; that matter wasn’t fully resolved yet.

It wasn’t that Xu Lianghan didn’t want to finish it—Cheng Xiangrong wasn’t weak. The company was just struggling, not collapsing.

He didn’t know if the private investigators he sent had discovered anything yet, hoping for good news.

“A Chu…”

Xu Chengyan sneezed, suddenly craving coffee, and asked his secretary to bring some.

At the pantry, the secretary found no water and decided to ask someone upstairs to buy a cup for Xu Chengyan.

Somehow, the task ended up with the new employee, Li Tingting.

“Me?” She pointed at herself, bewildered.

She was part of the cleaning staff—did she have to buy coffee too?

The fashionable young woman glanced at her disdainfully. “Is there anyone else here besides you?”