After Breaking Up with the Stoic CEO - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: The Little Girl in Front is Li Jin’s Daughter

“Whatever works for you.”

Lu Wu replied while tapping “Agree” on her screen.

You are now friends, start chatting!

Li: “Address: Rongjiang Villa District 11-1-A.”

Lu Wu hesitated for a moment, then replied with an emoji.

Puppy nods.jpg

Li Jin did not reply.

Tan Hangxue was busy shopping in front, while the sales assistant was dutifully explaining the products. “Hey, Lu Wu, how about this?”

Lu Wu lifted her eyes, her gaze landing first on a pendant. It was a mint-green teddy bear wearing a black-and-white striped scarf and earmuffs. Most little girls would probably like such cute trinkets, right? She paused, then asked politely, “Excuse me, could you let me see that pendant?”

“Certainly, one moment please.”

The sales assistant handed over the bear pendant. Up close in her hand, it looked even cuter. Seeing that Lu Wu seemed satisfied, Tan Hangxue put down the silk scarf she was holding and walked over.

“…You’re buying this bear pendant for President Li?”

Ji Youyan glanced at her. “Did you forget that President Li has a daughter? President Li might not accept a gift, but gifting it to the child is a much gentler approach.”

Tan Hangxue had an “Aha!” moment.

“President Li!”

“President Li!”

Facing the chorus of greetings along the way, Li Jin nodded in acknowledgment as she passed. Du Lin walked beside her, methodically reporting the upcoming schedule. “I will summarize the internal meeting materials and email them to you within an hour. There is also a gala to attend later; a stylist has already steamed your gown and delivered it to the lounge.”

Li Jin nodded slightly. “Thank you for the hard work.”

The private elevator arrived. Li Jin stepped in, followed by Du Lin. As the elevator doors slowly closed, the staff outside who had been tense finally relaxed and began discussing the day’s biggest gossip.

Staff member Xiao Li: “Did you hear? Vice President Liu from Hwa Group is at our office?” Staff member Xiao Chen: “She dares to come here? Isn’t she afraid our resentment will swallow her whole?”

The Tu Wei incident had left behind many lingering issues. Projects he had handled were now suspected of data leaks and largely required adjustments. Personnel who had worked under him faced major reassignment. More seriously, the matter had alarmed the Board of Directors. The frequency of high-level meetings had increased, and everyone, from vice presidents down to department heads, was under immense pressure. At such a sensitive time, Hwa Group sending someone over was doomed to be unwelcome, regardless of their intentions. Everyone was just an employee, and with pent-up frustration, they naturally weren’t going to give her a friendly face.

Staff member Xiao Feng agreed: “Exactly, bad luck!”

At that moment, Xiao Hu from the External Affairs Department poked his head in. “You think you know who that is? That’s Vice President Liu.”

Xiao Li didn’t understand: “So what about Vice President Liu?”

Xiao Hu took a sip of his coffee: “It’s a long story.”

As a competing company, most of Li Corporation’s employees knew something about the Hwa Group’s executives. External Affairs dealt with numerous social occasions and naturally had to dig deeper. Xiao Hu had been at Li Corporation for four or five years and knew the leadership structure of every company like the back of his hand. Even among a group of executives, Vice President Liu could be considered a legend.

Liu Yuhuan.

Born into an old-fashioned design family, she had completed her master’s degree by twenty-four and graduated from a top domestic institution, Tsinghua University. Instead of taking the easy path paved by her family, she rebelliously chose to start as a lowly intern at the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

Not long after, the founder of the Liu family became embroiled in a plagiarism scandal, compounded by internal tax issues. The stock value of the Liu family’s representative brand, “Cloud Flow,” evaporated overnight, and their companies filed for bankruptcy one after another. Yet, under such circumstances, Liu Yuhuan, far away in Shanghai, was promoted from a department lead to a director at the Shanghai Stock Exchange in just two years, eventually parachuting into Hwa Group as a Vice President early last year.

After Xiao Hu’s explanation, Xiao Chen and Xiao Li couldn’t help but show surprise. Only Xiao Feng pouted: “Isn’t she still not as good as our President Li?” Indeed, while Liu Yuhuan was excellent, with the perfection that was their own President Li already setting the bar, she was still far from being worth a “That’s Vice President Liu” exclamation.

Xiao Hu clicked his tongue: “I wasn’t finished yet.”

Xiao Li asked curiously: “What else is there?”

“I also heard…”

Their eyes fixed on him. Xiao Hu intentionally paused, keeping them in suspense. Xiao Chen couldn’t help but urge: “Tell us, tell us!”

Xiao Hu smiled enigmatically: “I heard that this Vice President Liu specifically returned to the industry for our President Li.”

Time flew by, and the weekend arrived for her appointment with Li Jin.

The address provided was in another district. Fortunately, Ji Youyan and Tan Hangxue’s rental unit was near the city center, so it was close to everything; it only took Lu Wu half an hour by subway. The Rongjiang estate’s entrance was grand; one could tell it was in a high-value district. Lu Wu had expected explaining her presence to be a hassle, but unexpectedly, after registering her information, the security guard asked nothing and instead spoke respectfully.

“You must be Miss Lu? Please wait, a reception staff member will be here to guide you shortly.”

Lu Wu was flattered: “Me?”

The guard replied dutifully: “Yes, Ms. Li had already notified us in advance.”

Hearing him say that, Lu Wu couldn’t turn down his kindness: “Then that will be a trouble.”

The receptionist arrived quickly. She was a woman in her thirties with an elegant temperament, and she smiled politely at Lu Wu before speaking. “Miss Lu, please follow me.”

“Okay.”

Following her, Lu Wu noticed that the blend of asphalt roads and landscaping was impeccably done, with paths winding through lawns and groves. It didn’t look like a residential area; it looked more like a picturesque park. They passed by someone on the phone who looked suspiciously like a currently trending Best Actress who had just won an award at the Cannes Film Festival. There were luxury cars visible everywhere.

Lu Wu was dizzy with amazement. In the midst of her surprise, the weight of the carefully decorated gift bag in her hand had unknowingly lightened. Finally, deep in the path, the receptionist stopped.

“Miss Lu, we have arrived.”

Lu Wu smiled and thanked her sincerely: “Thank you.”

Aside from the filthy rich who radiated natural elegance, those who visited here were almost all seeking something. Someone who looked this clean, beautiful, and had such a simple, pure gaze was a rarity. The woman’s smile became a bit more genuine: “You’re welcome. If you need any help, feel free to call me.”

After the receptionist left, the air went quiet; one could even hear the crisp cry of a cuckoo. Lu Wu didn’t look around at the exquisite two-story villa. She walked straight to the entrance, took a deep breath, and pressed the doorbell.

Ding-dong—

Her palms were sweaty, and her heart was drumming. She secretly speculated on what Li Jin would be wearing when she opened the door. Today was a day off; perhaps casual loungewear? Soft silk clinging to her figure, lazy and relaxed… But based on Li Jin’s personality, she always carried a laptop at karaoke; she probably wouldn’t forget work at home. Perhaps she would still be in that steady, hand-tailored suit—meticulous, serious, and rigorous.

Lu Wu had imagined many scenarios. But none of her imagined pictures came true.

The surroundings remained quiet. Li Jin did not appear. The villa is too big; perhaps she didn’t hear it? Lu Wu pressed it again.

Before the doorbell rang again, her phone rang. Lu Wu took it out.

Contact: President Li

A lonely “Li” lacked any human touch, so she had specially changed the note to “President Li.” Outsiders wouldn’t see anything wrong with it, but upon closer inspection, there was a faint hint of something ambiguous. Lu Wu answered: “I’ve arrived.”

The agreed time was three o’clock. It was only two-thirty, but she didn’t want Li Jin to think she was late.

“574326. Just come in.”

It wasn’t quiet on Li Jin’s end. It didn’t sound like she was at home; if she listened closely, she could vaguely hear people discussing something. She didn’t seem surprised that Lu Wu had arrived early.

Lu Wu replied subconsciously: “Okay.”

It took her a moment to realize—that string of numbers was the password to Li Jin’s front door? She hesitated, then tried inputting them one by one.

…26.

As the final digit fell, the security door clicked open, and a gentle, mechanical female voice sounded: “Welcome home.”

It really was.

Li Jin had clearly heard the movement. “The lock is open? Wait for me at home for a while.”

It seemed she was still busy at the office. Lu Wu opened her mouth but ended up saying nothing, simply replying obediently: “Understood.”

The phone hung up quickly. Lu Wu stood at the entrance for a while. Since Li Jin was so trusting, she saw no reason to be bashful. She entered, changed into a pair of disposable slippers waiting at the entryway, and sat on the sofa.

Scanning the area, the first thing that hit her was the sheer scale. The entire space had no partitions; the living room, open-plan kitchen, terrace, and swimming pool were all visible at a glance. Once she settled, she felt the house was a bit empty. The tone was minimalist and serene; the floor was marble, the sofa was solid-colored wool, and even the curtains were heavy, thick grey.

Would Li Jin feel lonely when she’s here alone? She probably would. After all, that night… she had looked very different from her usual self.

Her thoughts were about to drift away when a soft noise came from the entrance. Someone was back.

Li Jin? Isn’t she at the office? How is she back so soon? Lu Wu stood up, too nervous to know where to put her hands or feet.

The next second, a small figure appeared at the end of the hallway.

Clearly, the person who arrived was not Li Jin. A small white shirt, overalls, a face with a bit of baby fat, and a hint of blue-dyed tips in her slightly curled hair—the overall impression was cute and exquisite.

Lu Wu was stunned, realizing something extremely important.

The little girl in front of her was Li Jin’s daughter.

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