After Getting Married to My Obsessive Older Sister - Chapter 59

Chapter 59

After passing Subject 1, Tan Ze enrolled Chu Yiqiao in a 9 AM driving school class.

In the morning, Tan Ze would drop Chu Yiqiao off at the driving school. After her lesson, Zhao Jingxing would pick her up and take her to school to paint.

This schedule lasted only two days before Chu Yiqiao couldn’t take it anymore. In the mornings, she’d cling to Tan Ze’s waist, whimpering that she didn’t want to get up or go to her driving lesson.

Thus, the person urging Chu Yiqiao to take her lessons became Tan Ze. She was afraid she’d regret it, so she insisted that Chu Yiqiao get her driver’s license as soon as possible.

Every night, Tan Ze would sit on the bed, watching Chu Yiqiao pull out all the stops—kisses and throwing herself into her arms—to avoid having to wake up early for practice.

However, the next day, she was still ruthlessly dragged out of the comfortable covers by Tan Ze, who then drove at full speed to drop the pitiful girl off at the driving school.

On Thursday, May 16th, at 10 AM, the temperature in Yanjing hit 29 degrees Celsius.

Tan Ze finished her meeting, grabbed her phone, and walked out. Her secretary followed her, tidying up the documents. The group’s progress was halted in the hallway by a moderate-sized commotion coming from not far away.

Three desk-lengths away, an employee was being held back by several assistants. Her expression was agitated, her gestures exaggerated. Her work badge was hanging around her neck, and her finely tailored suit suggested her previous position wasn’t low; she might have even been a department head.

Zhao Jingxing stood nearby, phone in hand, already dialing building security.

“…Yes, please hurry and take her away. Bad luck.”

Tan Ze approached and heard the words the person was speaking.

“Give me another chance, please.”

“I was temporarily blinded by greed. Considering how long I’ve worked for the company, please ask CEO Tan to give me one more chance.”

Tan Ze recognized the person’s identity, glanced at her, and quickly looked away.

The person seized the opportunity and rushed towards Tan Ze. She started with pleas. Seeing that Tan Ze was unmoved, she began using the most venomous language imaginable to insult her, screaming with almost all her strength at Tan Ze: “Tan Ze! People like you should be hit by a car and die, alone…”

The person couldn’t finish her sentence. Several assistants rushed forward, covering her mouth and pulling her to the side. The assistants behind them felt uneasy and instinctively watched Tan Ze’s reaction.

Tan Ze walked straight ahead, seemingly unmoved by the words. Her expression remained indifferent, her features profound, like an unfeeling statue.

“Did you record that?” Tan Ze turned to look at the assistant, her gray-blue eyes mostly obscured by the white glare reflecting off her glasses.

The assistant was stunned for a few seconds, looking bewildered.

Zhao Jingxing quickly stepped in, nodding: “Yes, I recorded it.”

A few seconds later, three or four uniformed security guards emerged from the elevator, quickly dragging the person away.

The CEO’s office area returned to its usual efficient cleanliness. Everyone went back to their respective duties as if nothing had happened.

On May 16th, the internal investigation into the selling of interview questions at Mingsheng, which Zhao Jingxing had been secretly conducting, was officially concluded.

Late last year, they had begun receiving reports claiming that the group’s external interviews had significant room for manipulation. Several department heads were using their positions to sell interview questions, and some were even reserving spots directly.

Tan Ze had long wanted to investigate the matter but lacked concrete evidence. It wasn’t until early May, after the spring recruitment ended, that Zhao Jingxing, who had been squatting in various private chat groups with burner accounts, finally caught them red-handed.

With irrefutable evidence, the disciplinary announcement was sent to all employee emails at 9 AM this morning.

As soon as the individuals left, the onboarding notices for their successors were sent out, at a speed that was astonishing.

Of the people fired, one was hired after Tan Ze took over, but the remaining three were long-time employees of the company. All four were found to have been frequently in contact with Chu Lingtong recently.

By being so ruthless, Tan Ze was essentially drawing a line between herself and Chu Lingtong.

Their cooperation was complete. From now on, they were strangers.

The series of upheavals caused by Chu Lingtong’s return to the country was finally coming to an end.

At this point, Mingsheng’s mid-to-high-level management had been entirely replaced since Tan Ze took over eight years ago.

The only things remaining from the era of Chu Lingfeng were Chu Yiqiao and the company name, “Mingsheng.”

Zhao Jingxing watched Tan Ze’s retreating back. She was both a bystander and an accomplice, and she understood better than anyone how terrifying Tan Ze was. Chu Lingtong’s sudden return hadn’t actually troubled Tan Ze; rather, it had given her multiple opportunities.

With Chu Lingtong as a target, Tan Ze could justifiably fire all the old executives who had previously caused her trouble. This web had been spun since the day the DNA test report appeared in Tan Ze’s office.

Zhao Jingxing couldn’t help but wonder: when Tan Ze saw that report, was the moment of distraction due to her feeling sorry for Chu Yiqiao, or was it excitement that the “borrowed knife” she had been waiting for all these years had finally appeared?

Even with the cooperation with Chu Lingtong, Tan Ze seemed to have been taken advantage of, but in reality, she gained considerable benefits. The subsidiary she signed over to Chu Lingtong was merely a shell.

The lifeblood of an electronics components company lies in its technical team and production line.

The technical team had been quietly moved to Linhang before the Qingming Festival under the guise of “malicious poaching by competitors.”

The production line had been under pressure since the beginning of the year. The quality of the previously cooperative factories was barely up to standard. Once the new industry regulations take effect in late May, raising the production standards, several production lines will become completely obsolete.

Chu Lingtong was taking over a mess and would likely be returning overseas with a mountain of debt by the end of May.

Not to mention, this “cooperation” also allowed Tan Ze to successfully marry Chu Yiqiao, whose wedding ring was still on her ring finger.

Zhao Jingxing wished she knew less.

Tan Ze returned to her office, opened her computer, intending to find more galleries for Chu Yiqiao, but after a few glances, she jumped to the orange shopping app. With a cold expression, the vast array of costumes reflected a rosy tint in her glasses.

Chu Yiqiao’s spontaneous actions two days ago had opened a new door for Tan Ze. She suddenly realized that Chu Yiqiao’s acceptance level was much higher than she had imagined.

If a little bunny was okay, there was no reason why a little cat or dog shouldn’t be. As Tan Ze browsed, she started to appreciate the small animal outfits. They were indeed cute. No wonder Chu Yiqiao liked them so much.

She selected an item and clicked to purchase. Just as the screen switched to the payment interface, Tan Ze’s phone rang. The ringtone was a violin rendition of Por Una Cabeza, the only customized ringtone in her contacts.

She put the call on speaker. Chu Yiqiao’s faint voice came through: “Sister…”

“I’m here. What is it?” Tan Ze returned to the search page, thought for a few seconds, and added the little bunny costume back to the cart: “Shouldn’t you be practicing driving?”

Chu Yiqiao’s voice suddenly grew louder: “I have heatstroke! My head is so dizzy… I really can’t practice anymore!”

Tan Ze completed the payment, picked up her phone, and walked out: “Then I’ll come pick you up now. Do you want to go home to sleep?”

“Mm, I just drank some Huoxiang Zhengqi Water. It’s so bitter!”

Chu Yiqiao’s voice became coy: “What about you, Sister? What are you doing this afternoon?”

Tan Ze pretended not to catch the meaning, replying: “I’m working.”

Chu Yiqiao’s mind raced: “Then can I come to the company to sleep? I sleep very quietly. I won’t disturb your work.”

“Really?” Tan Ze smiled. She had reached the secretarial area. Although Zhao Jingxing couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation, she could tell who was on the phone just by Tan Ze’s expression. She skillfully grabbed the car keys and followed Tan Ze downstairs.

In the elevator, Tan Ze continued the conversation: “The bed in the lounge is hard. Didn’t you say your back hurt this morning?”

Zhao Jingxing wanted to plug her ears. She didn’t want to hear any more romantic details between her cruel boss and the simple-minded rich girl. She was a normal person. She couldn’t find the sweetness in it.

Besides, why is the damn boss pretending? Didn’t she just replace the mattress yesterday?

The rich girl must have said something that made the boss freeze for a second, followed by a burst of laughter.

“Then don’t wander off. I’ll be there soon.”

Just as the elevator doors opened, Zhao Jingxing bolted out. She was starting to be afraid of anyone named Tan.

And people with blue eyes.

And people who are married.

On the return trip, the person named Tan sat in the back seat, and her wife leaned against her like she had no bones.

Chu Yiqiao really did have heatstroke. She looked listless, her face turning paper-white without any blood, and she frowned as she clung to Tan Ze.

Zhao Jingxing was curious. People with heatstroke crave coolness. The fact that the rich girl was so eager to lean on Tan Ze suggested that Tan Ze, as a person, must have a naturally cool body temperature.

Chu Yiqiao felt terribly dizzy. Her teacher at the driving school had already forced her to drink a bottle of Huoxiang Zhengqi Water. Now, not only did she have a headache, but her throat also felt painfully raw.

Tan Ze’s brow furrowed in sync with Chu Yiqiao’s distressed expression.

Even the most resourceful person can’t help someone else’s illness. Tan Ze tried to make Chu Yiqiao as comfortable as possible, and her tone unconsciously softened.

“That’s why I told you that you can’t stop your morning runs. Your constitution really is too weak.”

Chu Yiqiao gave Tan Ze an incredulous look and condemned: “It’s clearly because of my lack of sleep that my immunity is…”

Tan Ze covered Chu Yiqiao’s mouth with her hand to prevent Chu Yiqiao from revealing more details of their marital life.

Chu Yiqiao felt more wronged the more she thought about it. Her head was genuinely spinning. “Sister, you don’t care about me at all. I told you I had a headache this morning. I might have gotten heatstroke then.”

According to Tan Ze’s mental statistics, Chu Yiqiao had a headache at least 10 times a day. She had a headache when she didn’t want to wake up, a headache when she didn’t want to jog, a headache when she was a picky eater, and a headache when she wanted to buy something.

Tan Ze had to carefully distinguish the real from the fake. Otherwise, the large accusation of “not caring” would be placed on Tan Ze’s head.

“You don’t have to practice driving tomorrow,” Tan Ze said.

Chu Yiqiao hugged her, pushing her luck: “Not the day after tomorrow either, okay?”

“Please?”

Tan Ze glanced at Chu Yiqiao. Chu Yiqiao’s eyes were wide open. She couldn’t hide anything. Any scheme she had, her eyes would roll around first, making her incredibly simple and transparent.

The world with and without Chu Yiqiao was completely different. The world with Chu Yiqiao was simple and relaxed; the biggest crisis was waking up early to practice driving. The world without Chu Yiqiao was dangerous. Tan Ze was being sworn at while walking in her own company’s hallway. Truly.

“You don’t have to practice,” Tan Ze caught the gleeful expression on Chu Yiqiao’s face from the corner of her eye and slowly added: “The day after tomorrow, you do.”

“Hmph.”

Perhaps because “the day after tomorrow” was too distant for Chu Yiqiao, her mood recovered after only a few seconds of anger. She continued to lean on Tan Ze, repeating, “Sister, my head hurts so much,” successfully giving Tan Ze a headache and a heart-ache as well.

Chu Yiqiao moved in with Tan Ze when she was 14. For the first week in the new house, they hired a housekeeper. Later, the housekeeper was fired for improper conduct, and since then, only the two of them lived together.

In a way, Chu Yiqiao was raised by Tan Ze herself.

Chu Yiqiao was useless in practical life, and Tan Ze deliberately didn’t teach her any survival skills. Tan Ze did most of the chores in the new house, and Tan Ze always cared for Chu Yiqiao when she was sick.

When Tan Ze first started caring for her, 14-year-old Chu Yiqiao, lying in bed, would obediently say, “Sister, you’re so good. I’ll take care of you when you’re sick too.”

But six years passed in a blink of an eye, and Tan Ze got sick less often than Chu Yiqiao did in a month.

Tan Ze also gradually changed from being completely clueless to being skilled in caregiving.

Leading the girl into the lounge, Tan Ze drew the curtains in the inner room. The room instantly grew dark. She turned to Chu Yiqiao, who was sitting on the bed, and said: “You can take off your clothes.”

Chu Yiqiao was used to it. She nodded and quickly stripped off her clothes. With fewer clothes in the summer, she undressed quickly. After taking off her top and pants, Chu Yiqiao looked down and thought for a few seconds, then reached her hand around her back.

Tan Ze returned with a basin of cold water. She pushed open the door to the inner lounge, her heart sinking, almost spilling the water.

Chu Yiqiao was lying listlessly on the bed, without a stitch of clothing, obediently on her stomach, her butt facing Tan Ze. The hickeys hadn’t faded, and little red marks covered her body. As Tan Ze approached, she could even see the bite marks on the inside of her thighs.

Tan Ze placed the water and towel nearby. Her gaze shifted. Chu Yiqiao had carelessly thrown her clothes onto the adjacent sofa. The top two items were pink and white, the ones Tan Ze had helped her put on last night.

Tan Ze sat down on the edge of the bed and didn’t slap Chu Yiqiao’s perky butt. It wasn’t because she restrained herself, but because her palm prints from last night still lingered there.

“Chu Yiqiao,” Tan Ze gently stroked Chu Yiqiao’s face, making her face her: “Who told you to take off all your clothes?”

Chu Yiqiao was too uncomfortable to lift her head: “Aren’t you my wife, Sister?”

Before, she was Sister, so she didn’t undress. Now that she’s Wife, she takes everything off.

Tan Ze couldn’t be bothered to correct her. What Chu Yiqiao said wasn’t entirely wrong. She wet the towel and, just as she had done every time she helped a heatstroke-stricken Chu Yiqiao cool down over the years, she felt—no, wiped—every inch of Chu Yiqiao’s naked skin.

After changing into pajamas and rehydrating, Chu Yiqiao comfortably burrowed under the covers.

Tan Ze’s caregiving duties usually ended here, only perhaps wiping her down again after Chu Yiqiao woke up.

“Get some good rest. I won’t call you for lunch. Call me if you get hungry.”

Tan Ze put the towel away and stood up, intending to leave. She hadn’t walked far when her clothes were tugged. She turned around. Chu Yiqiao was looking up at her eagerly, her lips slightly pouted.

“Sister, my head is so dizzy.”

“Will one kiss stop the dizziness?” Tan Ze really wanted to ask this, but thinking that the delicate Chu Yiqiao might actually nod, she put the basin down again, leaned over, and kissed Chu Yiqiao’s slightly pale lips, like kissing a sleeping beauty.

“Alright, I’m going,” Tan Ze turned to pick up the basin again, but was interrupted once more.

Chu Yiqiao shrank under the covers, most of her face hidden, and spoke with a muffled voice: “Sister, I can’t fall asleep.”

Tan Ze frowned and pulled the blanket back down. Ventilation was the most important thing for heatstroke, yet Chu Yiqiao was trying to suffocate herself.

“Then what should I do?” Tan Ze folded her arms and looked down at Chu Yiqiao: “Do you need another kiss?”

Chu Yiqiao shyly nodded, “It’s not not okay.”

Tan Ze stood still, not kissing Chu Yiqiao.

A second later, she gave in, but instead of kissing her lips, she kissed her forehead.

Chu Yiqiao thought too highly of herself, believing Tan Ze was a gentleman who wouldn’t have sex with a patient. There was nothing Tan Ze could do but restrain herself.

Perhaps Tan Ze’s repeated concessions gave Chu Yiqiao a chance. She wasn’t satisfied and made another demand: “Sister, can you read something to me?”

“Chu Yiqiao,” Tan Ze turned her face away to avoid Chu Yiqiao’s pitiful eyes, saying coldly: “That’s enough.”

She didn’t look, but the sweet voice still wormed its way into her ear.

“Please, Sister. This is my very last request.”

Tan Ze had many excuses and thoughts with which to refuse, but her final action was always the same. She found a chair, sat by the bed, sighed softly, and began to read:

“Standard for Safe and Civilized Operation by Motor Vehicle Drivers, Part 2: Driving of Small Vehicles, 1. Scope. This document specifies the motor vehicle driver’s…”

“Sister, can you change it?”

“Then go practice driving.”

“Oh,” Chu Yiqiao closed her eyes contentedly: “Then never mind.”

Tan Ze softly finished reading the first section of the regulations. The person on the bed’s breathing gradually became steady. Sleeping Chu Yiqiao’s face finally returned to a healthy color, with that expression that completely captivated Tan Ze.

Tan Ze stood up, gently pulling the blanket down a bit for Chu Yiqiao. She watched for a long time, then finally made up her mind and kissed Chu Yiqiao’s cheek.

Tan Ze hoped that Chu Yiqiao would never get sick again, that she could live with Tan Ze, forever and ever, and never let her grow old alone.

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