Beautiful Wife: The Cold Boss is My Husband - Chapter 17

The next day, Yan Chengming was filled with regret.

He might have a physical attraction to Zhuo Xiao—the kind that made him lose control the moment he saw him like that. Unable to restrain himself, he had taken him right there on the study desk, even forgetting to reply to President Zhuo’s messages.

With a nervous heart, he opened WeChat, bracing himself for President Zhuo’s accusations of rudeness. To his surprise, when he clicked in, he found that President Zhuo had only replied that morning.

[Zhuo: Sorry, I went to bed early last night and didn’t reply.]

[Zhuo: I’ve been focusing on wellness lately.]

Yan Chengming breathed a sigh of relief, thinking how lucky he truly was.

[Yan Chengming: It’s fine, President Zhuo, no need to be so polite.]

[Yan Chengming: Wellness is great. I’ve been focusing on it too—I even went winter swimming yesterday.]

Zhuo Xiao had gone to the studio, and Yan Chengming spent the entire day at home chatting with President Zhuo, even forgetting to eat lunch. It wasn’t until three in the afternoon that he hurriedly ordered takeout from a restaurant, ate it guiltily like a thief, and then disposed of the evidence. He felt as though he had met someone who understood him better than anyone else in the world besides Zhuo Xiao. Every hobby and topic the other person brought up was something he was familiar with or deeply interested in.

This was the feeling of meeting a kindred spirit!

Yan Chengming gleefully sent a message to Gu Yu.

[Yan Chengming: President Zhuo and I really hit it off. Yesterday, I said three days, but we became good friends in just one day.]

[Gu Yu: ?]

[Gu Yu: Did you mention the investment to him? I just looked at the financial report submitted by the accounting department, and the company’s situation isn’t looking good.]

Seeing this message, Yan Chengming switched back to his chat with President Zhuo.

[Zhuo: I’ve been learning to cook lately.]

[Zhuo: [Image][Image]]

[Zhuo: These are the relatively successful attempts.]

Meanwhile, Zhuo Xiao sat in the studio, holding a paintbrush, but the paper on the easel in front of him remained completely blank, without a single mark. Frowning, he searched through his phone for photos he had taken while secretly learning to cook behind Yan Chengming’s back.

At the same time, he muttered to himself, “We’ve talked about racing, painting, and cooking… What should we talk about next? It can’t be wine tasting—what if it stirs up his craving for alcohol? And he wouldn’t understand philosophy, poetry, or literature…”

As he spoke, Zhuo Xiao put down the paintbrush, picked up a carbon pen, and began scribbling in a notebook. “Astronomy, then. We can skip straight to stargazing and moon-watching.”

Yan Chengming looked at the increasingly off-topic chat history, swallowed hard, and decided to wait until evening to find the right moment to formally discuss the collaboration with President Zhuo. For now, he’d keep chatting.

[Yan Chengming: [Image]]

[Yan Chengming: My wife is really good at cooking too. This is a cake he made for me.]

For some reason, the other side fell silent for a long time after receiving the message. Yan Chengming thought it might be because he hadn’t provided enough emotional support—after all, President Zhuo was talking about himself, and here he was shifting the topic to his own life! He was just about to type a compliment for President Zhuo when an unexpected message popped up in the chat box.

[Zhuo: Who does it better—me or your wife?]

Yan Chengming: “Huh?”

He froze, his fingers stopping mid-type. A strange feeling welled up inside him. Just as he was rubbing his eyes in disbelief, he noticed that the other side had withdrawn the message.

[Zhuo: Sent to the wrong person.]

[Yan Chengming: Oh, oh, oh.]

He immediately breathed a sigh of relief, shaking his head to dismiss the strange feeling from his mind. Yet, he couldn’t help but mutter to himself: Who would this message even be appropriate to send to? Is this really the vibe of President Zhuo’s private life?

–

That evening, Yan Chengming received an unpleasant phone call.

On the other end was Mr. Wang, the equipment supplier. After the usual pleasantries, he gradually steered the conversation toward the main point: “Mr. Yan, according to our contract, the delivery and payment are scheduled for tomorrow. Is everything still on track on your end? If there are any issues…”

Yan Chengming frowned as soon as he heard this, his face, which had been cheerful all day, turning cold. Given recent developments, it was likely that Mr. Wang had heard some rumors—rumors that were probably related to Yan Rong.

He replied unhappily, “Of course, everything is fine. What exactly are you implying, Mr. Wang?”

Sensing the tension in Yan Chengming’s tone, Mr. Wang tried to lighten the mood with a laugh. “Oh, I don’t mean anything by it. You know me—I’m naturally a worrier, always overthinking things. I couldn’t sleep tonight, so I thought I’d double-check. But… if you’ve found a more cost-effective supplier, don’t worry about me. We can always negotiate to terminate the contract. That way, neither of us would be in breach, and no penalties would apply.”

His words were framed as consideration for Yan Chengming, but in reality… As he spoke, Mr. Wang secretly hoped Yan Chengming would take the initiative to cancel the contract. Back when Mingyu had negotiated with him, they had pushed hard on lowering the price, and he hadn’t been entirely satisfied with the deal. However, with no better options at the time, he had signed the contract on impulse. Recently, a very accommodating big client had emerged out of nowhere, requesting the same equipment as Mingyu but offering a much more generous price. Mr. Wang was sorely tempted.

Yan Chengming wasn’t naive either. He quickly grasped Mr. Wang’s underlying meaning and responded with a cold, insincere smile. “I have no intention of terminating the contract. Is it perhaps that you’re facing some issues on your end, Mr. Wang?”

Hearing the accusation thrown back at him, Mr. Wang immediately denied it. “No, of course not! Everything is fine on my side.”

Yan Chengming gave a dismissive hum. “Then it’s settled. Tomorrow, Mingyu will transfer the payment to you as scheduled. I trust you’ll uphold your end of the agreement and deliver on time.”

With that, he hung up.

Mr. Wang stared at his phone, feeling as though he’d been choked mid-sentence—an uncomfortable sensation washing over him.

Yan Chengming immediately logged into the company’s real-time financial monitoring system to check the funds in the corporate account. Just as Gu Yu had warned, the situation wasn’t optimistic, though it wasn’t yet at a critical point. There was enough to cover Mr. Wang’s payment, but cash flow would likely become tight afterward.

Not one to sit idly by, Yan Chengming thought for a moment before contacting an auction house he had some connections with. He sent over information about several of his supercars and a small lakeside villa, asking them to help put them up for auction.

Then, with utmost seriousness, he opened the chat window with President Zhuo.

[Yan Chengming: President Zhuo, regarding the collaboration we discussed earlier, have you had a chance to consider it?]

As he waited for President Zhuo’s reply, Yan Chengming’s anxiety began to mount again. Suddenly, he heard a noise from the entrance hall. Peering out from his study, he saw Zhuo Xiao carrying several shopping bags.

Yan Chengming asked, “Honey, what did you buy?”

Zhuo Xiao took off his coat and glanced at Yan Chengming’s expression as he walked inside, sensing he wasn’t in the best mood. He picked up a beautifully wrapped bag with precision and walked over. “It was still early on the way home, so I stopped by the mall and saw a scarf that would suit you perfectly.”

In front of Yan Chengming, he opened the bag, took out a soft, luxurious brown scarf from the box, and wrapped it around Yan Chengming’s neck. Yan Chengming lowered his head slightly, letting him adjust it, looking very much like a big golden retriever.

After tying the scarf, Zhuo Xiao looked up to observe Yan Chengming’s expression. “How is it?”

The soft texture brushed against his chin and lips, as gentle as a feather. At the same time, Yan Chengming looked into Zhuo Xiao’s expectant eyes and muttered, “Not bad.”

Zhuo Xiao hadn’t checked his phone yet and didn’t understand why Yan Chengming, who had been fine during the day, was suddenly upset in the evening. He pursed his lips and took out his phone while heading to the kitchen to cook. Yan Chengming’s message was prominently displayed on the screen.

Zhuo Xiao understood—he must have run into trouble.

He thought for a moment before replying.

[Zhuo: Your company’s account?]

In the study, Yan Chengming nearly jumped up when he saw the message. His gloomy mood vanished instantly, and he quickly copied the account information and sent it over. Then, with a whoop, he rushed to the kitchen, grabbed Zhuo Xiao, who was busy putting away his phone, and planted two enthusiastic kisses on his face. “Darling, I’ve won over the CEO of Zhuo Corporation!”

Zhuo Xiao touched his cheek, watching Yan Chengming’s visibly joyful expression, and felt his heart soften. “Really? That’s great. I knew you could do it.”

Yan Chengming grinned and kissed Zhuo Xiao on the other cheek. “You go ahead and cook. I won’t disturb you.” Then he dashed off in a flash.

Back in the study, Yan Chengming, feeling grateful, sent a message to CEO Zhuo.

[Yan Chengming: Thank you so much, CEO Zhuo. Looking forward to our cooperation~ [Rose]]

Seeing the rose emoji, Zhuo Xiao’s heart stirred. He quickly called Chen Xi. “Didn’t you mention setting up a branch in City A before? Transfer that money to my account.”

Chen Xi paused briefly before replying, “Okay.” But then he hesitated. “Uncle, I can’t explain this to Proxy Xi.”

Zhuo Xiao frowned slightly, displeased. “I’ll talk to him.”

Despite saying this, he didn’t call or message Xi Duo. Ten minutes later, Xi Duo called him instead.

Zhuo Xiao answered coldly. “Are you calling about the funds? I’m taking that money.”

Xi Duo paused. His voice was magnetic and gentle. “No, I remember this company is surnamed Zhuo, not Xi. I called to say… the old man’s condition has worsened. It might be within the next two days. You should come back and see him. I’ll pick you up then?”

Zhuo Xiao frowned but didn’t comment on his earlier remark. He simply replied curtly, “No need,” and hung up.

After dinner, Yan Chengming returned to the study to work. First, he proudly shared the good news with Gu Yu, then asked him to spread the word outside—that the legendary Zhuo Corporation was very optimistic about Ming Yu and planned to invest in it. This way, all those fence-sitters would start wavering, and he’d be making a fortune.

If Yan Rong could wage a public opinion war, so could he. Hmph.

Later, Yan Chengming thought it over and decided he should still send a gift to CEO Zhuo as a gesture of gratitude and sincerity, so he asked for CEO Zhuo’s address.

After a long silence, CEO Zhuo sent him an address in City B, then said:

【Zhuo: Do you have time tonight? We can have a voice call to discuss the details of our future collaboration.】