Beautiful Wife: The Cold Boss is My Husband - Chapter 18

Yan Chengming froze for a moment, glancing toward the study door with an inexplicable sense of guilt. He felt somewhat resistant to having a private call with CEO Zhuo. Although he didn’t know CEO Zhuo’s sexual orientation, he was very clear about his own—he was gay, and CEO Zhuo was a man. They really shouldn’t be this close.

But the other party’s tone was very formal, and they were only discussing work matters. It should be fine… right? Suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, Yan Chengming replied, “Okay.”

About five minutes later, CEO Zhuo initiated a voice call. The moment the WeChat ringtone sounded, Yan Chengming was caught off guard and startled—he hadn’t expected it to come so quickly! He swallowed nervously, fumbled to organize the documents, sat up straight as if preparing for a work report, and with a serious expression, pressed the answer button.

The background noise on the other end was quiet. After a moment, a calm and deep male voice spoke, “Hello.”

Two short, powerful, yet polite words. The voice wasn’t loud but carried a steady and magnetic quality, sounding aloof and matching Yan Chengming’s imagined image of CEO Zhuo.

Yan Chengming cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound steady. “Hello, CEO Zhuo.”

The voice on the phone sounded different from Yan Chengming’s usual tone. Filtered through the electronic signal, it seemed even more magnetic. Zhuo Xiao inexplicably felt nervous and adjusted the voice changer.

This voice changer was something he had custom-ordered online earlier. To avoid Yan Chengming finding out, he hadn’t provided an address and had gone to pick it up in person today, disguising it in a shopping bag to bring it home.

The voice was adjusted based on his own, retaining its cool and detached quality while adding some modulation elements to make it deeper, more magnetic, and resonant.

But he was still afraid Yan Chengming might recognize it.

After all, if it were Yan Chengming’s voice being processed, he would easily be able to tell.

But the other party’s reaction was so natural and polite—it seemed he hadn’t recognized it. Zhuo Xiao felt a mix of emotions and didn’t know what to say.

It was because of Yan Chengming’s earlier words, “Let me see the real you,” that Zhuo Xiao had taken the opportunity to approach Yan Chengming using the identity of CEO Zhuo. After much hesitation, he had acted on it. But seeing how seriously Yan Chengming treated CEO Zhuo as a business partner, almost never letting go of his phone, Zhuo Xiao couldn’t help but feel jealous, his heart as Zhuo Xiao completely overwhelmed.

“Zhuo Xiao” was the beautiful fantasy he had created for Yan Chengming, while “CEO Zhuo” was the real him. He wanted to slowly carve “Zhuo Xiao” out of Yan Chengming’s heart and then seize the opportunity to enter as “CEO Zhuo.”

But why did the process feel so painful?

The ever-perceptive CEO Zhuo, with the knife just grazing the skin and making tiny cuts, had already foreseen the bone-deep, heart-wrenching pain that would follow.

Lost in his thoughts, Yan Chengming, noticing the prolonged silence, took the initiative to speak. “CEO Zhuo, ahem, our follow-up plan is…”

Zhuo Xiao snapped back to attention and spoke into the voice changer, “Okay, go ahead.”

As he listened, he opened the proposal Yan Chengming had sent him earlier. At the time, he had been too upset by Lin Xiao’s product promotional video to read it carefully, so he was now preparing to study it again.

Yan Chengming’s tone was initially somewhat unconfident, but as he got into it, it became increasingly passionate and assured, almost like a campaign speech.

But beyond the emotionally captivating speeches, Zhuo Xiao could still discern the highlights in his proposals. To his surprise, Yan Chengming possessed a remarkably keen business sense, offering many unexpected perspectives. The more he listened, the more he felt his own judgment was sound—how could someone he had taken a liking to be purely foolish?

After a friendly yet highly engaging business discussion with CEO Zhuo, Yan Chengming was utterly exhausted. Scratching his head, he headed into the bathroom to take a hot shower.

Hearing the noise outside, Zhuo Xiao quietly pushed the door open and, seeing him enter the bathroom, breathed a sigh of relief. Even though he knew the soundproofing in his home was decent, he hadn’t dared to speak loudly in the bedroom earlier.

With a lightened mood, Zhuo Xiao returned to the bedroom, intending to remove the voice changer attached to his laptop. Just as his fingers touched the cool metal, the bedroom door was abruptly pushed open.

Zhuo Xiao: “…!”

He immediately jolted, hurriedly closing the laptop. In his panic, his fingers got caught on the touchpad, and the adrenaline rush caused sweat to dampen his fingertips, making them slip a few times.

Yan Chengming, bare-chested with a towel wrapped around his waist, his hair and skin still damp, barged in while drying his hair with a towel and began rummaging through the wardrobe.

Zhuo Xiao steadied himself slightly and walked over. “Honey, what are you looking for?”

“I’m looking for my underwear—I forgot to bring it,” Yan Chengming said.

“…” Zhuo Xiao retrieved a new, freshly washed pair from another wardrobe and handed it to him.

After Yan Chengming left, Zhuo Xiao remembered the accidental swipes on the touchpad earlier. With a sense of foreboding, he opened the laptop. To his dismay, the chat interface had somehow been switched, and the screen now displayed a video call in progress to Yan Chengming.

Zhuo Xiao: “…”

For the first time in his life, Zhuo Xiao felt the urge to curse. Without even thinking, his body reacted instantly, ending the video call, terrified that Yan Chengming might answer the next second.

Yan Chengming had just returned to the bathroom when he heard the cheerful notification tone from his phone. He paused.

Picking up his phone, he stared at the video call preview screen, which showed his bare torso alongside CEO Zhuo’s profile picture. A wave of frustration washed over him.

His expression turned complex in an instant, unsure of how to respond. Just then, the call was abruptly disconnected, followed by a message.

[Zhuo: Wrong button.]

This was the third time Yan Chengming felt a strange sense of unease. From their brief interactions, he could tell CEO Zhuo was a meticulous person. For someone like him to repeatedly slip up like this seemed highly unlikely.

Was it intentional? Yan Chengming frowned deeply. He didn’t feel like replying, so he set his phone aside, pretending he hadn’t seen it, and continued his shower.

That evening, while waiting for Zhuo Xiao to finish washing up, Yan Chengming held his phone, pondering how to respond. He really didn’t want to revisit the topic of the shower video call, so he decided to turn the tables and inquire about CEO Zhuo’s situation. After all, CEO Zhuo had asked him so many questions—it was only fair to reciprocate.

[Yan Chengming: Are you married, CEO Zhuo?]

Just then, Zhuo Xiao emerged from the bathroom. Yan Chengming immediately set his phone aside, wrapping his arms around his wife and playfully ruffling him. As his hand brushed near Zhuo Xiao’s navel, Zhuo Xiao gently stopped him.

Zhuo Xiao rarely refused him, but today, for some reason, he wrapped his arms around Yan Chengming’s waist, rested his chin on his chest, and looked up with a pout. “Honey, I’m so tired today. Can we not do it?”

He had just finished bathing, his body radiating warmth, his skin fair, with a faint flush on his face—truly a sight to behold.

Yan Chengming was completely defenseless against it and could only let it go. Even the little Yan that had just risen had to be let go.

Perhaps because Mr. Zhuo also felt awkward, the reply came early the next morning.

[Zhuo: No.]

[Zhuo: What does marriage feel like?]

Yan Chengming didn’t dare to look at his phone at the dining table anymore. He swallowed the last bite of breakfast and waited until Zhuo Xiao went into the kitchen before replying.

[Yan Chengming: It feels very secure. No matter what happens outside, there’s always someone waiting for you at home, with warm meals and soup. Honestly, my decision to get married was quite impulsive. I just felt like my wife had been with me for a long time, and since my family was pressuring me to marry, I proposed.]

[Zhuo: What kind of person is your wife?]

Yan Chengming found the question strange, but considering that Mr. Zhuo might be genuinely unfamiliar and curious about marriage, he answered seriously.

[Yan Chengming: My wife is a very good person.]

Zhuo Xiao stared at the words “very good” with mixed feelings. His fingers typed out a sentence: “What if she’s not actually good, just pretending to be?” Then he quickly deleted it. After a long pause, he thought of something else to send.

[Zhuo: Specifically?]

[Yan Chengming: Hmm… gentle, kind, beautiful, sensible, cooks delicious meals, paints beautiful pictures, very smart, a top student who earns scholarships.]

[Zhuo: That’s nothing special.]

Yan Chengming frowned deeply at this sentence.

[Zhuo: Cooking and cleaning are the most ordinary tasks. You could hire a maid to do the same. There are plenty of beautiful people nowadays, and she’s not the most beautiful in the world. Her painting skills are actually quite amateurish and can’t compare to real professional artists. As for scholarships, you can get them just by studying a little harder in school, right?]

Mr. Zhuo sent a long paragraph, and even though he withdrew it quickly, Yan Chengming still saw it.

[Yan Chengming: ?]

Zhuo Xiao pursed his lips in the kitchen, clutching his phone so tightly his fingertips turned white. He knew he had been impulsive. But all the things Yan Chengming liked about him were things he had pretended to be—none of them were innate qualities of the real Zhuo Xiao. If one day his lies were exposed and Yan Chengming realized he wasn’t the person he imagined, would he leave him?

Emotions choked in his throat, making it ache with bitterness. Zhuo Xiao couldn’t help but feel like crying. He sniffled, calmed himself down a little, and typed another message.

[Zhuo: Sorry, what I meant to say was, setting aside these external things, what do you like about her? My words were a bit harsh.]

Yan Chengming felt nothing but baffled. First being asked about his wife out of the blue, then being subjected to a passionate rant. If the other person had criticized him, it would have been one thing, but he had actually criticized Zhuo Xiao.

His face immediately darkened, and his goodwill toward Mr. Zhuo plummeted to rock bottom.

[Yan Chengming: I can’t set them aside.]

[Yan Chengming: Why must people separate external and internal qualities? Are internal qualities inherently superior? Both external and internal qualities are part of my wife, and I love them all.]

After sending this frustrating reply, Yan Chengming turned off his phone. He was seething with anger, channeling his frustration into work as he hid in his study all day. No matter how many messages Mr. Zhuo sent him throughout the day, he didn’t reply.

Zhuo Xiao stood at the door of his study several times, holding fruit and drinks, but never dared to knock.

He was even afraid to see Yan Chengming’s face now. Every time he looked at him, he couldn’t help but wonder: if he accidentally let his guard down and revealed the expression and demeanor of CEO Zhuo, how would Yan Chengming react?

In the evening, at dinnertime, a famished Yan Chengming finally pushed open the study door. Just as he stepped out, the doorbell rang. Opening the door, he found a delivery person holding a bouquet of vibrant pink roses.

The delivery person said, “Are you Mr. Yan? This is a bouquet from Mr. Zhuo.”

Yan Chengming took it, bewildered, and didn’t dare make a fuss. Nervously, he first checked the calendar to confirm that today wasn’t any special occasion, which only deepened his confusion.

Why would Zhuo Xiao send him flowers?

As he muttered to himself, he noticed a card attached to the bouquet. It read: “A gift in return.”

He had only given gifts to CEO Zhuo recently, so were these flowers from him?

At the same moment, a voice came from behind.

“Husband…”

Yan Chengming turned around and saw Zhuo Xiao, his face pale, staring at the flowers in his hands.

His mind went blank.