Becoming the Runaway Little Wife of the Domineering CEO - Chapter 10

Yin Shuang kept Qin Ke’s “cold professional” instructions firmly in mind. Maintaining a cool, detached expression, she replied, “I can start right now.”

Since the assistants and secretaries had all rushed to the hospital, the task of signing the contract fell to President Fu herself. After scrawling “Jin Xiaoyu” in large characters, Fu Mang extended her hand. “Here’s to a successful partnership over the next two years.”

They had signed a two-year deal. Yin Shuang glanced at Fu Mang’s dry, pale, and delicate palm before silently extending her own hand. “Looking forward to it.”

It was a brief, formal shake; Fu Mang withdrew her hand quickly. She sat back behind her desk and said, “You can go back and pack your things. Come to my house tomorrow, and I’ll arrange your accommodations.”

Yin Shuang nodded with practiced calm, turned on her heel, and left the office.

Watching her retreating back, Fu Mang felt increasingly satisfied. Her new bodyguard had the air of a true expert—laconic, ruthless, yet appearing entirely harmless. It was a perfect, deceptive combination. She was, quite simply, the ideal protector.

Fu Mang lowered her head to review reports in a great mood, entirely unaware of the massive mistake she was about to make.

******

Yin Shuang spent one last night at Qin Ke’s place. The next day, she hoisted a backpack and arrived at Fu Mang’s mansion right on time.

Sister Chen opened the door and led her straight to Fu Mang’s study. Fu Mang set aside her work and looked up. She intended to glance away quickly, but her gaze suddenly froze.

Yin Shuang was wearing the same black suit from the interview—she had decided to treat it as her official uniform. However, it wasn’t the suit that caught Fu Mang’s eye; it was the two soft, pastel-pink straps over the girl’s shoulders.

Fu Mang stood up and walked around behind her. Sure enough, she saw a backpack that was currently trending among middle-school girls. It was a fresh macaron pink. The two side pockets for water bottles featured silver trim printed with the ubiquitous “Superme.” On the bottom right, three mint-green ribbons were tied into a cute bow that bobbed up and down as Yin Shuang moved.

“Who bought you that bag?!”

Fu Mang’s tone was sharp. Yin Shuang, puzzled, answered honestly, “I bought it. Does it look good?”

…

It was cute enough, but it was a total disaster paired with her suit!

Fu Mang thought as much and said so. Yin Shuang peeked at her and muttered under her breath, “But I only have this one bag, and this one uniform…”

The “elite” bodyguard turned out to be as poor as a church mouse.

Fu Mang stared at her wordlessly for a moment before calling Sister Chen in. “Take her measurements and buy her several sets of clothes. Nothing too formal, but professional enough for work.”

Sister Chen frowned. She was a housekeeper, not a personal shopper. But since Fu Mang had given the order, she had to obey; Fu Mang was, after all, the master of the house.

After Sister Chen left, Yin Shuang looked at Fu Mang. “Is this suit not okay? I see bodyguards on TV dressed like this all the time.”

“Bodyguards on TV also carry guns. Do you have one?”

Yin Shuang paused, then shook her head.

Fu Mang waved her off. “Put that bag down. It’s making my eyes bleed.”

Yin Shuang did as told. Fu Mang sat on the sofa, and Yin Shuang followed her like a shadow. Once seated, Fu Mang looked at her again. Now that the pink bag was gone, the girl looked much more tolerable.

“Even though you’re my bodyguard, you’ll be following me to work. To the public, you’re my new assistant. Have you ever seen an assistant wear nothing but black? Don’t overthink the ‘look.’ Just wear what you usually like. Tell Sister Chen your preferences later; she’ll handle the shopping.”

Yin Shuang listened intently. After a moment, she tentatively raised her hand.

Fu Mang raised an eyebrow. “Speak.”

“President Fu, can I go buy the clothes myself?”

Fu Mang thought about it and didn’t really care. “Fine.”

Yin Shuang’s face lit up, and she was about to say thank you when Fu Mang added, “Just bring back the receipts. Whatever you spend will be deducted from your salary next month.”

Yin Shuang: “…”

Fu Mang ate two fresh strawberries, stood up, and jerked her chin. “Come on. I’ll show you your room.”

The room Fu Mang had prepared was right next to her own bedroom. It was about half the size of the master suite, but it was fully furnished and felt very cozy. Fu Mang sat at the desk and looked around. “This was my nursery when I was a baby. The master bedroom is next door. This room was empty, but it’s yours now. That door over there connects to my room. If there’s an emergency, you can come straight in. Otherwise, stay out.”

Wait, there’s a connecting door? Yin Shuang thought. That makes stealing the sword way easier!

Her eyes lingered on the plain wooden door. Fu Mang continued, “Today is Saturday, so I’m staying in. You stay here too and get used to the environment. After lunch, come to the study. I need to brief you on the people you need to watch out for.”

Yin Shuang replied brightly, “Got it! I’ll let you get back to work then, President Fu.”

This sudden burst of words was a departure from her “cold” persona. Fu Mang shot her a curious glance but didn’t dwell on it and returned to her study.

Yin Shuang had moved out of Qin Ke’s place with almost nothing but toiletries and her fake ID. After settling in, she found Sister Chen to take over the clothes-shopping task and then took a couple of laps around the house.

This time, she wasn’t just wandering; she was scouting the security. There were four guards: one at the gate, one in the backyard, one in the control room monitoring the cameras, and one in the storage room taking inventory.

If she wanted the sword, she’d have to lure all four away or knock them out so they couldn’t interfere.

Noon arrived quickly. As a bodyguard, Yin Shuang held a slightly higher status than the maids, but she was still staff. No one expected her to eat with the boss.

Sister Chen assumed this, the other maids assumed this, and even Yin Shuang assumed this. She happily trotted to the back kitchen, scooped herself a huge bowl of rice, piled on three or four different side dishes, and grabbed a large bowl of seaweed egg drop soup. She sat on a stool at the counter and began eating with gusto.

Even though it had been a month since her “cup noodle” days, the trauma lingered. To her, a meal with actual rice and vegetables was a luxury.

In the middle of her meal, the kitchen door swung open with a bang. Fu Mang’s eyes swept over the eating maids and locked onto Yin Shuang. Everyone stopped eating, confused as to why the CEO was in the kitchen. Sister Chen stood up to speak, but Fu Mang walked right past her to Yin Shuang.

“Jin Xiaoyu, who told you to eat here?”

Yin Shuang was baffled. “I can’t eat here? Should I take my plate upstairs?”

“Your job is to protect me—anytime, anywhere. Naturally, you eat with me. Otherwise, if something happens while you’re down here stuffing your face, what’s the point of having a bodyguard?”

Fu Mang frowned. “Come with me to the dining room.”

Yin Shuang let out an “Oh,” quickly grabbed her tray, and followed her out. The remaining maids exchanged looks of pure shock. Sister Chen’s expression was particularly sour; being ignored like that in front of the staff meant they’d be gossiping about her for days.

The dining room was elegant and quiet, a far cry from the cramped, food-scented kitchen. Fu Mang was satisfied, and Yin Shuang was too. To her, food was food; she’d eat on a park bench as long as the meal was the same.

However, as they ate, Fu Mang’s expression soured.

Yin Shuang felt the woman’s eyes on her. She was currently mid-sip, a piece of seaweed dangling from her mouth. She sucked it in with a slurping sound and looked up with wide, innocent eyes.

Her gaze seemed to ask: Now what?

Fu Mang poked at her food and looked down.

When they weren’t at the same table, she didn’t think about what others ate. But sitting here, seeing her own gourmet meal next to Jin Xiaoyu’s tray—which looked like a cheap ten-yuan lunch box from a street stall—made her feel like she was mistreating her employee.

Fu Mang didn’t say anything, but she made a mental note to tell the chef to prepare two portions of her meals starting today. Looking at how thin Jin Xiaoyu was, she figured the girl could use the nutrition. Maybe she’d even bulk up a bit.

Yin Shuang had no idea her diet was about to get a massive upgrade. After cleaning her plate, she followed Fu Mang up to the study. Fu Mang turned her computer screen toward her, showing a series of photos and names.

It was a family tree. In the first row was a middle-aged man; in the second, four women of various ages; in the third, seven young men and women.

Fu Mang pointed her pen at the screen.

Row one: “My father, Fu Quanru. If you see him, just greet him. If he asks you anything, do not answer. If he asks why you’re silent, tell him I forbade it.”

Yin Shuang asked, “I can’t say anything at all?”

Fu Mang nodded solemnly. “Nothing.”

Yin Shuang continued, “What if he asks my name?”

Fu Mang: “…”

After a pause, she corrected herself. “You can talk about yourself. You can’t talk about me.”

Yin Shuang opened her mouth to ask more, but Fu Mang cut her off. “Ask your questions after I’m done!”

Yin Shuang went silent.

The pen moved to row two. “The first is my mother. She passed away years ago; you don’t need to worry about her. These other three are my father’s mistresses. Each has a son and a daughter—the people in the row below. Memorize these faces. If you ever see them near me, you are to go on high alert immediately.”

Yin Shuang sat in the chair while Fu Mang stood by the computer like a teacher. Even though Yin Shuang didn’t speak, Fu Mang could read the confusion in her eyes. She let out a cold, cynical laugh.

“Because every single one of them is waiting for me to die so they can stop fighting me for my inheritance.”

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