Becoming the Runaway Little Wife of the Domineering CEO - Chapter 12

The smile on Lu Shaomin’s face froze instantly. “…Excuse me? What did you just say?”

Yin Shuang gave a thin, placid smile. “Wasn’t it you who said it? You claimed to be President Fu’s mother. Our President Fu only has one mother, and she’s been dead for years. For you to crawl all the way back from the underworld just to visit… it couldn’t have been easy.”

Shao Yang let out a mental whoop. This was the legendary “newborn calf not fearing the tiger.” Jin Xiaoyu clearly had no clue who Lu Shaomin was, which was the only reason she dared to challenge her so brazenly.

Lu Shaomin was, for better or worse, Fu Quanru’s wife. If she went back and complained to him with a few extra exaggerations, the girl would be in deep trouble.

Shao Yang stepped up beside Yin Shuang and gave her sleeve a tug. Yin Shuang brushed his hand away and kept her eyes locked on Lu Shaomin. The older woman’s expression had cracked; her lips curled downward, and her eyes turned ice-cold as she stared at Yin Shuang.

“I am Lu Shaomin, Fu Mang’s stepmother, not He Yuqiu. Tell me, am I not worthy of being called her mother?”

“To be a mother, one needs to have either given birth or raised the child. Which of those boxes do you tick?”

Yin Shuang met her gaze steadily, not the least bit intimidated by her status. Unable to answer, Lu Shaomin lost her patience and snapped, “Move aside. I’m here to see Fu Mang. You’re just a little brat; you have no right to stop me.”

Yin Shuang’s temper flared. She called her a ‘little brat’? If she dragged out Lu Shaomin’s ancestors, they’d be the ones calling her Ancestor!

Yin Shuang’s expression went cold. When Lu Shaomin looked angry, people felt a sense of dread; but when Yin Shuang went cold, both Lu Shaomin and Shao Yang felt a literal weakness in their knees—a sudden, visceral instinct that their lives were in immediate peril.

“Our President Fu isn’t someone just anyone can see. If you try to force your way in, I’ll fight you to the end today.”

Yin Shuang spoke with terrifying sincerity. Once the initial shock of her aura passed, Lu Shaomin’s lip twitched. Fight me? This tiny thing looked like she barely weighed ninety pounds.

Lu Shaomin didn’t want to make a public scene. She had only come to put on a show of “encouraging” Fu Mang to come home. Not seeing her was actually fine; it gave her a perfect excuse to go back and play the victim. She gave Yin Shuang one last long, hard look before turning on her heel and leaving.

Yin Shuang looked down, tracing a circle on the floor with her toe, then looked up at Shao Yang. “Brother Shao, how was my performance?”

Shao Yang: “…Fine.”

Fine is good enough. Yin Shuang was pleased. She said to Shao Yang, “I’ll go in and let President Fu know.”

Shao Yang’s face remained wooden. “Yeah. Go ahead.”

Yin Shuang knocked, heard Fu Mang’s response, and slipped inside. Shao Yang clutched his fragile cast and let out a long, weary sigh.

In terms of heart, Jin Xiaoyu is a good kid. But as for her IQ… forget it. If Lu Shaomin really tries to make things hard for her, I’ll have to call my grandfather and ask him to plead for her.

*****

Yin Shuang entered the office. Fu Mang was seated in her heavy, high-backed executive chair, legs crossed, fingers interlaced over her lap. Her elbows rested naturally on the armrests, and she looked like she had been expecting her.

Fu Mang raised an eyebrow. “Coming in to claim credit?” (Note: Qing Gong – claim credit).

Yin Shuang misheard her. She waved her hands frantically. “No, no, no! I don’t know Qing Gong!” (Note: Qing Gong – the martial art of “lightness” or flying).

“…”

Fu Mang fell silent. She stood up, watched Yin Shuang for a moment, and then, without changing her expression, whispered four words: “You did well.”

Yin Shuang hadn’t even explained what happened yet, but receiving the praise made her beam. Fu Mang grabbed her coat, putting it on as she spoke. “I’m hungry. I’m going out for lunch; come with me.”

Yin Shuang followed. Walking behind Fu Mang, she noticed that despite the woman’s calm exterior, there was a telltale sign of her true mood. Fu Mang usually walked with a very steady, composed gait, but right now, the hem of her coat was swishing back and forth so much it looked like it was trying to take flight.

Honestly, if you’re happy, just smile! Why keep a poker face?

Yin Shuang grumbled internally while following her. Soon, they arrived at a restaurant. The company had a cafeteria, but Fu Mang hated it. She either had her chef send food or, like today, went out to eat.

They arrived at a hotpot restaurant. Yin Shuang sat obediently in the chair across from Fu Mang, waiting for her to order. Fu Mang asked if she had any dietary restrictions; upon learning she ate anything, Fu Mang simply ordered according to her own tastes.

Handing the menu back to the server, Fu Mang placed her water glass in front of her.

She looked up at Yin Shuang. Yin Shuang stared back innocently. After nearly thirty seconds, Yin Shuang finally realized what was expected.

The teapot contained jasmine tea and was still quite hot. Yin Shuang carefully gripped the handle and poured a cup for Fu Mang.

The hot tea was scalding, so Fu Mang pushed it slightly away to let it cool. She reclined in her chair, tilting her head toward her bodyguard. “You’ve officially started a feud with Lu Shaomin today. Aren’t you afraid she’ll retaliate?”

Yin Shuang brushed it off. “How could she? Besides, I didn’t start it. You’re the one who told me: when those people show up, I have to go on high alert and not let them cause you trouble.”

She’s certainly obedient, Fu Mang thought with amusement. She paused, then added: “Lu Shaomin is very cunning. She was the last woman to enter Fu Quanru’s circle, yet she defeated all the others to take the top spot. With her level of experience, crushing you would be child’s play.”

Yin Shuang picked up the utensils, studying the wood they were made of, and replied casually: “I’m not afraid.”

“Why not?”

Yin Shuang set the chopsticks down and blinked. She wanted to say she was “Auspiciousness Incarnate” and feared no evil, but that sounded like something a crazy person would say. Fu Mang would surely give her that ‘idiot’ look again. She paused and tried to translate the sentiment into human-speak.

“Because I’m very lucky. People who cross me never end up well.” To make sure Fu Mang believed her, she added a popular slang phrase: “I am the electricity, I am the light, I am the only myth.”

Fu Mang: “…” What is she talking about?

Fu Mang didn’t believe in such nonsense. She only believed that good luck and bad luck were two sides of the same coin. Take herself, for example: she had grown up in the lap of luxury, her life was smooth sailing, and her career had been a string of successes from the moment she took over her mother’s business. If she were honest, it wasn’t even because she was some business genius; she just made standard moves, and the money flowed toward her like a tide.

But while her professional life flourished, her emotional life was as dry as a desert. Her father didn’t count—she’d never felt a drop of fatherly love. Her mother was only slightly better; she was a woman of cold detachment who cared far more for her career than for people. She had married Fu Quanru knowing exactly who he was, not caring if he had a hundred mistresses as long as she had his status and wealth.

Her mother’s love was faint, but it was there. Before she died, she had apologized to Fu Mang, saying she owed no one in life except her daughter. With those words, Fu Mang couldn’t bring herself to resent her.

If the love of her parents was like this, her friendships were even more distant. Fu Mang didn’t put her heart into friends, let alone romance. Plenty of people pursued her, but she never felt a spark with any of them.

Her mother died when she was twelve. For twelve years, Fu Mang had been alone. She had money, talent, and fame—everything a normal person could want—but she lacked the one thing worth tasting: genuine affection.

Fu Mang didn’t feel it was a tragedy. Luck and misfortune were balanced. She had one, so she naturally lacked the other. It was impossible for all the good things in the world to belong to one person.

Fu Mang chuckled, shook her head, and began arranging her utensils. Seeing her disbelief, Yin Shuang pouted and went silent. Soon, the server brought the food. They had a split-pot; Fu Mang ate from the mild bone-broth side, while Yin Shuang, who loved spicy food, ate from the red-chili side until her lips were stained a deep, vivid scarlet.

Fu Mang watched her for a moment, then frowned. “Drink some water.”

Yin Shuang nodded and poured herself a cup of tea. It was cool enough to drink, so she sipped it slowly as the server returned.

“Hello! We’re running a promotion today. Any bill over 188 yuan gets a chance to draw from the prize pool. We have a Grand Prize of a 3D-hard gold ‘Lucky Pig’ statue, a First Prize of the latest iPhone, a Second Prize of a lifetime 50% discount card, and a Third Prize of a free meal…”

Fu Mang interrupted. “You can stop there. Just leave the tickets.”

Fu Mang didn’t care. These “promotions” were usually just coupons for the next visit or a free dish on the spot. But Yin Shuang’s head snapped up.

“We spent over four hundred. Does that mean we get two draws?”

The server smiled. “Yes. Here is the box. Please take two.”

The drawing tickets were hidden inside “Lucky Biscuits.” Yin Shuang was eager; she loved gambling, but in the Heavenly Realm, no one would play with her. A few gods liked cards, but the moment they saw her, they’d vanish. Her luck was so potent they were afraid they’d lose their divine robes.

Fu Mang dipped another piece of meat, glancing up to see Yin Shuang’s expectant face. “Draw if you want.”

Given permission, Yin Shuang reached into the transparent box and pulled out a biscuit. She cracked it open, popped half into her mouth, and unfurled the ticket.

—First Prize: iPhone.

Both Fu Mang and the server froze.

The fine print said there were five phones, but there was actually only one; the other four were rigged for staff members. To pull the only real one… that was incredible luck.

The server maintained her smile. “Congratulations! The prize counter is in the front. I’ll lead you there.”

“Wait, I still have one more.”

Yin Shuang reached back into the box. This time, Fu Mang stopped eating. She stared at Yin Shuang’s hand, feeling a strange premonition.

It couldn’t be that uncanny…

The biscuits weren’t very good—they tasted oily and stale. Yin Shuang simply smashed the second one with her fist, picked out the ticket, and smoothed it out.

—Grand Prize: The Gold Pig.

Fu Mang: “…” Holy…

The Server: “…” Are you kidding me?!

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