My Possessive Boss Is Unexpectedly Needy - Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Yu Zining looked at Ye Xi with confusion. “What was Lu Yeyan like before?”

Memories seemed to crash over Ye Xi like a tidal wave. Her eyes lost their usual optimism, replaced by a profound sadness.

“Back then,” she began, “Yeyan’s father was still alive, and we were a very happy family. But then… when Yeyan was ten, his father had an accident. An accident that Yeyan witnessed with his own eyes.

Afterward, Yeyan fell gravely ill. During that time, with his father’s passing and the bankruptcy of the Lu Group, everything came crashing down on the two of us. To escape those with ill intentions, I took Yeyan and fled abroad. We weathered many storms together. Once Yeyan recovered, he became cautious and guarded—he was no longer the innocent child he used to be.

One day, he suddenly came to me and said, ‘Mom, I want to rebuild the Lu Group.’

To be honest, I never wanted to return to that city. But seeing the determination in his eyes, I nodded. Yeyan did not disappoint. At fifteen, he founded YIY and returned to the city we both loved and hated.”

As she spoke, tears began to track down Ye Xi’s face. Yu Zining hurriedly handed her a tissue.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Zining realized then how much Lu Yeyan had suffered. Yet, he had never breathed a word of it; he had always shown Zining only his strongest self.

Ye Xi took Zining’s hand. “He has endured so much. Ningning, I can see that Yeyan loves you very much. Since you’ve decided to be together, please don’t let him get hurt again. He is incredibly sensitive—he is more afraid of loss than anyone else.”

Yu Zining’s heart jolted as he remembered the harsh words he’d used to reject Lu Yeyan before. Recalling the look in Yeyan’s eyes at that time, a wave of painful sympathy washed over him. Lu Yeyan carried so much weight; his glory wasn’t a stroke of luck, but the result of a man forging a path through fire.

Yu Zining nodded firmly at Ye Xi.

Ye Xi smiled. “Go on then. I know you must have a heart full of things to say to him. Go to him.”

With a look of gratitude, Yu Zining hurried out of the room.

Ye Xi turned to look out the window. Leaves fall and seasons change, but to find that one person to cherish is the greatest fortune of all.

…

Lu Yeyan had just finished packing Ye Xi’s things when Feifei appeared before him.

“CEO Lu, the Old Madam sent me to get her luggage!”

Lu Yeyan froze. “What is she up to now?”

Just then, his phone buzzed with a message from Ye Xi: Take your chance. Your old lady can only help you this far.

Before he could even think of a reply, Yu Zining burst into the room. Feifei lowered her head, grabbed the luggage, and tactfully closed the door behind her as she left.

Lu Yeyan looked at Zining’s reddened eyes, and his heart clenched. He reached out, his thumb gently brushing the corner of Zining’s eye.

“What’s wrong? What did my mother say to you?”

Before he could finish, Yu Zining threw his arms around him. “Why?” Zining choked out. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you tell me you suffered so much?”

Lu Yeyan’s body stiffened. “I didn’t want you to feel pressured by my past,” he said softly. “And I didn’t want you to stay by my side just because you pitied me.”

Yu Zining pulled back to look at him, his pale hands cupping Lu Yeyan’s face. “Too late. I’ve changed my mind. I realize now that I really can’t leave you alone. So… let me stay by your side, okay?”

Lu Yeyan was overcome with joy. “What did you say?”

Yu Zining smiled, a smile as brilliant as a sky full of stars. “But I have one condition!”

Lu Yeyan blinked. “What is it?”

“I want you to tell me everything,” Zining insisted. “Don’t lie to me. Let me share the burden with you.”

Looking into those pure, honest eyes, Lu Yeyan’s expression turned complex. After a long silence, he finally nodded. “Alright.”

Yu Zining sat down beside him, and Lu Yeyan began to recount those long-buried memories.

…

It was the year Lu Yeyan turned ten.

At that time, the Lu Group was the largest corporation in Country A, and the Ou Group didn’t even exist yet. Ou Fucheng was merely the head of the planning department under Yeyan’s father, Lu Wenming.

The nightmare began one night. It was the wedding anniversary of Lu Wenming and Ye Xi. Ye Xi had been busy at home preparing a celebration.

“It’s so late. Why isn’t he back yet?” Ye Xi muttered, looking at the darkening sky with worry as she stared at the soup on the stove.

The young Lu Yeyan, sitting in the living room, watched his mother’s distracted silhouette in the kitchen. He gritted his teeth, got up, and ran out the door. He caught a taxi and headed straight for the Lu Group offices.

Inside the building, Lu Wenming sat in his office and slammed a folder against a man’s chest. The man standing there, dripping with sweat, was Ou Fucheng.

“Fucheng, you’ve deeply disappointed me. Why would you do this?”

Ou Fucheng looked up, trembling. “CEO Lu, I… I didn’t mean to!”

Lu Wenming’s brow tightened. “I can’t protect you anymore. Why didn’t you show me the plans? You sent them straight to the factory, and now that entire batch of materials is counterfeit! We’ve lost everything. Look at the stock market—it’s crashing. You’re coming with me to face the reporters right now. Admit it was your mistake; that’s the only way the Lu Group can survive.”

Ou Fucheng kept his head down, but then a strange, eerie laugh escaped his lips. “Lu Wenming, you’re always like this! We were college classmates. Why is it that you got to inherit the family business and be the boss, while I—despite having the talent—have to submit my best projects to you? Why do I have to be crushed under your feet?”

Lu Wenming was stunned. The man before him—his best friend, his classmate—now spoke with a face that looked completely alien.

Ou Fucheng took a deep breath. “Let me tell you something, Lu Wenming. I did it on purpose. I have another flawless project in my hands, but I don’t plan on giving it to you. Because I’m going to keep you under my boot forever!”

Lu Wenming stood up abruptly, a sudden pain stabbing at his chest. At that moment, the young Lu Yeyan was already standing quietly in the corner by the glass doors.

A devilish smirk crossed Ou Fucheng’s face. “CEO Lu, take care of yourself.”

Lu Wenming clutched his chest and shouted, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell everyone what you did?”

Ou Fucheng laughed maniacally. “Hahaha! CEO Lu, you’re so naive. You don’t actually think anyone in this company is still on your side, do you?”

Lu Wenming gasped. “What… what have you done?”

“Nothing much. I simply promised them a better future.”