The Aloof CEO’s Hidden Temptation - Chapter 16

Fu Chaoying felt as though she had slept for a very long time, drifting through a night full of dreams.

In her dream, she was running, pursued by a fierce beast with no one by her side. Later, she encountered several women, her mother, her grandmother, and… Ye Jiayuan. She reached out her hand to Ye Jiayuan, but the latter merely watched her with the cold detachment of a bystander.

Endless fear and loneliness swallowed her whole. It felt as if there was no one left in the world to take her hand, no warmth left to shield her.

She woke up crying, her pillow soaked. Once she returned to reality, the fear vanished. It was 7:00 AM. Fu Chaoying got up to wash.

When she stepped out of her room, Ye Jiayuan was already sitting on the balcony, reading a book by the morning sun. Hearing the movement, Ye Jiayuan turned around. “Morning.”

A slight smile played on Fu Chaoying’s lips. “Good morning, Sister.”

The two headed to the dining room for breakfast. Ye Jiayuan stared at the faint dark circles under her eyes. “Didn’t you sleep well last night?”

Fu Chaoying shook her head with a smile. “It was alright, just a lot of dreams.”

“Don’t put so much pressure on yourself,” Ye Jiayuan said warmly, like a typical older sister next door.

Fu Chaoying shifted the topic naturally, discussing her schedule for the morning. First, she would sign a contract with Yun Ji, then visit a Chinese painter living in Old Singapore. In the afternoon, she would attend the shareholders’ meeting at Xingye. Ye Jiayuan had already arranged everything, telling her to contact her assistant, Liu Xin, when the time came.

After finishing the small talk, Fu Chaoying asked as if casually, “Is Sister Jingyuan doing alright?”

Ye Jiayuan shook her head. “The housekeeper arranged for someone to take her home last night.”

If the person Ye Jiayuan went out to see yesterday wasn’t Qu Jingyuan, who was it? Did the company really have business in the middle of the night?

In the morning, after signing with Yun Ji and reposting the official announcement on Weibo, Fu Chaoying went to visit the Chinese female painter her aunt had introduced, the elderly Madame Bai Youqing.

Bai Youqing was an old acquaintance of her grandmother. She chatted with Fu Chaoying for a long time, the conversation revolving entirely around the life of the late Fu Li, without a single mention of business cooperation. Fu Chaoying found no opening to bring it up, so she simply treated it as a chat with an elder.

After staying for lunch, Fu Chaoying excused herself.

“Going to Xingye? That’s perfect.” Bai Youqing quickly asked the housekeeper to fetch a tin of tea leaves. “Help me give this to Little Yuan, it’s her favorite.”

Surprised that she and Ye Jiayuan were also acquainted, Fu Chaoying smiled. “Okay, thank you, Grandma Bai.”

As Bai Youqing walked her to the door, Fu Chaoying smiled brightly and got straight to the point: “I actually came today because I wanted to…”

Seeing the figure of Ye Jiayuan’s assistant not far away, the old lady smiled warmly. “I’ll give you a contact, you can talk to her.”

Fu Chaoying thanked her repeatedly, only to hear the woman add: “I’ve already spoken to her about it.”

So that was it.

Fu Chaoying waved goodbye and got into the car heading for Xingye. Staring at the tea tin in her hand, a thought occurred to her, and she asked casually, “Assistant Liu, do you usually work overtime?”

Liu Xin nodded. “We do, usually to accompany President Ye to banquets.” She smiled. “It’s the kind with overtime pay.”

Fu Chaoying nodded slightly. “How late do you usually stay?”

“Usually no later than nine o’clock.”

So, Ye Jiayuan didn’t go out for business last night?

Fu Chaoying pushed down her doubts and followed Liu Xin’s lead. “That must be exhausting for you all.”

Liu Xin shook her head slightly. “President Ye has it harder. I heard she even rushed back to the office to work overtime late last night.”

Ye Jiayuan really had gone to work.

Fu Chaoying felt an involuntary sense of relief. “Is she that busy?”

Liu Xin nodded emphatically and glanced at her with a smile. “So busy she has no time for romance. Many people want to set President Ye up on dates.”

Fu Chaoying smiled but didn’t respond, her thoughts drifting.

The Xingye International building was imposing. Fu Chaoying had visited it once during university with the Ye family. Liu Xin took her directly to the executive elevator.

“The shareholders’ meeting isn’t until 3:30. President Ye instructed me to take you to rest first.”

Under the watchful eyes of others, Fu Chaoying followed Liu Xin to the CEO’s office. As the door opened, the first thing she saw was a painting.

It was the ink wash painting she had given to Ye Jiayuan.

Fu Chaoying stood in a daze. She heard Liu Xin say, “You painted this beautifully.”

Fu Chaoying’s eyes fixed on the signature. Even if she couldn’t see it clearly, she remembered using a vermillion brush to write. Fu Chaoying.

Ye Jiayuan had hung it so openly in her office. If hanging oil paintings was to add color, what was the purpose of this ink painting? To complement the office’s minimalist style?

Fu Chaoying’s heart skipped a beat. “When was it hung up?”

Liu Xin thought for a moment. “It was put up the last time she returned.” She added, “It’s the first time I’ve seen President Ye like a painting this much.”

Fu Chaoying was stunned. Liu Xin then asked, “What would you like to drink? Tea or coffee?”

Fu Chaoying clutched the tea tin. “Warm water is fine, thank you.”

Ye Jiayuan had not yet returned, so Fu Chaoying sat staring at the painting, lost in thought. Suddenly, the sound of the door handle turning snapped her back. She looked up, but the person entering was Qu Jingyuan.

“So, Little Sister is here.”

Fu Chaoying nodded politely. “Hello, Director Qu.”

A flash of interest crossed Qu Jingyuan’s eyes as she walked over. “Why aren’t you calling me Sister Jingyuan?”

Fu Chaoying smiled faintly. “We are at the office, after all.”

A flawless response.

Qu Jingyuan didn’t press the issue and sat in the armchair opposite her. Fu Chaoying stopped looking at the painting, but she noticed from the corner of her eye that Qu Jingyuan was staring at it intently.

“This painting is quite different from you as a person,” Qu Jingyuan remarked casually.

Ignoring the underlying meaning, Fu Chaoying simply said, “Inspiration is always full of surprises.”

They engaged in idle chitchat. Qu Jingyuan teased, “This painting is indeed low-key, it fits perfectly here.”

She was subtly insulting the painting, suggesting it wasn’t worth much.

Fu Chaoying’s smile remained. Just as she was about to retort, a cool voice came from the doorway.

“What are you doing here?”

Fu Chaoying looked over. Ye Jiayuan stood there in a deep blue suit, her gaze fixed on Qu Jingyuan.

“I’m waiting to go to the meeting with you,” Qu Jingyuan replied with an easy smile.

Ye Jiayuan didn’t look at her again. She gestured to Fu Chaoying. “Let’s go.”

Fu Chaoying walked to her side in a few quick steps, with Qu Jingyuan walking on the other side. Qu Jingyuan and Ye Jiayuan were indeed close, their body language was natural, as if last night’s events had never happened.

Fu Chaoying’s eyes dimmed slightly.

Upon reaching the conference room, Fu Chaoying sat beside Ye Jiayuan, momentarily intimidated by her powerful aura. There were many shareholders much older than Ye Jiayuan, yet they were fully focused when she spoke, nodding occasionally.

Sitting beside her, Fu Chaoying felt a sudden sense of her own insignificance.

Ye Jiayuan introduced her: “This is our new shareholder, Fu Chaoying.”

Fu Chaoying stood and bowed, followed by a round of warm applause. Throughout the meeting, she kept her eyes on Ye Jiayuan’s profile.

Images of the two paintings hung in the study and the office flashed through her mind, along with the subtle moments they had shared. She felt a groundless certainty that she was special to Ye Jiayuan, unprecedentedly so.

But was it love? If it were truly love, how could she remain so restrained?

The meeting lasted two hours, finally ending as the sun began to set. Under the gaze of the crowd, Ye Jiayuan led her away, occasionally leaning down to listen to her speak. Everyone could see that the relationship between the CEO and this new shareholder was extraordinary. Someone even whispered in confusion: “Isn’t that the ex of the President’s sister…?”

Watching the two walk side by side, Qu Jingyuan’s eyes darkened.

Fu Chaoying followed Ye Jiayuan back to the office. Looking at the painting, she asked casually, “Sister, you really like this painting, don’t you?”

Ye Jiayuan’s gaze followed hers, and she gave a small nod. “It has the spirit of your grandmother.”

Fu Chaoying was reminded of the phrase, “Sending you the ‘Magnolia’ wasn’t entirely for your grandmother,” but she chose not to push for answers. It wasn’t the right time.

There were no events or banquets tonight, and Liu Xin left on time. Fu Chaoying and Ye Jiayuan got into the car together, but just as the door was about to close, a familiar female voice called out.

“A-Yuan, dinner tonight?”

It was Qu Jingyuan.

Fu Chaoying’s resolve hardened. She leaned forward slightly and said with a light smile, “So sorry, Sister Jiayuan already has a date.”

Then, Fu Chaoying turned her head toward Ye Jiayuan. “Right?”