The Down and Out CEO’s Pursuit of Her Wife [GL] - Chapter 4

A sports car streaked down the Sixth Ring Road. After it pulled three consecutive illegal overtakes, the male driver of a silver sedan nearby couldn’t take it anymore. He yanked his steering wheel to the left, forcing the sports car to a grinding halt.

Before the screech of the sudden braking had even faded, it was replaced by the piercing, rhythmic blaring of a horn. Mu Shan’s right palm remained pressed firmly against the horn’s logo on her steering wheel. For every two honks, she gave the silver car ahead exactly one second to consider getting out of her way. The sedan refused to budge, and in the stalemate, the entire stretch of road was flooded with wave after wave of ear-splitting noise.

Fuming and agitated by the racket, the male driver finally snapped. He hopped out of his car and stormed toward Mu Shan, looking ready to skip the argument and go straight to fisticuffs.

Mu Shan felt no fear, nor did it show on her face. If anything, her internal frustration far outweighed his.

However, before she could even prepare for a confrontation, the driver caught sight of her. He stopped in his tracks, let out a disdainful click of his tongue upon realizing her gender, and climbed back into his car with a look of contempt.

With no outlet for the fire in her chest and having just been “dismissed” because of her gender, Mu Shan slammed her fist against the steering wheel. She glared straight ahead, floored the accelerator, and the sports car shot forward like a rocket.

That fire in her heart was 99.99% fueled by the image of An Ruoning’s “happy family” from yesterday, walking hand-in-hand. The remaining 0.01% came from the office at Baguo Entertainment.

Being a “commander without an army” was pathetic enough, but Baguo’s standards were even lower than she had imagined.

When Mu Shan walked into the office building this morning, she couldn’t even find the company. The directory in the lobby didn’t list the name “Baguo” at all, and the security guards knew nothing.

Thinking the HR manager had given her the wrong address, Mu Shan called to verify. Within seconds of explaining her situation, the HR manager came scurrying out of a small side door next to a restaurant on the second floor.

Upon seeing Mu Shan, the manager put on a fake smile and bowed, leading her into the “vibrant” and “multifaceted” world behind that small door.

It was “vibrant” only in the sense that there were so many tiny companies packed together that you’d pass three before you could even blink. Mu Shan followed the manager into an area where two companies sat side-by-side with clashing styles.

The company on the left at least had a sign. The people at Baguo were more “easygoing,” they were operating under a rusted sign left behind by a previous tenant, not even bothering to take it down.

The entire office area had fewer than twenty desks, which was actually a waste of space, considering the staff consisted of only four or five people.

“President… President Mu,” the HR manager stammered, stopping Mu Shan as she headed toward the only private room in the area.

“Yes?” Mu Shan asked.

“That is President Wei’s office,” the manager replied.

With that, the manager settled Mu Shan at a workstation right next to her own.

Mu Shan didn’t say another word. It wasn’t that she was angry, she simply stopped taking the job seriously altogether. If the company itself didn’t take its existence seriously, she couldn’t blame anyone else for treating it like a joke.

She sat for less than a minute, or more accurately, she stood up the moment she sat down and walked out.

Her mindset was simple: she had no heart for work, she only wanted her woman. And so, the relatively clear Sixth Ring Road gained one very impatient sports car.

Jobs can be replaced, and even if she didn’t find one, it didn’t matter. But a woman, no, not just any woman, specifically An Ruoning, if she lost her again…

The Pet Paradise

At the suburban pet paradise, Mu Shan circled the grounds before finding An Ruoning in a kennel at the back, where the sound of rushing water echoed.

Hearing the noise, An Ruoning only glanced back briefly before returning her focus to scrubbing a large black dog standing in a stainless steel washbasin.

Yesterday, An Ruoning had worn a baseball cap, showing only the lower half of her face. Today, she wore a mask, revealing only the upper half.

Obviously, these fleeting glimpses were not enough to soothe Mu Shan’s longing. She stepped closer, wanting a better look.

As she approached, An Ruoning’s elbow nudged Mu Shan’s waist at just the right moment. It was hard to tell if it was an accident while moving the showerhead or intentional, but it was perfectly timed. The nudge stopped Mu Shan in her tracks, preventing her from leaning in any further.

“I have a lot to do,” An Ruoning said. “Could you please leave?”

“How much work?” Mu Shan asked.

“Over ten more dogs to wash, half of them are large breeds.”

Mu Shan rolled up her sleeves with a playful, effortless air. “I’ll help you.”

“No need,” An Ruoning said after a few seconds of silence. Behind the mask, she was biting her lower lip. Mu Shan’s flippant tone was aggravating, did she think washing dogs was easy? But more than that, her presence was distressing. Why, just when things had finally settled down, was she interfering in her life again?

Mu Shan placed her hand right next to An Ruoning’s on the showerhead, her voice turning more determined. “Two people are faster than one.”

An Ruoning didn’t let go. Instead, she tightened her grip and tried to swing the showerhead to shake Mu Shan off. Sensing the resistance, Mu Shan let go herself.

Perhaps as a slight explanation, An Ruoning spoke up after shaking her off. “Washing them will ruin your clothes, and besides, you can’t do this kind of work.”

“Just find me an apron,” Mu Shan replied.

After a moment, An Ruoning seemed to sigh. She took off her own apron and handed it to Mu Shan.

Mu Shan didn’t take it. She turned to face An Ruoning, holding both hands up slightly. “Help me put it on.”

An Ruoning straightened the neck strap of the apron, stood on her tiptoes, and looped it over Mu Shan’s neck.

Mu Shan’s hands, positioned behind An Ruoning, closed together, pulling the other woman into her arms. Mu Shan knew An Ruoning would struggle, so the moment their bodies touched, she tightened her hold across her back.

No matter how much An Ruoning struggled, she couldn’t break free.

Once An Ruoning’s strength waned slightly, Mu Shan pressed her against the wall. With that leverage, she could move more boldly.

Mu Shan had noticed An Ruoning’s fair, clean neck yesterday. In the past, An Ruoning usually wore her hair down, so kissing her always involved the step of brushing hair aside. Now that she wore it up, it was much more convenient.

Mu Shan breathed in An Ruoning’s scent slowly and deeply. She closed her eyes and leaned down.

Compromise did not come. Instead, Mu Shan was met with a sharp pain in her stomach. Before she could clutch her midsection, she opened her eyes to see An Ruoning lowering her knee.

An Ruoning reached out to untie Mu Shan’s apron, but Mu Shan blocked her, straightening up while rubbing her stomach. “You don’t have to be that forceful next time.”

“I told you to leave, but you wouldn’t listen. Now you’re blaming me,” An Ruoning muttered to herself, intentionally looking away.

Mu Shan recovered in just a few seconds and returned to the washing station. She turned on the showerhead, and a powerful stream of water blasted onto the large dog’s head. The dog, which had been standing quietly for An Ruoning, panicked and began splashing around in the tub. Because the dog was large and its coat held a lot of water, Mu Shan’s upper body was instantly soaked.

An Ruoning rushed over to her in a panic. However, the moment she met Mu Shan’s expectant gaze, she immediately withdrew her concern. She spoke in a cold, distant tone. “Turn the faucet a bit to the left, the water isn’t warm enough.”

Then, An Ruoning gently pressed down the dog’s ears to keep water out, pointing to its legs like a teacher instructing a student. “Turn the pressure down and rinse here first.”

Mu Shan followed the instructions while staring at An Ruoning. Suddenly, she blurted out something ridiculous. “Hey, you probably still love me, right?”

Though Mu Shan knew nothing about pet grooming, the dog—which had calmed down, suddenly flinched again. It was a clear sign that An Ruoning had been distracted by the question.

Other than that, An Ruoning showed no outward reaction. She focused intently on the task at hand, making sure to remind Mu Shan to pay attention from time to time.

The Aftermath

By evening, An Ruoning finally had a moment to look at Mu Shan. Mu Shan was covered from head to toe in various types of dog hair, and she’d likely inhaled a fair amount, as she couldn’t stop sneezing.

Mu Shan didn’t try to brush the hair off. The first thing she did after finishing the work was reach out and remove An Ruoning’s mask.

Without the mask, the beads of sweat between An Ruoning’s red lips and the tip of her nose were revealed. This “fragrant, sweat-drenched” image completely captured Mu Shan’s soul. She leaned in until their noses almost touched, then tilted her head slightly toward An Ruoning’s lips.

As expected, An Ruoning retreated several steps, avoiding the kiss entirely, before striding toward the door with determination.

Mu Shan chased after her. “Where are you going?”

“Work is over. I’m going home,” An Ruoning replied.

“Look at my clothes,” Mu Shan argued.

“Since when do you care about your clothes?”

“You’ll want to see Little Grape, won’t you?”

An Ruoning stopped her frantic pace. Mu Shan stopped beside her. “Wait for me at the parking lot exit.”

An Ruoning turned as if to say something, but she only saw Mu Shan’s back. Her eyes, unreadable in their emotion, lingered on Mu Shan’s silhouette for a long time. Only when the figure had almost vanished did An Ruoning turn toward the exit.

The two arrived at Mu Shan’s new house without further incident, mostly because An Ruoning stubbornly huddled in the corner of the back seat with her head down. If Mu Shan wanted to cause trouble, the degree of difficulty was high.

Before the car had even come to a full stop, An Ruoning yanked the door open and hopped out. It was a deliberate move, and both knew why, she didn’t want Mu Shan to open the door for her. In her mission to block Mu Shan’s advances, An Ruoning was fully armed and on high alert.

Having rushed out of the car, An Ruoning didn’t move forward. Mu Shan closed her door with a hint of smugness. “You’re still afraid of the same things.”

“It’s not fear, it’s caution,” An Ruoning corrected.

“What requires caution and what doesn’t, do you understand that now?”

An Ruoning fell silent.

Mu Shan opened the front door and walked in, leaving it open for An Ruoning to follow.

Once both feet were inside, An Ruoning looked around the house warily. Seeing Mu Shan relaxedly taking out two glasses to pour water, An Ruoning finally turned and closed the door.

When she turned back, Mu Shan was suddenly standing just centimeters away. Both possessed captivating eyes, and as they looked at each other, a flickering light danced in their gazes.

“Break up with Ye Zhefeng,” Mu Shan said. “It’s time for you to come back to me. If you like cats and dogs, I’ll open a pet shop for you nearby.”

The moment Mu Shan finished speaking, the light in An Ruoning’s eyes vanished. She didn’t give Mu Shan a chance to say another word. She bolted into the nearest room and locked the door behind her.

After the lock clicked, An Ruoning stood frozen for half a second. Then, her strength gave out. She slid down the door until she hit the floor, and her tears finally broke through the dam.

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