The Female CEO Becomes Pregnant with a Poor Alpha's Child - Chapter 1

“The decline in sales volume was not yet apparent in the second and third quarters, but the fourth quarter saw a cliff-like drop. In particular, since last month, regional sales for VW’s cosmetics and skincare products have hit an all-time low.”

“Nowadays, livestream shopping is on the rise. Purchasing in a livestream room not only provides promotional gifts but also discounted prices. Furthermore, many affordable and effective products have emerged, so high-end luxury products like our VW brand are naturally no longer the top choice.”

“According to market research, those who are still purchasing VW cosmetics and skincare are long-term, mature customers. Rather than spending time researching new brands, they prefer the ease and reliability of trusting an established one.”

The Sales Director put down the projector remote and nodded at the person sitting at the head of the conference table. “Director Xia, that concludes my report.”

The person sitting sideways in the chair shifted, turning the swivel chair toward the table. Xia Tingwang opened her eyes. The Sales Director kept his hands folded in front of him, waiting for her response.

“Hmm.” Xia Tingwang nodded. “Next.”

The Sales Director exhaled in relief and returned to his seat. The next person was Director Huang from the Publicity Department. Director Huang cleared his throat and began his year-end summary.

Xia Tingwang closed her eyes again. The mechanical voice of Director Huang, a male alpha, droned on in her ears. She rubbed her temples with slender, fair fingers. Meetings were the part of her job she disliked the most.

“I disagree.” Another mechanical male voice broke in. It sounded no different from Director Huang’s, only it carried a note of anger. “VW is a high-end brand. Livestream shopping would undoubtedly lower our prestige. Our target demographic is different, and we do not need to blindly follow trends.”

Xia Tingwang did not open her eyes. Judging by the tone of his anger, she guessed this was the person in charge of the cosmetics division, her “Old Fossil Number Two.”

Director Huang of the Publicity Department looked a bit awkward. In this situation, the person with the higher position had the final say. Even if the other person was wrong, it was difficult to refute him.

“Livestream shopping is simply unseemly.” Another voice argued, this time a mechanical female voice. “VW has not fallen to that level yet.”

Xia Tingwang opened her eyes. The voice ended, but she could not accurately guess who it was.

She spun the ring on her index finger, looking at the familiar faces on both sides of the conference table. The air was filled with a mix of various alpha and omega pheromones, cluttered and stifling. She tapped the table, and her special assistant leaned in.

“Open the window to get some air,” Xia Tingwang ordered.

The assistant stood up to open the window. The cold winter breeze blew in, causing Xia Tingwang to shiver, but it dispersed the scent that had been suffocating her.

“What kind of brand is VW?” Xia Tingwang heard herself speak, producing her own mechanical female voice.

Her question left everyone stunned. They did not understand why she would ask such an obvious question. They looked at each other, not daring to answer rashly without gauging the CEO’s mood.

Xia Tingwang extended a graceful finger. “You, speak.”

The person pointed at was the woman sitting to her immediate right, the secretary-general who had been in the position for three months. Unfazed, she said, “VW is a high-end domestic brand established twenty-six years ago. Its predecessor, VVE, originally dealt in jade and gemstones. The founder saw a gap in the market and established the luxury cosmetics brand VW. It uses healthy, green raw materials suitable for all skin types, which has helped maintain our reputation. We have always been at the top of the domestic luxury market. Nowadays, when consumers hear VW, they subconsciously believe our products are reliable.”

After this standard explanation of the VW brand, Xia Tingwang crossed her arms, her expression unreadable. She stared straight at the projector screen. “We are at the top of the domestic luxury market because of the right timing, favorable conditions, and our unique raw materials. However, even a reliable brand cannot withstand declining sales and the erosion of time. If we do not make changes, even the most high-end brand will eventually be ignored. The past example of Guyu is a perfect case in point.”

Guyu was a clothing brand that was once brilliant, but over the last decade, it had gradually declined to the point where it no longer existed in the market.

“The first thing we need to do is increase our sales volume.” Xia Tingwang glanced at the head of the cosmetics division. “Breaking the current bottleneck is the most important thing.”

The head of the cosmetics division wanted to say something, but Xia Tingwang spoke first, “That is it for today. Meeting adjourned.”

Xia Tingwang stood up and left the conference room. Her head was aching too much. It looked like she would need to see Dr. Jin today.

“Wait, Director Xia!” A mechanical male voice called from behind. Xia Tingwang turned around; it was Zhou Jun, the head of the cosmetics division, her “Old Fossil Number Two.”

Old Fossil Number Two was a male alpha, fifty-three years old, who had worked at VW for twenty years. He was a veteran employee and quite stubborn.

“Director Xia, are you intending to try livestream shopping?” Zhou Jun asked.

Earlier in the meeting, the Publicity Department had mentioned it as a possibility, and Zhou Jun had been the first to object.

“Director Zhou, what are your thoughts?”

Zhou Jun adjusted his glasses and said, “My point is, of course, that we cannot do this. For all these years, VW has been a high-end brand in the minds of consumers. Letting those livestreamers shout about our products and begging people to buy them would undoubtedly consume our brand value and lower our standards.”

Such an old fossil. Xia Tingwang felt annoyed. Anxious to dismiss Zhou Jun, she said, “I do not know enough about livestream shopping yet. I will not consider it for now.”

She did not close the door on the idea entirely, nor did she give Zhou Jun a definitive answer.

Once inside the elevator, she instructed her assistant, “Go to the underground garage.”

The assistant pressed the button for the second basement level and asked, “Director Xia, where are you going?”

“To the hospital.”

Tiansheng Hospital was invested in by the Xia family. As soon as she entered, the medical staff greeted her warmly. “Good afternoon, Miss!”

A nurse even hurried over, “Miss, are you looking for Dr. Jin? She is in surgery. I will go ask how much longer she will be.”

“Yes.” Xia Tingwang strode toward Dr. Jin’s office.

Upon entering, she saw that her designated spot was already set with coffee, Senti chocolate cake, and a fruit platter. The young nurse waiting in the office had been notified in advance. She took Xia Tingwang’s bag and handed her hand sanitizer.

Xia Tingwang pumped some into her hands, rubbed them, and sat on her small sofa. She looked at a gray-green, round, hairy object in the fruit platter and asked, “What is this?”

The nurse was stunned. “Huh?”

The fruit in the platter was all common, so she did not immediately understand what Xia Tingwang meant.

The nurse who had gone to check on Dr. Jin returned just then. “Miss, Dr. Jin will be done in a little while.”

Xia Tingwang took a sip of coffee. It was her favorite, an Americano with no sugar or milk. It was very bitter, so she quickly took a bite of the cake. The sweetness of the cake spread in her mouth, tempering the bitterness of the coffee and leaving behind only its mellow fragrance.

“Hmm.” She put down her fork and pointed at the fruit in the platter again. “What is this?”

She was asking sincerely. The nurse glanced at it and was shocked. “Xiao Fang, why did you not peel and cut the kiwifruit before serving it?”

The girl called Xiao Fang lowered her head in a hurry. “I am sorry! I will fix it right away.”

Xia Tingwang stared at the kiwifruit, reaching out to touch it. It felt a little fuzzy. So this is a kiwifruit? It is actually quite cute.

“No need.” Xia Tingwang sat up straight and adjusted her hair. “You all go back to work.”

She sat elegantly, not feeling in the slightest that not recognizing a kiwifruit was a shameful thing. The nurses left. One said with some reproach, “Remember for next time: no matter what fruit it is, always serve it to Miss in a form that is ready to eat.”

Xiao Fang nodded repeatedly, then could not help but mutter, “No wonder Miss did not recognize the kiwifruit.”

Xia Tingwang finished half the cake, wiped her mouth with a wet towel, and set the fork down. The cake was delicious, but the calorie content was high, so a moderate amount was enough.

She rested her elbows on the sofa armrest and massaged her temples. The hospital was noisy, but she closed her eyes, hearing only two types of sounds: mechanical male and female voices. The only differences were the tone and attitude: urgent, slow, soft, or angry.

Dr. Jin pushed the door open and smiled. “Why did you not tell me you were coming today?”

The sudden mechanical female voice made Xia Tingwang tremble as she opened her eyes. Dr. Jin was holding a cup, drinking water from the dispenser. Dr. Jin’s tone must be an upward inflection, she thought.

“My head hurts.” Xia Tingwang said. “The method you taught me is not working.” She was referring to Dr. Jin’s technique for distinguishing voices by closing her eyes and focusing on pitch and tone.

Dr. Jin walked over and used a small flashlight from her pocket to check Xia Tingwang’s ears. “Do your ears feel uncomfortable?”

“No, it is just the headache. The more I fail to distinguish the voices, the more irritated I get.”

Dr. Jin began massaging her temples, softening her voice. “Do not force it; haste makes waste. Start with people you are close to, like me.”

Dr. Jin’s touch was much better than her own aimless massaging. After a few moments, the pain subsided, and she closed her eyes comfortably.

“Everyone has their own frequency and attitude when they speak. Listen to mine.”

Dr. Jin’s voice was slow and low-pitched. She always spoke with a smile when she saw her, but so many people smiled when they spoke to her, the butler, the employees at the company, that to her, they all sounded identical.

She opened her eyes and sighed. “It is so hard.”

Dr. Jin did not press her, simply sitting down beside her. “Miss, why the sudden desire to change?”

Xia Tingwang had lived in this distorted world for twenty-nine years; she was long accustomed to her hearing being different from others. A month ago, she had suddenly decided she wanted to learn to distinguish voices, and Dr. Jin had given her this method.

She picked up her coffee cup to take a sip, but it had gone cold and no longer tasted mellow. She set the cup down in disappointment and did not answer the question.

“Please finalize my surgical plan as soon as possible.” Xia Tingwang stood up. “And write me a prescription.”

With the medicine in hand, Xia Tingwang got into the car. She sat behind the driver’s seat, her bodyguard in the front passenger seat, and her assistant next to her.

The assistant handed her a tablet. “Director Xia, a video conference.”

Great, another meeting.

The tablet was placed in the slot on the seat in front of her. The participants were already waiting; it was VW’s overseas branch.

Video conferences had one advantage: since everyone on the other side was a foreigner, her assistant would lean in and whisper in Chinese whenever someone spoke.

“That is Valisa speaking now.” “This is Yivi.” “And this is Guliris.”

Assistant Bai was an indispensable help to Xia Tingwang, capable, perceptive, and reliable. Xia Tingwang leaned back in her seat, expressionless; she preferred to be emotionless when she was focused.

The meeting concluded just as she arrived home. The bodyguard opened the door for her, and a maid rushed up to take her bag from the assistant.

Xia Tingwang walked toward the house. The butler smiled and helped her take off her coat. “Miss is home. What would you like for dinner?”

Xia Tingwang sat on the bench by the entryway, and a servant knelt to help her with her slippers. Once changed, another servant stood by holding a tray with a warm towel and a cup of warm water. Xia Tingwang wiped her hands and drank half the water.

After thinking for a moment, she said, “Pumpkin soup and two vegetable dishes will be enough. Help me run a bath; I want to soak.”

“Very well!” The butler nodded and looked at the servants. “Go prepare it immediately.”

The servants scurried away. Xia Tingwang went upstairs to her bedroom. Inside the bathroom, a servant was running the water. She opened her tablet and habitually clicked into a livestreaming app. She needed the sound to fill the empty space around her. She swiped aimlessly, looking for a streamer who was pleasant to watch.

“Thank you for the meteor shower, top-ranked sister! Love you!” “You cannot finish them with one shot from this angle, you have to control the recoil.” “You all want me to sing? What should I sing? You pick.”

She swiped through a dozen streams but could not find anything she wanted to watch. Suddenly, she remembered the topic of livestream shopping discussed earlier. She texted her assistant to ask which app was best for viewing those.

As expected of an assistant, ten minutes later she received a document detailing the best apps and the top three streamers in each. Xia Tingwang randomly downloaded the first app.

A servant came out of the bathroom. “Miss, the water is ready.”

Xia Tingwang adjusted her hair. The servant understood and spent three minutes pinning her long hair into a style suitable for a bath. “Miss, do you need anything else?”

Xia Tingwang shook her head to ensure the hair would hold, then waved her hand. “You may go.”

The servant retreated. Xia Tingwang took off her clothes, held the tablet in her hands, and stepped into the dark green, petal-filled bathtub. The warm water made her feel at ease, and the irritability of the day dissipated quite a bit.

She opened the livestream app, closed her eyes, and swiped through the streams. Mechanical male and female voices flashed by and were dismissed. She paused, picking up her wine glass.

“This hydrating mask is especially effective. One box relieves dry skin; five boxes will improve your complexion.”

Xia Tingwang’s hand froze. The voice on the tablet continued: “Five sheets per box, seventy yuan a box. Buy one get one free in the livestream room, two boxes for seventy yuan.”

It was a female voice, but to her disbelief, what she heard in her ears was not the usual mechanical drone. It was distinct. She could not quite describe it, but it was undoubtedly a real human voice.