Teasing the Icy President

“Give me back my wallet!” Nie Shuangshuang glared at the man towering over her by at least a head and a half. Her voice was a bit childish, clearly no match for the man, lacking even the basic qualification for negotiation. Yet, she stood her ground with an air of righteousness. The man merely smiled, a wicked grin spreading across his face. Before Shuangshuang could react, he pulled her into an embrace and planted a light kiss on her lips.

Shuangshuang was dumbfounded. She never expected the man to act this way. Staring wide-eyed at him, she stammered, “You… you…”

She was about to shout, “Help, harassment!” but the man anticipated her move. With a swift motion, he pulled her into an empty hospital room, pinning her against the wall. “Go ahead, scream. These walls are soundproof; no one will hear you.”

His raspy voice brushed against her ear. “What do you want? You rogue, you thief!” Shuangshuang’s bravado crumbled instantly.

“Ha, a thief,” the man squinted, “you got that right, stealing you.”

He tightened his hold on her fragile frame, nearly scaring her out of her wits. Despite her usual bravado about men with Mu Qingtian, she had never actually been close to one. She was the proverbial coward. How could he be so disrespectful? She was furious, yet a blush crept up her cheeks.

What to do? Shuangshuang was anxious, her body betraying her by leaning into him. How could this be? She couldn’t believe it. She was supposed to resist, wasn’t she? The more anxious she became, the more frightened she felt. The man, however, remained calm, observing her subtle changes with satisfaction.

“I don’t want the wallet anymore. Just let me go,” Shuangshuang pleaded, her defiance waning.

The man raised an eyebrow, “Begging now? A bit late for that.” He chuckled coldly.

“What do you want then?” Shuangshuang trembled, her fear evident.

“You are mine,” he declared, inching closer, staring into her eyes. She froze, pushing him away with her small hands, “No, I don’t want to.”

Shuangshuang’s panicked refusal was immediate. She suddenly feared such an encounter. “Go away, go away,” she cried, covering her ears and shouting.

The man’s surprise at her sudden outburst left him momentarily stunned. Shuangshuang slowly crouched down, staring at the corner of the wall, trembling all over. The man pressed his lips together, “Am I really that terrifying?”

He wondered, and in the next moment, saw that she had lost consciousness.

He shook her gently, confirming she had fainted. What was this? He hadn’t done anything, yet she was so fragile, fainting from fright? He lifted her up; she was light, her body soft, exuding a fresh scent. Her eyes were closed, face pale, curls framing her small face, adding to her charm.

He shook his head, “Alright, you win.” He looked at her, thinking she was a strange woman, no, a strange girl. Just then, his phone rang. He freed a hand to answer.

“President, the child is missing!” A familiar voice from his subordinate came through. “What? Say that again!” The man couldn’t help but shout. What was this? They lost the target again! If he weren’t holding this woman, he might have punched the wall.

“President, don’t worry, we’re sending people to search immediately. We’ll have results soon,” the voice on the other end stammered, fearing the president’s anger, which was more terrifying than a volcanic eruption.

“Hmph, find that little rascal immediately. If not, bring your head to me!” the man barked, startling the person on the other end. “Yes, Mr. An, rest assured, we’ll find him soon.” The subordinate was likely sweating bullets, wiping his forehead with a tissue. The man ignored him and hung up.

Lost again, he thought, annoyed, looking at the woman before him. “It’s all your fault. You owe me double compensation,” he said with a wicked grin.

Then he carried her gently out of the hospital…

Mu Qingtian and little Junze sat on the train back, staring at each other in a game-like manner. The people around them grew sleepy watching. Before long, Qingtian conceded, “Alright, you win, you win. I’m too tired to play anymore.”

They were indeed playing a game. Seeing Qingtian’s low spirits, little Junze had insisted on playing to cheer her up. Though reluctant, Qingtian had agreed after his persistent pestering.

Now both were exhausted. Little Junze lay his head on the table, dozing off. Seeing this, Qingtian draped her coat over him. Little Junze looked up briefly, his big, watery eyes blinking at her.

Qingtian smiled. What a cute child. She gently said, “Alright, it’s getting late. Try to sleep a bit. We’ll be home soon.”

Little Junze nodded, turning away, but then looked back, “Mommy, tell me a story.”

Qingtian’s face darkened slightly. She quickly covered his mouth, “Shh, just call me auntie. Don’t call every woman you meet ‘mommy.’ It’s a special term, you know. I won’t explain further.”

Little Junze nodded, “Auntie, tell a story.”

Qingtian finally relaxed. She held his small, soft body in her arms, briefly imagining how nice it would be if he were her child. She chuckled at her own thoughts, realizing she’d been called ‘mommy’ too many times. She closed her eyes, humming a lullaby. Though there was no story, the lullaby was enough to satisfy little Junze, who quietly closed his eyes.

Time passed, and Qingtian looked down to find little Junze fast asleep. His adorable face was so pure and beautiful that Qingtian was momentarily entranced, forgetting her worries. Whenever she saw something beautiful, she experienced brief joy, forgetting her troubles.

But such joy was fleeting. Gradually, her worries crept back like wild grass, consuming her thoughts. Her heart was still anxious about her fate. Thinking of Ye Ziqian’s angry face sent a chill down her spine.

What could she do, feeling lost? She tilted her head, trying to comfort herself. Sigh, better to enjoy the moment and deal with the unpleasantness later. Unknowingly, her tired eyes began to protest. Unable to resist, she finally fell asleep holding little Junze.

“How’s the search for Manager Feng’s family going?” Ye Ziqian asked Lu Zizhong, rubbing his temples in the car. Lu Zizhong fiddled with his laptop, replying, “Rest assured, it’s been handled. Manager Feng is now on our side, setting up a fake front.”

Ye Ziqian felt a bit more at ease. Such matters usually didn’t require his personal attention in Huaxiang County, but for some reason, he found himself there, only to encounter one misfortune after another, nearly driving him mad. He was too weary to care about anything else, his mood at rock bottom.

Lu Zizhong noticed his foul mood and said no more. Once, he had two capable assistants by his side. Now, seeing the empty space around him, he felt a pang of loss. Sigh, people do change. He was getting old, increasingly sentimental. Was he really unfit for this position?

A sense of melancholy rose within him. Lu Zizhong squinted, watching the scenery fly by, much like his years slipping away with time.

Their car sped along, taking shortcuts, much faster than Qingtian’s slow train. By the time Qingtian and little Junze finally “crawled” back to the Ye Family, dawn was breaking.

She rang the doorbell, and it was Lu Zizhong who answered. Seeing Qingtian, he was surprised, “Little girl, you’re back so early?” He hadn’t expected President Ye’s words to bring Qingtian back so soon. He glanced at the sky, still not fully light.

Qingtian panted, “Uncle Zhong, water, please. I need some water.”

Only then did Lu Zizhong notice the small figure behind her. She was carrying a little boy, her face sweaty. The boy was still asleep. Lu Zizhong wasn’t sure what had happened, but seeing the situation, he quickly said, “Oh, sure, come in.”

He was about to take the child from her, but Qingtian stopped him, “No, Uncle Zhong, this child wakes easily when passed around. I’ll carry him inside.”

Lu Zizhong nodded. The little girl was truly hardworking, but she needn’t have returned so early. If President Ye was woken, she might be in big trouble again.

He didn’t dare tell Qingtian this, only saying, “Let’s be quiet, so we don’t wake President Ye.” Qingtian understood, nodding. “Thank you, Uncle Zhong. I’m exhausted.”

Qingtian hadn’t expected to arrive so early. She should have found a place to sleep. It was all that weird uncle’s fault, forcing her to return immediately, only to find no one home. Sigh, never mind, better get inside and drink some water. Luckily, she was strong enough to carry the child; otherwise, she’d be dead tired.

She gulped down water, wiping her sweat with a tissue. Finally, she found it too troublesome and said to Lu Zizhong, “Uncle Zhong, could you take the child to the guest room, my bedroom? I’ll go shower. If President Ye sees me like this, I’ll be thrown out.”

Lu Zizhong looked at her damp bangs and nodded, “Makes sense, go ahead.”

Qingtian felt like she was serving an emperor, never daring to slack off. At least she could shower, and the thought of this small comfort cheered her up. No matter how difficult things were, she always sought happiness amidst the hardship. That was the charming aspect of Mu Qingtian’s character.